+Feast of All Souls+
Marcel Crozet
November, Month of the Poor Souls in Purgatory
Prayer Society Intention
“Have mercy Lord on all who wait, in place forlorn and lonely state outside thy peaceful palace gate, miserere Domine.” (Litany of the Faithfully Departed)
Introduction
The following excerpts are taken from the little book, The Consolations of Purgatory, by Rev. H. Faure, S.M., 1912, translated by a papal chamberlain to Pope St. Pius X. We have written in the past about the rigoristic teachings regarding the saved and the lost, stemming from the Jansenist heresy, and the despair it has wrought among those struggling today to save their souls. This rigorism also touches on the disposition of the dead and dying and could easily result in a false judgment about their fate, meaning prayers could be omitted for those actually in Purgatory but presumed to have lost their souls because of this false view. Especially in these times, when so many previous helps available to us are lacking, we believe it is more important than ever to rely completely on God’s mercy and do all in our power to relieve the suffering of the souls in Purgatory by our prayers, since they can no longer pray for their own salvation. We now begin Rev. Faure’s comments.
How a Christian should mourn the friends he has lost
“St. Francis of Sales tells us that if we have the misfortune to lose our relations or our friends, we should not give way to excessive sorrow, for this world is too poor a place for us to wish them to remain long in it, and it is so miserable that we ought rather to thank God than be distressed when He removes them from it. We too shall go in our turn, when it shall please God to call us ;and those who depart the first are the happiest, provided that during their lives they have thought of the salvation of their souls. It is the greatest consolation for the children of God, when their relations and friends die fortified by the Sacraments of the Church, and we ought always to take the greatest care that our sick friends are not deprived of this great blessing.
“Yet I do not tell you not to weep,” says the Saint, ‘for it is right that you should weep a little to show the sincere affection you had for the dear departed. In that you imitate Jesus Christ, who wept for his friend Lazarus. We cannot prevent our poor hearts from feeling the condition of this life, and the loss of those who were our dearly-loved companions on earth ; but there should be moderation in the outward expression of our grief, and the tears we shed should not be so much tears of regret as signs of love and compassion. Let us not weep like those who are wholly given up to this present life, and who forget that it is merely a prelude to eternity. Let us adore the secret designs of Divine Providence, and say often in the midst of our tears, “‘Blessed be Thou, O God, for all that pleases Thee is good.”
“Religion does not forbid us to feel the loss of those we have loved ; it does not require of us a callous stoicism which is but pride or indifference. Our Blessed Lord has consecrated affection, and blessed the kindly offices of friendship; in the Church, too, we mourn with all our hearts, but the tears that we shed are sweet, because they are poured out upon the breast of our Divine Master, with the resignation that comes from faith and hope and love. Listen to the plaintive cry of affection which burst from the heart of St. Jerome at the grave of his dear Nepotian: ‘To whom shall I henceforth devote my watchings and labours? To whose heart shall I confide my most secret thoughts? Where is he who used to encourage me in my work by the sound of his voice, which was sweeter to me than the last song of the dying swan? Nepotian can no longer hear me: all around me seems dead. If I try to write, I cannot see the paper for my tears, and my pen refuses to write, as if these inanimate things had a share in my grief. Every time I try to give it a free course, and to scatter a few flowers on the grave of my friend, my eyes are filled with tears, and my grief bows me down to the earth beneath which he lies.” …
“St. Francis of Sales writes to a person in mourning: “‘I have never been able to believe in the pretended indifference of those who do not wish us to be human; but at the same time, when we have paid tribute to the lower part of our soul, we must do our duty to the higher part, where, as on a throne, sits the spirit of faith which should console us in our afflictions, and by those same afflictions themselves. Happy are they who rejoice at being afflicted and thus change gall into honey! God be praised! It is always with tranquility that I weep, always with submission to the will of God; for since Our Lord loved death, and gave it to us as the object of our love, I cannot be angry with death for having taken away from me my sisters or any of my friends, provided that they die in the love of the holy death of Our Saviour. I value this mortal life so little that I never turn to God with more fervent love than when He has smitten me, or permitted me to be smitten.
