We are the Helpers for the Souls in Purgatory
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed follows the feast of All Saints. It helps us to reflect on the mystery of life in God. The Church, loving mother, having paid due honor to all her children who are already rejoicing in heaven, is now trying with fervent prayers to Christ, her Lord and Spouse, to come to the aid of all those still in Purgatory, so that they may come to fellowship as soon as possible. blessed in eternal joy - as we read in the "Roman Martyrology". These words refer to November 2 when All Souls' Day is celebrated in the Church. For this reason, questions about the meaning of life and death seem to be more pressing than at other times. "God," Saint Gregory the Great used to say, "sometimes admonishes us with words, sometimes with facts." Events, if we can read them, also contain lessons.
On the spiritual level, we find God who changes the perspective of looking at death. “So, we consider death according to Jesus Christ, and not without Christ. Without Jesus Christ, it is terrifying and disgusting; death is a terror of nature. In Jesus Christ, it is quite different. (...) That is why he even suffered and died to sanctify death and suffering, wrote Blaise Pascal. When there are no references to extraterrestrial reality, the bitter words written by the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard remain: “How empty, meaningless this life is! You bury a man, go to a funeral, throw three handfuls of dirt on a coffin. Comforts a man that he still has a long life ahead of him. But is that a lot 7 X 10? "
The Church believes that between the pilgrimage in mortality and eternal glory in heaven there is purgatory, which constitutes the final cleansing of the elect, which is something entirely different from the punishment of the damned. It assumes that some sins can be forgiven in this life and some in the next life (cf. CCC 1031). The Church proclaimed the truth about the existence of Purgatory as a dogma at the Council of Lyons in 1274. She confirmed it at the Council of Trent (1545–1563), where she emphasized two truths: the existence of purgatory as a posthumous punishment and the possibility of helping souls in Purgatory.
So how can we help the souls in Purgatory? Blessed Honorat Koźmiński, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters Help of Christians in Purgatory (1889), notes: "Purgatory is a proof of God's love and mercy (...) Every service given to the sick, every alms given to the poor, every word of consolation said to the unfortunate, every prayer prayed earnestly, every Holy Mass and Holy Communion are offered are great relief for the souls of the dead. " They are also an expression of our love and faith in eternal life. Beginning with the feast of All Saints until November 30, we can also obtain a plenary indulgence and offer it for our dead. The condition is sanctifying grace, visiting a church or burial cemetery and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father. Remembering those who have passed away, let us pray: "Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. Fidelium animae, per misericordiam Dei, requiescant in pace. Amen
We do not give in to doubt
In our journey through the earth, we admire the wonderful works of the Creator. We meet man, the crown of all creatures. We look at children and old people, we touch cradles and graves. We are witnesses to birth and dying, love and death. In this reflection, we listen to the voice of the Church, which says that "the mystery of human fate is revealed most in the face of death" (GS, 18).
The question of the meaning of death is a question of the meaning of life. It has this characteristic that sooner or later it faces everyone. However, thanks to Christ's death and resurrection, even in the face of death, we do not give in to doubt. We listen to Christ's assurance: "Let not your hearts be troubled" (cf. Jn 14: 1). Yes, we are convinced and repeat with the Apostle Paul that he who raised Jesus will also bring us back to life with Jesus (cf. 2 Cor 4:14).
God created man for immortality, made him the image of his own eternity. A Christian, despite the fear that death awakens in him, confesses with hope the truth of faith: "I believe in the resurrection of the body and eternal life." Together with the whole Church, we confess in the words of the preface: “Indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven". A house made not by a human hand, but it lasted forever. There will be no more tears, no suffering, no pain, no screaming. There will be the joy of being face to face with God. “At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.” (cf. 1 Cor 13:12)
Death is the end of man's earthly pilgrimage, a time of grace and mercy that God offers to man to pursue his earthly life according to God's plan and to decide about his ultimate destiny. When "one course of our earthly life is completed" (CC 48), we will not return to another earthly life. "It is ordained for men to die once" (cf. Hebrews 9:27) and at the end of our lives we will be judged out of love.
There is only trust left. I believe in the one who resurrected the young man in Naim, who raised Lazarus, who died on Golgotha, and then Risen! And what Christ did with Lazarus in the mystery of the raising him up, he will do with each of us in the infinitely greater mystery of the resurrection. From this entrustment, full responsibility for the whole of one's life should flow. For actions, words and even internal decisions. It is not only about what happened, but also from the possibilities that God gives to everyone. That is why the Church invites us to prepare ourselves for the hour of our death: "Save us, Lord, from sudden and unexpected death." She encourages us to ask Our Lady to intercede for us "at the hour of our death" and to entrust ourselves to Saint Joseph, the patron of good death.
Let the prayer of Anima Christi become ours: " Lord, let me never be separated from you “!
Until Tomorrow
fr. george