Perfect for Lent! Free, Downloadable, Fully Illustrated, Catholic Faith Study: “Overcoming the World, the Flesh and the Devil, In and Through Our Lord, Jesus Christ.”

The True Story of Our Salvation In Jesus Christ
Perfect for Lent.
The “Hows” and “Whys” are explored and illuminated
according to the official rubrics of The Sacred Deposit of the Faith,
suitably enhanced by authentic, insightful excerpts
from the writings and reflections of some of the greatest
theologians, saints and scholars, of all time.

One Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
The masterful expressions and subtle nuances
of the classic illustrations greatly enhance the overall experience.

PART ONE:
The primeval events
that resulted in the Fall of Man (PDF)

PART TWO:
The totally gratuitous
saving works of God (PDF)

PART THREE:
Why we venerate
the Blessed Virgin Mary (PDF)

*** EXCELLENT LENTEN STUDY ***

PART FOUR:
The mystery
of our redemption
revealed (PDF)

*** EXCELLENT LENTEN STUDY ***

PART FIVE:
The spiritually vital mission
of the Holy Church (PDF)

PART SIX:
Our personal identity
in Jesus Christ (PDF)

Download the latest Adobe PDF Reader Software for free

For detailed information on a wide range of Catholic topics
(available in both English and Spanish language formats)
visit Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest”

Corruptio optimi pessima is a Latin phrase meaning, “corruption of the best becomes the worst.”

Biden’s version of Catholicism is an escapade.  Biden’s election was illicit.  His fake-Presidency is ridiculous, full of blunders, gaffs and senility.  But probably over 50% of US Catholic priests and bishops voted for this man in 2020—thinking it was the “Catholic” thing to do.

Read more

Thanks to my parents and family … I know man and I know God. I know love and I know wrath. I know justice and I know peace … and I know (as a faithful Catholic) that I have nothing to fear.

by Doug Lawrence

I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s, in a (fairly) conventional family consisting of dad, mom, two brothers and a sister.

Dad took the car to work each day. Mom stayed home and took care of the house and kids. No surprises there.

We all went to Catholic school … but that’s not the point. The point is how mom ran the household … and particularly … the way she personally maintained family standards.

Even though we rarely had any serious discussions, there was no doubt that we were unconditionally loved and cared for … mainly because that’s pretty much all that mom did … 24/7 and 365. Of course, dad’s job (and his personal commitment to the family) made possible that extraordinary level of “intensive care”.

The house was always spotless. Meals weren’t fancy, but they were generally prepared on time and in abundance. Our clothing, grooming, and personal behavior were always closely and very effectively monitored … sometimes through “mysterious” means. Family outings were modest affairs, but frequent. Holidays were indeed feasts, with Christmas and Easter being number one and number two (but not necessarily in that order). Sundays were reserved for Mass and for family.

That’s just the way things were. We never questioned why.

Little went unnoticed, and nothing important to mom could ever be considered (by us) as irrelevant or insignificant, since we knew with certainty that a fate worse than death awaited all those who might transgress.

The means of our execution was the dreaded “whipstrap”!

Reputed to be a family heirloom of indeterminate age, the whipstrap had been fashioned from a stout piece of leather, roughly three inches wide and twenty-four inches long. The first part served as a handle. The last was cut into a classic “cat o’ nine tails” … and it was truly awesome to behold!

The “instrument” typically need not even be displayed, since the mere mention of it was usually sufficient to restore order. But, when partial measures were unsuccessful, deploying the whipstrap and applying a stroke or two, usually did the trick.

Mom was in pretty good physical shape (probably from all that walking … since she didn’t drive … and there was no outrunning her. She was even known to leap fences (and reportedly, tall buildings) in a single bound. And should we have been fortunate enough to discover a hiding place that was (as yet) unknown or inaccessible to her, dad would always be home, by six.

There was no escape!

The carnage wrought by the whipstrap was immense … and the suffering impossible to imagine … at least for a moment or two … in our young minds. Yet we all survived … and thrived … mainly because we were able to develop a good, clear sense of what was right and what was wrong. We also learned that actions brought sure and certain consequences … and sometimes, those consequences could be unpleasant.

