The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-11-02
REMEMBER THE DEPARTED.

The people are requested by the
Church to remember during this month
of November the souls of the faithful
departed. This season of the year is
set aside for the special purpose of
assisting the souls who are undergoing
that mysterious purifying process of
the world to come.
We are safe in asserting, says the
Huntington Catholic Monthly, that
the Church makes no requisition on
our charity more willingly or joyously
answered than that which is made in
behalf of the noble dead. All Souls
day has deep significance for the
Catholic 1t is reminder of old
familiar faces, of dear friends and
relatives, of former scenes possibly
happy, possibly heart-rending, of prom
Uses made by the open grave and of
resolutions formed in times of saddest
bereavement. 1t undoubtedly recalls
faces once dear, but now almost faded
from memory, and friendships that
bound souls together in closest union
recalls these with the urgent re-
quest that new relations, conditions
and environments should not cool the
love that was once warm Or diminish
the loyalty that was once felt for those
who were near and dear to us in the
past. This call will surely find a
response in the heart of everyone who
believes in the two great consoling doc
trines of Catholic faith, namely, the
existence of a purifying state in the
world to come and the efficacy of
prayer for those who are there de-
tanned.
oR +1o IN
of the existence of a Purgatory is rea-
sonable and full of hope. Nothing de-
filed, says the Scripture, can enter
Heaven, and since this is true, it neces-
sarily follows that, unless there be a
place of purgation, the soul stained by
the least guilt of sin, unatoned for at
the moment of death, must be ex-
cluded forever from the presence of
God. Our faith is more reasonable
than that 1t holds out a more en-
couraging prospect for the millions
who are not spotless and are not SO
wicked as to incur the eternal enmity
of a loving Father In other words,
we are taught that there is a state of
purgation in which the soul not alb
solutely pure, either on account of
venial sins or of the temporal punish
ment due to mortal sins after the
eternal guilt has been forgiven, is
made fit to enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven
We do not know what that purify
ing process is. We do not know how
long it will be, nor the nature of the
means which God makes use of to &C
compish the end in view. Whatever
it is, we may be. sure that it will
reflect the glory and love and justice
of Heaven.
1t is certain that all guilt due to sin
will have to be atoned for, either in
this world or hereafter. And since the
guilt of sin is enormous, and since
careful observation will convince any
one that people do little or nothing
here to diminish it, it necessarily fol
lows that the process of perfecting in
Purgatory will be long and severe.
The very thought of having it with
in our power to assist the souls de
tanned there should be strong in
centive to urge us on. We may have
relatives and friends in Purgatory
anxiously awaiting our kind interces
sion. We may be required to do sc
from the fullness of our charity. or Il
may be a real debt we owe them. Il
is hardly necessary to bring up con
siderations to induce people to pray
for relatives, for every sense O
kindred and relationship will Ger
tainly impel them to this act of kind
ness, but we may be in duty bound tt
assist by our prayers friends, com
panions and associates long since de
parted They may have helped us il
times of need, may have directed us
by good advice at least, they Away:
wished us we'll For these kindnesses
a debt is due which we should never
forget True charity will even &C
farther than this; it will leap beyond
the bounds of kinship of friendship