Because it's Father's Day, I decided to do an AMA. I am a Roman Catholic priest. AMAA.

Opinion on Gay Marriage? Personal, not just a copy o the official church standpoint

I believe with the Church. Too many people think secular laws = morality, too, which complicates things.

I think it should be civil unions for everyone and let us (and any other group) do marriages on our own.

Can Catholic priests drink booze besides wine?

Can and do. I have Johnny Walker Red (high class!) in my cabinet. It might happen tonight.

And, BTW, it's not wine at Mass. What's in the chalice after Consecration is Jesus.

And, BTW, it's not wine at Mass. What's in the chalice after Consecration is Jesus.

Only if you care about the substance. Me, I'm all about the accidents.

Don't get in a car, then. I bet your insurance is sky high.

I've never meant a clergyman who liked puns so much.

Thanks? We're usually dour, right? I guess I'll go into the scenery of the rest of us and fade to black.

Come to Texas and well bump it up to JW Black - along with a good cigar - and talk about rapprochement between Rome and historic Anglicanism. (Anglican clergyman here).

Sign me up! Although I am a philistine- I put my whiskey in coca cola.

That's sacrilegious right there!

YOU'RE SACRILEGIOUS

Cheers!

Thanks. You, too.

I like booze, and so do most priests, but some of us like it too much. Here's to keeping it in moderation!

[deleted]

Sure. The New Testament talks about the prophets in Heaven and they're not Catholic. Others can get there, but it's easiest through the Church.

have you ever doubt your beliefs?

Yes, especially before seminary. Since then, the thing that causes more doubts for me is the human side of the Church, but that's true of any vocation.

Thank you for this. I'm entering major seminary in the fall (2 months!) and the last few weeks since I have been accepted have been somewhat droll as far as spirituality goes. I've really been focusing on praying the liturgy of the hours and that has helped console me.

You're welcome. Good luck! Stick with it and be yourself.

This comment was very helpful. :-)

I'm currently struggling with whether or not to apply to grad school in my field and am dealing with my doubts. My doubts are partially whether the field is good for me, but mostly whether it's right for humanity as a whole. But I now realize my doubts my largely "human" and not as much with could be called the doctrine.

Thanks from a non-religious guy.

You're welcome.

How do priests deal with lust? How do they avoid masturbation?

Are they aware of /r/nofap ?

Depends on the individual.

I've seen it linked before. It's an anti-pornography thing, right?

Did your family support your decision to be a priest?

Also, did you consider celibacy while deciding?

Some of them did!

Yes. You had to consider celibacy. It's part of the package.

If god forgives all, why is there hell?

He forgives us when we ask. If we choose to go against Him our whole lives, then He will not force us to be with Him in eternal life. He won't violate our free will.

As a born and raised Catholic I always wondered how the priests could afford material things. I know priests are supposed to do away with material things but I know the one priest at my parish has a car and always wondered how he paid for it. Basically I guess I'm asking how do you have any money that you have and do you own a car, cell phone, etc.

Diocesan priests agree to live simply, but we do not have a vow of poverty (that's religious order priests, like Jesuits and Franciscans). My food and housing are paid for by the church I work for and I get a small allowance for my car. I also receive a salary like any other white collar worker.

I do have a cell phone that I pay for myself. It's an android smart phone. I'm cool and hip! Cowabunga! Wazzup!

I also receive a salary like any other white collar worker.

Aha. I see what you did there.

I was hoping someone would catch that.

That has to be the single most rad way anyone has ever ended a response.

Whoa! Dude! Totally! Iknorite!

I also receive a salary like any other white collar worker.

Woah.

JUST BLEW YOUR MIND

What taxes do you not pay?

The Church doesn't pay the tax at the grocery store, but I pay taxes on my income.

You don't get the parsonage exemptions?

I don't know what that is.

How do you respond when someone tells you that they disagree with your beliefs?

It depends on the disagreement. Usually I sit and listen, unless it's Universalists. Then I jump on the table and strangle them.

Are you by any chance a Universalist?

Nope, atheist.

Unless you strangle them as well.

If that's the case, I'm a Roman Catholic.

Good to hear, my child! Now give me 50 rosaries or I'll put Msgr. Pain on your case.

