Tag: Question Box

Q: When did the idea of everyone having a guardian angel begin? How do we know this is true?

A: Let me first say that I do believe in angels and in guardian angels. I have a bad feeling my guardian angel is going to show me the “highlight reel” of all the stupid stuff I did as a kid at my particular judgment.

The Catechism states: “The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls ‘angels’ is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.” It goes on to say: “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession,” and, quoting St. Basil (303-378 AD), “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life” (CCC par. 328, 336).

St. Jerome (c. 345-420 AD) also made an early mention of this idea, in his commentary on Matthew’s Gospel, specifically the verse in which Jesus says, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father” (Matthew 18:10). Belief in angels watching over people is certainly present in Judaism and so this is not a uniquely Christian belief. A belief in angels even existed among the ancient Greeks and in ancient religions.

Much later in the tradition, St. Thomas Aquinas further expands our understanding of angels in their various orders, though at a certain point we are delving into speculative theology. Still, this idea is not foreign to but very much in keeping with some of our longest held beliefs about God’s protective care for us.

As to how we can know this is true, I suppose in the same way we can know anything in our faith is true: divine revelation, specifically the witness of Scripture and its trusted interpretation through Tradition. Basically, it comes down to what we believe God has revealed to us either directly or through those trusted and holy people who have gone before us.

While we are on the topic of angels, I always like to clear up a common misconception, namely, that we become angels when we die. If you really want wings and a harp, I’m sure God can set you up, but we are human beings, a separate class of creation. We are both body and soul, spiritual and corporeal beings. Like angels, God created us and like them, God gave us free will. Unlike them, we do not continuously behold the face of God. As spiritual beings, the angels can be both with us and with God in a way that we can only imagine.

This, by the way, is where the idea of demons comes in, which is a much thornier topic (perhaps for a future column). The idea is that for some of the angels to have seen God and his loving will for all creation and still say, “Thanks, but no thanks,” was for them a much more definitive break from God than me just deciding that a second piece of pie sounds good.

Getting back to how we can know, I suppose some people may have had some very real stories of how angels came to their rescue. I have heard a number of these over the years. I will admit I tend to be a skeptic and look for every natural explanation first, but I do not rule out the supernatural. God is much bigger than our comprehension.

Until we know for sure, I will keep saying a prayer to my guardian angel.

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

By Fr. Thom Hennen
Question Box

Q: What acts of blessing are appropriate for lay Catholics to do? For example, should someone who is not a priest or deacon make the sign of the cross over someone?

A: First, it may be helpful to explain what a blessing is. In the most general sense, a blessing is a gift of God, the source of all good. There­fore, any blessing given by an ordained minister or prayed for by the laity is ultimately from God, not from the person giving the blessing.

A blessing is also a form of praise, as when we say, “Bless the Lord!” It is not that God needs our blessing — quite the opposite. What we are really saying is, “Praise God!” Even this is a gift from God. The fourth Common Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer puts it this way: “For, although you have no need of our praise, yet our thanksgiving is itself your gift, since our praises add nothing to your greatness but profit us for salvation.”

Understanding that all blessing comes from God, who then may give blessings? In the broadest sense, anybody. This is what is called an “invocative” blessing, asking or invoking God’s blessing upon a person, gathering, food, etc. When we consider that all of the baptized participate in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ (what we call the “common priesthood of the baptized”), this takes on even greater significance. Throughout the Bible, we have examples of people “blessing” others or “calling down” God’s blessing upon people and things.

Probably the most common example of this in our everyday life would be the blessing before meals. Look at the traditional Catholic formula for this: “Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

Notice in this prayer that we are asking God’s blessing upon us first and then the food that we are about to eat. This is no reflection on the cook or the quality of the food. Often when we are blessing something, we are really asking God’s blessing on the person who will use or receive that thing, be it water, a home, a church bell or fishing equipment. Yes, there is a special blessing in the Book of Blessings for fishing gear, but no guarantees it will make you catch more fish.

Another simple example of an invocative blessing that a lay person may give is the blessing of parents over their children, perhaps by praying with them before bed, making the sign of the cross on their forehead with the thumb (or using holy water) and saying something like, “May God bless you, protect you, keep you safe, and be always in your heart.” Even when someone sneezes, what do we say? “God bless you!”

Another kind of blessing, reserved to those who are ordained, is called a “constitutive” blessing. This is a setting apart (or “consecrating”) of something for special use. A constitutive blessing gives a sense of enduring sacred character, which is why we treat blessed things with the reverence that we do, so long as they are still usable.

