Bishops' Schedules: Bishop William H. Bullock Wednesday, November 3, 2004 7:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, All Saints Parish, Berlin Bishop George O. Wirz Sunday, October 31, 2004 10:30 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, Consecrate New Altar and Ambo, St. John the Baptist Parish, Mill Creek Tuesday, November 2, 2004 10:00 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, All Souls' Day, Resurrection Cemetery Chapel, Madison

Reality of purgatory:
Pondering death in month
of holy souls

		Under the Gospel Book + Bishop Robert C. Morlino

Dear Friends,

The Eucharistic Year has begun and its movement takes us into the month of November, in our tradition considered the month "of the holy souls in purgatory."

It is part of the wonderful WOW! of the Eucharist that we find ourselves united with all believers on earth with all the saints and the angels in heaven and indeed with the souls in purgatory offering prayer and the perfect sacrifice of praise through Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit. And as we remember in a special way and pray for our loved ones who have died, during the month of November, we should never forget that participation in the Mass brings us as close to them as is possible while we still live in this world.

Pondering death

As we observe the month of holy souls, it is natural to ponder the reality of death. In fact I have found myself pondering death more than usual in light of my recent circumstances. But at the same time I must say I have not really been able to ponder death.

I believe that the philosopher Wittgenstein was correct when he observed that death is not a moment in life - no one ever lives to experience death. People experience dying but the end of human life clearly cannot be considered a moment in life's experience. So every time my mind moved to ponder death, a few things quickly came to mind.

"Scripture tells us that it is a good and holy thought to pray for the dead, and therefore some of the dead must need our prayers - they need our prayers precisely to move from the hope of purgatory to heaven, the fulfillment of that hope."

Firstly it says clearly in the Old Testament that God did not make death which St. Paul writing much later calls the wages of sin. God is the author of all life. He did not make death. Death is that gateway completely shrouded in mystery through which we pass to see the face of Christ, the Merciful and Just Judge. And so when my mind moved to ponder death, since death remains utterly outside of human experience and unknown, my mind turned rather to ponder the face of Christ, the Merciful and Just Judge, a fact which I consider the great grace.

If I were to say that I was afraid of death, that would amount to saying that I am afraid of the unknown which is true, but is not terribly helpful. But Fear of the Lord is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and it is natural to experience that gift when one thinks of dying, because all of us will face the Judge who is both merciful and just.

It is that combination of perfect mercy and perfect justice that bring probably most of us to see in the light of Christ that after death we do not have the perfect disposition of love for God with no affection whatsoever for sin which befits those who dwell in heaven. The light of Christ tells us that purgatory will be our temporary "dwelling" in many if not most cases.

Those who have died need our prayers

So it is a bit unrealistic for us to speak of loved ones who have died even at the time of their funeral Mass as dwelling with Christ in heaven - we hope indeed that they do dwell with Him in heaven but my own common sense and awareness of my own failings, weaknesses, and sins tells me that purgatory is more likely. In fact purgatory is a place of hope, above all hope which is certain to reach heaven at some point. The alternative of hell is without hope.

If we presume that our loved ones who have died are in fact with Christ in heaven, this means that they enjoy the fullness of the life of the blessed that comes from permanently seeing Christ face to face. People who have this blessed vision of Christ for all eternity do not need our prayers, indeed there is nothing that they lack for which we could pray. Presuming that everyone who dies goes straight to heaven, means logically not praying for our loved ones who have died, not having the Sacrifice of the Mass offered for the repose of their souls to assist them to move from the hope of purgatory to the fulfillment of that hope in heaven.

Scripture tells us that it is a good and holy thought to pray for the dead, and therefore some of the dead must need our prayers - they need our prayers precisely to move from the hope of purgatory to heaven, the fulfillment of that hope. Presuming that everyone who dies goes directly to heaven is not helpful to the many who die and find themselves in purgatory and need the assistance of our prayers.

Take truth of purgatory seriously

The Vatican has issued a new directory on the life and ministry of Bishops, and it contains a job description which leaves me feeling quite humbled and even guilty in many aspects. But one of the directives in this Vatican document for Bishops is that for the funeral Mass of a Bishop who has died, he is to be vested in purple vestments - the color purple stressing the Bishop's own need for repentance and his own need for the assistance of prayer to move from the hope of purgatory to the fulfillment of heaven.

