Our Family in Heaven and in Purgatory

If indeed the Catholic Church is a family with very close ties what about our Family in Heaven and our Family in Purgatory?   Every week we profess at Mass our belief in the Communion of Saints yet never have I heard a sermon on this teaching.    In the Penny Catechism we used to talk about this communion as the Church militant on earth, the Church suffering in Purgatory, and the Church triumphant in Heaven.   In other words the ties that bind us as a family are not broken when we die but endure.   Thus with the saints in Heaven I still have that very special relationship of a close brother or sister and I can look at their lives and be inspired by how they overcame adversity and remained faithful to our brother Jesus.   And I know from what Jesus said about a greater joy in heaven over one sinner who does penance that they are still close to us and indeed cheering us on.   And I can never understand why when we ask people to pray for us on earth there is some thought that if they are dead and closer to God somehow God does not listen or they do not want to interact with us and petition on our behalf.  It is balmy to me.   So I have my favourite brothers and sisters in Heaven whom I turn to in need.   Of course they will petition God on our behalf for anything but we like to chose those who from their lives we feel would understand certain requests.   The gentle St Francis loved all God's creation and that included animals and birds so if we can turn to him when our petition is about creation.   St Therese of Lisieux, a cloistered nun who can deepen our prayer life.  St Francis Xavier who inspires us to spread the Gospel, there are many examples.   But the point we should not lose is how delighted they are when as their brothers and sisters in Christ we turn to them.  Does this offend God or his Son Jesus, I hardly think so.  They so want us to be family and to love and cherish one another.

Then thee are the souls in Purgatory.  We say suffering in Purgatory,   Yes, they do not have the beatific vision yet but they have the joy of knowing that they will one day.   Such terms as purgatory are very hard to grasp.   In the early days of the Church we did not understand that it was how much love we had within us that determined how close we could get to God.  Sin takes away from love so yes we can talk about expiating our sins but only in the sense that we are building up the love within us sin has destroyed and that will eventually enable us to see the face of God.   With the destruction of the idea of the Communion of Saints, what we called the Holy Souls, holy because they are destined for heaven, we ceased to pray for their intentions.  Indeed the idea that anyone could go to any place other than Heaven seems to be rampant in the Church.   It all goes back to that Original Sin which lost us that closeness to God that we all must find again.      

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