The whipstrap effectively symbolized all of that potential unpleasantness. In this, a vision of Hell itself could not have been any more effective.

Years later … studying the Old Testament of the Bible … I suddenly realized that all the carnage and strife recorded therein really wasn’t much different than what went on back home … albeit on a much grander scale.

God lovingly cared for his children. God had particular standards and preferences, and when the “kids” got out of hand, God did what was necessary … for their own good … to rein them in.

Evil, in the person of Satan, made the problems in the Bible much more intractable, and the consequences much more severe. But, the “model” still works, since God remains the master of life and death, and he is most certainly able to transcend any and all human sufferings and failings … either in this world … or in the next.

Back home, should there have ever been any doubt about the fairness of our punishment, a hug from mom or dad was typically all that was necessary to fix things. No harm. No foul. Life went on.

My Catholic faith informs me that a “hug” from the Almighty would undoubtedly, have a similar effect.

So, you see … thanks to my parents and my family … I know man and I know God. I know love and I know wrath. I know justice and I know peace … and I know (as a faithful Catholic) that I have nothing to fear.

It’s good to “know” stuff like that … especially, when living in difficult times!

How Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” came to be hosted by Doug Lawrence at AskMeAboutGod.Org

by Doug Lawrence

Bob and I were Internet colleagues in the Catholic faith since the early 2000’s. We spoke on the telephone on only a few occasions, but we kept in regular communication, via email.

At some point, Bob mentioned that he was getting older and was concerned about one day, being unable to maintain The Catholic Treasure Chest, so I told him I would make regular backups of the site and should it ever go offline and I was unable to contact him, I would restore and maintain it.

Bob liked the idea, so that’s what we agreed to do.

With Bob’s permission, I had been distributing the Catholic Treasure Chest on CD, mailing copies to people all around the world (Internet service was often “spotty” back then) so most of the technical work was already done.

Bob mentioned it in his article, entitled “In Lieu of A Book”:

“I have received many requests to put this website into a book.
But, I sense a frustration in having to download and save each page
of this very large site.

It has taken me years and thousands of hours
to put it all together and I certainly would not relish the time
it would take to download it page by page, either.

Putting it all into a book is a good idea.
However the sticking point is my having the time to do it.
I simply cannot do it for that reason, among others.

However I have a great solution
that was suggested by a dear new-found friend.
He is a teacher and many of his students do not have a computer
that is online, in order to go and visit the site.

He asked my permission to put the whole website onto a cd-rom
and pass a CD to each of his pupils.

I thought that was a great idea
and wondered why I had not thought of it myself.
Of course I gave him permission and he sent me a copy
and it was just like visiting the site online,
but much faster than even DSL…”

I would often link to the Catholic Treasure Chest from my website, referencing many of Bob’s wonderful articles. So, when The Catholic Treasure Chest domain was taken over by an Indonesian gambling casino and much of the content became unreliable or unavailable, readers from far and wide emailed me, asking what had happened.

Unable to make contact with Bob, I assumed the worst and went to work, successfully salvaging and restoring the site.

Because the Internet domain had already been assumed and taken over by others, it was necessary to bring The Catholic Treasure Chest over to my askmeaboutgod.org domain. It should be “safe” here, for many years to come, as by design, my site should be able to continue on (God willing) long after I have passed away.

Meanwhile, readers from a host of different countries, all around the globe, are beginning to reconnect with Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” (as I respectfully refer to it.)

Bob had quite a following. I have received a good number of enthusiastic emails from readers who are very thankful that Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” is back.

I’m sure that Bob would agree that this is no mere, coincidence. Together, we prudently developed a simple, effective plan for succession. I consider it a grace to have been privileged to do the work. Praise God!

The world needs Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest”. It has always been a unique and precious, irreplaceable Catholic information resource. People of faith instinctively recognize that fact.

Bob Stanley has passed away

Bob will be sorely missed. Even though he’s gone, his great work will carry on, as a blessing to the whole world.

There’s not very many people about whom that may be truly stated.

I have arranged for Bob to be remembered in daily Mass intentions,
until the end of time. Please pray a “Hail Mary” for the repose of his soul,
when you have the time.

Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” is available on-line,
in English and Spanish languages,
as well as in a portable, downloadable PDF version.

