July 17, 2011
16th Sunday Ordinary Time
We don't say much about purgatory. Perhaps it is because it conjures up bad memories of a place we would rather not go to but must if we desire to get into heaven. Some object that it is not explicitly mentioned in Sacred Scripture. Our conception or misconception of "purgatory" is that it is a place or prison that we are stuck-in for a period of time making up for offenses until we are released or paroled. The Catholic Catechism speaks of purgatory as a "cleansing fire" -- a metaphor from the Bible. Personally and pastorally I am grateful for a belief or doctrine of purgatory that holds a hope that a less than perfect person has a chance to see God! That certainly includes me. Our readings today highlight God's forbearance. Jesus uses the parable of the wheat and weeds to underscore God's patience with us and to respond to critics who are offended by Jesus' association with sinners. The author of Wisdom says to and of God that the Lord, mighty in majesty, sovereign in strength, governs with mildness and leniency. God instills in us a good hope for repentance. Like God, the just man or woman must be kind and not judgmental. I recall a doctor writing about people who have had an out of the body, near death experience. There are common elements in their recollection. They speak of entering a tunnel of light drawn to a being of love. It sounds like a purifying movement to God. St. Paul tells the Romans that the Spirit, in their weakness, prays for them with sighs deeper and beyond words. Let us pray for the dead, the faithful departed, that they will enjoy God's consolation. Let us pray too that when we die, we will experience the forgiveness of Jesus and, beyond space and time, will come to see God face to face.
Previous:
14th Sunday Ordinary Time
