We all know that the souls in Heaven are saints. We know that even the souls in purgatory are blessed because they are assured of their place in Heaven. But we are not accustomed to calling ourselves “saints,” yet that is precisely what we are. We heard St. John say as much in the Second Reading: “Beloved, we are God’s children now,” even though “what we shall be has not yet been revealed.” Yes, there are canonized saints and the Church has the right to honor them for their heroic virtue and sanctity of life, but we stand with St. Paul who addressed his fellow Christians as “saints” in the sense that they all were being or had been sanctified by grace and baptism. They were God’s children, and saints.

After all, what is sanctity? The dictionary tells us it is “godliness,” and so we immediately see the connection between sanctity and God. We associate sanctity with goodness and indeed there can be no sanctity without goodness but sanctity has more to do with grace and grace comes from God. And so it is faith and baptism and the grace of God which make sanctity possible in the strict sense. We can say therefore that everyone living in the state of grace is a saint.

The Solemnity of All Saints which we celebrate today calls our attention to the Communion of Saints. Formerly, we would speak of the Church Militant, the Church Suffering and the Church Triumphant, and even though we do not use these terms often now they have not lost their meaning. Of course there are not three Churches, but no one lives a life of sanctity without a struggle, and no one is cleansed in purgatory without suffering and everyone in Heaven has triumphed over sin and death. It may have seemed that death was the great divider that split our Church into compartments but this was not the intention and the terms only emphasized what characterizes our journey to heaven in different phases of life.

The Communion of Saints, we must remember, is not only union—it is the interaction among members and the mutual sharing of members in that union. Monsignor Joseph M. Escriva in his book, The Way, writes: “The Communion of Saints. How shall I explain it to you? You know what blood transfusions can do for the body? Well, that’s what the Communion of Saints does for the soul” (The Way, 544). The Catechism of the Catholic Church expresses it this way: “Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others” (CCC 947) and it reminds us that the most important member of that body is its head, Jesus Christ. The Church is governed by the same Holy Spirit and therefore “all the goods she has received necessarily become a common fund.” This is the basis of our belief in Indulgences. The Church is able to help us and the souls in purgatory through them because of the rich treasure of merits of Christ, his Blessed Mother and the saints. Moreover, the Communion of Saints is an inspiration to us. Monsignor Escriva points out: “You will find it easier to do your duty if you think of how your brothers are helping you, and of the help you fail to give them if you are not faithful” (The Way, 549).

The priest often greets the faithful in the words of St. Paul as he begins Mass: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:13). These words are not only a greeting, they are an invitation to advance in sanctity. We were set on the path of holiness with baptism and we make progress with prayer and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. As we grow in holiness we not only worship God more fervently but we contribute mightily to the welfare of society. We heard in the Second Reading St. John say: “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” No, the world today does not appreciate holiness, does not recognize the saints living in the world. And the reason is that it does not wish to recognize God. Good citizenship and philanthropy are applauded, holiness is ignored. Not content with the separation of Church and State, society wishes to separate life from God, and builds prisons for those who disobey its laws. It wishes to separate education from God and orders policemen into schools to insure good order. It wishes to separate science from God and deplores what is happening to the ecology. The Church appeals to her children in these circumstances not to make the same mistake. Through holiness of life we fulfill our duty to God, extend a helping hand to our neighbors, and finally achieve our goal, eternal happiness. But holiness, sanctity, does not come easy.

Monsignor Escriva makes a profound observation: “Paradox: Sanctity is more attainable than learning, but it is easier to be a scholar than to be a saint” (The Way, 282). It is easier to be a scientist, a politician or an artist than to be a saint because sanctity demands more sacrifice. It is always connected to the cross of Jesus Christ. It is at the same time more attainable because of God’s grace.

Why should we consider the Precepts of the Church at this time? First of all because the Gospel today suggests it. Secondly, because they can be easily overlooked. Other tenets of our Faith may take precedence but surely even the Precepts deserve some attention. They too are important and their importance shows up dramatically when they are broken. Like the car that needs attention before winter, like the furnace that needs checking, like the smoke detector that needs a look before winter, so do the Precepts of the Church—now before the Church year ends and as we look forward to the close of the Great Jubilee.

A scribe at the time of Jesus was a scholar of the Jewish law. He was a learned man for whom knowledge of the law was the highest wisdom. In the Gospel we heard our Lord answer a scribe’s question about the “first of all the commandments.” Scribes usually found fault with Jesus, but this scribe was impressed with our Lord and the answer he gave. Jesus, in turn, was impressed with him. Our Lord said: “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Understanding and keeping God’s Commandments is a prerequisite for entering God’s kingdom.