I just wanted to let you know I have never laughed harder at a comment on reddit till now. Thank you.

You're welcome.

Whats a universalist? Edit: thanks guys, I know what a universalist is now.

They're the ones that killed Elvis and they run the military industrial complex.

Well that escalated quickly!

They started it!

It's hard to believe you're a priest! You don't seem very serious. You're extremely witty and funny and you're a little weird. I find this fascinating. Thank you for doing the AMA. (I grew up Roman Catholic)

Thanks? I'm just myself, which is definitely weird.

I'm an Unitarian Universalist. Why do you want to strangle us?

You know what you did.

(I'm joking, in case I didn't make it completely obvious)

Happy Father's day Fr. Josh. I'm a practicing Catholic, but have kinda let myself go recently. Had something of an epiphany at mass this evening and trying to sort myself out again. Not a question, just a prayer request. Thanks Padre.

Definitely. I will pray for you.

What do you make of the child abuse allegations towards the Catholic Church? In all honesty, is there any truth to them?

I think it's terrible. Of course there is truth to them. Some people are scumbags who abuse kids and some of them become priests.

edited!

Agreed. I hate that innocent priests are prejudiced because of terrible men. The Vatican however, should do something about it with the porper authorities.

The Church is run on a local level (the individual dioceses). The Vatican can encourage people to do what is right, but the running of the Church is left to the bishops.

I see. Thank you.

You're welcome.

How do you feel about weed?

I have never used it. Many people say it should be legal, but, thankfully, I'm not the police nor the government, so I don't have anything to do with it or a strong opinion about it.

How difficult was the decision to forgo the possibility of marriage/having a family when you became a priest?

If you don't want to be a natural father, that's a huge red flag for men wanting to be priests.

I would have loved to have kids, so it was a sacrifice. Thankfully, I'm still a spiritual father and I can still be involved in people's lives and still form good relationships.

Whoo! The annual /u/fr-josh AMA! I was wondering when this would happen.

• If you had to choose a favorite solemnity, which one would it be and why?
• What's the day-to-day life of a diocean priest like in the Roman Catholic Church? How far from your parish do you live? What do you do when you're not serving the mass?
• Eucharistic adoration: what is it, what liturgy does it follow if any, and how often does your parish schedule it? (I'm Orthodox, so it's one of those things we don't really do. We will stick to the Horologion and perhaps a few Akathists if we're really feeling ambitions.
• What kind of daily prayer routine do you recommend for lay Catholics? Obviously the rosary is in there, but what of morning/evening prayers?
• Tell us the life of your favorite saint.

If you had to choose a favorite solemnity, which one would it be and why?

Excellent question. I'm going to go with Most Sacred Heart, because that's pretty awesome.

What's the day-to-day life of a diocean priest like in the Roman Catholic Church? How far from your parish do you live? What do you do when you're not serving the mass?

It differs from priest to priest and from day to day. Some days we're running around like a chicken with its head cut off and some days are slow, especially if you're in a smaller church. I live in a house right next to the church. I visit with people, I do administrative work, and relax, all sorts of things.

Eucharistic adoration: what is it, what liturgy does it follow if any, and how often does your parish schedule it? (I'm Orthodox, so it's one of those things we don't really do. We will stick to the Horologion and perhaps a few Akathists if we're really feeling ambitions.

It's almost similar to the Orthodox's use of icons, except it's praying directly to Jesus. When the priest genuflects after consecration, he is meant to "kneel in adoration", if I remember correctly. Outside of that, it's largely found around Benediction and First Friday. Our rosary might be closer to one of your Akathists (which I really like, BTW).

What kind of daily prayer routine do you recommend for lay Catholics? Obviously the rosary is in there, but what of morning/evening prayers?

Whatever brings them closer to God. We priests do the liturgy of hours every day and so do many lay people. Lay people also do rosaries, but many also do not used canned prayers and instead use Christian meditation (think: St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross).

Tell us the life of your favorite saint.

St. Peter the Apostle. Hard headed, made dumb choices sometimes, still chosen by Jesus and still able to be faithful, despite his faults. And it's hilarious that that is in a reply to an Orthodox guy.

