Ask a Franciscan
Why Do We Need Low-gluten Hosts?
I don’t understand why someone who has celiac disease and is, therefore, allergic to gluten needs a low-gluten host. The bread at Mass changes substantially into the Body of Christ.
How Much of the Mass Must I Attend?
To fulfill the Sunday obligation to attend Mass, how long or for what parts must you be present? What is the penitential rite? Must you be present for that? When may you leave and still fulfill the obligation?
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The Bible As God’s Self-Revelation
My adult nephew recently asked me: “How do I know that the Bible is the Word of God and not simply a collection of human writings? How do I know that the people who decided what belongs in the Bible ...
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Origins of the Nicene Creed Explained
How did the Nicene Creed come about? In AD 325, 12 years after Christianity had become a “tolerated religion” in the Roman Empire, Emperor Constantine convoked and presided over the First Council of Nicaea (modern-day Izmir, Turkey). The council addressed ...
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The Stage Between Blessed and Saint?
Why is there an intermediary stage between Blessed and Saint if both titles assure someone of going to heaven? Are Blesseds waiting on the periphery to be admitted into heaven?
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‘Son of Man’ or ‘Son of God’?
Why does Jesus refer to himself much more often as the “Son of Man” than as the “Son of God”? You are right about his preferred self-description. Using the Concordance of the New American Bible, I count in the Gospel ...
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Is Purgatory in the Bible?
Why do Catholics teach that purgatory exists? I can’t find it in my Bible.
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