The Precepts of the Church are not on a par with the Commandments of God, yet they are connected to them—they either flow from them or help us keep them. The Church, as our Mother and Teacher, has the authority to issue commands and make laws. This is an essential part of her teaching authority. She is the “pillar and bulwark of truth,” and has been solemnly commanded by Christ to proclaim the saving truth of the Gospel. Consequently she has the right to enunciate moral principles and make judgments on matters required by the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation of souls (CCC 2032).

One of the problems with Church laws is the attitude of people toward laws. Sad to say, many look upon laws as restrictions curtailing freedom and putting one into a kind of straight-jacket. They fail to see that just laws are aids to freedom insofar as they lead to mastery of self and respect for other peoples’ rights. This attitude seems to stem from a capitulation to trends in society and as a result even God’s laws are seen only as ideals to be praised but not necessarily observed. Little wonder, therefore, that sometimes Catholics hesitate to speak of Church laws. And the Church has laws, 1752 of them in the new Code of Canon Law.

The Precepts of the Church are special. Like other Church laws they are commands, but unlike laws they are aimed not at the common good per se, but directly to the personal spiritual good of the individual. These precepts specify the Catholic’s response to the minimum requirements of living the Catholic Faith, to participate in the life of the Church, to live up to the commitments of Baptism. One could say that the Precepts of the Church are a code of conduct that a Catholic could formulate for himself/herself upon a prayerful consideration of baptismal commitments. For her part, however, the Church looks upon her precepts as what she must require from her children if she is to lead them to a life of faith in this world and to help them gain eternal happiness in heaven.

It may be worthwhile to recall the Six Precepts of the Church:

1. to hear Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation;
2. to fast and abstain on the days appointed;
3. to go to confession at least once a year;
4. to receive communion at Easter time;
5. to contribute to the support of the church;
6. to marry according to the laws of the Church.

Perhaps the precepts that most need explanation, however, are those relating to our Easter Duty. It may seem strange to speak of Easter Duty at this time. Easter is far off, nevertheless we are an Easter people and our entire liturgical life is centered on the resurrection of our Lord. The third and fourth Precepts of the Church relate to the Easter Duty. The Easter Duty is the obligation of Catholics to receive the Eucharist at least once a year during Easter time. In the United States this extends from the first Sunday in Lent to Trinity Sunday. The obligation does not extend to confession which, strictly speaking, is obligatory only for those in mortal sin.

The obligation to go to communion during the Easter time may seem anachronistic in this age of frequent communion. It seems that everyone in church goes to communion on Sundays, and so why should they be told to go to communion on Easter? But look at this another way. It is no secret that confessions have fallen off disastrously in recent years and yet we know very well that we are living in an age of moral laxity. Certainly sin, even mortal sin, has not disappeared from the earth. We should also look at the problem of attendance at Mass on Sundays. Many Catholics have taken it upon themselves to excuse themselves from Mass for any flimsy reason. They feel no obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days because they have forgotten the very first Precept of the Church. These people are in no position to fulfill their Easter Duty unless they examine their consciences well and return to the faithful practice of the Faith. It is not too early to do this. Postponing confession to Easter time was once a problem, now omitting confession throughout the year is a greater problem.

Today countless diets and exercise programs are offered to help people confront the problem of obesity in America. “Watch your pounds melt away with this wonderful program” reads one ad. Whether these programs are effective or not is a question, but they do serve a purpose. They eventually say that sacrifice and discipline are necessary to achieve the goal. Our life’s goal is Heaven! Clearly, to achieve this goal takes sacrifice and discipline. The Church has the mission and responsibility to lead her children to that goal. She cannot do this without a program leading to holiness and one which requires effort, sacrifice and discipline on the part of those aspiring to Heaven. Her Precepts are the program. “Follow this program and watch sins and temptations melt away!”

On October 1st—it happened to be a Sunday this year—we celebrated the feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower. She received the name Little Flower because she often spoke of flowers in describing God’s love for souls. She spoke of God’s living garden of souls—of the splendor of the rose, the whiteness of the lily, the scent of the violet and the ravishing charm of the daisy. Every little flower has its place and serves God’s purpose. St. Thérèse was content to be a “little flower” in God’s garden. We can say that our Rites are like flowers in the Church’s garden of souls. Some Rites have a large number of worshipers, others have a limited number, but all of them are precious because they express the living faith of people and lead them to God. Like the widow in the Gospel today, countless poor people in every age and throughout the world have sacrificed to build temples to the honor of God and for his worship. Basically it is people of faith who gave rise to Rites and it is people who have preserved them to this day.

