Quod fuimus, estis;
quod sumus, eritis.[1]
Commemoration for the Souls of
all the Faithful Departed
Parish of Saint Pius X (Loudonville,
NY-Extraordinary Form)
Parish of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (Union
Street)
November 2nd,
2013
Rev. Michael Taylor
Before You, humbled,
Lord, I lie,
My heart like ashes,
crushed and dry,
Assist me when I die.[2]
Death is
always a tragedy. No matter whether it comes after a long and fulfilled span of
days or a life horrifically cut short, death is always a tragedy. Even though
we as Christians know that those who had faith in Christ Jesus and die in his
good grace will be raised to life again, their absence is felt in the very
marrow of our bones, and our lives feel poorer then before they died. The
harshness of death reminds us that we were not meant to die, that sin, and its
price of death,[3]
was not meant for man.[4]
This being said, it makes our belief in Purgatory difficult.[5]
Often times, well meaning people at funerals will, as a mean of comforting,
tell the grieving that their loved one is already in heaven. Other times, the
ancient Roman dictum, de mortuis, nil
nisi bonum [of the dead, (say) nothing but good)], seems good advice, and
to say a loved one is in Purgatory would seem to be remembering the ill of
their life rather than all the good they meant to our own lives. Yet let us
pause for a moment, and take today’s commemoration as a opportunity for a more personal reflection.
I sit here,
and I find I am asking myself the question, if I were to die today, would I be
ready to stand before the throne of God? When I look throughout sacred
scripture, I find verses that trouble my false sense of tranquility. In the Old Testament, the
Lord God is constantly telling Israel, you
shall be holy, for I the Lord thy God am holy.[6]
Jesus, in his sermon on the mount says, you,
therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.[7]
Still further, Saint Peter emphasizes since Christ is the one who called
us, and that as he who called you is
holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct [8]
and the beloved apostle says, he who
commits sin is of the devil.[9]
With all these things being written down, how could I feel at ease? Could I
stand before the King, and proclaim myself clean? Pure of heart?
While it is
true that I desire to love the Lord my God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my mind,[10]
I must confess that there are times I am rather slothful in my spiritual
life. There are times were I am apathetic at mass, my mind wondering. There are
times when I would rather spend hours on television or mindless browsing of the
internet than to take time in prayer, contemplation, spiritual reading, and
learning my faith. There are many things which I find myself giving more
attention to than my relationship with Jesus Christ.
While it is
true that I strive to love my neighbor as
myself [11]
I must admit there are times when I am jealous of those around me. There are
times when I allow greed to cloud my ability to deal charitably with those for
whom I am supposed to love the most. I have lied, gossiped and slandered
other’s good names. I have lusted. These are the things that are not proper for
someone who is charged to love his neighbor as himself.
While it is
true that I do try and care for the poor and the suffering, I all too often
find myself wasting my money on frivolities and wasteful creature comforts. So
while there are days where I would hope to be numbered among the sheep that we
see in Matthew 25 who cared for the hungry, the thirsty, the imprisoned, the
cold and the naked, there are many other days where I am fearful that I would
be found among the goats, cast off from the presence of God for all eternity.
And yet I am
not without hope. For I know that a
contrite, and broken heart [12]
the Lord will not spurn. I know that to those who ask for his mercy and
forgiveness, there is hope of redemption. If I can see that there are parts of
myself that are not yet worthy to stand before the throne of God, hidden as
they might be from you all here, is it not possible then to say that there are
parts of those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, which are
not yet ready to stand before God? If this is true, than Purgatory is not
punishment, but proof of God’s mercy overflowing. Where I have, through human
frailty, stained my soul with the sins of pride, lust, gluttony, envy, wrath,
greed, and sloth, God allows me the chance to cleanse my soul once again. He
does this so that I might stand before the throne of the Lamb by whose blood I
am redeemed, clothed in a garment as white as the one I received on the day of
my baptism, of a dignity worthy of the wedding feast of heaven. Thus we, in awe
of God’s abundant mercy, pray for the faithful departed.
Eternal
rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
May
they rest in peace. Amen
And
may their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through
the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
[1] “As we were, you are. As we are, you will be.” A memento mori that hangs upon the entry
to the Capuchin church in Rome, Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini.
[2] Taken from the Dies
Irae sequence which is used for Requiem masses in the Extraordinary Form.
[3] Cf. Rom 6.23: For the wages of sin is death, but the
free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.
[4] Cf. Wis 1.13: Because God did not make death, and he
does not delight in the death of the living.
[5] Catechism of
the Catholic Church, §§1030-1032: 1030 All who die in God's grace
and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their
eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve
the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.
1031:The
Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect,
which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned [cf. Council of
Florence (1439); Council of Trent (1563); Benedict XII, Benedictus Deus (1336). The Church formulated her doctrine of faith
on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of
the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing
fire [cf. I Cor 3.15; I Pet 1.7]:
“As
for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment,
there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to
come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in
this age, but certain others in the age to come” [St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues; cf. Mt 12.31].
1032: This
teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already
mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement
for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin” [II Macc 12.46].
From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered
prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that,
thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God [cf. Council of Lyons
II (1274). The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of
penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:
“Let
us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's
sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some
consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our
prayers for them [St. John Chrysostom, Hom.
in I Cor; Job 1.5].”
[6] Leviticus 19.2
[7] Matthew 5.48
[8] I Peter 1.15
[9] I John 3.8
[10] Matthew 22.37
[11] Matthew 22.39
[12] Psalm 51.17
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