“Is it not reasonable that the most holy will of God should be done in what we most cherish as in all else? Alas! I am but human; my heart is touched more than I should ever have thought: but I will never rebel against the providence of God, who does all things well, and disposes of everything for the best. What happiness for that soul to have been taken away from the world before malice could pervert its spirit, and to have been lifted from the mire of earth before it was soiled! Of what use is it to live long, asks the author of the Imitation of Christ, when we advance so little? Long life does not always amend us; nay, oftentimes it rather increases our guilt. Let us leave God to gather what He has planted; He takes all in due season.
“We must not only be willing that God should chastise us; but we must be willing that He should do it in the way He thinks best. Let us leave the choice to Him, for it belongs to Him. Moreover, God is a good Father; He knows why He afflicts us, and why He takes away those whom we love. Let us try to look at things as God looks at them and let faith help us in sacrifices which are impossible to nature. Let us say to God from the bottom of our hearts, Lord, let it be as Thou wilt; touch whatever cord Thou wilt in my heart it will make only a sweet harmony to Thee. O Jesus, Thy will be done without reserve, without exception, without limit, on father, mother, daughter, on all and everywhere! Ido not say we must not wish our friends a long life and pray for their preservation ; but we must never say to God, Leave this, and take the other. And if God takes away what is dearest, shall we not still have enough, if we have God? Is not that everything ? Alas! the Son of God, our dear Redeemer, had hardly as much as that, when, having left all for love and obedience to His Father, He seemed to be forsaken and abandoned by Him.”
We must pray for all the departed, and not despair for the salvation of any
“St. Francis of Sales would not have us despair of the conversion of a single sinner till he breathed his last sigh. He went still further and did not like to hear anyone pass an unfavourable judgment even on those who had died after living a bad life. His principal argument was that, as the first grace of justification is not merited by any precedent good work, the last grace, which is that of final perseverance, is not given us for any merit of our own. “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counsellor ?’’ (Rom. xi.34). Therefore he bade us hope for the dead person, even though we might have seen him die an unhappy death, because we can but conjecture from outward appearances, by which even the wisest persons may be deceived.
“His biographer, Mgr. Le Camus, Bishop of Bellez, tells us that one day someone was repeating in his presence those solemn words of the Gospel, ‘Many are called, but few chosen ”’ (St. Matt. xx. 16) and remarking that the elect were spoken of as a “little flock”’ (St. Luke xli. 32), and the number of the reprobate as infinite, and so on. The Saint replied: “‘I believe there will be very few Christians damned ” (he was speaking of those belonging to the Catholic Church), ‘because the root of the true faith which they had must sooner or later produce its fruit, which is salvation ; from being dead it becomes alive and works by charity.”
“When he was asked what was the meaning of the Gospel parable of the small number of the elect, he replied: “If we compare the number of Catholic Christians with the rest of the world, including heathen nations, their number is certainly very small, but of this number I believe very few will be lost ;’’ and in support of this opinion he appealed to the goodness of God, being confident that He, having begun a good work in a man — that is, by giving him the faith — would perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus. Was it possible, he asked, that the vocation to Christianity, which was a work of God and a perfect work, leading to the supreme end which is the glory of heaven, should very often fail to produce its effect?
“I added then, says the Bishop, the following reason, which he admitted to be a good one: the mercy of God being above all His works, and surpassing even His justice, it does not appear likely that He would have begun to build up the salvation of the true Christian by faith, which is the foundation, without putting on the crowning stone, which is charity. Although the Church has not pronounced upon this disputed question, the belief in the greater number of the elect seems nevertheless conformable to the true meaning of Holy Scripture. In the twentieth chapter of St. Matthew, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a householder who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. He went out again about the third hour, and again at the sixth, and the ninth, and even at the eleventh hour, and hired men, and sent them to work; and when evening was come, he ordered his steward to pay them their hire, giving to those who had worked but one hour the same as to those who had been engaged from the early morning. These last began to complain, and the Master reminded them that he had paid them the wage for which they had agreed to work and added: “So shall the last be first, and the first last, for many are called, but few chosen.”
