Catholic Replies
Q. What did St. Paul mean in 2 Cor. 12:16 when he said, “I was crafty and got the better of you by deceit”? — G.P., Florida.
A. Here is the explanation given in the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament:
“Suspicions were apparently raised that Paul was mishandling the funds of the Jerusalem collection (chaps. 8-9). Critics probably accused him of secretly pocketing some of the money for himself, even though he appeared to live in poverty while among them (11:9). These accusations were empty: Paul’s conscience was clear (1:12) because his conduct was irreproachable (4:2). See note on 2 Cor. 8:21.”
The latter footnote says that Paul sent a delegation of trusted disciples — Titus and two unnamed brothers — to manage the Jerusalem collection in Corinth. This strategy, the footnote says, was meant “to eliminate suspicions that Paul had initiated the collection because of greed or selfish motives. Entrusting the task to men of proven character ensures that the money will be collected properly, handled honestly, and delivered safely.”
Q. Thank you for your column in The Wanderer — it is very helpful. I have two questions regarding the Lord’s Prayer. First, in the Douay-Rheims Bible, in Matt. 6:11, the wording is, “Give us this day our supersubstantial bread.” Do you know how this became “our daily bread”? Second, I do not see in the Douay-Rheims the words that we recite after the Lord’s Prayer at Mass — “For thine is the kingdom,” etc. (now “For the kingdom, the power, and the glory,” etc.). What is the source for that, and when was it added to our recitation at Mass? — A.M., Maine.
A. First, in the Douay-Rheims translation, the word “supersubstantial” is rendered “daily” in Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer (11:3), so the word “daily” has been around for centuries. However, since some of the early Church Fathers interpreted “daily bread” as a reference to the Holy Eucharist, that would explain the use of the word “supersubstantial.” Recall, too, that the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy in the infant Church was known as “breaking bread” (Acts 2:46).
Second, you are correct that the words “for thine is the kingdom . . .” are not in the Bible at the end of the Our Father. These words were at some time in history written in the margin of the scriptural text by a person who was copying the New Testament, and they were taken as authentic by the scholar Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536), whose edition of the Bible lies behind most Protestant Bibles.
Q. After years of attending parishes that do not have regular rosaries, I now have the good fortune to be in a parish where the rosary is prayed following daily Mass. My question is the short prayer said following the “Glory Be” — “Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of Hell and lead ALL souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need of your mercy.” Is this not a prayer for, or the hope that, there is no Hell? Contrary to Catholic teaching? — M.S., New Mexico.
A. Since the prayer came from the lips of the Blessed Mother at Fatima, we can safely say that she had no intention of denying the existence of Hell. In fact, we would say that she was emphasizing the reality of eternal damnation when she showed the three children a frightening vision of Hell and then said to them:
“You have seen Hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.”
So the Blessed Virgin was not implying that there is no Hell. On the contrary, the vision that she showed the three children a “sea of fire,” with demons and souls “floating about in the conflagration . . . amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair,” in the words of Lucia, graphically illustrated the reality of Hell. What Our Blessed Lady, ever the concerned and loving mother of the human race, was doing was urging prayers for sinners that they might repent and be saved from Hell. She acknowledged, however, that while “many souls will be saved,” some will not get to Heaven because they freely chose not to repent of their sins.
Q. I’ve been reading quite a bit about Purgatory lately as cleansing fire. To accidentally touch a hot pan or burn your finger for just a second is extremely painful. I can’t think of anything more terrible than burning to death and yet, even though our sins have been forgiven and we have some atonement to account for, I find it hard to believe a loving God would want us to suffer the agony of fire. Even our Blessed Mother at Fatima said that Amelia, Lucia’s friend, an 18-year-old girl, would suffer in Purgatory till the end of the world. Good heavens, what could she have done that was so bad? I used to think I would not be afraid to die, but now I’m not so sure. When one dies, at the eulogy, it is said that he or she is at peace, in Heaven with God, but maybe he or she is suffering the torments and torture of fire. Maybe there should be more homilies on the reality of death. I find it hard to believe that missing Mass would merit the same punishment of a murderer, of eternal fire in Hell. It used to be a mortal sin to eat meat on Friday. Did that merit an eternity in Hell’s fire? When we die, how can the soul that is a spirit suffer the same pain as the body? — W.B., Kentucky.
A. You have raised several points. First, we don’t know the exact nature of the cleansing fire of Purgatory, only that it will be more painful than any pain we have experienced in this life. Think of a time in your life, say, at the unexpected death of a loved one, when you felt a spiritual pain in your heart not unlike the physical pain of putting your hand on a hot stove. Perhaps the spiritual pain in Purgatory is like that. It is not a consuming fire, but rather a loving God’s way of helping us to understand the horror of the sins we committed against Him so cavalierly while on earth. The good news is that this pain of sense will not last forever, but will pave the way for eternal joy and happiness in Heaven
Second, there is no reason to fear death if one is in the state of grace since death is the bridge to Heaven. If you want to avoid the fire of Purgatory, lead a holy life on earth and take advantage of the many opportunities, especially during the current Jubilee Year of Mercy, to obtain a plenary indulgence, which removes all temporal punishment attached to forgiven sin. Third, yes, there should be more homilies on the reality of death and the eternal consequences of our evil choices in this life. There should also be more emphasis on prayer for the souls in Purgatory, especially at funerals, instead of the feel-good assurance, which no priest can know with certainty, that the deceased is in Heaven.
Fourth, we don’t know what Lucia’s friend Amelia had done to deserve suffering in Purgatory until the end of the world, although it was learned later that she had died while involved in immoral activity. She must have had time to express sorrow for her sins, or she would not be in Purgatory, but she did not have sufficient time to atone for the temporal punishment attached to those sins.
Fifth, you wonder how a person who missed Mass on Sunday, or who ate meat on Friday when that was prohibited, could face the same eternal fire in Hell as one guilty of murder. We would suggest that those guilty of the first two sins often committed them out of carelessness rather than callousness, out of weakness rather than out of malice, so it seems that they should not suffer the same fate as a murderer, who presumably acted out of malice. But suppose one who missed Mass, or ate meat on Friday, acted out of contempt for God, deliberately and knowingly rejecting the Lord’s commands? Wouldn’t that put them in the same moral category as a murderer who deliberately and knowingly took the life of an innocent person? And isn’t it likely that those who continually missed Mass on Sundays and failed to observe the Church’s laws on fast and abstinence were probably committing other serious sins as well since they had separated themselves from sources of grace that might have kept them from serious sin? God sees the heart of the sinner and knows who is truly deserving of Purgatory or Hell.
