All Souls Day time to learn about Purgutory

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a "purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven," which is experienced by those "who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified" (CCC 1030). It notes that "this final purification of the elect . . . is entirely different from the punishment of the damned" (CCC 1031). The purification is necessary because, as Scripture teaches, nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal sins forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically venial sins and the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven.

Purgatory makes sense because there is a requirement that a soul not just be declared to be clean, but actually be clean, before a man may enter into eternal life. After all, if a guilty soul is merely "covered," if its sinful state still exists but is officially ignored, then it is still a guilty soul. It is still unclean. Catholic theology takes seriously the notion that "nothing unclean shall enter heaven." From this it is inferred that a less than cleansed soul, even if "covered," remains a dirty soul and isn’t fit for heaven. It needs to be cleansed or "purged" of its remaining imperfections. The cleansing occurs in purgatory. Indeed, the necessity of the purging is taught in other passages of Scripture, such as 2 Thessalonians 2:13, which declares that God chose us "to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit." Sanctification is thus not an option, something that may or may not happen before one gets into heaven. It is an absolute requirement, as Hebrews 12:14 states that we must strive "for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."

NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors. Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004 IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827permission to publish this work is hereby granted. +Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004

Reflection: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Reading Henri Nouwen's "Spiritual Direction". He describes an opportunity to meet Blessed Mother Teresa, in which he regales her for ten minutes with his current struggles. When he finally shuts up, she responds simply "Well, when you spend one hour a day adoring your Lord and never do anything which you know is wrong...you will be fine!"

Nouwen relates this story in the context of having answers come from above to our very specific life concerns. As I reflected on it, it occurred to me that Mother Teresa's response is a formulation of the Two Commandments of Christ (Matt 22:34-40): You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind ("spend one hour a day adoring your Lord") and You shall love your neighbor as yourself ("never do anything which you know is wrong").

The lesson is twofold: first, that the answers to our personal problems lie not simply in specific plans of action, but through the moral truth embodied in the simple commandments to love God and to love our neighbor: the answer to our problems is a moral answer...second, that those commandments are not to be followed merely in obedience (as if, because of that obedience, blessings will flow), but because following them is in itself the MEANS to our happiness.

christian behavior

This isn't so much as an exclusively Catholic apologetic, but is a common argument against the Christian faith. In fact, CS Lewis considered it the only argument against Chrsitianity that could hold any weight at all. If the Christian faith is the true faith, why do Christians behave as they do? All Christian groups, Catholic and non-Catholic are approached with such questions when scandels arise and are questioned on their behavior. The world often judges Catholics based on the recent priest scandals as well as the behavior of individual Catholics and Catholic leaders. The answer to this question is the answer of nothing less than the cross.Why do Christians behave badly if their faith is the answer? Christians have free will as do all people. And the cross is the remedy to that free will when it chooses against God. It is no mistake that the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is broken down into four sections (Creed, Sacraments, Life in Christ, and Prayer) places its treatsie on free will, grace, faith, and salvation in the section on "Life in Christ" and how we are to behave as Christians."With so many Catholics behaving like they do, how can the Catholic Church be the one true Church?"The biggest problem with this question really is that it is a fallacy in logic. Simply, Catholics have sources of grace which God makes available to us, but Catholics still can, and many times do choose sin. The inclination to sin (called concupiscence) is present in all of us, even as believers. The difference is, as believers we have sources of grace through which we can overcome temptation and live in that grace. Only through the grace of God alone can we live as God wants us to live and say no to temptation and be able to avoid sin against God. However, we sometimes fall into temptation as Christians and we must depend on the grace of God and His forgiveness (through the sacrament of reconciliation) to be able to pick ourselves up again. We still retain the free will as believers to choose God, or to choose not God. St. Paul warns of falling away as does Jesus himself (Matthew 24:13, Romans 11:22, Phil 2:12). It is the sad truth, though God does not will it, that some Catholics will choose to remain outside of the grace of God and commit serious sin. This sin though does not invalidate the truth and reality of the Catholic faith any more than good, moral Catholics can prove the authenticity of the Catholic faith. There are moral athiests, Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians. The evaulation of a faith based on the morality of some of its people is not adequate enough a measuring stick by itself. To our original question I could as much ask the question "With so many Catholic saints bahaving as they do and have, how can the Catholic Church not be the one true Church?" Both questions are fallacies in thinking. Besides it is ultimately very hard to judge how many "good Catholics" there are to how many "bad Catholics" there may be. The Church does not see its job though to kick people out who don't fit certian standards. The Church is, as the old cliche states, a "hospital for sinners". God did not come to save the righteous man, but the sinful man. And of course St. Paul reminds us that this is not a license to sin all the more so that grace may abound. Grace abounds aplenty through prayer, fasting, and good works.How then do we measure if the Catholic Church is the one true Church? That ultimately is the question of apologetics and often catechetics in its early stages. The answer leads to another question which is "Must I be a member of the Church Jesus founded?" Whether you are a critic of the Church, or a high school religion teacher looking for answers students have asked, I must say that we need to look further than our Christian behavior to answer the questions. Really the answer lies again in the cross of Christ on Calvary. As a convert the measure for me was that the Church stood on all three pillars - Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium. It offered authority, given by Christ, that no other Christian sect can come close to even claiming to have. This authority gives assurance for the hope that we have in us.

