The month of November is dedicated to praying for the holy souls in Purgatory, that God may grant them eternal rest in heaven.
The question of possible intervention from the faithful on earth on behalf of the deceased should not arise. No one lives alone. Every sin bears social consequences. No one is saved alone.
Love can reach into the afterlife. Reciprocal giving and receiving is possible beyond the limits of death. This has been a fundamental conviction of Christianity throughout the ages and it remains a source of comfort today.
In the Apostles’ Creed, we profess that we believe in the Communion of Saints; the Church. Because members of the Church are bound to Christ, they are also in union with one another.
The Communion of Saints consists of three states: the pilgrim Church on earth, the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven.
Prayer for the faithful departed and the invocation of saints have been long cherished beliefs and practices of the Christian Church. It was only in the 16th century that any significant objection to these practices was raised by Protestants, owing to some superstitious and immoral tendencies, in connection with these practices.
Their objection was not mainly doctrinal, but historical. As a rule, abuse does not take away use.
The Reformers decided to use the Bible alone as a criterion to test the validity of any belief and practice. As a result, even without a thorough investigation to the Biblical and theological basis, the practices of praying for the departed and the invocation of saints were thrown out. The doctrine and practice of the Church is based on canonical Scripture and sacred Tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by the Bishops.
The first thing to know about purgatory is that every soul who goes there is assured of heaven. The struggle is over; that’s why we call them “holy souls.” All that’s needed is final cleansing from any attachment to venial sin, or imperfect contrition, or negative thoughts, or self-destructive tendencies, and then these souls are ushered into heaven. "I will bring this third part through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold!" (Zechariah 13:9).
Purgatory is a very practical part of God’s very real mercy. The word purgatory comes from the Greek for “fire,” as in purification. And purity is the point.
Since nothing impure can see the face of God and live, it is a work of mercy that souls undergo purgatory. They are being prepared to contemplate the face of the Almighty and live in his presence forever.
With death, our life stands before the Judge. There can be people who have totally denied the truth, suppressed love within themselves and have caused untold crimes against humanity. In such people all would be beyond remedy and the destruction of good would be irrevocable; they will miss the beatific vision. That is Hell.
On the other hand, there can be people who are utterly pure, completely permeated by God, and charitable. Their journey towards God only brings to fulfillment what they already are. That is Heaven. Mary and the martyrs fall in this category.
Yet we know from experience that neither case is normal in human life. For the great majority of people, the concrete choices of life are covered over by compromises with evil. What happens to such individuals when they appear before the Judge?
According to St. Paul, Christian life is built upon a common foundation: Jesus Christ. If we have stood firm on this foundation and built our life upon it, we know that it cannot be taken away from us even in death. Each man’s work will be tested with fire. If it survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Cor 3:12-15).
Some theologians opine that the fire which both burns and saves is Christ Himself; the Judge and Saviour. The encounter with Him is the decisive act of judgement. Before His gaze all falsehood melts away. This blessed pain of love becomes our salvation and our joy.
The judgement of God is hope, both because it is justice and because it is grace. If it were merely grace, making all earthly things cease to matter, God would still owe us an answer to the question about justice. If it were merely justice, in the end it could bring only fear to us all. Thankfully, the incarnation of God in Christ has so closely linked judgement and grace (Pope Benedict XVI).
Purgatory can be avoided. We just need to avoid sin, do penance, accept suffering, frequent confession and Communion, pray with faith and perseverance and prepare for death.
