A Hellish Backup Plan

I reviewed this post last night for no good reason and today the scripture reading was as quoted below in Mass (Matthew 7)… so I thought it appropriate to re-post…

Do you have a backup plan to avoid hell? Some believe they do. They believe that some day they will get around to the all-important task of developing their spiritual lives, but that if they don’t, they are willing and ready to endure the backup plan – purgatory.  This sounds plausible on its face, but what if we miss the mark?  Aiming for purgatory and missing can be a hellish mistake.

Can it be true?  Is there a fiery safety net waiting to purge us of the sloth into which we may have slouched?  I don’t know about you, but even if were true, this doesn’t sound too appealing to me.  Can you imagine standing before God, having chosen not to pursue the holiness he calls us to?  I wonder who would meet us in our final judgment. Would it be Jesus in his bloody crucified body?  If it were, how confident would we be with our mediocrity in the face of all the suffering and love poured out on our behalf?  Would we just shrug our shoulders, say, “sorry” and assume we could raise our pathetic hand and point to door number two (the purgatory door of course).

Would a just God allow such a choice?  Lets look at it another way.  If deliberately choosing to follow Christ down a clear and narrow path of holiness is not our choice in this life, will it suddenly be our choice in death? If Christ says, “take up your cross and follow me” and we shrug our shoulders and wander off, what choice have we really made - already?

So, is it this black and white?  Here’s what Christ said to the Church at Laodice’a, in Revelation chapter 3:

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent.”

And what was Christ’s reply to a man who encountered him during his earthly ministry and indicated he had something very important to do before he could follow Christ to the cross?

“Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But he (Jesus) said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom ofGod.’ Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’ (St. Luke chapter 9)

So, since the beginning, Christ called us to follow him.  From the beginning, there were many who seemed to be willing but ultimately, had more important things to do.  To these, Christ speaks in St. Matthew chapter 7:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few….Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire… Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’ Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.”

The key to understanding these passages is that all that are condemned here are “faithful,” “good,” “religious” people who are already “seeking” or “following” Christ!  They all claim to know God, they are members of a parish, they claim Jesus as their “Lord.”  Some have performed miracles in his name!  What is the issue?!

It is simple really.  The condemned are not pursuing him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.  They are holding on to corners of their soul where the cleansing of God is not welcome.  They have left a marker on the narrow path thinking they can return at any time – maybe at the last moment?  In the Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis said of this kind of thinking, “If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven; if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell.”

So what of the backup plan?  As we have seen in a cursory review of a few passages, scripture is also clear – the trajectory of your life prior to your judgment will be the trajectory of your soul at your judgment – God will merely ratify the decision you have already made. “It is given unto man once to die, then comes judgment.” (Hebrews)

In another passage in the Great Divorce, Lewis reiterates, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice, there could be no Hell.  No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it.  Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.”

There is no safety net here, not even a fiery one.

So, do you still think you have a backup plan to avoid hell?  I have a better idea.  Let’s follow Christ with reckless abandon.  Let’s repent and be zealous for him.  Let’s live life, “and that more abundantly” in Him.  Then, when we come face to face, instead of “depart from me,” he will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your master.” (St.Matthew 25)

A Reflection on All Souls and Our Souls

All Souls’ Day makes us mindful not only of the death of our dear ones but also of our own. Death is a punishment, bringing with it, of necessity, a feeling of pain, of fear, of uncertainty. The saints experienced it, and Jesus Himself willed to undergo it. Thus the Church puts before us passages from scripture most suited to encourage us:

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord… henceforth they rest from their labors, for their works follow them.”

The life of the body dies; the life of the spirit and the good deeds accomplished during life remain; these deeds alone accompany the soul in its journey from this life and render its death precious.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”

This death has been justly defined “dies natalis” and the day of birth to eternal life. Would that our own death might be such! A dies natalis which would bring us into the beatific vision, bring us to birth in the indefectible love of heaven.

However, by inviting us to pray for the faithful departed, today’s liturgy reminds us that between death and eternal beatitude there is purgatory. Because our works do follow us, and not all of them are good works, or, even if they are good, they are full of faults and imperfections, it is necessary for the soul to be purified from every blemish before being admitted to the vision of God. And yet if we were perfectly faithful to grace, there would be no need for purgatory, for God purifies here below those who give themselves wholly to Him, who let themselves be fashioned and formed according to His good pleasure. Furthermore, purification accomplished on earth has the great advantage of being meritorious, that is, of increasing grace and charity in us, thus permitting us to love God more for all eternity; whereas in purgatory, one suffers without growing in charity. That is why we should desire to be purified during life. But let us have no illusions: even on earth total purification entails great suffering. If now we are not generous in suffering, if here on earth we do not know how to accept suffering, pure and unmitigated, as Jesus did on the Cross, our purification will of necessity have to be completed in purgatory.

May the thought of that place of expiation rouse our zeal to pray for the souls of the departed, and may it also make us more courageous in embracing suffering in reparation for our own faults.

Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., Divine Intimacy

Please explain plenary indulgences and purgatory! – Part III

Based on your feedback and further consideration on the initial question, I thought I should share a few more thoughts on this topic.

