Keep
your eyes open!...
November 25, 2015
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT
WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15). HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
(Col 3:12-17) Put
ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels of
mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience: Bearing with one another
and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another.
Even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also. But above all these
things have charity, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace
of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one
body: and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you
abundantly: in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms, hymns and spiritual canticles, singing in grace in your hearts
to God. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
BISHOP THOMAS J. TOBIN: The Holy Mass: The Perfect Thanksgiving
CATHOLIC REVIEW: Counting our blessings: Prayers to enhance your family’s Thanksgiving feast
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA RON ROLHEISER, OMI: GRATITUDE THE BASIC VIRTUE
There’s a Jewish folk-tale which runs something like this:
There once was a young man who aspired to great holiness. After some time at working to achieve it, he went to see his Rabbi.
“Rabbi,” he announced, “I think I have achieved sanctity.”
”Why do you think that?” asked the Rabbi.
”Well,” responded the young man, “I’ve been practising virtue and
discipline for some time now and I have grown quite proficient at them.
From the time the sun rises until it sets, I take no food or water. All
day long, I do all l do all kinds of hard work for others and I never
expect to be thanked.
“If I have temptations of the flesh, I roll in the snow or in thorn
bushes until they go away, and then at night, before bed, I practice
the ancient monastic discipline and administer lashes to my bare back.
I have disciplined myself so as to become holy.”
The Rabbi was silent for a time. Then he took the young man by the arm
and led him to a window and pointed to an old horse which was just
being led away by its master.
“I have been observing that horse for some time,” the Rabbi said, “and
I’ve noticed that it doesn’t get fed or watered from morning to night.
All day long it has to do work for people and it never gets thanked. I
often see it rolling around in snow or in bushes, as horses are prone
to do, and frequently I see it get whipped.
“But, I ask you: Is that a saint or a horse?”
This is a good parable because it shows how simplistic it is to simply
identity sanctity and virtue with self-renunciation and the capacity to
do what’s difficult. In popular thought there’s a common spiritual
equation: saint=horse. What’s more difficult is always better. But that
can be wrong.
To be a saint is to be motivated by gratitude, nothing more and nothing
less. Scripture, everywhere and always, makes this point.
For example, the sin of Adam and Eve was, first and foremost, a failure
in receptivity and gratitude. God gives them life, each other and the
garden and asks them only to receive it properly, in gratitude—receive
and give thanks. Only after doing this, do we go on to “break and
share” Before all else, we first give thanks.
To receive in gratitude, to be properly grateful, is the most primary
of all religious attitudes. Proper gratitude is ultimate virtue. It
defines sanctity. Saints, holy persons, are people who are grateful,
people who see and receive everything as gift.
The converse is also true. Anyone who takes life and love for granted should not ever be confused with a saint.
Let me try to illustrate this: As a young seminarian, I once spent a
week in a hospital, on a public ward, with a knee injury. One night a
patient was brought on to our ward from the emergency room. His pain
was so severe that his groans kept us awake. The doctors had just
worked on him and it was then left to a single nurse to attend to him.
Several times that night, she entered the room to administer to
him—changing bandages, giving medication, and so on. Each time, as she
walked away from his bed he would, despite his extreme pain, thank her.
Finally, after this had happened a number of times, she said to him: “Sir, you don’t need to thank me. This is my job!”
“Ma’am!” he replied, “it’s nobody’s job to take care of me! Nobody owes me that. I want to thank you!
I was struck by that, how, even in his great pain, this man remained
conscious of the fact that life, love, care, and everything else come
to us as a gift, not as owed. He genuinely appreciated what this nurse
was doing for him and he was right— it isn’t anybody’s job to take care
of us!
It’s our propensity to forget this that gets us into trouble. The
failure to be properly grateful, to take as owed what’s offered as
gift, lies at the root of many of our deepest resentments towards
others—and their resentments towards us.
Invariably when we are angry at someone, especially at those closest to
us, it is precisely because we are not being appreciated (that is,
thanked) properly. Conversely, I suspect, more than a few people harbor
resentments towards us because we, consciously or unconsciously, think
that it is their job to take care of us.
