Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is sin?

Sin is seeking of our own will instead the will of God, thus distorting our relationship with God, with other people, and with all creation.

Q: What is redemption?

This is the act of God which sets us free from the power of evil, sin, and death.

Q: What is the New Commandment?

The New Commandment is that we love one another as Christ loved us.

Q: Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and is God at work in the world and the Church today.

Q: What is prayer?

Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words.

Q: What is Christian prayer?

This is response to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Q: What is meditation?

This is a form of prayer in which we reflect on a portion of Scripture, or some truth or experience, and ponder it in our heart.

Q: What is contemplation?

This is a form of prayer in which we keep our hearts and minds still and attentive to God, allowing him to work in us as he will.

Q: What is grace?

Grace is God's favour towards us, unearned and undeserved.

Q: What is baptism?

This is the means whereby God adopts us as children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God.

Q: What is the Holy Eucharist?

Also called the Lord's Supper and Holy Communion, through the outward offering of bread and wine (the body and blood of Christ) we are reminded of Christ's life, death and resurrection.

Q: What is confirmation?

This is the rite in which we express commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.

Q: What is spirituality?

Spirituality is about what we do with the fire (the desire) inside of us, about how we channel this desire. And how we channel it will lead to a greater integration or disintegration within our bodies, minds and souls, our relationship with God, other people and the world around us.

Q: What is Ignatian Contemplation?

This is a form of fantasy prayer recommended by Saint Ignatius and frequently used by many saints. It consists in taking scene from the life of Christ and reliving it, taking part in it as if it were actually occurring and you were a participant in the event.

Q: What are the sacraments?

A sacrament is an action or sign, which has an inward, spiritual meaning; a way to express something which is beyond words. The Church has two great sacraments: The Holy Communion and Baptism.

Q: What is the Apocrypha?

This is a collection of additional books written by people of the Old Covenant, and used in the Christian Church.

Q: What is Lectio Divina?

This is a form of holy reading and holy listening that incorporates four steps:

• 1) Reading and Listening:

The first step involves reading the text. We must learn to still ourselves and read the passage slowly, listening for a word or phrase that speaks to us.

• 2) Meditation:

Once we have found a word or phrase that speaks to us in a personal way, we need to pause and reflect on it, and allow it to shape our thoughts and desires.

• 3) Prayer:

As we meditate on what God is saying, so we are drawn to respond in some way. We enter into conversation with God, allowing God's word to tough us in our deepest places, healing our hurts and brokenness and changing our lives.

• 4) Contemplation:

Finally, we simply rest in the presence of God, enjoying the experience of being in God's loving embrace.