Archive - Ask Fr. John

08/21/2008: What if I forget to confess something?

Q. What should I do if I forget to confess something and remember only after I have left the priest?

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05/09/2008: Confession

Q. Can’t I just confess my sins directly to God, without the priest as intermediary? And, if not, how often does the church require that I go to Confession?

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03/27/2008: Lent vs Easter

Q. Why do we seem to put so much into Lent (extra prayers, fasting, works of mercy) and so little into Easter?

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03/09/2008: Entering from the side altar at the start of Masses during Lent

Q. Why does the priest enter from the side altar at the start of Masses during Lent?

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02/22/2008: Abstaining from meant Friday of Lent

Q. Why do we bother with not eating meat on the Fridays of Lent? Having a nice fish dinner doesn’t seem like much of a hardship.

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12/16/2007: Receiving Communion

Q. People do different things when they receive communion. Some bow, use the sign of the cross, genuflect, some receive in the hand, others on the tongue. What is the correct form?

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09/30/2007: Sit or Stand?

Q: I am confused about when to sit and when to stand at Mass. Can you explain the recent changes?

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