Like Adam and Eve we take, as if it is ours by right, what can only be
received gratefully as gift. This goes against the very contours of
love. It is the original sin.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Visions
10. Macarius wanted to encourage the brothers so he said, 'A little
while ago a mother came here with her son who was vexed by a devil, and
he said to his mother, "Get up, let us go away from here." But she
said, "my feet are so bad that I can't walk away." So her son said to
her, "I will carry you." I am amazed at the cleverness of the devil,
how much he wanted them to flee from this place'.
November 23, 2015
(Mat 10:16) Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves.
FROM THE ARCHIVES (1999): Desmond Birch Commentary: Approved Catholic Prophecy Speaks of a Muslim Invasion of Western Europe Sometime in the Future
DR. TAYLOR MARSHALL: Islamic Refugee Crisis: Good Samaritan or Maccabean Response? Or both What would Thomas Aquinas Say?
NATIONAL REVIEW: There Are Serious, Unbigoted Reasons to Be Wary of a Flood of Syrian Refugees
EXCERPT CHARLIE JOHNSON BLOG:
The great Christian writer and historian, Hilaire Belloc, argued that
Islam is not a unique religion at all, but a singularly perverse
Christian heresy. Belloc was an occasional collaborator with G.K.
Chesterton and was president, for a time, of the Oxford Union. While I
think his case is somewhat overstated, it carries deep insight into the
historical phenomenon which is Islam. Certainly Islam recognizes but
one God, emphasizes that man is to serve him, and posits an afterlife.
Other than that, the differences are more striking than the
similarities.
In Islam, God is a distant, alien thing. There is –and can be – no
kinship between man and God whatsoever. The relationship is that of
master to a dog, with a master who encourages a brutal viciousness in
his dogs. There is no spark of divine dignity in any human, even the
holiest of Muslims. They are either good pets to their malignant master
or they are not. People are ever treated like things. This is how you
get “honor killings” of family members for various – mainly sexual –
transgressions. But those sexual rules only apply to women. A sister
who has been raped is “broken, like a plate,” as I heard one moderate
Muslim man describe it. She is no good anymore and must be discarded.
Islam is a religion of appetites, not transcendent aspirations. It is a
religion of rules, not of principles of morality. There is no kinship
between God and man. Even the supposed rewards of the afterlife are
purely temporal in nature – and still treat women as things. The great
Muslim warrior supposedly gets 72 virgins to do with as he will. What,
precisely, does a Muslim virgin get other than a vicious man?
G.K. Chesterton once said that the man who is intellectually serious
about his faith must “either ascend into Catholicism or descend into
disbelief.” While that may be overstated, too, it presumes that a man
starts from a spark of truth to begin his inquiries. If your image of
God is not as Father, as the source of good, but instead as a
demanding, petulant murderer, you are severely handicapped in your
search. I have said – and maintain – that most Muslims honestly want to
know, to love and to serve God in peace with their fellows. I have also
said – and maintain – that Islam, itself, is a satanic deception. In
that sense, Belloc is absolutely right that it is one of the greatest
of the heresies.
Our challenge then is to evangelize Muslims where we can and defeat
Islam where we cannot. Christians can be terribly naieve. We think we
have been at peace with Islam for much of the last few centuries, with
some sporadic hostilities. We have not. Islam’s aim has always been to
conquer the world and wipe out any remnants who will not convert. It
has occasionally been engaged in strategic armistices with the west,
but has been at war with it since late in Muhammed’s life. Ultimately,
it will only accept victory or death.
I never propose that Christians should act with coercive aggression,
even with Islam. If an Islamic nation is willing to live within its
borders and maintain peace with its neighbors, it should be left alone.
But the robust vigor of St. Joan of Arc and the best of the Christian
Crusaders is my model for how Christians should behave in defending
their faith and lands against military assault. Understand that Islam
is starkly different than Christianity in how it defines the role of
the state and the citizen to religion. In Christianity, individual
conscience is respected. The state is expected to act justly, according
to transcendent principles that guard human liberty. In Islam,
religion, politics and ideology are inextricably entwined. There is no
freedom of conscience, only religious rules that must be ruthlessly
imposed in all walks of life.