Do you believe in life on other planets?

It could exist. There are many, many planets out there.

Would you consider those alien beings to be creatures of God as well ?

God made the universe, so Yes. The Vatican actually has a fairly official opinion about this if you care to google it.

Uh, you know it's not that kind of "father"s day, right?

Why not? We're meant to be spiritual fathers. And, if you're Byzantine, you can be a literal father, too, and be a Catholic priest.

Just teasing you father.

HEY! THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS. NO TEASING ALLOWED. I'M TELLING MOM.

Mary?

Also yes.

Hoping that was a subtle Archer reference

LANAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Does this mean you watch Archer? And if so, what are some of your other favourite TV shows?

It's a guilty pleasure, especially when I wear my slightly darker black clerics.

The Chaldean Catholic church allows priests to marry, by the way.

I was using the generic 'Byzantine', and you have to be married before ordination to the deaconate (for Catholics and Orthodox alike).

What're your thoughts on evolution?

Should schools be required to teach creationism and forbidden to teach evolution or vise versa?

What about some verses that may be slightly more immoral in today's society such as Timothy 2:12?

Lastly, you said you stand with the Church on marriage. Do you believe a woman who is raped by a man must marry him, as stated in Deuteronomy 22:28? If not, then why only choose to believe certain aspects of what the Bible stands for on marriage and ignore others?

I believe with the Church. The Church says it's (evolution is) the best looking theory for how God (ultimately) did it. It doesn't explain the soul, but it does a good job of everything else.

This is one thing that I think the Catholic Church gets right. They have incorporated modern scientific findings into their belief system in a way that makes sense. I've always imagined this belief as God creating the point of infinite density and "poking" it to cause the big bang, and everything that has happened all was according to his plan. This, coupled with Genesis being a metaphor (world created in 6 days vs. billions of years), makes the origin story of the world easily combined with modern science.

We incorporate it as "we're not scientists, that sounds good".

I'm afraid you might have a rough time around here today. I don't really agree with the Catholic Church a lot of the time, but I'm really excited about the minor steps Pope Francis might be able to make.

So, here's an easy one before all the mean people show up:

How are you today? How was mass?

Ha, thanks. I have done a few AMAs before and they went fine.

I am doing well. Both of the Masses I did today went well. Father's Day is a great holiday and the brunch after Mass was excellent.

[deleted]

I think past abuses mean it will remain a stigma for the time being. I do know of groups that still use it (well within moderation), but I would encourage people to instead do penance and practice mortification of the spirit (denial of self, like in Lent) rather than beating themselves up.

Hello Father! I was trying to think of a question to ask you, but nothing really came up. So, I just want to say thank you for what you are doing and for being a good person. I'm agnostic now, but my family is 100% Roman Catholic and they couldn't be any happier. Although I don't believe fully into the religion, I know that It makes my family happy and that's enough for me. Have a good summer Fr. Josh! :)

edit: grammer

You're welcome! You, too.

What console do you use? or PC?

PC! I also have an Xbox. I don't know if I'll buy a new one any time soon.

[deleted]

Hello!

Oh man. What a d-bag (please excuse my language). I really hope that was him on his worst day, because he's making us look terrible. And to say that at a retreat is even worse.

I think terrible things happen. I think it's part of being human and something each of us must come to terms with.

I hope that you recovered from that and that you find a good group of like minded Catholics to hang out with in college. Want some unsolicited advice? Go to class! and be yourself.

Not a religious question since you've gotten plenty of them already. Do you like Game of Thrones?

I liked the books, but, because I'm a fairly typical guy and much more visual, I couldn't handle the TV shows. I tried one and it was too much for me.

I'm still reading the latest book, so we'll see how things go.

I'm a catholic and this has been bugging me for a while.

I understand that the Church teaches that faith and good works are needed to enter into the Kingdom of God, but I also understand that the Church rejects nothing that is true and holy (I believe JP2 used Buddhism and Hinduism as examples).

Correct me if this is wrong, but it essentially means that even if a religion has drastically different teachings to the popular monotheistic religions, that they can still achieve enlightenment in the afterlife so long as their moral teachings are reasonable.

