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Praying for the Dead 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...

By no means will any of us enter heaven, or even want to enter there, unless our characters are in perfect shape, and our deficits are paid up in full. Purgatory is the service shop where repair work is done, and where books are balanced. The Poor Souls must wait for entrance into heaven, but they sense God's assistance while they make their final preparation. They already know what he will say finally: "Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joys of the Lord." They understand and accept God's kindness as well as his concern that justice be...

As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger once said so well, one major difference between Protestants and Catholics is that Catholics pray for the dead: "My view is that if Purgatory did not exist, we should have to invent it." Why? "Because few things are as immediate, as human and as widespread—at all times and in all cultures—as prayer for one"s own departed dear ones." Calvin, the Reformer of Geneva, had a woman whipped because she was discovered praying at the grave of herson and hence was guilty, according to Calvin, of superstition". "In theory, the Reformation refuses to accept Purgatory, and consequently...

According to the Handbook for Today's Catholic, page 47, "If you die in the love of God but possess any stains of sin, such stains are cleansed away in a purifying process called purgatory. These stains of sin are primarily the temporal punishment due to venial or mortal sins already forgiven but for which sufficient penance was not done during your lifetime."The Catholic Catechism, paragraph 1030, says that purgatory is for "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...

 Catholic Purgatory: What Does It Mean? For the Catholic Purgatory is a period of purification after death. When we die, our souls are judged immediately by Christ in what's called the "Particular Judgment": Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven — through a purification or immediately, — or immediate and everlasting damnation. (Catechism, 1022) Purgatory is this period of purification before heaven. It's not always well understood by today's Catholics but Purgatory is...

From the time of our birth, God has graced us with a faithful companion, appointed guardian and guide: our dear guardian angel.  Angels are spiritual beings who are constantly in God’s Presence, singing praises to Our Creator.  Angels serve as Divine messengers, bringing God’s Will and Word to all humanity. Although we are unable to see them they are there ready to protect and watch over us at God’s command. The Doctors of the Church teach that the guardianship of the holy angels over men only terminates at the souls’ entrance into Heaven. Some mystics have asserted that it extends to...

St. Margaret of Cortona was a great sinner in her youth. She lost her mother when quite young, and so was mostly left to herself. Her beauty and  lively temperament soon led her into a sinful life which lasted for a considerable time.  She was swept off her feet by a handsome young lord. They lived together for many years but the young lord would never consent to marriage. They had a son together.   One day the Lord went off to inspect his estate and was assassinated.Margaret left Montepulciano for her father’s home in Cortona.  Her father and stepmother would not welcome her or...

Many times converts to Catholicism will say they never really understood the Bible until they began to read it with Catholic eyes. Passages they read many times began to take on new meaning. Doctrines, which seemed to be invisible, become readily apparent. Such is the doctrine of Purgatory. Many Protestants reject the theology of Purgatory because they do not find it in the New Testament. Like the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of Purgatory is there, but the pieces of the puzzle have to be put together in order to clearly see the complete picture.The theology of Purgatory begins,...

St.  Catherine of Genoa, mystic and laywoman, is also  known as  the "Apostle of Purgatory" and the most authoritative saint on this subject.  Her Treatise on Purgatory explores the attitude on the souls in purgatory, what they suffer, why they willingly choose to go to there, the consolations of those souls, and how, by expiating our sins in this life, we can shorten or avoid pain after. St. Catherine said that he who purifies from faults in this present life satisfies with a penny a debt of a thousand ducats or (more than $1,000) -- and he who waits until the...

"What is life compared to that day which will have no evening for the elect, or to that night which will have no dawning for the damned? On earth, people attach themselves to everything and everyone except to Him, who alone ought to have our love and to whom we refuse it. Jesus in the Tabernacle waits for souls to love Him and He finds none. Hardly one soul in a thousand loves Him as it should. Love Him and make up to Him for this guilty indifference which exists all over this world." * * * * * *...

It says Mass cards with printed signatures are being sold in some shops, with Catholics believing the cost is the offering for the Mass. Instead, it is claimed most of the money goes to the shop and distributor, with very little going to the church. Bishop O'Reilly from Longford said it was a massive industry and the lack of accountability undermined public confidence in missionary work. He said missionary orders were concerned people were buying these Mass cards thinking the money was going to support charity work in the third world. In the past, people bought an unsigned card and...

