Catholics believe in indulgences because ultimately we know we’re all sinners and need God’s mercy. When a person commits a sin, there are two kinds of punishments that they have to deal with as a result of that sin. The first is called “eternal punishment” which means the sinner can’t enter heaven because of a grave sin that is not repented from. Through Christ’s sacrifice we don’t have to suffer eternal punishment if we repent. The second kind of punishment is called “temporal punishment” and every sin we commit carries a temporal punishment with it.

Temporal punishment is not God getting back at us for disobeying Him. We bring it on ourselves. It’s like if you shatter your friend’s iPhone screen and they don’t have insurance. They’ll probably forgive you (in God’s case He always forgives us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation) but you still have to pay for your friend to replace their phone.

Purgatory is one of the ways we make reparation for our sins and pay back our temporal punishment so that we can get to heaven. The exciting part is that we can get a head start on fulfilling our temporal punishment through indulgences.

“An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.” (CCC 1471)

There are both “plenary” and “partial” indulgences. Plenary means you’re released from all of the temporal punishment you need to fulfill, and partial means you’re released from some, or a part of it. There are certain feasts during the year on which you can obtain an indulgence by doing the acts of devotion, penance, and charity required. The Church is trying to inspire us to do good works, while using its treasury of the graces from Christ and saints to help us get to heaven. (CCC 1478)

You can gain an indulgence for yourself, or for someone who’s already passed away and may still be in Purgatory.

Catholics genuflect in Church in order to show our reverence to the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Imagine you’ve been transported to the middle ages. You’re summoned by the king to come before him in his palace. Before you go you put on your best, middle ages outfit – which is probably brown. You even wash behind your ears. When you walk into the throne room you know you’re supposed bend one of your knees in admiration and respect of the king’s authority and rank.

Jesus Christ deserves the same kind of admiration and honor that would be due a grand king. Now (back to present day) imagine that you are walking into the throne room of the King of creation, the Lord of Lords, the beginning and the end. When we walk into God’s throne room, the church, out of respect for His glory hidden in the Tabernacle we should genuflect.

Genuflection is defined as “A reverence made by bending the knee, especially to express adoration of the Blessed Sacrament” (CCC 1378). As we walk into the house of God, a church, we show our adoration for Him by kneeing before Him.

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” (Psalm 95:6)

Catholics have 40 days of Lent because Jesus went into the desert for 40 days. 40 is a significant number in the Old Testament too.

It rained for 40 days when Noah was in the ark. (Genesis 7:12)

Moses was on Sinai for 40 days receiving the Ten Commandments and the law from God. (Exodus 34: 28 – 29)

The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years after they were freed from bondage in Egypt and were heading for the “promised land.” (Joshua 5:6)

The prophet Elijah did a 40 day fast. (1 Kings 19:7-9)

Jesus was “thrust” into the desert by the Holy Spirit for 40 days to fast and be tempted by Satan. (Matthew 4:1)

So it makes sense for us to give up chocolate for 40 days . . . right? Where’s the connection? There’s something common with all these stories – they’re all a prelude to something new and awesome happening. Those 40 days (or years) prepared Noah, Moses, the Israelites, Elijah, and Jesus for the next part of God’s plan. It was a time of training and strengthening.

That’s what the liturgical season of Lent is for us. It’s 40 days of preparation and purification before Easter. Easter is the time that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and our “new life” in Christ.

It’s a great time to pray about where we need to be “made new” in our lives. We discipline ourselves during Lent for 40 days so that at Easter we can celebrate not only Christ’s victory, but our victory in taking one step closer to sainthood.

Picture it: You’re in a hurry. You’re focused on school or work or family or friends, where there are a thousand things going on. You stop “real quick” to eat in the middle of the day. Halfway through the meal – or a little while after – you remember it’s Friday. And it’s Lent! And that’s a burger in your stomach!!

In the words of Homer Simpson, “D’oh!”

This has happened to me before, and odds are that it has happened at one time or another, to you. A side note here to anyone who may be worrying or feeling guilty right now: If you forget, then no, it is not a sin.

So why exactly do Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent?

Actually, people offer several reasons for why the church embraces this discipline, a tradition that dates back hundreds of years. Some say it was because the church was trying to support the fishing industry when times were tough. The church was trying to keep fishermen “afloat” (yes, pun intended). There is some historical evidence of that, dating all the way back to the second century.

