Why do Catholics teach that purgatory exists? I can’t find it in my Bible.
The word purgatory is not there, but the idea of some purification after death certainly is. After a battle against a pagan army, when the soldiers of Judas Maccabeus went to bury their fallen comrades, they discovered that several of them had worn in battle amulets invoking the idols of Jamnia. Judas took up a collection to pay for expiatory sacrifices to be offered in the Temple in Jerusalem (2 Mc 12:38–43a).
His action is praised there: “In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin” (vv. 43b–46).
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the first of three paragraphs reads: “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (1030).
Purgatory is not a short-term version of hell, but rather a “cleansing fire” enabling everyone at the eternal banquet finally to accept God as totally enough, “all and in all” (Col 3:11). Already in the first century AD, Christians were encouraged to pray for their deceased brothers and sisters.
In The Muppets TV show, two old men (Statler and Hilton) sat in a theater balcony, always criticizing everything the other characters were doing onstage. In this life, some people consider God’s ways too difficult, thinking their ways are much more realistic. Everyone at the eternal banquet will have left criticism behind, forever grateful for their place and their companions.
Why Do Protestants Have Fewer Old Testament Books?
I’ve noticed that Catholic Bibles have seven books (1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Baruch, and Sirach) that are not in Protestant Bibles. Why is that?
Some Christians have described these books as “deuterocanonical” (literally “second canon”), not considering them divinely inspired in the same way that other Old Testament books are. Also, a few passages in the books of Esther and Daniel do not appear in Protestant Bibles. These texts are collectively called “apocrypha,” writings that are not part of the accepted canon of sacred books.
The Jewish Scriptures do not contain these seven books because when the rabbis finalized their list around 100 CE, they lacked Hebrew texts for these books and refused to accept their Greek texts as divinely inspired.
Most Christians had agreed by the year 400 about which books belong to the Old Testament, though Roman Catholics did not formally adopt their list until 1546, during the Council of Trent.
In 1534, when Martin Luther published his translation of the Bible into German, he used the Jewish list of Old Testament books. That meant excluding 2 Maccabees (passage quoted in the previous question) partly to refute Catholics who felt that it justified the practice of indulgences, which Luther and other Protestants rejected. Luther had already translated the New Testament into German in 1522.
The New American Bible, New Revised Standard (Catholic edition), and others that list “apocrypha” have those seven books. The Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Orthodox Catholic Churches, and the Assyrian Church of the East accept the longer list of Old Testament books.
How Will God Punish Me?
I have loved my husband of 45 years, but, because of my faith, for some time I have not shared his bedroom although I have been his primary caregiver. What punishment will God send on me? What prayers can I say and penances can I do because of my past actions?
From what you have written, I’m not sure that God has any punishment in store for you. You are clearly dealing with some lingering guilt, but you also show some sense of repentance, and you have taken care of him for years.
Please do not underestimate the repentance you have already shown. Continue to live ever more truthfully about your relationship with God, your husband, yourself—and everyone else. A paralyzing fear will keep you from living in the freedom that God wants you to enjoy.
What Should I Tell My Daughter?
My husband recently died. Our 25-year-old daughter had prayed for his healing and now feels that her prayers were wasted. She remains angry and feels distant from God. What can I tell her?
First, my condolences for each of you as you grieve in different ways. Now, was this the first major death that your daughter has ever experienced? Did she ever witness how your husband grieved the loss of a beloved relative, a close friend, or a wonderful neighbor? If she has not yet witnessed how he dealt with such deaths, your daughter may not realize that her father experienced major losses and, more importantly, how he chose to deal with them.
You might point out, “Those losses could have turned your father into a bitter man, but he refused to let that happen.” Sharing his experiences with her may help her avoid the bitterness she now experiences.
If grief turns someone’s unanswered prayers into a bitter person, the original prayer reflected a serious problem. God is still good in any case. Is there some charitable work that your husband promoted and that your daughter could now do?
