Ask Ellen: Can you explain Papal infallibility? As a non Catholic, I never understood this concept. -Ed, PA

Great question, Ed.  This is one of the most misunderstood things of the Catholic faith. (and one we often get a bad rap for).  Catholics believe that Jesus made Peter the head of the Church. (Think you are the rock and on this rock I will build my Church).  The Bible supports this.  If you read Acts of the Apostles carefully, you will see that the other apostles often deferred to Peter in decision making. (see the first Council in Jerusalem).

One of the marks of the Catholic Church is that it is apostolic.  This means that there has been an unbroken chain of command from Peter to Benedict XVI.  The office of the Papacy is unique in this respect.

This unbroken line of succession depends on the power of the Holy Spirit for guidance and that is where papal infallibility comes in.  Catholics believe that in matters concerning doctrine, the Pope doesn’t make mistakes.  This does not mean that Pope Benedict never wears mismatched socks or never misconjugates a verb in the 42000 languages he speaks in.  It means that when a Pope is going to make a huge decision concerning the Church as a whole, the Holy Spirit doesn’t allow him to screw it up. (it is called ex cathedra, meaning from the chair).  In this respect ONLY is the Pope infallible.

Catholics do not believe that the pope is perfect.  In fact, I am sure he struggles with the same things you and I do.  I bet some of those uptight Cardinals drive him crazy at times.  He does not stop being human when the white smoke rises.  We just believe that since Peter the Holy Spirit has been guiding the decisions regarding His Church.

Who Wrote the Book of Love?

If John wrote Revelation, and Paul wrote most of the Epistles, who wrote the Book of Love? Pat, ND

What a great question! Pat, your Biblical knowledge is acute. John is believed to be the author of the Book of Revelation. As you might recall, I am finishing up a class on Johannine Literature, which studied his Gospel and Revelation in depth. It was excellent! Sorry for the advertisement!

Paul is the author of most of the epistles. Coincidentally my next class is Pauline Literature. What are the chances! (Pretty great considering I choose when to answer your questions.)

The Book of Love? Well by that I assume you mean the Bible. I mean it is a love story from start to finish. God’s love is evident from “In the beginning” to “It is finished.” If you want to read a great love story that stands the test of time, this is it. If you want to read about a man who loves his Bride enough to die for her, this is it. If you want to read about the ultimate “happily ever after”, this is it.

So I think you are asking me, “Who wrote the Bible?” The answer is….God. God inspired human authors to record His message. The authors were able to use their own skills and talents, but the message belongs to God.

The Monotones had it right:

It was someone from above who wrote it. And it goes a little something like this:

In the beginning God tells us He loves us

He invites us to live in paradise where we will never be apart from Him

He shows us the meaning of romance by offering us everything we truly need

We break up with Him…through sin.

But He always gives us just one more chance.

That is who wrote THE book of love.

Ask Ellen: I'll go with the silly...What's the deal with the incense? Is it only for "special occasions"? Steph, PA

Thanks for the question, Steph.  When you grow up in the Catholic Church, as we did, it is hard not to run into incense at some point.  It is interesting how the minute I smell it, it reminds me of Church.  Of course it also reminds me of college.  People used incense to cover the smell of pot.  But that’s another story.

Incense was an important part of Jewish liturgy.  The altar of incense was before the Ark of the Covenant.  Therefore, incense is associated with God’s Presence as God’s Presence was thought to be contained within the Ark.  The smoke that arises as incense is burned is said to be our prayers ascending to heaven.

That is a beautiful picture.  As we pray our thoughts and intentions are lifted up to heaven.  The liturgy is meant to engage all of our senses.  We see the candles, vestments, stained glass etc.  We hear the Word of God and prayer.  We touch each other through the sign of peace.  We touch Jesus as we receive Him in the Eucharist.  We taste heaven as we receive the Body and Blood of Christ.  Our sense of smell is engaged with incense.  The liturgy should be a feast for the senses.

Nowadays it is used for special occasions such as “High Mass” and funerals.  I hope next time you smell incense it is in Church and not to mask the smell of illegal substances!

Why is Mass so boring? Bob, TX

Ouch!!!  That one hurts but may be deserved in some respects.  In general, people find Mass boring because they have no clue what is going on.  We go to Church….stand, sit and kneel and respond with stuff we memorized but were never told why.  We know something significant is going on but we have no idea how to plug ourselves in!

First, let me say that I am sorry that it was never explained to you.  Let me also add that I wish we were given more opportunities to understand the Mass piece by piece.  This is exactly why I advocate Bible study for Catholics!  Everything about the Mass is Biblical!!!!  Every response and gesture..everything.

Let me pause for this commercial break…and tell you to get “A Biblical Walk Through The Mass” (Ascension Press) by Dr. Sri.  As an aside, he happens to be teaching me the Gospel of John in the Augustine Institute DE program and it is nothing short of fabulous.  And no..that is not brown on my nose.

