Episode 11 - How Vestment colors are chosen and the belief all Sins are the Same

Father Mark Stoll answers questions about how vestment colors are chose, the belief all sins are the same and "once saved is always saved".   Tune in every week to Father Knows Best which is heard Wednesday nights at 9pm on Siouxland Catholic Radio 88.1 FM.

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The program is brought to you by St. Augustine Indian Mission in Winnebago, NE.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I have questions. I don't understand. I'm confused. What's going on? That's the number one I learned in school. What does the church really teach? Welcome to Father Numbers Bells from the studios of 88.1 FM, KFA C Pankasu City, and K O I A Storm Lake. Brought to you by the St. Augustine Indian Mission Minobago. We all have questions and curiosity about matters of faith as it is normal for humanity to ask questions and seek answers in the timeless quest for understanding regarding matters of faith in the church. We believe that there is no such thing as a foolish or dumb question. Only opportunities to learn and to connect. And I say the only dumb question is the one that is not asked. And the reality is that the questions you have are like questions others have, and so it is good to ask. Sometimes an answer leads to more questions. Sometimes the questions and answers will lead us to insights we never considered. We at Sudan Catholic Radio want to invite our listeners from Jackson, Nebraska to Elk Point, South Dakota, to Stromlick, Iowa. And everywhere in between and beyond, send your questions to us at FatherKnowsBest Show at Yahoo.com. Or mail them to Father Knows Best, Sudan Catholic Radio, 701 West Fifth Street, Sioux City, Iowa 51103. During this time, once a week, I or another guest will do our best to answer some of the questions I've received here at the studio so we may discover, learn, and engage our hearts and souls and minds. So we may be illuminated, informed, and inspired. So I thank you for tuning in. We invite you to open your mind, let the questions begin, and let your curiosity find its voice. I'm Father Mark Stowe, priest of the Dyson City, with you tonight. Again, joining me is Tim Soudin, Executive Director of Sioux Line Catholic Radio, presenting some of the questions I've received from your listeners. So again, Tim, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_01 1:47

I am doing wonderful. And you know what, Father? I look forward to Wednesday nights almost every week. So this is very exciting for me. Almost every week. Almost every week. I look forward every week. Well, you know there are times when it maybe isn't quite as exciting. Okay. Almost almost every week is a very appropriate description of the state. Well, we'll hope this will be exciting tonight.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

So again, thank you, Tim, for being here. And also, of course, Ann for being here at the control board to help us make it sound good. So let's dive into our questions. So, what is our first question?

SPEAKER_01 2:20

This is a question from a faithful listener. Some people believe that once saved, always saved, and when asked if they killed someone, are they still saved? And they said yes. Are there any verses in the Bible to explain that once saved, always saved is not found in the Bible?

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Thank you for that wonderful question. And let me begin by saying if anyone, anyone can find any verse in the Bible that says, once saved, always saved, please let me, the bishop, and the pope know, please. For in the 2,000 years of history of the Catholic Church, no scripture writer, no scholar, no pope has found this belief in the Bible. Rather, we do find many verses in the Bible that contradict this belief. So let's first begin with what's the origin of this belief. It comes from Martin Luther and John Kelvin, who had this misunderstanding of what we believe in justification. They believe that it is faith that justifies us. They had this firm belief, firm conviction that God, for the sake of Christ, will no longer charge us with any of our sins, but will consider and treat us as we were already just and holy, although in our inner selves we remain the same sinners as before. On the other hand, the Catholic Church believes justification is the gracious action of God which frees us from sin and communicates the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, as we see stated in Paul's letter to the Romans chapter 3, verse 22. In other words, as we see from the Council of Trent, also noted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1987 to 1989, it says, Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man. In other words, justification is a gift that is offered to us by God through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit to free us from sin based on our decision to repent, to turn away from sin, and to believe in the gospel and follow the example of Christ. Now, as I said earlier, we find many verses in the scriptures that contradict this belief, once saved, always saved. And so let me offer some some examples. Actually, several examples. In the Book of Wisdom, chapter one, verse eleven, it says, Therefore, guard against profitless grumbling, and from calumny withhold from the calumny withhold your tongues, for a stealthy utterance will not go unpunished, and a lying mouth destroys the soul. In this verse we see that we are warned against like gossip and profanity and lying, as this will lead to eternal death. In Ezekiel chapter 18, verse 24, it says, And if the just turn from justice and do evil, like all the abominations that the wicked do, can they do this evil and still live? None of the justice they did shall be remembered, because they acted treacherously and committed these sins. Because of this they shall die. This verse again rewarns us against believing and then doing evil, saying that doing evil will lead to death. In Paul's letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, verse 6, as well as St. James's letter, uh chapter 2, verse 24, it teaches about justifying faith is never alone that uh works through love is needed. And thus what I'm saying is that we need to freely cooperate with grace and avoid moral sin because mere belief without these can lead to self-deception.

unknown 5:52

St.