For most of us the word “rite” usually means prayers, ceremonies and possibly even sacraments, as for example “the Last Rites of the Church.” Today we use the word “rite” to signify much more. In this sense it is synonymous with “church”—a fully constituted body of worshipers with its own hierarchy, laws and liturgy. Most of us who worship God in the Latin Rite wrongly assume that the Latin Rite is the Catholic Church. It is only one of the Rites of the Catholic Church. Besides the Latin Rite there are 21 Eastern Catholic Rites or Churches—all truly Catholic and all in union with our Holy Father, the Supreme Shepherd of Christ’s Church. Our attention today is drawn to the Eastern Catholic Rites.

To help us understand why there are Rites in the Church we must go back to a venerable historical institution, the patriarchate. The Catholic Church had its beginning in Palestine but it quickly spread to large cities rimming the Mediterranean Sea. These became key centers of Christian life and missionary endeavor in the early Church and their bishops influenced the liturgical life of Christians living in their jurisdictions. Their bishops’ work, influence and authority justified the title given them, patriarch. The pope, for example, has as one of his official titles, “the Patriarch of the West.” There were and are five genuine patriarchal sees: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. It was from these five patriarchal sees that the Rites originated. The Eastern Catholic Rites developed from the influence of the patriarchs of four—Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem.

Since we in the United States live far from these cities of the Old World, their culture, traditions and forms of worship may seem strange and of little consequence. They may even seem “foreign.” Yet many Eastern Catholics came to our shores in the past century from Eastern Europe and the Middle East and their numbers have increased considerably. We probably are familiar with the onion-shaped domes of Byzantine churches found throughout our northeastern states, but we may not be very familiar with their history. The Eastern Rites are not recent arrivals to our country. Eight Russian Orthodox monks entered Alaska in 1792 and established headquarters at Kodiak. 12,000 people were baptized there within two years. Orthodox bishops built a cathedral at Sitka and later built a chapel at a Russian trading post near San Francisco. Our Eastern Catholics share the Byzantine Rite with our Orthodox brethren. No, they are not recent arrivals to our shores! They deserve our respect.

The Eastern Rites are important to the Catholic Church for many reasons, not the least of which is that their liturgies go back to some of the greatest Fathers of the Church: St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Gregory of Nazianzen. Secondly, they are witnesses to the Church’s desire of preserving all that is good in the cultures and traditions of peoples past and present. “The Church is catholic, capable of integrating into her unity, while purifying them, all the authentic riches of cultures” (CCC, 1202). What the early Christian Church did is still being done as the Catholic Church seeks to evangelize peoples who have never heard of Christ. We call this inculturation.

Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognized Rites to be of equal right and dignity, and she wishes to preserve them (CCC, 1203), nevertheless there are some practical problems. In America the predominant Rite is the Latin and we must admit that the Latin Rite Catholic’s understanding of the Eastern Rites is very limited. Furthermore, in their passion for practicality, some Latin Rite Catholics ask why Eastern Rite Catholics in America at least do not join the Latin Rite since they are in the minority and we all share the same Catholic Faith. In answer we must say that it would be a terrible injustice to ask them to give up their own heritage just because they or their forefathers chose to emigrate from regions where they were in the majority. In our American tradition of freedom of religion how dare we deny Eastern Rite Catholics freedom of Rites!

Eastern Rite Catholics experience other pressures and difficulties. Latin Rite Catholics confuse them with our Orthodox brethren and they in turn look upon them as “traitors” to Orthodoxy. Eastern Rite Catholics pay a heavy price for union with Rome. Then there are the problems that they experience which may be exclusively “New World.” Since they live with Latin Rite Catholics and often attend Mass in Latin Rite churches, it is almost to be expected that they have adopted some Latin Rite customs and devotions. Such Latinization is unwarranted. Another problem that they face is the unauthorized passage of their people to the Latin Rite either because of interritual marriage or attendance in Latin Rite parochial schools. It is important therefore to know the laws that bind all Catholics in this regard. By Church law baptism determines the rite of a person. Children are to be baptized in the Rite of the parents, or if the parents are of mixed Rites, in that of the father. Transfer from one Rite to another generally involves the permission of the Holy See, except in an interritual marriage when the wife may transfer to the husband’s Rite. Interritual marriages should ordinarily take place in the parish of the groom.

