I wish you and your loved ones God’s peaceand joy this Advent and throughout theChristmas season. For the next three months,I’d like to focus on how the realities of purgatorytie into Scripture. As you gather with yourloved ones and remember those relatives whohave passed on, it could be a perfect teachingmoment for your children and grandchildren.

For us as Catholics, when we discuss theological concepts such as purgatory, it’simportant to understand that not every truthwe hold is explicitly stated in the Scriptures.In fact, often non-Catholics will point out thatthe word “purgatory” doesn’t appear anywherein the Scriptures, and that is certainly true.However, a number of other importantChristian teachings are not explicitly stated inthe Scriptures, yet both we as Catholics andother Christians hold them to be true. One ofthe most obvious examples is the fundamentalChristian doctrine of the “Trinity.” Nowhere inthe Scriptures is the word “Trinity” used, andnowhere do we find an explicit definition ofthe Trinity in all of the New Testament. Theclosest we come to it is Jesus telling the apos-tles to “make disciples of all nations, baptizingthem in the name of the Father, and of theSon, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19).

We do, however, have in the writings of St.Paul his statement, “So then, brethren, standfirm and hold to the traditions which youwere taught by us, either by word of mouthor by letter” (2 Thess 2:15). And the idea ofthe traditions of the truth being handed on tous by word of mouth is foundational to ourunderstanding of the beginnings of Catholictheology, because the Bible as we have it todaydid not even get formalized into a singlecodex until the Councils of Hippo (393) andCarthage (397). So we have almost 400 yearsof oral tradition.

When we are talking about the biblical evi-

dence for the Catholic theology of purgatory,I think a good place to begin with is theProphet Isaiah because nearly every Christianis at least somewhat familiar with this greatprophet in the Old Testament. And Isaiah’sreference to being purged of his wretchednessand being prepared for something divine is agood beginning point.

So, let’s look at how Isaiah literally quakesin his boots when he is called by the Lord tobe His prophet. “And I said: ‘Woe is me! For Iam lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and Idwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord ofhosts!’ Then flew one of the seraphim to me,having in his hand a burning coal which hehad taken with tongs from the altar. And hetouched my mouth, and said: ‘Behold, this hastouched your lips; your guilt is taken away,and your sin forgiven’” (6:5-7).

Now, one of the main reasons Isaiah isimportant to us as Catholics is because of hisprophecies about the Suffering Servant of

God, whom we ultimately identify as JesusChrist, by whose stripes we are healed of ouriniquities (see especially chapters 49-53). Sogiven Isaiah’s prophetic mission in revealingthe sufferings of the Savior, it’s telling thateven he recognized his need to be purged ofhis sinfulness before serving the Lord. Indeed,Isaiah brings out Israel’s need for just suchcleansing: “Then the Lord shall have washedaway the filth of the daughters of Zion, andshall have purged the blood of Jerusalem fromthe midst thereof by the spirit of judgment,and by the spirit of burning” (4:4).

It’s fascinating that St. Francis de Sales, thegreat Catholic apologist of the 16th century,said this verse from Isaiah can be interpreted asreferring to purgatory, citing a masterwork bySt. Augustine: “This purgation made in thespirit of judgment and of burning is under-stood of purgatory by St. Augustine’s passageon purgatory in the 20th Book of The City ofGod, chapter 25. And in fact this interpretation

Dear Members,

VOLUME 5, NUMBER 12 †† DECEMBER 2014www.PrayForSouls.org

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ForHeaven’sSake

Here is a key passage from this issue: “Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having in his hand aburning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth, and said:‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven’” (Is, 6:5-7).

H e l p i n g S o u l s To H e av e n

is favored by the words preceding, in whichmention is made of the salvation of men, andalso by the end of the chapter, where the reposeof the blessed is spoken of; wherefore thatwhich is said — ‘the Lord shall wash away thefilth’ — is to be understood of the purgationnecessary for this salvation. And since it is saidthat this purgation is to be made in the spirit ofheat and of burning, it cannot well be under-stood save of purgatory and its fire.”

But there’s more. In Isaiah, we also hearabout the necessity of complete holinessbefore coming into the presence of the Lord.Just before his calling as a prophet, for exam-ple, Isaiah describes his awesome vision of theLord God “seated on a high and lofty throne,”while the angels in His presence constantlycry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord ofHosts!” (6:1-3). That is why Isaiah cries out,“Woe is me, I am doomed!” (6:5).

