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.
Is God bored?
Q. If God knows the end of all things, is he not bored? If I knew how things were going to turn out, I would be bored to death.
— J.J., Metuchen, N.J.
A. Here’s a reply from OSV columnist Msgr. M. Francis Mannion:
In a certain sense, we human beings already know the end of all things. If we live by God’s commandments and do his will, our end is heaven. While we do not experience heaven now — except through human experiences of goodness, truth and beauty — we can enjoy it by anticipation. The human intimations of heaven only whet our appetite for the real thing. The human expectation of heaven is certainly not boring.
While we cannot apply the ordinary categories of time to God, we cannot say that he is bored. Certainly God knows fully the end of all things, but God does not yet enjoy the end for which all things were made: complete human communion with him and the perfection of all creation and history.
While there is no imperfection in God, and God is complete in himself, nevertheless we can say (speaking in human terms) that God awaits with us the new heavens and the new earth that are as yet only real in the mind of God. The God who created all things waits at the end of history for the completion of his plan of salvation and redemption. Thus God can hardly be bored.
Which Gospel Was First?
Q. Which of the four Gospels came first? Because of the similarities of all four, did the latter three copy the stories, or did they use original source material?
A. Here’s a reply from Father Reginald Martin:
The field of New Testament scholarship is vast, and the landscape changes frequently as archaeology and linguistic studies bring new light to bear on the scriptural texts. Nevertheless, at present, scholars appear to agree that Mark’s is the earliest of the Gospel accounts, and tradition tells us Mark received his information from St. Peter.
Matthew and Luke almost certainly drew on Mark’s account, but scholars note that they rely on at least one additional source as well. Unfortunately, this source (or sources) has not survived. The communities in which they lived also influenced the Evangelists. Mark, for example, seems more familiar with Roman culture than the other two.
To say the Evangelists were influenced by their culture should in no way diminish the role of God’s inspiration in the production of the Gospel texts; human authors necessarily leave traces of their personalities in the documents they write. One of the fascinating aspects of Scripture study is discerning what educational and other influences the scriptural talents of the Evangelist brings to his task.
Those wishing to learn more about New Testament studies might profitably consult Raymond Brown, W.A. Meeks, E.M. Meyers, J.M. O’Connor, E.P. Sanders and Gregory Tatum.
Taking Non-Catholic Communion?
Q. If I have been baptized in the Catholic Church, is it permissible for me to participate in the holy Communion at a Christian church?
L.B., Lansing, Mich.
A. Here’s a reply from TCA columnist Father Ray Ryland, Ph.D., J.D
The answer is no. The reason is this. The Church teaches that to partake of Communion in any Christian tradition is publicly to declare one is in full agreement with what that tradition teaches or holds. Therefore, if you, a Catholic, were to share in the Communion of a non-Catholic tradition, your action would bespeak a falsehood.
For the same reason, the Church does not allow non-Catholics to receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord in the Eucharist. This prohibition has nothing to do with the spiritual state of non-Catholics. In fact the rule exists for the protection of the integrity of non-Catholics who happen to be present at a Eucharistic celebration. It prevents them from unwittingly, but still symbolically, making a public statement that is untrue.
Tithing and Sacrificial Giving
Q. Could you please tell me more about what the Catholic Church believes about tithing?
S.B, via e-mail
A. Here is a reply from Father Francis Hoffman, J.C.D.:
Tithing is first mentioned in the books of the Old Testament and represents a sacrificial gift of one’s produce or income for the benefit of the worship of God by maintenance of the Temple and the priests caring for temple worship. It was usually around 10 percent. The earliest reference in Scripture to tithing is in patriarchal times. Abraham gave a tithe from spoils to the priestly king Melchizedek (see Gn 14:17-20). Jacob promised a tithe to God (Gn 28:18-22; see Am 4:4). According to the law of Deuteronomy (14:22-27), the Hebrews were expected to tithe grain, wine and oil, as well as the firstborn of the animals (Lv 27:30-32). Every third year tithes were distributed to the poor (Dt 14:28-29; 26:12).
Tithing represents a sacrifice, and sacrifice is one of the acts of the virtue of religion, the others being prayer, adoration and worship. All peoples in all times in all religions that acknowledge an infinite being have recognized the intrinsic need of sacrificial offerings to God. In the Christian tradition, the Sacrifice of the Mass is the sacrifice par excellence!
A sacrifice offered to God awakens the soul and sharpens the spiritual powers of perception. Sacrifice is to prayer what a magnifying glass is to sunlight: it intensifies the power. Sacrifice is a proof of faith and trust in God, as well as a demonstration of love for God. Anyone who loves another is always willing to make a sacrifice for the good of the other.
Not everyone is able to give 10 percent of their income to the Church or to charity; some can give more, others can give less. But it is necessary that everyone make a sacrificial offering on a regular basis, and a sacrificial offering is one that you can feel. Tithing is one way to fulfill the fifth precept of the Church: “You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.”
On occasion a young man may tell me that he does not get much out of the Mass. While there may be subjective reasons for this (bad music, bland preaching, confusing architecture, empty stomach), more often the determining factors are subjective (lack of grace, lack of faith, lack of sacrifice). Archbishop Fulton Sheen famously quipped, “You don’t get much out of the Mass because you don’t bring much to it.” If you want to enhance the fruitfulness of your participation in Mass, just bring a generous sacrifice.
Anointing Procedure
Q. Can a priest give the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, in an emergency, without the holy oil, etc.
— Dick LaReau
The Church’s ritual for “Pastoral Care of the Sick” states that “when sudden illness or some other cause has unexpectedly placed one of the faithful in proximate danger of death … the sick person may be given the sacraments of penance, anointing, and the Eucharist as viaticum in a single celebration. If death is imminent and there is not enough time to celebrate the three sacraments … the sick person should be given an opportunity to make a sacramental confession, even if it has to be a generic confession. After this the person should be given viaticum [the Eucharist], since all the faithful are bound to receive this sacrament if they are in danger of death. Then, if there is sufficient time, the sick person should be anointed.”
Anointing, by its nature, requires oil, but, as the ritual demonstrates, anointing is not the most important part of spiritual care for those who are seriously ill. Indeed, because the Church’s sacramental anointings reflect vestiges of the Old Testament belief that an anointing sets an individual apart for a special duty in the community, the anointing of the sick seems to presuppose the anointed individual will live on, as a sign of the suffering Christ.
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