Youtube Interviews
In this episode of Roadmap to Heaven, host Adam Wright interviews Father Wade Menezes about the topic of praying for the dead. The importance of praying for the souls in purgatory is emphasized, as it can benefit them and make their intercession for the living more effective. Fr. Wade discusses the significance of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, acknowledging the communion between the three states of the Church.
The conversation turns to the concept of the three states of the Church: the church triumphant (heaven), the church militant (those fighting on Earth), and the church suffering/penitent (Purgatory). Fr. Wade explains that those who are pure and without attachment to sin can enter Heaven immediately, while those who need atonement for their sins go to Purgatory.
Father Menezes delves into the works of mercy, both for the body and the soul, and indulgences in relation to Purgatory. He explains that indulgences can be obtained through specific spiritual works and can be offered for deceased loved ones. He clarifies the consequences of sin, the distinction between mortal and venial sins, and the interconnectedness of sin, indulgences, and Purgatory.
Father Menezes also discusses the importance of regular confession and Sunday Mass attendance as a way to prevent mortal sin and show love for God. He also emphasizes the significance of weekly visits to the blessed sacrament and daily prayers such as the morning offering, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and acts of contrition.
Throughout the episode, Father Menezes emphasizes the importance of praying for the dead, particularly for specific souls in purgatory. He speaks about the mercy of the Purgatory doctrine but admits his own desire to enter Heaven immediately. The relationship between grieving and service is explored, suggesting that grief can be an opportunity to perform acts of service in honor of the deceased.
Adam Wright:
It’s always a treat to talk with Father Wade Menezes. And today, we’re happy to be speaking not just by audio, but by video. And, Father, it’s good to be with you today.
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Well, thank you, Adam. It’s always good to be back with you.
Adam Wright:
I love this season of the year. We’re getting ready for Advent. We’re getting ready soon after that for Christmas, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that we’re still in the month of November, the month that we remember the holy souls. And that’s what we’re talking about today. Father, I know this is a topic you’ve written a lot about. So where would we like to begin talking about the holy souls in Purgatory today?
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Well, we begin with sacred scripture, that it is a holy and pious practice to pray for the dead as 2 Maccabees tells us. Remember, the church teaches very, very beautifully the three states of the church, something that I bring out in my book, The Four Last Things: A Catechetical Guide to Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. There’s the members of the church triumphant in Heaven. Those who have already attained the crown that does not wither. Right? Then there’s the members of the church militant still fighting the good fight on Earth. Right? Confirmation made you a what of Christ, Adam? A soldier of Christ. Right? So the members of the church militant. And then the members of the church suffering, or the members of the church penitent, we forget that title of the holy souls in Purgatory. The members of the church suffering or the members of the church penitent in Purgatory who are being purified to be able to enter Heaven just that: purified. Because only absolute purity and goodness can enter Heaven with no prior attachment to sin. So for those who experienced their earthly death, having already atoned for their temporal punishment due to already forgiven mortal and venial sin that they committed while on earth, they can enter Heaven immediately. But for those who die who do not yet have their temporal punishment yet atoned for, for already forgiven mortal and venial sin at the time of their earthly death, then Purgatory is where those holy souls go. Now they are assured Heaven. Right?
And we begin this talk of the doctrine of the three states of the church where we want to focus today, especially during this half hour, on the members of the church suffering or the members of the church penitent. We begin by looking at the beginning of November itself. We begin with All Saints’ Day on November 1st, honoring in a very special way the members of the church triumphant. All Saints’ Day celebrates all people who already see the face of God in Heaven, whether or not the church has formally canonized them or not. In fact, I like to say, Adam, to my my hearers, my congregants, I have the virtue of hope (one of the three theological virtues: faith hope and charity) I have the virtue of hope that while there are only 8 to 10,000 formally canonized saints by the Catholic church, declarations of such that they are in Heaven. These souls are in Heaven. I have the virtue of hope that there’s more than 8 to 10,000 souls in Heaven, more than just that list of formally canonized. In fact, my virtue of hope expands so much, my virtue of hope tells me that the non-formally canonized probably outnumber the canonized. Now, that’s not church doctrine, but that’s theological conjecture. Because given the history of the world, I have hope that there are more than just 8 to 10,000 souls in Heaven. So All Saints’ Day celebrates all people who already see the face of God in Heaven, whether or not the church has formally canonized them. Right?
Holy Mother Church celebrates this great solemnity to remind us of all those ordinary men and women, who overcoming weakness and temptation and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives, now share in the glory of Jesus Christ forever. These citizens of Heaven are teachers of the Christian faith, guiding us on the path to holiness. Celebrated the day before All Souls Day (November 2nd, the commemoration of all souls) the solemnity of All Saints on November 1st encourages us to rejoice in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit throughout all of human history. Champions of love, the saints in Heaven already enjoy the eternal happiness of God. The celebration of this great solemnity has ancient roots. The commemoration of the martyrs began in the early 4th century and Pope Gregory III chose November 1st as the date of celebration around the year 700. As Catholics, we ask the heavenly intercession of all saints, again, the members of the church triumphant in Heaven, and seek to imitate their lives and virtue so that we too might one day contemplate God with them face to face in what’s called eternal beatitude (or the beatific vision or Heaven for all eternity). The souls of the just are in the hand of God, wisdom chapter 3 verse 1 tells us, and as Pope Francis reminds us, holiness is the most beautiful face of the church. Holiness is the most beautiful face of the church, and that holiness begins now. Now we can die in a state of sanctifying grace, that is with no known mortal sin on our soul, but yet not yet perfectly purified. Okay? Because only absolute purity can enter Heaven.
