Bishops in California are raising objections to a new California law that will allow human remains to be composted and returned to the soil as a way of protecting the environment from the contaminants of embalming fluid and the carbon emissions from cremation. But this is just one of many new eco-friendly burial methods being offered today.
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AP writes: "
A friend of mine from work, Chris, is a practicing Catholic with 5 children. Before marriage, he was even in the seminary. He is very orthodox. He also happens to have a number of black belts in all sorts of martial arts. I have two teenage daughters and and a 11 year old son. I want them to be able to protect themselves, especially when they go off to college. Last night, Chris came over and gave us family Karate lessons. I thought it was wonderful. The stretching and exercising were great. He talked about the Eucharist. The only thing that was a little bizarre is that in Okinawan Karate, and I think other Karate, they bow when they enter the dojo. . .
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Photo by Joshua Newton on Unsplash
The ability to walk across burning hot coals is known as firewalking and many a New Age motivational speaker wants us to believe that our mind has the power to enable us to do this. Does this explain why so many people at these events end up with their feet on fire while others walk away unscathed?
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SMJ:
“My therapist recently suggested that he’d like to employ a theoretical therapy based on the polyvagal theory. However, when I looked it up online, a lot of the practitioners were very New Agey and Wikipedia called it ‘unproven’. Is this something I should get involved in?”
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SM writes: "
I read your article about mandalas and how they are prayer 'gimmicks.' I was just wondering what you think about the artwork (mandalas) of St. Hildegard of Bingen, especially since she is now a Doctor of the Church. It seems to me that you are saying some of her practices were new age."
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Anonymous writes:
“Someone I know recently told me that loved ones of hers passed away. The family had their ashes split up and placed in jewelry. How can I explain the Catholic view on this for future reference? How can I explain it particularly when it comes to our Catholic faith and relics.”
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When the World Wide Web was made public in 1993, it was both celebrated for the technological progress it represented and maligned for its risks of abuse. Almost thirty years later, the advent of the metaverse, which has been called the “internet on steroids,” is inspiring the same mixed bag of reactions.
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It’s Advent, and while the faithful are pondering the mysteries of the First and Second Coming of the Lord, there’s a noticeable uptick in the number of alleged seers who claim to have an inside track on the Apocalypse. Here’s why Church approval of any private revelation is so critical in order to protect yourself and your loved ones from believing in falsehood.
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MA writes: “I have been hearing the phrase ‘shadow work’ a lot lately. What is it and is it something Catholics should avoid?”
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DD asks:
"What do you make of Near Death Experiences and what position does the Catholic Church take on this phenomenon?"
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