I Left the Church after receiving Confirmation. Now I’m older and want to return to the Church. What can I do?

Why can I not get married outdoors…on the beach, in the park, at Walt Disney…?

Please understand that the church is a sacred place which symbolizes the people who worship there and is a parish community. The most sacred events and rituals are celebrated in the Church where we encounter Christ most intimately. Because marriage is a sacrament, it deserves to be celebrated in a church or other suitable place of worship. Outdoors is not considered suitable for weddings in most dioceses, even if one partner has not been baptized.

Your pastor is the one who has jurisdiction over your wedding. If you are interested in having your wedding performed by another priest, your pastor should delegate who the other priest will be. Pastors can do this in writing or verbally depending on the guidelines. It may be difficult to find another priest who is flexible enough in his schedule to provide you with the necessary formation required before your wedding as well as availing himself from his parish responsibilities to perform your wedding elsewhere.

I heard a priest on TV talk about “perfect confession.” I wondered what that consisted of when I don't even remember what to say when I walk into a confessional.

I can understand your confusion over the TV priest's comment about the "perfect confession." To make a good confession, we must have sincere sorrow for the sins we commit because of the offense they cause to God, to others, to the community and ourselves. No one is perfect, we are all frail and weak human beings. Only God is perfect in forgiving, because only God is Perfect Love.

When we enter a confessional -- or "reconciliation room" where we can sit and talk with the priest -- we are in the presence of our all-merciful God. And God accepts us as we are, not expecting that we give a perfect rendition of our failings, but only that we be as honest and sincere as we can. God's mercy takes care of the rest.

The priest will always be willing to help you.

Why does God allow suffering?

Why a loving God allows the innocent to suffer is one of the central mysteries of human life and Christian faith. This issue can only be addressed by looking at what we believe about God, the human person and the life of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God does not “will” or cause suffering; God does not delight in suffering and God does not “send” suffering to test us or to purify us. Yet God creates us with free will and our actions against God and against others result in suffering.

The first humans were created with original holiness and justice. Through the decision to sin against God this original state of harmony was wounded. We call this “original sin”. The consequence of original sin is that suffering and death became part of the human story. See the Catechism of the Catholic Church #’s 374-379, 384; 405-409, 418; 1503- 1505.

Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are reconciled to God and redeemed. This overcomes the original sin. See the Catechism of the Catholic Church #’s 599-605, 619; 613-617; 622-623. One meaning of the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is that God is present in our suffering. In Jesus, God embraces all dimensions of human life. God is present “to” the person who suffers and present “in” the person who suffers.

As one Catholic writer has said, “Jesus did not come to remove suffering, or to explain it, but rather to fill it with his presence.”

Often when we are suffering or watching a loved one suffer, we find it difficult to “see” the presence of God. We experience pain and ask, “Why is this happening?” The knowledge that God, in Jesus, has embraced even suffering may not consol us. This is the time when we need prayer and the support of the Christian community. God’s presence and unconditional love become more concrete to us if we share our journey of suffering with others who will support and pray with us.