Praying for our beloved dead
Judas Maccabeus then took up a collection among all his
soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem
to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very
excellent and noble way, in as much as he had the resurrection in mind; for if
he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous
and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the
splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a
holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be
absolved from their sin.
Have I told you lately how much I
love being pastor of Immaculate Conception Church? Well, here’s the latest reason why I believe
this parish is so great. I’ve done a lot
of funerals lately, at the pace of one or sometimes two a week. My niece likes to call our parish, “I.C.U.”
because we do have a lot of people in the Intensive Care Unit! But do you know what happens the days
following a funeral? The church office
here is flooded with Mass intentions for that person who just died. You may have noticed in the bulletin each
week that a specific Mass is “offered” for a specific person. For example, after Sally Johnston’s funeral
we had tons of “Mass intentions” to pray for her. After Bob Raible died, again we scheduled
lots of Masses to be said for him. So, I
figure, “Hey, if I die as the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, there
will be hundreds of Masses said for me!
Sweet!” You see, I.C.
parishioners really love to pray for the dead because they really love those
who have died.
Now, let me ask you a very important question: WHY do we pray for the
dead, and even have Masses offered for them?
It’s really a very odd thing, isn’t it?
And, as it turns out, it’s really a very Catholic thing. Here’s the reason: we pray for the dead
because we believe they may be in purgatory, and purgatory is a curiously
Catholic concept. Think about it this
way: if the dead were already in heaven, our prayers for them would be
superfluous, unnecessary, like offering water to a man who’s already drinking
champagne! Heavenly souls would say,
“Thanks for your prayers but no thanks!
I got something better!” On the
other hand, if they are in hell – God forbid! – then our prayers will not do
them any good, will they? Their fate is
sealed; they have taken “the escalator down,” sort of say. So, we believe our beloved dead must be
somewhere else, not in heaven but also not in hell, rather they are in a
special third place where Masses can benefit them, like a cup of cold water
offered to a thirsty man. We call that
place “Purgatory.” That’s another reason
I love Immaculate Conception Church: you people really pray for the dead, and
one day, I’ll be one of those dead who needs your prayers. Please remember me!
You know,
sometimes people ask me, “Father John, will you please celebrate my funeral
Mass?” I always answer, “Of course I
will but only on one condition: you have to go first!” But you know, one day, I will go first,
before some of you, into what Hamlet called “the undiscovered country,” that
land that lies beyond death, and I hope those who are left behind me will pray
for me. I hope that undiscovered country
for me will be a place called Purgatory.
That’s why
today’s first reading is from the second book of Maccabees. 2 Maccabees 12:43-46 is the “locus classicus”
(the basic Scriptural citation) for the Catholic Church’s teaching on
purgatory. If anyone asks you where in
the Bible it talks about “purgatory,” please point them to these valuable
verses. Even though the word “purgatory”
doesn’t appear there, it’s obvious that purgatory is what the inspired author
is talking about. By the way, this is
also the reason why Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer, wanted to remove
the books of Maccabees from the Bible because its teaching about purgatory is
clear and irrefutable. In this passage
we see Judas Maccabeus acting very Catholic!
He was the leader of the Jewish revolt against the Romans back in 165 BC
and he takes up a collection for sacrificial offerings to be made for his dead
soldiers. That would be the Old
Testament equivalent of having a Mass offered for them! And verse 45 says, “He did this with a view
to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it
was a holy and pious thought.” You see,
Judas Maccabeus would have made a perfect parishioner of Immaculate Conception
Church. Why? Well, because he loved to pray for the dead
because he loved the dead. He believed
in an Undiscovered Country called Purgatory.
I know that death and purgatory are
heavy subjects, so let me lighten things up a little here. Bobby was sitting next to his grandpa when he
innocently asked him, “Grandpa do you know how to make animal sounds?” “I sure do,” Grandpa replied. “What sort of animal sound would you like to
hear?” “Bobby replied, “How about a
toad? Do you know how to sound like a
toad?” “Sure,” said Grandpa, cupping his
hands to his mouth, “Croaak, croaak. How
did you like that?” “Yipee!” screamed
Bobby, jumping up and down, “We’re going to Miami!” “Huh?” questioned Grandpa. “Why’s that?”
Bobby answered, “Because Grandma said so. She said that after you croak we’ll all go to
Miami!” You know, I am so glad I don’t
have my own children! Of course, we
should not just be interested in where WE’LL go after someone dies, but we
should also care where our beloved dead go when they die. Where are they?? One real and very likely possibility for our
beloved dead is a place called purgatory.
But here’s what even more amazing, and to me, a great consolation: we
can actually speed up that process of purification and perfection of the poor
souls in purgatory by our prayers, especially the Mass. That’s what Judas Maccabeus did and that’s
what I.C. parishioners do because they love the dead.
Hamlet
said in his soliloquy: “The dread of something after death, The undiscovered
country, from whose bourn no traveler returns, puzzles the will.” But, you know, our wills are not puzzled
because we know the landscape of that undiscovered country, a special part of
which is called Purgatory, a place of purification and perfection. Today let us pray for our beloved dead, so
that tomorrow someone will pray for us.
Praised be
Jesus Christ!
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