Purgatory

All Souls Day
Homily given at St. Patrick's
By: Rev. Ronnie P. Floyd

What joyous words spoken by our Lord today in the Gospel: I will not reject anyone who comes to me.

Today as we remember all those who have died who are dear to us, > this is the reason for our hope. As Jesus says: this is the will of the One who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what He gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day.

We believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

We believe that in the mystery of the incarnation God became and experienced everything that is truly human and becoming like us in all things but sin gained for us, for our humanity, a place in heaven. We are here today because of that hope!

We believe that God who is Love, will gather all those who live in Jesus into the perfection of the Kingdom of heaven even though we are not perfect even though we so often fail to love.

However, even though we gain the promise of eternal life, for sinful man it is still necessary to be purified from our sins, by the fires of the Holy Spirit after death.

We know and believe that God who is good and just requires this purification, as a punishment for the sins we commit in this life but more importantly, as a preparation for a fuller share in the life of heaven.

Our current life is a school of love, where God gives us the opportunity to learn what it truly means to love so that in heaven we can enjoy His Love. All that matters in this life is the sacrificial and Eucharistic love that Jesus demonstrates on the cross. When we suffer in this life, that love is tested and deepened, and our attachments to all that is not God are weakened. But what we do not learn and suffer in this life, God allows those who die in the Lord to learn after death.

And just like preparing for a race, this preparation is rightfully called painful, and just as the difficulty of this training is increased by the bad habits we have--our sins--must punished, and overcome, if we are to share in that perfect love of Heaven

The Catholic doctrine of Purgatory, is the doctrine of a second chance, a second opportunity to learn to love, given to those already chosen by the Lord. And while those who die in the Lord are destined for heaven.

We believe that we can help them in their preparation for life with God.

And that they can help us, by their prayers for us to God the Father.
And so on this All Souls day we are filled with hope that our loved ones who have died, died in the Lord and are even now in the hands of God.

And we offer up our memories of these beloved dead as a prayer of thanksgiving to God for their lives while at the same time we ask Him to purify our loved ones quickly so that they may be admitted into the Kingdom where we will experience the radiant embrace of God's Love and see His face, and know true happiness.

Eternal Rest Grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them may they rest in peace. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed by the mercy of God rest in peace.