The following comes from an Oct. 20 posting on the blog site of Father Ed Broom, OMV, associate pastor of St. Peter Chanel Church in Hawaiian Gardens.
At funerals all too often you hear: “Well, he is no longer suffering!” And, “Now he is in a much better place.” And another common saying: “Now he is in heaven with the Lord in glory!” Although the persons who have expressed these common niceties were most probably moved with good will and the best of intentions, they could be far off the target! Why this straight-forward and possibly startling remark? It is for this reason: the reality of PURGATORY!
Among the many heresies floating around in many Catholic circles is that everybody goes to heaven and right away! In other words, simply being a baptized Catholic and nothing more is a sure passport to heaven. No need for any intermediate state of purification; with death, the gates of heaven are open and the flight is non-stop and one way! The pearly gates are opened and the Lord is ready to embrace forever!
Not only is this a false theology, but it is highly dangerous and damaging for the state of the deceased. Why? If all are totally convinced that Uncle Harry is rejoicing with God, the angels and saints meriting the fruits of his faith in God and earthly labors, then what is the purpose and reason for praying for him? No sense in praying for the saints in heaven, nor the condemned in hell, but only those detained in Purgatory.
It has been sound and solid Catholic teaching over the centuries that only those who are perfect in charity, have no impurities and imperfections on their souls and have done due reparation for the sins of their past will have access to their Heavenly abode. The Book of Revelation expresses this with the utmost clarity: “Nothing impure can enter the Kingdom of God.” Jesus reiterated this in the Sermon on the Mount, in one of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the pure of heart; they will see God.” (Mt. 5:8)
The point is this: none of us have the authority to canonize unofficially any person that has passed from this life to the next life! By doing so in proclaiming that such a person is in a better place, is no longer suffering, is in the eternal and everlasting hills of peace and joy is presumptuous, wrong, and simply false – compassion. Worse yet, we are taking over the role of the Holy Father, the Pope. Only the Pope himself has a right to canonize or to declare that such a person is definitely in heaven. And there is only one Pope—it is not you nor is it me!
To read the original posting, click here.
JESUS said few will be saved. Lk 13:23-27 and Mt 7:13-14.
Praying for the Dead. 2 Mac 12:44-45.
CCC: ” 1472 To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence.
GRAVE SIN deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the “eternal punishment” of sin.
On the other hand every sin, even VENIAL, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory.
This purification frees one from what is called the “temporal punishment” of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin.
A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.
wis 3:1-9
The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
And what about the Souls of the unjust ?
Melody,
Actually true Catholics can quite easily avoid Purgatory through the many Perpetual Indulgences God has given for the Salvation of our souls. Eg.: The Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, when properly said and used can be a daily source of Perpetual Indulgence and there are many other ways to gain such an Indulgence as well!
I believe that Our Lord knew that far too many would neglect these many ways, and that is why he said “few are chosen”!
May God have mercy on an amoral Amerika and His Church!
Viva Cristo Rey!
Yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
The SIN of PRESUMPTION –
CCC: ” 2092 There are two kinds of presumption.
Either man presumes upon his own capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high),
or he presumes upon God’s almighty power or his mercy (hoping to obtain his forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit). “
We do not know who will get to Heaven (with the exception of canonized Saints).
Jesus knows what is in the heart of each man and knows who has (or has not) repented of all of his MORTAL Sins before death.
This stems back to Fr. Barron and his heresy that we can hope all will be in Heavan, which violates Sacred Scripture.
In fact violates the exact words of Jesus.
(Some people think they know more than God.)
As soon as the priests stopped talking about sin, that’s when we all figured there was no need for remorse or penance.
As soon as we saw archbishops officiating at the funerals of public sinners like Ted Kennedy, champion of unborn baby killing, we figured there was no need to repent.
As soon as we saw bishops celebrating Mass \to celebrate gays and lesbians, we figured that grievous sins like sodomy were not even worth discussing.
As soon as we saw Cardinal Mahony was not defrocked for his cover-up of sexual abuses by priests, we figured that the hierarchy no longer cared about sin.
