The Pains of Purgatory - St Catherine of Genoa

Something to reflect on All Souls' day (November 2), as we commemorate all the faithful departed.

The Pains of Purgatory

by St Catherine of Genoa

When I look at God, I see no gate to Paradise, and yet because God is all mercy he who wills enters there. God stands before us with open arms to receive us into His glory. But well I see the divine essence to be of such purity, greater far than can be imagined, that the soul in which there is even the least note of imperfection would rather cast itself into a thousand Hells than find itself thus stained in the presence of the Divine Majesty. Therefore the soul, understanding that Purgatory has been ordained to take away those stains, casts itself therein, and seems to itself to have found great mercy in that it can rid itself there of the impediment which is the stain of sin.

No tongue can tell nor explain, no mind understand, the grievousness of Purgatory. But I, though I see that there is in Purgatory as much pain as in Hell, yet see the soul which has the least stain of imperfection accepting Purgatory, as I have said, as though it were a mercy, and holding its pains of no account as compared with the least stain which hinders a soul in its love. I seem to see that the pain which souls in Purgatory endure because of whatever in them displeases God, that is what they have wilfully done against His so great goodness, is greater than any other pain they feel in Purgatory. And this is because, being in grace, they see the truth and the grievousness of the hindrance which stays them from drawing near to God. [...]

To see God when full satisfaction had not yet been made Him, even if the time of purgation lacked but the twinkling of an eye, would be unbearable to that soul. It would sooner go to a thousand hells, to rid itself of the little rust still clinging to it, than stand in the divine presence when it was not yet wholly cleansed.

And so that blessed soul, seeing the aforesaid things by the divine light, said: "I would fain send up a cry so loud that it would put fear in all men on the earth. I would say to them: 'Wretches, why do you let yourselves be thus blinded by the world, you whose need is so great and grievous, as you will know at the moment of death, and who make no provision for it whatsoever?'

"You have all taken shelter beneath hope in God's mercy, which is, you say, very great, but you see not that this great goodness of God will judge you for having gone against the will of so good a Lord. His goodness should constrain you to do all His will, not give you hope in ill-doing, for His justice cannot fail but in one way or another must needs be fully satisfied.

"Cease to hug yourselves, saying: 'I will confess my sins and then receive plenary indulgence, and at that moment I shall be purged of all my sins and thus shall be saved.' Think of the confession and the contrition needed for that plenary indulgence, so hardly come by that, if you knew, you would tremble in great fear, more sure you would never win it than that you ever could."

--Taken from St Catherine of Genoa's "Treatise on Purgatory", 8, 14-15.

Vespers Making a Comeback in Mangalore

Milagres Church, Mangalore
After Vespers

The tradition of Solemn Vespers seems to be making a comeback in the city of Mangalore. 

Parishes in more rural areas of the South Indian diocese of Mangalore have faithfully preserved their tradition of celebrating their annual Parish Feast. The Parish Feast is celebrated on a Wednesday and is preceeded by a Solemn Vespers the previous (i.e., Tuesday) evening, and a Confraternity Sunday celebration, the immediate Sunday before. 

Vespers at
Milagres Church

The format of the Vespers however, was not always fully identifiable with the Vespers of the Church. Nevertheless it was a liturgical service, resembling more or less a Liturgy of the Word with its hymns, scripture reading, homily, in some places also an offertory, and finally a benediction.  

Mother Teresa Band
at Milagres Church on the
Eve of the Parish Feast

More recently efforts have been made to remedy these liturgies by modelling them more closely on the Evening Prayer of the Church, chiefly by the introduction of the Psalmody, the Magnificat and the Lord's Prayer. The homily, not always brief as the Church's public celebration of the Vespers requires it to be, is an important part of these services.

Following the Vespers, it is the fair, the brass band, the various stalls and the display of fireworks that captures one attention. Families inviting relatives to their homes for the parish feast love to discuss them on their way home.

Fireworks after
the Vespers
at Milagres Church 

This tradition of celebrating the annual Vespers and Parish Feast was long lost in our city parishes. However, at the 75 year celebration in May this year, of the St Vincent Ferrer Church at Valencia (not in Spain but) in Mangalore, the idea was re-introduced in the city. Now, this week, the beautiful Church of our Lady of Milagres (Portuguese: 'Miracles') went ahead and celebrated it's Vespers after a lapse of 40 years!

Recovering a lost tradition is far harder than preserving an existing one. It is certainly laudable that churches in the city are aiming hard at bringing back the tradition of the Vespers, which I would say, should also extend slowly to the Church's other principal feasts. But with this enterprise comes also the all important task of liturgical catechesis. A lot will depend on it if faith and worship are to survive the festivities which sometimes drown them.

