November - All Saints - All Souls

The month of November begins with two important liturgical celebrations. November first we have The Solemnity of All Saints, and November second we have the The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed or All Souls Day as we commonly refer to it. In the liturgy, the Church prays, 

Grant we pray, O Lord, that your departed servants,

for whom we have celebrated this paschal Sacrament,

may pass over to a dwelling place of light and peace.

Through Christ our Lord.

This prayer is rooted in one of the church's tenants of faith, that of Purgatory. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church we read;

 III. 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.

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."609 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:

The prayer above speaks of souls, "...passing over to a dwelling place of light and peace". So where exactly is Purgatory and how does it work?

We understand our reality in terms of place and time - here not there, and now not when. We speak of heaven as up and hell as down, so purgatory must be somewhere in between. But in the spiritual realm these do not apply. Place becomes state or condition that defines a soul - consolation flowing from seeing God - desolation from the soul's blindness to God's love. Time is the eternal now or the eternal presence of God.

During one's life on earth, a soul may be quite blind to the truth of God. Rather than learning of the holiness of God and the need to conform one's life in imitation of that holiness, a person may choose to fashion their life around any number of unholy ways of living, which they proudly call, "my own truth".

When that soul dies, this state of self delusion remains with them. Now, stripped of all the "things" that consoled them in life, they are left with only emptiness - grieving the loss of all they had, leaving that soul in the desolation of eternal regret. 

Now, being in this "state", this condition of soul, is it possible for such souls to learn of God's holiness and love for them and finally allow His love to embrace them? Yes, and this is Purgatory, the "purging", the "purification", of all that has blinded them and possessed them in their earthly life. Finally they see, and this Vision of Love, this Beatific Vision fills their empty souls with consolation and peace. 

It is also part of our understanding of Purgatory and its process of purgation, that we can, by our prayers of intercession, help them surrender to God's love, as we have done. Our voices of prayer and intercession are not meant to persuade God to show them mercy, rather that they will hear these many voices of encouragement from others who faced their sinful pride and surrendered to this process of healing - who renounced their prideful ways and turned back with only this to claim: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son."

A Meditation on Purgatory. 

Three men gather on the steps of the church, preparing to enter as the great doors are opened. These doors that are as real as the doors through which we pass from this world into eternity - to enter the sanctuary where the God of mercy and love is present. The choir voices, singing the praises of God, break forth from the church as the doors begin to open, filling the hearts of these faithful souls yet waiting with joyful anticipation. The first man enters like a son in his home.

But, the second man hesitates, waiting for all to enter ahead of him. He does not count himself among the others nor does he share their joyful expectation.  What awaits him inside he knows not, except that guilt and shame covers his heart and fear of rejection and condemnation defines his condition.

Alone in his darkness, feeling no right to be here, his soul begins to hear the voices of praise, the words of the prayers, the scripture readings, the gospel story of Publican "... not even lifting up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" begins to penetrate his darkness. He sees at last what he denied himself in life because of his pride. Consolation begins to fill his heart as forgiveness floods into his soul. At last he takes his place with the others as they are all carried up into the love of God.

So Purgatory is not a question of where but when. Even now it begins as the soul starts to experience the emptiness its foolish pride has produced.  How often he has passed by these doors, these steps that are counted out like the days allotted to his life - passed by without a thought to their importance. Now, haunted by regret and self condemnation, a Voice like none of the others breaks through - calling, inviting, to return to the steps so long ignored. Purgatory happens in the heart where the healing gift of Mercy is administered. The soul is allowed to experience the darkness of hell its deeds have merited. Then as this prodigal son mounts the steps of the Fathers house, he see the great doors open, like arms of welcome and forgiveness. Purgatory is working its healing - another son is coming home.

But there were three men, what of the third? If heaven is up, then hell must be down, down the steps and into the night. Will the Father lose his son forever? Who knows for sure but the Father alone. He arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. Luke 15:11

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Thirtieth Sunday - 2021

"What do you want me to do for you?" "Teacher, let me see again."

We are all familiar with the physical condition of blindness. Today we have many medical treatments that in some cases are able to restore full vision or at least help a patient gain partial sight which enables them to have self independence.  We can hardly imagine the hardship and suffering blindness brought upon persons so afflicted in Jesus time. To end up a beggar on the street, like the man in today's gospel, was not uncommon.  It is also not uncommon to use the term blindness in a metaphorical sense. You often hear people say, "... what, are you blind, don't you see ..." Today our technological-scientific world has been turn upside down by a little microscopic virus. Thousands of lives have been lost and everyone's life has been altered in various ways. Of all the lessons this pandemic is teaching us there is one we must not fail to see - it is that we do not rule - we are not the masters of God's creation. We can alter and manipulate things but to change the original design of creation is not ours do. With increasing frequency in our society today we see the role of religion being marinized or abandoned altogether. Yes there are prophets warning us that we are mismanaging this creation we have taken control over; assigning to it a design and purpose of our own making. They warn us of dyer consequence if we are unwilling to see the evidence before our eyes.  "... what, are you blind, don't you see ..." The blind man in today's gospel is quite aware of his condition. Spiritual blindness is much more difficult to comprehend. Spiritual blindness is most often the last thing sufferers attribute to their troubled life. How ironic it is that a man with physical blindness is the one teaching us today about the need for healing of spiritual blindness.  The blind man in today's gospel did not find Jesus on his own. He may have heard about him but in fact it was Jesus who found him. There are evangelist today who know well Jesus the spiritual healer, often because they themselves were healed. The spiritually blind hear this testimony but dismiss it.  People of  a true living faith are today's evangelist. Their lives of peacefulness and confident trust pointing to Jesus as the source are well known to the spiritually blind. The hope is that there will come a time when their blindness becomes clear to them, and with it the day when Jesus comes bye asking " what is it you want me to do for you?" And they will say . . . .  ". . . let me see again ..."