So on November 2nd, we honor liturgically in a very special way, the members of the church suffering, the members of the church penitent, and we carry on that devotionally throughout the rest of November, which we’re currently in the midst of. This is November 15th when this is being taped with you. So on November 2nd again, we have the example of all holy souls, the members of the church militant ourselves, turned toward God in petition on behalf of the members of the church suffering, the members of the church penitent, those departed souls who are assured of Heaven but must first undergo further purification in Purgatory to prepare them for the vision of God. Again, the beatific vision, eternal beatitude. We trust in God’s mercy, Adam, to deliver these holy souls still detained in Purgatory into the joy of His presence for the prayers and sacrifices that we offer up for them in the here and now while still living on Earth. We remember these poor souls in their need of our aid, confident that they in turn will remember before God when they come to see His face once they enter Heaven. Now, the ancient doctrine of Purgatory, which is scripturally based, both Old and New Testament, by the way, is just that: very, very scripturally based. Right? We members of the church militant offer prayers or suffrages, sacrifices, and sufferings while we’re still living on Earth for the benefit of the holy souls in Purgatory because they can no longer merit for themselves once they experience their earthly death. Now can they pray for us? Yes. Provided we, members of the church militant, are first praying for them.
And I’ll wrap up your initial question here with this from the Catechism of the Catholic church number 958, regarding communion with the dead, a holy and pious communion with the dead. “In full consciousness of this communion of the whole mystical body of Christ, the church and its pilgrim members from the very earliest days of the Christian religion has honored with great respect, the memory of the dead. And because it is a holy and wholesome or pious thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed or freed from their sins, she offers her suffrages for them.” That quote from scripture’s from 2 Maccabees 12:46. Then the Catechism ends number 958, Adam, with this beautiful line. I love it. Number 958. It ends with this: “Our prayer for them”, meaning the prayers of the church militant still living on earth offered for the members of the church suffering or the church penitent and Purgatory. “Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them but of also making their intercession for us effective.” Not more effective, implying that they could already have an effective intercessory power for us even if we weren’t praying for them. No. But our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them but of also making their intercession for us effective. And that’s an important doctrine that has to be remembered also. Number 958 of the Catechism.
Adam Wright:
I want to make sure that I’m understanding that correctly, Father. So let’s just say that I die today, and I am destined for Heaven, but I need to do some time in Purgatory to be cleansed. I could want to pray for you still living on Earth all I want from Purgatory and intercede for you, but unless you specifically are interceding for me, my intercession for you from Purgatory would have zero effect. That’s what you’re saying?
Fr. Wade Menezes:
You’re not even able to pray for me, according to number 958 of the Catechism unless I, as a member of the church militant, am first praying for you. And we could pray for the holy souls in Purgatory individually, like my deceased mother and father, God rest their souls. If they’re there. And if I offer suffrages and prayers for them and they’re not there, if they’ve already entered Heaven, God applies my prayers to the souls in most need. That’s why when I pray for specific souls by name, maybe lost relatives or friends who have already died. I always have the petition: “Lord, if they don’t need these prayers, I ask you through your most sacred heart to offer these prayers to the most forgotten soul in Purgatory who has no one to pray for them.” But here’s the thing, we can pray not only for individual souls, like I just stated, we can pray for all holy souls in Purgatory. How about offering a chaplet of divine mercy for the holy souls or a five-decade Rosary? Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them but of making their intercession for us effective. And so because they can no longer merit for themselves, they can, however, help me in my earthly life that is still on earth living, they can help me if I’m first helping them.
Adam Wright:
I have to take a moment to just kind of recollect here. This is mind-blowing stuff. I really love this, Father, because all of the things I’ve learned about Purgatory and about the last things, you’ve taught me something new today. This is a teaching that I did not know, and I’m very great to know it. Now you just specifically mentioned the chaplet of divine mercy. That is one prayer that we could offer for the holy souls in Purgatory, and I think also of the R osary as another one, what are some of the other things when we talk about interceding for the the poor souls and Purgatory? What can we do?
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Well, there’s the 14 works of mercy, seven for the body, seven for the soul, that you offer for others still here on Earth. But you’re doing it with the intention as a suffrage, a good work, for the holy souls in Purgatory. Right? Not for the works themselves, in and of themselves. No. But for the charity they help foster. That’s important to remember too. How about the 3 eminent good works: prayer, fasting, and armsgiving? I’m going to fast today for the holy souls in Purgatory, let’s say. prayer, fasting, or almsgiving, going to one of these big surplus stores and buying 20 packages of diapers and taking it to the nearest Birthright clinic for unwed mothers, a form of almsgiving. Right? So there’s the 3 eminent good works: prayer, fast, and almsgiving. There’s the 14 works of mercy, seven for the body (known as the corporal works of mercy), seven for the soul (known as the spiritual works of mercy). The list is endless, and this is why I think that the church, wanting us to realize the “communio” (the Latin for communion) between these three states of the church. The church triumphant in Heaven, the church militant still fighting the good fight on Earth, and the members of the church suffering in Purgatory is such an important doctrine. By the way, this three-tiered hierarchy of the church, collectively, is known as the doctrine of the communion of saints. A point that we say we believe in every Sunday at Mass when we recite the creed. “I believe in the communion of saints.” When we say that phrase in the creed, we’re referring to the three states of the church, and that’s important to recall as well.