The vocation shortage has affected the Eastern Rites as well as the Latin. Perhaps it is felt even more acutely in the Eastern Churches because of circumstances in America. Imagine the problem of providing religious services to Eastern Rite Catholics scattered over this huge country and living in small communities even if, and especially if, they find themselves in large cities. Worship and the religious instruction of children become extremely difficult. All of this should make us appreciate the dedication and sacrifices of the Eastern Rite clergy.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists the liturgical traditions or Rites presently in use in the Church as the Latin, Byzantine, Alexandrian or Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Maronite and Chaldean. From these parent Rites there are other derived Rites as well. They are so many flowers in the Church’s garden of souls. St. Thérèse wrote: “I saw that if every little flower wished to be a rose, nature would lose her spring adornment and the hills would be no longer enameled with their varied flowers.” We can say this of our Catholic Rites.

The Pilgrims, we are told, first celebrated Thanksgiving in 1621. There was a three day festival of eating, drinking and sports. The settlers were grateful for a good harvest and invited Massasoit, the local Indian chief, and about 60 of his young braves. The settlers were grateful to Almighty God but also to the Indians. They had learned much from them as they struggled to build their homes in the New World. They knew that the natives were important friends in the wilderness that surrounded them.

Year after year we too celebrate Thanksgiving with hearts filled with gratitude to God. We enjoy family and feasting but we realize that we too are surrounded with dangers, not the least of which are those threatening our spiritual welfare. The end of the world does not especially frighten us, but there is always the danger of losing our way on earth and even losing our souls. Losing our souls means damnation, and damnation means hell! When Jesus comes again in glory, he will call the blessed to his right and consign those on his left to eternal punishment but we need not live in paralyzing fear of this judgment for Jesus has made it possible for us to escape the dread sentence: “Out of my sight, you condemned.” Jesus is our Savior and we thank God for many blessings but especially for this—escaping hell with Jesus. This is my topic.

Yahweh proved to be a saving God in the Old Testament. He saved Noah and his family from the Great Flood. He saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He saved his Chosen People from their enemies in Canaân. In his infinite love he finally sent his only Son as Savior of the world. With good reason people brought their sick and crippled to Jesus. Jesus could cure them and save them. With good reason they brought those troubled by evil spirits to him. Jesus could expel the demons and save them. Crowds flocked to Jesus because they believed he could save them from their sins. We too need saving—from doubts and fears, from trials and sins. We need saving from hell! Jesus can save us. This is our hope.

What is hell? In the Apostles’ Creed we say that Jesus Christ “descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead.” Hell in this sense refers to where the just who lived before Christ had to await the opening of heaven by Christ. Sometimes this is called Limbo and it is called “hell” because those detained there did not enjoy the beatific vision. We now reserve the word “hell” for where the damned suffer eternal punishment. In this more proper sense it is the ultimate consequence of sin itself which turns against the sinner. “It is the state of those who definitively reject the Father’s mercy, even at the last moment of their life” (Pope John Paul II, Catechesis, 7-28-99). Hell is not a place as we understand “place” on earth, nevertheless it is where Satan and the fallen angels are punished and where unrepentant sinners share in their punishment. St. Paul, quoting the prophet Isaiah, told us: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). We can say much the same about what God has prepared for those who do not love him.

While Scripture does not give many details of hell it does use figurative language in describing it. In the Old Testament it was conceived as “Sheol,” the abode of the dead, a land of darkness, a pit from which there was no escape. It meant more than death or grave and in most cases it was reserved for the wicked. In the New Testament it is described as a pool of fire and yet a place of darkness. It is the second death. Our Lord compares it to a fiery furnace where the wicked “wail and grind their teeth” (Matt. 13:42), and again to Gehenna “where the worm dies not and the fire is never extinguished” (Mk. 9:48). It would not be reasonable to dismiss hell simply because figurative language was used to describe it. Our Lord was not describing an imaginary place. He was explaining what human words cannot express in a way thoughtful people could best understand a reality of the next world. He was describing the torture of losing God for all eternity, of being deprived of the beatific vision which alone can satisfy the human desire for perfect happiness. He was describing suffering with no possibility of release or alleviation of pain.

