Rest in Peace is the popular Prayer we pray for the dead. Indirectly or directly we all believe it is expedient to pray for the dead. Why do we feel the need to pray or say comforting words to the dead while they are already gone. This should show us how the doctrine of Purgatory is not just a concocted doctrine but flows from our very way of life and hence our nature as humans.
(2 Timothy 1:16-18)
May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.
In fact, subtly underneath Jesus Christ raising the dead, especially Lazarus who he came to raise four days later lies the idea of praying for the Dead. In the ancient Jewish understanding of the dead, the deceased person’s spirit remains around the body for up to three days after death before departing. It was well-known in Israel 2,000 years ago that someone deceased could come back to life during this 3-day period but not afterwards.
On the fourth day, the spirit left the body and went to Sheol or Hades, and there was no hope for life without a miracle. Also, by the fourth day in Israel’s hot climate, advanced decay would be destroying the body and the stench would have been overwhelming. When Jesus called Lazarus to life from the dead and healed his rotted corpse, the people knew that He was the true Messiah, performing genuine miracles as the prophets had foretold. This is why the stress on the 4 days is important in Lazarus been raised from the dead. In fact it put much tention in the Gospel of John; "... because he loved Lazarus, he waited two days" (cf. John 11).
This is wierd indeed, but if we can relate it to the popular teaching about the dead that was existing, Jesus Christ waited for Lazarus to properly die so that he can show that truly, he is the resurrection and the Life (cf. John 11:25). In fact this was the reason why the chief priests also wanted to put Lazarus to death again because people were believing Jesus Christ on account of him (cf. John 12:10-11).
The important point in the story is that Jesus Christ loved Lazarus. As Christians, part of the Body of Christ, we are Loved by God,and are saved through the Cross of Jesus Christ where he defeated sin and conquered the wages of sin which is death (cf. Romans 6:23), through his resurrection power. But to gain beatific vision or go to heaven, we must fully appropriate the Victory thereof, because nothing unclean can enter heaven (cf. Revelation 21:27).
A deeper meditation on death in relation to repentance is needed to understand the doctrine of Purgatory and in particular why there is the need to pray for the dead. Jesus Christ began his Mission on earth with the statement;
Mark 1:15
"... The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe the gospel. "
What I want to say is that, true repentance means dying to your old self. The reality of this is that you will be constantly battling with your old self and the behaviors that you have become accustomed to.
2 Corinthians 12:7
"Wherefore, so that I should not get above myself, I was given a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to batter me and prevent me from getting above myself. About this , I have three times plead with the Lord that it might leave me; but he has answered me, 'My grace is enough for you: for power is at full stretch in weakness.' It is, then , about my weakness that I am happiest of all to boast, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me "
What I mean in short is that, you may have repented from your sins and have been forgiven through the grace of Jesus Christ, but you still have to pay for the punishment of it. When David sinned and was forgiven by God, although he was forgiven, he still faced the punishment of the sin, the child born out of that sin died (cf.2 Samuel 12:14-18). Also remember the thief who was on the Cross with Jesus Christ, he had a direct pass to heaven because Jesus Christ through the Cross saved him, but he had also paid for the punishment of his sins;
Luke 23:41
"And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; ..."
This is what Purgatory stresses on, the need for us to pay for the punishment of our sins already forgiven us. In fact this shows how truly repentance is really related to dying to our old self completely. Thus a proper understanding of this doctrine must deter us from sinning. For we know that we will pay the punishment for our sins and hence be free completely from our attachment to sin.
The doctrine of purgatory therefore shows us the LIGHT OF DEATH, and how we find the LIGHT [God] when we are completely freed from sin and its bondage. I repeat, we are called to die to our sinful nature and resurrect to a new self, we are forgiven our sins, but we have a part to play to be completely freed from our attachment to sin.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15
"For nobody can lay down any other foundation than the one which is there already, namely Jesus Christ. On this foundation, different people may build in gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw but each person's handiwork will be shown for what it is. The Day which dawns in fire will make it clear and the fire itself will test the quality of each person's work. The one whose work stands up to it will be given his wages; the one whose work is burnt down will suffer the loss of it, though he himself will be saved; he will be saved as someone might expect to be saved from a fire."
Today's readings are very interesting, the gospel of today was also used for yesterday's SOLEMNITY, All Saints Day. I will stress on "blessed are the pure in heart" for today's reflection. Just think about it, is the pure in heart not the one who has completely died to his old self and hence live not according to his old way of life but being a true repentant, fighting to overcome his or her weaknesses through the help of God's grace which is sufficient for us.
The Church Triumphant (Saints in Heaven) sees God because they have been able to fully appropriate the Victory of the Cross by paying for any punishment due to their sins and hence they washing their robes in the blood of the Lamb are in heaven. The Church Militant (Those on Earth), are still struggling with our old self to overcome and become a new man living completely free from any attachment to sin. But it is obvious that the reason why we are called Church Militant is that we are soldiers fighting against the thorn in our flesh although Jesus Christ came to carry all the thorns on his head. As we live in this world, no matter how good we can be, we can easily fall into sin.
However, the Church Suffering (those in Purgatory), whom we are commemorating today as those who are saved already but must be freed from their attachment to sin. This is why I like this part about the second reading;
Romans 5:9
"How much more can we be sure, therefore, that, now that we have been justified by his death, we shall be saved through him from the retribution of God."
Those in Purgatory are not those who are in hell and hence grinding their teeth against the Holy One [God] (cf. Psalm 37:12), who as consuming fire (cf. Hebrews 12:29) is Omnipresent (cf. Psalm 139:8). They are those who are in the Valley of the Shadow of death and must come out of that shadow by the grace of God.
Just as true repentance demands dying completely to sin, the souls in purgatory can only enter heaven when they are freed from their attachment to sin. Praying for the dead is important, they need our prayers (cf. 2 Maccabees 12:48). Let us remember our departed Love ones in prayers today as we commemorate all the souls departed.
May the Souls of the "Faithful" departed,through the Mercy of God Rest in Peace. Amen
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