Author: Father Reginald Martin

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Eternal Life

What Is Purgatory?

Father Reginald Martin

June 29, 2022 7:10 am June 29, 2022

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Popular images of purgatory are probably inspired by Dante and expanded upon by imaginative artists, often with an aim to thrill or horrify their audience. As a result, Catholics lose…

Popular images of purgatory are probably inspired by Dante and expanded upon by imaginative artists, often with an aim to thrill or horrify their audience. As a result, Catholics lose sight of what ought to be a consoling article of faith, and Protestants are confused or scandalized by what appears to be a jumbled scam devised to subvert or avoid God’s justice.

What the Church teaches about purgatory is very simple: “The souls of the just which, in the moment of death, are burdened with venial sins or temporal punishment due to sins, enter purgatory.” Our belief in purgatory is based on a passage from 2 Maccabees, in which the Jewish hero, Judas Maccabeus, orders prayers and sacrifices for slain patriots, that their sins might be forgiven. Jesus, too, speaks of the possibility of forgiveness after death when he teaches, “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven … in this age or in the age to come” (Mt 12:32).

We must remember one thing: purgatory is not a “second chance”; it is the final step for righteous individuals who, before death, lacked an opportunity to atone for venial sins or do sufficient penance for serious sins already confessed.

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4 min read

Satan

Background on Exorcisms

Msgr. Charles E. Pope

June 22, 2022 5:05 pm June 22, 2022

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church says the following about exorcism and makes some distinctions: “When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a…

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says the following about exorcism and makes some distinctions: “When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing. In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. The solemn exorcism, called ‘a major exorcism,’ can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church…. Before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness” (No. 1673). Thus a distinction is made between solemn (or a major) exorcism and minor exorcisms associated with sacraments and blessings. A major exorcism is performed only for one, who is demonstrably possessed by a demon or demons, and may only be performed by a priest the bishop has specially permitted to do so.

Demonologists distinguish three levels of demonic incursion. First, there is temptation, and this we all experience. Second, there is obsession (sometimes called oppression), when demons torment people physically, spiritually, mentally or emotionally, or some combination of these. Third, there is possession, wherein demons take physical possession of a person’s body and make use of its faculties. Possession is usually intermittent, almost never an uninterrupted possessing of the person’s body.

For those struggling with oppression, prayers of minor exorcism can be used. The priest can speak these prayers extemporaneously. A layperson trained in deliverance ministry can also pray. Priests are also able to offer prayers from the “Manual of Minor Exorcisms: For the Use of Priests.”

In the rarer case of full possession, the Rite of Major Exorcism is used. Again, only a priest given explicit permission by the bishop may use this rite.

In most dioceses there is an appointed exorcist whose first task is to consider cases properly presented to him and assess if there is in fact possession. He must reach a moral certitude that the symptoms are not caused by mental illness or other natural causes, and that the symptoms are not merely oppression or temptation.

He does this by interviewing and examining the background of the aggrieved person and by the use of certain diagnostic prayers meant to disclose the presence of demons. He looks for certain specific criteria, which the Church has designated from long experience, as signs of possession. If some or all the designated signs are observed, and if mental or physical illness are ruled out as central causes, the exorcist then seeks permission from the bishop to perform the Rite of Major Exorcism.

In the rite he is expected to have an assisting priest and other laypersons to help in case there is violent reaction or the need for other assistance. If the possessed is a woman, at least one other woman should be present for the session. Some exorcisms extend over many months and even for more than a year in difficult cases of high-ranking demons. To some extent, your observation that exorcisms are more frequent today is true.

The Church, especially in America, had moved away from the practice beginning in the 1970s, considering it more a matter for psychiatric care. In recent years, Roman officials encouraged American bishops to prudentially move to appointing more exorcists and allowing the faithful more recourse for assessment regarding possible possession. The Rite of Exorcism was also revised and reissued. All this has led to a moderate increase in the numbers of exorcism and the requests for evaluation.

Those who practice deliverance ministry, to include the ministry of formal exorcism, are quite aware that demons often interact with a host of spiritual, emotional and mental struggles in people’s lives. Deliverance ministry often involves a lengthy and multifaceted approach which includes deliverance prayers (and more rarely the prayers of major exorcism), along with the sacraments, spiritual direction and in some cases psychotherapy and psychiatric interventions.

Thus those who seek deliverance ministry (to include exorcism) must seek to grow in faith in the power of the sacraments and of the steady growth in the spiritual life. All of us must lay hold of the truth that Jesus Christ is more powerful than any demon, including Satan himself, and not give way to exaggerated or superstitious fears.

Rev. Msgr. Charles E. Pope is a priest of the Archdicoese of Washington, D.C.

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2 min read

The Church

What Is a Titular See?

Michael R. Heinlein

June 22, 2022 9:20 am June 22, 2022

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Each diocese has a see city (or cities) that give the diocese its name. Over the course of history, see cities are transferred to other cities, especially as populations shift…

Each diocese has a see city (or cities) that give the diocese its name. Over the course of history, see cities are transferred to other cities, especially as populations shift and demographics in a given diocese change. Some diocesan sees are the victims of historical circumstances such as enemy invasion of Christian lands. Those bishops who were exiled retained the “title” of their old diocese, part of their own title of office.

But, as it goes, dioceses that relocate sees aren’t totally defunct; they technically are “suppressed.” There seems to be an in-built hope that the Christian population of that particular defunct see will return and find its status restored as a see city once again.

In the United States, there are several cities that no longer function as diocesan see cities. These include: Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Alton, Illinois; Bardstown, Kentucky; Concordia, Kansas; Grass Valley, California; Jamestown, North Dakota; Kearney, Nebraska; Lead, South Dakota; Leavenworth, Kansas; Natchez, Mississippi; Natchitoches, Louisiana; Nesqually, Washington; Quincy, Illinois; Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; Vincennes, Indiana and Walla Walla, Washington.

In the Catholic Church’s understanding of the office of bishop, it is important for a bishop to be attached to the People of God in a given place, even if they don’t live there. So when bishops are ordained for a purpose other than serving as the diocesan bishop, they are given the title of one of these “dead” see cities — also known as titular sees.

Those bishops who receive titular sees in the Church today function in one of the following capacities: cardinals or bishops who are nominated as bishop to serve in the Roman Curia without having been attached to another diocese, nuncios, apostolic delegates and other dignitaries of the Curia (typically so, unless they were already diocesan bishops), coadjutors and auxiliary bishops, and bishops who resign their dioceses (although not always the case).

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter @HeinleinMichael.

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5 min read

Church Seasons and Feasts

Embracing Holy Days

Brother John M. Samaha

June 22, 2022 12:05 am June 22, 2022

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Catholics often think of holy days primarily in terms of obligation and imposition. No doubt we’re obliged to observe them — but shouldn’t we see them first as graced times…

Catholics often think of holy days primarily in terms of obligation and imposition. No doubt we’re obliged to observe them — but shouldn’t we see them first as graced times of opportunity to mark a special mystery of our faith?

Part of the problem may be that we fail to understand their significance. In fact, this seems to be a perennial concern among Catholics. As early as the fourth century, St. John Chrysostom complained about the celebration of holy days in Constantinople, the city where he served as patriarch (archbishop).

This Father and Doctor of the ancient Church commented in a homily: “Many people celebrate the holy days and know their names; but of their history, meaning and origin they know nothing.”

St. John’s comment invites us today to seek a deeper appreciation of the “history, meaning and origin of holy days” we observe so that we’ll be better able to celebrate, renew and enrich our faith.

A Definition

What exactly is a holy day of obligation? Put simply, a holy day is an important feast of Our Lord, Our Lady or the saints that Catholics are morally obliged to observe by participating in the celebration of the Eucharist and abstaining from unnecessary servile work.

These days have been made solemnities, much like a Sunday in terms of festivity and observance, because of their significance for the Catholic faith. In coming together as a community of faith for the celebration of the Eucharist, we declare the importance of the feast in the life of the Church. For this reason parishes are urged to celebrate holy days with all their resources as they do on Sundays.

According to the Code of Canon Law, in addition to attending Mass on holy days, Catholics “are to abstain from those works and affairs which hinder the worship to be rendered to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body” (Canon 1247).

Variations in Observance

Many Catholics are unaware that not everyone in the universal Church celebrates the same set of holy days. Current canon law calls for 10 of them: “the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension, the Body and Blood of Christ, Holy Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, St. Joseph, St. Peter and St. Paul the Apostles, and All Saints” (Canon 1246).

However, “with the prior approval of the Apostolic See . . . the conference of bishops can suppress some of the holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday” (Canon 1246). Therefore, the particular array of days observed varies from country to country.

Catholics in Ireland, for example, observe St. Patrick’s Day as a holy day of obligation; Mexican Catholics observe Our Lady of Guadalupe. German Catholics observe Easter Monday, Pentecost Monday and “Second Christmas” (Dec. 26). Holy day observance also varies among the Eastern Catholic Churches.

In the United States, the calendar of holy days has varied considerably since colonial times.

Today, six holy days of obligation are observed here in the Roman rite: the Immaculate Conception; the Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas); Mary, Mother of God; the Ascension of Our Lord; the Assumption of Mary; and All Saints.

Nevertheless, whenever Jan. 1 (Mary, Mother of God), Aug. 15 (Assumption) or Nov. 1 (All Saints) falls on a Saturday or Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated.

One U.S. diocese has arranged for an exception to this calendar. In Hawaii, through an indult from the Holy See, only two holy days of obligation outside of Sundays are observed: the Immaculate Conception and Christmas.

