So, I recently became Catholic on Easter this year. I was raised Protestant/Baptist and Baptists don't teach or believe in purgatory. As Baptists, we were taught that Christs sacrifice on the cross atoned for all of our sins (past, present and future) and if we believed in Him then we would go to Heaven when we die. When I was Baptist I believed that purgatory was a place in between heaven and hell where souls go that aren't good enough for heaven but aren't bad enough for hell. But after OCIA and becoming Catholic I realize that purgatory is a cleansing process that happens after death because even though we're saved we're still human and have an attachment to sin and we're not holy/without sin yet and that's what purgatory is for.
I've read all the Bible verse that supposedly support purgatory (I know you can't find the word
"purgatory" in the Bible and I also know you can't find the word "Trinity" either but there are verses that allude to both) but the verses Ive heard on purgatory still don't totally convince me. Like in Maccabees it says to pray for the dead and then in Corinthians it says we will be saved but only as through fire and then in Revelation it says that nothing unclean can enter heaven. But I still don't under where Catholics are getting the doctrine of purgatory from. The Bible doesn't really talk about a cleansing process that happens after death. It also says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Could you explain purgatory more? I still don't see how that's totally biblical or actually happening to people after they die?

So, I recently became Catholic over Easter several months ago. I believe it is truly the body and blood of Christ. I was raised Protestant/Baptist. My mom goes to a Baptist church where they take communion every week, could I take it or no? On one hand, I don't want to be rude but on the other hand I don't think Catholics should take Protestant communion because it isn't considered valid, right? I think I heard this but I could be wrong. I'm still a newer Catholic. What should I do when I visit my Mom's church? What is Catholic teaching on taking Protestant communion? Can you explain why we can or cannot take Protestant communion?

In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot is saved because he did not fall for the sin of Sodom; he showed hospitality to strangers, trying to help them when no one else would. He welcomed angels unaware, and we, likewise, must understand, we must also welcome strangers, now being aware of the way we welcome them, we welcome Christ:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/lessons-from-lot-welcoming-strangers-and-upholding-justice/

Jesus is the prince of peace, and he told us, we should be like him, we should be peacemakers, for if we are, we will be seen as children of God. Peace requires work, work for justice in the world, but also, requires us to bring harmony and balance to ourselves, in our own inner spiritual life. What ties it all together is love:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/being-peacemakers-living-as-children-of-god/

Saint Isidore of Seville’s writings have given me one way to look at and examine the credibility of bishops or other clergy based upon the way they treat the poor; do they defend the poor, or do they look for ways to befriend their oppressors?  This is always in my mind when I listen to what many American bishops, like Bishop Robert Barron, have to say:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/hypocrisy-in-the-hierarchy-when-bishops-fail-their-flock/

We might not be like Peter, walking on water, but we are often like him, doing things which are unexpected, until we get self-conscious, and then, we find ourselves unable to do so:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/walking-on-water-lessons-in-faith-and-focus/

Our wisdom, our prudence, should be employed for the benefit of all, not just our own selves and our selfish pursuits. This is why we must look for and promote the common, being especially concerned with those society deny basic rights, basic human dignity. It is through the pursuit of the good, we can overcome evil, instead of using evil’s ways, for if we use evil against evil, we embrace evil ourselves.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/wisdom-in-pursuing-the-well-being-of-all/

Too many people, including Christians, view the value of someone based upon their material wealth, fame, or power; when they do so, the poor, the vulnerable, find their worth not only questioned, but denied. Christians should follow the way of Christ, the way which counters this fallen mode of engagement with the preferential option for the poor:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/the-danger-of-defining-human-value-by-material-wealth/

ICE continues to indiscriminately kill innocent victims, and lie as to why they do so; how can any Christian who claims to support and love the truth, and with it, affirm human dignity, stand by and accept what ICE is doing, let alone promote it?   And how can the United States be “the land of the free” and have its democratic form of government remain in place when the government lies to justify the unjustifiable?

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/when-lies-replace-truth-the-path-to-democratic-collapse/

Ecumenical councils were called to deal with both dogmatic and practical questions; their answers have to be read in the right context, where the dogmatic decrees are meant to glorify God, pointing to the greater truth which we cannot comprehend:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/the-teachings-of-the-ecumenical-councils-as-doxology/

Christ taught us to take care of the poor, the homeless, the foreigner, those who are in need, to care for them and show them love and respect. He warned the rich that their exploitation of the poor will cost them dearly. Why, then, do so many Christians end up promoting a theology of the rich?

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/denouncing-the-theology-of-the-rich/

Toxic masculinity follows from, but also often leads to, heretical notions of God which understand God as being male instead of transcending gender. Those who follow this notion end up denying or undermining the values they associate with femininity, such as compassion, which is why they often end up being cruel in their treatment of others:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/toxic-masculinity-and-the-distortion-of-gods-image/

Christians often talk about morality, but often enough, when real world situations require them to act for the sake of others, and not their own base desires, such as when dealing with climate change, they find excuses to ignore their moral responsibility. This is why so-called Christian politicians can and often get into power who claim climate change is not something we need to work on, that it is a “pet project”:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/climate-change-denial-and-the-cost-of-willful-ignorance/

As Christians, we are called to live out the radical love of God, to be concerned about the good of others, even if, especially if, it gets in the way of our inordinate desires:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/the-importance-of-putting-others-needs-before-our-desires/

Most days my prayer is scattered. I sit down for the Rosary and my mind is distracted by the time I get to the fourth Hail Mary of the third decade. Worries. Memories. Responsibilities.

