Ask a Priest

There is a Question Box (ASK A PRIEST) in the back of Holy Family Catholic Church.  Parishioners and others are invited to submit their queries.  Many of the inquiries and responses in this book were taken from the pastor’s blog, BLOGGERPRIEST.COM.  The questions are listed in the general order received.

The book is available for sale and currently costs $20.  The pdf attached is free.

Questions 1 to 259  (Book from 2017)

Below are monthly pdfs that continue where the book left off.  Fr. Joseph Jenkins does not admit to being the final word.  He merely tries to answer questions given him to the best of his ability.

Questions 260 to 271 (January 2019)

• 260 – Do we kneel after Holy Communion?
• 261 – Who are Jesus’ “brothers and sisters”?
• 262 – Should there be time for silence at Mass?
• 263 – Is it better to discuss one big sin than to list all sins in confession?
• 264 – Do animals have souls?
• 265 – Can a woman who has had a mastectomy get married in the Church?
• 266 – Are breast implants for cancer survivors moral for Catholics?
• 267 – Did the Catholic Church change the Ten Commandments?
• 268 – What distinguishes envy and admiration?
• 269 – What is the gap between trusting our Savior and impatience?
• 270 – What is “full consent” in mortal sin?
• 271 – Are we allowed to use missals at Mass?

Questions 272 to 283  (February 2019)

• 272 – Are we always required to give direct moral correction?
• 273 – What is the Trinity?
• 274 – Must a priest wear a stole for confession?
• 275 – Do we recognize marriage outside the Church?
• 276 – Is it a sin when we emotionally find it hard to care?
• 277 – How does one trust of God in this life?
• 278 – How can one save a one-sided loveless marriage?
• 279 – Might one divorce an unfaithful spouse who now admits homosexuality?
• 280 – Is it a sin to use a “cracked” computer program?
• 281 – Should the family embrace an illegitimate daughter?
• 282 – Does shopping and cooking on Sunday violate the Sabbath?
• 283 – Should we stop if we think we see a body on the road?

Questions 284 to 294  (March 2019)

• 284 – What is our relationship with the Holy Spirit?
• 285 – Are near or after death experiences real?
• 286 – Must we witness to others?
• 287 – Can the transgendered get married?
• 288 – Can those in orders take monetary gifts?
• 289 – Can the Pope change the Lord’s Prayer?
• 290 – Can Catholics participate in non-Catholic religious services?
• 291 – What is the line between mortal and venial sin?
• 292 – How does the spousal relationship measure against the parental?
• 293 – Should I switch parishes?
• 294 – Can you make the rules for your home?

Questions 295 to 307  (April 2019)

• 295 – Why don’t guardian angels do their job?
• 296 – What do Christians know of the Noachian laws?
• 297 – Does it count if we get paid at church?
• 298 – What is the sin of solicitation?
• 299 – Is wanting a new car the same as coveting?
• 300 – Would it be sinful to retire and thus to reduce charitable giving?
• 301 – Who can lift excommunication censures?
• 302 – Is it right to read personal works that author’s asked to be destroyed?
• 303 – Is talking about family problems with family really detraction?
• 304 – What is the marital status of a divorced non-baptized man in the eyes of
  the Church?
• 305 – Is missing Mass always a mortal sin?
• 306 – Is it really wrong to feel regret, loss and anger about good parishioners
  leaving the parish because of a standoff with the priest over their same-
  sex relationship?
• 307 – How far must we go not to be cruel to animals?

Questions 308 to 317  (May 2019)

• 308 – Are same-sex couples routinely expelled as unwanted from our parishes?
• 309 – Is “catch and release” fishing okay?
• 310 – Is God male or female or both?
• 311 – How does one choose between a vocation to the altar or to a woman?
• 312 – Should we boycott Disney over their political stand over abortion?
• 313 – How do I find peace knowing my sins as I die?
• 314 – How do we thank God?
• 315 – How does one measure restitution?
• 316 – Are there sins that cannot be forgiven?
• 317 – How evil is Satan really?