IOne of the great strengths of the Latin theological tradition has been the development and articulation of a Christian social and personal morality. Catholic theologians and philosophers have reflected deeply on divine law, justice, and the common good and have integrated this reflection into the spiritual life and practice of the Church. But this development has come at a price: God has been portrayed principally as Law-giver, soteriology interpreted through juridical categories, sin reduced to violation of commandment and preaching to moral exhortation. Consequently, Catholic spiritual life has often taken on an unhealthy legalistic cast.Consider how the doctrine of Purgatory...

Pope Benedict XVI is offering relief from purgatory to Roman Catholics who travel to Lourdes over the next year, the Vatican said yesterday. Pilgrims to the shrine in south-west France will receive "plenary indulgences" from the Pontiff, which the Church says reduce the time spent being "washed" of sin after death. The indulgences will be available from this weekend until Dec 8, 2008. The Church teaches that people who do not go directly to heaven must spend time in purgatory, where they can be purified of residual sin. It is the latest initiative to get more pilgrims to the shrine,...

November 2, 2007                     The Commemoration of All                         the Faithful Departed                            (All Souls) Psalm: Friday 39       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Wis 3:1-9 The souls of the just are in the hand of God,and no torment shall touch them.They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;and their passing away was thought an afflictionand their going forth from us, utter destruction.But they are in peace.For if before men, indeed, they be punished,yet is their hope full of immortality;chastised a...

Lesson 12: Purgatory "And the day following Judas [Machabeus] came with his company, to take away the bodies of them that were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen, in the sepulchres of their fathers.  And they found under the coats of the slain some of the donaries of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbiddeth to the Jews:  So that all plainly saw, that for this cause they were slain.  Then they all blessed the just judgment of the Lord, who had discovered the things that were hidden.  And so betaking themselves to prayers, they besought Him,...

The Early Church Fathers believed in purgatory and prayers for the dead. Clement of AlexandriaThe believer through discipline divests himself of his passions and passes to the mansion which is better than the former one, passes to the greatest torment, taking with him the characteristic of repentance for the faults he may have committed after baptism. He is tortured then still more, not yet attaining what he sees others have acquired. The greatest torments are assigned to the believer, for God's righteousness is good, and His goodness righteous, and though these punishments cease in the course of the expiation and...

On the Question of the "Toll-Houses" "We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ." —I Cor. 4:10 Introduction. A number of poor scholars and pseudo-scholars alike have, over the past several decades, made a case against the Orthodox Church's teaching on life after death, and especially the "toll house" image used by some Fathers and in many of our worship services. Misrepresenting the Fathers, ignoring liturgical and theological evidence, and overstating their case, some of these critics have made of various theologoumena, unfortunately, matters of intense debate. Likewise misusing philosophy, misrepresenting the Patristic use of classical...

St. Mark of Ephesus and the False Union of Florence Part III of His Life by Archimandrite Amvrossy Pogodin VI. THE CONCLUSION OF THE UNION TO THE OTHER afflictions which the Orthodox delegation suffered in Florence was added the death of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Patriarch was found dead in his room. On the table lay (supposedly) his testament, Extrema Sententia, consisting in all of some lines in which he declared that he accepted everything that the Church of Rome confesses. And then: "In like manner I acknowledge the Holy Father of Fathers, the Supreme Pontiff and Vicar of...

Have you done some bad things, but not bad enough to get you sent to Hell when you die? If so, some believe you'll have to serve time in Purgatory paying for your sins before being allowed into Heaven. But don't worry, you can make your period of torment and hard labor in the steaming hot netherworld as painless as possible, by following some tips from a leading theologian. "Purgatory is inherently unpleasant, but it doesn't have to be a nightmare," says Atlanta-based Bible scholar Dr. Jared Ruftan, author of the upcoming book, So You're Going to Purgatory. "How bad...

Many want to know about Gregorian Masses -- especially for deceased loved ones -- so let us begin at the beginning:Gregorian Masses date back to the end of the sixth century, when they were instituted by Pope St. Gregory the Great, a doctor of the Church. It is why these Masses take their name from him.He established them when he was Abbot of St. Andrew's Benedictine Abbey of Monte Celio in Rome -- and a rather strict one, I might add.  In one of his most notable works -- called Dialogues -- Pope Gregory spoke of a monk named Justus. "See...