Thomas Griffin 11/2/24
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On November 1st the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints. We commemorate the lives of those who lived completely for Jesus Christ. Their entire being was devoted to loving him more than anything else.
On November 2nd the Catholic Church commemorates all of the faithful departed who have died. This includes those who are in heaven and those who are in purgatory.
The only people we know who are in heaven (beyond a shadow of a doubt) are those who are canonized saints. We know they are in heaven because they have miracles attributed to them after their death. Their proximity to God enables them to act in time. However, most of us have never met a canonized saint in-person.
All Souls Day serves as an opportunity to pray for all of our loved ones who have died, with the intention that we are seeking their intercession if they are in heaven and praying for their sanctification if they are in purgatory.
Purgatory can be a tough word for many Catholics. Jesus never uses the word and it is not found in the Bible. All Souls Day is meant to make the reality of death more in our minds because every single person will one day face death. The question is not whether or not we will die but how exactly we are going to choose to live this one short life that we have.
Heaven is meant for those who are purified to be in the Presence of God for eternity. Preparation for the reception of a love that is greater than we can comprehend is the prerequisite. Just as a man and a omen must prepare for marriage (because of its serious nature), so must one be prepared for heaven or he or she will not be able to experience it properly. We know that “nothing unclean shall enter [heaven]” (Rev. 21:27). Purgatory is nothing to be afraid of because it is preparation for eternal relationship.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as “a state of final purification after death and before entrance into heaven for those who died in God’s friendship, but were only imperfectly purified; a final cleansing of human imperfection before one is able to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC Glossary).
We can find many biblical roots for purgatory even though the specific word is never used. In the second book of Maccabees there are soldiers who are found dead and to be carrying idols to another god. The people pray for their souls, even though they have died. The people “made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin” (2 Maccabees 12:46).
St. Paul also mentions the judgment that will take place after death and how people can still be forgiven after their death: “For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble—each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Corinthian 3:11-15).
Based on the quotes above, the remaining question is: is our life defined by love of God or love of this world? How we answer this question truly determines the preparation of a soul for heaven because Jesus demands everything of his followers. We also know that there are people who decide to reject Jesus in the Gospels and he does not beg them to remain (the young rich man and the crowds from John 6 who don’t like Jesus’ teachings on the Eucharist). Turning our back on the invitation to friendship with God is a real possibility.
Today is a day to truly examine the fact that the nature of our faith is ultimately a life or death choice. That choice is one for radical love and the reward is a relationship that makes us complete. That is why God became man and that is why he performed miracles, suffered, died and rose from the dead. It was all about conveying the endless pursuit of his heart for yours. Accepting that invitation to love makes us alive while rejecting it will bring about loss of life.
As we pray for the deceased may we also pray for the courage and faith to give everything for the love of God. In doing so, we begin our purification now and accept the call of Jesus to give him everything and never look back.
Thomas Griffin is the chairperson of the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island where he lives with his wife and two sons. He has a masters degree in theology and is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empty Tomb Project: The Magazine. He is the author of Let Us Begin: Saint Francis’s Way of Becoming Like Christ and Renewing the World.
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