Q. My mother passed away some time ago, and I wonder whether she is now in “God’s eternal embrace.” How can I be sure? She

It is true that, as Luke’s Gospel says (12:48), “much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” But that heavier responsibility can be balanced by the opportunities that life offers.

The church’s Code of Canon Law requires that, for an infant to be baptized, “there must be a founded hope that the infant will be brought up in the Catholic religion” (No. 868.1.2).

The church’s Code of Canon Law recognizes that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass can be lifted for “grave cause” (Canon 1248.2). Illness (or the need to care for the sick) have traditionally been seen as qualifying reasons — particularly when combined with the frailty of advanced age.

There was a when a lengthy period in the church’s history when illegitimacy was ruled a barrier to ordination. 

Riches come with a moral duty to help the needy. 

Q: My future son-in-law is a member of the Byzantine Catholic Church. Recently, when he came to visit us, we all went together to our