That is true, George, but in the end it is Jesus we must be accountable to. The people who blindly followed these men were just as much to blame. The whole point of the Church is to lead us to heaven and if the Church heirarchy is failing in their duty we must still remain true to the CHURCH to the end. There are those here who think if you question the integrity of the bishops or pope, you are questioning the Church’s teaching but these leaders are mere men whose duty is to remain faithful to the teachings of the Church…if they fail in this, these people seem to think you should support them anyway, as if you were questioning the Church. It is this kind of thinking that promotes real sacrilege. We have the CCC now, and the Bible and Encyclicals available on EWTN and other websites. There is no reason whatsoever to repeat the perpetuation of deliberate false teachings supposedly carrying out Vatican II. Mother Angelica said that to read the documents of Vat.II was like reading the Bible…that they were so true and beautiful! How many here have actually read them? Mother said many bishops deliberately chose to ignore these teachings and did what they wished. These bishops are the type you are wanting to follow again in being ‘faithful to the Magisterium”. Don’t be fooled again.
And as soon as you opened your mouth you realized you could destroy the Church with your vitriol.
Anonymous, you do not care about JESUS (God), the Bible, or the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Take your silliness and error elsewhere.
Heya Sandra – take a chill pill. Some milk of magnesia maybe. Tums. Hurling vicious accusations at people. Not good. It’s not enough to read the Catechism. Try obeying it for a change.
Obedience in all but sin, Anonymous. It would seem your surfeit of chill pills has left you numb. Perhaps you should stop taking them in order to better discern.
Accusations against Anonymous ?
Anonymous we know the truth about you by your many posts, and you don’t fool anyone.
You hate the teachings of the Catholic Church, and all those who try to live by them as stated in the Bible and CCC.
Ann Malley, just so you know, based on your recommendations you offer up here hourly on CCD, you would probably the last person I would turn to for an aspirin, let alone any serious counsel about the spiritual life. So you might as well just keep it all to yourself and live the perfectly pious life you believe you lead.
Who is asking you to turn to me, mous? You’ve got a grand battle in your own mind, that much is clear. But you may want to take if off CCD or else expect those who do have the spiritual well being of others to continually shut you down.
Chill pill indeed. Looks like you could use a lifetime supply.
Dottie, no one cares about your accusations that you can never prove come from the Bible and the CCC, regardless of how many times you might cite passages from them. Those of us who actually DO believe in them realize that the hatred you spew here comes not from those sources but from your own self loathing. Please discern the difference.
Your vitriol is against the Faith, Anonymous. And a Church without Faith is nothing. That is why Our Lord promised the Holy Ghost to the Church, to protect and defend the Deposit of Faith (Truth). If all it took were ‘men’ to guide the Church, then there would be no need to promise supernatural support. (And that is just the belief system behind those who would subvert Cardinals/Bishops/Priests and Religious to negate the supernatural in lieu of their own opinions so that the Church, devoid of Faith, can come to the service of men in place of God.
Thank you AGAIN, Dana, for a decisive, on target explanation of what Catholics who love the Faith and dearly love Holy Mother Church are called to do!
God bless.
Thank you so much Ann…I hope I don’t sound too judgmental and unloving~ it is just I am so grateful for the many millions of fellow Catholics who have preserved our faith for two thousand years, and the many saints who have suffered and died for the truths that some of our shepherds seem to think is their own private preserve that can be used as they see fit. For shame! If we love the Lord our God with all our hearts it should grieve and distress us to let anything compromise the vessel He chose to preserve His teachings. God bless you!
There is nothing ‘unloving’ about reading the signs of the times as we are called to do, Dana, and speaking accordingly.
“…If we love the Lord our God with all our hearts it should grieve and distress us to let anything compromise the vessel He chose to preserve His teachings.”
You are absolutely correct as far as I’m concerned. And if our leadership will not die, even unto themselves, to pass on the Faith, what will there be when the time comes to shed our blood? Martyrs for the Faith or compromises that would make our own fathers, let alone God the Father, rise up in disgust?
The shame is in silence, Dana. And I pray God for mercy. God bless you, too.
They are destroying themselves, not the Church.
