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Q u i c k Q u e s t i o n s
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This Rock
Volume 13, Number 2
 February 2002 
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Race Through the Rosary
Q: I’m a convert, and when I say the rosary I want to take my time and think about what I’m saying. But some cradle Catholics I’ve heard seem to race through it. Is this the way the rosary is supposed to be said?
A: Not according to Pope Paul VI. In his apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus (1974), he wrote: "There has also been felt with greater urgency the need to point out once more the importance of a further essential element in the rosary, in addition to the value of the elements of praise and petition, namely the element of contemplation. Without this the rosary is a body without a soul, and its recitation is in danger of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas and of going counter to the warning of Christ: ‘And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words’ (Matt. 6:7). By its nature the recitation of the rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are unfolded" (Marialis Cultus 47).
Q: Can you tell me who (if anyone) is supposed to read the gospel and give a homily at Communion services?
A: According to Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest (the most explicit, relevant liturgical document), when a deacon is participating, "it belongs to him to lead the prayers, to proclaim the gospel, to preach the homily, and to give Communion" (Introduction 18).
When a deacon is not participating, "The first two readings are proclaimed by one or two readers. The gospel is proclaimed by the leader. A layperson omits the greeting, ‘The Lord be with you,’ before the gospel.
In the absence of a deacon, the layperson may read the gospel but without greeting the congregation in a clerical manner ("The Lord be with you"). And for the homily there are three options: (a) the lay person may read one prepared by the pastor, (b) the lay person may preach a brief non-homily if he has been given this role by the bishop, or (c) there may be silent reflection (Introduction 40–41).
Though these are spelled out in significant detail in Sunday Celebrations, they presumably would also apply to weekday Communion services (for which the relevant document is Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass).
Q: Can you recommend some books that should be a part of any apologetics library?
A: There are certainly many good books from which to choose, so do not view these recommendations as being exclusive of other titles. But many would regard the following books as must-haves:
1) Radio Replies, by Frs. Rumble and Carty (TAN, 1979). This three-volume, question-and-answer format set (arranged topically) contains material taken from a radio show that was hosted by these two priests. The volumes cover over 4,500 questions that deal with virtually every topic that is likely to surface in any defense of the faith. The answers are succinct, informative, and extremely helpful.
2) Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Ludwig Ott (TAN, 1974). This book is a thorough treatment of dogmatic theology (the Trinity, the Church, grace, salvation, the person of Christ, the sacraments, etc.). It provides the basis for and an explanation of these beliefs, drawing from Scripture, sacred Tradition, and the writings of the Church Fathers. It also indicates the theological grade of certainty for each teaching (i.e. certain, probable, commonly held, et cetera).
3) The Faith of the Early Fathers, by William A. Jurgens (Liturgical, 1970). This three-volume set provides extensive excerpts from the writings of the Church Fathers and ecclesial authors on a wide range of topics. This resource is particularly helpful in demonstrating that believers have held Catholic doctrines since the first century.
Q: In biblical times, what did a person do that made him considered to be a prophet? Did he have to perform miracles?
A: The basic qualification was that he had to receive revelations from God. In order to prove to others that he was receiving these revelations, it was customary for people to ask him for signs—i.e., miracles that could be seen or predictions of near-future events that could be verified. If these were forthcoming, people had reason to take seriously his claim to be receiving divine revelations.
Q: My work shift is a five-day on, four-day off rotating shift. I have run into this problem a few times. My work hours are such that I could only attend the 7:30 A.M. Mass at my parish on Sunday. I had already worked my five days and was scheduled (not volunteered) a sixth day (Sunday). Not to mention that I worked an additional eight to ten hours of overtime already this week. I missed Mass in part because I was tired. The next Mass was 9:30 A.M., and I could not attend it without being late for work. I missed Mass, but not with the attitude of defiance to Jesus. Does this require me to go to confession?
A: If your employer requires you to work during the time that you could fulfill your Sunday obligation, or if you are exhausted and unable to attend Mass as a result, then these are sufficient reasons, just as being sick or having to take care of children are. In such cases you do not have a Sunday obligation and you do not need to go to confession. You are not sinning.
Q: Our parish priest wants a theological reason why he should celebrate Saturday morning Mass. I know that traditionally Saturday has been the memorial day of Our Lady. Is there any "theological" reason why a priest should hold Saturday Mass besides on a personal level of devotion to her, when he holds daily Mass Monday through Friday?
A: A theological argument for celebrating Mass every day may be made in that doing so consecrates the fullness of the week to God. However, that is not a reason for celebrating a Saturday Mass in the morning rather than at another time of day.
A priest may also wish to celebrate Mass on Saturday for reasons of personal devotion.
A quite significant reason to celebrate Mass on Saturday is for the pastoral good of those in the parish so that they can consecrate the day in this way (or the week, if they are in the habit of daily Communion).
It is recommended that priests celebrate the Eucharist daily, but it is not required. The Code of Canon Law states, "Remembering that the work of redemption is continually accomplished in the mystery of the Eucharistic sacrifice, priests are to celebrate frequently; indeed daily celebration is strongly recommended, since even if the faithful cannot be present, it is the act of Christ and the Church in which priests fulfill their principal function" (CIC 904).
Q: I am trying to find out what the symbol of the P with an X through the bottom of it means.
A: You are speaking of the chi-rho monogram. Though the two letters look like P and X in the English alphabet, they are actually chi (looks like X) and rho (looks like P) from the Greek alphabet. They also happen to be the first to letters of "Christ" in Greek (Christos). Hence the chi-rho monogram is used as a symbol of Christ, Christianity, and Christians.
Q: After the death of Christ, Christians were the ones who evangelized and spread the gospel. Ignatius of Antioch was the first to refer to them as Catholics. What were they called before?
A: Originally Christians weren’t even called Christians. They were called "disciples" (i.e., "students") of Jesus of Nazareth. Later, in the city of Antioch, they received the name "Christians" (Acts 11:26). This probably happened in the A.D. 30s.This term spread very quickly—probably to the chagrin of those Jewish individuals who did not wish to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah (Christ).
Ultimately, however, different groups began to break off from the Christian community, falling into either heresy or schism. These groups still wished to represent themselves as Christian—and many of them were, retaining valid baptism and a profession of faith in Christ. Consequently, a new word was needed to distinguish the Christians belonging to the Church that Christ founded from those belonging to the churches that had split off from it.
The term that was picked was kataholos, which means according to the whole or universal in Greek. The thought was apparently that these were Christians who believed and practiced according to what body of Christians as a whole did, in contrast to what some particular group thought or did. Over the course of time, kataholoscame to be represented by the parallel English word "Catholic."
Ignatius of Antioch did not introduce kataholos. However, his letters contain the earliest known uses of it. It may well have been used in other Christian writings prior to this, but we have simply lost them. It certainly was in general use in speech before this point, because Ignatius writes in such a way that he expects his readers to already know this term and what it means. He also uses the term in more than one of his letters, meaning that he expects people in more than one place to know the term.
This indicates that in his day—at the beginning of the second century (circa A.D. 107)—the term was already in widespread use. For it to be used in such a broad manner, it would have required some time to pass into currency in the Christian community, meaning that the term probably was coined sometime in the second half of the first century. We don’t know who first used it, but it was a suitable description of the Church Christ founded and so was already in general use by the time Ignatius wrote.
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