Indulgences. For anyone wanting to take a deeper dive into the application and defense of indulgences for the remission of temporal punishment of sins, Jim T as recommended the “Enchiridion on Indulgences” (https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-vi_apc_01011967_indulgentiarum-doctrina.html). He says this will give the reader a deeper understanding of the Doctrine of Indulgences and enable them to see how Protestant criticism of indulgences falls short.
Jim also pointed out that some Protestants do not ascribe to the salvation guarantee of “faith alone (also referred to as “eternal security”). This may be but I haven’t met too many. What I do hear these days is, “If they do fall from the faith, then it just means they never had it to begin with.” To Jim’s point, however, we should be careful to not judge anyone before allowing them articulate their own views first.
Upcoming Catholic Holy Days
Easter Sunday – was April 17 – the most important day in Christianity for, as Paul said, if Jesus had not resurrected from the dead, then all of this was for nothing.
Ascension – Thursday, May 26 – 40 days after Easter
Pentecost – Sunday, June 5 – 50 days after Easter
Opening Prayer
Ascension Thursday Collect
God whose Son ascended to the heavens as the Apostles looked on,
Grant, we pray, that in accordance with his promise,
We may be worthy for him to live with us always on earth, and we with him in heaven.
Who loves and reigns with You
In the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
Our Father
Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily Bread;
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us all. Amen.
This Thursday is the Ascension of Jesus Christ
Acts 1:1-11 (Luke)
In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
The Mystery of the Ascension & Promise of the Holy Spirit
Q: Was their question about “Is it time yet to restore the kingdom of Israel?” the same mistaken question they’ve been asking for 3 years?
Not likely. They probably understood that Jesus wasn’t that kind of Kingly Messiah (not a worldly kingdom). But the glory of the New Jerusalem was also prophesied for the end times and this would be a fair question to ask. Jesus had just died and inexplicably come back!
Q: What is the meaning of “mystery”? There are two kinds.
Human mysteries are of a finite, temporal, material nature. They remain a mystery – usually an unsolved riddle or an unproven conjecture – because not all the information is available to us.
Biblical or faith mysteries are spiritual and infinite in nature. A Biblical mystery (or mystery of faith) is any truth that is unknowable except by divine revelation. We know what it is but only because it was revealed to us but our complete understanding is shrouded in its infinite nature. In addition, we often find the mystery is “previously hidden” in the OT (i.e., the Last Supper is prefigured by the first Passover).
Q: Can you give some example of divine mysteries?
One example is the Trinity – three persons in One God. Who in their right minds would have come up with this – just for the heck of it?
Nobody would listen to such a thing that they couldn’t even explain. Again, we only know about it because it was given to us by divine revelation.
Others revealed mysteries: The Incarnation; Love your enemy; Jesus died for our sins; Eucharist; Glorified bodies, the Sacraments.
Relative to tonight, Jesus took his glorified human body back to the Trinity with him... and that this act made a home for humanity with God in heaven. This is also what is meant by Jesus’ statement to the Apostles the night of the Last Supper:
My Father’s house has many rooms. If that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? - Jn 14:2
No matter how well our finite explanations approximate the truth of a divine mystery, we will never completely grasp its full meaning and glory in this lifetime. Our minds will be expanded with our glorified bodies and then the infinite will not look so strange to us.
Connecting the Ascension and the Vine
Much of John’s chapters 14-17 take place at the Last Supper and are known as Jesus’ Farewell Discourse. It’s hard to follow unless you are also considering what comes next – his death, resurrection, ascension, and the Pentecost. I gave you the example above about Jesus’ statement, “I go to prepare a place for you” having to do with Jesus taking his humanity back to the Trinity.
Here is another statement Jesus makes when explaining how to love like him, and it is related to the Ascension:
“I AM the Vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing.”
- John 15:5
TOPIC WEEK: Purgatory II
When we left off last week, we compared the meaning/process of Salvation to this shipwreck analogy…
We are like the survivors of a shipwreck in a storm out in mid-ocean. We’ve been rescued from drowning and welcomed on board the ship of Jesus Christ that we call the Church. That ship is now taking us to a safe harbor — our home in heaven with God.
But we’re not home yet.
Yes, you could say that we’ve been saved in the sense of being rescued and taken aboard a safe vessel. But we can’t really speak of being “saved” in the full sense until we reach our destination.
In the above analogy:
Q: Who do the shipwrecked people represent?
The human race, fallen from glory, unsaved, doomed to die in the sea they create.
Q: What does the saving ship represent?