A lay person may not make the sign of the cross as a deacon, priest or bishop might do over a person or object. I suppose they could but, in a sense, they are “shooting blanks.” In other words, there is something to that act or gesture that is reserved to those who are ordained. Of course, in the end God can bless whomever or whatever he wills.

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

By Fr. Thom Hennen
Question Box

Q: What is the difference between pastoral counseling, spiritual direction and mental health counseling?

A: Pastoral counseling tends to be more episodic. Someone may be dealing with a difficult situation in their personal life and simply want to talk to a person of faith who can listen to them, offer some advice and help guide them through this. They might meet with a priest, deacon or qualified layperson once or twice and then they’re good to go.

Spiritual direction is more of an ongoing relationship. Those in formation for the priesthood or diaconate are expected to meet with their spiritual director on a regular basis (typically every 4-6 weeks), regardless of the ups and downs of life. It is less about “urgent care” and more about patient accompaniment (or “preventative care”) of a person seeking to deepen their relationship with God, to discern and to grow in their spiritual health.

Spiritual direction also assumes a few things. It assumes that both the director and directee are approaching life from a perspective of faith, whereas in pastoral counseling someone seeking me out may be more tentative about their faith or be of no faith at all. Spiritual direction also assumes that both the director and directee have a fairly solid prayer life. They are not novices to prayer, even if they are still growing in their prayer life.

When I meet for the first time with someone for spiritual direction, I explain that this is less about our (director-directee) relationship and more about the person’s relationship with God. I am there to help facilitate a deeper conversation with the Lord, to listen, to notice things, to ask good questions and maybe to suggest some things for their prayer or spiritual reading; other than that, I should get out of the way. God is doing the real work of spiritual direction.

As for mental health counseling, let me be clear: I am not a trained or licensed mental health professional in any way. Most priests are not. This requires years of specialized training. Priests and deacons may get a taste of this in seminary or formation but our primary area of study is in theology. That is not to say that our own areas of pastoral expertise do not often overlap with these disciplines, but I am quick to make referrals when I know I am out of my depth. The last thing a person dealing with mental illness needs is an “armchair psychologist.” At the same time, I do believe our faith and our profound understanding of the human person over thousands of years in the Judeo-Christian tradition has much to offer.

I see spiritual direction, pastoral counseling and forms of mental health counseling/therapy as complementary to each other. Many of the people I meet with for spiritual direction or occasional pastoral counseling also have a regular counselor and I encourage this (so long as that person’s faith is not being undermined).

Something I dream about is how we as the Catholic Church can do mental health care better, looking at the whole person —body, mind and soul. What if we took the very best of the psychological sciences and combined them with our rich Christian anthropology and worldview? What if we had well-staffed Catholic mental health centers? I would love to see us at the forefront of mental health in the same way that in centuries past we were at the forefront of the other sciences, healthcare or education.

I think this is starting to happen in some places, but we have a long way to go. For starters, check out the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), which has a Council on Mental Illness that provides resources for persons with mental illness and their family (ncpd.org/disability-ministry/mental-illness).

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

By Fr. Thom Hennen
Question Box

Q: Who can purify the vessels at Mass and when should this be done?

A: Because we believe Jesus Christ to be truly present (“body, blood, soul and divinity”) in the elements of the consecrated bread and wine in our celebration of the Eucharist, you have probably noticed the priest or deacon in your parish taking extra care in cleaning or “purifying” the vessels used. This is to ensure that any fragments of the sacred host or remaining precious blood are reverently consumed.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal states: “The sacred vessels are purified by the Priest, the Deacon, or an instituted acolyte after Communion or after Mass, in so far as possible at the credence table.” Clearly, therefore, it is the priest, deacon or an instituted acolyte who may purify the vessels.

What is an instituted acolyte? This is something more than an “altar server.” The “minor orders” (now called “ministries”) of lector and acolyte were retained in the reforms of the liturgy and formation for holy orders following the Second Vatican Council. (Previously there had been four minor orders: porter, lector, exorcist and acolyte.) Typically, the only instituted acolytes you will find are seminarians or candidates in formation for the permanent diaconate.

In his 2021 motu proprio letter Spiritus Domini, Pope Francis opened these ministries to other qualified laity, modifying Canon 230 § 1 to read: “Lay persons who possess the age and qualifications established by decree of the conference of bishops can be admitted on a stable basis through the prescribed liturgical rite to the ministries of lector and acolyte.” Even so, you are not likely to see this, at least not quite yet. Dioceses in the United States are still waiting on the bishops’ conference (USCCB) to give us direction on what formation for these ministries should look like.