Faith and Doubt - John Henry Newman

On the occasion of the first Feast Day (9 October 2010) of the newly beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman, here's a reading for reflection taken from one of his works.

Faith and Doubt

by Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Those who are drawn by curiosity or a better motive to inquire into the Catholic Religion, sometimes put to us a strange question,—whether, if they took up the profession of it, they would be at liberty, when they felt inclined, to reconsider the question of its Divine authority; meaning, by "reconsideration," an inquiry springing from doubt of it, and possibly ending in a denial. 

The same question, in the form of an objection, is often asked by those who have no thoughts at all of becoming Catholics, and who enlarge upon it, as something terrible, that whoever once enters the pale of the Church, on him the door of egress is shut for ever; that, once a Catholic, he never, never can doubt again. ... 

It is, then, perfectly true, that the Church does not allow her children to entertain any doubt of her teaching; and that, first of all, simply for this reason, because they are Catholics only while they have faith, and faith is incompatible with doubt. No one can be a Catholic without a simple faith, that what the Church declares in God's name, is God's word, and therefore true. 

A man must simply believe that the Church is the oracle of God; he must be as certain of her mission, as he is of the mission of the Apostles. 

Now, would any one ever call him certain that the Apostles came from God, if after professing his certainty, he added, that perhaps he might have reason to doubt one day about their mission? Such an anticipation would be a real, though latent, doubt, betraying that he was not certain of it at present. 

A person who says, "I believe just at this moment, but perhaps I am excited without knowing it, and I cannot answer for myself, that I shall believe tomorrow," does not believe now. 

A man who says, "Perhaps I am in a kind of delusion, which will one day pass away from me, and leave me as I was before"; or "I believe as far as I can tell, but there may be arguments in the background which will change my view," such a man has not faith at all. 

When, then, Protestants quarrel with us for saying that those who join us must give up all ideas of ever doubting the Church in time to come, they do nothing else but quarrel with us for insisting on the necessity of faith in her. Let them speak plainly; our offence is that of demanding faith in the Holy Catholic Church; it is this, and nothing else. 

I must insist upon this: faith implies a confidence in a man's mind, that the thing believed is really true; but, if it is once true, it never can be false. If it is true that God became man, what is the meaning of my anticipating a time when perhaps I shall not believe that God became man? this is nothing short of anticipating a time when I shall disbelieve a truth. And if I bargain to be allowed in time to come not to believe, or to doubt, that God became man, I am but asking to be allowed to doubt or disbelieve what I hold to be an eternal truth. I do not see the privilege of such a permission at all, or the meaning of wishing to secure it:—

if at present I have no doubt whatever about it, then I am but asking leave to fall into error; if at present I have doubts about it, then I do not believe it at present, that is, I have not faith. But I cannot both really believe it now, and yet look forward to a time when perhaps I shall not believe it; to make provision for future doubt, is to doubt at present. It proves I am not in a fit state to become a Catholic now. I may love by halves, I may obey by halves; I cannot believe by halves: either I have faith, or I have it not.

And so again, when a man has become a Catholic, were he to set about following a doubt which has occurred to him, he has already disbelieved. I have not to warn him against losing his faith, he is not merely in danger of losing it, he has lost it; from the nature of the case he has already lost it; he fell from grace at the moment when he deliberately entertained and pursued his doubt. 

No one can determine to doubt what he is already sure of; but if he is not sure that the Church is from God, he does not believe it. It is not I who forbid him to doubt; he has taken the matter into his own hands when he determined on asking for leave; he has begun, not ended, in unbelief; his very wish, his purpose, is his sin. I do not make it so, it is such from the very state of the case. 

You sometimes hear, for example, of Catholics falling away, who will tell you it arose from reading the Scriptures, which opened their eyes to the "unscripturalness," so they speak, of the Church of the Living God.  

No; Scripture did not make them disbelieve (impossible!); they disbelieved when they opened the Bible; they opened it in an unbelieving spirit, and for an unbelieving purpose; they would not have opened it, had they not anticipated—I might say, hoped—that they should find things there inconsistent with Catholic teaching. They begin in self-will and disobedience, and they end in apostasy. 

This, then, is the direct and obvious reason why the Church cannot allow her children the liberty of doubting the truth of her word. He who really believes in it now, cannot imagine the future discovery of reasons to shake his faith; if he imagines it, he has not faith; and that so many Protestants think it a sort of tyranny in the Church to forbid any children of hers to doubt about her teaching, only shows they do not know what faith is—which is the case; it is a strange idea to them. 

Let a man cease to inquire, or cease to call himself her child.

