Ask a Franciscan

One of my close friends believes in reincarnation. My Catholic education and faith leave me with no reason to believe in multiple lives. Among other things, my friend claims that all mention of reincarnation was removed from the Bible in ...

What happens when a couple divorces? One person may not want a divorce but is unable to stop it in a state where there is a nofault divorce law.

My aunt says that her parish priest told her that God will not raise at the Last Judgment anyone who has chosen to be cremated. Is that true? If so, why?

Q. Matthew 3:13-17 describes the baptism of Jesus, including John the Baptist’s objection that Jesus should be baptizing him. Why did Jesus want to be baptized, anyway? A. This question was raised by Christians already in the first century, which ...

I recently saw a death notice that read, “A Funeral Mass celebrating Ray’s life will begin....” That sounds to me like a non-Catholic notice. Aren’t we supposed to mourn when a family member, friend or acquaintance dies?

In Isaiah 40:2, God tells the prophet: “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated. Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her ...