Ask a Franciscan
Missing Mass on Sunday
As an 80-year-old Catholic, I was taught that missing Mass through your own fault is a mortal sin that, if unconfessed and unabsolved, could send you to hell forever. I know friends and other Catholics who are good people but no longer go to Mass. How could a merciful God condemn them to hell forever?
The obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation is serious but must be understood in relation to other serious obligations. Caring for a terminally ill spouse or child is a greater obligation than attending Sunday Mass.
What about Limbo?
Question about limbo: Are souls in a state of eternal happiness outside heaven or do they go to hell forever? I pray for my granddaughter’s soul.
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Franciscan or Roman Catholic?
I like what I read in St. Anthony Messenger and enjoy other products from Franciscan Media. One question keeps coming back to me: Are you Franciscan or Roman Catholic? I ask this because these days I feel much closer to ...
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Was Saint Peter the Bishop of Rome?
In his book The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis, Garry Wills states that there is no evidence before AD 100 that there was any bishop in Rome. Is that true?
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What About Sins of Omission?
I cannot find an examination of conscience for sins of omission. Does such a list exist?
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Is There a ‘Hierarchy of Love’?
In January, Vice President JD Vance was in the news regarding his interpretation of St. Augustine of Hippo’s expression ordo amoris (order of love or hierarchy of love).
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