The Catholic Church also teaches that hell is a place of separation from God, and also of suffering by the "eternal fire."

Which brings me to my question. Atheists don't have anything that is true and holy, since they reject all that is holy. Thus, separation from God makes perfect sense, since why would someone who rejected Him all their life want to spend eternity with Him? However, I have a hard time believing that a merciful God would condemn someone who is inherently good and does many good things in the world to an eternity of suffering in the fire and brimstone of hell. So what happens to these inherently good people who happen not to believe in a higher power?

Sorry for the long explanation, I just wanted everyone to understand the frame of mind I have.

even if a religion has drastically different teachings to the popular monotheistic religions, that they can still achieve enlightenment in the afterlife

They may be able to get to heaven, but it will be much more difficult than being a Catholic.

Atheists don't have anything that is true and holy, since they reject all that is holy.

That depends on the individual atheist. They may revere truth (Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life), they may revere love (God is Love), they may do all sorts of things.

Thus, separation from God makes perfect sense, since why would someone who rejected Him all their life want to spend eternity with Him?

They may be rejecting what they think God is and yet be close to Him elsewhere through a pursuit of doing what is right.

I hope that helps.

Second question that just came to me!

I am Jewish, and grew up in a near Orthodox environment, but no longer am observant. Judaism is interesting in that it can describe a religion, ethnicity, and culture (I studied this for semester in University).

So my question to you, as someone who is not very familiar about Roman Catholicism (informed, but not familiar), is that do you think (feel?) there is a specific culture that can be ascribed to Catholics? If you take the dogma and religion out of it, can / is there still such a thing as a Catholic? What would you say some of the qualities of a Catholic might be, other than believing in / being a member of the church?

This might be a weird question, but thanks again for your time!

that do you think (feel?) there is a specific culture that can be ascribed to Catholics?

This depends on the country. Sometimes there is and sometimes it's basically the culture of the country.

If you take the dogma and religion out of it, can / is there still such a thing as a Catholic?

Not as far as I know. I haven't ever really thought about it. Very interesting question!

What would you say some of the qualities of a Catholic might be, other than believing in / being a member of the church?

We tend to like to have a drink and we tend to like to eat. See: Catholic countries' food and booze.

You're welcome!

How much have you studied Eastern Orthodoxy?

I have had a few classes that went into some depth on Orthodoxy. I wouldn't call myself an expert at all and my knowledge is rusty.

Are you interested in other faiths and beliefs? Simply out of curiosity?

Do you know anything about Gnosticism? Any interest in the subject?

I see you answered the celibacy question in the thread, but do you wish for a celibate intimate companion sometimes, to confide in and share confidences in a way you can't with a friend?

Do you eat fast food? Are you a vegetarian?

I have some interest, but much of that was satiated in college and in seminary.

I think Gnosticism is all kinds of complicated. There's no one belief and much of what they believed was kept secret, so we won't know what they think. Apparently a lot of people are interested, based on what I've seen on reddit.

I have priest friends. We're celibate and we talk and it's good to have someone to share with, especially someone who understands the life.

I eat fast food sometimes. Too much, honestly. It's too easy to get into as a priest. Not a vegetarian.

I'm just curious because World Religions was a mandatory class in Catholic high school for me. Thanks for answering.

You're welcome.

What is you favorite thing about being a priest?

I like being involved in people's lives the best. There is something so great about having that positive impact at every point: baptism, 1st communion, confirmation, wedding, funeral, everything.

What do you think of the new pope? Would he have been your choice or would you have voted for someone else? Not sure how much you know/knew about the other canidates?

I like him. I hope he does well. I wanted Dolan, but hopefully Pope Francis is God's choice.

gooby pls

stahp

I wanted Marc Ouellet because I am from Canada, definitely a regional bias, I had never really heard much about Pope Francis before he became Pope.

After his election however I would not want anyone else as Pope, Pope Francis is doing a great job.

I like him so far, too.

I've found that a lot of catholic doctrine is socially conservative (gay marriage, birth control etc) but a lot of it seems to be liberal as well (charity, non-violence, anti-death penalty and such). Where do you see yourself, politically speaking?

I'm an independent. I don't like either party totally and I like some elements from each major party in the US.

