Dear Father John, my very emotional nature often gets me in trouble. Why do we have emotions in the first place? What’s the purpose of them? THE NINE BASIC emotions are just the raw material for this complex, powerful, and intriguing dimension of the human soul, the dimension of our feelings. The varied reality of
Dear Father John, I understand that demons hate God, but they also suffer from being separated from Him. Is it possible that a demon could repent, and accept God as we can? The Catechism gives a direct answer to this question, so let’s start there. I will quote the four numbers in full, since they
Editor’s Note: In Part I, we examined the gift that the emotions are and the categories of emotions. Today we will look at the nine most basic emotions and an example of emotion in action. Here is the question we are considering: Dear Father John, I’m not usually an emotional person. But sometimes, I can
Dear Father John, I’m not usually an emotional person. But sometimes, I can get very angry. And, sometimes I am so moved by something at Mass, it brings me to tears. I know we are not supposed to be attached to things. It seems that the more attached I am to something or someone, the
Dear Father John, I’ve heard that God forgives all sins. But, I’ve also heard something about an “unforgivable sin”. It seems there’s a contradiction there. What is that all about? Is there really a sin that God won’t forgive? And, what happens if I commit that? What do I do then? This probably is a
How Does One Love God with the Soul? (Part II of II) Editor’s Note: In part I, we looked at the x-ray of a soul and the kinds of souls that plants and animals have. Today, we examine the problems with the philosophical distinction called a soul and how the soul is beloved of God.
THE WIDOW’S MIGHT: A RETREAT GUIDE FOR LENT The newest Retreat Guide from RC Spirituality, The Widow’s Might: A Retreat Guide for Lent, is now available at www.RCSpirituality.org . In the Book of Acts, St. Paul provides a quotation from Jesus that never appears in the four Gospels. Here is the passage: “…[K]eep in mind
How Does One Love God with the Soul? (Part I of II) Dear Father John, Jesus talks about loving God with all one’s soul. How do we do that? THORNS CAN CHOKE the growth of the good seed of God’s grace, but shallow, rocky soil can wither it altogether. Jesus warned us of this, too.
Dear Father John, I know a Catholic who has a genuine shrunken head in their home on display. It’s a little creepy to me, to say the least. I have prayed for all involved. Can you shed some light on what the Church has to say about this? Is voodoo involved with shrunken heads? Let’s
Freeing My Heart Dear Father John, I love God so much and want to be completely open to Him. How do I detach my heart from the things that bind it to this world? IN HIS PARABLE of the sower and the seed, Jesus pointed out that having good soil is not sufficient to assure