The Days of Our Indulgences

I want to start with two clarifications. First of all, one reader referred to the older practice of linking indulgences with particular numbers of “days” in purgatory. That practice has been officially phased out, not because it was doctrinally false, but because it was so easily misunderstood. It fostered the kind of mathematical piety that some of our readers are rightly uncomfortable with. The current practice is much simplified. The popes grant indulgences for certain pious actions (praying the stations of the cross, lifting your heart to God during the day, reading the Scriptures each day…), but they no longer assign numbers of days. Rather, they are simply partial or full indulgences.

This means that they can help make reparation for our sins and those of the faithful who are now in purgatory. The Church doesn’t want us to think of salvation as a math problem that we can calculate and manipulate. And yet, the Church recognizes that our active love for God and neighbor can make a real positive impact on our souls and those of our brothers and sisters. Indulgences are simply one expression of this beautiful aspect of God’s plan for salvation.

Doctrine Options

And that brings us to the second clarification. Indulgences are not merely an expression of popular piety. Expressions of popular piety, like pilgrimages, novenas to saints, and prayer vigils, are encouraged by the Church insofar as they help some of us stay energetic in our pursuit of holiness. But they are entirely optional.

Even the Rosary (probably the most popular of all) is entirely optional, though it has been strongly recommended by every pope since the start of the twentieth century. Even approved Marian apparitions (Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe…) are not an integral part of the Catholic faith. No Catholic has to believe in them or be devoted to them. They belong to what is known as private revelations.

Whereas doctrines like the Resurrection of Christ and the Immaculate Conception are not optional. They are integral parts of Revelation, and knowingly rejecting them is a sin against faith. Indulgences are closer to this side of the spectrum; they are both a doctrine and a practice. In other words, believing in indulgences is not optional. It is taught by the teaching authority of the Church as a true doctrine, as integrally related to Revelation. So, even if some of us don’t like the doctrine and the practice, even if we don’t try to obtain them, we must accept the truth of indulgences as part of our faith.

In fact, an entire subsection of the Catechism is dedicated to explaining and praising this doctrine and practice. (I have reproduced it below, if you want to see it – #s 1471-1480).

The Heart of the Matter

Those were the easy items. Now comes the hard part. I am glad that our readers were so honest with their responses to this Q&A, because some of those responses raise an important issue.

The Catholic Church is, precisely, Catholic, i.e. universal. Within this spiritual family we find every possible type of personality and temperament, every single level of education and formation, and all existing cultural variations. This is part of the richness of what it means to be Catholic. And this richness has practical repercussions in the realm of piety, of expressions of faith.

Many native Mexicans, for example, make the last miles of their pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe on their knees, painfully shuffling over concrete and stone as a sign of their devotion. Bosnian Catholics cherish their tradition of climbing Cross Mountain barefoot, as an act of penance. Now, all of us may not feel called to these kinds of faith-expressions, but we should all respect them.

We must try to guard our hearts against the temptation to judge others by the standard of our own limited perspective, our own personal preferences. This is precisely why we are so blessed to have a clear explanation of our faith in the Catechism, and a divinely guided teaching authority in the Church. Those are the standards by which we should strive to evaluate and judge what we experience and encounter.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that only God can see into the depths of the human heart. Only he knows which members of the lightening-fast-Rosary-group are raving hypocrites, and which are truly and beautifully praying.

When we are tempted to pass judgment on others, we should ask God to remind us that we are not called to judge, but to love, which can certainly involve sisterly correction and instruction, but never condemns one’s neighbor. As Jesus made so uncomfortably clear: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).

X. INDULGENCES

1471 The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Penance.

What is an indulgence?

“An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.“81

“An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.“82 The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.83

The punishments of sin

1472 To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the “eternal punishment” of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the “temporal punishment” of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.84

The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the “old man” and to put on the “new man.“85

In the Communion of Saints

1474 The Christian who seeks to purify himself of his sin and to become holy with the help of God’s grace is not alone. “The life of each of God’s children is joined in Christ and through Christ in a wonderful way to the life of all the other Christian brethren in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, as in a single mystical person.“86

1475 In the communion of saints, “a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things.“87 In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin.

1476 We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church’s treasury, which is “not the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the course of the centuries. On the contrary the ‘treasury of the Church’ is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ’s merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy.“88

1477 “This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission in the unity of the Mystical Body.“89

Obtaining indulgence from God through the Church

1478 An indulgence is obtained through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for their sins. Thus the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance, and charity.90

1479 Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted.

Yours in Christ, Father John Bartunek, LC, ThD

Please explain plenary indulgences and purgatory! – Part II

Q: Dear Father John, Please explain Plenary Indulgences. If one confession fulfills the requirement of plenary indulgences 8 days before and 8 days after, it seems to me that if someone went to Communion everyday, prayed for the intentions of the Holy Father everyday and prayed the rosary before the Blessed Sacrament everyday, that she could release 17 souls from purgatory in 17 days. Is that right?

A: Last time we explored, briefly, the reality of purgatory, as a prelude to understanding the great gift of indulgences. Purgatory is the process of purification by which someone who dies in friendship with Christ but not completely freed from selfishness is prepared for the definitive union with God of which heaven consists.