To some today the idea of hell, like mortal sin, goes against the grain. They say it cannot be reconciled with faith in an all good and merciful God and with faith in Jesus Christ who died to save all. They convince themselves that all true Christians, regardless of how they live, are assured of salvation once they accept Jesus as “their personal Lord and Savior.” This is not what St. Paul teaches us. He warns the Galatians that those who commit serious sin are in danger of not inheriting the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21) and he insists that perseverance in virtue is necessary for anyone who wishes to reign with Christ (2 Tim. 2:11). For this reason we must “work with anxious concern to achieve” our salvation (Phil. 2:12). If it seems hard to reconcile hell with a merciful God it is even harder to reconcile the non-existence of hell with the justice of God.

Therefore, we must take into account the fact that hell is a real possibility for all. God gave us a wonderful gift, free will, and from it flows responsibility for our actions, responsibility for choosing to divorce ourselves from God. Hell is a possibility because mortal sin is a possibility. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called ‘hell’” (C.C.C. 1033). Mortal sin is a growing threat to our salvation in today’s world where sin is made so attractive and religion is reduced to a matter of choice. “Satan and evil spirits wander through the world for the ruin of souls.”

The existence of hell is at the same time a powerful motive for conversion. Scripture tells us: “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” (Prov. 9:10). The fear of the Lord is a gift of the Holy Spirit and there is nothing to be feared more than eternal damnation. Our Lord showed us how important this is when he said that it would be better to lose a hand, foot or eye than to fall into serious sin and place oneself in danger of being thrown into Gehenna (Mk. 9:43f). His advice was: “Enter through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to damnation is wide, the road is clear, and many choose to travel it” (Matt. 7:13).

Finally the existence of hell can be a blessing for which we should be thankful. Surely the power of Satan has been curtailed and the evil instincts of mankind have been deterred by it. God knows how much worse this world would be if the fear of punishment did not restrain the sinfully ambitious, the avaricious, the lustful, the criminally violent. We should also be grateful that Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to escape hell. The more dreadful the calamity the more wonderful the rescue. On Thanksgiving we should remember well to thank God not only for blessings which we now enjoy, but also for Christ’s redemptive death, his Church, the sacraments, and for St. Joseph, the patron of a happy death. “If our hopes in Christ are limited to this life only, we are the most pitiable of men” (1 Cor. 15:19).

Dante placed this inscription on the gate of hell: “Through me is the way into the doleful city; through me the way into the eternal pain; through me the way among the people lost. Justice moved my High Maker; Divine Power made me, Wisdom Supreme, and Primal Love. Before me were no things created, but eternal; and eternal I endure: leave all hope, ye that enter” (Inferno, III). To lose hope is hell. To lose hope even in this life is a hell of itself. Thank God we have a Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our hope.

We too should be displeased with that inscription. We believe that Jesus is “King of kings and Lord of lords,” (Rev. 19:16) who is not only King of the Jews, but of all mankind, our King too! This Sunday we celebrate his reign. Most kings today are mere figureheads with only ceremonial duties. Not so, Christ the King. His power over souls is absolute in this life and in the next. Today we shall consider not how he exercises his power over the living on earth, nor how he rewards the blessed in heaven. His love for the souls in Purgatory is my topic. His love for them is reason for hope. He cares for our beloved dead and quiets our fears.

We must admire the dedication of people who care for the sick and dying in homes, hospitals and nursing homes. We should be grateful. We know that the care they give is a labor of love and often demands extraordinary patience and at the same time we know that sickness is a heavy cross for the patients. We may have visited a hospital and heard the cries, even screams of people who were experiencing excruciating pain. We pitied them and prayed for them. A sick person is often weakened in his mental powers as well as in his physical strength. Time drags by slowly and there are many temptations to face. These temptations may include despair of God’s mercy, resentment because of the injuries suffered during life and lack of resignation to God’s will. We know that the sick often chafe under their sufferings and cry out against God for sending them so much pain and sorrow. St. Martin of Tours, a great saint of the 4th century, dedicated his life to God and the Church and yet saw the devil near his death bed. The devil did not miss his last chance to seduce him. He never does. Knowing this, Jesus gave us a special sacrament to help the sick in their suffering, the Anointing of the Sick. The point I wish to make, however, is that their ordeal continues to the moment of death, and while death may end physical pain there is no assurance that it ends all suffering. The struggle before death and the passage through death is not a purgatory. The soul may have been weakened and wounded during the long struggle preceding death and it may need more healing than the graces of the sacraments supplied. Sedation and assisted suicide is not an answer, if anything they demonstrate a need for spiritual cleansing. Purgatory is that state of cleansing and healing needed by the soul after death. The same loving Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave us the sacraments, cares for the souls in Purgatory.

