 |
| “An Angel Frees the Souls of Purgatory” by Lodovico Carracci, 1610 |
Note:
The readings listed below are those suggested by the USCCB. The Lectionary For Mass, #668,
provides numerous other options for the Celebrant/Homilist.
Readings
and Commentary:[3]
Reading
1: Wisdom 3:1-9
The
souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and
no torment shall touch them.
They
seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and
their passing away was thought an affliction
and
their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But
they are in peace.
For
if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet
is their hope full of immortality;
chastised
a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because
God tried them
and
found them worthy of himself.
As
gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and
as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In
the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and
shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they
shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and
the Lord shall be their King forever.
Those
who trust in him shall understand truth,
and
the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because
grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and
his care is with his elect.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary
on Wis 3:1-9
This passage, while frequently used
on the feasts of martyrs can be understood as an early description of the
process of achieving a place in the heavenly kingdom by all those who went
before us in faith. The flow of this description provides a good picture of the
purification of all the faithful that takes place in the transition from life,
through purification in Purgatory (“…chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed”), to new life with the Father.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial
Psalm: Psalm
23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
R. (1) The Lord is my
shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.
Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
The
LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In
verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside
restful waters he leads me;
he
refreshes my soul.
R.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.
Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
He
guides me in right paths
for
his name’s sake.
Even
though I walk in the dark valley
I
fear no evil; for you are at my side
with
your rod and your staff
that
give me courage.
R.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.
Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
You
spread the table before me
in
the sight of my foes;
You
anoint my head with oil;
my
cup overflows.
R.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.
Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Only
goodness and kindness follow me
all
the days of my life;
and
I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for
years to come.
R.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.
Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary
on Ps
23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Psalm 23 is one of the most familiar in the entire psalter. “God's
loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for
the flock (Psalm 23:1-4)
and a host's generosity toward a guest (Psalm 23:5-6). The imagery of
both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Isaiah 40:11; 49:10; Jeremiah 31:10).”[4] While
the theme of Shepherd is mentioned in the first strophe, the psalm really
speaks to the peace given to those who follow the Lord and place their trust in
Him, even into the “dark valley”.
The
reference in the third strophe above “You spread the table before me in the
sight of my foes” “occurs in an exodus context in Psalm 78:19. As my enemies watch: my
enemies see that I am God's friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed ointment made
from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Psalm 104:15; Matthew 26:7; Luke 7:37, 46; John 12:2).”[5]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading
II: Romans
5:5-11
Brothers
and sisters:
Hope
does not disappoint,
because
the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through
the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For
Christ, while we were still helpless,
died
at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed,
only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though
perhaps for a good person
one
might even find courage to die.
But
God proves his love for us
in
that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How
much more then, since we are now justified by his Blood,
will
we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed,
if, while we were enemies,
we
were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how
much more, once reconciled,
will
we be saved by his life.
Not
only that,
but
we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through
whom we have now received reconciliation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary
on Rom
5:5-11
St. Paul speaks of the hope of
Christians who have been made holy, sanctified, “justified” by their faith in Christ Jesus. This faith was “poured out into
our hearts through the Holy Spirit” [in
Baptism]. (This linkage between Christ and the Holy Spirit begins the apostle’s
Trinitarian theology)
Justification was not through some merit of
theirs (ours) but through God’s infinite mercy. The demonstration of this mercy
was Christ’s sacrifice for those who called him “enemy”. While still burdened
by sin (the Law of Moses defined sin and all were sinners because of this),
Jesus became the sacrifice of atonement. His blood reconciled us to the Father
by removing the sin that kept us apart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or
Second Option: Romans
6:3-9
Brothers
and sisters:
Are
you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were
baptized into his death?
We
were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so
that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by
the glory of the Father,
we
too might live in newness of life.
For
if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,
we
shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We
know that our old self was crucified with him,
so
that our sinful body might be done away with,
that
we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For
a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If,
then, we have died with Christ,
we
believe that we shall also live with him.
