Ask a Franciscan
Will My Husband Know Me in Heaven?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
June 22, 2017
I believe and hope to be with my loved ones someday in heaven. Will my husband, who died almost two years ago, know me and still love me? How will he look? If I have hurt anyone in my lifetime, will he or she have forgiven me by then? My husband was a good Catholic. I hope he is in heaven, but where is it? This is all on faith. What if it isn’t the way we thought it would be?
Understanding the Term ‘Born Again’
Pat McCloskey, OFM
June 22, 2017
Q. The term born again has become very popular among many Christians now, but I am not sure of its meaning. I suspect that it is misused or misunderstood by many people who proudly use it. Also, we read in ...
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Questions about Heaven
Pat McCloskey, OFM
May 23, 2017
Where is heaven? Will my husband who died two years ago know me and still love me? If we have hurt people, will they have forgiven us by the time we get to heaven? What if there's nothing beyond a ...
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Why Pray to Mary and the Saints?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
April 24, 2017
Why do Catholics pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to various saints? Is there anything in the Bible to back this up? Can't this be considered idol worship? Why not pray directly to God? The mother of Jesus Christ ...
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Why Does God Make the Devil So Powerful?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
April 24, 2017
If God created the angel Lucifer, who failed God through pride, why didn't God simply dump him in hell instead of allowing him to torment and wreck so many human lives? Isn't God more powerful than Satan? I have heard ...
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Homily? Eulogy?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
March 29, 2017
Some dioceses allow eulogies at funerals, and others do not. Why is this? This question arises frequently. According to the 1989 Order of Christian Funerals (the ritual book used by Catholics in the United States), "A brief homily is given ...
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Nurturing a Franciscan Spirituality
Pat McCloskey, OFM
March 29, 2017
I need some practical advice for how to live and grow in Franciscan spirituality as a layperson. Because I am not close to a Secular Franciscan group, I need to do this on my own.
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