God Indulges in Mercy

Through the favor granted by an indulgence, God’s mercy permits this purification to happen more quickly than otherwise. Instead of having to suffer through the purification oneself, in other words, purification is obtained through the suffering already undergone by Christ and the saints. Indulgences can’t free souls from hell, but they can speed up the purification process for oneself or for souls in purgatory, by remitting this temporal punishment (the restorative purification) that personal sins create the need for. There are two types of indulgences: partial, which repairs some of the self-damage caused by sin, or plenary, which repairs all of the damage.

As you mention in your question, the Church has usually attached indulgences to some act of piety, by which we can show our love for God and neighbor. Plenary indulgences always include a particular act of piety (like half an hour adoration of the Blessed Sacrament), plus confession within a week, Holy Communion, and prayers for the pope and his intentions. But they also require a complete interior detachment from sin. Sometimes it is hard for us to know if we are fully detached. But even if we are not, God will honor our prayers and faith in some way, perhaps through granting a partial indulgence.

Those Complicated Catholics

Doesn’t this all seem a bit complicated? Why doesn’t God just simplify things? We can never know all of God’s reasons, but the doctrine of indulgences does reflect his wisdom in myriad ways.

First of all, it shows his justice. God longs to forgive all sinners and welcome them back into his friendship and his family. But it would be unfair to simply ignore the damage that sin does. Justice requires that the damage, including that done by the sinner to the sinner’s own soul, be repaired.

But God is also merciful, and so he allows us to help each other out, to bear each other’s burdens, to contribute to the good of one another, both here on earth, and after death. Furthermore, the obvious benefit that indulgences give to souls in purgatory can motivate us to a deeper prayer life. I know one couple who structure their spiritual lives around obtaining a plenary indulgence every day. This keeps them on track – they have to pray daily and be receiving the sacraments regularly in order to obtain those indulgences. It adds objectivity to their spiritual life.

The bottom line, however, is charity, love. Obtaining indulgences for souls suffering in purgatory exercises true supernatural love for neighbors whom we may never meet till our family feast in heaven. And when we exercise true, supernatural love, it grows – nothing matters more than that.

Yours in Christ, Father John Bartunek, LC, ThD

Please explain plenary indulgences and purgatory! – Part I

Q: Dear Father John, Please explain Plenary Indulgences. If one confession fulfills the requirement of plenary indulgences 8 days before and 8 days after, it seems to me that if someone went to Communion everyday, prayed for the intentions of the Holy Father everyday and prayed the rosary before the Blessed Sacrament everyday, that she could release 17 souls from purgatory in 17 days. Is that right?

A: Aside from the problem of mathematical piety which we will discuss later, you are basically right, if indeed this person had the intention of obtaining an indulgence as she performed those acts of piety, and if this person were truly detached from personal sin. But we do have to be a bit careful here, so as not to have a simplistic view of indulgences. Let’s review.

An indulgence is simply a favor granted by the Church – to which, remember, Christ gave the “keys of the Kingdom” and the “power to bind and loose on earth and in heaven” (see Matthew 16).

By means of this favor, the Church applies the merits won by Christ and the saints to repair the damage that sins cause to our soul. We don’t obtain God’s forgiveness through an indulgence, rather we obtain the remission of what is traditionally called “temporal punishment” for sin. This is an important concept to consider. It connects both to the doctrine of indulgences, and also to that of purgatory.

A Trip to Purgatory

C.S. Lewis explained purgatory with a memorable image. Imagine that a young man leaves home to go off and fight in a war. He is gone for a long time, and when he finally returns, his clothes are tattered, he’s half-starved, he is caked with mud and covered with blood, his head is bandaged, both his legs are broken and one arm is in a homemade sling.

But, he is alive, and he has made his way home. Will he go right into the dining room where the family is having a birthday dinner? No. He is not fit for such a celebration, and he wouldn’t even want to make an appearance in his unpleasant condition. He has to go and get cleaned up, and the doctors will have to look at him and set those broken bones and change those bandages, and he’ll have to get his strength back, and he’ll have to undergo physical therapy to recover from his injuries.

The process may take a while, and it will probably be uncomfortable, even painful. It may take a full year before he’s 100% healthy and able to participate fully in family affairs. But in the end, he’ll take his rightful seat at the family feast.

That temporary recovery period is like purgatory. Our life on earth is a spiritual war. Our selfishness and sins not only offend God (the offense that confession removes, as God grants us his forgiveness), but they also do damage to our souls. They form and deepen spiritual habits, tendencies, and attitudes that are contrary to the gospel. And that damage needs to be repaired; every last scrap of selfishness and sinfulness has to be removed, or purified, before we are able to live in the perfect intimacy with God that heaven requires.

This purification can happen either in this life, or after we die. If it happens after we die, it is called purgatory – the state in which all remaining selfishness is purged from our souls.

Understanding that concept of purification lays the groundwork for understanding the value of indulgences, which we will look at next time …

Yours in Christ, Father John Bartunek, LC, ThD