Part 29

We will now hear from the great St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. I am quoting from his treatise on the care for the dead. Mark how beautifully he writes: “We read in the book of Machabees that there were sacrifices offered up for the dead, but even if there had been no mention made of the subject in the pages of the Old Testament, the authority of the Church would be sufficient as manifested in her practice, according to which the priest at the altar makes commemoration of the faithful departed.” By her funeral rites, offices and commemorations of the dead, as well as her ancient Ordos, the Catholic Church has at all times clearly and definitely testified to, and declared her belief in, the existence of purgatory. Further, she has solemnly declared it an article of faith in several Councils—as, for instance, in the General Council of Trent, which defines that there is a purgatory, and that the faithful can come to the assistance of the souls suffering therein by their prayers, and oblations of the most holy sacrifice of the Mass. And it even threatens with excommunication from the Church all those who maintain that every penitent sinner, having received justification, is forgiven as to his guilt and eternal punishment in such a way that there remains no temporal punishment to be expiated in purgatory.

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Fourteenth Day.

What a touching proof we have of the faith in the intercession of the living for the dead, in the story of the life of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine! As her son stood by the bedside of his dying mother, and with difficulty tried to restrain his tears, Monica said to him: “Only one thing I beg of thee; remember me always at the altar of God, wherever thou dost chance to be.” St. Augustine, therefore, often offered up the holy sacrifice for his mother, and in his “Confessions” he entreats God in the following touching prayer: “O God, grant that all Thy servants, who are my brothers and to whom I have dedicated this book, grant that all who read these prayers may, in their prayers before Thy altar, think of Thy handmaid, my dearest mother, and pray for her in loving remembrance.” When St. Paul says that at the mention of the sacred name of Jesus every knee shall bend in heaven, on earth and under the earth, by this last expression “under the earth,” according to the general opinion of the Holy Fathers of the Church, he pointed to that temporal, intermediate place, wherein imperfect souls must abide until they are purified from all stain of sin, but even yet, while still there, are united in common adoration with the saints who are in the full enjoyment of heaven, as well as with all the Christians of the Church Militant on earth. But St. Paul teaches us no less by example to offer up prayers and petitions to God almighty for the souls of those who have died in the Lord.

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Fifteenth Day.

We may, without great difficulty, infer the existence of purgatory from the truths known by faith. Our faith teaches us that in the Sacrament of Penance our sins are forgiven, together with the eternal punishment due to them. The temporal punishment due to them is not always forgiven, however, and consequently it remains to be endured either in this world or in the next. Call to mind the examples of David, Moses, Peter and Mary Magdalene. They were all forgiven their sins and the eternal punishment due to them, and yet how much did those dear servants of God bewail their offences during their whole lives and expiate the temporal punishment due to them! Again there is another argument and ground on which our reason demands the existence of a purgatory. It may be that a soul just departed this life is free from all mortal sin—even free from all temporal punishment due to grievous sin, but perhaps not free from certain light and venial sins, which, though not destroying the grace of God in the soul, still darken and stain its full splendor. It may be that all those venial sins are atoned for and wiped away by the patiently borne agony of death, but how often it happens that the Christian is suddenly surprised by death in different forms, and when least expecting it. It would be contrary to God’s mercy and justice to cast that soul into hell, or to receive it at once into heaven.

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Sixteenth Day.

The doctrine that sinners, even after the guilt and eternal punishment due to sin are remitted, have still, as a rule, to satisfy the justice of God in some way, has been acknowledged by the Church both in deed and by express word. By deed, because of her severe penitential discipline in the early days of the Church, because of the works of penance enjoined in the confessional, and the granting at all times of indulgences. By express word because of the definition of the Council of Trent. Now if according to the certain doctrine of faith, some temporal satisfaction remains to be made after the remission of sin and eternal punishment, what, we ask, will become of those souls who are suddenly called away before they have done such penance as their sins required—before they have given full satisfaction? Into heaven, where nothing impure can enter, they cannot be received until the full debt is paid. Into hell they cannot be cast, because they died in a state of grace and are friends and children of God. Therefore, reason says, there must be a place where those just and holy, though not yet thoroughly cleansed souls, must linger till purified completely, and fully worthy of God’s sacred presence. Were it otherwise our reason would be darkened and troubled by doubts, either as to the justice or as to the infinite mercy of God. Reason tells us that there is a state of virtue not good enough for heaven, and a state of vice not bad enough for hell. Common sense tells us that there is a difference between sin and sin, and that consequently there must be a difference in the punishment.