As to when the purification of the vessels should be done, the instruction is clear that it can be either after Communion or after Mass. At Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, the deacon and I take care of this at the credence table during the period of silence following Communion. The issue I find with waiting until after Mass is that the sacristan or those responsible for the regular washing (not purification) of the vessels usually want to start that right after Mass. However, the priest or deacon may still be greeting people and the vessels must be purified prior to regular washing.

How should this be done? Again, the General Instruction states: “The purification of the chalice is done with water alone or with wine and water, which is then consumed by whoever does the purification. The paten is wiped clean as usual with the purificator [small rectangular cloth].” To my mind, this should be done carefully, reverently and efficiently. The priest, deacon or instituted acolyte should not be sloppy or hasty but also not overly scrupulous. A magnifying glass should not be needed, much less a microscope.

In some churches you may notice a small jar of water with a lid on it next to the tabernacle. This is an “ablution cup” and is for the use of the priest or deacon after reposing the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle or after purifying the vessels to wash his fingers. The water in this cup should be poured out in the sacrarium and replaced regularly. The sacrarium is a special sink in the sacristy that goes directly to the ground, and so is meant for the washing and rinsing of the sacred vessels after they have been purified.

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

By Fr. Thom Hennen
Question Box

How often should the Easter candle be replaced? How may the old Easter candle be disposed of or can it continue to be used?

Timely question! First, it may be helpful to review the Service of Light or Lucernarium at the Vigil, in which the Easter candle is prepared and lit from the newly blessed Easter fire. This is one of my favorite parts of this mother of all Catholic liturgies.

After dusk on Holy Saturday we gather outside the church (if possible) around a blazing fire. Hopefully, this is accomplished without losing any eyebrows or having to stop, drop and roll. I do advise keeping a fire extinguisher close at hand, just in case. The priest then blesses the fire and prepares the Easter or Paschal candle.

Ideally, the rite envisions that the priest would actually carve into the candle the vertical and horizontal lines of the cross, the alpha and the omega, and the year with a stylus. I have never actually seen this done and this kind of artisanry is probably not easily pulled off by most priests, let alone outside, in the dark, in the wind with a kitchen knife. Also, most parishes purchase their Easter candle pre-prepared. Here at the cathedral this year I simply traced these elements over the pre-applied wax sigils on the candle with a fancy letter opener as a stylus.

The prayer that accompanies this action is truly beautiful: “Christ yesterday and today, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. All time belongs to him, and all ages. To him be glory and power through every age and forever. Amen.” Then, the priest inserts five grains of incense (usually embedded in some wax on the end of a nail) and says, “By his holy and glorious wounds, may Christ the Lord guard us and protect us. Amen.”

As to the candle itself, the instruction of the Church states: “This candle should be made of wax, never be artificial, be renewed each year, be only one in number, and be of sufficiently large size that it may convey the truth that Christ is the light of the world.”

I know that it is a rather large and expensive candle and, for that reason, many parishes have gotten into the habit of reusing the same candle for several years, just changing the year on the candle. This may be the case especially in smaller parishes where there are fewer times (ex. funerals, baptisms) when the Paschal candle is lit. Still, as we can see from the instruction, this is not to be done. Much to the jubilation of the religious goods suppliers and to the chagrin of parish finance councils everywhere, it should be a new candle every year.

What are you supposed to do with the old candles? Everyone knows you pile them in a dusty corner of the sacristy or on top of a cabinet to be rediscovered by future generations who will be just as befuddled about what to do with them. In all seriousness, some religious goods suppliers may buy them back (or at least they used to) and recycle the wax. Some parishes cut down the candle into smaller candles to be used for their own altar candles or to give to parishioners to take home for their own devotional use. The important thing is that symbol is destroyed (not left whole or decorated with the symbols and the year) and that (as blessed object or sacramental) it is properly and reverently disposed of — which, for the candle, ideally means burning. Happy Easter!

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

By Fr. Thom Hennen
Question Box

Q: What happened to offering Holy Communion under both forms? It seems like most of the churches I go to only offer the host and rarely the chalice?

A: In terms of Church teaching, the ideal is that Holy Communion is offered under both forms — or “species” — both the body and blood of Christ. In many parishes, this is still the case, at least on Sundays, but after the pandemic the practice was slow to return.

