The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-11-11
OUR DUTY TO THE DEAD.

VhAAS uAAOC4 SOAAS LAC p1OCGSS VI
publication the souls in Purgatory
are powerless and can do nothing to
better themselves. The evil legacies
of sin are balanced only by satisfying
the divine justice. Such satisfaction
is made only by meriting. But there
is no meriting, no meritorious action
in the world to come. We merit only
in this life. Hence they can abso-
lutely nothing to better their own con-
dition.
But we can help them. We can do
so, first by prayer; secondly, by good
works of every kind, provided they
are offered up for that purpose;
thirdly, by gaining these indulgences
for them that the Church has per-
mitted by way of suffrage to be ap-
piled to them; and lastly by the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass The latter is
of infinite value, and although no one
can receive it's benefits in their full
according to has capacity and the will
of God.
We should not, therefore, forget the
dead. It is natural for us to extend
to them every assistance in our power.
Instinctively their images come into
the mind and we almost see them
standing before us. Let us pause for
a moment to look at these faces of
the dead Their number is very great.
1t is a multitude which no one can
count. 1t is a vast, countless throngI
Now some of these faces, kind reader,
| am sure you know. There is one in
particular, possibly two or three,
which stand out more distinct and
clear than others. It is now so many
years, long, long years, since you saw
these faces in the agony of DEATH
You need not try, you cannot forget
their last days on earth. They were
sad, dark days to you You remem-
Der the very moment they died, and
their very last words. You remember
when they were lowered into the
grave, and how you were thrilled with
an unspeakable horror of loneliness
and separation. Your heart seemed
crushed under a great heavy load
which was to press upon it forever.
That was a long time ago, and |
know, that you have changed since
then. You have grown older, and
formed new attachments, and as the
years advanced you have become
different from what you were. The
anchor of love is death. Dead hearts
do not forsake us. Now look at your
own heart. Has it changed towards
them? Have you sometimes forgotten
them, and let long periods of time
run by without a single thought of
them entering your mind? They ask
you why you have forsaken them.
They recall the long years spent to
gether and the sweet, pure love that
ebbed and flowed between you; and
different now? You have no answer to
make; you are silent! A great gull
seems to be between us and the dead
"a gulf that seems to widen and
deepen as the years pass by. Have
the dead wandered from us? No; il
is we who have wandered from them
This is a sad reflection and arouses in
us sense of shame, a feeling of in.
constancy, and therefore, of dishonor
Can it be that we have betrayed the
dead? The test of our loyalty to them
is the prayers we offer up in their be.
half. While they are in Purgatory
they cannot help themselves, but they
may be aided by our intercession, our
good works, the holy Sacrifice.
We do not know how long they
suffer or how great their sufferings
are but we are confident that they
are very long and very great. The
time may be little while, or it may
be long, long years, even ages. The
time must naturally seem very long
These souls are anxiously awaiting
the end of their sorrow; and it is
within our power to assist them. They
see Heaven before them, and they
long to enter into its blessedness
They see God before them, and it is
anguish unspeakable to be separated
from Him. If you we're out in Q
storm-tossed sea, and your boat
crippled, and the angry wave
threatening every moment to engul1
you; il this went on for many weeks
till finally provisions failed, and the
gaunt form of famine came walking
like a demon on the face of the deep;
and then in your distress you saw 9
little speck away off on the horizon
every eye is turned toward it II
breathless hope; it grows larger and
now it stands up like large pillar
against the deep blue sky, and amor
the sunlight clothes it in living white
and then you see is is sail sweeping
toward you before the gale like ar
angel from Heaven; would you not
then rejoice? You would weep fol
very joy. Well. the souls in Purgator,
are looking out for that sail. thai
angel, that messenger from God, sen
to bring, them out of sorrow into ever
lasting happiness and eternal life. w
can hasten that angels coming; w