Lord, Save Us from ‘Cute’ Saints!
Pat McCloskey, OFM
October 29, 2020
“Cute” isn’t all bad, but this way of looking at saints hides the wideness of God’s mercy.
Posts from:
Pat McCloskey, OFM
Pat McCloskey, OFM, is the Franciscan advisor for St. Anthony Messenger and the writer of its "Ask a Franciscan" column.
Who Wrote the Gospel of John?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
August 27, 2020
I was surprised to read in an earlier “Ask” column that John the Apostle did not write the Gospel of John. Who did?
We are not entirely sure. First, I should point out that only around the year AD 125 were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John first identified by Papias as the authors of the Gospels. Some Gospels presumed to be written by other prominent Christians were not accepted into the Bible—the Gospel of Thomas, for example.
Confronting Racism
Pat McCloskey, OFM
July 29, 2020
I have a family member who seems to harbor a racist attitude. How do I respond when I hear this person make thinly veiled racist statements?
These comments probably reflect what this family member considers “normal, ” “what everyone knows, ” or wishes were true. At some level, this family member is protecting how he or she sees the world what he or she needs to be true. Otherwise, this person may have to ask life-changing questions and make equally radical changes.
Praying for a ‘Happy Death’
Pat McCloskey, OFM
June 12, 2020
Is it all right to ask God to give someone a happy death?
The Holy Family’s Arrival in Nazareth
Pat McCloskey, OFM
June 11, 2020
According to Luke, the Holy Family went to Nazareth a little more than 40 days after Jesus was born. Matthew’s Gospel suggests it may have been several years later. Which was it?
‘Is Every Encyclical Infallible?’
Pat McCloskey, OFM
June 11, 2020
I know that the pope’s infallibility is not a personal trait but is part of his office as the successor of St. Peter. Even so, is every encyclical infallible?
Widowed Deacons
Pat McCloskey, OFM
June 11, 2020
A Catholic neighbor recently told me her parish priest said that if a deacon’s wife dies, the Church forbids him from marrying again. What is the reasoning behind this Church ruling?