DANIEL JOHN KELLEY

According to the New York Times, the Catholic Church is once again offering indulgences. Not the kind you pay for (not that anyone could afford forgiveness in this economy…rim shot…anyone? no?), but the kind you work for. Ostensibly, you do good work, say some prayers, and you get yourself less purgatory. Like getting time off for good behavior in jail. Except it’s another dimension. My favorite bits from this article:

In a secularized culture of pop psychology and self-help, he [Rev. Rev. Tom Reese, former editor of the Catholic Magazine, America.] said, “the church wants the idea of personal sin back in the equation. Indulgences are a way of reminding people of the importance of penance.”

Does sound vaguely threatening to anyone else? Maybe more than vaguely? Also this nugget of gold from the opposition:

“What does it mean to get time off in Purgatory? What is five years in terms of eternity?”

I’ll tell you what it means! It means butts in seats! You’ve got to do it somehow…