Adam Wright:
Recently, I was listening to a program, and now of course that I want to recall that, I cannot recall the name. But the priest was talking about the relationship between grieving and service and specifically mentioned if you are grieving the death of a loved one, this is a wonderful invitation to do some service. And now it’s all coming together, Father, that say my wife died and I am grieving her loss and I say, “Lord, I want you to please welcome her into Heaven and if she’s in Purgatory, may she speed through that time?” I could go then to the soup kitchen and do some service in the soup kitchen specifically for that intention, and I love the caveat you have, that if she doesn’t need those prayers, then Lord in your wisdom, please apply them to whoever in Purgatory does need it. This is incredibly beautiful, Father.
Fr. Wade Menezes:
And in addition to the rosary, the chaplet, the three eminent good works, the 14 works of mercy, you can also offer indulgences for the deceased loved one by name. That’s a beautiful thing to do. You can carry out the good works, again, not for the works themselves, but for the charity they help prosper. You can carry out the works of a particular plenary indulgence. A spiritual work. For example, praying the rosary in a public church oratory with others allowed is a spiritual work that has a plenary indulgence attached to it. And provided you have the other four items in place that are common to all partial and plenary indulgences, that is to say confession within 20 days before or 20 days after the day the spiritual work was carried out. Again, I’ll use the praying the rosary allowed in a church or oratory with others as my spiritual work. That’s the spiritual work. Okay? Confession within 20 days before or within 20 days after the day the spiritual work was carried out. Communion on the day of the spiritual work. Prayers for the needs and intentions of the Holy Father the Pope on the day of the spiritual work was carried out. And fifthly, here’s the big one: a personal-willed detachment from all sin, mortal and venial. It doesn’t mean you won’t sin again mortally or venially, but it does mean that you are in such a state that you make frequent and fervent deliberate acts of the will to want to be removed from all sin, mortal and venial.
If those other four regular elements of a plenary or partial indulgence are attached to the fifth element, the spiritual work itself, which is either plenary or partial according to the teaching of the church (and you can get the book of indulgences to find out what 200 plus spiritual acts are and whether they’re plenary or partial) you can offer the plenary indulgence for the deceased loved one. When I carry out the five acts total, the spiritual work itself, and the other four that I just enunciated for a plenary indulgence, I can offer that for myself (still living) to atone for my temporal punishment that still remains for my already forgiven mortal and/or venial sin (that’s already been forgiven), or I can offer that plenary indulgence for a deceased loved one. What I cannot do is offer a plenary or partial indulgence for another living person still on Earth. Why? Because they’re still living. They can still merit for themselves. Okay? I can only offer it for myself (to atone for my own temporal punishment that is still owed for my already forgiven mortal and venial sin) or I can offer it for deceased loved ones. So we need to remember, in the sacrament of penance, and I’m going to give you the sections of the catechism here shortly. But I want your listeners to go read (they’re short sections and they’re very beautiful) how this talk of indulgences is tied to the reality of sin.
When I confess venial and/or mortal sins, or when you confess venial and/or mortal sins, Adam, and you receive absolution from the priest, the guilt is forgiven for those sins. It’s as though you never committed it. No guilt on the soul, but the temporal punishment remains. Why is that? Well, I believe we’ve talked in the past on other episodes. The four categorical consequences due to sin. Sin is messy. There’s personal, social, ecclesial, and cosmic consequences to sin. Personal: when I sin, I work against myself personally. For example, I constrict my growth in virtue. I work against myself when I sin. Socially: I affect my relationship with others when I sin. Right? So the alcoholic husband confesses his alcoholism at his monthly confession, but he still has to make amends to his wife who he was extremely rude to during his drunken bouts. That’s the social aspect of sin, personal sin. There’s ecclesial consequences to sin whenever it’s committed, mortal or venial, that the very body of Christ itself, the church is disrupted. Right? And then, fourthly, there’s cosmic consequences to sin whenever we sin mortally or venially.
You want proof of that? Read the book of Genesis. What happens to the beautiful garden of Eden after the sin of our first parents, the original sin, that ushered in the original sin, that first act of disobedience? The beautiful garden of Eden closes in on itself. Right? So those are the cosmic consequences of sin. And that makes sense because the human person is at the apex of creation. We’re at the top. We’re the only creature made in God’s image and likeness. The gasses in the air, the rocks and the minerals, the vegetative plants, and the beautiful flowers, and crops, and trees, the brute animals like dogs and cats and horses and cattle. All these other forms of creation tell us something about the beauty of God, the greatness of God, but none of these other forms of creation are made in His image and likeness. Only the human person is made in God’s image and likeness. So we’re at the apex of creation, right? Book of Genesis is very clear about that. So doesn’t it make sense, Adam, that if the human person sins mortally or venially, somehow, some way, somehow, some way, somehow, some way, the lower forms of creation, the cosmos, are going to be adversely affected by that.
