Just as yesterday I posted a special post for All Saints' Day, today I would like to share with you my very special sentiments on All Souls' Day.
We usually see or hear the term Poor (or Suffering) Souls in Purgatory. I grew up to this understanding that the souls in Purgatory are really suffering because of its flames, and because of its dreadful ambiance. We are always asked to recite prayers and novenas for their immediate release and entrance to Heaven.
There comes my contradicting point. If they are to enter heaven someday, then why consider them as suffering?
In the Neo Catechumenal Way, I learned that Death is not to be feared in anyway. Why? Because Jesus Christ died and Rose again for us. He conquered death through his dying, and He brought us life through His Resurrection.
And that is enough!
I have a chat today with a seminarian friend, Bro. Victor Angelo Parlan of the Diocese of Cubao, and my sentiments were same as his. Here is the unabridged string of our chat:
We usually see or hear the term Poor (or Suffering) Souls in Purgatory. I grew up to this understanding that the souls in Purgatory are really suffering because of its flames, and because of its dreadful ambiance. We are always asked to recite prayers and novenas for their immediate release and entrance to Heaven.
There comes my contradicting point. If they are to enter heaven someday, then why consider them as suffering?
In the Neo Catechumenal Way, I learned that Death is not to be feared in anyway. Why? Because Jesus Christ died and Rose again for us. He conquered death through his dying, and He brought us life through His Resurrection.
And that is enough!
I have a chat today with a seminarian friend, Bro. Victor Angelo Parlan of the Diocese of Cubao, and my sentiments were same as his. Here is the unabridged string of our chat:
===
Me: kapatid!
...For if with Him we die, With him we Live... With him we sing ALLELUIA!!!
(He Rose from Death, Kiko Arguello)
And so, I celebrate this day in this outlook. Though some continue to see the souls in purgatory as suffering because of their state, nonetheless, the Church still numbers them among its elect. They are still the "silent" saints who lived in holiness in their simple lives. No, they are not suffering since that are to see God sometime soon.
And for them to reach their perfect glory, our prayers are needed. We always continue to pray for our dead for their eternal repose. We should continue to do so since it is the key to their final admittance to Heaven, thus to God's bosom.
At the endpoint, we are still ought to prepare our present lives for the next one. We should always remember that what we do today will be counted tomorrow. We are not to be laxed at this point of our lives. We are to continue to work and strive for Holiness in every moment and every place.
Death is to be prepared but never to be feared of. Like the glorious souls in Purgatory, we always long for God. The difference is, while their time for working is up and now they depend on our prayers, we, in turn, still have our time to work according to God's Will.
It is never too late for us to be Holy! Remember, SAINTS HAVE A PAST, AND SINNERS HAVE A FUTURE... DARE TO BE HOLY!
And so we continue to pray for the glorious souls in purgatory and for all the faithful departed:
And for them to reach their perfect glory, our prayers are needed. We always continue to pray for our dead for their eternal repose. We should continue to do so since it is the key to their final admittance to Heaven, thus to God's bosom.
At the endpoint, we are still ought to prepare our present lives for the next one. We should always remember that what we do today will be counted tomorrow. We are not to be laxed at this point of our lives. We are to continue to work and strive for Holiness in every moment and every place.
Death is to be prepared but never to be feared of. Like the glorious souls in Purgatory, we always long for God. The difference is, while their time for working is up and now they depend on our prayers, we, in turn, still have our time to work according to God's Will.
It is never too late for us to be Holy! Remember, SAINTS HAVE A PAST, AND SINNERS HAVE A FUTURE... DARE TO BE HOLY!
And so we continue to pray for the glorious souls in purgatory and for all the faithful departed:
Eternal Rest you grant unto them, O Lord.
And may perpetual light shine upon them.
May the Souls of all our faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, Rest in Peace.
AMEN.
And may perpetual light shine upon them.
May the Souls of all our faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, Rest in Peace.
AMEN.
BïTZëëlöG_110210 :)
Those "Glorious Souls" are the saints in heaven, they are glorious because they stand in the presence of God.
ReplyDeleteThose "Suffering/Poor Souls" are those being purified in Purgatory-- they are not suffering out of God's wrath, rather out of God's justice. Once their purification is complete, then they too will join the "Glorious Souls" in heaven. In the meantime, we who are living must pray that their pain may be lessened and their sins be forgiven...and one day when they are in heaven, hopefully they too will pray for us. Hence, because they are currently suffering in order to be purified, they are rightly called "Suffering Souls."
Those "Damned Souls," ofcourse are they who are condemned to Hell for rejecting the mercy of God. For having rejected the goodness and mercy of God, they in turn do not receive mercy and thus do not benefit from our prayers. We must not pressume, however, whether a soul is in Hell or not; we can only continue to pray for them. If a soul is indeed in Hell, our prayers will then benefit another soul who is in most need of it.
Purgatory IS punishment....but it is not the same punishment as what exists in Hell
ReplyDeletein Purgatory, the punishment has a purpose and will end once the soul is purified. The souls in Purgatory are those that are not perfected but have been faithful to our Lord....so they are purified in order to erase the tarnish of their sins and failures in life. once pure and perfect those souls will enter heaven.
in Hell, the punishment is never ending and those trapped in Hell will never leave. Hell is reserved for the souls who rejected God's love and mercy and remained obstinate against God their whole life.
We are all poor souls and unless one is a saint, we will all suffer in some way in Purgatory to be purified. You can think of "Poor" as the poverty of grace. As St Paul tells us, we all fall short of the grace of God. Not one of us is made perfect, therefore, we all must be purified and made perfect into the likeness of Christ.
Whoever you may be, thanks for shedding the real light on the matter. In any way, I don't like to contradict everything that the Church teaches in its long tradition. I accept it as all-truth.
ReplyDeleteOne may consider this as a personal opinion on the matter. And once and for all, I continue to stick on my views.