Word to the Wise
Saturday, November 2, 2019 - Nov. 2 - The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
[[3 options]; [13 options]; [12 options]]"Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me, and this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day." [John]
When I was in grade school and high school in the 1950's, All Souls Day was a mix of strange colors and events. There were the bright colors of the flowers laid on the graves of deceased loved ones, and there were the black vestments of the liturgy, as if a funeral was being celebrated. The priest was allowed to celebrate three Masses in one day and these were usually celebrated one right after the other, so we altar boys were kept busy. All of this was done in an effort to shorten the "time" a loved one might have to spend in purgatory.
Despite considerable speculation on the nature of purgatory, no doubt fueled by Dante's poetry and the visions of other medieval saints, we do not know what sort of "purification" a person needs to fully enjoy God's presence in eternity. Most of us are a mix of saint and sinner and we do our best to stay closer to the former than the latter. In my young memory, I thought of purgatory as something like the shower I had to take before I could get into the pool!
The gospel scripture from John is very hopeful, as is the one from Wisdom. We may need some additional work at the time of our death, but God provides for it. Can eternity be measured in terms of time, we often think? This may be helpful to us as an image, but what is more important is to realize that purgatory is only a stage on a journey to a great destination. I know that I am encouraged by the prayers of friends when I travel. I hope they will keep up that custom after I die! I'm sure all the other "souls in purgatory" would join me! AMEN