Reflection on Luke 9:51-56

30 Sep 2008, Tuesday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time

Reflection on Luke 9:51-56

The apostles often offer us consolation. If they, walking with the Master, could still be so thick-headed, so unfaithful, then surely there is hope for us who are similarly weak. The Gospel reading today reveals a weakness of the apostles more serious than most: James and John seek to call down fire from heaven on their enemies. This is no figure of speech: as with Sodom and Gomorrah, they wish to obliterate the city, to kill all who live within it. Simply because the inhabitants of the city disrespected Jesus!

And James and John had not just met Jesus yesterday, either. This event occurs on the road to Jerusalem, on the way to Christ's final Passion. The apostles have learned at His feet for three years. They were present at the Sermon on the Mount to hear Jesus proclaim "love your enemies...bless those who curse you". Now, they seek the destruction of an entire city?

But consider: this is the same John who will later write "God is love" and "Whoever loves God must also love his brother". What changed? John was later a personal witness to the Passion of Jesus Christ. He saw with his own eyes the self-giving love with which Jesus poured out His blood for us on the cross. As he stood with the Blessed Mother at the foot of the cross, John finally understood the message of love Jesus had preached.

And us? Don't we sometimes, like the John in today's Gospel, hate, and curse? Do we not fail to heed the command of Jesus to love those who hate us? If we fail to do so, it is because we have not fully understood the sacrifice of Calvary, the full message of Jesus Christ. We need to pray on the Passion of Christ, to reflect on the Passion of Christ, to meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, to humbly walk the Stations of the Cross...until we can feel the Passion of Christ in our soul as clearly as Saint John saw it with his own eyes.

Then we will no longer hate, we will no longer curse...then we will bless as Christ blessed, and love as Christ loved.

Week of Prayer for Our Country

Bishop Finn Asks Parishes to Pray for Life

Bishop Finn has asked that the following letter be read at all Masses this weekend in the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph. A hard copy will also appear in this week's Catholic Key.

thanks to Mark Harden for this article...

Week of Prayer for Our Country   

Dear Friends in Christ,

As we approach this monumental election, our choices are as clear as the Scriptures themselves: “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live.” (Deut 30:19)

Pope Benedict XVI similarly guides us in the proper ordering of our values as he teaches, “The fundamental human right, the presupposition of every other right, is the right to life itself. This is true of life from the moment of conception until its natural end. Abortion, consequently, cannot be a human right – it is the very opposite. It is ‘a deep wound in society.’”

Our Catholic moral principles teach that a candidate’s promise of economic prosperity is insufficient to justify their constant support of abortion laws, including partial-birth abortion, and infanticide for born-alive infants. Promotion of the Freedom of Choice Act is a pledge to eliminate every single limit on abortions achieved over the last thirty-five years. The real freedom that is ours in Jesus Christ compels us, not to take life, but to defend it.

Together with the other Bishops of Missouri I am calling on all the faithful to make this last week before the election a week of prayer for our nation - a week of prayer for the protection of Human Life.