I see myself quoted frequently as saying that Our Lady of Tepeyac is
going to convert the Muslims en masse. That is true, but only half of
what I have said about the matter. I say that Our Lady will, indeed,
convert Islam, mainly through its women, but not until we in the west
confront it seriously, both militarily and intellectually. Then it will
collapse on itself quicker and more easily than anyone can imagine.
THE ATLANTIC REVIEW: What ISIS Really Wants
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Visions
1. A brother went to the cell of
Arsenius in Scetis, and looked in through the window, and saw him like
fire from head to foot. (He was a brother worthy to see such sights.)
When he knocked, Arsenius came out, and saw the brother standing there
amazed, and said to him, 'Have you been knocking long? Did you see
anything?' He answered, 'No.' After talking with him, Arsenius sent him
on his way.'
November 13, 2015
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN IN TWO
WEEKS, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).
(Joh 20:21-23) He
said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent
me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he
said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive,
they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain, they are
retained.
POPE FRANCIS:
"There are people who are afraid to go to confession, forgetting that
they will not encounter a severe judge there, but the immensely
merciful Father. When we go to confession, we feel a bit ashamed. That
happens to all of us, but we must remember that this shame is a grace
that prepares us for the embrace of the Father, who always forgives and
always forgives everything."
CATHOLIC POST: Matthew Kelly's 3 ways to transform your faith life in a year
Matthew Kelly challenged Catholics at his Oct. 24 presentation to take
one of three “game-changing” pledges which he said would transform
their lives.
“Lives change when our habits change,” said Kelly, asking the 1,100 in
attendance at Epiphany Church to select one of the following and see it
through for the next 12 months.
1. READ THE GOSPELS FOR 15 MINUTES EVERY DAY
Every Christian needs to answer the question Jesus posed to his
disciples, “Who do you say that I am?,” said Kelly. He described
Jesus as a “radical,” pointing to teachings such as “love your
enemies.” But unless we immerse ourselves in the life of Jesus by
regularly and repeatedly reading the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John, we may not see “the gap between our lives and the Gospels.”
“We know the Word of God has the power to transform our lives,” said
Kelly. “The trouble is, we pray for tweaking, not transformation.”
Kelly encouraged Catholics to turn their lives fully over to Christ,
praying, “Whatever you want, God.” “You want to see miracles?
Pray that prayer,” said Kelly. “God answers that prayer every single
time.
"The truth is Jesus wants to turn our lives upside down, which is right side up,” said Kelly.
2. GO TO CONFESSION ONCE A MONTH
“Nothing will chase mediocrity out of our lives like confession,” said
Kelly. Noting that no one in sports or any other activity achieves
excellence without coaching, he asked the crowd, “Who are you getting
your spiritual coaching from?” Regular confession and spiritual
direction will make us aware where are falling short and challenge us
to excellence.
“You’ll have the best relationships you’ve ever had,” promised Kelly.
3. BRING A JOURNAL TO EVERY SUNDAY MASS
Ask God to show in every Mass one way you can be a better version of
yourself in the coming week. It won’t be difficult to recognize that
one thing, said Kelly, who has done the practice for 17 years and has a
shelf of journals to prove it.
Once you recognize the message meant for you, write it down. Then spend
the rest of the Mass praying about it, said Kelly, who provided each
participant with a Mass journal. “That one thing will knock you over,”
he said. It will also increase your love for Mass. “You’ll actually be
in the pew before Father gets to the altar,” said Kelly.
MORE FROM MATTHEW KELLY: HAVE YOUR BEST ADVENT EVER Rediscover God’s Mercy
RELATED
Reconciliation reminds us we're forgiven
What Confession Really Does For You
We Are Called For Penance
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Charity
24. A hermit said, 'I never wanted work to be useful to me while
causing loss to my brother, for I have this hope that what helps my
brother will bring fruit to me.'
November 11, 2015 Veterans Day
(Psa 139:9-10) If
I take my wings early in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts
of the sea: Even there also shall thy hand lead me: and thy right hand
shall hold me.