SPEAKER_00 5:53

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians chapter 6, verse 9 to 10 says, Do you know what do you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither sexually immoral, nor adulterers, nor uh and idolaters, nor men practicing homosexuality, nor thieves, nor greed, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Then we go to St. Paul's first letter of Timothy, chapter 5, verse 6, he writes, But the one who is self-indulgent is dead while he lives. This verse again warns us again about being self-centered, that the self-centered will not live forever with God. In the first letter of Saint Peter, chapter 2, verse 20, 21, he writes, For if they, having escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, again become entangled and overcome by them, their last condition is worse than their first, for it would have been better for them not to know in the way of white righteousness, then after knowing it and turn back from the holy commandment, hand it down to them. Again, these verses from St. Peter remind us that if we turn away from sin, we have belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and then we turn back to sin, it will not go well for us. In the letter to the Hebrews, chapter six, verse four to six, it says, For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift, and shared in the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come and then have fallen away, to bring them to repentance again, since they are recrucifying the Son of God for themselves and holding them up to contempt. These verses letter to the Hebrews again points out that if we have come to believe in Christ, we've enlightened taste the heavenly gift, which can refer to baptism in the Eucharist, and we've been lightened by faith so as to experience salvation, and then we recrucif recrucify Jesus Christ by our sins, we are then holding Jesus in disdain. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 21 to 22, Jesus says, You have heard, you should not murder, but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother should be liable to judgment. And then in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter seven, verse twenty-one, Jesus goes on to say, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Here again we see Jesus warning us against verbal profession of faith, saying, Lord, Lord, I believe in you, but that is insufficient because we need to have act of obedience. Then in Matthew chapter 19, verse 16 to 17, Jesus says to the rich young man, If you wish to enter the into life, keep the commandments. Chapter 24, verse 13, Matthew, Jesus then talking about the end of times. He says, But the one who endures to the end will be saved. In other words, Jesus is saying, salvation is conditioned on the enduring faithfulness, not on a one-time belief. In the Gospel of John, chapter 15, verse 4 to 6, Jesus is offering his what we call the vine and branches discourse. He says, Remain in me as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are picked up and thrown into the fire and burned. In other words, Jesus is reminding us that belief initiates a union with Christ, but ongoing remaining, that is abiding through obedience and f is essential. Otherwise, we face judgment. So in summary, we see that Jesus consistently provides conditions to salvation, and those conditions that we need to do the Father's will, we need to abide with him, we need to persevere. It's not about automatic belief. Being vigilant and discipleship to the end is what Jesus is asking us to do. And I'm going to add that there are other great saints of the church who have debunked this belief of once saved, always saved. For example, St. Augustine Hippoly in his tractate, which is the lecture number 47 on the Gospel of John, he wrote this about in year 420. He explains the soul's immortality while starkly warning of its capacity for spiritual death, stating he says, quote, the life of your flesh flesh is your soul. The life of your soul is your God. A f a fle the as the flesh dies in losing the soul, which is its life. So the soul dies in losing God, who is its life. Again, it's kind of a complicated uh statement, but basically what he is saying, and what the church has believed for many years, thousands of years, in fact, salvation is not an irrevocable guarantee upon initial justification, but is a lifelong process that can be forfeited through grave sin. This contradicts, of course, that prospect doctrine of once saved, always saved. So Scripture firmly states that salvation is fragile and this aligns with the church's nuance on teaching of grace, free will, and the need for persevering in our faith until death. And so if one believes, one saved, always saved, and says, I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and continues to live a life of, as St. Paul would say, sexual immortal immorality, idolatry, adultery, practicing homosexuality or theft or greed, or as a drunkard or a rival or swindler, we will not inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus always calls us to a life of faith and charity, following his commandment to love God, our neighbor ourselves, as he loves us. So I hope that answers your question.

