a second, perfect chance to give oneself Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

   

Marian Chapel in Rosary Cathedral, Toledo OH. In it we have the Church Triumphant (the saints in the mural and the relics in the altar), the Church Militant (me, taking the picture), and perhaps (if you get creative with symbolism) even the Church Penitent. Are not votive candles, being constantly consumed by flame, constantly vigil at the Tabernacle of Christ, offering our intentions to God? Does that sound like the mission of a soul in purgatory?

    Let's not forget the Church Penitent.

    Our one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church has been eternally blessed to be one with the Body of Christ. In the Body of Christ, we find the Church Militant (those of us "running the race and keeping the faith" here on Earth, currently fighting for Christ), and the Church Triumphant (those of us who have already "run the race and kept the faith," whom we often call the Saints). However, we often forget the third member of the Body of Christ: The Church Penitent.

    The Church Penitent, sometimes also called the Church Suffering or the Church Expectant, comprises of all the souls who have "run the race and kept the faith," but during the game had often wandered into bushes and are still covered with hitchhiker seeds (you know, those annoying seeds that stick to your socks after you walk through some weeds).

    These are the souls in purgatory. These are the souls that went through life and, like all of us but Mary, sinned often and sinned much. These souls, like all the Church Triumphant, have only been saved from sin by the Divine and Eternal mercy of God. This is their boast! However, unlike some of those in the Church Triumphant who were able to enter Heaven immediately after death, the souls in purgatory still find themselves attached to the sins of Earth, and though they have trusted in the mercy of God and will enter heaven, first they must go through a time of purgation and detachment from the sin they never let go of on Earth.

    What joyful torture do the souls in purgatory undergo! To enter heaven and experience completely the God who is pure love is the object of all their desires. Gazing upon the treasure of Jesus Christ, they hope completely in Him, for they know for certain that they will soon enter into everlasting worship of Him who is their life and their salvation. But how painful is it to be shown clearly the fulfillment of all desire, while also realizing the depravity of one’s own soul. A sacrifice to God cannot have stain or wrinkle, spot or blemish. And so, a soul in purgatory rushes to go through any purification necessary to offer a complete sacrifice of itself to God. The souls in purgatory are filled with joy that they may soon give their greatest glory to God, and so they undergo any torture that perfects them for perfect worship of the Lord. They tell the Lord:

    "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth your praise. For you take no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heat, O God, you will not despise." -Psalm 51:15-17

    We who are still here on Earth see as though "in a mirror, darkly" (see 1 Corinthians 13:12), for it is hard for us to see God face to face. St. Thomas Aquinas describes how we are called to pray through faith that is not our own, but only a grace from God, as he explains in adoration of the Eucharistically veiled body of our Lord:

    "Præstet fides supplementum, sensuum defectui." (Faith for all defects supplying, where the feeble senses fail.) -Pange Lingua

     In other words, though we cannot fully see and understand Christ, we pray to Him for our sakes. In contrast to this, the souls in purgatory can behold Christ clearly, but they now do not pray for themselves. They are like very little children, who though they are fixated completely upon their mother, cannot do anything to ask for her nurturing and protection- they can only trust and receive.

    This past Saturday, the 2nd of November, we celebrated the feast of All Souls, commemorating the Church Penitent. In prayer on that day, God granted me to be awestruck with the childlike love of the souls in purgatory. This complete, trusting love through any suffering is the same love that we should strive for here on Earth. I was shown how powerful it is to have a friendship with the souls in purgatory, for our individual strengths protect our individual weaknesses.

    And so, I would like to share this same treasure with you. The souls in purgatory are being taught such humility that they cannot pray for themselves- it is our prayers that can hasten to grant them the greatest gift one can ever receive! Pray for them often, and grow in love of them, for they are our brothers and sisters who have undergone and now must finish the struggles of sin we know so well. Then, ask them for their prayers! For they have much to teach us from their past experiences on Earth, and have many, many sufferings to offer up for our own sakes- they personally understand how hard our lives can be. The souls in purgatory can show us perfect trust in the love of God, and we can aid the souls in purgatory with the weapons of prayer we have been given for this life.

    Lastly, the souls in purgatory can surely tell us of the gift of love that is Our Lady. She is the mother of the souls in purgatory, for She is the mother of all who wish to suffer and die in the same suffering and death of Her Son, Jesus. How She wishes for us to die with Christ, that we might rise with Him! Pray to Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows and Mother of the Souls in Purgatory, who will be our sweet guide through the suffering of union with Our Lord. May She bring us, and all the souls in purgatory, safely through the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ.

    "To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears... and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!" -Salve Regina