My take on this subject is many priests and the majority of the US Catholic laity do not believe in Purgatory, and we have no first person account of anyone going there and returning to describe it, nor is there any scriptural evidence aside from grossly ambiguous passages from Christ that Purgatory supporters cite to buttress a teaching that took centuries to develop.
Fr. Broom looks and sounds like a very nice priest, but he has no future as a funeral homilist if he conveys graphic descriptions of torture and pain to grieving family and friends that he believes the deceased is now undergoing because he is so sure that the decedent had many sins to expiate.. How did Fr. Broom reach his conclusion that the deceased is in torments? Does he know what God knows?
Purgatory is one of those controversial teachings that has an embarrassing history in our Church……in the Middle Ages the sale of Indulgences to avoid Purgatory helped finance the Church during difficint financial times, it helped pay for the Inquisition, and was one of the leading charges of corruption that Martin Luther leveled at the Church to spark the Reformation. Given the corrupting influence of this practice, criticizing Purgatory had a fertile audience among the faithful.
I trust God to be the judge of good and evil, to be forgiving and compassionate to us all, to want us to join him in Heaven, and to be saddened by the expressions of harsh authoritarianism so prevalent today.
Once again cowardly Anonymous you show your gross lack of proper learning in the teachings of the Church. For your information (one seriously doubts it will make any difference), belief in Purgatory is a DOGMA OF THE ONE HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH!
May God have mercy on your poor soul!
May God have mercy on an amoral Amerika and His Church!
Viva Cristo Rey!
Yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Kenneth, you have joined those on this thread that are slinging accusations at everyone who ventures on. You usually don’t do that. Anonymous doesn’t get a lot of support on CCD, but in this instance I don’t think he was totally wrong.
1) Purgatory is one of the most controversial beliefs of the Catholic church
2) The sale of indulgences was one of the key thesis of Martin Luther when he called for reformation of the church
3) Indulgences, were in fact, a way to raise money to build the cathedrals of Europe
So, stating these facts is not cowardly, it is not contradicting dogma, and it is not even giving an opinion on the validity of the dogma.
This tread has brought out the worst in a number of people in ways not very Christian.
Wouldn’t you agree that it would be best if we all stuck to the subject and not the talk-radio 10 second sound bite?
Bob One, there is no need to post in the public media anything that some readers may find contradictory.
ALL Catholics must believe in PURGATORY – as the bible states the cleansing fire, and praying for the dead.
Indulgences are still an important teaching of the Faith, but they must be earned though prayers, acts, etc..
No indulgences may be sold.
Indulgences can only be earned for oneself, or for a deceased person; not another living person.
It would be more helpful if you would give the facts in the public media as they are today, or give the approx. year if you are speaking about history.
Yes, even Popes have sinned.
For those who are interested, one can purchase “The Manual of Indulgences” for Vatican approved indulgences on the USCCB web site.
therefore, indulgences can be purchased. on the usccb web site.
Anonymous, no one cares about your take. Either you are dishonest and are not a Catholic or are a Catholic heretic.
Purgatory is a Doctrine of the Faith. One more reason that we can prove you are not Catholic or are a Catholic heretic by your own post.
Without Purgatory there would be no need to pray for the dead – because at death – their personal judgment would send them straight to Heaven or to Hell from which there is no return.
CCC: ” 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. ”
Further your ignorance shows again – You have not read the Bible.
2 Mac 12:41-45 about prayers for the dead.
This particular anonymous sounds like a mormon or a baptist, with a thinly disguised contempt for Catholicism and just enough understanding of Church history to use it in a vain attempt to sound superior..”.Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest” and hie thee to the nearest ces pit and learn well some manners, prithee thou errant fool.
Anonymous, there are private revelations of souls from Purgatory.
And it is a dogma of the faith From the CCC
030 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.610 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.
It would be most helpful if people would use some name other than Anonymous for two reasons.
1) because it appears there are 2 of you (or you are schizophrenic);
2) because if anyone hits the post button, and forgets to enter a name it posts “Anonymous”.
Or there are two of us AND we are schizophrenic :)
OK since you asked nicely.