Like Isaiah, then, we must all undergo a self-conscious and voluntary purging beforeapproaching the All-Holy God. Especially as wepass from this life into eternity, we will probablystill need purgation, so that we might becomeperfectly holy as God is holy. In Scripture, thenecessity of absolute holiness in order to enterheaven is very clear. On this, Protestants andCatholics are in total agreement. Therefore, the

fundamental disagreement on the subjectbetween Catholics and Protestants is how longthis purification upon death may take.Certainly, it cannot logically be denied as a possi-bility that this purging might involve a durationor a process of some sort, instead of beinginstantaneous at the moment of death.

Now, turning to the New Testament, let’ssee if there are also certain offenses that indi-cate the existence of purgatory. ConsiderMatthew 5:22: “But I say to you that every onewho is angry with his brother shall be liable tojudgment; whoever insults his brother shall beliable to the council, and whoever says, ‘Youfool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire.” SaintFrancis de Sales points out that it is only thethird sort of offence that is punished by hell.Therefore, in the judgment of God, there areother pains after this life that are not eternal orinfernal. These are the pains of purgatory.Though the sacred text says that the pains willbe suffered in this world, St. Augustine andthe other Church Fathers understood that itcan also apply to the next world, for may it notbe that a man should die on the first or thesecond offense, which is spoken of here, andthen when will he pay the penalty due for thisoffense? So St. Francis concludes that as theChurch Fathers did, we should say that there

is a place where souls will be purified, and thenthey will go to heaven.

Next month, we’ll examine the rather well-known parable about the Rich Man andLazarus. This is a parable that comes fromChrist, and who would know better about theeternal realities than our Merciful Savior?

As you enter into the joy and love of ourSavior in celebrating Advent and Christmas,prayerfully reflect upon these Scripture pas-sages and on how even someone like Isaiahneeded to be purged of his uncleanliness. Toreinforce this idea, I’d like to share a story Fr.Andrew Apostoli, CFR, told during the homilyfor Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR’s funeral Mass.Father Apostoli said that on many occasions Fr.Groeschel told him, “When it comes time togive my funeral Mass, please don’t canonize me,I’m going to need people praying for me.” Ithink when you hear that from someone likeFr. Groeschel, you kind of take it seriously andreflect how much the Holy Souls in Purgatoryneed your prayers and sacrifices.

A blessed Christmas to you and yourloved ones!

Holy Souls Sodality • P.O. Box 716, Stockbridge, MA 01262 • www.PrayForSouls.org 1-800-671-2020 • Brought to you by the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception

For Heaven’s Sake • Helping Souls To Heaven December 2014

Father Dan Cambra, MIC

As most of you know, St. Faustina had adeep devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory,many of whom would frequently visit her andplead for her prayers. As we approach theChristmas season, here are two books I’d liketo suggest for anyone who is devoted to theHoly Souls and Divine Mercy.

The first is by our good friend Susan Tassone.She has written a daily devotional for the HolySouls, Day by Day for the Holy Souls in Purgatory (AI-DBD, $16.95). It provides 365 reflections that we can draw on throughout the year inremembering the Holy Souls and growing in our devotion to them.

It’s a phenomenal book with fascinating insights as Susan quotesScripture every day and the Diary of St. Faustina quite often. She includesmany other interesting reflections, such as observations from varioussaints on the pivotal role the holy angels played in their devotion to theHoly Souls. As you use this devotional, you’ll come to a deeper apprecia-tion of how your guardian angel inspires your prayer for the Holy Souls.

Susan even includes the great Christian apologist and AnglicanC.S. Lewis, who wrote, “Of course, I pray for the dead. … I believe inpurgatory. Our souls demand purgatory, don’t they?”

The other book I’d like to suggest is Faustina: The Mystic and HerMessage (AI-BIOSF, $19.95). As our own Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek,MIC, writes in the foreword, “This book is much more than simply

another biography about St. Faustina. Award-winning journalist Ewa Czaczkowska researchesthe life of Faustina with a relentless drive to discover what made her tick. The author leavesno stone unturned as she follows in the foot-steps of Faustina, the mystic, visiting each of the locations the saint called home throughouther life. At each location, not only doesCzaczkowska give readers an understanding of how the times and Faustina’s environmentshaped her, but the biographer also shares more personally the testi-monies of those who knew Faustina best.

“As a result, you discover this future saint had a temper, disappointedher father when she came home late one evening from a dance, anddoubted at times whether her visions of the Lord were real. And manyof the testimonies and photos that Czaczkowska discovered for thisbiography are unique, the fruit of the author’s passionate research.

“To sum up, this groundbreaking biography gives you a compelling,fresh, and intimate portrait of this great mystic whom we know andlove as St. Faustina. I highly recommend it.”

So, deepen your focus on the Holy Souls throughout the year withthis daily devotional, and get to know the real Faustina who broughtus the Divine Mercy message by reading this fascinating biography.

To order, visit shopmercy.org or call 1-800-462-7426.