If you read a book like his or maybe “The Lamb’s Supper” by Scott Hahn you will begin to see the depth and significance of the Mass.  You will understand what liturgy is and how much we owe to the Jewish faith for its tradition and beauty.

If you study the Mass, you will have many “aha moments”  You will even understand vestments and incense. Mass will become like a Bible treasure hunt..sorry, I get carried away.  I can guarantee that Mass won’t be boring…but I cannot guarantee that your priest won’t give a boring homily from time to time.  But cut the guy some slack.  It is hard to share the stage with something as awesome as Mass.

Ask Ellen: I'm interested in being a saint, what's the application process? Paul, DE

Congratulations on setting the bar high for yourself.  I commend your aspiration.  Let’s see…the application process is quite lengthy, your whole life in fact.  Your resume would need to include faith and good deeds. Your educational experience should probably include studying the Bible as well as many other good reads like the lives of the saints and such.

Your application will come under review shortly after your expiration.  You will probably have to sit in the waiting room until Saint Peter calls you for your interview.  An important thing to remember is there won’t be any call backs or second interviews here.  Peter will review your resume and decide if you are in, if you have to sweat it out for a while until you make the cut (kinda like the minor leagues) or if you’re fired..literally.  If you find yourself in the waiting room, know that generations of Catholics have been praying for your release.  If you’re fired then I guess you should have changed the font on your resume or had better references.  If you’re in, then congratulations you’ve achieved your goal of sainthood. Please pay it forward by putting in a good word for the rest of us.

As for me, I really hope St. Peter is in a good mood and doesn’t check all my references. 

Ask Ellen: Why do Catholics pray to saints? Katie, ME

This is a confusing and frustrating question for many.  Thanks for asking.  I need to say right off the top….Catholics don’t pray TO anyone but God.  And yes, that includes Mary!  Let’s take God out of the equation…..I can’t believe I just said that!...and focus on the others hanging out in heaven.

An important and heady Catholic concept comes into play here…the Communion of Saints.  Let me try to break it down.  The Church is composed of three groups of people: those in heaven, those waiting to be called up (in Purgatory), and those of us down here still fighting the good fight.  The Church teaches that we are all very connected and that this connection doesn’t end in death.  That is what anyone who has lost a love one wants to believe so it would be hard to argue, right?

It is because of this connection that those of us still slugging through life look to those who did it right for help.  And that is all we are asking them to do.  They made it, they are before the Throne and just might hang out with Jesus from time to time.  We, as Catholics, ask them to put in a good word for us.

Think of it this way…you know someone who is a great teacher in great school.  You want to teach there too.  You have a friend who works there and has earned the respect of the principal.  Wouldn’t you ask him/her to put in a good word for you?

The great news is, we Catholics, have a saint for any situation you find yourself in.  I doesn’t hurt to ask..so go ahead!  

Ask Ellen: I would like to see an explanation on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I get it and make sure my students do, but I think it is one of the most misunderstood feasts on the calendar. Kim, PA

You are right, Kim. This is one of the most misunderstood Catholic feasts.  In order to understand it, one must have a firm grasp on the Old Testament.  You might be thinking, I don’t know much about the Bible but I am fairly sure that Mary appears in the New Testament.  True.  But much like everything concerning Mary, we have to understand her Son to understand her.

Think back to the Ark of the Covenant.  Yes, it even OK if all you know about it is from watching, “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”  In the Old Testament, The Ark was believed to contain the Presence of God.  It contained three things symbolizing the early Israelites' faith:  The Ten Commandments (representing the Law), Manna (the bread from heaven that God provided) and Aaron’s budding rod (representing priestly authority).  The Ark was carried on poles and no one was to touch it.  If you don’t believe me look at what happened to Uzziah!  There were many rules about who could approach the Ark and the way they were to be purified before they did.

Ok, Ellen, so what does this have to do with Mary?  Catholics believe that Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant.  Please remember that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the things that were alluded to in the Old Testament.  Think about it…He is the New Law (think about the Beatitudes and His “All You Need Is Love” …sorry had to get the Beatles in…messages), He is Bread from heaven (think Eucharist) and He is the High Priest (think of the Church He established).  With all of that in mind, we see Mary as the New Ark.  Her womb contained the very Presence of God.

That is why the Church teaches that she was born without sin.  She had to be pure to contain the fullness of God and the fullness of Man.  It makes sense in light of the purity rules of the Old Testament.  As Catholics, we read Scripture with the whole Bible in mind.  When you do this, you see Mary as the New Ark.

Catholics celebrate the feast of Mary’s Immaculate Conception on December 8.  We celebrate that Mary was conceived and remained sinless in expectation of the baby she was to carry.  It has nothing to do with Jesus’ virgin birth.  It has everything to do with Mary.  So, do not go chasing after …..rainbows, oops sorry…the lost Ark of the Old Testament when you have the fullness of the New Ark advocating for you in heaven.