The 2nd Person of the Trinity, Jesus. The Fall is now over for those who want a fresh start. The albatross of the Fall is removed. Now, it’s our turn, with some new advantages!
Q: Many take Christ’s outstretched hand and come aboard. Is the journey over?
Partly – we are pulled out of the sea. Now we have to unlearn the priorities of this world and learn God’s way to live. This is a journey taken together, not alone. Not just for our sake, either. For His! Think of the child and the parent. He is excited to do this!
Q: Can we fail on this journey?
Yes, but only voluntarily. We must recognize the possibility that, God forbid, one can choose someday to jump overboard again.
Q: Why?
Because salvation isn’t guaranteed just because of something we’ve said or done in the past. We continue to have a free will, which is a part of God’s likeness in us. Because of that, we still have the ability to turn away from Him again.
However, that shouldn’t make us constantly worried that we’re not going to make it. God says we can be confident that He desires our salvation even more than we do, and He will be faithful to the end to help us get there. If we are tempted to forsake Him, He’ll grant us the power to resist that temptation. And even if we fail, he still offers us forgiveness to return. How cool is that?
Q: Which road is harder to travel…
- believing that faith alone in Jesus Christ is all that is needed to get to heaven; or
- faith in Jesus Christ as the first/essential requirement of salvation, then demonstrating our faith in all we do during our lives?
The second one! But this is where God gets to build a relationship with us. Jesus didn’t just come here to save us FROM hell. From hell, that’s all fine and good, but what did he come FOR? He came for US. He wants to begin our eternal relationship in this lifetime.
Q: Does the belief in “faith alone” even require Purgatory?
Not hardly, but now you can see why many Protestants don’t understand the need for it? They are saved, so what’s Purgatory for?
If that were only true! All Christians will eventually come to appreciate Purgatory very much one day; most likely first-hand.
The Remedy for falling off the path, or off-roading (sin)…
The first remedy for our sinful actions is always forgiveness. It’s what Jesus died for, and it’s been paid for. Yet, forgiveness isn’t forced on us – one must ask for it.
Sometimes (or perhaps often), we forget to ask. So, we not only fall short on the path of loving our neighbors and doing good deeds, but we also fall short of the forgiveness we never asked for. Now what?!
Purgatory! Whatever mistakes/sins we don’t reconcile or get rid of can be healed in Purgatory.
If Heaven is the eternal pristine pool, then Purgatory is the one-time shower before the pool.
Q: Why is Purgatory tied to the Christian practice of praying for the dead?
The only point of praying for the dead is if they are neither in Heaven nor in Hell. The reason: if they are in Heaven, they don’t need our prayers, and if they are in Hell, then prayers won’t do them any good. Prayers only make sense if there is a holding place, like Purgatory.
Protestants who believe in guaranteed salvation believe that everyone goes either straight to heaven or hell. So, then, why are Catholics praying for the dead?
However, this Protestant view was never part of Christian or Jewish history. It was only developed in the 16th century.
Q: Did Catholics make Purgatory up just because we realized we will often come up short?
The name, yes, but not the place. Like the “Trinity,” the name Purgatory came later. The word means “to purify.”
It was tradition to pray for the dead before the time of Jesus, during the time of Jesus, and after the time of Jesus, as the scriptural references below will show.
Q: What is the first thing Jesus did after his Resurrection?
He came to the Upper Room and gave the apostles the power to forgive sins in his name.
If all we had to do for our salvation was accept that Jesus Christ died for our sins, then why did Jesus bother to come to the Upper Room and empower the Apostles to forgive sins afterwards?
The forgiveness of sins is yet another gift in our toolbox for the remaining journey to heaven; to keep us on the path. This includes mortal sins, except that you must get these forgiven by a priest to get into Purgatory.
Q: Why can’t God just let us directly into Heaven?
God is perfect and so is Heaven. There can be no sin attached in any way to Him or He would no longer be who He is. Heaven has no tears, no sadness, no hate, no pain, no suffering, and no sin.
We cannot bring any of our sins into Heaven, period.
In Purgatory, we come face to face with the sins that we committed but never reconciled (did not seek forgiveness, or were not completely forgiven because we weren’t sufficiently contrite, or we only half-repented). Rather than be condemned, God in his love allows us to be purified of these unrepented sins so that we can enter Heaven.
Q: There are references to “burning” and “purifying fire” in scripture and in various scriptural commentaries. What is this “fire”?
