Sometimes people remark that their priests never preach about the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.
Today during his Angelus address, a reflection on November and the Christian meaning of death, the Holy Father stated in very certain terms that someone who dies in the state of mortal sin excludes himself from heaven. Italian with my translation:
"Chi muore in stato di peccato mortale senza pentimento, chiuso nella orgoliosa rifuita dell’amore di Dio, si autoesclude dal regno della vita. … One who dies in the state of mortal sin without penitence, closed up within the proud refusal of the love of God, excludes himself from the kingdom of life."
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Although I agree that the Four Last Things are almost never preached, I think it is more important that Purgatory is almost never preached.
Hell manifests God’s Justice; Heaven, God’s Mercy. Purgatory includes both, and thus concerns the virtue of Hope.
Purgatory is a switchboard where most of Catholic doctrine meets, including the doctrine of the Eucharist.
Bravo Papa…bravo.
Purgatory? Everyone who dies and is not is serious sin goes to heaven.Doubt it? Then attend most catholic funerals and you will witness a canonization.Its remarkable.The NO funeral rite lends itself to this folly although properly done it does not.Bishop Blair of Toledo wrote a good column in his paper about these canonizations (which he calls them) and the term “memorial service” and “memorial mass”.Even orthodox priests have been caught up in the tide-influenced no doubt by the color of their vestments.I attended a funeral mass for a classmate who had left the priesthood.The bishop attended and allowed the priestt (technically on a leave of absence ) to be buried from the church of which he was pastor.The homily was given by the head od a religious order who had been close to him.He spoke of him in heaven and never once mentioned that prayers should be said for him.At the final commendation the bishop gave his own remarks and he contradicted the homilist.He said we DONT know if he is in heaven and that he DOES need our prayers very much.I felt very proud of mybishop at that moment.Funerals today are “celebrations of one’s life” and so we get all this junk.Resurrection mania.Peopel are putting in their wills money for masses fearing that while eveyone is hooping it up with alleluias at their funerals they will be suffering in purgatory.Bishop Blair’s article is on purgatory.
My wife and I are preparing our wills, and we are including bequests for 30 Masses to be offered for our souls. I am also going to be careful in making known that I want a real Catholic funeral Mass, not a pseudo-canonisation.
Thanks Fr Franklyn,
I told my wife that I hoped and prayed that my children would pray for me always after I go. I remember last year in an
RCIA class I was chastised for mentioning that holy souls in purgatory want, need and desire our prayers, so they can
be released and join the triumphant in heaven. They could not gain merit for themselves and needed our prayers. Some beg
for our prayers. I was told I was wrong and they were not suffering and merely waiting. I will keep on praying for them
and I know they will help me when my hour comes.
Dòminus vobìscum
I still have a rosary from my mother that has not five but six decades. The sixth decade was customarily recited for the poor souls in purgatory.
Purgatory? Everyone who dies and is not is serious sin goes to heaven.Doubt it? Then attend most catholic funerals and you will witness a canonization.Its remarkable.The NO funeral rite lends itself to this folly although properly done it does not.Bishop Blair of Toledo wrote a good column in his paper about these canonizations (which he calls them) and the term “memorial service†and “memorial massâ€Â.Even orthodox priests have been caught up in the tide-influenced no doubt by the color of their vestments.I attended a funeral mass for a classmate who had left the priesthood.The bishop attended and allowed the priestt (technically on a leave of absence ) to be buried from the church of which he was pastor.The homily was given by the head od a religious order who had been close to him.He spoke of him in heaven and never once mentioned that prayers should be said for him.At the final commendation the bishop gave his own remarks and he contradicted the homilist.He said we DONT know if he is in heaven and that he DOES need our prayers very much.I felt very proud of mybishop at that moment.Funerals today are “celebrations of one’s life†and so we get all this junk.Resurrection mania.Peopel are putting in their wills money for masses fearing that while eveyone is hooping it up with alleluias at their funerals they will be suffering in purgatory.Bishop Blair’s article is on purgatory.
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Everyone know that the only people who don’t go straight to heaven are those who want Latin liturgy.