Why is offering Holy Communion under both species the ideal? First, we can point to Scripture. All of the accounts of the “Last Supper” or first Eucharist make it clear that Jesus took and blessed both bread and wine, saying, “This is my body that is for you … This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25).

Also, the “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” states: “Holy Communion has a fuller form as a sign when it takes place under both kinds. For in this form the sign of the Eucharistic banquet is more clearly evident and clearer expression is given to the divine will by which the new and eternal Covenant is ratified in the Blood of the Lord, as also the connection between the Eucharistic banquet and the eschatological banquet in the Kingdom of the Father.”

An addendum to the “General Instruction” from the U.S. bishops further notes: “From the first days of the Church’s celebration of the Eucharist, Holy Communion consisted of the reception of both species in fulfillment of the Lord’s command to ‘take and eat … take and drink.’ The distribution of Holy Communion to the faithful under both kinds was thus the norm for more than a millennium in Catholic liturgical practice.”

So, why is this not done everywhere? There could be a couple of reasons. As I mentioned, the pandemic really did a number on this, as parishes discontinued distribution of the Precious Blood. Even before that, in some places, especially in more rural parishes, it may have been difficult to have in place the necessary extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. Sadly, I am afraid that in many places it hinges on the individual decision of the priest. This may be out of an abundance of caution in care for the Blessed Sacrament or not wanting to spread germs or simply because it is easier. There may be times when it is better not to offer the chalice, but it should be the exception rather than the rule.

Having said that, I will admit that we do not typically have Communion under both species at our weekday liturgies at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. This has in part to do with the smaller space of the chapel and the fact that I never quite know who will be there and if I will have a deacon or extraordinary minister of Holy Communion to assist me. This may be something I need to reexamine.

I want to be clear, while the Church has a clear history and preference of Communion under both forms, it is not as though you receive less Jesus if you only receive under one or the other form. In the smallest morsel or the tiniest sip, we receive the whole Christ, body, blood, soul and divinity.

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

Q. What is a scapular? Are there different types? Are they no longer popular?

A. Great question and a fitting follow up to last week’s column regarding indulgences, as we will see. First, what is a scapular? In Catholic popular piety, a scapular is a small, woolen, rectangular cloth worn front and back over the shoulders (usually under the shirt) and connected by a string. It is basically a miniature version of what some religious brothers and sisters might wear as part of their religious habit.

The monastic practice of wearing of a scapular is mentioned as early as the 7th century in the Rule of St. Benedict. Likely an outer garment or apron worn for serving, it gradually took on more of a spiritual significance and became incorporated in the common dress of different religious orders.

There are many different types and colors of scapulars, based on different religious orders’ habits and particular devotions. For example, there is a white scapular with a blue and red cross in honor of the Trinity (a miniature version of the habit of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity), a blue scapular in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a red scapular in honor of the Passion of Christ, a black scapular in honor of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. The most popular scapular is the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, associated with the Carmelites. There is even a five-fold scapular that bundles all of these.

With the development of third orders and various confraternities associated with different religious orders, it became popular for the laity to wear a smaller version of the religious habit as a sign of their commitment to live out something of the charism and spirituality of that particular order. That is the first and original purpose of the scapular. It is a reminder to the wearer of their commitment to a certain set of ideals, devotions or practices.

It is in the category of what we call “sacramentals” in the Church, things like holy water, blessed salt, rosary beads, crucifixes, medals, icons and other holy items, meant to remind us of God’s love, the saints and the mysteries of our faith. I often describes sacramentals as “hooks” on which to hang our prayers.

As with many pious practices, the granting of an indulgence eventually became attached to the wearing of the brown scapular in particular. A medieval tradition of an appearance of Mary to St. Simon Stock says that she said to him: “Whoever dies clothed in this habit shall not suffer the fires of hell.” To be clear, the scapular is not a “magic item” or a “get out of hell or purgatory free pass.” All of the same conditions for any indulgenced act would apply, namely, being free of serious sin (in a “state of grace”) and being detached from sin.

I was invested in the brown scapular in college and have worn one ever since. Often throughout the day, I will feel it and try to remember that I have given myself to Our Lady in a special way, knowing that she only ever wants to draw me closer to her Son, Jesus.

Scapulars wear out or break over time. I don’t know how many scapulars I have been through. Like any sacramental, the scapular should be blessed by a priest or deacon. Any priest may invest a person in the brown scapular and there is a ritual for this in the “Book of Blessings.” While perhaps not as popular as in earlier times, this is still a worthy and time-honored devotional practice.

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)