That this new directory specifies purple vestments signifying penance and the truth of purgatory is more than interesting. Those in purgatory have a hope that certainly will not disappoint that they will share one day in the risen glory of Christ, but the fullness of that glory that comes from seeing Christ face to face for all eternity is "not yet" for them. Certainly the purification of purgatory comes first and those undergoing that purification are profoundly assisted by our prayers, our sacrifices, and by Masses offered.

So during this Eucharistic Year, November is certainly a month to take the truth of purgatory seriously lest we forget to help those who look to us each day to support them in their journey to hasten to the fullness of everlasting glory in heaven.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Thank you for reading this, and God bless each one of you. Praised be Jesus Christ!

Bishop's Letter

Dear Friends:

The month of October has been celebrated as the month of Mary in the Church for centuries; it is also sadly the month we gather and prayerfully refocus our efforts on overcoming the horrible decision made by the Supreme Court in 1973. This decision made legal the destruction of innocent human life.

When the end of one's human life is the issue, that person should experience love and support from all quarters. Their family and loved ones should rally to their aid.

Related articles: Oct. 21, 2004 edition: • Elizabeth House: Bishop authorizes diocesan collection • Editorial: Elizabeth House: Ecumenical effort helps mothers, babies Oct. 14, 2004 edition: • Bishop's column: Respect Life Month: Elizabeth House; making election decisions March 25, 2004 edition: • Editorial: Elizabeth House: Caring for both babies and their mothers Oct. 16, 2003 print edition: • Elizabeth House: Provides help and hope for mothers, newborns in need Feb. 20, 2003 edition: • Open house at new maternity home

It is not uncommon to hear of parents giving vital organs to their children. Siblings, uncles, aunts, and cousins all stand in line to be tissue tested to see if they might provide the life-saving solution. Neighbors and friends also play a part by visiting and bringing food so the family can stay non-stop with the affected individual. Prayers and good wishes abound and are communicated with e-mails, cards, flowers, and balloons. It is our human experience. We count on each other, and we count on God.

Roe v. Wade created another class of human person. This human person does not get the love and support of family, nor do they get the medical miracle available to the women who would ask the doctors, "Please help my baby."

This human person is even classified as a non-human person by society and the civil law. Statements directed toward this certain class of unborn human persons carries with it a death sentence with no review and no appeal.

As Catholics we offer hope to both the mother and the unborn person. We are limited as to what we can do legally but what we do has saved countless lives. We must do more. This is a bedrock principle of our faith and more importantly it proclaims the truth that all human life is precious to God and only He can decide when life is spent.

We share this view with other Christians and in that spirit I write to you today. Our Christian brothers and sisters have asked for our help. I want to give it to them.

You have read about Elizabeth House in the papers, perhaps you've heard about it on radio. It is an effort of the Christian community to provide a "real choice" for women undergoing an unplanned pregnancy.

These women will live at Elizabeth House if they are in need of housing. Prenatal care will be provided as well as parenting classes for those who choose to raise their baby.

They will be provided with training and assistance in finding a job. They will also be given childcare options while they work to support their new family.

For those who choose adoption, Catholic Charities as well as other Christian adoption services will insure that the baby is placed in a loving and nurturing home with parents who will offer all the love that any baby could want. In their new home this "human person" will be allowed to grow, learn, become strong, receive love and most importantly learn to love. In a world of love, no child would be thrown away.

Special envelopes have been provided for your use. These envelopes will be available either in the pew or as an insert in your parish bulletin. Your pastor will forward to me your parish donations so that I can present one check on behalf of all the faithful of our Diocese.

I ask that you be generous with your financial support but also and most especially with your prayers. Jesus Christ, risen from the dead will finally overcome this culture of death and we must count on His divine wisdom for the hour and moment to bring good from this evil.

I pray that Mary, Our Mother and the spiritual mother of all our pre-born children will intercede with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit on behalf of all her children. I pray that each of us have the faith we need, especially in our hour of need, to face natural death with faith and courage.

Mostly I pray for the hearts and souls of those who would support abortion. May God grant them His wisdom, mercy, and love so that they may learn to show mercy and love to all. God bless you for your kindness.

Faithfully yours in Christ,
The Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino
Bishop of Madison