Ask a Franciscan
Why Did John the Baptist Baptize?
Q. During Advent we hear Gospel readings about John the Baptist and his ministry. This month we celebrate Jesus’ Baptism by John. This, however, was not a Jewish practice, was it? Why was John baptizing in the first place?
A Piece of Bamboo
It is difficult to say if my love for all creatures, great and small, developed because I was named after Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment. Or if I was born with an innate understanding of ...
Read More →
A Mass without Borders
The pope was speaking about injustice and oppression, saying that transformation and conversion come with “tears that purify our gaze and enable us to see the cycle of sin.” He had come to the border at the end of his ...
Read More →
One-Hour Fast Before Communion
Q: Are we still expected to fast one hour before receiving Holy Communion? I have seen a woman chewing gum as she comes into Mass and is still chewing it as she stands in line to receive Holy Communion. I was ...
Read More →
Casual Sex on TV Programs
Q: Many TV shows include sexual remarks or people sleeping with people to whom they are not married. I don’t watch much television, but I do enjoy several hospital-based programs that have good plots but frequently include these situations, which are ...
Read More →
Is There a Heaven?
Q: All my life we have been told that when we die we will be with God for all eternity. I sometimes feel, however, that when you die that’s it—no heaven, God or anything. It’s frightening to think that what I ...
Read More →
Receiving Holy Communion in a Protestant Church
I recently attended the wedding of a friend’s son who was married in a Protestant ceremony. This wedding included a communion service. In order to show respect for my friend and his son, I received communion but afterwards questioned if ...
Read More →