Author: yuengerwv

The first reading provides the image of us preparing for a wonderful celebration. It invites us to contemplate the rejoicing moments of the Lord’s arrival. The Psalm reminds us again of how the Lord has provided us with an abundance of blessings. How often do we forget them because they seem to have become all too common? Do we become immune to the wonders God has done? Paul says he prays always for us, rejoicing at the faith God has provided us. Do we take the time to pray for others? As we contemplate giving physical gifts to each other do we take time to offer spiritual gifts as well?  Prayer is among the greatest of gifts we can give.  When is the last time you offered someone a “spiritual bouquet”?  In the Gospel, we hear John preparing the way for the Lord.  How do we prepare for Jesus?  Do we invite others to prepare for him?

When one begins to discuss the issue of Purgatory, it is important to recognize there are often a lot of historical and cultural baggage and influences which can hinder the discussion.  I begin with recognizing that this monograph is not intended to dispute any official teachings of the Catholic Church but is intended to re-examine Purgatory considering how to best explain it in our modern world.  As such, this is intended to be theoretical, speculative and exploratory not doctrinal.  I have eliminated footnotes and endnotes except where absolutely necessary.

There are numerous side issues that impact our understanding and discussion of Purgatory: Time, Space, Eternity, Holiness, Efficacy of Prayer, Language, “Official Teachings” vs non-official teachings, etc.

Throughout the centuries, various mystics and others have had private, personal experiences that were shared and handed down.  Some of these experiences describe heaven, hell and purgatory.  As interesting as these shared experiences are, they are not official teachings of the church, even if the visionary was later declared a saint.  Because there are many publications regarding purgatory, most of them non-official, I start with Official Teachings.  The most official document is the Catechism of the Catholic Church on “The Final Purification, or Purgatory”.

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. 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:

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.

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.” 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. 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.

In beginning, ¶1030 states that “All who die in God’s grace and friendship”.  It should be noted that this does not specify a given faith journey, or even any faith journey.  In fact, in some of the Eucharistic prayers we refer to those whose faith or relationship is known only to God.  The second part refers to the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.  Scripture reminds us that we are called to be holy as the heavenly father is holy.  Most of us would fall short of that high bar. Therefore, Purgatory can be seen as God continuing to reach out to creation to bring about greater holiness.  ¶ 1031 and ¶ 1032 provide scriptural references used to come to the conclusion of Purgatory’s existence.  It is inferred, not explicit.  As someone once pointed out, if we are dirty on the playground and later found clean at the supper table, it is reasonable to assume that at some point we were cleansed of the dirt.  That spiritual cleansing action is purgation, or purgatory.  The visions mentioned earlier, and other thoughts or private revelations, not public revelation, often they remind us of the need to live a holy life.  They can also echo the end of ¶ 1032 to pray for those who have died.  They can also reinforce the understanding that we are connected to those members of our community who have gone before us, and of the three levels of church membership: triumphant, suffering, and militant.

At this point I shift to the subjects of Time, Space and Eternity.  The reason for the shift is to deal with some of the problems people have understanding what purgatory is or is not.  I will return to the praying issue shortly.  What is time?  We waste it; we refer to it; we keep records using it.  What is space?  We live in it; we look out of our world at it; we examine its vastness or miniscule parts with instruments.  What is eternity?  How does it relate to time and space?

Starting with eternity, according to the Catholic Dictionary: in its full sense, duration of being without beginning, succession, or ending. Hence, existing where God exists, which is outside of time and space.  Space is all that exist in the physical and non-physical realm.  Space is a subset of eternity in that it is limited, has a beginning and end and succession.  Time is typically a measurement of the movement within space, having a beginning, succession and ending.  If there is no movement, would there be time? In eternity there is no need for space or time. This distinction is important as all too often people refer to the “time” spent “in” purgatory.  If a person has died and their soul is in the state of purgation prior to entering heaven they are effectively outside of time and space as well, therefore our language is in error when we refer to “time” and “space” in referring to purgatory.  The problem is for may of us it can be difficult to express this understanding, without referring to the existence with which we are familiar, inside time and space.  This is where language, as useful as it is, has its own inherent prejudices and difficulties in expressing a concept that does not fit within the experiences of our existence.  People may refer to Purgatory as a place, when in fact such is erroneously placing the purgation experience within time and space.