Hi Fr. Josh! Hope your day is going well. :)

What do you think about Stephen Colbert, and the fact that he is one of America's more popular Catholic laypeople?

Thanks!

I think he can be funny, but I wonder how he can be an active Catholic and be so raunchy.

[deleted]

No.

I would turn them in to the police, just like any other Catholic should.

What if you found out in confession?

I cannot say anything about what a person says in confession. I assumed he meant found out some other way.

That seal of confession is meant to protect everyone else (even those guilty of other crimes) so that every person who goes to confession feels secure.

Hypothetically, If a person confessed to you that they knew where you kept your money, and had been stealing from you, would you be allowed to use that knowledge and change where you hide it? Or would that break the seal of confession?

As long as I don't reveal the sins of a person, I think I would be okay to do so. I don't think your example applies, so I think I would be in the clear. Interesting question, thanks.

Regardless, I subscribe to the "if you don't have anything to steal, it's hard to get robbed" mentality.

Is there any reason you would go against that? If I were in your position I feel like there would be a limit to what I wouldn't report.

No. Confession is sacrosanct. It's similar to doctor patient confidentiality.

How can the Church, with all of the suffering and strife in the world, maintain that a loving God would allow these things to happen to good people?

It seems to me only too obvious that a loving person does not want their creation to suffer. I try to protect my daughter and keep her from harm. God, it would seem, is only too happy to test the faith of believers to have them prove their loyalty.

How can the Church, with all of the suffering and strife in the world, maintain that a loving God would allow these things to happen to good people?

That's the problem of evil. There's no magical answer. Much of the world's evil is by humans against humans. For God to interfere, He would have to infringe upon our free will, the same free will that allows us to do great good, too. In allowing those good things, God allows us to make real choices, some of which lead to terrible evils.

It seems to me only too obvious that a loving person does not want their creation to suffer.

I agree. This is also obvious in Genesis until the Fall, when sin entered the world and warped Creation.

There's no magical answer.

Can i quote you on that?

Happy fathers day father.

Yes. There is also no sparkly answer.

Mormon-esque vampires don't solve the problem of evil either.

Oooookay there, Padre.

TEAM PETER!

I love to think of the problem of evil as being answered by, "Well, what are you doing about it?"

Yeah, I'm hanged by my own noose on that one.

No, not that. Some things we genuinely cannot affect, outside of prayer. I like to do what I can and I pray others do, too, and I hope I will do my part in the future to lessen the evils of the world.

I would argue that, if God is omniscient, he would have known that humanity would sin. And if he made an imperfect creation, he either A) is not omnipotent; or B) is cruel and vindictive.

Either way, why is this a God that humans should want to worship?

[edit: small typo]

I would argue that, if God is omniscient, he would have known that humanity would sin. And if he made an imperfect creation, he either A) is not omnipotent; or B) is cruel and vindictive.

God Is, so it's not a case of knowing what would happen in the future. God has always existed, is existing, and will always exist and is outside of time.

I mentioned Genesis because the story talks of a perfect Creation marred by sin. That's why I agreed with you.

Why should we worship God? He loves us and He is love. He offers us eternal life and does so much to get us to take the offer.

does so much to get us to take the offer.

Expect for actually showing up. Unless you count appearances on toast.

This just in: atheists hate toast ^appearances.

More at 11.

Did you always want to be a priest when you grew up? Did you grow up in the church?

I thought about it from middle school until high school. Later in high school I decided to go for it and it has been my desire since then.

I grew up in the Catholic Church, yes.

How can the church regain the publics trust when it has allowed many of its worst pedophiles to receive punishments internally, from within the church?

I do not mean to be offensive with this question, I am being genuine. It is something that has bothered me for a while, why these repeat offenders are allowed to re-enter into communities after causing so much pain. Please forgive my ignorance if I am mistaken, feel free to correct me.

We're discussing abuse of minors in other places in this thread, if you would like to join us. I replied there.

I've been a baptist all my life, would you try and convince me to become Catholic? Do you think talking to Christians that aren't Catholic about becoming Catholic is a worthwhile endeavor? And how would you do so, if yes?

I would talk with you, but I wouldn't force you. It can be worthwhile, it depends on the person.

