We discussed in our Catholicism study about Purgatory and
Indulgence. It is described as a temporary state of purification. Who will go
to purgatory? Those who died without being fully sanctified or purified as
taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1030) The speaker said it
is better to let our life here on earth be our purgatory rather than wait for
our life in the next. Life is so
temporary, a journey and we are just transients of this world. All who died in
God's grace but not totally purified must enter purgatory. Only saints go to
heaven. It is stated in the bible in Rev. 21:27 that nothing impure can
enter heaven nor anyone who does shameful things or tell lies; Mt. 5:48
...You must be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect & Heb.
12:14 ...Try to be at peace with everyone and try to live a holy life
because no one will see the Lord without it. We must be "made
righteous" not just "declared righteous".
2 Corinthians 3:4-11
...For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, the
ministry of righteousness will abound much more in glory. 10 Indeed, what was
endowed with glory has come to have no glory in this respect because of the
glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was going to fade was glorious, how
much more will what endures be glorious...
We must be cleansed of impurities, stains of our sins, must
be sanctified and not be like white washed tombs. Sins are offenses against a
person, society and God. They vary in their degree. Here are the impurities
that must be cleansed:
1. Venial sins that have not been forgiven (CCC 1472;1862)
2. Mortal sins (CCC 1857-1859) (1 Jn. 5:16-17) a violation of the 10
commandments, serious in nature, full knowledge, deliberate consent and
voluntary. Sins that lead to death. God
knows our heart, to whom much is given more is expected. No one is deemed
ignorant in the conscience of the Law. There are 2 types of ignorance: a)
Vincible ignorance is something that a person can overcome since it is our
responsibility to know more about our God. If we did not act on the good thing
that we have access or within our means then we can not be excused from it. b)
Invincible ignorance - something you can not overcome. Example: pagans who are
in unreachable places. Basic goodness is inculcated by God in every person. Our
conscience dictates us to worship our Creator.
2.Sins that have not been fully atoned for. We must repair
the consequences of our sins. We should fully pay for it. In Luke 19:8
Zacchaeus said, "Listen Sir, I'll give 1/2 of my possessions to the poor
and if I have cheated anyone, I'll pay him back 4x as much." The
consequences of sin are guilt and punishment due to sin (CCC 1473) and also in
2 Samuel 11-12 when David repented of his grievous sins of adultery and
murder but also suffered its consequences.
Here are some objections on Purgatory:
1. It adds to the finished work of Christ.
Atty. Moya the speaker explained that the death and
suffering of Jesus on the cross was already enough and doesn't need to add
anything more to it but compared it to a cleansing formula or soap made
available to all where we can draw from the same saving grace of God that can
cleanse us all.
2. It is inconsistent with a loving, merciful God.
We should think of purgatory as a means that God gives us so
that not just a few but many can enter the Kingdom of Heaven
3. It is a 2nd chance after death. We know this is not true
since once we died then that's the end of it but purgatory serves as a
cleansing state although we died in the grace of God some impurities and stains
are still not totally purified and cleansed. An example cited here is stealing
a $100 and asking forgiveness but there is still a need to return what was
stolen.
4. No biblical basis. The following bible passages help
explain the existence of purgatory. (1 Cor 3:11-15; 2 Mac 12:42-46; Mt.
18:34 (Parable of the Unforgiving Servant) "Pay up for whatever he owe
until he paid the last penny" )
Indulgences are what
we gain for our own purification and for the purification of the souls in
purgatory (CCC 1471) It helps us in our spiritual life and promotes charity. It
was recommended that we make a conscious effort to always offer our good works
and prayers to have the intention to gain indulgences. There are 2 kinds:
Plenary and partial. In order to benefit from it then we must be in state of
grace, go to confession and receive Holy Communion. Biblical basis is Mt.
16:19 (CCC 1478) Keys of heaven entrusted to the head of the Church which
allows to permit or prohibit on earth and in heaven. It spurs us to always be
in the grace of God.
Psalm 99:5. 6. 7. 8. 9
R: Holy is the Lord our God.
5 Extol the LORD, our God, and worship at his footstool;
holy is he! (R) 6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, and Samuel, among
those who called upon his name;..From the pillar of cloud he spoke to them;
they heard his decrees and the law he gave them. (R) 8 O LORD, our God, you answered
them; a forgiving God you were to them, though requiting their misdeeds...
Jesus is very clear in today’s gospel that He has come not
to abolish but to fulfill the law. He comes in obedience to the Father and
lives it perfectly. We fall into this vicious cycle of believing in Jesus and
still continue to sin. He did not come
to overturn but to fulfill the law. We
are to avoid sin and do good. We trust ourselves to the mercy of God. Though,
we still grow as we struggle with sin. We must humble and renew ourselves in
charity. Now is the time for conversion of our life to goodness. We should
assess ourselves. Are we become holier as we struggle against sins? Are we
moving away from sins of our predominant fall? What sins do we usually repeat
in our confession? Are we struggling and fighting against it? What do our
friends and families remind us of? How do we worship? How is our moral life? Is
it lived in the whole pillar dedicated to the commandments? Our personal sin is
the enemy that we’re fighting. Our pitfall is that we’re trying to change the
external all the time. The other people around us and the situation instead of
looking at the battle we have to find in ourselves. The usual loophole is our
covetousness towards our neighbor’s goods. It comes up in different forms,
these desires that is not in harmony with reason. It is the concupiscence and
lust of the flesh. Lust is a huge epidemic and problem to live the 6th &
9th commandment. We need help and God’s grace. We need chastity and must appeal
to Him for that grace. We should avoid near occasions that cause us to sin.
It’s in the heart so we have to make the radical approach not to let it enter
our heart. We need to work on the purity of heart in order to see God face to
face when our time comes. We are called to be like Him and see our brothers and
sisters as children of God. We also have to fight our desires to have more and
more. The more we have the more secured we are. There is this deep tendency in
us to place our security in things and people.
We are always confronted with the temptation to do predominant work in
our life and pull us away from God. It scatters our energies and focus to do
something to build up our esteem, pride and ego. We tend to desire to control
others, call the shots and not to submit to God. We need to seek His direction
and His will. It should be the trajectory of our life, to prefer God over
everything else. When we lack security then we should cling to God. Whatever
sin it is that defeat us, we should make a firm and conscious effort to get out
of our selfishness, go to others, fight sin and appeal to God for grace.
Today's gospel holds the key to excel and be great in the kingdom of heaven.
Let us not have second thoughts or falter when it comes to deciding for the Lord.
Whatever it is we decide to do, let us make sure that God is always our main
reason. In doing so, we can be sure that we are not taking the wrong side and
are clearly not supporting the cause of the evil one. It is very sad that
nowadays people no longer give much care about this. We sometimes fall into the
trap of complacency and tend to conform to the alluring and tempting
materialism that this world offers. We always set God aside and place Him in a
corner treating Him like a nobody. We always end up calling the shots while we
continue to ignore and take for granted what should clearly be taken first
place and seriously. Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfill the law of the
prophets. He came that we may life and have it abundantly. We have to exceed
the letter of the law and know that the Spirit of the law gives life and
understand it better. St. Augustine
said, "Love and obey God then do what you will." We must be united to
the will of God to the best of our abilities in order to always be aligned to
His will. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 5:17-19
17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have
come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to
fulfill. 18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the
smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until
all things have taken place. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of
these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the
kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be
called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
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