So, again, the four consequences of sin when it’s committed by an individual, whether mortal or venial, has four categorical consequences: personal, social, ecclesial, and cosmic. What is mortal sin? Three things. Grave matter, done with fullness of knowledge, and done with deliberate consent of your will. If any of those three are missing, or any two of those three are missing, you have a venial sin. And so the the doctrine of sin and its reality that sin can be both deadly and non deadly. New Testament tells us that. There is both sin that is deadly and sin that is not deadly. That’s the church’s justification for her doctrinal teaching on venial sin versus mortal sin. Again, mortal sin being grave matter, done with fullness of knowledge in its grave matter, and done with deliberate consent of your will anyway. All three elements constitute a mortal sin. But if one or two of those three is missing, you have a venial sin because there is sin that is deadly and not deadly. So the doctrine of sin, the doctrine of indulgences, the doctrine of atoning for temporal punishment, are all tied to the doctrine of Purgatory. And I make this very clear again in my book, The Four Last Things: A Catechetical Guide to Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. There’s a few scripture passages, both Old and New Testament that I’d like to cite here in defense of the doctrine of Purgatory, if that’s alright.
Adam Wright:
Oh, please do.
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Okay, sure. So, in the section on the need for purification, I state this (in The Four Last Things). Now let’s turn to Purgatory. First of all, it’s an indisputable fact the Christians from the very earliest times have prayed insistently for the dead, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist from the earliest centuries. It was a universal practice. Such prayer would be useless to those already in full communion with God, such as the martyrs in Heaven or anyone else in Heaven for that matter, And it would also be useless to those who are condemned to Hell, the reprobated, the damned, who are eternally separated from God. So then if we pray for the dead, there has to be an intermediate state. So, then why pray for the dead? Because prayer for the dead is directed to those who are not yet fully purified at the time of their death, and only absolute purity can enter Heaven. This is the ancient faith of the church. Here’s the collection of some scripture passages that refer to the process of purification that we know as Purgatory.
So first, regarding the fact that total purification is necessary in order to enter Heaven. Total purification. Hebrews 12:14, “Strive for peace with all men, and for that holiness without which no one will ever see the Lord.” Strive for peace with all men, and for that holiness, that purity, without which, no one will ever see the Lord. First Peter 1:7, “So that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, which though perishable, is tested by a fire. May redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” So it talks about purification of a fire and yet still seeing God and having union with Jesus Christ after that communication with fire, that interaction with that purifying fire. Right? Acts 14:22, “Through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. Revelations 21:27, “But nothing unclean shall enter paradise.” Nothing unclean shall enter paradise. So if we die still attached to sin, still having earthly attachments to things that were sinful, venially or mortally, at the time of our death, we need to be purified. But if we can get right with God and strive for that holiness now on Earth, we can atone for temporal punishment now.
I like to remind my listeners, Adam, this point as well. It is God’s plan A for you to go straight to Heaven when you die. Purgatory is a very merciful doctrine, but that said, who wants to go there? I don’t want to go there. I want to enter Heaven immediately upon my death. I pray every morning in my morning offering to have the grace to atone for all temporal punishment now while still living on Earth, thereby obtaining the greatest of all graces of entering Heaven immediately on my death. God’s plan B for you, if you want to call it that. His plan B for you would be to go to Purgatory, because at least the holy souls in Purgatory, again, are assured Heaven, right? That said, His plan A for you is to enter Heaven immediately. And then Matthew 5:25 through 26 says this, Adam, “Make friends quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge and the judge to the guard and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, do so now. You will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” Those are words of our Lord. And Luke 12:58 and 59, “As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge and the judge hand you over to the officer and the officer put you inside the prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last copper.”
Okay? And regarding the reality of the degrees of expiation of sins, Matthew 12:31, “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” And “All wrongdoing is sin, but there is such thing that is not mortal.” And that’s 1 John 5:17. There’s sin that is deadly and sin that is not deadly. And of course, Maccabees, “It is a holy and pious practice to pray for the dead.” And I’ve got tons more of scripture passages in here about the reality of temporal punishment. You know, Adam, if I can remind your listeners, this is a quick read. It’s only a hundred pages. Five short chapters: death, judgment, Heaven, Hell, and the fifth chapter is titled “The Necessity of the Spiritual Life”. What a great Advent read. Advent’s about four and a half weeks long, right? Leading us right up to Christmas and the New Year’s celebration. Start this the first week of Advent. It’s only a hundred pages. Take a chapter a week. Death, judgment, Heaven, Hell, and and the necessity of the spiritual life. And make this a great Advent, focusing on the two comings of Christ, which is what the church’s eschatology, the study of the four last things, is all about. Four last things, right? Death, judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Three of which will apply to each one of us personally: death, judgment, Heaven, or Hell. So it’s important to pray for the holy souls in Purgatory, and I want then to be praying for me while I’m still living here on Earth.
