The Irish standard., 1904-11-26
AIDING The SOUL
81 Know Of No Doctrine More
Consoling to the Heart Than
The Efficacy of Prayers for the
Dead" Says Cardinal Gibbons.

Cardinal Gibbons preached last week
Il most beautiful and consoling sermon
OH the doctrine of Purgatory as held
by the church. In the course of his
remarks the cardinal said:
''The Catholic church teaches that
besides place of eternal torments for
the wicked and Of everlasting rest for
the righteous there exists in the next
life middle state Of temporary pun,
ishment allotted to those who have
died in venial sin or who have not sat.
isfied the justice of God for sins al
ready forgiven. She also teaches that,
although the souls consigned to this
intermediate state commonly called
purgatory, cannot help themselves,
they may be aided by the suffrages of
the faithful on earth. The existence
of purgatory naturally implies the cor
relative dogma-the utility Of praying
for the dead; for the souls consigned
to this middle state have not reached
the term of their journey. They are
exiles from heaven and fit subjects for
divine clemency.
II do not know of any doctrine of
the Catholic religion that is more con-
soling to the human heart than the
article which teaches the efficacy of
prayers for the faithful departed. 1t
robs death of it's sting. 1t assuages the
bitterness of our sorrow. 1t reconciles
us to our loss. 1t keeps us in touch
with the living dead, as a correspon-
dence keeps us in touch with the alb
sent living. 1t preserves their men,
DRY fresh and green in our hearts.
at gives us that keen satisfaction
which springs from the consciousness
that we are helping the loved ones
who have gone before us; that we are
alleviating their pains, shortening the
term of their exile and Fastening their
entrance into Paradise, their true
country.
"It familiarizes us with the exist
ence of life beyond the grave; it in
spires us with the hope of being one
day reunited with those whom we
cherished on earth and of dwelling
with them in that blessed home where
there is no separation or sorrow or
death, but everlasting peace and rest
in tho kingdom of the common Father.
1T is a doctrine plainly contained in
the Old Testament and piously prac-
ticed by the Hebrew people. At the
close Of an engagement which Judas
Maccabccs had with the enemy he Or
dered prayers and sacrifices to be Of
fcred up for his slain comrades. And
making a gathering, he sent 10000
arachms of silver to Jerusalem for
sacrifice to he offered for the sins of
the dead. thinking we'll and religously
concerning the resurrection. For, il
lie had not hoped that they that were
slain should rise again it would have
seemed supcrfuous and vain to pray
fer the dead. 1t is therefore,
!! holy and wholesome thought to pray
for the dead, that they may be looscd
from sins
These words are so forciblc that no
comment Of mine could render them
clearer. This passage proved Il great
stumbling block to the rcformcrs.
Finding that they could not by an
"Sasion weaken the force of the text.
they inpiously threw overheard the
Locks of MnccabecS like Il man who
:'ssASsimtos Il hostile witness. They
pr tended that the two bokos of Mae
cahces were apocrypha! And yet they
lave precisely the same authority as
the Gospel of st. Matthew or any other
portion of the Bible; for the canonicity
of the Holy Scriptures rests solely on
the authority of the Catholic church,
which proclaimed them inspired.
But even admitting for the sake of
argument, that the books of Macca-
bees were not entitled to be ranked
Scripture, no one, at least, has ever de-
MED that they are truthful historic:,
monuments, and as such they serve to
demonstrate that it was Il prevailing
practice among the Hebrew people, as
it is with us, to offer up prayers and
sacrifices for the dead.
when our Savior, the Founder of
the new law, appeared on earth He
came to lop Off those eXcrescences
which had grown Oh the body of the
Jewish ecclesiastical code and to puri
fy the Jewish church from those hu.
man traditions which in the course of
time become like chaff mixed with the
wheat of sound doctrine.
''But did our Lord ut any time re,
prove the Jews for their belief in the
middle state or for praying for the
dead, a practice which, to His knowl
edge, prevailed among the people:
Never. On the contrary, more than
once both He and the apostle of the
Gentiles insinuate the doctrine of pur.
gatory.
"Our Savior says: whatsoever shall
speak word against the son of man
It shall be forgiven him. But he that
shall speak against the Holy Ghost it
shall not be forgiven him, neither in
t1,io urOrld nor tho xx,orld 70 oo,,,o