What does the Holy Spirit do in your life?

By Paul Dion, STL

The Holy Spirit means a lot of things to a lot of people. His name is used in many ways and has influenced the spiritual lives of many. A careful reading of the Major Prophets will bring His existence into our conscience. A reading of the New Testament will introduce us to Him and His works. From St. John the Baptist to Jesus, He is promised to us as we live our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Here are some "givens" to get you started: The Holy Spirit is the third person of God. He is equal in every way with the Father and the Son. We generally give the Father the name Creator and to the Son we generally and traditionally give the name, Savior.

The Burning Question for this week has more than one part because we want to make you think about the Holy Spirit in more ways than one.

1. What name do we traditionally give to the Holy Spirit?

2. When is the first time that we receive the Holy Spirit?

3. What is the sacrament that accentuates the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

4. What is the name of the special Sunday that is dedicated to the celebration of the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

5. Does this Sunday have a fixed date or is it determined by the same method as the date of Easter Sunday?

6. There are two miraculous events that are related to this Sunday, what are they and where can you find their story in the Bible?

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Share them with nus and with the rest of the world.

CLICK HERE to view the answers.

Peace and joy.

"Why are Catholic parents obliged to baptize their children as babies?"

By Paul Dion, STL


You have all heard the expression, "cradle Catholic." You have heard it from all levels of Catholics, from the daily Mass-goer to the Christmas and Easter Mass-goer. You have heard it on television and in the movies, "I was baptized Catholic a few days after I was born..."

You have also been in conversations where there was a lively give and take between those who were opposed to infant baptism and those who were all in favor of it. It was even possible that those involved in the discussion were all Catholic!

It could also be that you were surprised to see that your Lutheran friend was for infant baptism and your Catholic relative was against it. You listened and shook your head in disbelief at this turn of events.

It is true, there are Catholics who wait until there children are old enough to make up their own mind about whether or not to be baptized. There are plenty of non-Catholics who would be surprised at this opinion. Yes, there are Protestant communities who seriously believe in infant baptism. Martin Luther himself never abandoned the practice of infant baptism in his break from the Catholic Church.

ParishWorld.net is asking you where you stand in this matter, and why...

So here is the Burning Question of the week: "Why do you believe that it is an obligation of parents to present their new born children to the sacrament of baptism as soon as possible after birth?"

Give us your convictions and we will join the discussion and present a wrap-up.

What is the Old Testament root of the sacrament of Baptism?

By Paul Dion, STL

This week we bring you the easiest question that you will ever encounter here. But because it is so easy, we are going to ask a related question that will help you to stretch your minds a little bit. This will also send you to the shelf or the table upon which your Bible rests.

As you all know, the teachings of Jesus and of the Apostles find their roots in the Old Testament. This does not mean that we follow the teachings of the Old Testament word for word. It means that God revealed His wishes to His human creatures many thousands of years ago. As time went on, through the Patriarchs, the Prophets, the Kings, Jesus and the Apostles, His wishes and His commandments became clearer and clearer to us.

Now that Jesus and the Apostles are no longer on earth, Jesus left us with the Church. It is through the Church that we continue our relationship with God the Father, The Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. The Church provides us with ways to get in touch with God and to stay in touch with Him. The clearest way, and the easiest is through the sacraments. To go back to what I said before, what we believe in today had its roots in the Old Testament. We will therefore give you references to the Old Testament when it is proper to do so in this study of the sacraments.

Therefore, this week's BURNING QUESTION is: What is the Old Testament root of the sacrament of Baptism? To whom did God give it?

CLICK HERE to see the answer and a short lesson about Baptism.

Click the Comments link below to post a comment.

Why do we say the Rosary at Catholic funerals?

By Paul Dion, STL

The question of the week for the is one that you are going to have to figure out for yourselves. I don't think that there is a source that you can consult for the answer to this one.

This question was presented to me by a member of my RCIA class, seeking Baptism through the Rite of Christian Initiation at St. Christopher parish, Moreno Valley, California.

I deeply appreciate this question because it is a seriously probing one. I had an answer ready for them which I will share with you in the Grand Inquisitor's wrap-up.

"Why is it that Catholics always have the recitation of the Holy Rosary as a part of their funerals?"

It's all yours. Tell us what you think.

(Click here to view the many wonderful articles that await you in http://www.parishworld.net/, America's Catholic Lifestyle Magazine. Be informed, be inspired, be blessed. )