Catholic Replies
Q. Is it okay to give out a blessed rosary or a blessed medal to a non-Catholic when evangelizing when that person will put it around his neck as a piece of jewelry and not see it as a religious object? There is a lady who gives out rosaries without any written material to let them know how to pray the rosary. — W.B., via e-mail.
A. Yes, it is okay to give religious objects, such as rosaries or medals, to non-Catholics whom one is trying to evangelize. These sacramentals have been known to lead to the conversion of persons who received them. Naturally, passing them out ought to be accompanied by an explanation of their religious significance and a caution that they are not to be considered mere pieces of jewelry.
There are very good leaflets explaining the mysteries of the rosary, the prayers to be said, and on what beads they are to be said. We would think that such leaflets would give recipients of the rosary an understanding of its religious significance and would dissuade them from treating it as just a trinket.
Q. Enclosed is a biographical sketch of the late Fr. Luigi Villa, who died in 2012 and who is described as a doctor of theology and “a prolific writer who defended Church teachings.” Several of his publications are listed, some of which I have read, and I wonder if you could comment on his writings in light of today’s happenings. — W.A.D., Massachusetts.
A. We have not heard of Fr. Villa before and cannot comment on the reliability of his writings. But just looking at the titles of some of his works leads us to think that he is not a good source of information. For example, his publications include Paul VI Beatified? (“The book that once stopped the beatification”), Vatican II About Face (“Concise book on the heresies of Vatican II”), Paul VI: The Pope Who Changed the Church (“Exposes more of Paul VI’s misdeeds”), Karol Wojtyla Beatified? — Never! (“Why JPII should never have been canonized”), Antichrist in the Church of Christ (“Find out who’s at the top of Freemasonry”), and Satan Enthroned in the Vatican.
Q. I am an old Trappist monk who has written the enclosed work on “Signs of the Times.” I frankly believe that we are truly living in the end times. The final end may be years away, but the predictions by St. Paul of a “great apostasy” and the coming of the Antichrist seem to be coming true right now. What do you think? — Name and State Withheld.
A. In his article, Father mentioned as signs of the end the falling away from the faith of Catholics in Europe, particularly in France and Ireland; the “serious confrontations” between the Church and civil authorities in this country over matters of conscience; and the legal approval of “same-sex marriage” and “transgenderism.” He referenced a statement by the future Pope John Paul II at a Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia in 1976, when Karol Cardinal Wojtyla said that “we are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-church, between the Gospel and the anti-gospel, between Christ and the antichrist.”
All of this is true, but as Father said, “the final end may be years away.” Recall that John Paul II himself, writing just before the turn of the century in Tertio Millennio Adveniente, spoke more optimistically of a “springtime for Christianity” in the new millennium. He said that “the future of the world and the Church born in this [the 20th] century will reach maturity in the next, the first century of the new millennium.” He also said that if the young people of that day followed the road that Jesus pointed out to them, “they will have the joy of making their own contribution of His presence in the next century and in the centuries to come, until the end of time” (n. 58).
We have actually been living in the end times since Jesus ascended into Heaven, but as our Lord said, we don’t know the hour or the day when the end will come. Read Matthew 24 and hear Jesus describe all the calamities that will precede the end, including the rise of “false prophets” who will deceive many people, but note His words that the end will not come until “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations” (Matt. 24:14). Has the Gospel been preached throughout the world? We don’t think so.
As for the Antichrist, we have mentioned before that while some evil historical figures, such as Nero and Hitler, have been labeled as antichrists, the common Catholic interpretation is that the Antichrist is a real person who will engage in a final apocalyptic struggle with Christ before the end of the world. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 675), the persecution of the Church at that time “will unveil the ‘mystery of iniquity’ in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh [cf. 2 Thess. 2:4-12; 1 Thess. 5:2-3; 2 John 7; 1 John 2:18, 22].”
In paragraph 676, the Catechism says that “the Antichrist’s deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatalogical judgment.”
After going through “this final Passover,” says the Catechism (n. 677), the Church “will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection [cf. Rev. 19:1-9]. The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God’s victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven [cf. Rev. 13:8; 20:7-10; 21:2-4]. God’s triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world [cf. Rev. 20:12; 2 Peter 3:12-13].”
Yes, there are the disturbing signs noted by Father, but have they reached the level just described in the Catechism? We would say no, but that is not to say that we don’t need to pray fervently for our Church and her leaders in these troubled times. We should also pray the rosary of our Lady, seeking her intercession again during this 100th-anniversary year of her apparitions in Fatima.
Q. Could you tell me what the Church teaches about the dead, namely, who is in Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory? Jesus said that only a few people are saved, that is, those who “enter through the narrow gate” (Luke 13:24), but many priests and bishops seem to assume that most if not all are saved. Where do real bad people go? Where does the suicide bomber who gets blown up killing others go? Could he go to Purgatory if he had time to confess? — M.G., Alabama.
A. The Church teaches that those who die in the state of grace, that is, in friendship with Christ, with all their mortal sins forgiven, will go to Heaven, either right away if there is no temporal punishment to be served, or after some period of purification in Purgatory. The Church teaches that those who have committed grave sins and who die without being sorry for them will go to Hell.
What we don’t know is what Jesus meant by “narrow” or “few” in Luke’s Gospel or in Matthew’s Gospel, where He said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few” (7:12-14).
Rather than speculate about this, we could better spend our time considering Jesus’ affirmations about the reality of Hell as a call to make use of our free will to repent of our sins and to live in such a way as to make Heaven our eternal destination. We should also pray for those on the brink of Hell, using the words of Our Lady of Fatima: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.”
What about the fate of the suicide bomber? Technically, if he had the momentary chance to repent sincerely of his evil deed, he could get to Purgatory. But how likely is that, especially when the Jihadists apparently believe that their heinous act guarantees an eternity in paradise with multiple virgins? Further compounding the guilt of their own premeditated suicide is the fact that they are depriving their victims of the opportunity to repent of their own sins.
