Lord, help me
to use the gift of speech only for what is good
and to practice holy silence when I should.
"Why do such vile and useless words pour so easily from my mouth? The infinite beauty of Your works among man and Your creation and redemption should fill me in such a way as to drive me to speak of them always. Why would I think and speak about so much of what is broken when so much has been healed, restored, and made beautiful by You? Why would I spend time talking about the ills of others, of the Church, and of the world when I could spend time participating with You in the cure? Why would I give my tongue to the devil so that he can dip it in the excrement of criticism, negativity, intrigue, and pettiness when I could instead give it to building up the Church, reinforcing the good, to loving others, and to giving You Your just praise? Forgive me – heal me. May my tongue never utter a word unless it is to honor some good thing from You, to build the Kingdom, and to worship You my perfect King."
~ From Catholic Spiritual Direction by Anonymous ~
Catholic Spiritual Direction has also been added to the sidebar for easy future reference. It is an excellent resource for:
◦Questions and Answers about Spiritual Direction◦Perspective on Spiritual Direction
◦Perspective on Prayer and other Matters Relating to Our Spiritual Growth
◦Book and Resource Reviews
◦Links to Resources for Further Spiritual Development
3 comments:
I'll believe you if you can prove purgatory using nothing but the Bible and avoiding the extra eight books in the Catholic Bible(1st & 2nd Maccabees, et.) because they're not inspired anyway. If you can prove purgatory with that, I'll believe you. Right now, I don't.
Dear Jane,
I am an ordinary Catholic who believes in what the Catholic Church teaches, including about Purgatory. I cannot prove that Purgatory is real from Scripture to someone who does not believe in the teaching authority of the Catholic Church, the one Church founded by Jesus Christ, since, as you probably already know, the word Purgatory is not mentioned in the Bible. Catholic teaching on Purgatory is based on many passages in the Bible (2 Mac 12:39-46; Mt 12:31-32; 5:25-26; 1 Cor 15:29, etc.) and on the uninterrupted tradition of prayer for the dead. Holy Scripture tells us that nothing unclean can enter Heaven! Even though Jesus has made it possible for souls to enjoy eternal happiness in Heaven, we are responsible for our sins and must make reparation for them--in this life or the next. Even without the teaching of the Church, Purgatory makes sense to me. Purgatory is merciful, but also just. It is merciful because if the stain of repented sin is not cleansed from the soul through penance and reparation in this life, we are not sent to Hell but to a place of purification--until our souls are pure enough to see God. Purgatory is just, because those who try to lead holy lives and make reparation for their sins in this life will fare better than those who have not. God bless you with the knowledge that you are seeking. Please keep me in your prayers as you are in mine.
Jane,
If you're interested in some of the scriptural support for the doctrine of purgatory, you may be interested in my blog - Apostle to Purgatory. In the coming week, I'll be beginning an exploration into the background of purgatory -- starting in the Old Testament.
I share OGH's faith in the teaching authority of the Catholic Church, but as a former Southern Baptist, I'm especially interested in what Scripture has to say about those teachings. I look forward to your comments and criticisms.
Post a Comment