Some say it was safer to eat fish than meat. Everyone knew the specific time frame in which it was safe to eat fish, while people tended to test that time frame with beef. There’s some historical evidence to that too, dating back to about the seventh century.

Some point out that hundreds of years ago only the very wealthy could afford meat. Fish (in comparison) was the poor man’s meal. It was cheap, humble food that you had to catch yourself.

Some say that not eating meat helped folks to focus on the humility of Christ, who lived a simple man’s life. There are literally dozens of other examples for this disciplines evolution over the years and the Church’s maintenance of it. They are good to know, but they didn’t help me a lot when I was teenager. I just knew that I wanted meat.

If we aren’t focusing on Jesus and on the cross when we abstain from the meat, then the matter can become less about Lent and more about “should I have the meatless pizza or the grilled cheese sandwich?” We all know that it’s so much more than that.

I prefer to look at it like this: Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior, gave up His own body, His own flesh, that Friday so many years ago, for me and for you. He went through the pain of that self-sacrifice, completely mindful of God the Father. When I go through the incredibly minor act of abstaining from meat on Fridays, it is just one tiny act of self-sacrifice that points me back to that awful but Good Friday. That was the Friday when God loved me so much that He gave up His flesh in the most selfless act in history.

Thinking about how often my physical body can lead me into sin and away from God, it is great to have a chance to let my body help lead me out of sin and toward God. That’s the essence of what St. Peter was saying when he wrote:

“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin…” (1 Peter 4:1)

You see? Abstinence from meat is more than just “going without” during Lent or just a reminder that Christ offered His flesh for us on the cross. Abstinence is a form of prayer, a discipline. When we abstain from meat, we focus on Christ and on our souls, rather than on self and on our bodies. It is faith in action, placing our attention on Jesus and offering Him “our flesh” as a sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2), a vessel through which He can and does work.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I guess you could say that abstinence makes the body (and soul) grow holier…if we embrace it and allow it. Meat is great, but Jesus seemed to do pretty well with just bread and fish, and so did everyone else who received the feast that day (Mt 15:34-37). Remember, God made vegetables, too. ☺

“Excuse me, you’ve got some dirt on your head.”

Every year someone says that to me on Ash Wednesday. Maybe it has happened to you too. In the past it used to frustrate me, but in recent years I have come to see it as a great opportunity to evangelize, to share with someone about the most important person in my life: Jesus Christ.

So, what do you say when folks ask you about that smudge on your forehead?

Here are a few responses that I would not recommend:

The Ignorant Response

“My mom made me go to church and get them. I have no idea what they mean.”

The Sarcastic Response

“I’m protesting showers. Today, ashes; tomorrow I’m going to swim in raw sewage.”

The Ridiculous Response

“I have a big zit that I’m trying to cover up. Is it working?”

The Practical (but Misguided) Response

“Better dirty on the outside of my head than on the inside.”

And here are a few responses that I would recommend:

The Biblical Response

Over forty passages in the Bible associate ashes with mourning and grief. In Old Testament times people used ashes as a sign of repentance. They would sit in ashes, roll around in them, sprinkle them upon their heads, or even mingle them with their food and drink. They did this as an outward sign of their inward posture of repentance. Check out Daniel 9:3-6, for an example.

Ash Wednesday begins Lent, a time when we stop and assess how we’re doing in our walk with God. Lent helps us identify spiritual areas in which we can grow and sinful areas that we need to avoid. To repent, put simply, means to turn away from sin and turn toward God. We use ashes as an outward expression of our need to begin again.

A Traditional Response

Ashes are a sign of physical death, as in “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” We began as dust (a joyless and lifeless existence), and our bodies will return to dust until we are raised up by Christ. By receiving ashes and keeping them on, we publicly proclaim our intent to die to our worldly desires and live even more in Christ’s image, which we focus on during the season of “rebirth” that is Lent (a Latin term for “Spring”).

The Historical Response

For over twelve hundred years on the dies cinerum (day of ashes) faithful followers have approached the altar and received ashes upon their foreheads. These ashes are made from the burnt palm fronds that were blessed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. The ashes are sprinkled with holy water, usually fragranced with incense and blessed using four prayers that are thousands of years old.

The use of ashes for repentance and penance can be traced even further back and is practiced throughout the world. On Ash Wednesday ashes are applied to believers’ foreheads in the shape of the cross.

The Symbolic Response

God formed Adam out of the “dust” of the earth, which we read about in Genesis 2:7. In addition, Jesus healed the blind man with clay (earth and spit) in John 9:6. We mark ourselves with ashes as a “new beginning” at the onset of Lent, allowing the life of Jesus Christ to make us whole and new again.

