HOMILY FOR THE COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED
Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi
The Church is (as we well know) comprised of three groups: the Church Militant, the Church Triumphant, and the Church Penitent. The first group consists of Christians on earth who struggle on as soldiers of Christ against sin and the devil. The second group consists of those who enjoy beatific vision and who are now in Heaven. The third group (the group on which today’s Solemnity focuses, and which can be called both the ‘Church suffering’ and the ‘Church expectant’) consists of those who are in Purgatory and undergoing purification before their admission to Heaven. They are being purified in order to satisfy whatever portion of the temporal punishment due for their sins was not satisfied before their physical death. They are in the process of being purged of their imperfections before taking their place in the Church Triumphant in eternal beatific vision. It is the members of this specific group that we remember today.
All Souls’ Day commemorates the Holy Souls of Christians who have died in the peace of Christ. It is a day on which we remember the souls of all our brothers and sisters who were with us not so long ago and who are now no longer with us in the struggles of this world. We pray that they may rest in peace. Only in God can we really say that souls are resting in peace. The souls in Purgatory remain restless; yes, restless, due to their constant desire to see God face to face.
Hope does not disappoint. With these words, the 2nd Reading (Rom. 5:5-11) simultaneously encourages and reminds us that Christ has paid the full price of our redemption through His Blood. Hence, inasmuch as these departed brethren died with Christ in Baptism, believed in Him and lived according to His precepts, we are confident that they are saved. The Christian hope can never be illusory because it is founded on God! When our hope is placed in God, that hope cannot turn to dust and ashes. That hope can never disappoint us because God has given us the final proof of His love. Through Jesus, our status with God has been changed. This status that has been changed is our justification. But not only has our status changed; our state has also changed. This state that changed is our sanctification. Justification ensures that we are no longer slaves to sin. Our faith in the Lord Jesus has liberated us from the chains of the evil one. But we need to work on this justification, and to do this, we need Jesus. The process of His intervention to ensure the maintenance of our justification is sanctification.
Is it not Jesus Himself who tells us in today’s Gospel acclamation (John 6:39) that He will never turn away anyone who comes to him? The will of God is that none of us should be lost but, rather, be saved. If we believe in Jesus and do His will, we shall be granted eternal life. Sanctification is a process which starts on earth, but which does not stop until we attain to beatific vision. Hence it is Jesus Who continues to ensure that our brethren in Purgatory are being cleansed and sanctified until they are perfectly sanctified and admitted to Heaven. Indeed, the existence of Purgatory is a great manifestation of God’s love for humanity. He does not want any of us to be lost to Him for ever. He desires our salvation.
The belief in the concept of Purgatory is traceable to the third century A.D., but the Church did not give it the status of official teaching until the Second Council of Lyons in 1274. The primary aim of the Council was to restore unity between the Western and Eastern Churches. Part of the discussions attempted to reconcile the beliefs of the two Churches concerning the status of the dead, and especially that of those who had died repentant sinners. The subject of a post-death process of purification for sinners came up for discussion again at the Council of Florence (1438-1439). Even though the efforts to reunify the Churches failed, this Council defined Purgatory as an official teaching of the Catholic Church. It was further defined at the Council of Trent in 1563.
To discover the Church’s teaching on Purgatory, it is clearly summarised in the Catechism of the Catholic Church §1030: all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but [are] 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. 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: that purification after death exists, that it involves an experience of pain, and that the purification of the dead can be assisted by the prayers and the offerings of the living.
We can therefore say that it is noble to pray for the faithful departed. We are encouraged to pray for them, especially when we remember the practice of the people who prayed for their dead in 2 Mac 12:38-42. Here is the story of Judas who collected money and sent it to Jerusalem as an offering and expiatory sacrifice for the souls of the soldiers who died during the battle against Gorgias; and later, in 2 Mac. 12:43, we are told that this act of Judas was a noble and excellent one. Many of us today still offer money in expiatory sacrifice for the souls of our loved ones; this too is a noble act. In Sirach 7:33, we are advised to be generous with the living and cautioned not to withhold our kindness from the dead. Therefore, my dear friends, let us not forget to pray for our dear ones who have gone before us in answer to the call of faith. Jesus does not want to lose anyone. May the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. God bless you.
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