Non-Catholics
do not believe in the intercession of the Saints and grace of prayer for the
dead rationalizing that these particular beliefs are unscriptural, which means
that after the death of their loved ones, friends, neighbors and the people
within their reach are insignificant yet until the Second Coming.
The human person, fashioned in the image of God, is a being at once earthly and
spiritual. The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into
his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7) which can be understood that the spirit of an individual is not only existent
at the time of his/her life on earth, then wait for the Second Coming for its soul to be existent again.
Man, whole and entire, is therefore willed by God; a process that does not generally capacitates a corrupted
body to be simultaneously buried with it in the grave, as the Scripture
re-echoes, "God is not the God of the dead but of the living" (Matthew 22:32) .
The term "soul" often refers to human life or the entire human
person. But "soul" also refers to the innermost aspect of man,
that which is of greatest value in him, that by which he/she is most
especially in God's image; "soul" signifies the spiritual principle
in man. Would you think there is
relevance between man’s spirit that is buried and Jesus’ ascension if God
therefore created man in His image? How
could you claim that man is in His image if his spirit is buried until the
Second Coming?
There is a disclosure in the New Testament pointing to judgment chiefly as
final encounter with Jesus in His second coming, but also frequently asserts
that each will be rewarded instantly after death, in harmony with his/her works
and faith (2 Timothy 1:9-10) which
was depicted in the parable of the poor
man Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) and the words of Christ on the cross to the
good thief (Luke 23:39-43) and other New Testament accounts (Luke 16:22, Luke 23:43,
Matthew 16:26,
2 Corinthians 5:8,
Philippians 1:23,
Hebrew 9:27, Hebrew 12:23) which
speak of a final destiny of the soul which can be different for some and for
others. Meaning, would you not be
encouraged to behave in faith that does not swerve and a character that
animates for the common good if therefore there is a reward that awaits for the
devotees?
It is interesting to note that even in this life, out of our desire
for a great reward, we maximize our creativity and efficiency to earn a
reasonably good income because we are fulfilled witnessing our loved ones that
they are happy when we could provide them their needs. What more when it comes to spirituality that
we don’t endure its challenge if we’re aware of its blissful destiny.
If it’s
one’s choice for his/her soul to be buried after death and wait for the Second
Coming before releasing his soul from the grave, then that’s a personal
option. Notably, there was a satanist in
the name of Anton Lavey, when
he was on his deathbed, he says, “I was wrong with what I did in this life.“ This man founded the church of the devil and was an advocate of a life that exists in
the dark side , but towards the end, few moments before his death he told in
front of the camera that he was hoodwinked by the devil in his entire life and
now he is going to hell. God never sends
anyone to Hell because what for that He endured the exaggeratedly painful death
on the Cross if He desires one’s miserable destiny.
Created in the image of the one God and
equally gifted with rational souls, all humans have the same nature and the
same foundation. As creations who are redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all
are called to participate in the same divine supreme blessedness. All therefore
take pleasure in equal dignity at par with his/her image of destiny which can
be seen in his/her behavior as human.
Through indulgences, the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal
punishment resulting from sin for themselves and also for the souls in
Purgatory.
Sometimes the soul is differentiated from the spirit, as St. Paul for example
prays, "May the
God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit,
soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
(1 Thessalonians 5:23).
The Church edifies that this difference does not
present a duplicity of the soul. (Council of Constantinople IV (870): DS657). "Spirit" signifies that from creation man is commanded to a mystical end and that his
soul can gratuitously be ascended beyond all it ought to be to communion with
God. (Vatican Council I, Dei Filius: DS 3005:GS § 5); (Human Generis: DS 3891).
Remember that we’re infused with three theological virtues: faith, hope, and
charity (1 Corinthians 13:13). Then you must be hoping for minimal idyllic
destiny if your belief is “solely restricted on a reward that rests on the second
coming" than on the "immediate reward upon death.”
Digging it more deeper, if we'll be realistic about it, in
this generation that both young and adults are very creative on fabrication of
lies can be the reality that no one is worthy of entrance to the Kingdom of
God. Meaning, if we’ll try to analyse it
bit by bit (without any sarcasm intended), non-Catholics who die a liar will go
directly to hell, and anyone who are converted to non-Catholicism after being
indoctrinated that there’s no Purgatory, is hopeless for their loved ones who
die with a sin of lying to enter the Kingdom of God, or generally speaking any
religion which does not acknowledge the grace of Purgation is tantamount to a
belief that people who die with an offense of lying (or any offense that is venial for that matter) and the people whose transgression falls on different
forms of crimes (or any offense that is a mortal sin) mortal sin) will both be thrown into
hell. God says, “I tell you,
unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 5:20);
and these Pharisees had been identified for being liars because of their
hypocrisy, pretending to be holy outwardly but are loathsome inwardly. Meaning, if two non-Catholics, the one who
commits lying while the other commits murder, die on the same hour will
certainly go to hell despite the gravity of their individual commission, if
there's no purgation after all.
Jesus
says, "So be perfect, just as
your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48). Therefore, anyone who have commission of even
the slightest sin can never enter the Kingdom of God. However because of God’s boundless love, all who die in His grace and friendship, but still imperfectly cleansed, are
indeed guaranteed of their perpetual deliverance; but undergo refinement after
death, so as to attain the sanctity compulsory to enter the joy of heaven.