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Seventeenth Day.

The souls in purgatory suffer. They are sent there to suffer. They are detained there to suffer. The time of action is gone; the time of passive suffering has come. Their whole existence, or life, is, as it were, taken up with suffering. What are they suffering? Of what kind and character are their sufferings? The pains of purgatory are just the same as the torments of hell, with the exception of eternity and despair. The difference between the two is, that the pains of purgatory come to an end, and are not severed from the sweet hope of eternal happiness. Like the pains of hell, so also the pains of purgatory are of two kinds. They are the pain of loss and the pain of sense. These two kinds of pain correspond to the twofold disorder contained in every sin. For every sin is first of all an aversion or turning away from God, the highest and uncreated good—either a complete aversion as in the case of mortal sin, or a partial aversion as in the case of venial sin. Second, every sin is a conversion to, or a turning towards, a created, real or apparent good as our highest good, which is, of course, a disorderly conversion. Now this twofold inordinateness must be expiated by a twofold corresponding punishment. For wherein a man sins, says the Scripture, therein is he punished.

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Eighteenth Day.

Man sins, and thus turns away from God; the punishment, therefore, must be an eternal or temporary deprivation of God, the highest good of man. He sins, and thus turns towards a created good, and derives pleasure and satisfaction from it; the punishment, therefore, for this illicit, sensual pleasure, is the pain of sense, the pain inflicted by created things. Now fire is a pain of sense; and it is a doctrine sufficiently warranted by Scripture and tradition, that the fire of purgatory is a real fire, by which the souls are chastised and purified. The Holy Fathers explain that the greatest imaginable sufferings here on earth, the most dreadful martyrdom of the holy confessors of Christ, the worst pains of the most terrible illness, can bear no comparison with the torments and pains suffered by the poor souls in purgatory. Well known is the exclamation of St. Augustine, “Here burn, here cut, here crucify, but spare me in eternity, O God!” The sufferings of this life can be soothed by consolation, can be softened by many distractions; now and again there is a respite granted to the greatest sufferer, and time heals many woes. But the sufferings of purgatory continue without any alleviation or interruption.

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Nineteenth Day.

According to the writings of the Fathers, the pain of loss is the greatest of all the pains of purgatory. Together with the bitter remembrance of having done evil and omitted to do good, is the consciousness of being deprived of the beatific vision, than which there can be no greater pain. St. Alphonsus says: “Far greater than the pains of the senses are the pains of loss arising from the deprivation of the presence of God.” Because the poor souls are inflamed with not only the natural, but the supernatural love of God, they are almost violently drawn towards Him, their supreme good; and because they have the consciousness of being debarred from perfect union with God by their own sins and imperfections, they feel such exceeding great pain that it would kill them were it possible for them to die. “Therefore,” says St. Chrysostom, “is this pain of loss greater than that of sense, and the greatest of all pains. A thousand fires of hell could not produce greater pain than that which is caused by the fully realized loss of God.” Here on earth, while confined in their bodies of sin, their souls could not enjoy the beatific vision; but once delivered from their mortal bodies, the time is come when they are able to see God, Who would be their everlasting joy were it not for their own fault. It is this pain of separation that makes the pain of purgatory a cleansing fire in the fullest sense of the word.

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Twentieth Day.

In this valley of tears the sighs of holy persons are full of pain and sorrow, of pining after God and heaven. How painful must have been this burning love and yearning desire in such souls as St. Paul’s, St. Augustine’s and St. Teresa’s! Yet what was their suffering compared to the consuming fire of yearning in the souls of purgatory? For, however much we may pine after God, our only good, still while on earth we have many things that comfort us and deaden our pain. The very burden of our body, the distracting events of life, the possibility of great age, or larger store of merit, all these things are so many means of comfort to us. But the poor souls in purgatory have none of these consolations; there is nothing to assuage their pain of yearning and unfulfilled desire. More than the panting hart do they thirst after the fountain of eternal light and life. This unspeakable thirst is, in their case, all pure pain, unmingled with any soothing alloy. Oh, what a burning sea of sorrow those poor souls are plunged into! Flames within, flames without, flames all around them! Were it not that God’s omnipotent hand upheld them, their spirit would almost be consumed by those flames of fire. As you have noticed I have left you to draw from the proofs, as also from the description of the flames of purgatory, your own pious deductions and resolutions. But now I ask is there a doctrine in the Church which calls for more serious and pious consideration than this belief in purgatory, for your own spiritual benefit, and then for the help you can afford those whom God’s justice has condemned there?

