10/5/2018

   Q: Why are there servers at Mass?
 
Anna Mitch
Toronto
 
   A: When we attend Mass, we recognize that the priest presider is not all by himself in the sanctuary, that is, he has help. Some parishes are blessed with the assistance of a deacon at Mass, but assistance is appreciated in the form of one or more servers.
   The servers, which can also be known as acolytes, will assist at Mass by carrying the cross in the procession, as well as the candles or even the thurible (incense), at the opening procession. Many have responsibilities throughout the Mass, as well, especially during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, to assist the priest. The presider of the Mass certainly can use the help and how best but to involve the people of God at the sacrifice of the Mass than to have them assist the priest at the altar?
   Furthermore, we even have laypeople who serve as extraordinary ministers of holy Communion. Those people are prepared ahead of time and consequently instituted as extraordinary ministers, for they distribute the body and blood of Christ to the people of God at the Communion rite.
   What we have here is the perfect sign of collaboration at the celebration of Mass, for recognize that the people of God are encouraged to be directly involved with the various parts of the Mass such as the acolytes at the altar and in the sanctuary. The celebration of Mass is not intended to be a passive experience.
 
   Q: Why do we have a pope? 
 
Gury Bucci
Wintersville
 
   A: The short answer to this question is that Jesus has given us the pope, also known as the vicar of Christ. Pope Francis is the successor of St. Peter among us here in 2018. St. Peter, the first pope, was given the authority by Jesus, as we read in the Gospel. According to Matthew, Chapter 16, Verses 17-19, Jesus said in reply, “Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.”
   You see, the papacy is not some sort of contrived authority from the Middle Ages, but, in fact, is traced directly back to Jesus, the Son of God himself. Jesus gave us St. Peter to lead the church and to be the vicar of Christ among us. In 2018, we celebrate this unbroken succession of popes for, as the saying goes, where Peter is so is the church. We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that the pope is the head of the episcopal college, namely the successors of the apostles, and it is the body of bishops itself that possesses authority when it is united with Peter’s successor.  In fact, the pope, also known as the bishop of Rome and St. Peter’s successor, “is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.”  The pope is the pastor of the entire church and has full, supreme and universal power over the whole church, “a power you can always exercise unhindered” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 882).
   How grateful we are to Our Lord Jesus Christ for the gift of the church and to have the pope as its shepherd leading us through human history as we bear witness to the light of Christ. Please pray for Pope Francis and all church leaders as we endeavor to encourage all to abide in Jesus Christ, the source of all goodness.
 
   Q: How is it possible that the Israelites destroyed the wall of Jericho?
 
Amalia Yabs
Steubenville
 
   A: We refer to the Book of Joshua, Chapter 6, Verses 1-27, in which the wall at Jericho fell in the presence of the chosen people, namely in the presence of Joshua’s Israelite army. Scripture chronicles the Israelites marching around the city, but it was not they who brought the wall down.  What we are instructed by the story is that the miraculous power of God was at work in bringing down the Jericho wall. With the bringing down of the wall, the Israelite army was to be victorious at conquering the city. 
   Ancient cities like Jericho depended on fortified city walls to protect the city from invaders. With the wall coming down, the city was prone to invasion by the Israelite army, and thus, the city was captured.
   Remember, it was not the power of the Israelite army that took down the wall, but God himself. Here is another lesson for you and me as we follow Our Lord; we recognize at the end of the day, we must completely rely on God and his miraculous work, for he will never abandon us.
 
May God bless you and your family as we have ushered in the autumn season in 2018.