Anonymous writes: “…Fr. Broom looks and sounds like a very nice priest, but he has no future as a funeral homilist if he conveys graphic descriptions of torture and pain to grieving family and friends that he believes the deceased is now undergoing because he is so sure that the decedent had many sins to expiate…”
By your logic, mous, Our Lord showed no future in Jerusalem for retaining followers because He spoke hard truths and was, after all, crucified.
Why not pack your bags and take your ‘marketing’ mentality elsewhere. I understand that tickets to Hell, when properly advertised, are a really tough sell. But there’s nobody on CCD believing your trip is a Club Med vacation. No matter how you spin it.
This is very sad, but 100% true! Sin is an objective thing– like a scientifically-documented illness! Also, God does not deal with His people in a subjective sense of PERSONAL LOVE, the personality-based love which we human beings are so used to. A tragic misconception! The love of God, is IMPERSONAL! The Church used to clearly preach this truth! Then, in the 1960’s, after Vatican II, many priests were no longer impersonal and professional in their work. At Mass, they now faced the people– not God– and were full of silly “humanism.” Many were referred to unprofessionally– by their first names! And they preached a God Who was very human and personal, with a “hippie pop-psychology love,” with little mention of sin, or becoming Christ-like! Psychology deals with illness and disorder. Religion basically treats sin. It is best for people to first get psychologically healthy– and then seek to be a good, practicing Catholic! Otherwise they may feel too miserable, too “judged,” for their sins! The path to holiness, and God, is difficult, impersonal, and objective– it is also a science!
Wow look who is being silly. Are you actually trying to tell us that when the priest faces in one direction he faces God, but when he faces another direction, he is no longer facing God? Really? You have a very small tiny and impersonal God. Hardly the Jesus, the Abba, nor the Spirit we came to know through Scripture.
Well, reality is sadly that many people have a very tiny small and impersonal sense of spiritual realities, mous. It’s called being human. That is why we need outward signs of what we are to believe. So facing God, present in the Blessed Sacrament during mass, a rite intended to glorify Him, not us, is a good thing as it reminds folks at every mass that while God is indeed everywhere, He is particularly present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the consecrated Host.
That mean’s the Host contains your Abba, mous. And if you don’t have a problem shunting your Father to the side during the rite dedicated to His public worship – that’s your problem. Not a small one either.
When young, we all were taught to daily include the Poor Souls, in our prayers. Most good souls, are probably in Purgatory– few are saints, in Heaven! All Souls’ Day was (and still is!) a special time to obtain indulgences, for the Poor Souls, suffering in Purgatory! They need our prayers desperately, for they cannot help themselves! And they, too, can help us, suffering on Earth! Also, there was a series of thirty daily Gregorian Masses, which could be requested, for the soul of a deceased loved one. In some churches, this may still be available, particularly where the old Latin Mass is offered. There are many cases in the history of the Church, in which souls suffering in Purgatory, requested prayers, and described their situations graphically, to some of our Saints. Well, I think a priest conducting a Catholic funeral, should be kind! Best to focus on sin, and curing sin– WHEN ONE IS ALIVE, NOT DEAD!! And “bad Catholics” should be excommunicated, and then be ineligible, for a Catholic funeral!
Thank you for this article!
We would do well to copy and give it to bereavement teams and funeral liturgy coordinators (as well as celebrants) and especially to anyone permitted to give a eulogy (which is another topic that needs consideration).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church in our life experiences, is always an important HELP. When a death is near or occurs , families would do well to take the time to read the CCC and reflect on the riches of our faith regarding these truths, especially when we face death.
Sadly, (and I have seen this over and over again) funeral “canonizations” have largely fostered the relativism so pervasive, even for active faithful Catholics, in an increasing way over 40 years.
Far too often the possibility of a time of purgation/purification is treated as non- existent, how protestant… The protestant-ization of catholics occurs when we do not grasp and live the richness of our Faith.
