What a Soul Sees at It's Funeral.

I feel so sorry for those Catholic souls who have died since the beginning of the Covid lockdown and have not had the benefit of the funeral mass of Christian burial — their families waiting for an opportune time to bury them.

 

We are getting a taste of what the Communists inflicted on Eastern Europe. 50+ years of no sacraments except clandestinely. Prayers for the holy souls!!!

 

So beautiful.

 

A marvelous reminder. I'm so self-preoccupied; it's easy to forget!

O Mary conceived without sin, pray with me for the familial soul most in need from my parent's generation!

 

I have seen funerals, here in Ireland were people come to the funeral but do not enter the Church for Mass, but, rather, stand outside the whole Mass chatting. They are not slow drinking heavily at the Wake and talking a load of unspiritual complete nonsense, whining, emotional venting. But what goes around comes around, if we do not pray for the Holy Souls, then, when our turn comes around and we ourselves are in the flames, no one will pray for us. So will the Justice of God be satisfied and we will not get out until the last penny is paid, as Jesus said.

Matthew 5:26

Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

 

Yep.

 

Never, never can we presume upon God's Mercy. Am I saying the Lord isn't Merciful? Absolutely not! But repentance is essential. Yesterday, at a graveside Committal with a large family of little or no faith present, I pointed to Jesus (Luke 7:11-17) and his compassion, but I failed to challenge them to repent. Human respect is such a tool of the devil and I succumbed. So off to Confession I'll go! I can think back to a time, when my dog, Devin, was 4-yrs-old; he did better than I!

Devin was grown and holding steady at about 43 pounds. One week I took him out for our morning run. He stopped to do his business and became engrossed sniffing eagerly at something in the grass. So I spoke a firm, "No eating!", command which he promptly ignored! Then he heard the dreaded, "Bad dog!" response and we ran back home in silence. About 5 minutes later I went into my bedroom for my half-hour prayer time. When I subsequently opened up the door, there was Devin sitting at attention waiting to make up! Nothing like God teaching you lessons through one's repentant pup!

I know I'll be in this graveside situation again! May I never hold back again!

Cure of Ars, pray for me!

 

Terry I believe your Guardian Angel guided you to say what you said and to not say what you shouldn't have said. You don't want to harden hearts and sadly that happens often when the lukewarm or apostate Catholics hear the Truth unvarnished. They become hard ground and the seed can't penetrate. Prayer first and last. If the Holy Spirit wanted you to deliver the "hard sayings" nothing would have stopped you. Purely my own opinion
But I have noticed these last years that He sets a seal on my mouth a lot of the time but sometimes the word just springs forth to someone to my great surprise. The Wind of the Holy Spirit blows where He wills.

 

I treasure your opinion always, AED, but I have to disagree in this particular instance. The gentleman who had died wasn't Catholic nor I presume was the "extended family" present. Though I presented myself as a Catholic deacon, I'm not sure that would have mattered. In talking with family beforehand, where one like myself learns to glean "the general spiritual state of those gathered", I was leading in prayer an unchurched group of about 25 souls. The raising of the dead son of the widow is one of the only times in the Gospels Jesus publicly healed without a demonstration of faith taking place. It is an sign of Christ's utter compassion and very beautiful to consider. But in this particular situation, I failed to "in addition" make connection to His Mercy for those present. The unchurched need to hear this despite what they'll think of me.

Thank you for your sisterly concern!

Lord have Mercy!

 

You know best for yourself, Mario. But AED raises a valid point.

 

Yes, HH, she does raise a valid point. A hardening of the heart is often a danger, but I failed to follow my own spiritual instincts primarily due to human respect. It is one of my weaknesses.

I'm a work-in-process. But I'll still crawl up on Abba's lap.

 

the Truth shall set us free

 

I understand. Truly only you can assess your mission in that situation. The beauty is that the beautiful sacrament of confession will remove any culpability completely. How blessed we are to have our Catholic faith.

 

I have spent my entire life doing things displeasing to God. Recently remembrance of some of them burdened me very heavily. I have been tempted to wonder if God could truly have forgiven me. But I love the words of Jesus to St Faustina. 'The Greater the sins , the more claim the sinner has on God's Mercy!'

I also love the Jesus Prayer, 'Lord Jesus Christ , Son of God , have Mercy on me a sinner'.

Now that I am older I don't look at the Great Sins of my younger days quite so easily as I once did. I am starting to understand how truly terrible the were. But this is very good for killing pride and teaching me to be kinder and gentler towards other peoples tiny faults.

 

Beautiful thoughts and picture

 

I think Heaven and Hell and Purgatory don't have to wait for the after life , for we can have a very good taste of them all in this present life.

Heaven is to pray. To enter into the company of God...and isn't this what Heaven is, to enter into the company of God for all Eternity? To pray continually in this life is to live in heaven down here unceasingly, with every heart beat, with every breath , the end game of prayer, Spiritual Marriage, as we say in West , or in the East, Divinisation. 'I live not I, but Christ in me'

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

To choose not to pray or to pray only a little is to choose our own Hell or Purgatory in this life. God Justice, like His Mercy is not delayed, but hastens onwards. Actions have consequences in this life and in the life to come.

This has me thinking of someone who used to be my friend since his early teens, call Jamesy who was and is a Professional Criminal , a Career Thief. ..and a very successful one at that. I suspect the reason he gets away with it is that he is a Police Informer and pays for his freedom by betraying his, 'Friends' and anyone else he happens across to the authorities. This is only a guess, but I am sure I am right.

Jamesy lives in a luxury apartment and is a very sharp dresser. He is one of the most likeable persons I have ever met in my life. I asked him one time if he had ever done any honest work during his entire life. He replied that he had tried it for two days onee, did not like it and stopped at once and never tried it again. Jamesy lives the Good Life, the High Life , but with other peoples money.


But two things about him have drawn my attention. The first thing is that he has the strangest and most appalling medical records. For instance one time he had a swelling at the top of his leg. He went to see the Doctor, who, as soon as he saw it warned him not to move and summoned an ambulance. It was an aneurism in an artery. It could have exploded at any instant. They lifted Jamesy on the chair into the ambulance in case moving killed him on the spot. Jamesy's Medical Records would furnish a library.

Another thing I notice about Jamesy is his face. When he was younger he was very good looking . Now the years of debauchery are written on his face. It is pretty bad to look on, like a written record of his crimes.

Jamesy's Hell, or Purgatory, has caught up with him in this life. It reminds me of the book by Oscar Wilde, 'The Picture of Dorian Grey'.

Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you

Psalm 139

 

I love the story of Dorian Gray!

 

I wonder sometimes when writers write if it is not often unbeknown to themselves a story about themselves. That it is not the author who is the central character. So in Huckleberry Finn I can so easily see Mark Twain. In 'Call of the Wild', Jack London, in Fr Brown, GK Chesterton. ..and in Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde. Who could they write best about but themselves?