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Twenty-ninth Sunday - 2021

It seems so long ago that parishioners were able to receive Communion from the chalice as well as the Host. Thank God we are once again able to to receive Communion at all. Communion from the Host is to fully receive communion but the privilege of taking both the Host and Chalice further enhances our grasp of Jesus' words describing what we are doing when we take Communion. The following is a post from the Twenty-ninth Sunday 2018 where Jesus uses the word cup or chalice to guide us to understand what is that we are doing when we come forward to take Holy Communion. Mark 10:25-35: In many parishes today, people coming forward to receive Holy Communion are given the option of receiving also from the Cup. Imagine that after receiving the host you move to the station where the minister of the Eucharist is and they present to you this chalice, pictured above, for communion. What would you do? Jesus' words to his disciples and to us in today's gospel: "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?" The disciples are excited about the Kingdom of which Jesus is speaking, (all be it they likely thought he was describing an earthly kingdom. These lowly men could imagine themselves occupying seats of power and glory. Here, Jesus begins to correct their misconception with: "You do not know what you are asking." Glory awaits true, but the way to that glory is the Cross - a concept quite foreign to their thinking. "Can you drink this cup?" To be a true follower of Christ, a true Christians, means you choose to live by a whole new set of values, values that will set you at odds with the values of this world in which you now live. To remain true to your commitment to Christ you must often make sacrifices, to detach yourself from the pursuit of the life of pleasure that so marks this age we live in. Sometimes these sacrifices will be greatly challenging. How easy it is for us to come forward and take communion and return to a comfortable pew. But will I come forward, as I leave the church, and take on the tough choices I must face if I am to be true to the way of holiness which my baptism in Christ expects of me?

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Thanksgiving - 2021

The Second Reading: St. Paul to the Colossians 3:12-17 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. As the pandemic rages around us leaving our patience in spreads, as every effort to have a happy life meets with one obsticle after another - even gathering for a Thanksgiving family dinner is complicated. As people are becoming more and more divided we might well ask, thankful for what?  In this Second Reading in today's liturgy of the Word for Thanksgiving we hear St. Paul exhorting us to be thankful. In our complaining question, thankful for what, perhaps we are missing something. Taking these words of St. Paul as a guide take a second look around you. They do exist, reasons to be thankful. Thank God for all the people who looked upon us with compassion when our lives were coming apart. Thank God for all the people who treat us with kindness even as we bristle with anger. Thank God for all the humble people who treat us as more deserving than they when the accolades are being handed out . Thank God for all the people who embrace meekness rather than violence in times of confrontation. Thank God for all the people who's patience gives us time to get over ourselves. Thank God for all the people who have forgiven us our transgressions against them. Thank God for all the people motivated by love, working to bring harmony to our world. Thank God for all the people of peace in who's hearts lives the imitation of Christ bringing healing and reconciliation to our divided and broken world. For all these beautiful people dwelling amongst us be thankful!

Twenty-eighth Sunday - 2021

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.’”  He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Mk 10:17-22 We might rephrase this last statement this way, "... for there were many things that possessed his heart". And we remember these words of Jesus, "... for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth and possessions).” Mtt 6:21,24   Each person has been measured out a portion of time for their life, with the freedom to decide how it will be spent. It is the free will that makes the choice, but it is the heart that evaluates the choices. The heart is the eyes of the soul, surveying  what lies before it, assigning values to what is seen. Once the choices have been made and the expenditure of time assigned, all other choices are excluded. Should a new choice arise with competing value, the soul finds itself in conflict, facing a real challenge of choice. Something will have to go. In story of the rich man, it tells us that, "... his face fell, and he went away sad."   The question to ask is "why sad"? Clearly, he is not a bad person since he wants to enter eternal life. He knows he must keep the commandments, so does that grantee he has it? The story continues. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Mk 10:23-27 The disciples are astonished because people believed that wealth was God's way of showing favour and imparting his blessing. It is not that wealth and possessions are evil in themselves. It is what possessing them can do to the person. Each possession that you have requires your time and attention; to acquire it, to manage it, take care of it, protect it, service it, expand it, and to indulge in it. The greater your possessions, the greater these demands, thus consuming all your precious time. When the Lord comes to invite you into the many experiences of his kingdom and the spiritual life, do you have time for them? Where will it fit? What must go in order to make space, and are you willing to let them go?  In the Church, those wishing to enter the Religious Life, must take a vow of poverty. Freed of all processions, they are made ready, in a structured way, for a life of exclusive service to the Lord. But what of the lay person? Are they excluded from a true spiritual life? Not at all. However, the spiritual life is something living and real, requiring of us our time and attention and devotion. It is a real relationship with another person, Jesus. Like all relationships, it will require our time and attention- what the Lord will ask of us, and what we are willing to give. In the graphic for this posts, we see a staircase rising before us, wide and open, with no barriers to anyone, accept that they be willing to undertake the accent. Each step will bring us deeper into the experience of God's love for us, with the joys and consolations that are given. Our part is letting go of what binds us and then to begin. And so: Am I interested at all? Do I realize this invite is meant for me? Can I understand and can I name those things that hold me back? Have I once started and given up; will I begin again?