AMERICAN TFP: Catholic Military Chaplains: America's Forgotten Heroes
CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT: Military chaplains bring the light of Christ to some of the world’s darkest places.
MARINE CORPS A&F BLOG: Father Vincent Capodanno and the Meaning of “Sacrifice”
EXCERPT: Father Capodanno Guild
Please spread the good word about Father Capodanno's virtuous life and heroic death.
During Holy Week of 1966, Father Capodanno reported to the 7th Marines
in Vietnam as the chaplain for the battalion. Later
transferred to a medical unit, Father Capodanno was more than a priest,
ministering within the horrific arena of war. He became a constant
companion to the Marines: living, eating, and sleeping in the same
conditions of the men. He spent hours reassuring the weary and
disillusioned, consoling the grieving, hearing confessions, instructing
converts, and distributing St. Christopher medals.
It was during his second tour on September 4, 1967, with the 3rd
Battalion, 5th Marines that Father Vincent Capodanno made the ultimate
sacrifice. After hours of heavy fighting from a North Vietnamese
ambush, Father Capodanno, himself seriously injured, sighted a wounded
corpsman pinned down by an enemy machine gunner. He ran to the Marine
and administered medical and spiritual attention. Despite that Father
Capodanno was unarmed, the enemy opened fire and he became the victim
of 27 bullet wounds. He died faithfully performing his final act as a
good and faithful servant of God.
The Father Vincent Capodanno Guild was created in 2013 as a private
Catholic Church association and not-for-profit corporation established
to promote the Cause for Canonization of Father Capodanno.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS: Father Capodanno “A Catholic Chaplain Hero”
PATHEOS: Because These Catholic Chaplains Were Awarded the Medal of Honor
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Charity
23. A brother said to a hermit, 'If I see a monk about whom I have
heard that he is guilty of a sin, I cannot make myself invite him into
my cell. But if I see a good monk, I bring him in gladly.' The
hermit said, 'If you do good to a good brother it is nothing to him,
but to the other give double charity, for he is sick.'
November 6, 2015
(1Th 5:14-15) And
we beseech you, brethren, rebuke the unquiet: comfort the feeble
minded: support the weak: be patient towards all men. See that none
render evil for evil to any man: but ever follow that which is good
towards each other and towards all men.
BISHOP THOMAS J. OLMSTED: INTO THE BREACH- An Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men, my Spiritual Sons in the Diocese of Phoenix
CATHOLIC ACTION FOR FAITH AND FAMILY: Catholic Church Doctrines are not Optional! by Fr. John Trigilio, PhD, ThD.
Q. Some Church teachings and rules seem too complicated or difficult. Do I need to accept all the Church’s teachings?
A. While everyone may not have the same level of knowledge or
understanding, there is no doctrine or dogma which is considered
optional or up for grabs. Like the laws of physics or the formulas of
chemistry, they must be accepted in their entirety. The difficult
teachings and regulations of the church are there for our own good. Law
exists to protect people. I may choose to ignore or disobey the law,
but it is ultimately to my own demise.
If I disregard the warning on the label that says DO NOT IMMERSE IN
WATER WHILE PLUGGED INTO OUTLET, I will still get electrocuted for
placing the hair-dryer in the bathtub. The prescription label on my
medication tells me to take one pill every day for ten days. This is no
suggestion. It is a prescription, something I must obey. If I disregard
it and decide to take two pills a day for five days or take five pills
for two days, I risk an overdose and possible death.
I may not understand how a water molecule is formed but I cannot
dispute the fact that water is still two parts hydrogen to one part
oxygen (H2O). Likewise, the mysteries of faith as divinely revealed by
God are not totally comprehensible to any human intellect. We take it
on faith and trust in the One who revealed them. The dogma of the Holy
Trinity (one God in three Persons); of the Incarnation (Jesus Christ is
one divine Person with two natures, one human and one divine); of Papal
Infallibility, the Real Presence, the Virgin Birth, etc.; all of these
can be complicated and difficult to understand. So is differential
calculus. Both theology and science are true. Some have an easier time
with scientific truths than do others. The same goes for philosophical
or theological truths.
