The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

"250 THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.Law, appeared on earth, He came to lop off thoseexcrescences which had grown on the body of theJewish ecclesiastical code, and to purify the JewishChurch from those human traditions which, in thecourse of time, became like chaff mixed with thewheat of sound doctrine. For instance, He condemns the Pharisees for prohibiting the performance of works of charity on the Sabbath day, andin the twenty-third chapter of St. Matthew Hecites against them a long catalogue of innovationsin doctrine and discipline.But did our Lord, at any time, reprove the Jewsfor their belief in a middle state, or for praying forthe dead, a practice which, to His knowledge, prevailed among the people ? Never. On the contrary,more than once both He and the Apostle of theGentiles insinuate the doctrine of Purgatory.Our Saviour says: Whosoever shall speak aword against the Son of man, it shall be forgivenhim. But he that shall speak against the HolyGhost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in thisworld nor in the world to come." 1 When ourSaviour declares that a sin against the Holy Ghostshall not be forgiven in the next life, He evidentlyleaves us to infer that there are some sins whichwill be pardoned in the life to come.St. Paul tells us that "everyman s work shall bemanifest" on the Lord s day."The fire shall tryevery man s work, of what sort it is. If any man s1 Matt. xii. 32.