Halloween (eve of All Saints) Halloween’s origins date back to the pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain, also known as All Hallow’s Eve, or the Day of the Dead. The Celts divided their calendar into four seasons and Halloween marked the…
IN THE CHURCH ARE THERE DIFFERENT WAYS OF PRAYING ? In the Church there are various ways of praying that are tied to different historical, social and cultural contexts. The Magisterium of the Church has the task of discerning the…
WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL FORMS OF CHRISTIAN PRAYER ? They are blessing and adoration, the prayer of petition and intercession, thanksgiving and praise. The Eucharist contains and expresses all the forms of prayer. WHAT IS “BLESSING” ? The prayer of…
PRAYER IS FULLY REVEALED AND REALISED IN JESUS FROM WHOM DID JESUS LEARN HOW TO PRAY ? Jesus, with His human heart, learned how to pray from His mother and from the Jewish tradition. But His prayer sprang from a…
WHEN IS IT MORAL TO REGULATE BIRTHS ? The regulation of births, which is an aspect of responsible fatherhood and motherhood, is objectively morally acceptable when it is pursued by the spouses without external pressure; when it is practiced not…
WHAT IS CHASTITY ? Chastity means the positive integration of sexuality within the person. Sexuality becomes truly human when it is integrated in a correct way into the relationship of one person to another. Chastity is a moral virtue, a…
WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR EARTHLY PEACE ? Earthly peace requires the equal distribution and safeguarding of the goods of persons, free communication among human beings, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of justice and…
HOW DOES ONE AVOID SCANDAL Scandal, which consists in inducing others to do evil, is avoided when we respect the soul and body of the person. Anyone who deliberately leads others to commit serious sin himself or herself commits a…
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT: YOU SHALL NOT KILL WHY MUST HUMAN LIFE BE RESPECTED ? Human life must be respected because it is sacred. From its beginning human life involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a…
GRACE AND JUSTIFICATION What is justification? Justification is the most excellent work of God’s love. It is the merciful and freely-given act of God which takes away our sins and makes us just and holy in our whole being. It…