At this point I will return to the issue of prayer.  Praying for those who have died.  We live inside time and space.  Numerous people have stated that there is no point to praying for the dead.  I would argue all prayer is efficacious, meaning according to my web search, “successful in producing a desired or intended result.”  In the Church we have the teaching that comes down from the theologian John Dun Scotus regarding the immaculate conception of Mary, and how it was possible. In a nutshell, the grace obtained by Jesus, was applied to Mary at her conception which freed her from original sin, even though Jesus had not yet been born.  This coincides with what I was referring to as time and space as subsets of eternity.  Because God is outside of time and space, the effects of Jesus’ passion and resurrection could be inserted and applied at any point in time.  This is important when it comes to praying for the dead.  As we petition God to be merciful to those who have died, God can take our prayers and apply the efficaciousness to any point in the person’s existence, during life prior to their death, or even after death.  Even though we may not be aware of the effects of our prayers, our prayers today may have had an effect in a person’s life.  The biggest problem most of us have is we want to “see” or be aware of the effects of our prayers.  Here we are called to be like Abraham, who trusted in what God had promised, even though it seemed outrageous at the time.

Now, back to purgatory.  As far as the perennial question about what purgatory is like, the reality is no one really knows, but there are lots of ideas.  Everything from a fire – using the smelting image from precious metals – to a wave of grief for our errors causing the pain attributed to purgatory.  Keep in mind that most of the proposed experiences are based on the earthly human experiences.  If there is no physical body, how does fire fit in?  Can a non-physical soul experience fire or any other form of torture or pain?  In addition, there have been times in the past where some attributed lengths of time in purgatory.  How long is a year or a day if one is outside of time and space?  In theory, purgatory could be as simple as the earthly process of walking through the automatic doors into a store, where we are met with a short blast of heat or cooling.  The Councils of Florence and Trent, expressing fire as mentioned above, were speaking to people who were living in a very different world that we know today.  The earthly concepts may no longer be meaningful or relevant to today’s cultures. 

Remember, Purgatory is inferred in Scripture, not explicit, however, given what Scripture says, Purgatory is a reasonable concept.  As I stated earlier, if we are dirty on the playground and later found clean at the supper table, it is reasonable to assume that at some point we were cleansed of the dirt.  The problem arises when we place purgatory within time and space instead of in eternity.   When we remove it from time and space, then the prayers of Judas Maccabeus and Job, as well as our own, become an important part of our love and concern for others.

The first reading reminds us that God will keep his promises, even if it seems to us he has forgotten them. The Psalm reminds us how wonderful the Lord is as he has blessed us and shown his kindness to those who keep his covenant. The second reading reminds us of the need to strengthen our hearts and our faith for the difficulties we will be having. It reminds us of our need to stand holy before God. The Gospel exhorts us to “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.” Do we allow the cares of today diminish our faith or cause us to weaken? How do we keep the faith strong in the midst of today’s challenges?

We call Jesus our King. In our culture most of us really only have a vague western concept of the powerful relationship between a king and his subjects. The majority of kings or queens in our day are not absolute monarchs but primarily the ceremonial head of state with little if any political power. 
Perhaps as we celebrate Jesus as our King we need to take some time during the week to stop and reflect how important Jesus is in our lives. We can ask ourselves, “Do I really respond to Jesus as a king, or do I merely treat him as just another somebody in my life?” Do I live each day as a person subject to the demands of being called a follower, disciple, subject of Jesus?

The readings this time of year are designed to help us focus on the end of time.

The first reading says that, “the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.” Are we wise in the eyes of God or in the eyes of the world? Our ultimate experience depends upon whose wisdom we espouse.
The psalm calls out, “You are my inheritance, 0 Lord!” Is he really? Do we let go of all the rest of earthly treasures in order to focus on our inheritance from God?
The second reading reminds us that Jesus alone is the only priest that can make us pure and perfect. Do we lean on his words?
In the Gospel Jesus reminds us that we are not immune from tribulations. Can we read the signs of times in our own lives to make ourselves ready for Jesus’ return, or do we think we can always put off reforming our lives until tomorrow?

Most people respectfully wait until the priest has recessed before leaving the nave, I have noticed that you have been leaving mass before the priest exits, can you explain why?

Yes, I can.  I agree with respectfully waiting; however, I object those to pastors promoting their personal piety by inserting a prayer into the mass promulgated by Pope St. John Paul II.  That is during the closing rites of the mass.  I have noticed several priests adding the Saint Michael prayer or Memorare, or Hail Holy Queen, etc., following the blessing and dismissal, and prior to reverencing the altar and exiting.

Some have said, “but there is nothing “written” that prohibits it AFTER the people say, “Thanks be to God””.  Actually, in the General Instructions of the Roman Missal (GIRM) there is.  In paragraph ⁋ 24, it states the priest “is not permitted, on his own initiative, to add, to remove, or to change anything”.  In ⁋ 90 it references the Concluding Rites consisting of: 
a.   Brief announcements, if they are necessary; 
b.   The priest’s greeting and blessing, which on certain days and occasions is enriched and expressed in the prayer over the People or another more solemn formula; 
c.   The dismissal of the people by the deacon or the priest, so that each may go out to do good works, praising and blessing God;
d.   The kissing of the altar by the priest and the deacon, followed by a profound bow to the altar by the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers. 