“Now, if we wish to understand the meaning of the ‘ast words, we must not separate them from the context, but explain them by the rest oftheparable. Andwhat,asksalearnedtheo- logian, do we see in this parable? Are the majority of the labourers deprived of their wages at the end of the day, and are we to con- clude that the majority of men who work for God on earth will lose their reward in heaven? ‘No; all the labourers in the parable receive the same reward, and the only conclusion we can draw from the sacred text is the inequality of the wages and reward after the toils and hard- ships of life. But, far from being the expression of God’s anger, these words are the manifestation of His mercy towards sinners, and the marvellous efficacy of true repentance.
“In the twenty-second chapter of the same Gospel the kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who made a marriage for his son, but those who were invited—.e., the Jews—would not come. Then he sent his servants to go into the highways and call to the marriage all they could find ; and his servants gathered together all they could find, both bad and good. These are the Gentiles and barbarians called to the faith of Jesus Christ ;and among all this crowd only one man was rejected, because he had not on a wedding garment. Then the king said to the waiters:‘ “‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.” One only is excluded: here again, then, the number of the reprobate is the smaller number.
“Thus, concludes the learned Bergier (Dict. Theolog. Elect.), if the parables of the Gospel are to be admitted as proofs, we must believe that the greater number, and not the smaller number, will be saved. Jesus Christ compares the separation of the just from the wicked at the Last Judgment to the separation of the cockle from the wheat at the time of harvest (St. Matt. xiii. 24); but in a field that is cultivated with ordinary care, the cockle is never more abundant than the wheat. Again, He compares it to the separation of the fish caught in the net, of which the good were chosen into vessels, and the bad thrown away (ver. 47) ; but what fisherman is so unfortunate as to catch more bad fish than good? Of the ten virgins who went to meet the bridegroom and the bride (xxi. 1), five were allowed to go in with the bridegroom to the marriage; in the parable of the talents (xxv. 14), two servants were rewarded, and only one was punished; and, as we have seen, only one guest was sent away from the marriage feast.
“This is also the opinion of the profound and learned Suarez, the great commentator of St. Thomas: “ Under the name of Christians we may include all those who have the honour to bear the name of Jesus Christ, and profess to believe in Him, although among them many are heretics, apostates, and schismatics, and in this sense we may say it is probable that the greater number will be rejected; and it is thus I understand the more severe opinion. For as there have been always many heretics and apostates, if we add to their number those Catholics who die a bad death, it is evident that they will be far more numerous than those who die well. But if by Christians we understand those only who die in the Catholic Church, it seems to me more probable under the law of grace that the greater number will be saved. The reason is, first, that the greater number of those who die in infancy have been baptized ; and as to the adults, although the majority of men commit mortal sin, yet they repent of their sins and pass their lives alternately sinning and repenting.
“Moreover, there are few who are not prepared for death by the Sacraments, and who do not at least make an act of attrition in detestation of their sins, and that is enough to justify them at once; and the rest of their life is so short that it is easy for them to persevere without falling again into mortal sin. Thus, all things being considered, it is probable that the majority of Christians — that is to say (taking the word in its more restricted meaning), the majority of those who die in the Catholic Church — will be saved. Pensatis omnibus, verisimile est plures ex his Christianis salvari’’ (Suarez, book vi., chap. iii.).
“This distinction removes all difficulty in the interpretation of the sacred text. Many are called, because it is of faith that God will have all men to be saved (x Tim. ii. 4); few are chosen, if we consider the whole human race and the great number of those who do not belong to the Catholic Church. ‘“Vidi turbam magnam quam dinumerare nemo poterat,”’ says St. John in his visions of the Apocalypse (vii. 9). ‘‘I saw a great multitude which no man could number of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and in sight of the Lamb, with white robes, and palms in their hands.”’
