SPIRITUALITY 101
SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 95
Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

During the beatification of Joan of the Cross (d. 1674) born in Tyrol, in Roveredo, it is on record that God revealed to her that through her prayers and penance she had freed from Purgatory the soul of King Solomon. This kin had become an idolater and in his advanced hears had committed very serious crimes. However, in Chapters 7, 14 and 15 of the Book of Kings, we can surmise that he was not condemned to Hell and this leads us to suppose that he repented at the time of his death. When the Lord made His revelation to Joan of the Cross, Solomon had been dead two thousand six hundred years.

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3rd stage
DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-21
THE CREED-20

Our last reflection "I believe in ....The Communion of Saints," led us through a consideration of the spiritual significance of our being members of the mystical Body of Christ. Such a communion within Christ's mystical body incurs a solidarity with all humankind, similar to that achieved by Christ in His incarnation. Through this solidarity, we individually assume some responsibility for the salvation of all souls. In this way, through our Baptism, all Christians are commissioned as evangelists to the world. This does not mean that we necessarily have to go to foreign countries to sanctify souls, but to live our lives in such a way that the world knows Who and What the Incarnate Christ is.

In reflection No. 85, we considered how the divine personality of Christ allowed Him to have solidarity through all of time with every human person created or to be created. The purpose of the human body is to reveal the personality of the individual. In this way the human body of Jesus revealed His divine personality. As a member of the body of Christ, we each play a role in the reflection of His personality. Empowered by a divine personality, the mystical body is capable of encompassing all that is created. Our individual lives then have the potential of contributing to the sharing of every soul in His divinity.

In the previous consideration, we found that for all those who have not willfully rejected Christ, solidarity within the mystical Body remains. We would like to consider that all these souls would be in Heaven with our Lord. This could be the case, except for some very important considerations.
The first is that we know from reason that no soul stained by even the slightest sin that has not been forgiven can be in the presence of an all perfect God. Secondly, even if the sin has been forgiven, it has damaged the mystical body, and reparation is necessary to repair that damage. Christ died to make this reparation possible, but as the individual is responsible for the sin so is the individual to be actively involved in making the required reparation.

The third consideration confirms the truth of reason by divine revelation. St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians makes reference to the need for a cleansing fire before entry into the presence of divinity. In 1 Cor 3:11-15, Paul writes, "for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire [itself] will test the quality of each one's work. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, the person will receive a wage. But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be save, but only as through fire. " The "day" is obviously the day of judgement of the soul. It is clear as well that the soul that is found unworthy because it based its life on a foundation other than Christ, is not necessarily lost. It can be saved through "fire." This fire has traditionally been referred to a state of the soul known as "Purgatory."

Paul refers to Purgatory once again in 1 Cor 5:5, in reference to a member of the Christian community who lived in sin. "you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord." This statement is quite shocking to modern ears, and many would assume that the man is condemned to Hell. That cannot, however, be the case if his "spirit" may be saved on the "day" (of judgment). The man is to be turned over to Satan by being separated from the community of life. He is to be required to live without the life-giving nourishment of the church. How is it, that the "spirit" (assumed to be the mans soul) can be saved? Only if there is solidarity of the church with his soul that can through prayer, penance and alms could be "cleansed," through the "fire" indicted in chapter 3 of 1 Cor. Matthew (12:31) refers to purgatory when he makes reference to sins being forgiven in this world "and the next." It is clear that the evangelists were made aware through divine revelation of the Scriptures that Gods mercy extends beyond death.

For the Christian the fact of Purgatory simply reveals another dimension of Gods mercy. Few of us will know our state of grace at the hour of our death. Even the individual 12 apostles at the last supper, upon hearing Christ state that one of them would betray Him, did not know whether or not it would be them. In a like manner, none of us can be certain of the grace that is necessary for Heaven at any moment of our life. Just so, we can never be assured of the state of another soul at the time of death.

Because the souls in the state of Purgatory are in union with the remaining members of the Body of Christ, it is our responsibility to include them in our prayers and sacrifice. Although we cannot provide them any direct worldly assistance, all that we do in this world that gains God's grace, benefits the whole body, including those in Purgatory.

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM:
ARTICLE No. 1033

We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: "He who does not love, remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." (1 Jn 3:14-15) Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren (Mt. 25:31-46 - Today's Gospel reading). To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him forever by our own free choice. The state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell."

CHOICE OF HELL
Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s

What I chose with my free will
Is Love of God or love to still
That which would bring eternal peace
And joy that would never cease
Why would I chose the bitter pill

The choice I make is mine alone
For every breach, I must atone
Or repair the damage I have done
To God and neighbor in my run
To find fulfillment on my own

It is God's mercy I reject
When I do not give full respect
To Him and what He did create
When His gifts I obviate
When my life and love I misdirect

It's not my brother whom I kill
If to hate him is my will
It is my ownership of hell
Forever with Satan for to dwell
If I reject God to have my fill

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS