Others become interested because of the doctrinal solidity of the Catholic Church. Even if they have personal qualms about some of the teaching, they admire that the Church has maintained the same teaching in spite of the world changing so much. There is something comforting about knowing that truth doesn’t change.

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Not Quite Enough

I appreciate both of these starting points for people who become interested in the Catholic Church. And yet, I find them to be insufficient. I think we are looking for more than a historically cogent account of salvation and a teacher who does not change the syllabus halfway through the semester. We are seeking meaning. We are seeking the face of God.

When we come to faith, we have to be careful to not be too easily satisfied. Nothing less than God can fill us up.

As I lead people through the teachings of Catholicism, I enjoy the back and forth and learn from the questions they ask. At the same time, I carry in the back of my mind the constant concern that they may grow in their love for Jesus. If they were to become Catholic but don’t encounter Jesus, I certainly feel I have failed as a guide.

The Surprise

While we are truly seeking God, the surprising truth is that he is the one seeking us. We are hard-wired to seek Him. Augustine, the saintly bishop from Hippo, North Africa, phrased it: “Our hearts are restless until we rest in him.” Our desire to love is ordered towards Him.

God wants you and loves you. How are you going to respond?

When we want to get to know the faith, we look at the Creed, the set of basic doctrines laid down in the early Church and that serve as a litmus test for our faith. The word for “creed” in Greek is symbolon. This means a sign or identifying mark. For us, it becomes our identity and signifies our relationship with God. We are not merely setting down a series of affirmations. We are establishing a relationship with God.

Called To Seek

It is important that as we seek to grow in the faith, we recognize that we are called to be seekers. We are seekers of truth. We are seekers of answers. We want to know who we are. What does it mean to be spiritual? What does it mean to have a soul? What does it mean to be human?

Perhaps we become suspicious that we can only find the deepest meaning of our lives if we discover our relationship with God. He made us for himself and we discover who we are, only in relationship with him. Heeding one of Pope St. John Paul II’s favorite lines from the Second Vatican Council, we let the words of Gaudium et Spes 22 echo in our hearts:

Only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light.

The Good News is that we don’t have to just look for God. This is the story of all humanity, looking for God. The wonderful miracle we live as Christians is that God has come looking for us. This is the mystery of Divine Revelation – God’s communication of himself, most fully realized in sending us his own divine Son, Jesus Christ.

And so, as we seek God, we run through various sources that connect us to him, especially Sacred Scripture. Additionally, we have Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church that help us to understand who God is and how he wants to establish a relationship with each one of us.

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Let’s pray for everyone who is authentically seeking God, especially those people who have begun a formal process within the Catholic Church. May God use catechists to preach the word “in season and out of season” (cf. 2 Tim. 4:2) so that many hearts may be softened and may receive the love of God. Catholicism is not merely intellectually satisfying. Catechesis should lead to communion with Christ.

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Where is that in the Bible?

Growing up, I had many conversations about the faith with my friends. I remember grad night pretty vividly (so no, I was not drinking). At about 2 in the morning, some of us gathered at one of the picnic benches outside the auditorium where the party was going on. We each started talking about our own experience of faith. Here we were, finishing High School, but thinking about the eternal truths. The friends with me were not particularly devout, but it helped me to see that people have more interest in truth and eternity than they often let on.

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I remember other conversations that were more polemical and almost took the form of a debate. Predictably, my Evangelical and Baptist friends would inevitably ask at some point in the conversation, “Where is that in the Bible?” Over time, I learned that in a debate, you need to make sure you do not mistakenly accept your opponent’s presuppositions. And here, I think the most important thing is to refuse to take the Bible as the only possible source of information. Of course, the Bible is important. But before searching for Purgatory in the Bible, let’s look for where the Bible teaches that it is the only criterion of truth. The early Church did not do this, and I do not need to do so either.

Typically, the Biblical discourse on Purgatory revolves around a story from 2 Maccabees (cf. 2 Maccabees 12:43-46), a deuterocanonical book that Protestants typically refuse to accept as inspired Scripture. When Judas and his troops found the fallen soldiers wearing amulets honoring the false gods of Jamnia, they prayed for the dead. They took up a collection to offer an expiatory sacrifice on their behalf.

Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved for their sin (2 Maccabees 12:46).

Accepting the passage as canonical, it provides a strong argument that the Jews at the time of Jesus believed in the possibility of some type of purification after death and before entering Heaven. So, often, the discussion turns to a debate about the canon of Scripture. Which books should be included and why? However, a different objection pops up more commonly.

Are the Sufferings of Christ insufficient?

Are not the sufferings of Christ sufficient for our salvation? Does the temporal suffering of Purgatory somehow complete the work of salvation begun by Christ, echoing the words of St. Paul?

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church (Col. 1:24).

The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was complete. Jesus said as much from the cross.

It is finished (Jn. 19:30)

The challenge comes in the distinction between salvation and ongoing growth in holiness. Jesus gains for us our salvation. He saves us, and he invites us to progress in holiness. His death on the cross releases us from sin and death. However, our process of salvation does not mean that all of our behavior immediately and irrevocably changes from the moment we enter the Kingdom of God.

I would propose that another passage from the Bible offers a much better image for the doctrine of Purgatory.

A Different Bible Passage to Explain Purgatory

Growing in Christian life comes down to loving more. We will be judged by the love we have in our hearts. Do we want to love Christ much, or do we want to love him just a little? We are sinful creatures, even after baptism and at the beginning of our journey of faith. We sin. (I had a Protestant neighbor growing up who insisted that he never sinned. We got into this conversation while he was attacking the Catholic practice of confession. I was flabbergasted by his claim. I knew I sinned. And seeing him every day for 10 years, I was pretty sure that my neighbor sinned too.)

When we go to Heaven, do we want to love God perfectly, or do we want to still be attached to so many worldly things? I think we want to be perfect and directed completely towards God. It makes me think of the parable of the wedding garment (Mt. 22:1-14).

Jesus tells the story about a man who invites people to his wedding. When the original guests fail to materialize, he brings in other people from all around. They would not normally have been the guests at such an event. Then something happens that used to bother me. One man is found at the celebration without a wedding garment.

It always felt unfair to me. If he just came in from the road, of course he does not have a wedding garment. Why is he being treated so cruelly? “Gnashing of teeth” is the phrase that always got me. Then, one day, I heard that the host would have given them the wedding garments. The man found without had refused the wedding garment that had been provided. He wanted to go to the party, but refused to dress accordingly.

I feel like it is the perfect image to understand Purgatory. I love Jesus, but I know that I fall short so many ways. When I die, I hope to be more perfect than I am today, but there may still be something lacking.

There is nothing lacking to the sufferings of Christ, but I am lacking.

I hope he gives me the chance, the help, the obligatory help, to get perfectly clean and ready for the real wedding feast: Heaven.

Now, all of a sudden, I see Purgatory in a different way. It is the antechamber where I get ready for the party. Of course, I want to participate because I want to be worthy of the one who has waited for me.

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As you will see, I got a little carried away, but I don’t want to eliminate any of the books. The first resource listed in each category is where I would start. And if you can only read five, start here:

1. Trent Horn, Why We’re Catholic.

2. Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners.

3. Patrick Madrid, Surprised by Truth.

4. C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man.

5. Brandon Vogt, Why I Am Catholic (And You Should Be Too).

Apologetics

Apologetics is not the science of saying you’re sorry. Rather, it comes from the Greek apologia and means “defense of the faith.” It recalls the first letter of St. Peter:

Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope (1 P. 3:15).

Learning to defend the faith brings a lot of joy and is best accomplished in community. Find someone else who has the same interest.

General Apologetics

• Trent Horn. He has written some great books on apologetics. I would recommend Why We’re Catholic. This is the best book I have found for our students coming into the Church. He lays out the various topics well in a way that is digestible for the modern reader.

• Peter Kreeft, Handbook of Christian Apologetics. This book gives a lot of answers and will be especially helpful for people seeking a rational explanation of the faith.

