Last month, we spoke about hell, and a week ago, we spoke
about heaven. (Again, please click on the orange banner above to be taken to a list of all previous posts.)
One enters heaven either
one of two ways:
a)
Immediately after death
b)
Through a purification, commonly called “purgatory”
Let’s make this point clear.
Everyone who goes into purgatory
goes to heaven. As the name implies,
purgatory is purification. Souls are
cleansed of their sins and imperfections so they can enter into the glory that
is the Blessed Trinity. God is perfect
in every way. If we are to enter the
divine life in Him forever, then we, too, must be perfect. Therefore, we cannot have sin or the effects
of sin on our souls. Purgatory is a time
when we are cleansed of those sins.
We have to remember that God is holy. “Because it is written, “You shall be holy,
for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) In the
Our Father, we say “hallowed be thy name.” “Hallowed” means to recognize as holy. Also, remember our destiny is eternal life in the Blessed Trinity (which we have spoken
of in previous posts). We are not just going to be with God, we are going to be in
God. It is logical to believe, therefore, that we
must, too, be holy to live forever in that divine life. While it might be OK to be less than
perfectly holy if we are going to be just alongside
God, if we are going to live the inner divine life of the Blessed Trinity, then
it just makes sense that sin, and even inclination to sin, cannot be any part
of that.
However, we all know we have sin on us. So how can we enter heaven if sin cannot be
there? Well, in addition to being holy, God
is “rich
in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4), and he gives us the gift of purgatory. This gift allows us poor sinners to have hope
of entering heaven, without diluting the glorious nature of heaven.
In purgatory, it is by a fire
that we are cleansed. “If any man’s
work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but
only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:15) In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have
to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious
than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and
glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7.)
Even though the souls in purgatory are
definitely going to heaven, our prayers for them can still help. Praying for the dead has been a tradition
from the beginning of the Church. I am sure just about
everyone reading this blog has been at a Mass or service where prayers for the
dead are offered. This is a tradition that goes back even into
the Old Testament. We read in 2
Maccabees 12:38-46. Judas rallied his army and
went to the city of Adullam. As the seventh day was approaching, they purified
themselves according to custom and kept the sabbath there. On the following day, since
the task had now become urgent, Judas and his companions went to gather up the
bodies of the fallen and bury them with their kindred in their ancestral tombs.
But
under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of
Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was clear to all that
this was why these men had fallen. They all therefore praised the ways of the
Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden. Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully
blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from
sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin
of those who had fallen. He then took up a
collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas,
which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this
he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection
in mind; or
if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been
superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the
splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a
holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from
their sin.
Notice what we see here. We see a
believer, seeing a fellow believer had died, believing that he could rise
again, but also seeing that the believer had sin on his soul, and deciding to
do something to help the now deceased believer get purified so he could enter
heaven. He acted, as the Scripture says
in a “very excellent and noble way.” His care for his brother did not end just
because the person had died. Nor should
it be for us.
But you might say "What can we do?" The deceased person’s fate is already
decided. He or she is going to heaven. So why do we need to pray
for them? Well, I would say a few
things:
1)
Our prayers can help the souls get out of purgatory quicker. When they feel our help, they might be able
to endure more fire at once, and get it over quicker. When God sees us praying for them, he might
decide to apply the punishment for their sins to someone else who can handle it
better, or wipe it away entirely, and therefore, the person we are praying for may be relieved of some
punishment, and get home quicker. Saint
Padre Pio once said “Pray unceasingly, we
must empty purgatory.”
2)
It may because of our prayers that someone might get to purgatory in
the first place, and not hell. God
may see a soul that in and of its own cannot enter into heaven because of their
sin, and would otherwise descend into hell.
However, if God sees that he or she will have people praying for him or
her, and sees that with the help of those prayers, that person will have the ability to
enter heaven, then God may decide to allow him or her into heaven, but only after
purgatory.
3) Praying for a soul in purgatory may shorten our own stay there someday. The sacrifices we make for others can help with our own sanctification now, and therefore, may help us have less need of purification later.
What is it like for the soul in purgatory? Well, there is suffering and pain to be
sure. Enduring a fire is never easy. It is never easy to endure
punishment or purification from one’s sins.
However, there is still joy, because the person knows he or she will be
entering heaven at some point, and be there for all eternity. There is definitely a “burning” desire to get
out of there, and enter into the joy of the Master. This desire is stronger than any we have on
this side of the grave. Therefore, would
it not make sense for us, who loved them dearly while on Earth, to continue to
love them by offering prayers for them after they die, so they can quickly as
possible enter heaven, and have their suffering and purification ended, and their ever so deep and passionate desires
fulfilled?
There are many prayers for the souls in purgatory that have
developed in the tradition of the Church.
I will quote one notable one here, and that is the one attributed to
Saint Gertrude. According to tradition,
Our Lord promised her that 1,000 souls would be released from purgatory every
time it is prayed devoutly.
Eternal Father, I offer Thee
the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said
throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners
everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and
within my family. Amen.
Having said all this, and despite the reality that purgatory
is a wonderful gift, we should seek to avoid it, and be able to go straight to heaven, by living our lives in such a
way that we atone for as much of our sin as possible while on Earth, by
prayer and good works, by indeed, living holy lives. We
should be grateful for purgatory, but aim for heaven. You
can google “prayers to avoid purgatory” and find a few prayers to help with this goal.
One of the titles to Saint Joseph in the litany to him is “patron
of the dying”. He is that because he is
the foster father of the Eternal Judge, he is the terror of demons, and he died
a happy death himself in the arms of Jesus and Mary. It is never too early to start praying to him
for a happy death, so that upon death, we can enter heaven immediately, or
worst case scenario, have to go to purgatory before entering heaven. This
is my speculation, but I think if we pray to Saint Joseph often, and live holy
lives, we can be assured of, at worst, a short stay in purgatory, especially if
we have friends and loved ones praying for us, as well.
O St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus Christ and true spouse
of the Virgin Mary, pray for us and for the suffering and dying of today.
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