It’s easy to see how these statements can be likened to the fire in Hell, but that is not the case. The Church teaches that this is not the fire of punishment, but a different kind of fire. The Early Fathers of the Church pointed out that the person in Purgatory “is already saved” and that this fire “consumes not the creature, but the sin that the creature has brought with him.” The fire is metaphorically likened to melting precious metals to draw out the impurities.
Q: One of the criticisms from non-Catholics about Purgatory is that it is not found in Scripture. What about this?
It is true that the word “Purgatory” is not found in Scripture, but the words we use to describe different teachings or concepts in Scripture naturally evolved over time. Augustine usually gets credit for coining the term Trinity to describe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Trinity – unity of three) in the 4th century. The same is true for Christianity, Christmas, Easter, or the Apostle’s Creed. If a Protestant still has an issue with this, then remind them that Sola Scriptura isn’t in the Bible, either.
Scriptural Support for Purgatory
The concept of a place after this life that isn’t in Hell and isn’t yet in Heaven is in Scripture. Here are some examples:
The first I will use is from the book of Maccabees (165 BC) because it shows that praying for the dead was a Jewish tradition that was handed down, not just something invented by Catholics. Protestants don’t consider Maccabees one of their Biblical books, but apparently Jesus and the Apostles did, so that’s good enough. The book of Maccabees is where Hanukkah comes from, also called the Festival of Dedication. It is a celebration of a miracle that occurred after Judas Maccabees led a successful revolt against to recapture Jerusalem from the pagan Seleucids. (In John 10:22, Jesus and his Apostles were in Jerusalem celebrating the Festival of Dedication.)
Context of the Maccabees reading: After a battle for the control of Jerusalem against the Greek Seleucids, Judas Maccabees (their leader) gathers his people together to pray for the fallen. One of the reasons he was urgent to pray for them is because they had found pagan amulets carried by some of their fallen! That’s a sin!
Book of Maccabees:
So they praised the ways of the LORD, the just judge, who reveals all that is hidden, and betaking themselves to prayers, they prayed that the sin which had been committed might be forgotten. The noble Judas then exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin. And making a gathering, he sent two thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead. And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins. – 2 Maccabees 12:41-46
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is talking about reconciling with your neighbor if you can before judgement:
“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who insults a brother or sister is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” – Mt 5:22-26
In the 2nd letter to Timothy, Paul prays for the deceased Onesiphorus, and believes his help to Paul (good works) is worth considering:
“May the Lord grant that Onesiphorus will find mercy from the Lord on that Day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.” – 2 Timothy 1:18
Another in the Gospel of Matthew:
In an unusual warning to his disciples about blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, Jesus says in Matthew:
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. – Matthew 12:32
These words show that in the next life, some sins will be forgiven. The only point of forgiving sins is to gain entrance into heaven, then there must be somewhere else that is not hell, and not yet in heaven. Call it what you want, but the name the Fathers of the Church finally gave it was Purgatory.
From the Gospel of John
“I AM the Vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing.” – John 15:5
“If you remain in me” is a conditional statement, not a guarantee. “Apart from me, you can do nothing” is also a kind of warning, implying that we could be apart from him.
Paul to the Corinthians
Of particular note here is this passage in the first letter to the Corinthians, which makes clear that, while all who build on the foundation of Christ will be saved, some will achieve this salvation only by passing through a purifying fire.
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day of the Lord will bring it to light.
It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.
If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.
If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames.
– 1 Corinthians 3:11–3:15
This interpretation of this passage as indicating the existence of purgatorial cleansing following the death of the body but before the Last Judgment was taken up by St Augustine in his City of God (XXI.26) and soon became the standard accepted reading, so that by the time of St Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century it was being cited as self-evident proof of the existence of Purgatory (as it is, e.g., in his Summa contra Gentiles IVxci.6-7).
Here is a letter to the faithful by St. John Paul II on this subject:
My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Sacred Scripture teaches us that we must be purified if we are to enter into perfect and complete union with God. Jesus Christ, who became the perfect expiation for our sins and took upon himself the punishment that was our due, brings us God's mercy and love. But before we enter into God's Kingdom every trace of sin within us must be eliminated, every imperfection in our soul must be corrected. This is exactly what takes place in Purgatory.
Those who live in this state of purification are not separated from God but are immersed in the love of Christ. Neither are they separated from the saints in heaven - who already enjoy the fullness of eternal life - nor from us on earth - who continue on our pilgrim journey to the Father's house. We all remain united in the Mystical Body of Christ, and we can therefore offer up prayers and good works on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Purgatory.
John Paul II, Address to General Audience, August 4, 1999
Another artist’s depiction perhaps more to scale :)
To be continued…
Closing Prayer
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
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