“Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, although he be dead, shall live: And every one that liveth, and believeth in Me, shall not die for ever. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25-26)
What Is Death?
Death is the separation of the soul from the body. Death is the result of Adam and Eve’s [original] sin. It is NOT the end of the person’s existence. The human soul is immortal. With this understanding, we can assert that death is not the end of life.
Rather, death is the transformation (i.e., the door) to life everlasting. It is the passing of existing in one manner (what we are all familiar with in this vale of tears) to existing in another manner (what remains quite mysterious to us members of the Church Militant).
Death is real. All mankind has to undergo death. Benjamin Frankling quipped that nothing in life is certain but death and taxes, but it would be more accurate to say that nothing in life is certain but that each man will die. Even Our Lord Jesus Christ – Who did not have to undergo death because He was sinless (since He is God) – chose to undergo death to bring about the salvation of mankind. And it is widely believed that at the end of our Blessed Mother’s sinless life, before Her Assumption of body and soul into Heaven, that She too willingly experienced death.
At the moment of death, every person faces his particular judgment before Christ our Judge.
What Is the Value of the Mass?
The miraculous value of the Holy Mass is well documented by a number of the saints whose inspiring writings and visions bear testimony to this. A sampling of the power of the Mass for the dead is as follows:
“My son, if men only knew the value of the Holy Mass, they would be forever on their knees listening to it.” – St. Padre Pio to Vittorio Chimetto
“You must be aware, Christian, that the Mass is the most sacred act of religion: you can do nothing more glorious for God, nor more advantageous for your soul, than to piously and as frequently as possible attend Mass.” – St. Peter Julian Eymard
“It is worth more to hear a single Mass than to distribute all your riches among the poor and to make pilgrimage throughout the whole earth.” – St. Bernard
“The Lord grants us all we ask of Him in the Holy Mass, and what’s more, He grants us even what we do not think of asking but which we also need!” – St. Girolamo
“Be sure,” Jesus said to St. Gertrude, “that to the one who listens devoutly to the Holy Mass, in the last moments of life, I will send him many of My Saints to comfort and protect him, in accordance with the Masses he has attended well” (Book 3, chapter 16).
Holy Mother Church and her saints teach that Holy Mass is truly the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.
Is a Soul’s Time in Purgatory Lessened When a Mass Is Said for It?
Just as we pray for others here on earth, we are encouraged by the Church to pray for souls who may be in Purgatory. Why? We are all in need of grace to come into the perfection of charity. We cannot enter Heaven if we have not been completely cleansed of sin and all punishment due to sin.
Since the Mass is the center of Christian life, we naturally look to that Holy Sacrifice of Christ – containing the Perfect Prayer – to intercede for our deceased relatives and friends who may still need the help of our prayers. Priests are under a strict obligation to remember in a special way the person(s) for whom the Mass is being offered. In many parishes today, the intention for the Mass is listed in the bulletin or announced before the start of Mass.
Regarding how long a soul is in Purgatory, we can’t really speak of “time” as we are know it. Nevertheless, Purgatory is not among the Four Last Things because it is not eternal. It will come to an end. Time may or may not exist in Purgatory, and it could exist in a manner in which we are unfamiliar. Again, recall that death is the passage into another mode of existence.[1] (Something that speaks in favor of some manner of time existing in Purgatory is that for hundreds of years the Church assigned to each indulgence a certain amount of time by which a soul’s temporal punishment would be reduced. Modernism has mocked this practice, but as in all things, we should remain humble and not be quick to discount the Church’s ancient wisdom.)
However, we can speak in terms of a soul’s “final purification” before her entrance into Heaven. We believe that a Mass offered for a departed relative or friend will help hasten that final purification which the soul may still be undergoing in Purgatory.
Since the Mass truly is the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, it is the most perfect prayer and sacrifice. As such, there is nothing more glorious that we can offer to God on behalf of souls.
Since the Mass Is the Same as the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, Why Is One Mass Not Necessarily Sufficient to Free a Soul from Purgatory?