Think about it, WHO at funerals WANTS TO HEAR THAT their dearly beloved deceased needs our prayers because they might not be in heaven yet? Actually, this is the truth for many of us and maybe the greatest majority of us. On earth, sadly it seems to be far too many give in to this idea that all souls go straight to heaven, no need to pray for their needs. This is why it is becoming so popular to hear that “funerals are for the living” or a that funerals are a CELEBRATION OF LIFE… Are we celebrating the Life of Christ and His gift of eternal life and His call to “be holy as my Heavenly Father is holy”?
I am sure of this, the Poor Souls in Purgatory, DO NOT WANT US THINKING THAT THEY ARE IN HEAVEN… Let us not neglect praying for those who are so dependent on our prayerful help. Especially on All Souls Day….. and every other day.
May the Lord have mercy on us all, Fr Dave Leon
What you wrote is very true, Fr.Dave. I’ve already asked my priest for a very traditional funeral and to please not mention anything about me personally. (when the time arises, naturally :) ) Thank you for your post!
Fr. Dave Leon. thank you for your post.
Thank you Father. So many do not have anyone praying for the repose of their Souls these days.
And because they do not know their Faiths (and never read the CCC), people do not even know about indulgences for the deceased.
Whenever we know of a Catholic who may be dying, we always mention to them that they may want to consider having Masses said at peoples’ nearest Catholic Churches for the repose of their Soul in lieu of flowers. Most never think of this, and are very happy to request it.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church educates so well, a great wealth of information from the Magisterium – Purgatory, cremation, organ donation, indulgences, palliative care, euthanasia, Anointing of the Sick, etc.
No Catholic home should be without a Bible and “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition”.
For statements from our Popes on the CCC and more, go to:
“What Catholics REALLY Believe SOURCE”
https://whatcatholicsreallybelieve.com/
Thank you Father Leon!
“Anonymous” and “Bob One”: Did you both go the School of Disbelievers? In fact, Purgatory is not controversial, except for (1) non-Catholics, (2) Satanists, and (3) Catholics that are non-Believers. It represents a gift from God, to permit the many, many of us who die in some level of sin to ultimately obtain Heaven.
You really should think about joining up with the Episcopalians. Mrs. Jefferts-Schori would love to have you, especially at their dress-up day parties! And, while on the way, please take along Fr. Robert Barron; he is not really Catholic either. Enjoy!
St. C, two comments to your comments. Even among “real, believing Catholics” the notion of Purgatory is controversial, because it is hard to understand without a lot of schooling in the subject. In the end, it comes down to faith. Its a bit like the belief in God as three persons, yet one. You can’t understand it, you have to just take it on faith. Secondly, your mocking of the leaders of other Christian Faiths is a bit beneath you. Our Pope, and his predecessors in different words perhaps, has stated that our common Baptism requires us to work together, to support each other. Our “fallen away” brethren believe in the same One God in Three Persons, most use the same Lectionary, follow the same liturgical calendar, believe and teach the same Gospel, etc. They are not enemies, just folks who have not made it back to the one true church yet. And, they unlikely to want to join us if your attitude represents the best that we have to offer. Be critical, believe strongly, but we must all act with Christian values.
“Bob One”: Let’s see, do you have an issue with, say, the dogma of the “Immaculate Conception” or the “Assumption of Mary”> Both are very disliked by many Protestants, but are required for all to believe. So, too, belief in Purgatory is dogmatic in nature, not subject to Catholic debate.
Sinners go to Purgatory if they/we are lucky. Not many clergy believe in Purgatory, it is true, but not because they are confused. Nope, they simply refuse to believe in sin and punishment for sin.
Why is that? Because we are awash in a world where sexual morality is deemed non-existent (except by the Catholic Church, and some other Christian, and other faiths). The Catholic Church just does not want to tell people who use contraception, or that fornicate, or that commit adultery, or homosexuals that have sex with their own gender, or people that use pornography, or that engage in other sexual sins, that what they are doing could well land them into Hell. Oh, there are still “formal” prohibitions, but did you see the sissy way that Cardinal Wuerl (and there are others) simpered his way through a discussion about something can be changed if it is a “discipline” (but not a dogma).