“The belief in the greater number of the elect is more in harmony with the infinite goodness and mercy of God, and more likely to encourage and comfort us; but we must not make it an excuse for committing sin, which would necessarily draw down upon us the anger and the curse of God. Thus, then, even when those we mourn have not led very regular or Christian lives, even when they have died suddenly without time to receive the last Sacraments of Holy Church, let us not despair ;let us remember that the mercy of God is infinite — quoniam in saculum misericordia ejus. Who can tell that some good thought, some perfect act of contrition, did not find a place between the last word and the last sigh? Who knows all the secrets of that God who ‘“‘will have all men to be saved” (x Tim. il.4); who “desireth not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live”? (Ezech. xxxiii. 11) ? God Himself says by the mouth of the prophet Isaias: “‘Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? And if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee. Behold, I have graven Thee in my hands” (Isa. xliv. v.12)…
“St. Gertrude, in her revelations, tells us of a promise made by Our Lord, full of precious consolation in respect of those whose careless lives have given us reason to doubt of their dispositions at the hour of death, and the sincerity of their repentance. ‘While I was reflecting on the fact that many Christians at the hour of death seem to repent more from fear of eternal, punishment than from love of God — for I had heard that no one can be saved without so much love of God as will produce repentance and abandonment of sin — Our Lord said to me: ‘When I see in their agony persons who for My sake have done some good action deserving of reward, I will show Myself to them at the hour of death with a countenance so full of love and compassion that they will repent from the bottom of their hearts for having offended Me during their lives, and will be saved by that repentance. I desire that My chosen ones should recognize this mercy, and give thanks for it among the many gifts that men have received from Me’” (Life of St. Gertrude, book iii.chap. xxx).
“Hope, then, dear sorrowing souls; hope in that God whose mercy “exalteth itself above judgment” (St. Jas. 1i. 13). Trust in Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is so full of love and pity that He cannot bear to let anyone perish, but will go forth, like the Good Shepherd, to search for the lost sheep till His feet are torn and bleeding from the thorns and stones of the road, and when He has found it will lay it on His sacred shoulders, rejoicing. Have you ever heard of love so tender, so compassionate as His? The Gospel tells us He went through Judea doing good ;comforting the afflicted, healing the sick, raising the dead, and repulsed none who came to Him. The prophet Isaias says of Him: “Calamum quassatum non conteret, et linum fumigans non extinguet’’—The bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench (Isa. xlii. 3).
“He forgave the penitent Magdalene, and would not condemn the woman taken in adultery; and when His friend Lazarus died, He wept, for He loved him. He wept, too, over the guilty city, when from the summit of the neighbouring hill He contemplated it in its magnificence and its ingratitude, and those sad words showed the sorrow of His fatherly heart : “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldest not” (St .Matt. xxiii. 37). And as He cannot bear to live far away from those whom He had loved so much, and who put Him to death, He perpetuates the miracle of the Eucharist, and remains the prisoner of the tabernacle, always a victim and a friend, blessing us, and drawing us to Him, the clean oblation continually offered to appease the justice of His Father.
“Go, then, to Him, ye who weep ; go and throw yourselves at the feet of that Jesus who calls you and says: “Come to Me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you (St. Matt. xi. 28). Yes, come to this good Master, this loving and charitable Friend; pour out on His bosom your tears of anguish: He has words to console you, and He will fill your souls with hope that will lift you up, and love that will give you strength to endure all things.
“He awaits your prayers; He encourages and invites them. Perhaps in His merciful charity He has made the salvation of some departed friends depend upon the prayers that you will offer Him after their death: pray, then, pray with confidence, however discouraging may have been the lives of those you mourn. God is so good, so compassionate and merciful, that He will never refuse anything He is able to give; His heart cannot but be touched by your prayer. Pray, and perhaps soon the souls that you love, preserved by your prayers from everlasting fire, will come forth from the place of expiation full of gratitude, and wing their flight to heaven, there to enjoy the presence of God forever. (End of Rev. Faure excerpts)