I would talk about the church fathers and the apostles and Matthew 16 to start.

non denomination christian here! I want to start going to a catholic church, got any tips or things I need to know?

Nope. Just show up. Participate as much as you like, but please don't go up for communion. That's a sacred sign of unity for us, so we ask that only those in union with the Church ("Catholics in good standing") receive the Eucharist.

There should be books in the pews to help you follow along and watch out for all the standing and sitting- it will catch you by surprise.

Related to this, so if I am going to church with my grandmother and I do not get the Eucharist, people don't look at me like "what is this fool doin here??", and instead I'm doing everyone a favor by not messing up the whole communion thing?

I always felt incredibly awkward and out of place not going up....

It is awkward, but thank you for doing the right thing.

He forget to mention to bring the checkbook. Cash also accepted

Some places take credit! I think.

Also, codename: duchess.

Man she loved that dog.

ANTI CATHOLIC! GET HIM MEN!

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

What do you think of the Pope's recent statements on salvation being for all of humanity vs only the baptized? (And the Vatican's more recent clarification) For example a child in an impoverished and isolated part of the world who has never heard of Catholicism?

The Church takes a wide view of baptism (baptism of blood, baptism of desire) and this isn't too surprising. I want to say Pope Benedict said similar things.

Hello Fr. Josh!

What's your favorite food and what's your favorite hobby?

Thanks!

Hello!

Food: right now it's pizza, but I'm also a sucker for french onion soup at any restaurant I go to.

Hobby: I like TV and movies a lot and video games on occasion.

You're welcome.

Xbone or PS4?

This is kind of a big deal, get it right!

Also, what are you musical tastes?

XBox1! That's the one that's most expensive, so it must be the best, right? Plus it hates freedom, and so do I.

I like country music right now.

Catholic Christian supporting Xbox One. You're hitting all of Reddit's favorite positions.

I'm going for the hat trick. Wait until they hear about my position on police brutality!

(spoiler, I teach Baton Brain Bashing 101 to the state police)

What kind of films/television do you like? :)

I like to be entertained. I don't mind thinking, but I like explosions and gun fights, too. I'm not sold on Michael Bay, but I also don't want to read subtitles the whole time.

Birds of a feather here.

Don't you mean, let's frock together

Argh! That's much better.

Let's flock together.

Very punny priest, you are.

Thanks. I'm out of priest puns. I'll have to father some more soon.

French onion soup is the best way to judge the quality of a resurant IMO.

That's good to know. I just know I like it, even when it's mediocre.

Video Games? Have you played Bioshock Infinite? What's your opinion? It has some heavy religious aspects to it, more than any other game of late, and I heard some people got offended by it.

No, sorry. I tend to dislike religious tones in games, movies, TV, and such because they usually get so many things wrong about Catholicism and it annoys me.

Do you ever wonder if your belief in god and religion is really just a lie you tell yourself in order to feel better about the meaninglessness of life?

I'm not trying to be offensive here, I really want to know.

No. I don't see a meaninglessness in life. I see purpose, but I will freely admit I'm biased towards seeing God.

There's a possibility of it all being wrong, but that's only because I also have a degree in philosophy (we tend to couch absolutes). I'm confident in what I believe, or else I would not be a priest.

Only a Sith deals in absolutes.

And that one guy who gave that absolute statement. He gets a pass for some reason.

Perhaps he was secretly a sith.

I knew it!

I attend an FSSP* congregation. Reading between the lines, they seem to be treated like a bit of a thorn in the side of the Church by other clergy, occasionally. What is your opinion of the these guys, the Tridentine services, and do you have strong opinions on taking the host in the hand vs. on the tongue?

*for those of you who have not yet earned your Catholic Black Belts, this is the Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri, Fraternity of St Peter. They're in good standing with the Church, and their main deal is bringing back the traditional Latin pre-Vatican 2 mass (not to make it required, just available).

The priestly fraternity of St. Peter? Those guys are great. Some priests don't get along with them, but, then again, some priests don't like anything that smacks of traditionalist stuff.

Roman catholic priest doing an AMA on reddit?