SPEAKER_01 11:39

I think that was a very appropriate answer.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

It's a it's a very interesting question, very interesting belief, but no, we've not taught that for ever. I've heard that question before. I have too. So what should we do?

SPEAKER_01 11:55

The next question, again, from another faithful listener. We are taught that there are venial and mortal sins. When I shared this with someone, they said all sins are the same. Are there any verses in the Bible to explain differences of sins to people who are quote unquote Bible alone people?

SPEAKER_00 12:16

Thank you again for that wonderful question. Again, it's a question that's very often asked. And again, I this is highlighting again this misunderstanding that I think many Protestants, but even some Catholics have. And in short, yes, the Bible does address there's distinctions between sins, particularly highlighting the differences of the gravity and the consequences. And so, while again, the scripture does not use the modern Catholic terminology that we use of mortal and venial sins, we do find in the Bible many places where it is clearly noted there are differences in sins, and that's based on the severity, their eternal impact, and even on potential for forgiveness and the consequences. So, again, there are key passages that emphasize that sins lead to spiritual death versus those sins that do not lead to spiritual death. And these passages are the basis for the Catholic Church's teaching on when we we again talk about mortal sins and venial sins. So again, mortal sins are those that sever, break the relationship between God and us. Venial sins are those that wound that relationship with God. So one of the most direct scriptural explanations comes from the first letter of St. John, chapter 5, verse 16 to 17. And here he writes, If anyone sees his brother's sinning, the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God, and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sins are not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly. So again, St. John is using that term deadly to not deadly to refer to the various levels of sin. So deadly sins we would say would correspond to mortal sins, which cut us off of the sanctifying grace that would lead then to eternal life. Well, there are other sins, as John talks about, as not deadly, and those again we refer to as venial sins, which do not fully sever our communion with God, but still require repentance. So the encouragement that John is given here is for us to pray for those for the non-deadly sinner. And again, he's referring to this underscores the possibility that that sinner will be restored. Whereas he's cautioned against the deadly sins that again highlights its gravity. And I'm going to say, of course, Jesus further differentiates sins by identifying, you know, sins as uniquely grave or potentially unforgivable. And we see this example in Matthew chapter 12, verse 31 to 32. Again, also referenced in the Gospel of Mark chapter 3, verse 20 to 30, and also Luke chapter 12, verse 12, when Jesus says, Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. Again, here we're talking about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which we understand as Catholics to be this final impenitence or obstinate refusal to repent. And this, of course, is distinguished from other sins than which it can be forgiven through repentance through the sacraments. And so again, short, Jesus is noting there is a difference. There is a difference in types, difference in gravity. In the letter of St. James, again, verse chapter 1, verse 15, he says, Then desire when it has was conceived, excuse me, let me repeat that. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown bringeth forth death. So again, he's talking about the sin that maybe starts small and then grows to a graver sin, even then becomes deadly. And by deadly again we mean that the possibility of eternal life in heaven is lost. Of course, we also find this distinction in the new in not only New Testament, but also in the Old Testament. And again, we have to put in the context of the Jewish people, what they were, what they experienced, what they uh believed. In Numbers chapter 15, verse 22 to 2031, we find there is a contrast between unintentional sin that needs offerings for atonement. And at verse 27 in that chapter it says, If it is an individual who sins in inadvertently, this person shall bring a yearling she goat as a purification offering. As in contrast, there's the deliberate high-handed sins, which shows an awareness and willfulness that factors in the sin's grave gravity. In verse 31 of that chapter of Numbers, it says, For having despised the word of the Lord and broken his commandment, he must be cut off entirely and bear punishment. So these are just a few places in the Bible where you can find there is a distinction between types of sins, namely not all sins are the same, with some being more serious than others. And so, in short, yes, the Bible does address the distinctions among sins, particularly highlighting differences in the gravity of sins and the consequences that we experience based on the type of sin we are guilty of. After this episode, I'm going to post online on our Facebook page, my Facebook page, uh, these biblical references I've mentioned. So if you want to dive deeper into these uh references, you can do so. So again, I hope that answers your question.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

And we hope that you do use the website and Father Knows Best website to answer any questions you have about the show.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Exactly. That's a Facebook page. So again, if you're just tuning in, you're listening to Father Knows Best here on Sue Land Catholic Radio as I answer your questions about faith and the Catholic Church. Father Mark Stowe joined with Tim Swedeen, who is presenting questions I received from you, our listeners. So, do we have time for the third question?