Regarding this question, The Purgatorian Manual provides a clear explanation.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass – in which Our Lord Jesus Christ offers Himself and His infinite merits to His Heavenly Father, by the hands of the priest – is the most valuable and meritorious devotion of the Catholic Church for assisting the souls in Purgatory.
The unbloody Sacrifice of the Mass does not differ from the Sacrifice of the Cross in essence, but only in accidents[2] as to the method of sacrifice. No limit can be placed to the effect of this great sacrifice because it contains in itself all graces.
However, we may not infer that the offering of one Mass is sufficient to release the soul(s) in Purgatory for which it is offered. Although the Sacrifice on Calvary was infinite, “we cannot conclude that the application of it, through the Mass, must also be infinite.”
According to St. Thomas Aquinas, Jesus Christ did not intend to bestow upon us the full efficacy of His suffering and death, which is celebrated in every Mass. “His merits are applied according to His Adorable Will, for the ways of God are often inscrutable.”
Thus, it is very beneficial to have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered frequently for the repose of a soul. If the soul for whom the Mass is offered is without need of the graces merited (e.g., the soul is already enjoying the Beatific Vision), then the merit of the Masses offered are applied to other suffering souls in Purgatory.
May a Catholic Participate in Cremation?
No. Cremation is an ancient pagan practice, popularized by people who did not believe in the resurrection of the body. Additionally, the Catholic Church’s condemnation was made more forceful by cremation’s association with Freemasonry, which promoted cremation as part of an irreligious and materialistic worldview. Although this association is significant, it is not the only reason for the Church’s disapproval. The Church has always viewed cremation as a practice that contradicts the reverence due to the dead. Burial is seen as a respectful and pious act, with the body awaiting its future resurrection. Saints such as St. John Chrysostom likened cemeteries to dormitories where the dead await the final resurrection.
For more on cremation and why we must reject it, despite what modern Canon Law now permits, view The Fatima Center videos “Is Cremation an Option for Catholics?” with Father Gruner, “The Abominable and Detestable Act of Cremation” by Father Collins, or read the article on this topic by Fr. Pinaud.
How Can I have a Mass Said for the Repose of a Faithful Departed Soul?
Ask a priest to offer a Mass for the intention of the repose of the soul of your friend or relative. Having Gregorian Masses said for the repose of the deceased is also extremely meritorious. Gregorian Masses are highly involved (since the priest must offer Mass for a 30 days in a row for the same person) but some religious orders accept Gregorian Mass enrollments.
Let us remember the dead every day in our prayers that God, Who is outside of time, will apply our prayers to save souls before their death. And may our prayers also help alleviate the purgation of family, friends, acquaintances, and even enemies who are in Purgatory.
May we, especially during the month of November, desire to gain many indulgences for the souls of the faithful departed. It should also be noted that we can offer our prayers for non-Catholics as well.
PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH
O Glorious St. Joseph, behold I choose thee today for my special patron in life and at the hour of my death. Preserve and increase in me the spirit of prayer and fervor in the service of God. Remove far from me every kind of sin; obtain for me that my death may not come upon me unawares, but that I may have time to confess my sins sacramentally and to bewail them with a most perfect understanding and a most sincere and perfect contrition, in order that I may breathe forth my soul into the hands of Jesus and Mary. Amen.
ENDNOTE:
[1] Consider the following pious story from the life of St. Dominic. Nearing his death, St. Dominic asked a brother friar to say Mass for him as soon as he died. The friar was faithful to this request. Once the Requiem Mass was completed, St. Dominic appeared to the friar and asked: “Why, my dear son, did it take you so long to keep your promise. I have been burning in the fires of Purgatory for thirty years.” The friar responded: ‘But holy Father Dominic, I offered Mass as soon as you expired. It has only been an hour since your death.” There are other similar stories collected from those rare occurrences when God permits a holy soul in Purgatory to relay a message to those living on earth.
[2] Accident, as a philosophical term, refers to the modifications that a substance undergoes, but that do not change the kind of thing that the substance is. Aristotle defines 9 categories of accidents: quantity, quality, relation, action, passion, time, place, disposition (the arrangement of parts), and raiment (whether a thing is dressed or armed, etc.).