The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-11-08
CAN WE HELP THE DEAD2
Teaching of the Church on Prayers
for the Holy Souls.


brothers and sisters, the souls in Pur-
gatory, and bids us offer prayers and
Masses for their release from the
fiery prison. The teaching of the
Church on the state of the holy souls
is admirably set forth by Right Rev.
erend Bishop Hanna in his article,
"Purgatory," in the Catholic Encyclo-
pedia, from which we Gull the follow
ing:
Scripture and the Fathers com
mand prayers and oblations for the
departed, and the Council of Trent
(Sess. XIV, De PurgatorioO in vir,
tue of this tradition not only asserts
the existence of Purgatory, but adds
that the souls therein detained are
aided by the suffrages of the faithful
and principally by the acceptable sac.
rifice of the altar. That those on
earth are still in communion with the
souls in Purgatory is the earliest
Christian teaching, and that the liV'
ing aid the dead by their prayers and
works of satisfaction is clear from
the tradition above alleged. That
the Holy Sacrifice was offered for the
departed was received Catholic Tradl-
ton even in the days of Tertullian
and Cyprian, and that the souls OF the
dead were aided particularly while
the sacred victim lay upon the altar
is the expression of Cyril OF Jeru-
salem I'd. about 3S6 A. d.. st. Au,
gustine, who died in the year OF Our
Lord 43O, says that "the prayers and
aims of the faithful, the Holy Sacrifice
of the altar aid the faithful departed
and move the Lord to deal with them
in mercy and kindness, and he adds,
this is the practice of the universal
Church handed down by the Fathers.
Suffering Temporary.
THE very reasons assigned for the
existence of Purgatory make for its
passing character. We pray, we offer
sacrifice for souls therein detained
that God in mercy may forgive every
fault and receive them into the bosom
of Abraham, in the City of God, says
the Apostolic Constitutions; and Au
gustine declares that the punishment
of Purgatory is temporary and will
cease, at least with the Last Judg
ment. But temporary punishments
are suffered by some in this life only
by others after death, by others both
now and then; but all of them before
that last and strictest judgment
1T is clear from the Liturgies anC
the Fathers above cited that the souls
for whose peace sacrifice was offered
were shut out for the time being
from the sight of God They were
not so good as to be entitled tC
eternal happiness Still, for them
death is the termination, not OF ma
ture, but of SIM according to the
words of St. Ambrose; and this inabil
ity to sin makes them secure of fina
happiness. This is the Catholic posi-
ton proclaimed by Leo x in the Bull
'Exurge Domino which condemned
the errors of Luther.
Do the Souls Fear?
"Are the souls detained in Purga
tory conscious that their happiness il
but deferred for a time, or may the!
still be in doubt concerning their ulti
mate salvation? The ancient Litur
gies and the inscripti ons of the cata
combs speak of a sleep of peace,
which would be impossible if there
was any doubt of ultimate salvation
Some of the Doctors of the Middle
Ages thought uncertainty of salvation
one of the severe punishments o
Purgatory; but this opinion finds NJ
general credit among the theologiani
of the medieval period, nor is it pos
sible in the light of the belief in thu
particular judgment. ST. Bonaventur'
gives as the reason for this elimina
ton of fear and of uncertainty the in
innate conviction that they can NJ
longer sin: Fear is cast out because
of the strengthening of the will b.
which the soul knows it can no longe
SIM; and St. Thomas says: Unless
they knew that they are to be deliv
cred, they would not ask for pray
ers.'
Our Sweet Duty to the Dead.
ct is the traditional faith of Cath
olics that the souls in Purgatory ar
not separated from the Church, an
that the love which is the bond Q
union between the Church's member
should embrace those who have de
parted this life in Gods grace. Hence
since our prayers and our sacrifice
can help those who are still waitin
in Purgatory, the saints have no
hesitated to warn us that we have
real duty toward those who are sti
in purgatorial expiration. Holy Churc
through the Congregation of Indu
gences, December IS, 1885, has b.
slowed a special blessing on the 81
called heroic act in virtue Of whic
a member of the Church militant o
fers to God for the souls in Purg;
tory all the satisfactory works whic
he will perform during his lifetim
and also all the SURFACES which ma
accrue to him after his death (Hero1
Act, Vol. VII, 1922. The practice
devotion to the dead is also conso
ing to humanity and eminently worth
of a religion which seconds all tn
purest feelings of the human hear
Sweet says Cardinal Wiseman, !
the consolation of the dying mai
who, conscious of imperfection, b
lieves that there are others to max
intercession for him when his ow