We should note that non-Sunday holy days of obligation rank as a solemnity. So if one of them falls on a Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Sunday celebration gives way to it. However, the Sundays of Advent, Lent and Eastertime take precedence over all solemnities, which are then transferred to another day.

Opportunity to Celebrate

Why does the Church go to so much trouble to observe these special days? Because the events they commemorate are so important to the life of Christians.

Just as Easter, and indeed every Sunday, calls us to celebrate the glorious resurrection of Christ, these other festival days invite us to meditate deeply on other significant events in the life of Our Lord and Our Lady that lie at the heart of our Catholic faith.

In observing these days faithfully, we come to appreciate more fully the meaning of the birth of Christ and His ascension into heaven, and the immaculate conception of Mary and her assumption into heaven.

Other holy days commemorate additional significant truths of the faith.

The solemnity of Mary, Mother of God not only reminds us that Our Lady was greatly honored to be the mother of Our Lord. It also affirms that Jesus Christ is fully God as well as fully man.

Through the feast of All Saints, we have the chance to strengthen our communion with our elder brothers and sisters in the faith who are now in heaven and praying for us.

Still other holy days celebrate significant historical events in the life of the Church in a particular region, such as St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland or Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.

Some Catholics complain that observing holy days of obligation falling on weekdays may hinder them from other activities, especially their work. That complaint, however, seems hollow in most cases, since parishes typically offer holy day Masses outside of normal business hours.

Yet even if some sacrifices must be made to fulfill this responsibility, we can rest assured that a faithful observance of holy days offers rich rewards for our growth in holiness. These celebrations need not become burdensome obligations if we learn to regard them instead as dynamic opportunities to grow closer to God and to honor Him.

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2 min read

Sacraments

Eucharistic Processions

Msgr. William J. King

June 19, 2022 11:09 am June 19, 2022

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Processions have long been a form of liturgical prayer. Processions to and within sacred sites, especially the Temple in Jerusalem, marked numerous festivals in Jewish prayer, and many of the…

Processions have long been a form of liturgical prayer. Processions to and within sacred sites, especially the Temple in Jerusalem, marked numerous festivals in Jewish prayer, and many of the psalms were composed to accompany such processions. As an example, the Talmud describes processions on the seven days of the feast of Tabernacles, during which the people would process around the altar with willow branches, singing a litany that included Psalm 118:25 as the refrain.

St. Basil (d. A.D. 379) in the East and St. Ambrose (d. 397) in the West provide some of the earliest references to liturgical processions in the Catholic Church. Both state that these processions had been practiced for many years, accompanied with sung litanies.

Public processions with the Blessed Sacrament became popular only when Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist was questioned. For many centuries this sacramental reality was taken for granted, but in the 11th century an archdeacon named Berengar of Tours — who taught in the cathedral school of Chartres, France — was said to question the Eucharist’s real presence (though historians disagree on whether he actually denied the Real Presence, it is accepted that Berengar questioned transubstantiation as a description of the change that occurs when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ). Overt denial of the Real Presence in the Eucharistic species came with the Protestant Reformers.

In response to Protestant notions that the Eucharist was merely a symbol, the Church affirmed clearly the ancient understanding of the Real Presence — and processions through the streets of cities and villages became popular as a means of openly demonstrating support and reverence for this reality. The Council of Trent taught, in 1551, that the Most Blessed Sacrament “is to be honored with extraordinary festive celebrations (and) solemnly carried from place to place in processions according to the praiseworthy universal rite and custom of the holy Church.”

Theologically, processions remind us that we are pilgrims journeying through this earthly existence following Jesus on “the Way” (an early title for the Church). In the Eucharistic processions of Holy Thursday and the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) we publicly proclaim this truth, following the Lord physically even as we pledge anew to do so spiritually. We also give public witness to our acceptance of the Lord’s words: “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51). As such, public processions serve as tools of evangelization within our neighborhoods.

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1 min read

Sacraments

Communal Celebration of Anointing

Father Reginald Martin

June 16, 2022 11:04 am June 16, 2022

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Catholics growing up before the Second Vatican Council knew the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick as “Extreme Unction,” a blessing reserved for those at the point of death….

Catholics growing up before the Second Vatican Council knew the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick as “Extreme Unction,” a blessing reserved for those at the point of death. As these individuals were usually in hospitals, the sacrament was, necessarily, administered privately.

The council fathers determined the sacrament is “not for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time … to receive this sacrament has certainly arrived” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 73). Because we are baptized into communion with one another, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, like all the sacraments, has a social dimension. Therefore, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church observes, “The Anointing of the Sick is a liturgical and communal celebration” (No. 1517). To anoint those who are ill or elderly in a parish (or other common) liturgical gathering visibly manifests the invisible bonds that unite us.

The same text from the Catechism also reminds us that although, at one time, we might have referred to the anointing of the sick as “Last Rites,” this misidentifies the sacrament. The Eucharist “should always be the last sacrament of the earthly journey … for ‘passing over’ to eternal life.”

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