Bravery level 10

1500 sagans pope francises

Anglican here with a few questions:

1. What do you think of the recent meeting between Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury John Welby?
   
2. Can you explain intercession of the saints? I recently had someone ask me why Catholics practice it when Jesus is our intercessor?
3. I spent five years in Catholic education and I can honestly say learning Catholic theology really helped me in my faith (even as a protestant). What is one Catholic practice that you think the average Protestant would greatly benefit from?
   

1) No idea. I hope it's fruitful.

2) We ask the saints for our help, much like asking a friend to pray for you. Jesus is The Intercessor, but we ask those closest to Him to help us.

3) Great! I think they would benefit from the sacraments and something beyond just preaching and singing on Sunday (for those of that ilk).

Could you define "God" from your point of view. As an atheist, it is difficult for me to understand the concept, that christians have in their head. (your own, instead of the churches', conception would be nice :) )

If we're talking philosophy, I've always like the term "unmoved mover". If theology, then "Trinity".

The simplest, though, is God is Love.

Rev Run.

No, I'm too fat.

Assuming US, so afternoon Father.

When you say that you "believe with the Church", what positions does the Church hold that make you just sit and think "But why?"

It's always refreshing to see that it's not just the "godless masses" that despise /r/atheism as well.

Also, as someone who utterly failed religious studies back in school, I want to go around my part of the UK, and just have a basic understanding of each of the major religions. Not from a news point of view, but from the ministers, imams, and the like themselves.
While I am one of the so-called "inconvincibles", knowledge is a powerful thing to seek out. What things do you and your congregation do, not necessarily against tradition, but unexpected of the Church's public image?

On the subject of praying for people, how much adversity do you find in an (anecdotally) increasingly secular world, when you say that you are going to pray for someone?

And lastly, while I don't have a father to spend Father's Day with any more, at least I can send my love to someone thousands of miles away, from a belief that I don't share, but with mutual respect.

Happy Father's Day, Father Josh.

Good afternoon! I'm assuming you're in the Congo. What's it like there?

When you say that you "believe with the Church", what positions does the Church hold that make you just sit and think "But why?"

None I can think of.

Also, as someone who utterly failed religious studies back in school, I want to go around my part of the UK

Britain! I was close.

What things do you and your congregation do, not necessarily against tradition, but unexpected of the Church's public image?

That would depend on which public image we're talking about. We're a typical Catholic parish, if that's what you're asking. No goat sacrifices, unless it's Tuesday.

how much adversity do you find in an (anecdotally) increasingly secular world, when you say that you are going to pray for someone?

My community is Christian, but even secular areas don't mind prayers (unless they're an angry atheist). They mostly nod and go along with it.

And lastly, while I don't have a father to spend Father's Day with any more, at least I can send my love to someone thousands of miles away, from a belief that I don't share, but with mutual respect.

Well that's touching. I feel like an ass making those jokes in my reply.

It is interesting to study other religions, especially when you get past the surface and into the complexity that the media doesn't touch.

Why are you allowed to eat fish during lent?

I think we want people to make sacrifices, but not to starve. That's my complete guess. I don't know the official reason. Have you tried google?

Father, I was what kind of prayers exist that I could pray specifically addressed to The Holy Spirit. When I pray to the trinity I find myself with only brief things to say to Him.

Imploring the Holy Spirit in a simple way here, or even more simply "come Holy Spirit", which may be a very old prayer.

Many people also like to be free form in their prayer and just talk to God in their own words.

1. Where are you located?

2. Favorite writer?

3. Most influential theologian?

4. What intrigues you in the fields of theology/ecclesiology/etc.?

5. How old are you?

6. What are your hobbies - down-time non-religious stuff?

7. What do you think of Von Balthasar?

1. AMAA, not AMA. Sorry. In the US, Mid-Atlantic region.

2. Tough question. Right now I'm reading a lot of fiction and I like David Drake.

3. I really like Bishop Emeritus of Rome Benedict, but I know St. Thomas Aquinas better.

4. Bioethics. Fascinating field that changes all the time.

5. I'm in my 30's.

6. TV and movies and video games.

7. I haven't read a lot of his work, but I get the impression he's quite complicated.

What kind of video games do you play? Favorite game?