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Twenty‐first Day.

It has always been a doctrine of the Church, no less than a practice, that by our prayers and good works we can help the souls in purgatory. For the Church not only taught the doctrine, but from the earliest times encouraged the faithful to offer up the holy sacrifice for them. It was at the great Council of Trent that the doctrine became an article of faith. We are united to them in the communion of saints. This community is like the members of one body. As in the body all the members help each other, so in the communion of saints all have a share in the common goods, as the Psalmist says, “I am a partaker with all them that fear Thee.” If Christ could make vicarious atonement to His heavenly Father for our sins, and the eternal punishment due to them, then, also, the members of the community founded by Him can, through His power and merits, assist and make satisfaction for one another as regards the temporal punishment due to their sins. So that, as the Apostle says, the abundance of one may supply the want of the other, so that there may be an equality. The souls in purgatory, then, since they are souls departed in the love of God, belong with us to that great brotherhood, the communion of saints. So we can come to their assistance, and by our efforts help to discharge the debt they are still owing to God’s justice. Or united to them by the bonds of love, we form as it were one person. We pass the value of our good works to them, and our heavenly Father looks upon the price we pay for them as if paid by themselves.

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Twenty‐second Day.

Let us consider more particularly by what means we can assist the poor souls. We can greatly and powerfully assist them, and the holy Council of Trent expressly points out the means we should use. It says particularly that the faithful can help the poor souls detained in purgatory by their prayers, and by the most holy sacrifice of the Mass. This, as you will perhaps observe, has been said several times already in this book. True, but it is in order that I may point out the conditions which are required to make those means effective that I again speak of them now. What is necessary, primarily, is that we have the intention of helping the poor souls, otherwise our good works are all put down to our own account, or if we do not stand in need of them, they are put into what is called the treasury of the Church, and then they are beyond our disposition. It is not, however, necessary to make a new intention before every action. It is sufficient to make once for all an intention of doing certain things for the sake of the suffering souls, and then not withdrawing it again. Still it is advisable to renew it now and again, as for instance at morning prayers or at Mass. It is necessary to be in a state of grace if we wish to help the souls by our good works or by our own personal prayers, penance, indulgences, and so forth. He who is in a state of sin cannot make satisfaction for himself; how then can he do so for others? How can he who is a captive redeem himself, or give freedom to others?

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Twenty‐third Day.

The giving of alms for the benefit of the souls in purgatory, is one of the means over which the Fathers of the Church grew eloquent. Nor indeed is it necessary to make use of the sayings of the early Fathers, for we can find abundant proof of the efficacy of alms related in the Holy Scriptures. The angel Raphael said to Tobias: “Alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.” Elsewhere we find: “Water quencheth a flaming fire, and alms resisteth sin.” But let us listen to the Fathers of the Church. St. Leo writes: “Alms atone for sin, destroy death, and extinguish the flames of eternal fire.” St. Chrysostom calls alms‐giving “a heavenly ladder, leading to God’s right hand, and a sure refuge for those who give as well as for those who receive.” St. Paulinus praises a Roman nobleman, who on the death of his beloved wife assembled all the poor and destitute of the city in St. Peter’s Church, and distributed food among them in order to comfort and help her whose loss he bewailed. And St. Hieronymus, speaking of the same nobleman, says that while other husbands adorn their wife’s graves with violets, roses and lilies, this one pours the balm of alms over the sacred dust and venerable remains of his beloved wife. The petition for alms from the worthy poor is like the knocking at your door of a poor soul in purgatory.

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Twenty‐fourth Day.