SPEAKER_01 18:12

I think we do. All right. Another faithful listener. Where is quote unquote faith alone found in the Bible?

SPEAKER_00 18:22

Excellent. Again, another question again that people are using the Bible to prove something that's not there. So again, this is a question, you know, that is raised by Protestants to say faith alone, also known as solo fide. Again, it's similar to this solo scriptura, which again is scripture alone. So let's talk about faith alone. This can this is a belief that when we die, that we will be judged worthy of heaven because we've made a profession of faith. It's similar to the early question we addressed this evening, but again, it's simply saying, I believe in Jesus. And again, it's it's it's it's an interesting to note that in the gospels, as well as the epistle of Saint of St. Paul and others, that faith alone is not enough to be judged worthy of heaven. For example, in Matthew chapter 25, verse 35-46, Jesus again lists concrete works of mercy, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the poor and the prisoned as reasons why people will be saved, or if they don't do that, why they will be condemned. Jesus again does never mention faith alone. Jesus never asked people, you know, what they believed, confessed, or trusted. He only asks them what they did or failed to do. And so in this gospel of Matthew, he's we note that Jesus calls groups, uh Jesus says, you know, people say, Lord, Lord, and both of these groups we know that Jesus that believed that Jesus is Lord. However, one group did what Jesus wanted them to do. Then thus we see this difference between the two groups is not a difference between believers and unbelievers, but it's between those whose faith acted as opposed to those whose faith did not act. Jesus states here that, and elsewhere, he says that work and mission and service are decisive, you know, how how we are going to be judged. In this gospel again, Jesus says, For I was hungry and gave me food, and so you'll be saved. He does not say, uh, because you believe, therefore you are saved. He says, Because you fed me, you clothed me, you you visited me, you'll be saved. In fact, we know that omission of works leads to combination, as we note that the condemned are not accused of false belief, but of a failure to love. As Jesus says, You did not do this for me. And so these words of Jesus really contradict this whole classic soda fide that claims that works plays no role in final justification. Again, rather, Matthew chapter 25 shows that works determine eternal destination. And of course, in the letter of Saint James, he Saint James explicitly supports what Jesus said as he writes, a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. This is Saint James's letter, chapter 2, verse 24. Again, in other words, James is saying, faith without mercy towards the poor reject results in rejection. In fact, St. James would call this a dead faith. And so, in short, we see Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verse 35 to 46, as well as St. James, and others debuncting this faith alone, because Jesus teaches us for to join us in heaven, we not only have to believe in him, but we also need to follow his example through our good works, our service and care for others. So I hope that answers your question.

SPEAKER_01 21:41

So what you're saying is that faith has to be paired with actions.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

We gotta be doing, we gotta be acting, we've got to be putting Jesus' words into action.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

Let's put it in 2026 vernacular, because I think this is an exciting point.

SPEAKER_00 21:53

Excellent.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

We in today's environment many times drive along a street and see a sign or a person holding a sign. On the street. A priest once told me I may not always have the money to give that poor person, but I always say a prayer for that person as I drive by them. I think that's a very appropriate way to look at that.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Exactly. That's an awesome way because again, Jesus talks about, you know, praying for others. And that's, you know, we're doing something. We're we're asking for intercession for help. Right. And we may not have something physically to help them, but prayer is also a valuable part of what we do.

SPEAKER_01 22:26

Because at very many times we just may not have the thing in our pocketbook or in our wallet to be able to give them something at that time. I think that's a very good way to look at it. Exactly. Do we have time for another question? I believe we do have time for another one. Well, let's do a fourth. Let's try this. We have one from Joanne from sunny Arizona. Oh, I think we've heard from her before. I think we have. So what's she asked today? Just for this, I hope she has a 60-degree morning for her. I hope so. What is the protocol on vestment colors used at mass?

