Last Sunday we dedicate our prayers and Masses for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Church dedicates the whole month of November to the Holy Souls. Our ties with deceased relatives and friends don’t end with death. Last Sunday we can gain a Plenary Indulgence and get a soul out of Purgatory for following the conditions outlined in the front page of the Bulletin.
The Church teaches about the realities of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. One day we will all appear before the judgement seat of God. When we go from a dark room outside into the bright sunlight, we are temporarily blinded by the light, and it takes a little while for our eyes to adjust. God lives in inaccessible light. When we come before Jesus, we will see our whole life, all the good and the bad we have done and our sins of omission. If a person has lived a good life, but he or she hasn’t made atonement for past sins and is still imperfect, that person will gladly go to Purgatory to be purified by that intense spiritual fire before they will be able to stand before the face of God. All the holy souls in Purgatory are a step closer than us to Heaven. They have been saved and there is no turning back. They would not want to return to the earth, and it is just a matter of time before they pay off their debt of sin and can stand before the face of God.
The late Cardinal Ratzinger before he became Pope Benedict XVI, drawing of Jeremiah said:
that God is the potter, who takes us and fixes us in Purgatory, so that we turn out right.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1030) says:
All who die in God’s grace and friendship, are indeed assured of eternal salvation, but after death, they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of Heaven.
The Second Book of Maccabees explains that Judas Maccabeus had twelve thousand drachms of silver sent to Jerusalem for sacrifices to be offered for the slain soldiers so they could be loosed from their sins (cf. 12:39-46). For more than two thousand years the Church has been praying for the dead. In the Catacombs of Rome, there were Chapels where Mass was offered for the deceased. One of the Spiritual Works of Mercy is to pray for the living and the dead. It is a great act of charity to pray for the dead, and this can help make atonement for our own sins.
We could ask ourselves today, whether we would be ready to stand before the Lord for judgement. Are we harbouring any grudges towards anyone? Is there resentment of unforgiveness festering in our heart? Are you attached to some sin? Do you go to Confession regularly and are you praying regularly, making quality time for prayer and Holy Mass?
The Ten Commandments are the guardrails that point the way to Heaven. The Beatitudes are the centre line of the highway. The saints walked on the centre line. The greatest prayer we can offer for the Holy Souls is the Holy Mass and down through the centuries many souls have appeared to saints of the Church, such as St Padre Pio, St Faustina and others requesting a Holy Mass so they can enter Heaven. This reminds me of the story of St Malachy. He didn’t get along well with his sister and lost contact with her and didn’t see her anymore before she died. After she died, he heard a voice one night telling him, his sister was hungry, and she hadn’t eaten for thirty days. He remembered then that it was thirty days since he had offered Mass for her. He began to offer Mass for her again. He then saw her coming up to the door of the Church, but she could not enter, and she was wearing a black garment. He continued to offer Mass for her and the next time he saw her dressed in a lighter garment and the final time he saw her dressed completely in white, surrounded by Angels. She then was able to enter the door. This goes to show how important the Holy Mass is to the souls in Purgatory. We should always remember to have Masses offered for loved ones on the anniversary of their death, even on their birthdays and during the month of November. You are also encouraged to pray the Holy Rosary for the dead and to be devoted to Our Lady during this life, because She will be your greatest help when you come before the judgement seat of God. Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, may they rest in peace. As we say in Latin: Requiescant in pace. RIP. Amen.