Ask a Franciscan
Examining My Conscience
				
			
																				
			Pat McCloskey, OFM		
				
																						
			May 26, 2020		
		
		
				Why aren’t the corporal works of mercy the focus of an examination of conscience before receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
What Would Becoming Catholic Add?
					
			
																				
			Pat McCloskey, OFM		
				
																						
			May 25, 2020		
				
		
		
			My husband believes all that Catholics teach. He believes in his heart that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. There is one problem: My husband resists the idea of becoming Catholic, of converting to this faith.		
					
					
														
									
								
													
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						The Litany of the Blessed Virgin
					
			
																				
			Pat McCloskey, OFM		
				
																						
			May 25, 2020		
				
		
		
			Q. In our parish a group of us gather before Mass to pray the rosary and the Litany of the Blessed Mother. From where did the Litany of the Blessed Virgin come? And what do the titles “Mirror of Justice,” ...		
					
					
														
									
								
													
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						Did Jesus Have a Soul?
					
			
																				
			Pat McCloskey, OFM		
				
																						
			May 25, 2020		
				
		
		
			I’ve been a Catholic for 70 years and have tried to understand the mystery of the Trinity. The other day I wondered, Did Jesus have a soul? Nothing is ever easy.		
					
					
														
									
								
													
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						Blessing of a Home
					
			
																				
			Pat McCloskey, OFM		
				
																						
			May 25, 2020		
				
		
		
			The Book of Blessings directs that the blessing should not be given unless those who live in the home are present—you don’t just bless empty living quarters.		
					
					
														
									
								
													
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						What Is Excommunication?
					
			
																				
			Pat McCloskey, OFM		
				
																						
			May 25, 2020		
				
		
		
			All excommunications are meant to be medicinal. They are a kind of shock therapy intended to make sinners aware of the seriousness of their sin and their spiritual condition and call them to conversion.		
					
					
														
									
								
													
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						Was Saint Nicholas Real?
					
			
																				
			Pat McCloskey, OFM		
				
																						
			May 25, 2020		
				
		
		
			Books say Nicholas died in 342 A.D., but they don’t say when he became a saint. They also say that, while many miracles were performed, they were not recognized by the Catholic Church and he was dropped from the Roman ...		
					
					
														
									
								
													
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