SPEAKER_00 22:58

Again, thank you for that question. You seem to be very observant again. What's happening at Mass, and again, noticing the different colors of vestments worn by the priests and deacons. Let me start off with the room in the sacr in the church where the priests and deacons gather before mass is called the sacristy. In the sacristy, in that room, there are closets. In those closets, there are vestments of various colors, designs, just like we might have in our own bedrooms, we have a closet with different outfits, shirts, pants, coats, or whatever. However, I want to point out, unlike most people who go to the closet on Sunday morning and ask, what shall I wear today to go to Mass, when a priest or deacon goes into the sacristy of the closet, they don't ask, What color of vestment shall I wear today? For the reason that the color of the vestment the priest and deacon will wear is dictated by the time of year and the celebration of the day. So their question is, you know, what are we celebrating today? That's going to determine the color. And so this the color of the vestment then helps express the mysteries, the character of the mysteries then being celebrated that day. And so essentially the priest and deacon have four colors to choose from white, red, green, and purple. White is is a color of joy and victory, celebration. It's used for seasons of Easter and the season of Christmas. It can also be you it will also be used for the feasts of our Lord, and such as Corpus Christi Sunday. It'll be used for Feast of Mary, such as the Immaculate Conception, and of course it will be used for when we celebrate the feast of angels and other saints who are not martyrs. And again, I should also point out that sometimes gold may be used as a variation of white for solemn occasions, maybe such as Christmas Day. Red is the color of blood. It's used for the days in which we celebrate the Passion of Jesus on Passion Sunday and Good Friday. It's used for the celebrations of the birthday feast of the apostles and the evangelists who are martyrs and for other martyrs throughout the year. But also red is also the color of fire, which recalls the end of the Holy Spirit, and then that red is used for also for the feast of Pentecost and for the sacrament of confirmation. Then there's green, which I think we see most of the time. Symbolizes life and hope and is used during ordinary time. There's also the colors of a purple, which could be also considered violet, used in Advent to help us remind us that we're preparing for the coming of Christ. Also used in Lent to remind us that we're called to repent repentance and to renewal. I also should point out there's also two other colors that a priest can use. There's the color rose. The rose vestment is used on the third, can be used. Not every priest has these color these colors, but rose can be used on the third Sunday of Advent, Godate Sunday, or on the fourth Sunday of Lent, Atari Sunday, to express joy of anticipation of Christmas and Easter. And also priest could choose black. Again, it's used very rarely, but could be used at a funeral or old souls day for representing death. And so the only option the priest would have then is on optional memorials when a priest can decide to celebrate the day of the season or the optional memorial of the saint. Otherwise, he is has options with styles of vestment he uses, such as we have many designers, many producers of vestments who produce different styles and designs and vestments. Thus the priest and deacon might have two or more styles of a green vestment in the calls to choose from. But in short, the color of the vestment worn by the priest and deacon at Mass is determined by the liturgical season and by the celebration of the day. So I hope that answers your question.

SPEAKER_01 26:37

Is that an individual parish slash priest choice, or is that diocese driven? They they dictate what type of vestment you can have.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

So generally it's it's a universal church that dictates. Okay. But sometimes there are local feasts too that a diocese might have, that they would have a little option. I understand. So I think we're uh we ran out of time here. I think so. So let's uh you know start wrapping this up. So we really again, I'm you know, Tim and I and Anne here, we really appreciate tuning in to Catholic Radio here as we offer both national and local programs, including Faith and Action, Joe and Fox, Draw Near with Fred and Kira, Life Plan, Catholic Ministry Professionals, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and Sunday Morning Mass. Please check out the Facebook pages for Soothein Catholic Radio and for Father Knows Best for more information about the show, including more information about questions and answers that I've addressed, and more information that I have not addressed on the show. As we wrap up today's question and answer session, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all of our listeners for tuning in and sharing your thought-provoking questions. Your curiosity and engagement make the show possible, and we are always inspired by an incredible range of topics you bring to the table. We hope that you found the answers both informative and enlightening. You'll carry some of the new insights with you as you go about your week. And if your question was not answered today, you may hear the answer to your question next week. If you missed this episode or would like to re-listen to this or other episodes, please visit our website, Siouxlandcatholic Radio.com, and visit the programs drop menu and click local programs to find this episode and other episodes of Father Knows Best and other local programs. Again, if you have any questions, please send your questions to us at Father Knows Best Show at Yahoo.com or mail them to Father Knows Best, Siouxland Catholic Radio, 701 West Fifth Street, Sioux City, Iowa 51103. And thank you to our sponsor, San Augustine Indian Mission, Winnebago. Please join us again next Wednesday at 9 p.m. for another round of questions and answers. Till then, stay curious, stay faithful, keep your light shining, and keep those questions coming. And for now, I'm Father Mark Stowe, your host, signing off, wishing you a great week ahead. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.