Each weekday, you'll find a new question and answer. Check back for the new question and scroll down to see previous day's entries! Let us know what you think - - or question! -- by emailing us at tcanswer@osv.com.
Late arrival to Mass?
Q. Is it acceptable for people to go to Communion who have arrived so late for Mass that they missed all the readings? I was taught that you must be present for the Liturgy of the Word in order to prepare for receiving the Eucharist.
Mary Murphy, Green, Ohio
A. Here’s a reply from OSV columnist Msgr. M. Francis Mannion:
While the Church has over the centuries legislated variously on this matter, the question is left open today and the matter is approached on an individual basis. The question is not fundamentally a legal one, but one determined primarily by the attitude and general practice of the individual.
The basic principle is that Catholics should attend Mass every Sunday and on holy days of obligation. They should attend with the attitude that leads to full and active participation. And they should attend and participate in the whole liturgy. Sometimes people will miss Mass for a good reason, such as an illness or work.
As a pastor, my inclination is to encourage people to receive Communion even if they are late. Giving people the benefit of the doubt is the wiser and more pastorally edifying way to go.
Praying the Rosary During Adoration?
Q. I have been praying the Rosary with a group of women for our youth during Eucharistic Adoration. I recently was told you are not supposed to pray the Rosary during Adoration. Is that true?
Joanne Lacey, via e-mail
A. Here’s a reply from TCA columnist Father Francis Hoffman, J.C.D.:
No, it is not true! The recitation of the Rosary is a most fitting devotion during Eucharistic Adoration because all devotion to Mary is Christocentric: It leads us to Jesus Christ.
Consider for a moment the rhythm and flow of the Hail Mary: It pivots on the sacred name of Jesus. In his book "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" (Knopf, 1994) Pope John Paul II wrote: "Thanks to St. Louis of Montfort, I came to understand that true devotion to the Mother of God is actually Christocentric, indeed, it is very profoundly rooted in the Mystery of the Blessed Trinity, and the mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption" (p. 213, emphasis in the original).
By praying and meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, we contemplate the main events of Our Lord's life.
If you would like a more scholarly analysis of why some people have discouraged recitation of the Rosary during Eucharistic Adoration, consult Susan Benofy's article "The Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration" in the online edition of the Adoremus Bulletin, vol. V, no. 3 (May 1999).
So, I say to you: Good for you for praying the Rosary for youth during Adoration.
Apostolic Pentecostals?
Q. I recently came in contact with a group of Christians claiming apostolic origin. They call themselves Apostolic Pentecostals. I've never heard of this denomination and am quite confused about their claims that their group has the true apostolic teachings and no "man-made" doctrines like the Catholic Church. Can you please clarify their claim and historical roots, so I may defend my faith with confidence?
Robert Morales, Mountain View, Calif.
A. Here’s a reply from TCA columnist Father Ray Ryland, Ph.D., J.D:
The Pentecostal movement originated at the end of the 19th century as an offshoot of the Holiness movement, which in turn arose out of Methodism. Today there are countless denominations of Pentecostals, widely at variance among themselves. Like many other evangelical Protestant groups, the Pentecostal movement continues to proliferate.
The "Oneness Pentecostals," also known as "Jesus Only Pentecostals" or "Apostolic Pentecostals," claim that in the early Church baptism was administered in the name of Jesus Christ only. They ignore the command in Matthew 28:19 to baptize in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This group has abandoned belief in the Trinity and holds instead to an affirmation of the simple "oneness" of God.
However "Pentecostal" these persons may be, they certainly are not "apostolic." What Cardinal John Henry Newman wrote about the unhistorical nature of Protestantism applies to this group: "So much must the Protestant grant that, if such a system of doctrine as he would now introduce ever existed in early times, it has been clean swept away as if by a deluge, suddenly, silently, and without memorial; by a deluge coming in a night, and utterly soaking, rotting, heaving up, and hurrying of every vestige" of what he claims is "apostolic" ("An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine I, "Introduction," section 6).
Anyone or any group that breaks with the Catholic Church necessarily starts something new, something different from what Jesus Christ established in His Church. This is true of all traditions (which I prefer to call "reconstructions"), even in some measure of the Eastern Orthodox churches.
Mass Attendance after 80?
Q. My senior citizen aunt used to have a couple in their late 80s drive her to Mass until a few weeks ago. Then, they stopped going. When she asked them why they aren't picking her up anymore and going to Mass, the reply was that a priest told them you didn't have to worry about attending Mass after you were 80. She asked me whether it was true, and I said I had never heard such a thing. Can you explain this?
Barbara, via e-mail
There's no such rule in canon law excusing those older than 80 from attending Sunday Mass. And besides, 80 isn't what it used to be. I know people in their 80s who still ski and play golf. If you are in good health and mobile, you are obliged to attend Sunday Mass. If you are in poor health, or it would be morally or physically impossible to attend Sunday Mass, then you are excused.
I'll bet the priest was simply concerned for the safety of the couple and others on the road, and thought it would be better if they did not drive. He may well be right. But that is a different matter altogether.
Our heart and soul need to worship God at Mass as long as we live, and as we get older, we need the strength and consolation of the Eucharist even more. Additionally, the elderly offer a splendid example of generosity and faith to younger generations when they overcome their aches and pains in order to be present for worship -- just as Pope John Paul II did in the final years of his life. Please don't give up the battle!
Lasting Effects of the Eucharist?
Q. My concern is about the lasting effects of the Eucharist after we have received it. I receive the Eucharist each Sunday. Are we receiving Christ less by only taking the Host and not the cup also? How long does the Body of Christ stay in us? Does each venial sin lessen Christ in us so that eventually we need to go to Communion to replenish Christ in us?
Dan Pryor, Bridgewater, N.J.
A. Here’s a reply from TCA columnist Father Ray Ryland, Ph.D., J.D.:
First of all, the Church assures us that we receive the whole Christ when, in a state of grace, we receive under only one species. Receiving also the Precious Blood adds to the sign value of Christ's gift of himself, but gives us no more of himself. The Body of Christ stays in us as long as the sacred Host retains its qualities as bread.
Venial sin is an offense against God, but it would not be correct to say that venial sin lessens Christ in us. It does not cut us off from Christ as does mortal sin, but it does place barriers between us and Christ. Those barriers must be removed through the Sacrament of Penance.
We need to go to Communion frequently to allow Christ to continue His redemptive work in us. The prayer over the gifts for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time puts it this way:
"When we proclaim the death of the Lord [that is, when we share in offering the Holy Sacrifice] you continue the work of His redemption [in us].…" Though Christ's redemptive work is perfect and complete, objectively speaking, our whole lives as members of His mystical body must be devoted to letting that redemption unfold in us.
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