How do we know that purgatory exists? It is never mentioned in the Bible, so where did the Catholic tradition about Purgatory come from?
Although the word "purgatory" is not mentioned in the Bible, the reality of purgatory is clearly mentioned there. The words "Trinity" and "incarnation" and "Bible" are not mentioned in the Bible, but these realities are revealed there. Jesus speaks of sins to be forgiven in the life to come (Matthew 12:23). Saint Paul speaks of those saved in the next life "through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:15). Saint Peter speaks of the "spirits in prison" (1 Peter 3:18-20) and of the Gospel "preached to the dead" (1 Peter 4:6). The Bible explicitly tells us to pray for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:44-46). Besides being found in Sacred Tradition, which explicitly affirms the existence of purgatory, it is clearly that the doctrine of it existence is also found in Sacred Scripture.
Reprinted from November 8, 1996
My Protestant friend says
that I must "accept Jesus as my personal savior." Where is this
in the Bible?
The term and expression "personal Savior" cannot be found in the Bible nor in any legitimate Christian Tradition. Implicit in your friend's terminology are the heresies of Gnosticism, Pelagianism, and Fideism. It is ironic that Protestant groups, which claim to be based on the Bible alone, would insist on a practice and on words not found there. It might be possible, with many qualifications and explanations, to give a Catholic and orthodox view of the expression. However, this would require an accompanying statement expressing the necessity of the Church for salvation. Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church about these matters, especially numbers 748 through 913.
Reprinted from August 13, 1999
Did Jesus tell His apostles to promote Bible reading?
Of course not. When Our Lord ascended into heaven, the most important part of the Bible, the New Testament, was not even written yet. Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church and entrusted all of His divine revelation to her, promising to be with her to the end of time and promising that she would preserve intact this revelation by the continuous help of the Holy Spirit. Some of revelation is contained in Sacred Scripture and some in Sacred Tradition. Most people at the time of Christ were (and most people on earth even to day are) illiterate and there fore could not (and cannot) even read the Bible.
Reprinted from July 16, 1999
How do we know that certain Old Testament figures, such as
David, Abraham, and Moses are saints in heaven?
We know this because the Catholic Church tells us this is so.
Reprinted November 24, 1999
If after the sin of Adam and Eve
no people had sanctifying grace until Jesus came, how could Old Testament
people get to heaven and be saints?
All human salvation comes in and through Jesus Christ. Those in the Old Testament who were saved were justified (received sanctifying grace) by means of their belief in the coming, future Messiah. Of course, they could not enter heaven until Christ died and rose from the dead. It was to the just of the Old Testament (1 Peter 3:19) that Christ's soul went when "He descended into hell." They accompanied Him when He ascended into heaven. The justified of the Old Testament were baptized into Christ by a baptism of desire, and in that way received sanctifying grace.
Reprinted November 24, 1999
When the Bible says that Mary brought forth her first-born son, doesn't' that
mean that later she had other children too?
No, the term "firstborn" is a specialized legal term in Jewish liturgical law. It does not imply that there were other children. Recently, a significant number of tombstones from interestrumental times have been uncovered which tell of women who died in childbirth giving birth to their "firstborn" sons. They obviously had no other children.
Reprinted from January 22, 1999
What is the meaning of the Song of Songs or Canticle of
Canticles in the Bible?
It should be seen as love poem and song, speaking in terms of human love to describe the relationship between God and His Chosen People and also between God and a chosen human soul. Many great saints, including St. Therese of Lisieux, wrote commentaries on this part of the Bible. They are worthwhile reading. Also there are many very good Catholic Bible commentaries available that can help you learn more about their meaning.
Reprinted from January 22, 1999
What are the "catholic" epistles in the Bible?
The seven epistles in the New Testament which are not attributed to St. Paul are called "catholic." This means they had a universal destination and were not necessarily directed originally to one community of the faithful in their literary form. The "catholic epistles" are one epistle of St. James, two of St. Peter, three of St. John and one of St. Jude.
Reprinted from October 16, 1998
Were there any women priests in the Old Testament?
There were many heroic, great and saintly women in the Old Testament, such as Ruth, Judith, Esther, Rebecca, Rachel, Miraim, etc. However, none of them were priests. In the Old Testament as in the New, God chose only men to be priests. Various pagan and false religions, of course, have had and continue to have priestesses. But, the true religion does not. This arrangement of God does not mean that women are in nay way inferior to men. It means, however, in certain matters and circumstances the sexes are not interchangeable.
Reprinted from September 25, 1998