Ask a Franciscan
How Are Mass Readings Chosen?
A non-Catholic friend asked me how the Scriptures at Mass are selected. Who started this and when was the present system adopted?
Vatican II’s 1963 “Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy” called for a wider selection of biblical texts to be used at Mass. The current Lectionary (book of those readings) was prepared by an international committee of experts and went into use in 1970.
Who Was the ‘Beloved Disciple ‘?
In the Gospel of John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved " is at the foot of the cross (19:26) and is entrusted with caring for the mother of Jesus (19:27). Who is this disciple and what makes him more loved ...
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A Deep Wound
How could God take my precious son at age 43 and yet allow rotten people who have stopped believing in God to keep on living? My son was a great Catholic and spent eight years in Catholic schools.
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Why the Push for a Latin Mass?
There seems to be a push to return to the Latin Mass and all its implications. Our parish has become very divided when this was imposed on us with refusal of Communion in the hand, reintroduction of Communion rails, and ...
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Pedophile Priests Protected
My wife and I do not feel comfortable discussing this with our parish priest and hope you can provide some guidance. As cradle Catholics, we find it very difficult to continue in our Catholic faith because of repeated reports of ...
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St. Francis and the Eucharist
What did the Eucharist mean to St. Francis? How did he express his devotion to it?
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Questioning God’s Plan
My wife and I are both seriously ill and have been since we married 14 years ago. Now her medications have stopped working, and we are meeting with the doctors. I'm currently very angry and questioning God's plan. I don't ...
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