I just bought 'State of Decay' because I like zombie games. I haven't gotten to play much of it, yet.

Outside of that, I like strategy like Civilization and Mount and Blade.

Do you think The Roman Catholic Church should go back to allowing married men to be ordained to the priesthood like in the Orthodox Church?

I do not. I do not see the present need to lift the discipline of celibacy. I think the greater need is for men who are willing to be selfless and devote their lives to God in this way.

If my recollection is correct, the Orthodox and other churches are also struggling to get ministers, even though they do allow men to be married (and women, in the case of the Protestant churches).

I was raised Catholic and am currently a mainline Protestant, so what I was wondering was, where do you stand on the future of Catholic-Protestant relations?

I hope that we become 1 united Church. It's a scandal that the people of God aren't united.

I also meet occasionally with the local ministers in my community (Protestant), and I hope that leads to future unity.

Do you think the Church should re-evaluate allowing western churches to allow their priesthood to marry?

No. I answered this elsewhere in slightly more depth.

Hi, great AMA. So here's my question: I'm Protestant, and I was wondering whether you or the Catholic Church believe I'll go I heaven or not? I haven't been able to get a clear answer anywhere.

Thanks.

Depends on your actions, just like everyone else. We say the easiest way is the Catholic Church, but it's not the only way. God can save whomever He wants, especially if they believe in and follow Jesus.

Hello father! What is "blasphemy against the holy spirit," which is mentioned in the Gospel? I've never gotten a good answer about that one.

There's no decided interpretation. The one I'm most familiar with is dying without reconciliation with God. It would be unforgivable because you literally cannot be forgiven, seeing as you refuse it until it's too late.

Hello Father. Antiochian Orthodox Christian here. How do you feel about the article that was on here a few weeks back (on my phone and can't find it, sorry) discussing how an Irish Catholic Priest/theologian wanted the age of communion changed to 21 yrs of age? How do most Catholics you know feel about Orthodox Christians taking communion as early as possible? I.E we don't have a "First Communion" or Confirmation (though my church had a "first confession" day)/

Hello!

I hadn't heard of that. Sounds dumb, considering we do confirmation much earlier than that and want people involved with the Church.

I like that you guys keep it in the traditional order, but it seems to go against what confirmation is about to have infants get it. I don't know how each Church does things, though, so I don't have much more of an opinion about it.

Thank you for the response Father! Yes we certainly like to keep Tradition ;) I suppose the concepts of Confirmation, "Age of Reason", and traditions surrounding east/west Liturgy have to be taken into consideration.

Thank you for sharing your opinion!

You're welcome.

I have a couple questions:

*Why are priest celibate? No where in the bible does it say priest must be celibate. Aaron (first actual priest of God) was not, neither was his sons.

*The bible says the body is the temple of the holy spirit, yet you drink alcohol. Alcohol really has no nutritional value and also alters your state of consciousness which is also forbidden.

I went to Catholic school for 12 years and read the bible cover to cover many times. Many if the things you guys do God did not say to do: idolising Mary, keeping Sunday as sabbath instead of the actual 7th day, rituals like Rosary repitition and baptising children as newborns. I'm not trying to bash anyone but as a non Catholic looking in, it just seems weird.

*Why are priest celibate? No where in the bible does it say priest must be celibate. Aaron (first actual priest of God) was not, neither was his sons.

The Roman Catholic Church has chosen this discipline to be like Paul ("eunuch for the kingdom") and be devoted to God entirely.

*The bible says the body is the temple of the holy spirit, yet you drink alcohol. Alcohol really has no nutritional value and also alters your state of consciousness which is also forbidden.

Jesus turned water into wine. Seems like He wouldn't have done so if alcohol was intrinsically evil. See also Paul's take a little wine for your stomach.

Many if the things you guys do God did not say to do: idolising Mary

Mary is not an idol nor do we practice idolatry.

keeping Sunday as sabbath instead of the actual 7th day

Sunday is when Jesus Rose from the dead. We honor that for a multitude of reasons (see the symbolism of the 8th day), one of which being the Apostles did so.

rituals like Rosary repitition

That's prayer. Prayer is in the Bible.

baptising children as newborns

The Bible has whole households being baptized.