Truth is not always easy but it is necessary and is preferred to what
is not true, i.e., what is false. Some used to believe the world was
flat. That did not make it so. Some Christians do not believe in seven
sacraments, yet that is what Jesus instituted and entrusted to the
Church. Atheists and agnostics do not believe God exists, yet he
most certainly is real.
Knowledge is when there is a correspondence between your mind and
reality. You know 2+2=4 but we believe there is only one God who is
also three Persons in that one Godhead. That is not knowledge, that is
faith. We believe what God revealed because He revealed it. Faith does
not contradict reason, it complements it. What we do not or cannot know
by reason, we can believe by faith.
Therefore, one cannot be a Catholic Christian and only believe some or
most of what the Church teaches. One must embrace the totality of the
deposit of Faith since it all comes from God who is Truth itself.
Cafeteria Catholicism is not an option. What you or I do not
understand, we must trust and believe nevertheless if the Church
teaches it for she was founded by Christ and she teaches in His name.
You may not have always liked or agreed with everything your parents
told you but as a child living in their home, you were bound to live
with it and had no liberty to dissent from it either. What seemed
arbitrary as an adolescent may now be appreciated as true wisdom once
we become older adults and are raising our own children.
Holy Mother Church teaches as any good parent would. She also
disciplines as any responsible parent does. What she teaches (doctrine)
and what she demands (discipline) is meant for our own benefit. That is
why Catholics are expected to believe and to obey. The difficult
teachings, say in sexuality, are not there to punish or burden us but
to protect us. It is irresponsible to remain silent when a serious
danger is present. Smokers do not like to be told about lung cancer,
but it is the truth. Some behavior is dangerous to our physical and/or
our spiritual health and well-being. So the Church condemns these
because we have a wounded human nature.
Original Sin resulted in a darkened intellect, a weakened will and a
disordering of the emotions and passions. Hence, we do not always think
clearly nor do we always have the strength and courage to do what ought
to be done. Divine Grace compensates for the wounded nature and Divine
Revelation helps us see better. Divine and natural laws exist because
we are sometimes weak and need guidance if not just boundaries for our
own protection.
One cannot be a Catholic and support abortion and/or euthanasia any
more than you can reject the teaching on the Real Presence or on the
sanctity of marriage as being a faithful, permanent and hopefully
fruitful union of one man and one woman. The Immaculate Conception and
Assumption are not negotiable dogmas and neither are the doctrines on
Papal Infallibility, the Inspiration and Inerrancy of Scripture, the
Incarnation of Christ, and so on. Heaven, hell, and purgatory; the
communion of the saints; basically everything in the Catechism is
taught and expected to be accepted. We are to give an assent of faith
to these teachings. The moral laws are to be obeyed because breaking
them hurts us in the long run. Denying doctrine is as dangerous as
breaking the law. Man was created with an intellect and will. The
intellect seeks the truth and the will seeks the good. Only in God are
both found perfectly and in fullness.
Membership has its privileges but also its obligations. Belonging to
the Church means I can receive her sacraments and thereby get the
graces I need. I also have access to the Truths of Revelation by
knowing the teachings of the Church. Belonging also means I learn what
is taught and I obey what rules have been made for my benefit. The
common good is the ultimate end, i.e., what is good for all of us and
not just me as an individual. We are a family. Baptism makes us
children of God. A family is an organic unity. The parts must work
together for the sake of the whole. We belong to God and to his family,
the Church. Therefore, accepting the teachings and keeping the laws
helps all of us.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Charity
18. A brother asked a hermit, 'Suppose there are two monks: one stays
quietly in his cell, fasting for six days at a time, laying many
hardships on himself: and the other ministers to the sick. Which
of them is more pleasing to God?' He replied, 'Even if the
brother who fasts six days hung himself up by his nose, he wouldn't be the equal of him who ministers to the sick.'
