HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF ALL SOULS
Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi
Whenever we talk about the Holy Mother Church, we do not only talk about those living on earth and practising their faith. There are three groups that make up the Christian Church: the Church Militant, the Church Triumphant, and the Church Penitent. The first consist of Christians on earth who struggle as soldiers of Christ against sin and the devil. The second consists of those who have the beatific vision and are now in heaven. The third (which is our interest for the purpose of today’s solemnity) which can be variously called the ‘Church suffering’ or the ‘Church expectant’ consists of those who are in purgatory undergoing purification. They are there to satisfy whatever portion of the temporal punishment due for their sins that was not satisfied before death. They are in the process of purging their imperfections before their eternal beatific vision. The truth is that they all are destined for heaven; that is, to join the Church triumphant. It is the members of this third group that we remember today. So, All Souls day commemorates the Holy Souls of Christians who have died but are yet to enter heaven. It is a day we remember the souls of all our brothers and sisters who were with us not quite long time ago and now are no longer with us in this our human struggle. We pray that they rest in peace. Only in God can we really say that souls have rested in peace. Where they are now, they are still restless; restless because of their constant desire to see God face to face.
Hope does not disappoint. With these words, the second Reading (Rom. 5:5-11) encourages us and at same time reminds us that Christ has paid the full price of our redemption through his blood. Hence, inasmuch as these brethren of ours died with Christ in their baptism, believed in Him and lived according to his precepts, we are sure that they will be saved. The Christian hope can never be illusive because it is founded on God. When our hope is in God, it cannot turn to dust and ashes. Our hope can never disappoint us because God has given us the final proof of his love. Through Jesus, our status with God got changed. This status that changed is our justification. But not only did our status change; our state also got changed. This state that changed is our sanctification. Justification ensures that we are no longer slaves to sin. Our faith in our Lord Jesus has liberated us from the chains of the evil one. But we need to work on this justification, but to do this, we still need Jesus. The process of his intervention to ensure the maintenance of our justification is sanctification. Was it not Jesus himself who tells us in the Gospel of today (John 6:37-40) that he will never turn away anyone who comes to him? The will of God is that none of us should be lost, but be saved. If we believe in Jesus and do his will, we shall have eternal life.
Sanctification is a process which starts on earth but does not stop until we behold the beatific vision. Hence, it is Jesus who continues to ensure that our brethren in purgatory are sanctified more and more and more until they are fully sanctified and perfected for heaven. Indeed, the existence of Purgatory is a great manifestation of God’s love for humans. He does not want us to be damned. He desires our salvation. The belief in the concept of purgatory is traceable to the third Century, but the Church did not give it the status of official teaching until the Second Council of Lyons in the 13th century in 1274. This Council had the desire to restore unity between the Western and the Eastern Churches; part of the discussions attempted to reconcile the beliefs of the two Churches concerning the status of the dead, especially the lot of repentant sinners. This effort continued at the Council of Flourence (1438-1439); and again the subject of a post-death process of purification for sinners came up in the discussions. Even though the effort to reunify the Churches failed, the Council defined Purgatory as an official teaching of the Catholic Church. It was furthered defined at the Council of Trent (1563).
To get the Church’s teaching on purgatory, it is clearly summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joys of heaven (CCC, 1030). The Church gives the name purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. Simply put, the doctrine of Purgatory has three components:
1) That purification after death exists
2) That it involves some kind of pain
3) That the purification of the dead can be assisted by the prayers and offering of the living
It is true that no one can say that there is a commandment in the Bible which states that we must pray for the faithful departed. We must also know that there is none which tells us never to pray for them. However, the Bible tells us about the practice of people who prayed for their dead. In 2 Mac 12:38-42, we are told of the story of Judas who made a collection of money and sent it to Jerusalem to offer as expiatory sacrifice for the souls of the soldiers who died during the battle against Gorgias; and afterwards in 2 Mac. 12:43, we are told that this act of Judas is a noble and excellent one. In Sirach 7:33, we are admonished to be generous with the living and not to withhold our kindness from the dead. Therefore, my dear friends, we shall not forget to pray for your dear ones who have gone before us to answer the call of faith; Jesus does not want to loose any one. May their souls rest in peace. Amen. God bless you.
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