Questions 318 to 329  (June 2019)

• 318 – How far can we go with NFP?
• 319 – Is it unfair to refuse sex after seduction?
• 320 – How can we defend a scandalous Church?
• 321 – Do priests talk to priests about confessions?
• 322 – Is it wrong to kiss religious images.
• 323 – Is chastity before marriage outdated?
• 324 – Should one feel guilty for having money?
• 325 – How far does one compromise values so as to keep a needed job?
• 326 – What should one do when an abusive husband opposes the religious formation of children?
• 327 – What is the difference between counseling and spiritual direction?
• 328 – Can one ever do things that might harm the body?
• 329 – What is the culpability for acts that are accompanied with undesired sexual pleasure?

Questions 330 to 353 (July 2019)

• 330 – Should one seek punishment for sin?
• 331 – Is Judas in heaven or hell?
• 332 – Are we culpable for inadvertent arousal?
• 333 – How does one become a deacon?
• 334 – When is kissing a sin?
• 335 – Does the Pope make Satanic hand signs?
• 336 – What are some available Third Orders?
• 337 – What should we do for penance?
• 338 – Can one be forced to take confirmation?
• 339 – Is the firstborn still consecrated to God?
• 340 – What should one do about nightmares?
• 341 – Can one divorce an unhappy spouse?
• 342 – Is it a sin to have relations when the spouse takes measures to prevent more children?
• 343 – Is it moral to hasten death for the dying?
• 344 – Does anxiety affect guilt for onanism?
• 345 – What is the obligation to speak out against “legal” crimes like euthanasia?
• 346 – Are there any reservations to organ donation?
• 347 – Can we make too much of coincidences?
• 348 – Should Catholics frequent bars?
• 349 – Is it a sin to belong to the NEA?
• 350 – Can a person have two funerals?
• 351 – Where did Jesus get his DNA?
• 352 – Should employees report workplace favoritism?
• 353 – Can Native American pre-Christian rituals be transformed into Catholic sacramentals?

Questions 354 to 372 (August 2019)

• 354 – What is a good website for learning the faith?
• 355 – Is it wrong to threaten to get money back?
• 356 – Why won’t God stop me from drinking?
• 357 – Can godparents be annulled?
• 358 – How do we discern scrupulosity?
• 359 – Does confession make us perfect for heaven?
• 360 – Was it a sin to watch a TV show?
• 361 – Did watching a bad movie make me ineligible for Holy Communion?
• 362 – Must one confess sins that one is not sure he or she committed?
• 363 – Must a priest say “I absolve you” in confession?
• 364 – Is it a mortal sin still mortal if we cannot accomplish it?
• 365 – Is it a sin to watch YouTube videos that do not come from their original source?
• 366 – I am supposed to get confirmed but I am in mortal sin– what should I do?
• 367 – Can a Catholic attend a Hindu wedding?
• 368 – Why should young people deny their urges and what is wrong with contraception?
• 369 – Is it wrong to act impulsively on what one perceives as signs around him?
• 370 – Should one be upset about a fast confession without a proper act of contrition?
• 371 – Is it a sin for Christianity to discriminate against other religions?
• 372 – Is every act of sexual impurity a mortal sin?

Questions 373 to 390 (PENDING)

• 373 – Why do Catholics wear a crucifix instead of a cross?
• 374 – Must parents of a couple getting married be interviewed?
• 375 – How should we keep Sundays and holy days of obligation?
• 376 – Can a Catholic married outside the Church take Holy Communion?
• 377 – Must marriages in the Church be immediately consummated the same day?
• 378 – Is it wrong for adult offspring to reprimand parents?
• 379 – Does toothpaste break the Eucharistic fast? Is one permitted to chew the host or touch it with the teeth?
• 380 – Is one a bad Catholic for holding the traditional teaching on the death penalty?
• 381 – Is it okay to miss a family member who was a bad person or a murderer?
• 382 – Seeking to keep the commandments, can one offer up celibacy and depression as penance?
• 383 – Are the Harry Potter books a dangerous introduction to the occult and demon possession?
• 384 – Should we only patronize health professionals who are Christian?
• 385 – Is a cross made from two wrenches wrong?
• 386 – What do we do with old blessed palms?
• 387 – Should a struggle with a sexual habit keep one from the faith?
• 388 – Can a priest later bring up matters to which he became privy in the confessional?
• 389 – Should a teacher challenge the pastor to hear the confessions of students?
• 390 – Is it a sin to drink whiskey each night?