Adam Wright:
Father, as we wrap up, I think I’d like to turn to that fifth chapter, the spiritual life. Because as you’ve been talking about this, the image that comes to my mind is one of that movie they made us watch my junior year of high school in theology class, The Mission. The great Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons. The scene of Robert De Niro climbing up the side of the mountain lugging all of his armor that he had used in the capture of the indigenous people as slaves, carrying all of that up the mountain to ask for forgiveness and carrying that heavy load and wondering if in my atonement in trying to be purified of the temporal effects of sin, am I being called to that? Because to be honest, I haven’t had a confessor say, “Now, Adam, for your penance I want you to go carry a heavy load all the way down the street and walk five miles one way and five miles back, whipping yourself as you go.” But I have had several confessors say, “I want you to stay in a daily life of prayer each and every day.” So, sometimes I think we get caught up on grand gestures and grand moments, but it sounds like it’s really those everyday moments of attending to these things faithfully, like your morning offering that you mentioned and that daily Rosary, and the daily chaplet, and going to Mass, and praying for the poor souls. This is the key to it.
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Yeah. It’s living “eternity minded”. That’s what I call it in my book. In fact, I also refer to eternity mindedness and the importance of it in my second book from 2020, Overcoming the Evil Within: The Reality of Sin and the Transforming Power of God’s Grace and Mercy. But in The Four Last Things, I give some steps to help you live eternity minded and what are some of those? Number one: monthly confession, say in honor of the first Friday devotion to the nine first Fridays of the Sacred Heart, or the five first Saturday devotion in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Go to confession monthly. Show me a person who goes to confession monthly, Adam. Faithfully, twelve times a year once a month. Again, say in honor of the first Friday or first Saturday devotions, so the Sacred Heart or Immaculate Heart, respectively. Chances are that person will never have mortal sin to confess. Why? Well, in part, it’s the practice of a monthly confession per se that is keeping them away from mortal sin, and that’s a pretty awesome thing. So monthly confession. Number two: weekly eucharist, meaning Sunday Mass attendance, and it’s obligatory. Every Sunday is a holy day of obligation. It’s obligatory, not because we fear God, but precisely because we love Him with a filial fear, not a servile fear. Right? So monthly confession, weekly Eucharist, how about a weekly visit to the Blessed Sacrament? Whether it’s in a Eucharistic Adoration Chapel where the Eucharist is exposed or maybe not. Maybe it’s just an open church where you go pray before the tabernacle, which houses the Eucharist.
How about the morning offering? I’ve already talked about that. You know, Adam, I pray in my morning offering that the day I do die, whether it’s through a slow demise like cancer, or whether it’s immediate like through a car accident. I pray in my morning offering daily that the day I do die, regardless of how I die, that the day I do die, I will have made a morning offering. That’s how important the morning offering is. Right? So that’s important. The daily Rosary, the daily divine mercy chaplet. Come on now. The five decade Rosary takes about 17 minutes to pray. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy takes about seven minutes to pray. There is no reason, barring ill health, that a person cannot pray both of those beaded prayers each day, either on their own or with their spouse, their family, their loved ones. And for families with small children, Adam, I like to recommend one day Rosary, one day chaplet, one day Rosary, one day chaplet with the family in the evening, say 7 o’clock, before the image of the Sacred Heart or the Immaculate Heart of Mary or whatever. Some some family altar. But one day Rosary, one day chaplet, one day Rosary, one day chaplet, because praying both beaded prayers can be a lot for small ones. Kids, even adolescents, pre teens. So the beauty with alternating night to night is that your children will grow up knowing both staple beaded prayers. And by the way, the kids will especially love, Adam, those chaplet nights, because they’re a little bit shorter than the five decade nights, and they’ll let you know. You’ll be asked, “Daddy, is tonight a chaplet night or a Rosary night?” But those 2 staple beaded prayers are important.
How about fasting according to the mind of the church? Two small meals which together do not quite equal the one regular sustaining meal, and no food in between except for water or medicine that you have to take. Well, heck, that’s pretty easy to do. I pretty much do that each day just for basic health intentions. Let alone with the intention of fasting. Right? Two daily examinations of conscience: the particular examen at midday and the general examen at the end of the day. Close each one with an act of contrition. Right? How about the short fervent aspiratory prayers? Like “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls.” “My guardian angel protect me.” “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us, who have recourse to Thee.” “O sacred heart of Jesus have mercy on us.” “Immaculate heart of Mary pray for us.” “Saint Joseph terror of demons pray for us.” Each time you pass a cemetery, “Eternal rest grant unto them, oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace, amen.” There’s a beautiful prayer each time we pass a cemetery. So the short fervent aspiration prayers, right? And then the use of sacramentals: holy water in the home, a holy water font on the wall by the door that gets used the most by the family. How about wearing the patronal saints medal of your patronal namesake saint, whether it’s your baptismal name or your confirmation namesake saint? Having it blessed.