November 4, 2015
(Isa 46:9-11) Remember
the former age, for I am God, and there is no God beside, neither is
there the like to me: Who shew from the beginning the things that shall
be at last, and from ancient times the things that as yet are not done,
saying: My counsel shall stand, and all my will shall be done: Who call
a bird from the east, and from a far country the man of my own will,
and I have spoken, and will bring it to pass: I have created, and I
will do it.
ONLINE BOOK: Garabandal: The Village Speaks – Ramon Perez
SPANISH SITE: Garabandal - mensajes y estudios
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA Michael Coppi: DID YOU KNOW THAT OUR BLESSED MOTHER TOLD CONCHITA THAT SOON AFTER A SYNOD, THE WARNING WOULD COME???
OPINION: The Warning coming soon?
EXCERPT: Expectations for the Coming Months of 2015-2016 by Thomas Fahy, September 10, 2015
What about the Last Four Months of 2015?
The only thing that I am aware of
from the more highly credible sources, namely in this case, from the
apparitions to the young, uneducated children of Garabandal,
particularly Conchita, is what she was told by the Virgin Mary: that
there would come an Important Synod, after which would come the Warning
to the whole human race on earth. It seems to me that the upcoming
synod on the family, October 4 to October 25, 2015 is that “Important
Synod” after which will come the Warning. However, we also know from
the Garabandal apparitions that the Communist Tribulation, led by
Russia is to come before the Warning. In addition, Our Lady told
Conchita that the Pope would go to Russia, to Moscow and that upon his
return to Rome (or on the way) the Communist Tribulation would begin
“suddenly and unexpectedly.”
The purpose of the Pope going to
Russia, to Moscow would be to meet with the Orthodox Patriarch.
Patriarch Kirill is the present Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. His
subordinate is Archbishop and Metropolitan Hilarion. Last June (2015)
Putin went to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis. Also in June,
Archbishop Hilarion went twice to meet with Pope Francis. These
meetings between Hilarion and Pope Francis involved the preparations
between Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis, supposedly in a neutral
location. No date has been set as far as I know. Even if they do meet
in a neutral place, the Pope may still visit Moscow. The prediction
about the Pope visit to Moscow also includes the immediate, ‘Sudden and
Unexpected” beginning of the Tribulation of Communism.
It seems to me that if it is to be
that 2016 is the year of the Warning and Miracle, then the upcoming
October synod is the Important Synod predicted at Garabandal. If so,
then it would be reasonable to expect the Communist Tribulation to
begin at some point in 2015 after the Synod closes on October 25. If
not, it would seem that 2016 is not the year of the Warning and
Miracle, unless God has accepted the prayers and voluntary sufferings
of some soul, or souls, and has released us from this much deserved
punishment.
As far as the rest of September and
October, 2015 and beyond, we hear many, many reports of Economic and
Financial upheaval to come in these months and of dire social
consequences. Most of these warnings are coming from secular sources.
Some sources are from the spiritual realm. The ones that I am familiar
with, from the spiritual realm, do not fit in the category of the
higher degrees of certainty. These sources of lesser degrees of
certainty may have points that prove to be true and should not be
summarily discounted.
RELATED: Russian Orthodox Church, Vatican in talks over meeting of Pope, Patriarch — bishop
RON CONTE BLOG: 7 Months until the Miracle of Healing
CATHOLIC PLANET FORUM: Video with explanation about Garabandal's Joe Lomangino "new eyes"
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Charity
15. One of the fathers said, 'If anyone asks you for something, and you
give it to him, even if you are forced to give it, let your heart go
with the gift, as it is written, "If a man forces you to go with him
one mile, go with him two" (Matt. 5:41). This means that if you are
asked for anything, give it with a willing heart.'
November 2, 2015
(II
Maccabees 12:43-46) And making a gathering, he [Judas] sent twelve
thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for
the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the
resurrection, (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should
rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the
dead,) And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with
godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and
wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from
sins.
SISTERS OF CARMEL: Praying for the Dead
REMINDER: Close Connection of the Communion of the Saints
CRISIS MAGAZINE: In the Midst of Life We Are in Death
RESOURCE: Purgatory Project- Register your souls for Perpetual Masses
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA RON ROLHEISER, OMI: PRAYING FOR THE DEAD
Why pray for the dead? Does this make any sense? What possible
difference can our prayers make to a person once he or she has died?
