Chesterton on Theology, Religion, and God

“Theology is only thought applied to religion.” - The New Jerusalem

“If there were no God, there would be no atheists.” – Where All Roads Lead

“The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion, but, on the contrary, of its liberality and humanity. It is shorter to state the things forbidden than the things permitted: precisely because most things are permitted, and only a few things are forbidden.” – ILN

“The riddles of God are more satisfying than the solutions of man.” – Introduction to the Book of Job

“It has been often said, very truely, that religion is the thing that makes the ordinary man feel extraordinary; it is an equally important truth that religion is the thing that makes the extraordinary man feel ordinary.” – Biography of Charles Dickens

image from the 'Public domain' via wikimedia commons. G.K Chesterton

Pilgrimage to Kalaupapa on the Feast of St. Damien

I was blessed to return to Kalaupapa (Home of Sts. Damien and Marianne Cope) with several members of our parish this past Friday, May 10th, on the Feast of St. Damien. It is such an awesome place. Here is a very short photo/video compilation of our visit. Sts. Damien and Marianne Cope, ora pro nobis!

Here are the links to other posts I have made about St Damien and St. Marianne Cope or about my previous visits to Kalaupapa

Mahalo e Ke Akua! St. Marrianne Cope!     

Mass on the Altar of a Saint with Fr. Lee, FSSP

St. Damien of Molokai, Patron of Hawaii     

A journey to the home of St. Damien of Molokai          

St. Augustine on the Necessity of being Catholic

"One cannot have [salvation] except in the Catholic Church. Outside of the Catholic Church one can have everything except salvation. One can have honor, one can have the sacraments, one can sing the alleluia, one can answer Amen, one can have the Gospel, one can have faith in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and preach, but never can one find salvation except in the Catholic Church."


(SERMON TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CHURCH OF CAESAREA, Chap. 6) (The Teachings of the Church Fathers. J. R. Willis, Ed.)

image from the 'Public domain' via wikimedia commons. St Augsutine

Do you practice gaining Indulgences?

An all too often forgotten immemorial Catholic practice is that of gaining or ʻwinningʻ indulgences. 

In order to do what we can (while in this earthly life) to engage in reparation for the temporal punishment due to our sins we ought to know what indulgences are and the necessary conditions for gaining them.

What is an indulgence?

"can. 992† An indulgence is the remission before God of temporal punishment for sins whose guilt is already forgiven, which a properly disposed member of the Christian faithful gains under certain and defined conditions by the assistance of the Church which as minister of redemption dispenses and applies authoritatively the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints."

How do we gain indulgences? (Notes in Red our mine)

"The conditions for the winning of Indulgences are, in addition to the reception of Baptism and communion with the Church;

α) The state of Sanctifying Grace at least at the close of the prescribed works; (You need to NOT be in mortal sin)

β) Subordination to the one granting the Indulgence;

γ) The habitual intention at least of gaining the Indulgence; (You have to INTEND to receive the specific indulgence)

δ) The exact performance of the prescribed works. Cf. CIC 925, 927; Suppl. 25, 2." (Ott, L. (1957). Fundamentals of Catholic dogma )

What types of indulgences are there?

* There are two types of indulgences. Partial and Plenary:

Partial - Partially remits from the temporal punishment due to sins

Plenary - Fully remits from the temporal punishment due to sins

* To acquire a plenary indulgence the following conditions are required:

1.  Sacramental confession

2.  Reception of the Blessed Sacrament

3. Prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff

4. Total detachment from sin, even venial sin. 

Where can we look to see approved indulgences?

There is a manual of indulgences put out by the Supreme Tribunal Apostolic Penitentiary (Tribunal of the Roman Curia in charge the governance of indulgences)  The manual is known as the ʻEnchiridion Indulgentiarumʻ.

image from the 'Public domain' via wikimedia commons. St Peter in Penitence by El Greco

The ʻRogation Daysʻ after the 5th Sunday after Easter

The Rogation Days are the "Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Day are observed by all Catholics of the Latin rite as days of solemn supplication, and are called Rogation days because the Litany of the Saints is chanted in the procession which takes place on each of the three days, rogatio being the Latin equivalent for the Greek word litany. " (Addis, W. E., & Arnold, T. (1887). A Catholic Dictionary)

The observance of the ʻRogation Daysʻ started in the 5th century when St. Mamertus (who was Bishop of Vienne) instituted these ʻlitaniesʻ as a public supplication asking God to hold back his wrath upon their city which had gone through nearly half a century of various calamities. As most true immemorial customs usually do, the example of the ʻRogation Daysʻ in Vienne was soon followed in many places places throughout the world.  It became a general observance throughout the Church soon after Pope Leo III introduced it in Rome in 816

image from the 'Public domain' via wikimedia commons.  St. Valentine Kneeling in Supplication

Is Hell Empty? (The answer from the from Church Fathers, Saintly Visionaries, the Church, & Christ Himself!)

There are many ways to demonstrate that the Tradition of the Church clearly shows that Hell is NOT empty.

1. You could look at the writings of the Doctors of the Church like St. Augustine (civ. Dei 21.3.1; ench. 93) or St. Thomas Aquinas (STh., Supplementum q.69 a.2) who clearly believed there ARE souls in Hell

2. You could look to the saintly testimony of saints like St. Drithelm or the visionaires of Our Lady of Fatima that were shown damned souls in Hell.

3. You could also consider the fact that it is a ʻDe Fideʻ teaching that "The souls of those who die in the condition of personal grievous sin enter Hell."(Ott, L. 1957)

It would logically flow that to believe that NO ONE is in hell is to believe that NO ONE dies in the condition of grievous personal sin. That is not a logical premise. period. 

4. Lastly, and most definitively, you could look to the very words of Christ in verses like Mt 25:34 ; Mt 7:13–14 ; Lk 13:23-24, and many others. As an example lets take a look specifically look at Lk 13:23-24

“And a certain man said to him: Lord, are they few that are saved? But he said to them: Strive to enter by the narrow gate: for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter and shall not be able.”

If no one is in Hell then why ʻstriveʻ? Did Jesus lie when he says "for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter and shall not be able"?

Certainly it should be clear that we cant discard the teachings St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, visionary Saints like St. Drithelm, De fide teachings of the Church, Our Lady of Fatima, and the very Words of Christ for a universalist view that Hell is empty!

Hell is real. Grievous sin can you send there. Souls have already been sent there. DON’T go to Hell! Go to Heaven!

image from the 'Public domain' via wikimedia commons.  Judgement of Christ by Antoine Joseph Wiertz

Augustine on the Sinlessness of Mary

"We must except the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom I wish to raise no question when it touches the subject of sins, out of honour to the Lord; for from Him we know what abundance of grace for overcoming sin in every particular was conferred upon her who had the merit to conceive and bear Him who undoubtedly had no sin" (De nat. et grat. 36.42)

image from the 'Public domain' via wikimedia commons. Augustinus in betrachtendem Gebet, by Botticelli