How about having your home blessed, having your new car blessed, having your pets blessed? Not that the pet becomes a sacramental, but the in part of blessing them is a sacramental, because the sacramental can also be a blessing received or a blessing given, in addition to being an actual artifact, like a Rosary can be a sacramental. The Brown Scapular can be a sacramental. So, but sacramentals are also blessings given and blessings received. So a parent blessing their child just before they leave for college for the first time. A parent blessing their child on the forehead just before they leave for the military. One of the most beautiful wedding gestures I saw at a Catholic wedding was once the father walked up his daughter to receive the hand of the groom, his future son-in-law. And the father grabbed both hands and placed them together in one another, the bride and groom. But just before he did that, when he arrived at the front of the aisle with his daughter, father and daughter turned and they faced each other, she went down on one knee. And the father pulled back her veil and gave her his final blessing as her father before her marriage, something that he did throughout her lifetime. And he gave her a blessing, and then he put the veil back down, and he helped her get back up. And then he joined her hand to his future son in law’s hand. There was no kiss of the bride and groom. Judas betrayed with a kiss for crying out loud. Right? But kisses mean nothing. Or they can or cannot mean nothing. This father didn’t kiss his daughter. He gave her her final blessing. How beautiful is that? So again, the use of sacramentals. So again, we need to live eternity minded, Adam, eternity minded, and that’s a phrase that I love.
Adam Wright:
Alright. Well, Father Wade, I am grateful for the time you spent with us today. I always enjoy our conversations and friends, while we’re talking about this in November, this is the beauty of the internet, the podcast, the video that we can go back to this time and time again. Because it’s work not limited to this month of November. It’s work for the entire calendar year. Father Wade, as we always do, could I ask you to close our time together with a prayer?
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Yes. And before I do that, Adam, may I tell your listeners, what sections of the catechism to go to on all of these topics we’ve talked about today, especially regarding the holy souls in Purgatory, the dead praying for them and indulgences. Numbers 1030 through 1032. And then 1468 all the way through 1479. Those are the sections I want your listeners to go to and use as meditation pieces, on everything we talked about today. Adam, may the blessing of almighty God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit descend upon you and all your listeners at Covenant Network and remain with each and every one of you, this day and always. And as my ink pen says, Saint Joseph terror of demons. Pray for us. Adam, I’ve got to get you one of these next time I see you.
Adam Wright:
I look forward to it, Father. Thank you so much for the time with us today.
Fr. Wade Menezes:
You’re welcome. God bless you now.
Adam Wright:
It’s always a treat to talk with Father Wade Menezes. And today, we’re happy to be speaking not just by audio, but by video. And, Father, it’s good to be with you today.
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Well, thank you, Adam. It’s always good to be back with you.
Adam Wright:
I love this season of the year. We’re getting ready for Advent. We’re getting ready soon after that for Christmas, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that we’re still in the month of November, the month that we remember the holy souls. And that’s what we’re talking about today. Father, I know this is a topic you’ve written a lot about. So where would we like to begin talking about the holy souls in Purgatory today?
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Well, we begin with sacred scripture, that it is a holy and pious practice to pray for the dead as 2 Maccabees tells us. Remember, the church teaches very, very beautifully the three states of the church, something that I bring out in my book, The Four Last Things: A Catechetical Guide to Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. There’s the members of the church triumphant in Heaven. Those who have already attained the crown that does not wither. Right? Then there’s the members of the church militant still fighting the good fight on Earth. Right? Confirmation made you a what of Christ, Adam? A soldier of Christ. Right? So the members of the church militant. And then the members of the church suffering, or the members of the church penitent, we forget that title of the holy souls in Purgatory. The members of the church suffering or the members of the church penitent in Purgatory who are being purified to be able to enter Heaven just that: purified. Because only absolute purity and goodness can enter Heaven with no prior attachment to sin. So for those who experienced their earthly death, having already atoned for their temporal punishment due to already forgiven mortal and venial sin that they committed while on earth, they can enter Heaven immediately. But for those who die who do not yet have their temporal punishment yet atoned for, for already forgiven mortal and venial sin at the time of their earthly death, then Purgatory is where those holy souls go. Now they are assured Heaven. Right?
And we begin this talk of the doctrine of the three states of the church where we want to focus today, especially during this half hour, on the members of the church suffering or the members of the church penitent. We begin by looking at the beginning of November itself. We begin with All Saints’ Day on November 1st, honoring in a very special way the members of the church triumphant. All Saints’ Day celebrates all people who already see the face of God in Heaven, whether or not the church has formally canonized them or not. In fact, I like to say, Adam, to my my hearers, my congregants, I have the virtue of hope (one of the three theological virtues: faith hope and charity) I have the virtue of hope that while there are only 8 to 10,000 formally canonized saints by the Catholic church, declarations of such that they are in Heaven. These souls are in Heaven. I have the virtue of hope that there’s more than 8 to 10,000 souls in Heaven, more than just that list of formally canonized. In fact, my virtue of hope expands so much, my virtue of hope tells me that the non-formally canonized probably outnumber the canonized. Now, that’s not church doctrine, but that’s theological conjecture. Because given the history of the world, I have hope that there are more than just 8 to 10,000 souls in Heaven. So All Saints’ Day celebrates all people who already see the face of God in Heaven, whether or not the church has formally canonized them. Right?