The Most Basic Response

I’m a sinner. I don’t always love God as strongly as I could or as directly as I should. Ash Wednesday reminds me that it is only through God that I have life; He gave it to me.

Ash Wednesday also begins my preparation for Holy Week and the Passion and Resurrection of my Lord, Jesus, without Whom I have no life here and no chance at eternal life in Heaven. This is just a great opportunity for me to get better. Thanks for asking.

God forgives. He loves. And He gives this sinner a second chance. Put simply: my God kicks ash.

Taken, in part, from Ask the Bible Geek 2: More Answers to Questions From Catholic Teens

Catholics believe the Pope is infallible because Jesus gave the role of Pope the authority to make decisions for the Church when He first appointed Peter as head of the Church.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says to Peter, “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

Jesus gives Peter a unique mission to preserve the purity and sanctity of the Holy Church. Since Jesus intended the Church to endure through the ages, Peter could not be the only head. Succession was necessary in order for the Church to prevail until Jesus comes again, and there has been an unbroken succession of popes from Peter to our current Pope, Benedict XVI.

This means that Pope Benedict XVI was ordained by a bishop who was ordained by a bishop who was ordained by a bishop who was ordained by a bishop (you get the idea) who was ordained by St. Peter. Peter, along with succeeding Popes and bishops were and are given the authority to govern the Church, and provide teachings regarding faith and morals.

The word “infallible” does not mean that the Pope is perfect. It also does not mean that the Pope knows everything. Instead, infallibility only applies when the Pope speaks about solemn, official teachings on faith and morals, and he can’t ever change, add, or subtract Christian doctrine.

He only helps define or explain what we already believe, and he doesn’t do it on his own. The infallible teachings of the Pope are the result of many years – sometimes hundreds of years – of consultation with the other bishops and theologians of the Church. He is, in effect, voicing the belief of the whole Church.

Catholics do not pray to statues.

That would be idolatry and therefore, a violation of the First Commandment. If a person prays to a statue out of superstition, believes that the statue has special powers or is even God – that is idolatry.

However, this is not what Catholics do when they pray in front of a statue. Catholics worship with their whole person and all of the senses. A statue, or any other piece of religious art, is intended to draw the soul deeper into prayer by helping the senses to recall the mystery that it represents.

Crucifixes, a statue of Mary or stain glass windows help to provide a “centering point” for a soul to meditate and contemplate the great mysteries of God.

Statues have quite a history in the Church – they’ve been around for awhile. Before the printing press was invented, it was difficult for a person to find the Bible in print. People didn’t have individual Bibles to teach them about the story of salvation. And even if there was a Bible around most people couldn’t even read.

Statues and other pieces of religious art became a means for the Church to teach the Bible. A person could walk into a monastery or church and learn about Jesus Christ by simply looking at the religious art and the story that the art told.

In fact, the Catholic Church’s long history of art reflects her ability to impact and evangelize within culture. The greatest artistic period of the modern world was the Renaissance period. If you do a tour of Europe and look at Renaissance art, it’s almost all religious art pointing to Christian Tradition or Biblical stories. The art of the time period reflects the Catholic Church’s ability to evangelize an entire culture so that everything spoke of the glory of God.

Have you ever been to a wedding? There are a lot of people in the wedding. There is flower girl, bridesmaids, groomsmen, ushers, wedding coordinator, etc. All of these people add to the celebration of the wedding.

However, if they don’t come, the wedding would still happen. The only two people needed for a wedding are the bridegroom and the bride. If one of them does not show up, the wedding doesn’t happen.

The Bible says that Jesus is the bridegroom and the Church is His bride (Song of Songs, John 3, Revelation). At Mass, we are called to the wedding feast of Heaven where we are united to our bridegroom in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We can always count on the bridegroom showing up.

When we are at Mass, we renew our Covenant with Him – the New Covenant that he instituted with us at the Last Supper. It is this covenant – this promise made by the one who loves us – that allows us to one day spend eternity with our bridegroom in Heaven.

This covenant is something that has to be renewed every week on the Sabbath. Genesis 1 says that God created in six days and on the seventh day he rested. The number seven in Hebrew is “sheba” which is also the Hebrew word for covenant.

