Today's gospel sees Jesus raise the dead son of the widow of Nain. Resurrection is the leitmotif of Jesus' ministry and finally the process by which He overturns the effects of death. We tend to remember the three individuals He raises - the widow's son, Jairus' daughter and of course Lazarus - but we forget the uncounted number of people who rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, according to St Matthew's account (Matt 27: 51-53). These were public signs of the deeds Jesus had wrought. They must have terrified and thrilled the people of Jerusalem at the same time. These incidents would have been redolent of the works of the prophets Elijah and Elisha and, more particularly, of the power of God to overturn the usually grubby business of the earth.
Yet, the resurrection of the dead lies ahead of us now. What remains in the meanwhile are the realities of the Church triumphant in heaven (yesterday's feast) and the Church suffering in purgatory (today's feast). Seeing the crowds, as yesterday's gospel told us, Jesus went up the hill.
(Photo of the "the hill" where Jesus preached by Susanne, COLW Group 1)
The beatitudes that He announced from this hill would require a lifetime's inner work to understand fully. St Thomas associates them individually with the work of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us. It is a timely reminder that the blessings of union with God are His gift and His work in our hearts through grace.
But this truth is also a reminder of a reality stated plainly by the great French novelist Georges Bernanos: the Church is the Church of the saints. He might have said: the Church is the Church of the beatitudes. In other words, the measure of the Church is not seen in the human appearance of her power or internal politics, but in the inner strength of the holiness of her members who are transformed by grace. Happy are those who ...The Church triumphant in heaven comprises souls who have offered themselves up to be conquered by the Saviour whose likeness is most especially found in those who are abused, persecuted and calumniated on His account.
The last of the beatitudes contains quite an admonition. Fear popularity. Be grateful - albeit with human distaste - if you are thought a failure. Perhaps it is God's blessing. You can't begin to serve God until you've lost your reputation, said St Teresa of Avila.
Lo, all things flee thee, for thou fliest me,
writes Francis Thompson in his masterpiece poem The Hound of Heaven. We should recognize in this beatitude, as in all the beatitudes, God's longing for us to share His likeness, His goodness, His love.
***
So, let us pray for the Holy Souls this month, among whom may be many of our acquaintances, and let us pray especially for the forgotten ones. They can do nothing for themselves, though they can intercede for us and many saints have asked their prayers.
And let us continue to pray for the intercession of all the saints that we may be received by them, like Lazarus the poor man, into everlasting dwellings.
November is one of my favourite months. I love the thought of being able to pray for the Holy Souls and with the Saints. This year I am working with an American initiative where each day you pray with a named Holy Soul and Saint and gain either a plenary or partial indulgence for the named soul. Every Soul we pray for in purgatory will pray for us and our loved ones
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea trying to empty purgatory. If you attend Mass anyway it is not too much effort to gain a plenary indulgence but even a partial would be appreciated by your named or unknown Soul
Think how grateful a Soul with no one to pray for them will be if you pray for them. My challenge after November will be to remember to keep it up each day. But it is a real incentive, if 1st Saturdays weren't enough, to continue with with regular monthly confession .
In our last Fiat Rosary meeting we spoke about St. Gertrude the Great and I thought it would be nice to add her prayer on the comment section. St Gertrude is often invoked for prayers for the poor souls in purgatory. She had a deep empathy for those souls in purgatory and would ask God at each mass to have mercy on them.
ReplyDeleteGod would reply to St. Gertrude that He would use whatever was offered to Him for the faithful departed, according to His inclination to show pardon & mercy.
Jesus revealed to her His infinite love, and asked her to spread it, with love, for the suffering and for sinners.
The Prayer of St. Gertrude
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family.
Amen.