What craziness, what sinfulness, what absolute evil that now leads much of Catholicism. Yet Pope Francis willingly listens to, and is guided by, these liars. And, to top it off, they demand our obedience, when they are craven materialists that want nothing more than our money, and public adulation. Just look at how petty they are: C. Schonborn actually stopped a TLM that Cardinal Burke was scheduled to say in Austria. (Yes, the same lover Austrian lover of clown and balloon masses.) Purgatory is needed to wipe off the grime of being in the same Faith as these people (but not the wonderful Cardinal Burke).
This is one of the bitter fruits of ecumeism which V2 and the post concilliar magesterium buys into, accepting and adopting protestant viewpoints contrary to catholic doctrine. Imagine how many souls are now either suffering in hell as they didn’t take the ten commandments seriously and offended God greviously, or they didn’t beg for God’s forgiveness in confession because they thought it wasn’t necessary as they either lost the faith of the great powers of the Sacrament of Confession, or they just came to believe they weren’t committing any serious sins offending God.
Imagine how many souls who are in purgatory (luckily surviving an eternal judgement of hell) who are suffering constantly to purify their stained souls and no one is praying for their stained souls here on earth for early release to heaven, because loved ones, family, and friends feel it is unnececssary since, mom, dad, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin, or friends are most certainly without a doubt in heaven. We should all read up on our catholic faith and find out the truth rather than listen to so many people’s erroneous opinions. So many holy souls have been abandoned and need our prayers, especially on Holy Souls Day next week. We can pray and relieve them of some of their sufferings.
Bruce and St. Chris. WELL SAID! You have no idea how your posts uplift and strengthen the rest of us. I remember Fr. Groeschel speaking on purgatory and he said that if he made it there, even though he would be suffering, he would have ‘made it’. Phew! He said he was already practicing saying “Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy! ” for he wanted that phrase on his lips when he passed. If a saintly man like that feels that way, what can the rest of us hope for? May his soul rest in peace. He was such a blessing to so many.
Also see “MANUAL of INDULGENCES” for oneself and the deceased as approved by the Apostolic Penitentiary, published and available at the USCCB Bookstore.
This book not only lists all the permissible indulgences, but also the requirements for each.
https://www.usccbpublishing.org/searchproducts.cfm
CCC: ” 1471 The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Penance.
What is an indulgence?
An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.
An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.
The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead. ”
CCC: ” 1473 The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains.
While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace.
He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the “old man” and to put on the “new man.”
There are several more paragraphs in the CCC about this.
Bishops and their Parish Priests need to do a better job teaching about the 4 LAST THINGS : Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell.
And also the cleansing fire of Purgatory for those who do not die in un-repented Mortal sin, and praying for the Dead.
Btw these are all in the Bible and CCC.
But many don’t tell people to read these at home either.
One little book that I try to use every November is Susan Tassone’s “Thirty-Day Devotions for the Holy Souls. Some might even like to make the Heroic Act in the back of this book and that is in many other Catholic prayer books..
The Heroic Act: “O Holy and Adorable Trinity, desiring to cooperate in the deliverance of souls in purgatory, and to testify, to my devotion to the Blessed Virgin, I cede and renounce in behalf of the holy souls, all the satisfactory value of all my works during life, and all the suffrages which may be given to me after death, consigning them into the hands of the Blessed Virgin, that she may apply them according to her good pleasure to the souls of the faithful departed, whom she desires to deliver from their sufferings. Deign, O my God, to accept and bless this offering which I make to Thee at this moment. Amen.”
It is the teaching of the Church that the dead for whom we pray will also pray for us when they finally enter heaven. That is part of “The Communion of Saints”.
There is an intense participation in life between us and the sisters and brothers who are in heavenly glory, or who are still being purified after death.” Pope John Paul II (Now St. John Paul II).
I should have put quotations marks at the beginning of my last post as it was all a quotation from Pope John Paul II (St. John Paul I)I.
Got it! It’s a beautiful quote, thanks for sharing it with us Anne.
Anne T.,
Excellent posts! Thank you!
It is important that people make their funeral and burial plans known in writing, and pre-pay as much as possible.
This will require some ‘homework’, but is well worth it to insure that you will have a Catholic funeral, etc.