Where are Priests in the Bible?
According to Acts 6:5-6 the Apostles ordained seven men as deacons. Nowhere in the New Testament is there a record of men being ordained priests. How can we explain this? Surely the ordination of priests...
Author: Michael Shackleton
Is Predestination in the Bible?
The Church rejects any suggestion of the “predestination” doctrine, and yet I seem to detect such suggestion in Scripture. “My Father, who has given them to me” (John 10:29) and “as many as were ordained...
Why Are We Guilty of Adam and Eve’s Sin?
It is impossible in law to find someone guilty of a crime committed by another. I know the problem of original sin is part of the mystery of man’s relationship with God. But how can...
Is Hellfire Truly Eternal?
Question: Our Lord spoke of hell where the wicked are punished in “a fire that shall never be quenched” (Mk 9:43). This appears to me to be extreme. A loving God who is goodness itself...
When is Our Conscience Clear?
Please help me understand how we can be guided by our conscience. The Catechism is too wordy for me. How can I be sure I have a “clear” conscience? I witness many obvious rogues unashamedly...
Must the Afflicted Fast in Lent?
What about invalids and the physically challenged who live with pain and hardship? Are they bound to observe the Lenten strictures of fasting and abstinence? I hope not. They have enough to contend with! BB...
Why Do Some Reject Papal Primacy?
Browsing through the Internet, I am surprised at the number of Christian websites that contradict the Catholic Church’s understanding of the intent of Matthew 16:18, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build...
What Cloth Must Go On The Altar?
A sacristan recently told me about a priest who refuses to cover the altar with a full-sized cloth because he doesn’t like “fancy decorations”. I was brought up to believe that the altar must be...
Is Calling Priests ‘Father’ Out Now?
A priest I know encourages his parishioners not to call him “Father” but to address him by his first name instead. I find this awkward because I respect him as a priest and pastor more...
Sin, Confession and Penance
As a sinner, I find myself confessing the same sins repeatedly. I have discovered that the priest gives a variety of penances for the same sin. This makes me wonder. Sin is an act of...
We Are Saints
Guest Editorial by Michael Shackleton Celebrating the memory of the great saints of the Church is an annual time to be happy, as it is on All Saints Day, which in South Africa is transferred...
Enthusiasm and Enthusiasts
Guest Editorial by Michael Shackleton Saint Ambrose, the fourth-century bishop of Milan, coined the phrase “Ubi Petrus ibi Ecclesia” (Where Peter is, the Church is). He expressed it within the Church’s knowledge that Jesus...