On the seventh day in the book of Genesis, God created a covenant with man and the seventh day would be put aside for creation to worship her Creator. This is also why God commands us to worship Him, to “keep holy the sabbath day” in the ten commandments (Exodus 20:8-11).

When we skip Mass on Sunday, we are violating our covenant with God. We are saying to God, “I don’t need to be united to you. I don’t need to worship you.” It may seem innocent, but we are actually declining His marriage proposal. We are not showing up for our own wedding.

When we make a decision to deny His invitation to covenant we are saying we don’t want a relationship with Him. Because our God loves us and is a gentleman, he allows us to do this.

However, it’s a grave sin to miss Mass.

If we have full knowledge that missing Mass is a grave sin and we fully consent to it (i.e. being sick or getting in a car accident on the way to Mass would be legitimate excuses for missing Mass), then we are in a state of mortal sin – we have cut off our relationship with God and need to seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation before we receive Holy Communion again.

Why is it that Christmas and Easter are the only two times during the year that you have to leave for church an hour early to get a seat? It’s sad but true. What is even sadder is the reaction that regular Mass-goers give on Easter and Christmas to others who don’t come the rest of the year.

To name a few:

• The frustrated sighs when circling the parking lot.
• The verbal complaints about the recurring pain in the feet while walking from “overflow parking” in uncomfortable shoes.
• The physical annoyance that comes with being crammed into an overcrowded pew like a circus clown into a Volkswagen.
• The spite-filled glances that family members give to people who they’ve never seen in church before.
• The anger that boils when the “new people” take the best seat, the last sprinkled donut, or “all of father’s time” on the way out.

It absolutely breaks my heart when I see people who go to church bash others for not going. It hurts me even more deeply when I see reactions like those listed above from other believers, who proclaim that they love Jesus but miss him in the flesh, in the person returning to church. It’s easy to fall into the trap, unless we realize that it is a trap.

Changing our Vision

If we claim to be Christian, we must realize what that means. It means that our idea of “justice” and “what’s fair” might not be God’s. Wasn’t it God who paid the one-hour workers the same as the full day workers (Mt. 20:1-16)? It means that when Christ, the Good Shepherd calls those “sheep” who are far from Him (Mt. 18:12) it doesn’t necessarily mean the ones “far from church.” It might mean the ones sitting in the front pew, whose hearts are far away, even though their bodies are near Him. It means that Jesus preaches peace and repentance (Eph. 2:17-18) not only to those who come to Mass twice a year, but to those who go to Mass twice a week or more. It means that we must lose any idea of what we “deserve.”

Aren’t we supposed to rejoice when the prodigal son comes home, instead of acting like the older brother who was annoyed that he didn’t get more attention, or the best seat at the party (Luke 15:28)? He was so angry that he didn’t even “enter in” to the Father’s celebration! It means that the salvation of all is important to you, not just your own salvation and that of your family.

We’re all in this together, every one of God’s creation. If you’ve ever grown angry with your brothers and sisters in faith (that’s right, your brothers and sisters), don’t be down on yourself – be up on them. Begin praying for them. Pray that their hearts would be open more than ever this year, when they return to your family table.

Be thankful to pull up a folding chair in the back, just for the chance to be at the feast. Be grateful that your extended family has come home. Welcome them with a smile, the greatest silent invitation for them to come back again. Extend a hand to them and be sure they know that they’re welcome anytime. Pray with humility (the way we always ought) and remember that you are the only sinner whose behavior you can control. In short, honor God with more than your lips, but with your hearts – focusing less on how it makes you feel, and more on what their sacrifice (however small in your mind) means to God at that moment.

How far we are from God is rarely about physical distance, but spiritual openness. If you and I are more open to God, we’ll want to be closer to Him. If we want to be closer to Him, others will see something different about us. When others see something different about us, they’ll want to know the source of our joy. When they discover the source of our joy, others will seek to know Him more personally. When the seek to know Him more personally, they’ll enter the Church. When they enter the Church and are welcomed in, they’ll come back. When they come back, they’ll continue to learn not only Who God is, but who they are not. When they realize who they are not, they’ll recognize their own need for God. And the cycle keeps on spinning. The reality is that if everyone who presently goes to Church would stop and realize where they themselves are in the above equation, we wouldn’t have to worry about the church being too small on the holidays…we’d build them even bigger from the start.

Who were the people closest to Jesus at the crucifixion? It was our Mother Mary and St. John, the two criminals and the Roman soldiers. Now, which ones do you want to be most like? Yeah me too.

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father; He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.”