Purgatory is the transitory state or condition of a soul leaving this world, destined for heaven and yet not fully prepared for heaven. The soul may need cleansing of imperfections, unremitted venial sins and the temporal punishment due sins forgiven but not atoned for. Purgatory is that state of “maturation and perfection” (St. Irenaeus), a final stage of spiritual preparation for union with the All-Holy God. Sometimes non-Catholics object to our belief in Purgatory and say the word is not found in the Bible. No, the word “purgatory” is not found in Scripture, but neither is the word “trinity” and yet both concepts are found there. We have the reference to Purgatory found in St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “If the work which any man has built on the foundation (which is Christ) 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. 3:14-15). In a recent catechesis (8-4-99) our Holy Father pointed out how necessary it was for a soul to be cleansed of every flaw and defilement because “the encounter with God requires absolute purity.” Moses was intrigued by the burning bush near Mt. Horeb and went to see it more closely. He was told by God to remove his sandals because “the place where you stand is holy ground” (Exod. 3:5). Consider how holy the soul must be to see God face to face.

We should pray for a holy death because it opens the door to a new life which is the beginning of reward but which is the end of merit in this life. The souls in Purgatory can no longer merit or help themselves yet they are not abandoned by our Lord and they are comforted by the prayers of our Blessed Mother and the saints. Our prayers also assist them because as the Holy Father states: “Just as in their earthly life believers are united in the one Mystical Body, so after death those who live in a state of purification experience the same ecclesial solidarity which works through prayer, prayers for suffrage and love for their other brothers and sisters in the faith” (Catechesis, 8-4-99).

TV has enabled us to share in the grief of people mourning the tragic deaths of loved ones throughout the world. Plane crashes, railroad accidents and shootings bring people together and instinctively they want to express their sorrow and to help those who have been taken away from them. We see them send balloons into the air, we see their flowers, and we can feel their pain, and yet these signs of grief can be either signs of hope or despair. For those who believe, they may be promises of prayers for the dead because the dead live on and benefit by our prayers. For those who do not believe, they are pathetic signs of helplessness and little more. To want to help the dead is a natural instinct of the heart. In Scripture we read how Judas Maccabeus took up a collection for sacrifices to be offered for soldiers fallen in battle. “It was a holy and pious thought” and he tried to make “atonement for the dead” that they might be freed from their sins (2 Macc. 12:44f). Inscriptions on the tombs of martyrs in the catacombs plead for prayers. St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, wanted only one favor from her sons on her death bed—prayers for her soul at Mass. Prayers for the dead attest to the belief in Purgatory which bring comfort to both the living and the dead.

Purgatory will cease to exist on Judgment Day. Before Judgment Day, Purgatory begins for a soul immediately after death. Questions about the duration of a soul’s stay in Purgatory are not easy to answer. Like the process of cleansing in Purgatory, time too cannot be the same as on earth. Some say that the duration of Purgatory should be measured by the degrees of suffering and the intensity of the soul’s longing for union with God. Measuring these in our terms is impossible. Some indulgences may be applied to the Poor Souls but the amount of punishment remitted rests with God. The years and days assigned to prayers and good works for which indulgences are given are not measures of Purgatory’s duration. They are references to the amount of temporal punishment that would have been remitted for the designated periods of time in the early Church.

In his Gospel, St. Luke tells us that Jesus was crucified between two thieves and he records an interesting exchange of views between them concerning Christ. The Good Thief, close to death, professed belief in an after-life and in the kingdom of Jesus. He made a last request: “Jesus, remember me when you enter upon your reign” (Luke 23:42). Then Jesus gave him a wonderful promise: “I assure you, this day you will be with me in paradise.” “This day”—in terms of this world or the next? St. Peter reminds us: “In the Lord’s eyes, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as a day” (2 Peter 3:8), and so what is important is the assurance of being with Christ in his kingdom. The souls in Purgatory have this assurance and they, better than we, understand what Christ the King means. Today we on earth celebrate the feast of Christ the King. In the next life we shall enjoy his kingdom. If in Purgatory, we shall taste that joy, if in Heaven, we shall enjoy it to the full.