We
know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death
no longer has power over him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary
on Rom
6:3-9
St. Paul expresses both the hope and the
theology behind our belief in the resurrection of the faithful with Christ. In
Baptism we are receive the adoption of God. As His children we join His Only
Son and pass, as he did through death to new life.
“This
passage of the epistle, which reveals the key truths concerning Baptism, also
reminds us of the profound meaning of this rite which Christ established, its
spiritual effects in Christians and its far-reaching effects with respect to
the Christian life. Thus, we can apply to Baptism what St. Thomas Aquinas says
about all the sacraments: "Three aspects of sanctification may be
considered -- its very cause, which is Christ's Passion; its form, which is
grace and the virtues; and its ultimate end, which is eternal life. And all
these are signified by the sacraments. Consequently, a sacrament is a sign
which is both a reminder of the past, that is, of the Passion of Christ, and an
indication of what is effected in us by Christ's Passion, and a foretelling and
pledge of future glory" ("Summa Theologiae", III, q. 60, a. 3).”[6]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel:
John 6:37-40
Jesus
said to the crowds:
“Everything
that the Father gives me will come to me,
and
I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because
I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but
the will of the one who sent me.
And
this is the will of the one who sent me,
that
I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but
that I should raise it on the last day.
For
this is the will of my Father,
that
everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may
have eternal life,
and
I shall raise him on the last day.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary
on Jn
6:37-40
This Gospel passage is part of the
“Bread of Life” section from St. John’s Gospel. Jesus first clearly identifies
himself as having come from God, his Father and heir to the kingdom of Heaven
with “Everything that the
Father gives me will come to me”. The Lord tells those gathered that no one will be rejected that asks to
follow the Son of God. He goes further telling the crowds, that anyone who
believes in him “may
have eternal life.” For the faithful, this is an invitation to
participate in eternal life.
We note
the humility with which the Lord makes this offer (I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will
of the one who sent me) “St. Augustine, commenting on vv. 37 and 38, praises the humility of
Jesus, the perfect model for the humility of the Christian: Jesus chose not to
do His own will but that of the Father who sent Him: "Humbly am I come, to
teach humility am I come, as the master of humility am I come; he who comes to
Me is incorporated in Me; he who comes to Me,becomes humble; he who cleaves to
Me will be humble, for he does not his will but God's" ("In Ioann.
Evang.", 25, 15 and 16)”[7].
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Today is the day we celebrate
God’s promise of salvation through the forgiveness of sins and recall all those
who have gone before us in faith. We believe that our family members and friends
who professed faith in God and his Son have (or one day will) achieve a place
in the heavenly kingdom. We pray that their passage from this life to the next
will not be too difficult.
The promise is made in the
St. John’s Gospel “…everyone who sees the
Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the
last day.” That promise is amplified
by St. Paul in his letter to the Romans as he defines the opening of that
heavenly gate as our Baptism into Christ’s family. In that baptism we not only
embrace the life of Christ but his death and in dying with him, we will rise
with him.
This is our great hope. But
those who have gone before us need our prayers because we know a few things,
also from scripture. First we know that God’s time is not our time. We also
know that, in order to come before him we must be completely purified. It is
stated in the reading from Wisdom:
“For if
before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and
found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as
sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.” (Wisdom 3:4)
We see in this verse the
process necessary before we come to that heavenly place. This is stated clearly
in our understanding of that passage as defined 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 joy of heaven.” (Catechism
of the Catholic Church # 1030)
Some time back while
reflecting upon this process of purification, I offered this short poem – Imagining
Purgatory.
So today we pray for those
who have gone before us in faith assured of a place of light and peace, but on
a continuing journey to holiness. We pray especially today that their passage
may be swift, and when our time comes, we also may take that road to life with
Christ.
Pax
[2] The
picture is “An Angel Frees the Souls of Purgatory” by Lodovico Carracci, 1610
[3] The
readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] See NAB footnote on Psalm 23
[5] ibid
[6] Letters
of St. Paul , The Navarre Bible, Four Courts Press, 2003 pp. 91
[7] Gospel
and Acts, The Navarre Bible, Four Courts Press, 2008 pp 592
No comments:
Post a Comment