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I doubt my faith. What should I do?
As I grow older and experience more physical suffering and the deaths of loved ones, I feel that my faith is waning and not increasing. Sometimes I worry that there really is no afterlife and doubt God's existence amid the many trials I’ve…
What is tithing?
What is the meaning of tithing as taught by the Catholic Church? I understand it is a certain percentage of one’s earnings. If there is more than one wage-earner in the family, does the tithe apply to all income? To whom does the money go —…
Am I “saved?”
When I was young, a Baptist girl friend told me if I accept Jesus as my personal savior, I am saved. However, the Baltimore Catechism answers I later memorized seemed to tell me that salvation is not that simple. I’m much older now, and I…
Is a “just war” possible?
Considered in the light of Jesus’ teachings about nonviolence, isn’t the concept of “just war” an oxymoron? - B.B., SOUTH DAKOTA In 1983 the bishops of the United States issued a peace pastoral that laid out “some principles, norms, and…
Did the Virgin Mary die?
I have two questions. Was John the Baptist born without original sin? I don’t understand how a man with sin on his soul could baptize the Son of God. And my second question relates to the Virgin Mary. Did she die? Since death is a…
How much money does a parish priest make?
I’m curious about salaries for parish priests. How much do priests make each year? Can they keep what they earn? - T.M., Illinois Your question arrived in the same mail that brought my copy of the Baltimore Catholic Review for July 5, 2007.…
What is purgatory, and why do we pray for the dead?
Why do we pray for the dead? And how do we pray for the dead? I think a lot about these questions and hope you can give me some insight. - S.P., Connecticut These are good questions, shared by many others, and they touch upon a long…
Do people who commit suicide go to hell?
What is the Catholic Church’s teaching on suicide? Do people who take their own lives go to hell? My son committed suicide. In the note he left, he said he was going to hell for this, but didn’t know what else to do. He made many mistakes,…
Why isn’t God answering my prayer?
I've read in the Bible that God is "no respecter of person" (Acts 10:34). Why, then, are some people cured of their physical problems and others are not? I've been praying for a very long time for the healing of a serious skin condition,…
How often should I go to confession?
I've been confessing for 80 years,and now a new priest at our parish says I'm doing it wrong. I thought that I could go up to Pentecost to make my Easter confession, but he says that's not how he learned it. This priest also says I should…
