Feast of Christ the King
Fr. Anthony Brankin
Homily: Matt. 25:31-46 As you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me.
Full homily text: All the time, the Protestants, the sects, the so-called “Christians” will challenge us Catholics and will say to us, “You Catholics believe in a place called Purgatory! Well, where is that to be found in the Bible? Where does Jesus say that there is—besides heaven and hell—a place called Purgatory?”
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Well, of course, there is no use of the word “purgatory” in the Bible. We know that Jesus is not quoted in the Bible as telling us that there is a third place where we go when we die called Purgatory. But that makes no difference, because there are many things that we believe as disciples of Christ that either came from the mouth of Jesus—or under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These facts of faith were not written down in the Bible but still we must believe them if we are to be true to Jesus.
More than what’s in the Bible
Well, why were some of the things that we believe not written down in the Bible? Isn’t the Church based on the teachings of the Bible? And is not the Bible a sort of instruction manual for all the things that God wants us to believe? Well, no, the Bible is not a handbook of beliefs. It is not an index of all that we must believe and do to be saved. It is the Word of God, of course, but as St. John says in the Bible—Jesus said and did more than could be contained in John’s book as well as in all the books of the world. So even the Bible admits that we believe more things than are written down in the Bible.
Remember, the Apostles and disciples wrote things down, but concentrated on the life and death and resurrection of Jesus. They did not describe every last conceivable detail. They were not court reporters! There were things that Jesus told them and conclusions they made—under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—that helped them and the early Christians understand all that Christ wanted them to understand.
What that implies is that the Catholic Church existed before the Bible was even written.
Catholic Church predated the Bible
The Catholic Church was present in the world even before Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote one word of their Gospels—even before Saint Paul wrote one letter—either to the Corinthians or the Romans—or to anyone.
So basically we can say that the Catholic Church did not come from the Bible, but that the Bible came from the Catholic Church. We wrote it, we printed it, we spread it around to the world.
As Catholics we have the duty of teaching the Bible to the world—and we must teach the Bible in conjunction with everything we believe. Even if those beliefs are not to be found in the Bible, they still come from God.
And one of those beliefs would be Purgatory.
Paid the last penny
So why do we believe in Purgatory? Because the Apostles believed in it. They made the conclusions from what Jesus told them. Some people go to heaven—and some people go to hell—and some people go to a special place that is only temporary and they are brought to heaven when they have finally paid the last penny—that is—suffered enough for their sins.
That is Purgatory.
Actually Purgatory makes all the sense in the world. Think of it this way: All humans—and not just Catholics—all humans seem to have an urge and instinct to pray for those who have died. We always want to help the dead. We seem driven to pray for the person who has died.
I am not talking about just wanting to pray for the grieving family—or for the wife who has lost her husband or the child who has lost their mother—or praying for the friend who has lost his buddy. We want to pray for the person who has died.
Altars of grief
Did you ever see the little roadside shrines—flowers and crosses and mementoes all placed around the very spot where someone was killed—maybe in an accident or even in a murder? Those little shrines are heartbreaking because they are little altars of grief. We seem to feel that these little sanctuaries by the roads are the one last thing we can do for those we love. We do this all the time. We are trying to help those who have died. We are trying to do something for them.
Even at a wake—even if the people are Protestant—the mourners are quietly praying for the person who has died. But why? Now here is where Purgatory comes in. If the souls of the dead are in heaven—there is no need to pray for them.
If they are in hell—it is useless to pray for them.
Our prayers help them
But if our instincts are right—and those instincts certainly are universal—then maybe there is a another place where our prayers can have an effect. Maybe there is another place where the souls of those who have died live on—at least for a time—a place where they reside so that when we pray for them we are helping them. That is Purgatory.
The Catholic Church since the very beginning has encouraged us to pray for the dead. The Church of Jesus Christ has always taught us that Purgatory is the place of temporary punishment for the sins we have committed. Holy Mother Church teaches us that eventually those persons—those souls—will be released from Purgatory and be brought into heaven.
Why should anyone ever have to go to Purgatory? Because it is the place where the justice and mercy of God meet.
Sin merits punishment
Let me explain it this way: every sin that we commit is an act of selfishness. I sin because I do not do what God wants me to do—but what I want to do. To resist God in this serious way is to say “No!” to God. To sin is to rebel against Him.
And to sin is to merit eternal punishment in hell. If you despise God you cannot expect to live with Him in heaven.
But if you say to God that you are sorry, then God in His infinite love for you, will forgive you. He will. That is how He is. He doesn’t have to forgive, but He always does—if we are sorry. And when He forgives, then we can say that He takes eternal punishment—hell—off the table. Hell is no longer a consideration. God says, “Ok. I forgive you.” And that is His Mercy.
You will pay
But He also says, “You will have to make up for your sinfulness. You will have to meditate on your selfishness and how you made others suffer–and you will pay—ounce for ounce—for all the evil that you put into the world by your sins.
And that is purgatory. And that is God’s Justice See how it all makes so much sense? How beautifully Purgatory is the place that simultaneously shows forth God’s Mercy—and God’s Justice.
But there is even a further addition. When we pray for the dead, those prayers are considered by God to be acts of love on our part that are credited to the souls we are praying for. Our love and prayers go to those souls in Purgatory as if it were their love and prayers. And their time in purgatory (their sentence—so to speak) is shortened in equal measure by what we do for them.
And what we do for them is pray our rosaries, our Hail Marys and Our Fathers—we recite our litanies and aspirations and even go to the cemeteries and tend the holy graves of all our beloved dead.
Let this be an act of love
We can even pray for the dead without words. That happens when we offer up to God our sufferings, our inconveniences, our burdens, our pains, our sickness. We therefore say to Our Lord—“Please God, let this suffering be an act of love for the souls in Purgatory.” Of course, we believe that the Mass is the most powerful prayer for the dead that we could pray—because it is not just our prayer—but the prayer of Jesus on the Cross on the altar making it His prayer to his Father.
Do you see why there must be such a place as Purgatory? Do you see why we pray for the dead? And why it is such an obvious thing to do? Because it is just like God—merciful and just all at the same time.
No, belief in Purgatory is not a violation of the Bible—but it is the surest exemplification of the greatest theme of the Bible. That God hates sin—but loves the sinner—and that he will do everything possible to save us—from ourselves— and from the devil—to bring us fullness of life with God in heaven.