Join me in calling upon Mary in this month of the rosary. In 1571, in the midst of the Battle of Lepanto, when the future of Christian Europe was in the balance and the odds against them were overwhelming, prayer to Our Lady of the Rosary brought the decisive victory. We ask her now to watch over our country and bring us the victory of life.

This is also the month of the Angels. I ask you to join me in invoking the Guardian Angels of 47 million babies lost through abortion in our country in the last thirty-five years. This horrendous loss of life remains one of the greatest threats to human civilization we have ever faced.

This week, please pray and make some sacrifices for our country. I ask every parish to provide some additional opportunity for prayer in the church: an evening Mass, or rosary, or time of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Say the rosary as individuals or as a family, or even simply a decade each night with your children. Say the election prayer. Give up meat, or do without some convenience this week. Make a good Act of Contrition and get to Confession. Offer a worthy Communion.

On Monday, November 3, at 7:00 p.m., I will celebrate an Eve of the Election Mass at St. Therese Parish, North. Join me as we pray for God’s assistance and Mary’s maternal aid.

Dear friends, we have great hope in Jesus Christ and His victory over sin and death. Let us keep this last week before the election as a time of prayer for our country, that we may experience His mercy and safeguard human life.

In Christ and Mary,


Most Reverend Robert W. Finn
Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph 

As Catholics, do we have to accept everything the Church teaches?

As Catholics, do we have to accept everything the Church teaches?

If you want to call yourself Catholic, but you want to pick and choose for yourself which of the Church's teachings to accept and which to reject, you give everyone else who calls themselves Catholic the right to do the same thing.

For example, you believe women should be priests...in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1577 states, "Only a baptized man validly receives ordination...For this reason the ordination of women is not possible!" You don't believe that...well, that's fine...[RIP] just tear that page out of your Catechism...you just made it a Catechism of your Catholic Church...not mine.

But remember, if you can throw doctrines out, so can everyone else who calls themselves Catholic. That gives Joe Parishioner over at St. Doubting Thomas Catholic Church the right to throw out the Church's social justice teachings...he doesn't feel like feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, and all that other "bleeding heart" stuff - Paragraphs 2401 -2463 [RIP]...he just made it a Catechism of his Catholic Church...not mine and not yours.

You believe contraception is okay? Paragraph 2370 says contraception is intrinsically evil! [RIP] Joe Parishioner doesn't like what the Church teaches on the death penalty - Paragraphs 2266-2267 [RIP]. You don't like what it teaches on pages 55-60 [RIP]. He doesn't like what it teaches on pages 128-140 [RIP]

Can you see what's happening? I heard it said once that there is a shortage of vocations to the priesthood in the United States, but no shortage of vocations to the Papacy! If we don't believe in all of it, if we each appoint ourselves Pope and throw out a doctrine here or a doctrine there, then our faith is no longer Catholic.

Bible alone?

My Protestant friends say that their church goes by the Bible Alone, but that the Catholic Church has added a lot of man-made traditions to the Word of God...is that true?

No, it is not true. Protestants have as their sole rule of faith the written Word of God, which we find in Sacred Scripture. The Catholic Church has as its sole rule of faith, the entire Word of God, as it is found in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

All of the Word of God was at one time passed on orally...Sacred Tradition. Eventually, some of Sacred Tradition was written down...this became Sacred Scripture, which is written tradition. However, Scripture itself tells us that not all of the things that Jesus said and did were written down. And listen to what Paul says about "tradition":

2 Thes 2:15, "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter." Traditions! Traditions taught by word of mouth, in other words, oral tradition, and traditions taught by letter. Traditions which they are being told to "stand firm and hold to". Sacred Scripture and

1 Cor 11:2, "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you." The Corinthians are being commended by Paul because they maintain the traditions that he passed on to them. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

2 Tim 2:2: "and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." What we have here in 2 Timothy is an instance, in Scripture, of Paul commanding the passing on of oral tradition.

1 Thes 2:13, "And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the Word of God, which is at work in you believers." So, they received as the Word of God that which they heard, not simply that which they read in Scripture.

In other words, the Bible clearly supports the Catholic Church's teaching that the Word of God is contained in both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.