• Brandon Vogt, What to Say and How to Say It. Vogt lays out his arguments forcefully and organizes his topics well.

• Brandon Vogt, Why I Am Catholic (And You Should Be Too). This is a great book with personal testimony and reasons for being Catholic.

• Jimmy Akin, The Salvation Controversy. Jimmy Akin from Catholic Answers has decades of experience in apologetics. He does a great job laying out the important topics and bringing people the truth in an understandable way.

• Bishop Robert Barron, Catholicism. He turned his hit TV series into a book. It is very worthwhile showing people the beauty of the faith, but may be a bit heady for some.

  Christology

• Brant Pitre, The Case for Jesus. This great theologian helps the reader to see why it is clear that Jesus truly existed and is who he claims to be.

Existence of God

• Matt Fradd, Does God Exist? A Socratic Dialogue on the Five Ways of Thomas Aquinas. Matt Fradd explains things in a way that is down to earth.

• Edward Feser, Five Proofs of the Existence of God. This philosophy professor is one of the foremost experts on the five ways of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Pope and the Church

• Patrick Madrid, Pope Fiction. In the tradition of 1990s Catholic speakers, Madrid loves puns but gives a coherent defense of the Catholic teaching on the papacy.

Secularism

• George Rutler, A Crisis in Culture. As Christianity has been consistently plagued by attacks in the West, secularism has risen as a new religion. Fr. Rutler explores the meaning of this for Christianity and for the world.

New Age

• Mitch Pacwa, Catholics and the New Age. He explores his own experience with New Age ideology during his priestly formation and explains why this is incompatible with Catholic teaching.

• John Bartunek, Spiritual But Not Religious. Fr. John does a wonderful job of laying out the way the world often looks at spirituality today. He helps the reader to understand why spirituality without religion does not work.

Sexuality and the Human Person

• Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners. Christopher West has helped “translate” Pope St. John Paul’s teaching for generations of Catholics, especially in the United States. This book is a very helpful introduction to the best of what the Church teaches about the meaning of the human body.

• Jason Evert, Male, Female, Other? The author explores the meaning of sexuality in the face of a world that seems to be redefining everything.

Helpful Church Documents

• Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Dominus Iesus. This Declaration explains clearly what the Church teaches about the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and the role of the Church in salvation.

• Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium. The Gospel of Jesus Christ grants us true joy.

• Pope St. John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis. His first encyclical letter is a great help to falling in love with Jesus and his Church.

• Catechism of the Catholic Church. This is a great resource, but can be difficult to just read straight through while lying on the beach.

Stories of People Coming Home to the Church

• Patrick Madrid, Surprised by Truth. These are great stories of men and women finding their way to or back to the Church. I remember fondly reading this as a teenager.

• Scott and Kimberly Hahn, Rome, Sweet Home. The Hahns chronicle their conversion story, echoing much of what was reported in Scott’s pivotal conversion story tape that we all listened to in the car during the late 1990s. One of the big surprises for me was how different their journeys were, despite being married to each other.

• Sohrab Ahmari, From Fire By Water. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to grow up a secular Muslim in Iran and become Catholic in the United States? Ahmari tells the tale, and his journalistic talent makes it that much more exciting.

• St. John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua. This man went from being an Anglican cleric to a Catholic priest and eventually a cardinal. As part of the Oxford Movement in England, he sought always the truth, and this led him to the Catholic Church.

Podcasts

• Matt Fradd, Pints with Aquinas. He has lots of fascinating conversations with figures from Catholicism and beyond. Apologetics comes up often.

• Jason Evert, Lust is Boring. Speaking about the meaning of human sexuality, the discourse comes back constantly to the value of human existence and Christ, thus serving as a good impulse towards learning about the faith.

• Catholic Answers. This service out of San Diego has been forming people in the faith for decades.

• Lila Rose, The Lila Rose Show. She gives a feminine voice to talking about the Catholic faith.

Other Helpful Books

• C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man. What does it mean to be human? C.S. Lewis explores the question in this short book.

• George Weigel, The Courage to be Catholic. He gives great perspective on what it means to be Catholic in a world that tends to criticize the Church.

