Today, November 2, is the Feast of All Souls.

Wisdom 3:1-9

The souls of the righteous 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 to others, indeed, they seem 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 a furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their judgment they shall shine and dart about as sparks through stubble; they shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the LORD shall be their King forever. Thos 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 the elect.

Today is the day that we pray for all those who have gone before us, in the hope of their salvation. We do not presume to know the fate of most of those who have died. Those who lived lives and for whom there is evidence of their being in the kingdom we canonize as saints, though the Church certainly knows that there are far more in the kingdom than only those officially canonized. Their day was yesterday, when we recognized all those who are members of the Church triumphant, both those canonized and those known only to God.

But today is for all souls, Christian or otherwise, who have died. The Church does not presume to know their fate. We simply pray that all who have died have gone to the kingdom. This is a proper thing, even though we know that Hell exist and that it is not empty. Even still, for any particular soul, there remains hope, because we do not know their fate. So, we pray that their fate may be to spend eternity among the righteous in God’s kingdom.

Purgatory is one of the least understood doctrines of the Catholic Church, though it is not a particularly difficult concept. Purgatory is for those who are saved but who have need of being purged of any remaining venial sins or temporal punishment due for our sins.

I like to use the analogy of a little boy who was told by his father not to play baseball in the back yard, out of concern that a window might be broken. The little boy disobeys his father and plays baseball in the backyard and, sure enough, he breaks a neighbor’s windonw. The son goes to his father, truly repentent, and the father genuinely forgives him. They go to the neighbor, the boy truly repentent and the neighbor genuinely forgives him. What is left? The window is still broken. Who is responsible for fixing the broken window? The boy. So, he mows a few extra lawns, does extra chores, whatever he needs to do to pay for the broken window.

When we sin, we sin against God’s righteousness, but also against His justice. Our repentance is sufficient for God’s forgiveness, but we still owe the justice for our debt to God and His Church. As such, atonement is necessarity. Repentence is sufficient for forgiveness. Atonement is necessary for justice. So, we do penance for our sins to atone for them. Purgatory is for those who have not yet asked forgiveness for their venial sins, and for those who still owe atonement for their sins, who still have some broken windows to pay for before they enter the kingdom (what the Church calls temporal punishments). This is important: everyone in Purgatory is saved and will eventually enter the kingdom. Purgatory is not a “second chance” for those who were almost but not quite good enough on earth. Neither is it a medieval invention designed to put fear into the hearts of the faithful so they might empty their pockets into the Church’s coffers. We have been praying for the dead since the beginning (2 Tim 1:18). All those in Purgatory are assured of their salvation. During Purgatory, God purges them clean of their remaining venial sins and temporal punishments.

The month of November, kicked off by All Souls’ Day, is set aside to pray for our beloved dead, those who have gone before us in the faith. We pray for their salvation. For those who are in Purgatory, we pray for the quick purging and entry into the kingdom. For those who may be in the kingdom, our prays for them are not wasted, for they can be applied by God to those who need them according to His will.

Some Scripture verses that, while not speaking precisely to the doctrine of Purgatory, offer Scriptural grounds for the doctrine:

2 Maccabees 12:38-46                       1 Corinthians 3:10-15

         Wisdom 3:1-9                                       Philippians 3:11-12

         Sirach 7:32-33                                      2 Timothy 1:16-18

         Zechariah 13:7-9                                 Hebrews 12:29

         Malachi 3:2-3                                      1 Peter 1:6-7

         Matthew 5:23-26                                 1 Peter 4:6

         Matthew 12:32                                    Revelation 3:18-19

         Luke 12:58-59                                       Revelation 20:11-13

         Luke 16:19-31                                       Revelation 21:27

We pray for our beloved dead:

George J. Hunt, Sr., Ruth C. Hunt, H. Guy Simmons, Wilma “Billie” Simmons,

Robert C. Hunt, Fr. David Findlay, Teresa Hunt, John Hunt,

Matthew Czapleski, Julie Winkler, Jim McNulty, Ron Bredehoft,

Bob Klyce, Sr., Eleanor Klyce, Erin Corwin, Maria Meyers,

Louis Rankin, Lourdes Garza, Fr. Bill Stelling, Fr. Tom Kirk,

Nancy Feist & Peter

Eternal rest grant onto them, O LORD, and may perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, by the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.