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father's answers
Q: Do souls in Purgatory have free will?
A: Yes...
God has the ability to change the will so that a person can only choose good. In other words, He can certainly remove the ability to choose evil. This does not mean removing all free will. One might, for example, be able to choose among different good options, but not any evil ones. This would still be free will; it would simply be a different kind of free will than we experience in this life--a freedom to choose only among different goods.
On the other hand, God might not change the will's fundamental capacity to choose either good or evil. Instead, He might place us in a condition where--although we could still theoretically choose both—we in fact never end up choosing evil. Why might this happen? It may be that since the souls in purgatory know they are saved, the reality of the future beatific vision they will enjoy will be so compelling that they never choose evil. In either case, the blessed in heaven would be impeccable--that is, not able to sin--either because of a change in the nature of the will or a change in the circumstances in which the will operates (or both).
Q: Because of his excommunication, is Bishop Vigano no longer able to receive Holy Communion?
A: Canon law mandates, “ Those who are excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion” (CIC 915).
Q: I'm a lifelong, married Catholic, disabled and bedridden since 2012. In addition to donating to my local parish and Diocese, I donated to Catholic Charities and several other Catholic organizations. After the McCarrick scandal (he was the first bishop of our Diocese) and numerous other scandals involving Catholic Charities regarding child trafficking, I stopped supporting the local Diocese and Catholic Charities. Instead, I donate money to other Catholic organizations such as EWTN, Divine Mercy Institute in Stockbridge, MA, The Sunday Mass, our local Catholic food bank, Catholic prison ministries, Cancelled Priests, etc. My question is this: are these alternative donations sufficient to fulfill the requirement to support the Diocese? Given the lack of leadership by the US Bishops during Covid when they closed the churches and failed to feed their flocks, their failure to speak out on abortion, the failure to speak out about the LGBQT issue, etc. I can't, in good faith, support them. I pray for them, however I can no longer support them financially. This issue has been troubling me, and I'd appreciate your feedback. Thank You.
A: The Church’s Code of Canon Law teaches: “The Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the Church so that the Church has what is necessary for divine worship, for apostolic works and works of charity and for the decent sustenance of ministers. They are also obliged to promote social justice and … to assist the poor from their own resources” (Canon 222).
Although a contribution of 10 percent stands as the traditional ideal, the law does not specify an amount to be given to the local parish church. Indeed, a comment on the law observes: “The obligation is according to each person’s possibilities since no one is held to the impossible, and family obligations are to be taken into account.… Family resources must be safeguarded.”
Because we must support the poor and contribute to causes that strive for social justice, concerned Catholics might want to divide their charitable resources among a number of causes.
Parish needs will always have a prior claim on the generosity of God’s People, but special diocesan collections (or other — even civic — efforts) that aid the poor and seek to make God’s kingdom a visible reality in our time might be considered as well. If you can find a charity that appeals to you, then donate to it and feel great that they are applying the money the way you would want them to. You are not obliged to support bishops who have proven to be untrustworthy
Alexa Dark, Shane Schaetzel, Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
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‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
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Father's answersQ.
Dear Father, Why does the Creed say, “He will come to judge the living and the dead?” Are we already judged at our time of death? Thank you. Connie A.
Dear Connie,Our Lord will come to Judge the Living and the Dead at the end of time during the General Judgment. Upon our death, we are judged in a Particular Judgment. Once the Second Coming happens, everyone will know the sentences received from the Lord. Heaven and Hell are permanent. Those souls going to Purgatory are transitional and they all eventually go to heaven (no souls making it to Purgatory will go to hell) once their spiritual debt is paid in full.In His Passion, Fr. Kloster
Q.Hi Father, My mother was cremated, and half her ashes are at a cemetery next to my father. The other half of her ashes will be spread around her hometown. She was Methodist. I am Catholic. Can I participate in spreading her ashes around her hometown? Thank you. Jim A.
Dear Jim,
I would not participate in the spreading of ashes. Half of her ashes are with your father and I would leave it at that. Remember that the burning of bodies was always a pagan practice. Jews never did it and neither did Catholics. Having bodies cremated is a very recent change in what our Bishops before Vatican II (really up until around the year 2000) had always taught. Then too, I have a priest friend whose parishioner cleans out the ducts and floors of crematoriums. There are a lot of ashes that never make it into the urns!In His Passion, Fr. KlosterQ: Dear Father, are all canceled priests moving towards embracing the Tridentine Mass and Tradition? Do they still support and ofer the Novus Ordo mass? Do any of you ofer the Tridentine Mass independently for Catholics to attend? Thank you kindly, Father.
A: Good question. I cannot speak for other “cancelled priests.” However, I offer the TLM exclusively. There are people who regularly attend the Mass I offer which is both valid and licit. Generally speaking, Traditional Latin Mass priests do not support the Novus Ordo Mass. Although both the NO and the TLM are valid forms of the Holy Sacrifice, a strong argument may be made that the NO has put the Catholic faith in much peril. The ordained Catholic priest's first and foremost “function” is to offer sacrifice. This is his primary duty. It is by far the most important act the priest carries out daily. Without the priest there can be no Holy Eucharist. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the priest to give God the most glory he possibly can when performing his most important duty. The vast majority of priests offering the NO mass have proven they cannot even get that right. Rarely does one see the NO mass offered properly. We shouldn't be surprised the Catholic Church is in such disarray when we see Her liturgy abused so routinely. Satan well knows the effect of denigrating the Holy Liturgy. We see the fruits of this all around us.
Q: Should me and my Family attend Mass where Sacrilegious and vile Outrageous are being committed? Also, can we just watch reverent Masses on Tv on Sundays in hopes of keeping the Lord's day Holy? We're hearing heresies and too much Modernism and feel it's a danger to our faith. We just have the Priest come by on Saturday's to give Communion and hear confession.
A: Absolutely not. You should fnd a parish where the Holy Liturgy is given its due reverence. Watching Mass on TV is not sufcient for fulflling one's Sunday obligation. The Sunday observance requires physical presence. It requires both body and soul to be really, physically present. However, there are some circumstances where the Sunday obligation is not binding, including: illness, inclement weather, being far away from a Catholic Church, no priest, and other grave causes. Sincerely in Christ, Rev. Jefery A. Faschin
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