The Concluding Rites are inclusive in the liturgical directions for the mass and are a complete single action.  Thus, the understanding that the mass is ended in the middle of a single action and anything else can be added is incorrect.  To support my understanding, I draw your attention to ⁋⁋ 168-170.  
168.     Immediately after the blessing, with hands joined, the priest adds, Ite, Missa est (The Mass is ended, go in peace), and all answer, Deo gratias (Thanks be to God). 
169.     Then, as a rule, the priest venerates the altar with a kiss and, after making a profound bow with the lay ministers, departs with them. 
170.     If, however, another liturgical action follows the Mass, the Concluding Rites, that is, the greeting, the blessing, and the dismissal, are omitted.

To recite the Prayer to Saint Michael, or any other, when the priest has not completed the rubrics of the Concluding Rites at the end of the mass is a violation of the norm according to ⁋ 170: “If, however, another liturgical action follows the Mass, the Concluding Rites, that is, the greeting, the blessing, and the dismissal, are omitted.” This these priests do not obey. ⁋ 24, it states the priest “is not permitted, on his own initiative, to add, to remove, or to change anything”.

If the St. Michael prayer, or any other prayer, is to be said as a community, as the priest has instructed them, which is another liturgical action (not a part of the mass), the priest is obligated to follow ⁋ 170 the greeting, the blessing, and the dismissal, are omitted. 

I know of one priest who said the diocese “gave permission”, which I checked and was not true.  They were told the diocese could not give permission to add the Saint Michael Prayer.  While there are bishops who choose to “ignore” this behavior, ignoring is not giving permission.  Thus, I exit during “Saint Michael Prayer”, prior to the priest exiting as he has shown disregard for the Divine Liturgy.

We hear in the first reading the widow, trusting that God will provide. She goes so far as to give away a portion of her last meal to the prophet. Are we willing to trust that God will provide? Are we willing to share from what little we have for the good of others, or do we go the way ofthe world and say, “I got mine!” The second reading reminds us that it is “appointed that human beings die once.” We only get one shot at this life and our eternal reward. Do we treat our life as if we can reboot it anytime like a video game, with countless lives? Is how we live today the way we should live so as to die well tomorrow? Jesus in the Gospel reminds us that like the widow of Zarephath our gifts to God should not just be from our surplus.
Some have said, “If I win the Lotto, I will give God 10%.” Why not 90%? Isn’t it all from God?

The first reading mentions the great multitude which no one could count, from every nation, race, people and tongue. Do you picture yourself there? Do you picture your friends there? Do you picture your enemies there?
The Psalm says this is the people that long to see your face. Do we really look forward to seeing Jesus face to face? Will we be embarrassed when we see him? Often, I hear people say they are “not bad”. To say such is to be looking at others rather than Christ. However, we are not called to be “not bad”, but to be pure, as he is pure. How are we doing on our purity?
The Gospel has the beatitudes from Matthew. Where do we see ourselves in the List? Are we even on the list? How have we been blessed? Are others blessed because they know us?  Are we examples of a “saint in the making”?

We hear in the first reading the key command to the Israelites: “The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all yow-heart, and with all your soul, and with all yow· strength.” Tbis phrase is repeated by Jesus in the Gospel. Interestingly Jesus adds a second to bis answer, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus then goes beyond the norm of the law to state these are, “worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” How many of us put God first? If a husband or wife said they loved their spouse more than anything in the world, and then ignored them and their desires, what would we say? By the same token, how many days go by without our talking to God? When we plan our day, week, month, do we plan in God time? We schedule the gym, sports, dinners, why not schedule God time?

The reading from Jeremiah reminds us that despite our current tears and lamentations God will gather us together and provide us with great joy. That might be easy to believe when we are not in the middle of trauma.  I can only imagine the person caught between different cartels, with each as willing to kill us as to crush and ant on the pavement. 
The Psalm reminds us of the same when it says, “The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.” Do we really appreciate what we do have instead of complaining about what we don’t have? It seems we are always looking for more.  To win the Lotto, to get a promotion, to obtain a raise, to meet the right person to marry, to be in better health! 
The second reading reminds us that Jesus understands our plight. He himself experienced what it means to be human with all its pains and sufferings. Have you ever thought of Jesus having a headache, or a skinned knee, or bumping his head, or an upset stomach from eating bad food?
In the Gospel we have the blind person who “sprang up” to meet Jesus. Are we as willing to encounter Jesus in our lives, or are we more timid? Do we shuffle along toward heaven or are we advancing full force?  Are we as willing to express our faith as this blind person was?  Are we as hungry for a life with Jesus as we are for the extra donut at a Sunday morning social?