In the contemporary world, there are many misunderstandings concerning purgatory. Indeed, there are many who no longer believe in it, holding instead that almost all who die go directly to heaven save a few terrible people. However, the reality of purgatory can be found in the Old Testament and has been reaffirmed by the Catholic Church repeatedly. What is purgatory? How are we to understand it? And most importantly, what can we do for the souls who dwell there?

Indulgences are understood poorly today, and many anti-Catholic polemicists falsely hold them up as licenses to sin the future or that absolution is contingent on paying the right amount of money. However, an indulgence is not the forgiveness of sin; it is rather the expiation of temporal punishment due to sin. The Church’s teaching on indulgences is entirely Biblical. Yet it was Martin Luther in the 16th century who, after years of upholding the Catholic position, opted to take his his own private spiritual struggles and elevate them to the level of new doctrines that ultimately rejected indulgences and indeed the teaching that any work can assist in our salvation.

The consecration of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, originally dedicated to Christ the Savior, was first celebrated on November 9, 324 AD by Pope Sylvester I. For over 1,700 hears, this church has stood as a symbol of the Catholic Faith and the home of many historical events, including five ecumenical councils. St. John Lateran’s symbolic value may be more important now than ever as the Church remains beset by modernism and a crisis of faith. This unsettling state of affairs can be seen once again in the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s recent rejection, in the name of ecumenism, of certain traditional titles for the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Bearing with one another is a struggle, but in the authentic Christian spirit we are called to do so. When we endure these sufferings of the shortcomings of others, which is part of accepting the cross, is part of uniting ourselves to Christ. We are so inclined to criticize others, regardless of our station of life. What we too often lose sight of is how much giving in to criticizing others and harboring discontent is how these poison our very souls. We quickly see the failures in others while ignoring our own.

In the parable of the wicked servant, Our Lord appears to give a mysterious lesson. Yet upon reflection, this parable is about the law of mercy. The mercy we show others will be measured out and shown unto us. If we desire mercy for our sins, we must bestow it upon others.

The only thing certain in life is our death. We do not know when it will be or the circumstances, but it is inevitable. Yet we believed that through the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary that we may have a good death, one that allows us to repose in the grace of God.

Without God we can do nothing good. Here, at the close of the liturgical year, we are reminded again of our dependency upon God. Even the expiation for our sins is insufficient without our Lord’s mercy. Although we know in our trust that He will grant it to us, we should never presume it is owed. Rather, we should rejoice in this great gift that is bestowed upon us.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is king by both His nature as God and also by His free decision to become one of us, to lead us out of sin to salvation. Out of devotion to Our Lord’s right to rule, we have the feast of Christ the King. And in this feast we not only honor Him, but reaffirm the sacrifice on Calvary, the great gift Christ has bestowed upon us through this sacrificial act, and accept the love He freely offers.

When we honor the feast of Christ the King, we follow Jesus’s directive to confess Him before men. Christ is like any other king, for He chose to reign over us out of love from the Cross, conquered sin, and redeemed us. And so we must ask ourselves how can we promote Christ’s kingship in our everyday lives, starting with giving up our own wills, taking up our crosses, and humbly submitting ourselves to Our Lord.