Many feel All Souls Day is a festival for the dead, but this is not the case. All Souls is a festival for the living of those who have fallen short of heaven because of sin that kept them out, yet who still had faith enough to be saved. Thus this festival is for the souls of Purgatory, which is perhaps one of the most misunderstood doctrines of our Catholic faith. So what is Purgatory?
Most know that part of this doctrine is based on Matt.5.21-26 where we are told to forgive our brother or we will “never get out till your have paid the last penny”. Saint Paul affirms this in 1Cor.3.10-15, “fire will test what sort of work each one has done”. He references this time as “the Day” and we believe this refers to the Day of His Wrath, which will one day come upon the earth. But what happens to those millions who did not live in the day of His Wrath yet have fallen short for holding a grudge upon a brother without repenting? Do they go to Hell while those who had been born at the end time have a chance of salvation? This doesn’t sound like a fair and merciful G-d to us. More likely, all will have the same opportunity, including those who fall short though arrogance or stubborn pride. Thus we fully agree with the teachings of our Church that there indeed is a purging of fire for those who still hold some impurities; yet one day this fire will break out upon the earth itself in the last days. Where will the righteous be? Most likely at the Wedding Feast celebrating with great fanfare, but will they hold this joy when they see brothers whom they loved not present?
Love says that we should remove some of our joy during this eight-day celebration to remember those not yet saints who are being purged. We do this because any of us can fall short and be in their shoes instead, yet we would also want them to remember us. We have been warned not to judge lest we be judged, but we sometimes do and James clearly says “For we all make mistakes, and if any one makes no mistakes in what he says he is a perfect man able to bridle the whole body also” Jam.3.1 and he continues a little later “ who is wise and understanding among you? By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom”. Jam.3.13. Only Jesus exhibited perfection and true wisdom and He alone bore our sins (for the whole body) all the while being meek. Therefore, let us follow by His example to take up our cross and put forth our very best to seek this wisdom in faith. Truly, we do deserve death for our sins, including judging our brother wrongly, but G-d is indeed merciful as shown by sending His Son! Thus those foolish (not damned) bridesmaids do not go unto Sheol but to Purgatory to be refined after the staff of Grace is broken and annulled Zech.11.10. And according to Rev.14.13 these will now be tested for their works, as James stated above.
So what is the proper response to All Souls? According to the Catholic Encyclopedia:
“The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that the souls which, on departing from the body, are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past transgressions, are debarred from the Beatific Vision, and that the faithful on earth can help them by prayers, alms, deeds and especially by the sacrifice of the Mass.” (FRANCIS MERSHMAN Transcribed by Joseph P. Thomas)How can prayers, alms, deeds or even the Sacrifice of the Mass help those suffering in Purgatory? We read of the power of both prayer and almsgiving in 2Macc.12.43-45. In this passage we learned of Judas Maccebees and his men not only buried their dead but also offered at the Temple a sin offering (alms) and prayers. In fact, according to the text, such offering are based on the belief in the resurrection for it states “For if he were not expecting that those who have fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead.” (44). In actuality, praying and giving alms for the dead is also a Jewish practice called Yizkor and not pagan custom as many have claimed. The Talmud teaches that during Yizkor our prayers evoke the spirit of the deceased so that they might intercede before YHVH. The Catholic faith has a similar prayer called the Requiem and, like Yizkor, is recited in mass, hence we are told also to seek out the Sacrifice of the Mass. And while in mass we might take some time to learn about the faith we profess, including persecution. We must remember that death has no power over us if we truly believe, whether we are consigned to the wrath, either during the intermediary period or on this earth at the end times, for we shall be raised from the dead and live with Him if we remain steadfast in faith and hold onto hope. All He seeks is that we become perfected in the refiner’s fire before we can join Him.
So how can deeds change the fate of one in Sheol who is suffering for sins of arrogance or pride? This was something that puzzled us greatly until we remembered the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Lk.16.19-31. Here the rich man repented after he saw Lazarus in the bosom of our father Abraham. He wanted Lazarus to go and warn his brothers, but Abraham said that they had Moses and the prophets and that they should learn from them. But the rich man persisted saying that if a man came back from the dead they would repent to which our father Abraham said “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” Lk.16.31. There is great irony in these words for many over the last two thousand years have repented of their sins of arrogance, pride and faithlessness in YHVH and certainly one man did indeed rise from the dead. Yet still how many of our loved ones are suffering in Purgatory as this rich man was? How can we, through our deeds, ease their suffering? By being motivated to reach out in faith to others like the rich man’s brothers and to teach them the words of Moshe, the prophets and the One Who did rise from the dead that they may have salvation. This would clearly be a very great gift of true love! Now that we think of this, giving “alms” may serve the same end.
One last thought, so how can our Father create this climate in Hell? We found the answer in the words of Saint Catherine of Genoa:
“The hindrance that the soul meets with in its desire of seeing G-d and being united to Him, causes it to feel an intolerable pain; and the pain, together with the hindrance, obstructs those properties which it has by nature, and which by grace are revealed to it; and not being able to retain them, although capable of them, the soul remains in suffering great in proportion to its appreciation of G-d. This appreciation of G-d grows with its knowledge, and its knowledge is greater the more it is freed from sin; and the delay becomes more and more terrible, because the soul, wholly immersed in G-d, knows Him without terror, there being nothing in the way to prevent such a knowledge.”
The real horror of being left behind is not the antichrist, the mark of the beast or even the false prophet but the mere fact of being outside the door. And so it would be for those in Purgatory who find themselves, not in the bosom of father Abraham, but beside that mourning rich man suffering the fires of the damned. Yet they did have faith, but their walk was not reflecting their claim of belief, thus they instantly know exactly what is keeping them from the merciful Father. As a result they heal little by little as each defense mechanism crumbles beneath this judgment. So how do our prayers help them? If these were total failures then no one would care to even pray for their refinement and freedom; but when we do pray, our prayers are added to the prayers of others to reach out through the Spirit to them (exactly how this is done, we do not know). Maybe Judah is correct that our prayers may give them a right to petition the Father and then if they have not paid the last penny they might get mercy or wisdom to get them over that last hurdle. If this is true, then this gives hope to those of us on earth for it may refine our own hearts because a nut doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Put simply, even a seeming righteous man like Samuel (a prophet) found himself in Purgatory; so what makes us think we shall escape this prison? Only if we perfect humble wisdom in Him! Maybe that’s why we have been taught in our youth as a reminder to say: “If but by the Grace of G-d there I might be, too”!
by C.Foegen © 2001 HOME
