The Catholic bulletin., 1915-11-06
THE HOLY SOULS.

find the following story told to
Blessed Bertrand, the best known of
the Saints companions. Almost
every day he celebrated Mass for the
conversion of sinners, after whose
salvation he sighed with the ardor
that became a true son of st. Dominic.
One of the brethren, Brother Bene-
dict by name, questioned him in the
intimacy of private friendship, why
he did not more often offer Mass for
the souls in Purgatory. Because"
he replied, "'the faithful departed are
certain of eternal life, whilst the liv-
ing are tossed about in continual
danger of perishing.' But" con-
tinued Benedict, 'supposing there
were two beggars, one of whom had
lost the use of all his members,
whilst the other was in full posses
sion of them, which of the two would
you prefer to help?' 'The one of
them who was least able to help him.
SELF" replied Bertrand. "Well, then,"
said Benedict, that is the case of
the departed. They have neither
mouth with which to confess, nor
hands to work, nor feet to go on
pilgrimage; and they depend on us
alone to assist them. Whereas sim
ners, so long as they live, have al
ways the means of helping them
selves" Bertrand, however, did not
yield at once to the force of his
friends argument. But the night fol-
lowing there appeared to him the
figure of departed soul, in intense
suffering, who seemed to implore his
aid most urgently, waking him more
than ten times the same night. When
morning dawned he called Benedict
to him and told him what had passed;
thence religiously and with many
tears going to the altar, he offered
the Holy Sacrifice for the departed,
and from that time forward did so
very frequently.
1t might be we'll for all of us if
the Holy Souls were allowed at times
to assert their claims in some such
effective manner; and very particu-
larly in the case of those who are not
divided in their allegiance between
the living and the dead, but who
neglect alike those still upon the
perilous highways of life and those
happier souls who have passed indeed
into the illimitable spaces, but not
yet into the ineffable light of heaven
ly glory. 1t is so easy to forget, even
though it be so ungracious and un-
grateful. 1t is so easy to glorify
prematurely those who have gone
before us, to persuade ourselves that
they do not need our prayers, that
they can have nothing to expiate, be-
cause they have left to us nothing
but the memory of their love and
Their goodness. 1t is so easy to over
look the universal law of human
frailty and the austere lustre of
purity rightly exacted by God in
those who are to share the Bridal
Banquet of the Lamb! Our neglect
springs, indeed, from far lower
sources than our high appreciation of
the dead. 1t owes its origin either to
that sloth, that heavy sense of spir-
itual torpor, which is such an enemy
to every form of prayer and spiritual
effort, or it arises from a perhaps un-
conscious dullness of faith. We do
not see with sufficient clearness that
vast prison-house where our departed
may well be languislling until we
reach out the helping hand that will
strike off the fetters and release the
spirit painting for its upward flight to
God.
| Yet theology is clear upon the
point Nothing defiled can enter
Heaven; and few can hope to
traverse this Valley of Trial and
Tears which we call life, without
contracting at least some lesser
stains. Few are such careful stewards
of good accounts that the Recording
Angel will have no entries against
them in the heavenly ledger, no un-
paid debts, or uncleared balances,
which must be paid off before the
celestial portals swing open to admit
the child of God to the Great Pres
ence. 1t is absurd to believe that all
Christians at death are either so per-
feet as to merit immediate glory, or
else so wicked that they must
| languish in penal fires for eternity.
Even heresy cannot steadily maintain
such a proposition. Catholic teach
ing, which is at once in harmony with
reason, Scripture, and the Fathers
is briefly this: There is Purgatory
where those souls are detained who
died indebted to Gods justice through
venial sin or on account of the tenn
poral punishment often attaching to
mortal sin when the guilt itself is
forgiven. Thus, Purgatory does not
consist, as Luther absurdly taught, in
the mere fear of the dying person
which prevents his entrance into
Heaven, but in expiatory sufferings
by which souls atone for their sins
The salvation of such souls is, in.
deed, secure, but they can no longer
merit, though they can and do pine
for deliverance. They are assisted
and their sufferings alleviated and
shortened by the prayers, satisfac-
tions, aims, indulgences of the living
and very particularly by the accept
able sacrifice of the Mass. When the
debt is expiated by their own suffer.
ings or atoned for by the suffrages
of others, they are Immediately ad
mitted to the Vision of God. They
suffer not only temporary privation
lof the Beatific Vision. but also sen.