Here’s the links:

Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” (PDF)
Down To Earth Answers To Virtually All Your Heavenly Questions.
English – On the Web
Spanish – On the Web

The web versions also have a new, very convenient, custom search feature, which makes locating specific content much faster and easier.

Seriously misguided Atlantic Magazine writer labels Catholic Rosary devotions and the Catholics who practice them, a clear and present danger

A “Ranger Rosary” popular with armed forces, all around the world

This writer totally fails to fully appreciate the real, substantial difference and authentic purpose between a Catholic who relies on Divine Providence, Truth, Power, Law and Justice, in close cooperation with God’s grace, compared to someone who chooses the utter blasphemy of the world, the flesh and the devil, by subscribing to the insipid, impotent and thoroughly unholy, “Radical Wokeness” of these times.

Or perhaps he does, since he seems to be so very afraid of it?

This man was known to pray the Rosary on a daily basis. By invoking the Holy Spirit before the Polish people, who also were known to regularly pray the Rosary, Saint Pope John Paul II managed to bring down the “Evil Empire” of the old Soviet Union and free all of Eastern Europe from Communism, without a single shot being fired, in anger – something all of the world’s “Greatest Powers” – working together – had never been able to accomplish.

I wonder why no one seems to be invoking the intercessory power
of Saint John Paul II and the Rosary, in the present day,
Russia/Ukraine conflict?

Read the article

For the record: The Rosary is infinitely more powerful, as a weapon, than an AR-15 rifle, but the two operate on entirely different levels.

Further study from Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest”:

Saint Dominic and the Rosary

‘Wonder not that you have obtained so little fruit by your labors, you have spent them on barren soil, not yet watered with the dew of Divine Grace. When GOD willed to renew the face of the earth, He began by sending down on it the fertilizing rain of the Angelic Salutation. Therefore preach my Psalter composed of 150 Angelic Salutations and 15 Our Fathers, and you will obtain an abundant harvest’. (The original, 15 decade Rosary devotion.)

The Miracle At the Battle of Lepanto

… at dawn on October 7, 1571–as Vatican Archives later revealed–Pope Pius V, accompanied by many faithful, was praying the Rosary in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. From dawn to dusk the prayers continued in Rome as the Christians and the Moslems battled at Lepanto. When it was all over the Moslems had been defeated. Of some 270 Moslem ships, at least 200 were destroyed. The Turks also lost 30,000 men while Christian casualties numbered between 4,000 and 5,000. The Rosary had won a great military victory.

How To Pray the holy Rosary (PDF)

The Rosary and the Scapular are inseparable

Classic Bible Commentary Offers Profound Insights Into Holy Scripture

Practical excerpt from the commentary:

[Luke 1:26–38. Mat. 1:18–25]

The angel of the Lord was sent to Mary in order to procure this (her) consent. The time had arrived, and the Son of God was ready to descend from heaven and become Man.

It only remained for her, whom God the Father had chosen to be the Mother of His Son, to give her consent to be so. The angel of God therefore explained this great mystery, and waited for her answer, on which depended the salvation of the world.

While meditating upon that decisive moment, St. Bernard uttered this prayer to Mary: “Now, O Virgin, thou hast heard what is to be, and how it is to be. Both mysteries are exceeding joyous and wonderful. But the angel awaits thine answer, for it is time for him to return to God who sent him.

We too, O Mary, our Queen, we who are weighed down by the divine sentence, we wait for thy speech, thy words of mercy. For behold, the price of our redemption is offered to thee; and as soon as thou dost accept it, we shall be saved.

We were all created by the eternal word of God, and yet, behold, we die! But if thou wilt speak one little word, we shall live!

Speak then, Oh, speak that decisive word. Adam and his unhappy children, banished from Paradise, beseech this of thee! David and all our holy fathers—thy fathers too—beseech thee! The whole world, prostrate before thee, looks to thee and beseeches!

On thy words depend the comfort of the afflicted, the deliverance of the condemned, the salvation of the children of Adam! Hesitate not, O Virgin! Speak, O Mary, that sweet word of consent, which we who are on the earth, and under the earth, now wait for!”

Mary, as you know, did utter that decisive word of compliance: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word!” By these glorious and precious words she pronounced the longed-for consent.