• C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity. This book has helped countless men and women to encounter the Christian faith. People might need an extra nudge to discover the Catholic faith.

• Timothy Radcliffe, What is the Point of Being Christian. Written by an English intellectual, this book explores the faith from a rather heady angle.

• Cardinal Josef Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), God and the World. This is one of the most beautiful interviews ever, discussing what it means to be Christian and Catholic.

• Pope St. John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope. This book is comparable to Ratzinger’s God and the World. It brings hope at the same time that it draws the reader closer to the Church.

• G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy. Although a bit older, his thought is coherent and points the way to Christianity, specifically Catholicism.

A friend asked me what books I would suggest for apologetics, so I came up with this list. It was great to go back over so many titles I’ve read over the years and brought some things to my radar that I need to pick up again. Exploring the faith is wonderful, and doing it with a friend is even better. Hopefully, we can all be the guiding hand, leading another person closer to the truth. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (cf. Jn. 14:6).

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Prayer

Lent is a great time to grow in prayer. I always love to see how numbers at daily Mass shoot up during Lent. Making the extra sacrifice necessary to attend daily Mass is worth it. By attending daily Mass, we make sure that we are following the daily readings that are related to the liturgical time we are living. We gain insight from the homilies throughout this time and get to receive Communion beyond just Sundays.

Taking up the rosary as a Lenten practice can also be helpful. This prayer has accompanied saints and sinners down through the centuries and Mary is always a good guide to get to know her Son. While praying the rosary during Lent, it makes sense to pay special attention to the Sorrowful Mysteries, dedicating time to the contemplation of Jesus in his suffering and death.

Perhaps, we want to make sacramental confession a big part of our Lenten journey. Especially if we are not in the habit of frequent confession, putting some dates on our calendar when we are going to go can be helpful. Before each confession, we want to make sure to do a thorough examination of conscience and we might want to do this practice daily or weekly to make sure we have a handle on how our relationship with God is going.

Spiritual reading is a great practice, especially for Lent. Taking a spiritual book and reading for 10-15 minutes a day can be life-changing. At the end of the reading time, take a few moments to reflect on what you have read and then write down some notes so that the spiritual fruit remains with you.

It can be hard to find a good book for spiritual reading, so I am going to make some recommendations.

Perhaps the most common starting place for spiritual reading for laypeople is the Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales. He offers solid spirituality and even gives the outlines to meditations so that you can begin the practice of mental prayer. I also recommend books by Jacques Philippe. He is a modern author, but dips into the perennial spirituality of the Church. If you are struggling with growing in the virtue of chastity, you might want to take a good Catholic book on the subject, such as Forged by Matt Fradd and Jason Evert. There are many good books, and but choosing one solid companion for Lent is usually better than trying to read too much.

Sometimes, we can feel like spiritual reading is only for people far advanced in spiritual life. In reality, even beginners can profit greatly from spiritual reading. If you are just starting out, I would suggest Jacques Philippe’s Time for God.

Fasting

Perhaps fasting is the penitential practice we are most familiar with during Lent. Giving up sweets under some form or another tends to be one of the more popular Lenten programs. This can be helpful and good, and definitely healthy. There are also other ways to fast.

I think it’s good to look at your habits and see if there is something you want to change. Maybe you eliminate or seriously limit screen time. Instead of watching secular shows, you make sure to consume some Catholic content.

Physical sacrifices can go beyond giving up chocolate or sweets and include other concrete sacrifices. Maybe Lent is a good time to get into a regular routine of exercise by running or going to the gym. Never do anything that might compromise your health.

Another area that people often overlook is bedtime and wake-up time. So many people struggle to get up on time. Lent might be the time to start a new habit of getting up on time. Often, we don’t think about the fact that it is hard to get up because we didn’t get to bed on time. A consistent sleep schedule might be a great sacrifice to offer Christ for Lent.

Almsgiving

Almsgiving can be supporting charities financially, but it can also be acts of service. Maybe you volunteer at a soup kitchen or tutor kids who are having a tough time in school. Whatever you do, reaching out to serve others brings you closer to Christ.