[Source: John Henry Newman, Discourses to Mixed Congregations: Faith and Doubt.]

Back After a Break

It's been a long time, 5 years almost, since I posted anything here. But I hope to make a post every once in a while from now on. I can predict that they're going to be very irregular in their appearance but I do hope I'll be able to carry forward my blogging tradition.

Prayer of Cardinal Newman

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go.

Flood my soul with Your Spirit and Life.

Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly

that my life may only be a radiance of Yours.

Shine through me and be so in me

that every soul I come in contact with

may feel Your presence in my soul.

Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus!

Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine,

so to shine as to be a light to others.

The light, O Jesus, will be all from You;

none of it will be mine. It will be You,

shining on others through me.

Let me thus praise You in the way which You love best,

by shining on those around me.

Let me preach You without preaching,

not by my words but by my example,

by the catching force,

the sympathetic influence of what I do,

the evident fullness of the love my heart bears for You. Amen.

Universal Prayer

Attributed to

Pope Clement XI

Lord, I believe in you; oh, give me firmer faith.

I hope in you, give me surer hope.

I love you, make me love you more and more.

I am sorry to have failed you; make me sorrier yet.

I adore you as my first beginning,

And long for you as my last end;

Praise you as my constant benefactor,

And call upon you as my gracious protector;

Guide me by your wisdom,

Restrain me by your justice,

Comfort me by your mercy,

Defend me by your power.

I offer you, Lord, my thoughts, to be fixed on you;

My words, to have you for their theme;

My actions, to be done according to your will;

My hardships to be endured for your sake.

My will is that your will be done,

In the manner you will,

And as long as you will,

Because it is your will.

I pray you, Lord, enlighten my understanding,

Inflame my will,

Purify my heart,

And sanctify my soul.

Help me to deplore my past offences

And to resist temptation in future,

To subdue my evil inclinations

And to cultivate the virtues proper for my state.

God of all goodness, fill me with love of you

And hatred of myself,

With zeal for my neighbour

And contempt of worldly things.

Teach me to be obedient to my superiors,

Helpful to my subordinates,

Faithful to friends,

Forgiving to foes.

Let me vanquish pleasure by self-denial,

Avarice by generosity,

Anger by meekness,

And lukewarmness by fervour.

Make me prudent in planning,

Courageous in taking risks;

In affliction, patient;

In prosperity, unassuming.

Lord, make me attentive at prayers,

Moderate when I eat and drink,

Diligent in my occupation,

And constant in good resolutions.

Let my conscience be clear,

My demeanour modest,

My talk blameless,

My life well-ordered.

Let me always be alert to keep nature in check,

To cherish your grace,

To keep your law,

And to earn salvation.

Teach me how petty is this world,

How immense your heaven;

Time, how short;

Eternity, how long.

Give me grace to prepare for death,

To dread your judgment,

To escape hell,

And to win a place in heaven:

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Basic Catholic Prayers in Latin

Latin - English

In Nomine In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.	The Sign of the Cross In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pater Noster Pater noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Amen.	The Our Father Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive s our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.
Ave Maria Ave Maria, gratia plena, dominus tecum; benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen	The Hail Mary Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death Amen.
Gloria Patri Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen	The Glory Be Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Credo	The Nicene Creed
Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum. Et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero. Genitum, not factum, consubstantialem Patri: per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines, et propter nostram salutem descendit de coelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis; sub Pontio Pilato passus, et sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas. Et ascendit in coelum: sedet ad desteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est com gloria judicare vivos et mortuos. cujus regni non erit finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem: qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui cum Patre, et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per Prophetas. Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum. Et vitam ventura saeculi. Amen.	We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being With the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Apostles' Creed
Credo in Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae. Et in Jesum Christum, filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum: qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine, passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus; descendit ad inferos; tertia die resurrexit a mortuis; ascendit ad caelos; sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis; inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam, Sanctorum communionem, remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem, vitam aeternam. Amen	I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Salve Regina Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae; Vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria. V. Ora pro nobis sancta Dei Genetrix. R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi	Hail Holy Queen Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, hail our life our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Laudate Dominum Psalm Chapter 116 (117) Here in Mangalore there is a tradition of singing  this Psalm in Latin as a thanksgiving hymn at functions.
Laudáte Dóminum omnes gentes (laudáte éum) omnes populi Quóniam confirmáta est súper nos misericordia eius et véritas Domini mánet in æternum Glória Pátri et Filio et Spiritui Sáncto. Sicut érat in pricipio et nunc et semper et in sáecula sáeculorum Amen.	O Praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his mercy is confirmed upon us: and the truth of the Lord remaineth for ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.