These are valid questions. A number of objections can be raised against
the practice of praying for the dead: Do we need to call God to mercy?
Does God need to be reminded that the person who died was in fact a
decent, warm-hearted, person? God already knows this, is already as
merciful as mercy allows, and needs no nudging from us to be
understanding and forgiving. Cynically, the objection might be put this
way: If the person is already in heaven he doesn’t need our prayers and
if he is in hell, our prayers won’t help anyway! So why pray for the
dead?
We pray for the dead for the same reason we pray for anything, we feel
the need and that is reason enough. Moreover the objections raised
against praying for the dead are just as easily raised against all
prayer of petition. God already knows everyone one of our desires,
everyone of our sins, and all of our good will. So why remind God of
these? Because prayer builds us up, changes us, not God.
This is the first, though not foremost, reason why we pray for the
dead. Prayer is meant to change and console us. We pray for the dead to
comfort ourselves, to stir and celebrate our own faith, and assuage our
own guilt about our less than perfect relationship to the one who has
died. In praying for the dead we do two things: We highlight our faith
in the power of God and we hold up the life of the person who has died
so as to let God take care of things, let God wash things clean. That
is one of the purposes of a funeral liturgy, to clearly put the dead
person and our relationship to him or her into God’s hands.
But this is not the most important reason why we have funeral liturgies
and why we pray for the dead. We pray for the dead because we believe
(and this a doctrine, the communion of saints) that we are still in
vital communion with them. There is, death notwithstanding, still a
vital flow of life between them and us. Love, presence, and
communication reach even through death. We and they can still feel each
other, know each other, love each other, console each other, and
influence each other. Our lives are still joined. Hence we pray for the
dead in order to remain in contact with them. Just as we can hold
someone’s hand as they are dying, and this can be an immense
consolation to them and to us, so too, figuratively but really, we can
hold that person’s hand through and beyond death.
Perhaps the words and prayer forms we use seem to indicate something
else, since they are addressed to God and not directly to the person
for whom we are praying. Thus, for example, in praying for the dead we
use words like: “Lord, have mercy on her soul!” “Lord, we place her in
your hands!” “She loved you in life, radiated your gentleness, Lord,
give her peace!” The words are addressed to God because it is in and
through God that our communication with our loved one who is deceased
now takes place: God’s bosom is the venue for our communication, God’s
power is what is holding both of us in life, and God’s mercy is what is
washing things clean between us. We can of course also talk directly to
the person who has died, that too is valid enough within the doctrine
of the communion of saints, but given the critical place of God’s love,
power, and mercy in this situation, our prayer is generally addressed
to God so as to highlight that it is within the heart of God that we
have contact with our loved ones who are deceased. Hence, our prayers
for the dead generally take this particular form.
And classically, within Roman Catholic theology at least, we have
believed that our prayers help release this person from purgatory.
What’s to be said about this?
Purgatory, properly understood, is not a punishment for any
imperfection nor indeed a place distinct from heaven. The pains of
purgatory are the pains of adjusting to a new life (which includes the
pain of letting go of this one) and the pains of being embraced by
perfect love when we ourselves are far from perfect. By praying for the
dead, we support them in their pain of adjustment, adjustment to a new
life and to living in full light. Purgation eventually leads to
ecstasy, but the birth that produces that ecstasy requires first a
series of painful deaths. Thus, just as we tried to hold their hands as
they died, so now, in praying for loved ones who have died, we continue
to hold their hands, and they ours, beyond the chasm of death itself.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Patience
9. Poemen said, 'Whatever hardship comes upon you, it can be overcome by silence.'
Links 
E-mail
Dr. Zambrano 
Home
Jubilee
2000: Bringing the World to Jesus
The
Tribulation Times Archives:
FAIR
USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the
use of which
has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We
are making such material available in our efforts to advance
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this
constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted
material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance
with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest
in receiving the included information for research and educational
purposes. For more detailed information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of
your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.