Read more at eCatholic2000.com

Download the Classic Text: A Practical Commentary On Holy Scripture (PDF)

Download A Host of Electronic Bible Translations and Bible Study Aids For Free

From the e-Sword site: e-Sword is a fast and effective way to study the Holy Bible.

e-Sword is feature rich and user friendly with more capabilities than you would expect in a free Bible study app.

The fact that e-Sword is free is just one of the blessings and does not speak of the quality of the app.

Link to e-Sword

Editor’s Note: The e-Sword Bible app makes searching, citing, editing and copying various translations of the Bible quick and easy. All the other available features are a bonus. My favorite is the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible.

THE CATHOLIC STUDIES COLLECTION

S E A R C H

Click here to SEARCH our entire site (Custom Google Search)
New search window will open.

THE CATHOLIC STUDIES COLLECTION

Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest” (PDF)
Down To Earth Answers To Virtually All Your Heavenly Questions.
English – On the Web
Spanish – On the Web

How To Pray the holy Rosary (PDF)
Which Mysteries to pray on what day – “Handy Cheat Sheet” (PDF)

The Rosary and the Scapular are inseparable

Brown Scapular:
Procedure for Blessing and Investiture – Latin and English

Key Components of Catholic Doctrine and Prayer

Overcoming the World, the Flesh and the Devil,
In and Through Our Lord Jesus Christ (PDF)
A beautifully illustrated “advanced course” on Christianity that provides
critical insights into what Christians believe, how they practice, and why.

Living the Catholic Life (PDF)
The Keys To Personal Holiness and Peace. Fully Illustrated.

The “Peculiar” Theology of Our Redemption in Jesus Christ (PDF)
How the death of Christ at the hands of man
served to reconcile sinful man with God. Fully illustrated.

A Basic Course In Catholic Apologetics (PDF)
The theological art and science of presenting, explaining and justifying
the Catholic faith to atheists, agnostics, deists, skeptics, critics, pagans,
believers, unbelievers, politicians, judges, the ignorant,
the arrogant, and the confused.

The Supernatural Relationship
Between Christ’s Passion, the Mass and Holy Communion (PDF)
A Profound Study of the Source and Summit of Our Catholic Faith.
Fully illustrated.

How I obtained a Plenary Indulgence,
freeing my friend’s soul from Purgatory,
while fulfilling my Sunday Mass obligation
– all in about two hours

All About Sin, Death, Purgatory and Indulgences (PDF)

Anointing of the Sick, Last Sacraments, and the Apostolic Pardon

To Tell You the Whole Truth (PDF)
A Complete, Concise and Understandable
Basic and Advanced Course In Catholicism.

Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma (PDF)
The Scholarly Collection and Explanation
of Virtually All Authentic Catholic Truths.

The Sources of Catholic Dogma by Denzinger (PDF)
A great work which traces the development of doctrine and Dogma
in the Catholic Church from its earliest times.
On-line version

A Thoroughly Catholic Bible Study Course For You and Yours (FREE)
From Bob Stanley’s “The Catholic Treasure Chest”

e-Sword Electronic Bible Study Software
Download powerful Bible study software,
along with your choice of a number of different Bibles,
commentaries, dictionaries and other helpful resources.
All at no charge.

A Laymen’s Guide To ALL the Books of The Holy Bible (PDF)

A Laymen’s Guide To ALL the Books of The Holy Bible (PDF)
Every book of the Bible is briefly summarized and explained
in this handy guide that will most certainly provide a better
and more complete understanding of all the Sacred Scriptures.
Recently added: The Scriptural Basis of the Nicene Creed
and all the Biblical References to The Blessed Virgin Mary.

The “Classic” Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible(PDF)
The Traditional, Original, English Language Catholic Bible .

The Venerable Haydock Bible Commentary (PDF)
Because the Plain Text of the Bible Does Not Always Mean
What People Might Think it Means.

The Ignatius Study Bible and Commentary (PDF)
A More Modern “Take” On the Holy Spirit Inspired,
Written Word of God.