Holy Mother Church celebrates this great solemnity to remind us of all those ordinary men and women, who overcoming weakness and temptation and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives, now share in the glory of Jesus Christ forever. These citizens of Heaven are teachers of the Christian faith, guiding us on the path to holiness. Celebrated the day before All Souls Day (November 2nd, the commemoration of all souls) the solemnity of All Saints on November 1st encourages us to rejoice in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit throughout all of human history. Champions of love, the saints in Heaven already enjoy the eternal happiness of God. The celebration of this great solemnity has ancient roots. The commemoration of the martyrs began in the early 4th century and Pope Gregory III chose November 1st as the date of celebration around the year 700. As Catholics, we ask the heavenly intercession of all saints, again, the members of the church triumphant in Heaven, and seek to imitate their lives and virtue so that we too might one day contemplate God with them face to face in what’s called eternal beatitude (or the beatific vision or Heaven for all eternity). The souls of the just are in the hand of God, wisdom chapter 3 verse 1 tells us, and as Pope Francis reminds us, holiness is the most beautiful face of the church. Holiness is the most beautiful face of the church, and that holiness begins now. Now we can die in a state of sanctifying grace, that is with no known mortal sin on our soul, but yet not yet perfectly purified. Okay? Because only absolute purity can enter Heaven.
So on November 2nd, we honor liturgically in a very special way, the members of the church suffering, the members of the church penitent, and we carry on that devotionally throughout the rest of November, which we’re currently in the midst of. This is November 15th when this is being taped with you. So on November 2nd again, we have the example of all holy souls, the members of the church militant ourselves, turned toward God in petition on behalf of the members of the church suffering, the members of the church penitent, those departed souls who are assured of Heaven but must first undergo further purification in Purgatory to prepare them for the vision of God. Again, the beatific vision, eternal beatitude. We trust in God’s mercy, Adam, to deliver these holy souls still detained in Purgatory into the joy of His presence for the prayers and sacrifices that we offer up for them in the here and now while still living on Earth. We remember these poor souls in their need of our aid, confident that they in turn will remember before God when they come to see His face once they enter Heaven. Now, the ancient doctrine of Purgatory, which is scripturally based, both Old and New Testament, by the way, is just that: very, very scripturally based. Right? We members of the church militant offer prayers or suffrages, sacrifices, and sufferings while we’re still living on Earth for the benefit of the holy souls in Purgatory because they can no longer merit for themselves once they experience their earthly death. Now can they pray for us? Yes. Provided we, members of the church militant, are first praying for them.
And I’ll wrap up your initial question here with this from the Catechism of the Catholic church number 958, regarding communion with the dead, a holy and pious communion with the dead. “In full consciousness of this communion of the whole mystical body of Christ, the church and its pilgrim members from the very earliest days of the Christian religion has honored with great respect, the memory of the dead. And because it is a holy and wholesome or pious thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed or freed from their sins, she offers her suffrages for them.” That quote from scripture’s from 2 Maccabees 12:46. Then the Catechism ends number 958, Adam, with this beautiful line. I love it. Number 958. It ends with this: “Our prayer for them”, meaning the prayers of the church militant still living on earth offered for the members of the church suffering or the church penitent and Purgatory. “Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them but of also making their intercession for us effective.” Not more effective, implying that they could already have an effective intercessory power for us even if we weren’t praying for them. No. But our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them but of also making their intercession for us effective. And that’s an important doctrine that has to be remembered also. Number 958 of the Catechism.
Adam Wright:
I want to make sure that I’m understanding that correctly, Father. So let’s just say that I die today, and I am destined for Heaven, but I need to do some time in Purgatory to be cleansed. I could want to pray for you still living on Earth all I want from Purgatory and intercede for you, but unless you specifically are interceding for me, my intercession for you from Purgatory would have zero effect. That’s what you’re saying?
Fr. Wade Menezes:
You’re not even able to pray for me, according to number 958 of the Catechism unless I, as a member of the church militant, am first praying for you. And we could pray for the holy souls in Purgatory individually, like my deceased mother and father, God rest their souls. If they’re there. And if I offer suffrages and prayers for them and they’re not there, if they’ve already entered Heaven, God applies my prayers to the souls in most need. That’s why when I pray for specific souls by name, maybe lost relatives or friends who have already died. I always have the petition: “Lord, if they don’t need these prayers, I ask you through your most sacred heart to offer these prayers to the most forgotten soul in Purgatory who has no one to pray for them.” But here’s the thing, we can pray not only for individual souls, like I just stated, we can pray for all holy souls in Purgatory. How about offering a chaplet of divine mercy for the holy souls or a five-decade Rosary? Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them but of making their intercession for us effective. And so because they can no longer merit for themselves, they can, however, help me in my earthly life that is still on earth living, they can help me if I’m first helping them.
Adam Wright:
I have to take a moment to just kind of recollect here. This is mind-blowing stuff. I really love this, Father, because all of the things I’ve learned about Purgatory and about the last things, you’ve taught me something new today. This is a teaching that I did not know, and I’m very great to know it. Now you just specifically mentioned the chaplet of divine mercy. That is one prayer that we could offer for the holy souls in Purgatory, and I think also of the R osary as another one, what are some of the other things when we talk about interceding for the the poor souls and Purgatory? What can we do?