Personally, I could picture the unimaginable
glory of entering God’s kingdom directly after death so I’ve been trying to
correct my values little by little and praying to strengthen me more and more
in areas where I am vulnerable. Why should I limit myself by desiring a second
life that passes through Purgatory if God is giving a “true hope” that is
beyond this. It’s better said than done though but the point is, there’s a minimum and a maximum that we could do while journeying in this life.
The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final cleansing of the chosen,
which is completely different from the retribution of the damned. The
Church’s faith on Purgatory as formulated at the Councils of Florence and Trent has
been traditionally in reference to Scriptural verse (Matthew 12;32) which ascertains of "forgiveness of sins in
this age and certain others in the age to come."
This teaching is also the foundation on the practice of prayer for the dead as
re-echoed in (2 Macccabees 12:46),
which other denominations removed from the Holy Scripture on the allegation
that Macabees (as one of deuterocanonical books) is not
found in the Hebrew Bible, that they were allegedly added by the Catholic Church at the
Council of Trent after Luther rejected it and is not God inspired, which is
itself a gesture of putting words in God’s mouth considering that God Himself
made a covenant, “When the Lord smelled the sweet odor, He said to Himself: "Never again
will I doom the earth because
of man, since the desires of man's heart are evil from
the start; nor will I ever again strike
down all living beings,
as I have done. (Genesis 8:21) which is evident because when the earth reached again to the point of
unbearable transgressions, He descended from Heaven to rescue the humanity from
the danger of falling into the pit, brought by His sacrificial death on the
Cross. However, this Salvific event
neither encourage nor suggest an abusive response of one’s heart to just remain in
sin than correction because mercy and anger alike are with Him (Sirach 5:4-9).
The Church honors the memory of the dead and offers prayers, and Eucharistic
sacrifice primarily in suffrage for them
for their purification and hopeful attainment of the beatific vision of God. Likewise, it acclaims almsgiving, indulgences, and
works of penance; if Job's sons were purified by their
father's sacrifice (Job 1:5),
there is no reason to doubt that our offerings for the dead would bring some
consolation.
1 Corinthians 4:1-5 Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards
of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required of stewards that they be
found trustworthy. It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you
or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not
conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one
who judges me is the Lord.Therefore, do not make any judgment before the
appointed time, until the Lord comes, for He will bring to light what is hidden
in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will
receive praise from God.
1 Corinthians 3:15 But if someone's work is burned up, that one will
suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.
1 Peter 1:7 So that the genuineness of your faith, more precious
than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for
praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but
blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. (St. Gregory the Great.Dial.4.39:PL 77.396; Matthew 12:31)
Thus he made atonement for the dead
that they might be freed from this sin. Maccabees 12:46;
This doctrine and practice of the Church teach that sin has a double
corollary. Grave sin which is a mortal sin as
specified by the Ten Commandments (Matthew 19:16-22) robs us of communion with God which incapacitates us of eternal life as
"eternal punishment" of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial,
involves an injurious attachment to creatures, which must be cleansed either
here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification
unchained one from what is called the "temporal punishment" of sin.
These two punishments must not be regarded of as a kind of retribution exacted
by God out of nothing, but as subsequent from the very nature of sin. A restoration
which starts from an ardent love can reach the absolute purging of the
sinner (St. John Chrysostom, Hom).
Job 1:5 And when each feast had run its course, Job would send
for them and sanctify them, rising early and offering holocausts for every one
of them. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and blasphemed
God in their hearts." This Job did habitually.
"None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all
rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of
it." "Charity does not insist on its own way." In this
cohesion with the living and the dead, which is established on the communion of saints, the
least of one’s acts done out of love contributes to the profit of all. Every
wrongdoing impairs this spiritual union.
The Intercession of the Saints
"Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in the Kingdom of God fix the whole Church more resolutely in piety by relentless intercession with the Father. They offer the merits they achieved on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus. By their fraternal concern, our weakness is greatly alleviated."
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human,
"Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in the Kingdom of God fix the whole Church more resolutely in piety by relentless intercession with the Father. They offer the merits they achieved on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus. By their fraternal concern, our weakness is greatly alleviated."
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human,
"Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life. I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth." (St. Dominic, dying, to his brothers.St. Thérèse of Lisieux, The Final Conversations, tr. John Clarke (Washington: ICS, 1977).
Everybody
should go straight to Jesus in Prayer but James also says that “The fervent
prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.” (James 5:16). No
one on earth can be as righteous as anyone in heaven, and the Blessed Mother (as one of the pious) along with the Saints known and unknown are certainly in
heaven. We should also be reminded that our prayers are presented to God by the
Saints and Angels in the form of incense (Revelation 5:8; and
Revelation 8:3). They can pray for us day and night, even when we are asleep and cannot pray for ourselves. The devil never sleeps and neither do the Saints in heaven.
References;
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, http://www.scborromeo.org/
- Mark Shea, 5 Myths about 7 books, http://www.catholiceducation.org/
- Fr. Augustine Vallooran V.C., United With Jesus in Life and Death - http://www.drcm.org/
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