How the Blessed Hope of Eternal Life In Our Lord, Jesus Christ
Is Faithfully Expressed Through Our Enthusiastic,
Grace-Empowered Participation In the Work, Worship,
Sacraments and Devotions of the Holy Catholic Church

SUITABLE for FRAMING!
Great Confirmation gift.
Excellent aid to evangelization.

Download the article for Free on a single,
illustrated 8.5X11 page – PDF

The Catholic Bible Dictionary (PDF)
A Comprehensive Guide To All Those Strange,
Biblical Places, Names and Terms.

The CIS Faith Formation Course (Interactive)
by The Knights of Columbus – On the Web
A comprehensive, interactive, free of charge, Catholic course
utilizing condensed study lessons and test-taking, resulting in
an overall achievement score and printed, course completion certificate.

*** All the resources shown are available without cost ***

The CIS Course and e-Sword are Web based.
The Catholic Treasure Chest is available
in both PDF and Web formats.
All the others utilize the industry standard PDF file format.

If you need a PDF file reader:
Download the Adobe PDF File Reader Software here, for free

Send us your question. Receive a Catholic answer.

S U B S C R I B E
Click here to receive every new post in your daily email.
Free to you. Cancel any time.

S E A R C H

Click here to SEARCH our entire site (Custom Google Search)
New search window will open.

New Study Explains the Hows and Whys of Living the Catholic Life

Download and/or View In Your PDF File Reader

New Study Explains the “Peculiar” Theology of Our Redemption in Jesus Christ

How the death of Christ at the hands of man
served to reconcile sinful man with God.

Download and/or View In Your PDF File Reader

A basic course in Catholic Apologetics

Download and/or view in your PDF file reader

More on Apologetics from Bob Stanley’s
“The Catholic Treasure Chest”

New Study Explains the Relationship Between the Passion, the Mass and Holy Communion

Download and/or View In Your PDF File Reader

The way God works

Complete Study Here (PDF)

New, Free, Illustrated, Comprehensive Catholic Faith Study, Available Now: Overcoming the World, the Flesh and the Devil, In and Through Our Lord, Jesus Christ

Down-to-Earth Answers To Heavenly Questions
Key aspects of the Judeo-Christian Faith Tradition
are exquisitely imaged and explained by
combining timeless, religious art with extensive citations
from the Bible, the Catholic Catechism and other
official Church documents, illustrating the rich patrimony
of the original, authentic, universal Church,
as well as its’ primary rationale, practical application
and eternal benefits, in a profound, insightful
and (hopefully) most enjoyable way.

The True Story of Our Salvation In Jesus Christ
The “Hows” and “Whys” are explored and illuminated
according to the official rubrics of The Sacred Deposit of the Faith,
suitably enhanced by authentic, insightful excerpts
from the writings and reflections of some of the greatest
theologians, saints and scholars, of all time.

Extraordinarily Powerful, Yet Easy To Understand
“Overcoming” presents a litany of rational, logical
and deeply satisfying divine truths to the faithful,
while also serving as a “basic primer” on Christianity
for people of non-Christian faith traditions,
or people of no faith tradition, at all.

One Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
The masterful expressions and subtle nuances
of the classic illustrations greatly enhance the overall experience.

Critical Insights Into the Purpose and Workings of the Holy Church
The complete, SIX PART PRESENTATION
is available to view online, at absolutely no cost,
in the popular, easy to use and easy to view,
full color, PDF file format.
(Download the Free Windows/Mac/Android PDF Reader, below)

Study Virtually Any Time and Anywhere
No cost.
No registration required.
No gimmicks.
No malware or spyware.
No kidding!

PART ONE:
The primeval events
that resulted in the Fall of Man

PART TWO:
The totally gratuitous
saving works of God

PART THREE:
Why we venerate
the Blessed Virgin Mary

PART FOUR:
The mystery
of our redemption
revealed

PART FIVE:
The spiritually vital mission
of the Holy Church

PART SIX:
Our personal identity
in Jesus Christ

Download the latest Adobe PDF Reader Software for free

Overcoming the World, the Flesh and the Devil,
In and Through Our Lord Jesus Christ
is recommended for anyone who wants to learn more
about the essential tenets of Christianity,
as well as the unique, temporal and spiritual efficacies
of The Holy Catholic Church: the original,
authentic, universal Christian Church,
that was personally founded, authorized,
empowered and perpetually guaranteed
by Jesus Christ,
for the purpose of our salvation.

