Ask a Franciscan

Pat McCloskey, OFM

Father Pat welcomes your questions!

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Material is grouped thematically under headings such as forgiveness, prayer, saints, sacraments, and Scripture.

Where to Start in Reading the Bible?

What book in the Bible should I read first so as not to get lost or give up?

In the Old Testament, you may want to start with the Book of Exodus (God leading the Hebrew people out of Egypt, making a covenant with them, and guiding them into a new land). In fact, one verse after the crossing of the Red Sea (15:21) is regarded by some scholars as the oldest text in the Bible.

In the New Testament, you could start with the Gospel of Luke, which has given us angels and shepherds at the birth of Jesus, several of the most well-known parables (prodigal son and the good Samaritan, for example), Jesus appearing to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and the commission that the disciples preach to all nations repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

I recommend that you read a translation that has good introductions to each book and cross-references to other biblical texts (perhaps for a second reading of these texts). The New American Bible and the New Revised Standard Version are very readable English translations and have the introductions and cross-references recommended above. You can “own” the Bible in a legal sense, but its real ownership belongs to God and the faith community that recognizes it as God’s unique self-revelation.

Please remember that you are not reading court transcripts but rather faith accounts: God’s revelation conveyed via human words. If you get bogged down or discouraged at some point, you might take a break and explore the treasures in the Book of Psalms; there is at least one psalm that reflects the human mood you are feeling then.

By Pat McCloskey, OFM

Wrong Date?

Why does your online Saint of the Day feature have a different saint for that day compared to other books or websites?

Our Saint of the Day online feature (SaintoftheDay.org) is based on the Roman (worldwide) calendar, but we cannot follow that exactly for two reasons: 1. Sometimes the Church has two or more unrelated saints on the same day (e.g.,

August 2—Sts. Peter Julian Eymard and

Eusebius of Vercelli). 2. There are many days for which the Roman calendar has not assigned a saint (e.g.,

August 3).

In the first case, we move one of the saints (usually the more recent one) to a day on which no one has been assigned—as identified in the second case.

In addition, the Church has approved liturgical calendars for specific countries, dioceses, and religious communities. For example, before Blessed John Paul II was canonized, celebrating his feast was authorized for October 22—but only for Poland, Italy, the United States, and any other country that had requested this permission. In such cases, Saint of the Day online follows the calendars approved for the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In the case of religious communities such as the Order of Friars Minor, Saint of the Day online uses the day assigned in the calendar approved by the Holy See for feasts not on the Roman calendar.

I realize this may sound confusing, but because of the two reasons mentioned, that’s the best we can do because this feature is called Saint of the Day.

Who goes there? How can we help them?

Purgatory is a state of cleansing so that people don’t enter heaven ready to “set straight” everyone who disagrees with them. It enables people not to complain who they sit next to or across from at the heavenly banquet.

Imagine that two state senators who cast opposite votes recently died on the same day and were judged almost ready to be admitted to heaven. To the extent that they want to continue denigrating the other’s vote on that issue, to that extent they are not ready for heaven, where God will be quite enough for everyone there. Imagine a person who died with some racist feelings. Is she or he truly ready to sit opposite a person of that race?

We help the souls in purgatory by praying for them and by living deeply in God’s truth now so that we won’t need a great deal of cleansing before we are ready to take our place at the heavenly banquet.

Quick Questions and Answers

What is the correct etiquette for drivers who are following or meeting a funeral procession?

Here are four generally accepted rules: 1) Allow a procession to go through an intersection—even if it has a red light; 2) Do not cut into or honk at a funeral procession; 3) Do not cut off a funeral procession; and 4) Do not try to pass a funeral procession on the right when on a highway unless it is in the far left lane.

Th e Apostles’ Creed says, “On the third day he rose again from the dead.” When was the fi rst time?

Th ere wasn’t one. Sometimes a translation can include an extra word that obscures its meaning. Th at is the case here.

Know that we care.

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The Franciscan Friars, Province of St. John the Baptist 1615 Vine St, Ste 1 Cincinnati, OH 45202-6492 513-721-4700, ext. 3219 /StAnthonyShrine /ShrineStAnthony /StAnthonyShrine