Almsgiving is about growing in our love of neighbor. We should definitely consider supporting others financially, but I think we should have a certain preference for actually doing things ourselves that serve others. This is the greatest way to grow in our love of God and neighbor.

You can’t do it all. Choose one or two practices and then stick with them throughout Lent. Re-center everything on Christ. This is why we have Lent every year. It is too easy to get distracted and go down other avenues. Once a year, we get the chance to re-center our lives on Christ.

What are some good things to look for in prospective godparents?

We get the specific rules in Canon 874 of the Code of Canon Law.

Can. 874 §1. To be permitted to take on the function of sponsor a person must:

1/ be designated by the one to be baptized, by the parents or the person who takes their place, or in their absence by the pastor or minister and have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function;

2/ have completed the sixteenth year of age, unless the diocesan bishop has established another age, or the pastor or minister has granted an exception for a just cause;

3/ be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on;

4/ not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared;

5/ not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized.

§2. A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is not to participate except together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism.

While a non-Catholic Christian can serve as a “Christian witness,” there must still be a Catholic godparent.

Beyond these norms, pastoral prudence suggests four basic things that help us know that people will be good godparents.

Sacramental life

Sacramental life is key. First of all, to be a godfather or godmother, the Church requires that the person must be a practicing Catholic who has received the sacrament of confirmation.

This means that the person is not married outside the Catholic Church or cohabitating. In this context, getting “married outside the Church” refers to a Catholic who gets married in a civil ceremony, without following the Church norms regarding marriage. Furthermore, the pastoral ideal would suggest that the person should be attending Mass regularly and sacramental confession is part of Catholic life as well.

Proximity

The idea is that these people help make sure the child is raised Catholic. This means that there must be some sort of regular contact with them. Oftentimes, this could be seen as an argument in favor of family members. Sometimes, friends drift in and out of our lives over time, while we tend to maintain contact with family members even when we or they move. However, this may not always be the case. While it is preferable that the godparents live close to the family so that there can be frequent contact, there should at least be a reasonable expectation that the godparents will be able to exert significant influence in the faith life of the child, supporting the parents in their role of raising their child in the Catholic faith.

Faithfulness

The godfather or godmother should be faithful. We do not want the parents to explain something about Catholic teaching or morality, only to be contradicted by what the godparents say or how they live. If the parents are trying to get the child to Mass every Sunday, but he or she sees that the godparents never go to Mass, this contrast can be disturbing to the life of faith.

Ability to mentor

A lot of people think that the godfather or godmother is going to get the child presents for birthdays, graduations, and important life events. More valuable, however, is the fact that this person can develop a mentoring relationship to support the parents in moments when it is more difficult for them to have direct dialogue with their child. Perhaps as a teenager, communication breaks down with mom or dad but the young person still feels confident going to his or her godparent. When the godparent preaches the same values as the parents, these dialogues can prove lifesaving for the young person.

What to Avoid

Sometimes, there are friends and family whom we esteem greatly but who do not share the same values. There are other ways to honor your friendship. Your child needs good godparents. Don’t compromise his or her spiritual health to honor your roommate from college or your sister. It’s not worth it.

Sometimes, people find that their family members would not be good godparents and when they look around at their friends, none of them are Catholic. Invest time in finding good Catholic friends. If you find yourself without a clear choice, don’t see this as a failure, but as an invitation to lean deeper into your parish community. Ask your pastor for recommendations; often, there are “spiritual giants” in the pews who would be honored to step into this role.

In summary…

Four Pillars of a Great Godparent

Pillar

What to look for…

Sacramental Life

Do they attend Mass? If married, is their marriage recognized by the Church? Do they value Confession?

Proximity

Will they actually be in your child’s life? Whether they live nearby or stay close via tech, they need to be a persistent presence.

Faithfulness

Does their lifestyle support what you are teaching at home? You want a partner in the faith, not a contradiction.

Mentorship

Could your child talk to them when they can’t talk to you? Look for someone who can be a trusted guide through the difficult teenage years.