“Overcoming” aims to respectfully present
the immutable truths of the Christian faith
to “The People of God”
unencumbered by denominational concerns
or political differences,
according to the much brighter light
of our common, Christian heritage
and our grace empowered humanity
in Jesus Christ.

Supplemental use of the Holy Bible
and the Catechism of the Catholic Church
is highly recommended.

For detailed information on a wide range of Catholic topics
(available in both English and Spanish language formats)
visit The Catholic Treasure Chest

Recommended for Further Study:
CIS (Catholic Information Service) Free, Certificated
Online Catechetical Faith Formation Courses, Booklets and PDFs

To Tell You the Whole Truth About the Church and the Holy Bible:
Eighty pages of authentic Catholic Truths (Downloadable PDF File)

Francis Doubles Down: Officially promotes TWO kinds of idolatry

Last year, Francis installed the pagan, Pachamama idol in the Vatican, followed this year, by a commemorative, Vatican “earth mother” coin.

Today, Francis publicly came out in support of homosexual civil unions.

Is the Pope Catholic? Go figure!

Seen on the Web: Promote the Sacrament of Reconciliation by serving beverages and snacks…

Seen on the Web: Promote the Sacrament of Reconciliation by serving beverages and snacks.

Editor’s note: It wasn’t clear whether refreshments would be served to those waiting in line, in the confessional, or later, after doing penance. But, consider the possibilities!

Today’s question: What is the main reason you believe in Christianity?

Question: What is the main reason you believe in Christianity?

Answer: Catholic Christianity is not only historically accurate, but also fully documented, time tested and proved to be morally, logically and rationally sound.

The supernatural aspects of Catholicism are truly extraordinary, while the retirement plan cannot be beat.

That just about sums things up.

Reservations, Social Distancing, Communion Restrictions and More Serve To Define Strange, New Catholic Rite: “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mask”

Nino Vitale, a representative for the 85th district, has been questioning the effectiveness of masks since early May. Republican governor Mike DeWine’s latest mask regulations for Ohio counties with spikes in positive tests for the Wuhan virus has sparked a new round of resistance from the outspoken lawmaker.

Vitale texted on Thursday: “People exempt from this are law enforcement, people consuming food or beverages in a restaurant, anyone participating in sports, anyone exercising. But if you are going to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mask, I mean Mass, well, you better cover up citizen!”

Link

 

Today’s question: How do you know that God is real?

Question: How do you know that God is real?

Answer: Many years ago, I decided to take some time off and devote two full years to the study of all world religions, after which I chose to be Catholic.

Then, I spent another ten years studying the faith while working in Catholic parishes; teaching, doing social work and heading up various offices and initiatives, just to see how things actually worked.

Today, I answer questions on-line and operate a Catholic website: http://www.askmeaboutgod.org.

I know God is real because he reveals himself to me in many different ways; particularly through study, worship and sacraments, through fellowship with other Christians and through occasional miracles of various kinds.

Once you come to know God it’s a fairly simple matter to pray without ceasing; staying in constant touch with the Almighty, in a very intimate, complete and powerful way.

The power of that relationship extends also to my friends and family; some of whom are not yet believers. I trust that, by the grace of God, all soon will be.

To sum it all up:

God answers my prayers.

God provides for all my needs.

God speaks to me when I need to hear from him.

God blesses me beyond measure.

God gives me hope.

For my part, I do my best to know, love and serve God,

every way I can, and to give him the thanks,

praise and worship that he is due.

Today’s Question: Do you think Kobe Bryant is in Hell?

Question: Do you think Kobe Bryant is in Hell? According to pastor Tim, Kobe Bryant is in Hell because “there’s no indication that he knew the Lord”.

Answer: Pastor Tim is wrong and he has no absolutely right to judge the disposition of anyone’s eternal soul.

For the record, Kobe had repented of his old ways and was a fervent, practicing Catholic.

God is known to cut practicing Catholics a whole lot of “slack” – especially at or near the time of their death – no matter how sudden or unexpected the event.

Let’s just leave it at that!

Asked and answered today on Yahoo! Answers. Edited for content and clarity.