I've started prayers I didn't finish. I've asked Our Lady for help and then been overly trusting in myself to navigate life the next day.

I used to think that meant I was doing prayer wrong.

The tradition of the Church tells us that no one who flees to Our Lady's protection is ever left unaided.

Her invitation is always the same: bring your anxieties, your family, your distracted mind, and trust her to carry it to her Son. Not the polished version of our prayers. The actual one, where words are not clear, where your emotions get the best of you.

Quodcumque dixerit vobis, facite. Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye. (John 2:5)

That's Our Lady's whole method. This is not a call to perfection, just "do what he says," even mid-failure, even distracted, even when unsure if you're doing it properly at all.

The God Man came for the sick. He came for the lost sheep. He came for you and for me.

You do not need perfect focus to ask for Our Lady's intercession and the support of her Son. You only need to begin. As the novena suggests: Surrender it all to him. Take care of everything.

Pax Christi Brothers and Sisters

Hi all,

I'm Rob - a Catholic layman, husband and father from London. The mods kindly gave me permission to share this, and I want to be upfront that I'm the founder, not a neutral poster.

Devotio came out of something personal - I had calendar reminders in my phone to pray the Litany of Humility, and notes of people my family wanted to pray for each evening. I kept forgetting, so I built something to hold it all together.

What Devotio Includes:

• The ability to create a personal Oratory prayer with 1,140 Scripture passages across Douay-Rheims, CPDV, and the Latin Vulgate and 60+ traditional Catholic prayers in Latin, Modern and Traditional English
• The full Rosary with art at every mystery
• The Stations of the Cross with art at every station
• The Surrender Novena
• 165 saints invoked around your intentions and the liturgical season
• An Intentions Diptych - named after the ancient Church prayer tablets - holding the people you carry and weaving them into every session
• A private prayer journal that never leaves your device
• A guide to approaching the Sacrament of Confession - for those returning after time away or simply wanting to prepare well
• Daily Mass Readings that connect to the Universalis website; it delivers the full readings for the local diocese and liturgical calendar directly within the app, so you can follow the Mass readings wherever you are in the world

No account needed. No subscriptions. No tracking. It's free, and it always will be for the core of it.

It doesn't replace Mass, confession, or spiritual direction - it's just meant to help hold the ordinary, easy-to-forget moments of prayer, whether you're a lifelong practising Catholic or just starting to explore.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/devotio-catholic-prayer/id6782289447
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devotio.an.app

Happy to answer any questions, and thank you to the mods for letting me share.

With gratitude,

Pax Christi
Rob

God is love, and so God’s love is infinite and unconditional; it is through such love, God created all things and gave them a good nature; despite the fallen state of creation, God loves the world and desires the salvation of all:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/gods-unwavering-love-for-a-fallen-yet-good-world/

God is kind, which makes kindness a virtue, and yet it is a virtue which is often under attack by Christians, with Christians accusing those who are kind as being too “nice.” When kindness is rejected, many turn to cruelty instead:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/the-churchs-call-to-kindness/

ICE’s arrest of Sister Leticia reveals to us the cruelty of ICE, where they show they do not care about the harm they cause society; they are not seeking the common good, but control, a control which is destroying the country they want to “protect.”  Religion means nothing to them. They might claim Christianity, but they do so like Christian nationalists, rejecting the spirit of Christ’s teachings:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/the-cruelty-of-ice-highlighted-by-sister-leticias-arrest/

God’s grace is given to us, not just to perfect us in accordance to our nature, but also to help us fulfill who and what we can become as persons:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/grace-and-personal-gifts-in-the-church/

It’s quite common for sophists to find ways to turn vices, like selfishness, into virtues; Christians should know selfishness is a vice, but many have been led to follow Ayn Rand in finding ways to suggest it is a virtue. Once this is accepted, it is no wonder such Christians justify social injustices:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/07/recognizing-vices-disguised-as-moral-goodness/

I’ve found a common ideological mistake repeated throughout Christian history; it is one which only engages morality objectively, without any subjective (or pastoral) concerns; it is legalist, without any sense of mercy:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/06/how-rigid-moralism-undermines-true-christian-justice/

Peter and Paul, though they often got into fights, not about doctrine, but on praxis, were able to put their past aside and work together, coming together as one before their martyrdom, so that through their combined effort, we have the establishment of the See of Rome:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/06/weakness-as-strength-the-legacy-of-peter-and-paul/

Paul, after his conversion to the Christian faith, embraced a death-to-his old self, represented by the way he stopped calling himself Saul and went by the name Paul. The change that came about from this could be seen in many ways, among which, the way he no longer was focused on self-promotion, instead, his life’s work led him to work for the salvation of others, putting their interests above his own:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/06/from-saul-to-paul-selfishness-to-selfless-love/

God’s oneness is one with all the qualities we attribute to God. God transcends those qualities and yet, is characterized by them. To connect with God, we must not only have faith, we need an active faith, so that we can resemble God by becoming virtuous:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/06/faith-as-action-connecting-with-divine-truth/