"What is the Worst Sin?"

By Paul Dion, STL, ParishWorld Theology Editor

Rarely do we at ParishWorld.net dedicate so much space to "sin". This time we do. Since we celebrate the mystery of the breadth and the depth of God's love and glory, we grow up with the deep faith that He has the power to create, to support and to save anyone. ParishWorld.net is a part of that faith and we are happy that you accompany us down the road of faith.

Interestingly there are other forces on the Internet that are not as positively dedicated as we are. Sometimes questions do arise about sin and its consequences. Lately there has been a discussion about the worst sin. It seems to be a strange question.

Every sin insults God, and what could be worse than that? In the same thought, every sin insults His creatures too, including the sinner himself. So often, when we consider the concept of sin, we don't include ourselves as being the object of our own insult. We insult our souls, our heart, our mind, our body, our family and the wider community of those with whom we keep company every day.

So, allow us to ask the question, "What is the Worst Sin?" Consider this question not only in the context of an insult to God, but in the context of the greatest possible damage that we could do both to God and to ourselves through sin.

What do you think it is? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Share your comments with the rest of the world.

CLICK HERE to view the answers to this burning question.

Must we believe the Church 100% to be Catholic?

Must we believe the Church 100% to be Catholic?

By Paul Dion, STL

Living the Catholic life is a life of penance, prayer and missionary zeal. It is about giving-up some things and for giving some things too. As Catholics, we hear a lot of teachings about our religion and we pray for all souls including those people who are going to be baptized into the Catholic religion each Easter Vigil.

But recently, a Catholic friend told me how he's been facing his own Catholic friends and family who seem to disagree with certain specific tenets of our faith. So maybe now is a critical time to ask ourselves an important question about our religion and our faith. It is not a "stupid" question, nor is it an idle one. It is a question that I have been asked several times by Catechumens. I even hear it now and then from life-long Catholics who are attending Faith Growth Sessions for Adults.

We hope that all of you who read this would consider the depth and the value of the question. We want to hear your opinion about what the answer is. We are sure that you will have deep seated opinons about this one. Share them, please. We are sure that the sum of all of them will add up to the true answer.

"In order to be Catholic, do you have to believe 100% of what the Church teaches?"

Please pray over it and then chime in with your opinion. We will provide a comprehensive answer as part of the comments. In the meantime, we will join you in the running comment exercise.

Let us know what you think. Post your comment below.

Who can receive Communion?

By Paul Dion, STL

Who Can Receive Communion? These are the words of Jesus as presented to us by St. John the Evangelist.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever" (John 6:53–58).

Because of this teaching about the Eucharist, we know that receiving this Sacrament is very important to our lives as Catholics.

The burning questions is: What are the pre-requisites for receiving the eucharist for the first time? What are the requisites for receiving the eucharist every time after that?

Click here to view the answer to this Burning Question

"Half a Eucharist?"

By Paul Dion, STL

In this time when communion under both species is not reserved to the priest in our Western, Latin Catholic Church, it is possible that even some fairly mature participants at the Holy Mass could sometimes ask themselves a similar question.

For this reason, we reproduce the question of the neophyte in the hopes that you will share your answer to this person with the rest of us:

"I have a question. Last Sunday I attended the 7 AM Mass. When it came time for me to receive the Blood of Christ the cup was empty. This is the 3rd time I've been denied the full Eucharist. Is my Eucharist valid or am I in sin for taking half a Eucharist? The Catechism says that the "Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life." I really want to celebrate the whole Eucharist and look forward to Mass because of it. Why can't the Extraordinary Ministers prepare an extra cup or at the very least direct us to someone else?"

What do you say? What do you think it is? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Post a comment below.

CLICK HERE to view the answers to this burning question.

Is the Mass a Eucharistic Banquet or a Holy Sacrifice

Is the Mass a Eucharistic Banquet or a Holy Sacrifice
By Paul Dion, STL


1. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2. a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3. a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4. a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5. a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6. a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7. a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8. a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace
(Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3)

There is also a time for naming things and a time for remembering what the name was before the name we now use. I am giving you the opportunity to participate in this exercise in the following manner.

What is the name that defines our central act of worship, the Mass? Is the Mass a Sacrifice or is it a Banquet?

Tell us what you think and please elaborate on your answer.