What a beautiful Catholic practice is this of giving of the goods which the good God has entrusted to us, for the benefit of the poor souls! Could we not also set aside something for such a noble purpose? The alms we give to the poor souls in purgatory may be likened to so many checks signed by names dear to God, and which when presented He will not dishonor. When it is difficult for us to give money in alms, we can at least give other things of less value—even things that are no longer of use to us. How many things there are in our homes that are not of the least use to us, which if given in alms for the suffering souls might be of the greatest benefit to us as well as to them! We give them in alms to the poor and forsaken ones on earth, that they may benefit them as well as the poor forsaken souls in purgatory. Perhaps you have a list of debtors, and perhaps in that list there are many from whom you never expect to recover anything. Why not make a promise, in case of the recovery of certain sums, to give half to the deserving poor for the benefit of the suffering souls in purgatory? It is not impossible that the guardian angel of purgatory may help to restore to us money otherwise lost. Remember it is not the wealthy alone who can give alms for this purpose, but the poor as well; at least they can give their good‐will. Do you remember that the angels sang at the birth of the Redeemer: “Peace on earth to men of good‐will”?

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Twenty‐fifth Day.

We have the authority of Holy Scripture for the efficacy of prayers: “It is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead.” It is holy because it is most pleasing to God; it is wholesome because we have reason to believe that through the infinite mercy and compassion of His Sacred Heart, Our Lord accepts prayers offered in atonement for the sins of those suffering in purgatory. If the prayers we offer for temporal goods are often heard and granted, how much more so when we offer them for spiritual goods, for the souls tenderly loved by God? Well might St. Augustine say: “One cannot conceive a holier or more wholesome practice than praying for the dead.” The “Imitation of Christ” has the following: “Full of love and charity, we must remember in our prayers the souls of the faithful departed, but particularly the souls of our parents, friends and relations, and those who have been our benefactors on earth. For that is a work of real love and charity. As we entertain the most earnest hopes that we shall be remembered when we shall have departed this life, we ought to make every effort in our power to assist them to arrive speedily at their promised abode of bliss, and by our prayers shorten the weary days of their pilgrimage in purgatory. And we must remember that every one who actively assists in the deliverance of these poor souls, gains for himself the greatest advantages. By offering his prayers for their eternal repose, he by no means loses the fruits of those prayers, for they are remembered to him, and are before him when his time comes to die. And moreover one is rewarded even in this life for such prayers.”

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Twenty‐sixth Day.

The holy sacrifice of the Mass is the surest and most effectual means we possess for procuring the eternal repose and happiness of the departed. “The sacrament of love, the revelation of unity, and the bond of friendship,” says St. Augustine. “We pray for all who have departed this life, with the most confident conviction that the prayers at the altar are the most profitable to them,” says St. Cyril. And again: “Supposing a king who was offended by a subject has banished him from his kingdom, and the friends of the outlaw wish to restore him to the king’s favor, and for that purpose form a deputation to the royal personage, and presenting a costly gift, venture to plead for pardon for the offender; would not the king comply with their request, and either grant the pardon, or mitigate the punishment to some extent? Well, in like manner we, although sinners, plead for pardon from the King of heaven and earth for our banished friends, and with much surer hopes of success, for the gift we offer is not an earthly crown, but is the body and blood of His own well‐beloved Son, Who has bled for the sins of the whole world.” The holy sacrifice is, I again repeat, the most effectual and the most powerful means we have for assisting the suffering souls in purgatory.

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Twenty‐seventh Day.

Let me now suggest how you may act and pray during the holy sacrifice. At the _Confiteor_ let us imagine the souls in the depths of purgatory; place ourselves in the midst of them and hearken to their entreaties for help. At the _Elevation_ let us say: “O my God, in memory of the painful death Thou didst endure, have compassion on these poor souls for whom I pray. O my God, behold Thy precious blood, which was shed for their deliverance. Oh, let the saving fruits of this precious blood come to the poor souls, let its cleansing streams flow into purgatory. Remember with what great love Thou didst shed it for Thy elect, so many of whom are now languishing in the fiery dungeon.” We can fix our eyes on the crucifix placed over the altar; it will help us to make our supplications more direct. The thorn‐ crowned head will remind us of our superiors, spiritual and temporal, perhaps in purgatory. The wounded right hand our parents, friends and benefactors. The left hand the souls of those who have wished to do us harm in life. Nor would it be amiss, while contemplating the wound in Our Saviour’s side, to recommend one’s own soul. At the _Communion_ when we see the sacred Host in the hands of the priest, let us consider that it is the body of Him Who commanded us to pray for the dead. For it is He Who said: “If you ask the Father anything in My name He will give it to you.” Let us remind Him of His words, and implore Him by His love. This is a favorable moment to have our prayers heard.

Prayer.

Release, O Lord, etc., etc.

Twenty‐eighth Day.