So, the atonement of Christ isn’t enough to justify the faithful? We have to suffer for our sins too?
Paragraph 1478 of the CCC says “…the ‘treasury of the church’ is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted,
which Christ’s merits have before God” (Emphasis mine). Jesus’ death on the cross was more than enough to pay for our sins. The problem is that oftentimes we resist God’s grace working in our lives. I remember listening to a Protestant radio preacher some years ago who commented that he heard Christians asking for more grace. His reply was that we had all the grace we need, but that we didn’t respond to it. Scripture confirms this. Mark 6:5-6 tells us that when Jesus was in Nazareth, “he was unable to perform any mighty deeds there” due to the people’s lack of faith. Jesus was able to heal the man born blind, but could do nothing for the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees (John 9). In Catholic theology, Jesus’ death doesn’t merely cover up our sins, but transforms us, but we have to allow God to work in our lives. Hebrews 12:5-11 tells us that God chastises those whom he loves. Also, I recall reading in Acts Ch. 9 about Saul’s conversion. In verse 13, Ananias tells the Lord about all the evil things Saul has done to Christians. The Lord replies in verse 16 “I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” Now, if Saul was forgiven by Christ for persecuting him (his Body, Christians), why would he still have to suffer?
Wasn’t purgatory created just so Bishops could sell indulgances?
No. While it is true the church sold indulgences in the Middle Ages, but it was not some scam for making money The church needed to raise money from time to time for building churches, etc. Receiving spiritual gain by giving alms, etc. is completely Scriptural. Chapter 10 in the book of Acts tells us of Cornelius, a God-fearing Gentile who gave generous alms to the Jewish people. One day and angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him, “Your prayers and almsgiving have ascended as a memorial offering before God” (verse 4). The Apostle Paul thanked the Philippians for their gift of money to him, telling them “It is not that I am eager for the gift; rather, I am eager** for the profit that accrues to your account” **(4:17) and in the next verse calls their gift
“a fragrant aroma,” an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. In his second epistle to the Corinthians, he asks for money to the Macedonians, telling them “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” and that “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).
The Indulgence promoted by Pope Leo X (which triggered Luther’s revolt) was to raise money to build St Peter’s basilica. John Cardinal Gibbons in Faith of Our Fathers quotes the Protestant historian D’Aubigne, who said, “In the Pope’s Bull something was said of the repentance of the heart and confession of the lips.” In other words, no amount of money given to the church will avail a person spiritually if his heart is not right with God.
Sadly, the selling of indulgences was abused, which is why the Church stopped the practice at the Council of Trent. However, Protestants should not judge the Catholic Church too harshly. How many times have we heard a preacher from his pulpit, or a radio minister, or a televangelist tell his listeners they will be blessed if they contribute to his church or ministry? They are doing the same thing the Catholic Church did, yet the Catholic Church holds its members to a higher standard, demanding repentance and turning to God before promising any spiritual blessings for almsgiving. James Cardinal Gibbons mentions in Faith of Our Fathers that when millionaire Cornelius Vanderbilt gave a donation to a Methodist college, a Methodist minister said to him, “Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thy alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.” Gibbons dryly comments
The minister is more indulgent than even the Pope, to whom were given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven; for the minister declares Cornelius absolved without the preliminary of confession or contrition while even, according to D’Aubigne, the inflexible Pope insisted on the necessity of “repentance of the heart confession of the lips” before the donor’s offering could avail him of salvation.
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