Ecumenical Corner

Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as children of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission.[1] The First Sacrament of Initiation Baptism is the first sacrament that is received and makes it possible to receive all other sacraments.  Jesus Himself gave us this sacrament[2], as He gave us all seven sacraments.  Through Baptism, we become members of the Body of Christ, which includes all of our baptized Christian brothers and sisters – fellow Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Protestant (denominational and non-denominational) Christians. The Waters of Baptism When Catholics read Scripture, we read the entire Bible as one book.  There are several times in the Old Testament in which we observe the prefiguring of Baptism.  As Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, they came to the Red Sea and could not cross it until Moses stretched out his hand and parted the waters.  As the Egyptians crossed, the waters closed on them and drowned them (Ex 14: 21-30). Thus, through water were the Israelites given freedom from slavery and a new life, free to follow and worship The Lord.  Baptism grants us freedom from slavery to sin by washing away original sin and personal sin and births us into a new life with Christ.[3] When Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River into the promised land which The Lord had given them (Josh 1:2-4), this symbolizes that the waters of Baptism lead us to the eternal life in Heaven that God has promised to those who follow Him.[4] St. John the Baptist preached a repentance of sin to prepare people for the coming of The Lord.  He baptized people in the Jordan River to symbolize this turning away from sin and turning toward God.  Jesus, in coming to be baptized, elevates this act from a symbol to a sacrament.  In every sacrament we encounter The Holy Trinity. This happens in Matthew 3:13-17: Jesus, the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and the voice of God the Father. We encounter the Trinity Itself in the sacraments both physically and spiritually because God desires intimate union with us.[5]  In Baptism both original sin[6] and personal sin are washed away and our souls return to the state of grace that existed before the fall of Adam and Eve. (Sins committed after Baptism can be washed away by the Sacrament of Reconciliation.) The First Baptism in the Catholic Church The Catholic Church was born on the first Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary.  From this very first day, Baptism has been administered.[7] In Acts 2:38, St. Peter tells the gathered crowd to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, and they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.   The Catholic Church continues this mission today.  For adults who wish to be baptized, they must complete instruction in several stages known as the Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA). …

What is Purgatory? Purgatory is a place where souls go after death to be purified or “purged” of their sins.  Unlike Heaven and Hell, a soul does not stay here permanently.  Every soul is Purgatory will eventually go to Heaven.  Most people do not go directly to Heaven, but instead go to Purgatory first.  Only pure and holy things are allowed in Heaven, and since most people do not die in a state of grace (free from sin), they cannot go directly to Heaven.[1] Purgatory is a place of purification, a “purifying fire”[2].  When we sin, even though we are forgiven, the stain of sin is still on our souls.  We can purge this stain in this life through “penance”:  prayers, fasting, offering up sacrifices, offering up our suffering, acts of charity, and acts of mercy.[3] The amount of penance we do on earth has a direct correlation with the amount of time we spend in Purgatory.[4] An example may help in  understanding this concept.  A child arguing with his sibling at the table knocks over a glass of milk.  The child is instantly sorry.  He promises to behave at the table from now on.  The parent forgives the child, but there is still milk on the floor and it has to be cleaned up.  After we sin, we are (or should be) sorry and we promise not to do it anymore.  But the stain is still there.  Like the child with the milk, we can either immediately clean up the mess (by doing penance) or be stubborn and get stuck cleaning it up later when all our friends are outside playing (going to Purgatory instead of going directly to Heaven). Purgatory is not a joyful place. In Purgatory we see all of our unconfessed and unrepented sins in comparison to God’s holiness.  There is intense sorrow at the realization of our own sinfulness.  We suffer greatly at the horror of how many times we ignored God’s grace in our lives and deliberately neglected to do acts of kindness, charity, and mercy.  We are in agony when we realize how much God loves us and how little we loved Him in return.  There is unrelenting loneliness because we are fully aware that we are not in the presence of God, unlike the souls in Heaven who continually behold His face.  The purification received in Purgatory, while necessary, is extremely painful. Purgatory Really Exists Jesus spoke frequently of the existence of Purgatory and why souls are sent there.  In Matthew (5:21-26),  Jesus tells us that if we do not forgive others, we ourselves will be judged and thrown into prison (Purgatory) until the last penny is paid.  In Matthew 12:36, Jesus says that for every idle word we speak (gossip), we will be held accountable on the day of Judgement.  In Luke 12: 58-59, the individual is encouraged to make peace with his fellow man before they get to the judge lest the judge throw him into prison until the last…