Catholic Q&A

I have decided to take up the request of my friend Nick at PhatCatholic Apologetics and begin answering questions on the Catholic faith at WikiAnswers.

Q: What year in the Catholic Church was the Council of Nicea formed?

A: The bishops convened the First Council of Nicea (the better known of the two) in 325 AD at the request of Emperor Constantine, who had legalized Christianity not long before with the Edict of Milan. This council condemned the Arian heresy, which taught that Jesus was not God, but a superhuman entity created by God.  The Second Council of Nicea, which particularly fought Iconoclasm (the destruction of icons) was convened in 787 AD.

Q: Where does the first reading in a Catholic Mass come from?

A: In the Catholic Church, there are two different cycles of readings, one for Sunday Masses (allowing the Church to read nearly the entire Bible in three years on Sundays) and one for weekday Masses (which covers the same amount of the Bible in two years). It is important to remember that Sunday Masses have three readings while weekday Masses have two.

During Sunday Masses, the first reading comes from the Old Testament, with rare exceptions including the Sundays of the Easter Season, when the first readings come from the Book of Acts. During weekday Masses, the first reading comes from either the Old or New Testament.

Q: Should you pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary during the exact day of Christmas?

A: As a private devotion, the Rosary does not have any absolute requirements on how it is said. Normally, the Joyful Mysteries are prayed on Mondays and Saturdays, the Sorrowful on Tuesdays and Fridays, the Glorious on Wednesdays and Sundays, and the Luminous on Thursdays. However, it would permissible to pray any of the mysteries any day and it seems fitting to pray the Joyful Mysteries on Christmas Day. There are also other forms of the Rosary, such as the Franciscan Crown Rosary, which might be appropriate.

Q: What is the largest Catholic rite?

A: Within the Catholic Church, there are numerous rites which practice their own traditions and forms of the liturgy. The largest of these is the Roman Rite (also known as the Western Rite and the Latin Rite), to which the majority of Catholics in Europe, North America, South America, and Australia belong.

His Servant and Yours,

Micah