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Well, there’s the 14 works of mercy, seven for the body, seven for the soul, that you offer for others still here on Earth. But you’re doing it with the intention as a suffrage, a good work, for the holy souls in Purgatory. Right? Not for the works themselves, in and of themselves. No. But for the charity they help foster. That’s important to remember too. How about the 3 eminent good works: prayer, fasting, and armsgiving? I’m going to fast today for the holy souls in Purgatory, let’s say. prayer, fasting, or almsgiving, going to one of these big surplus stores and buying 20 packages of diapers and taking it to the nearest Birthright clinic for unwed mothers, a form of almsgiving. Right? So there’s the 3 eminent good works: prayer, fast, and almsgiving. There’s the 14 works of mercy, seven for the body (known as the corporal works of mercy), seven for the soul (known as the spiritual works of mercy). The list is endless, and this is why I think that the church, wanting us to realize the “communio” (the Latin for communion) between these three states of the church. The church triumphant in Heaven, the church militant still fighting the good fight on Earth, and the members of the church suffering in Purgatory is such an important doctrine. By the way, this three-tiered hierarchy of the church, collectively, is known as the doctrine of the communion of saints. A point that we say we believe in every Sunday at Mass when we recite the creed. “I believe in the communion of saints.” When we say that phrase in the creed, we’re referring to the three states of the church, and that’s important to recall as well.
Adam Wright:
Recently, I was listening to a program, and now of course that I want to recall that, I cannot recall the name. But the priest was talking about the relationship between grieving and service and specifically mentioned if you are grieving the death of a loved one, this is a wonderful invitation to do some service. And now it’s all coming together, Father, that say my wife died and I am grieving her loss and I say, “Lord, I want you to please welcome her into Heaven and if she’s in Purgatory, may she speed through that time?” I could go then to the soup kitchen and do some service in the soup kitchen specifically for that intention, and I love the caveat you have, that if she doesn’t need those prayers, then Lord in your wisdom, please apply them to whoever in Purgatory does need it. This is incredibly beautiful, Father.
Fr. Wade Menezes:
And in addition to the rosary, the chaplet, the three eminent good works, the 14 works of mercy, you can also offer indulgences for the deceased loved one by name. That’s a beautiful thing to do. You can carry out the good works, again, not for the works themselves, but for the charity they help prosper. You can carry out the works of a particular plenary indulgence. A spiritual work. For example, praying the rosary in a public church oratory with others allowed is a spiritual work that has a plenary indulgence attached to it. And provided you have the other four items in place that are common to all partial and plenary indulgences, that is to say confession within 20 days before or 20 days after the day the spiritual work was carried out. Again, I’ll use the praying the rosary allowed in a church or oratory with others as my spiritual work. That’s the spiritual work. Okay? Confession within 20 days before or within 20 days after the day the spiritual work was carried out. Communion on the day of the spiritual work. Prayers for the needs and intentions of the Holy Father the Pope on the day of the spiritual work was carried out. And fifthly, here’s the big one: a personal-willed detachment from all sin, mortal and venial. It doesn’t mean you won’t sin again mortally or venially, but it does mean that you are in such a state that you make frequent and fervent deliberate acts of the will to want to be removed from all sin, mortal and venial.
If those other four regular elements of a plenary or partial indulgence are attached to the fifth element, the spiritual work itself, which is either plenary or partial according to the teaching of the church (and you can get the book of indulgences to find out what 200 plus spiritual acts are and whether they’re plenary or partial) you can offer the plenary indulgence for the deceased loved one. When I carry out the five acts total, the spiritual work itself, and the other four that I just enunciated for a plenary indulgence, I can offer that for myself (still living) to atone for my temporal punishment that still remains for my already forgiven mortal and/or venial sin (that’s already been forgiven), or I can offer that plenary indulgence for a deceased loved one. What I cannot do is offer a plenary or partial indulgence for another living person still on Earth. Why? Because they’re still living. They can still merit for themselves. Okay? I can only offer it for myself (to atone for my own temporal punishment that is still owed for my already forgiven mortal and venial sin) or I can offer it for deceased loved ones. So we need to remember, in the sacrament of penance, and I’m going to give you the sections of the catechism here shortly. But I want your listeners to go read (they’re short sections and they’re very beautiful) how this talk of indulgences is tied to the reality of sin.
When I confess venial and/or mortal sins, or when you confess venial and/or mortal sins, Adam, and you receive absolution from the priest, the guilt is forgiven for those sins. It’s as though you never committed it. No guilt on the soul, but the temporal punishment remains. Why is that? Well, I believe we’ve talked in the past on other episodes. The four categorical consequences due to sin. Sin is messy. There’s personal, social, ecclesial, and cosmic consequences to sin. Personal: when I sin, I work against myself personally. For example, I constrict my growth in virtue. I work against myself when I sin. Socially: I affect my relationship with others when I sin. Right? So the alcoholic husband confesses his alcoholism at his monthly confession, but he still has to make amends to his wife who he was extremely rude to during his drunken bouts. That’s the social aspect of sin, personal sin. There’s ecclesial consequences to sin whenever it’s committed, mortal or venial, that the very body of Christ itself, the church is disrupted. Right? And then, fourthly, there’s cosmic consequences to sin whenever we sin mortally or venially.
You want proof of that? Read the book of Genesis. What happens to the beautiful garden of Eden after the sin of our first parents, the original sin, that ushered in the original sin, that first act of disobedience? The beautiful garden of Eden closes in on itself. Right? So those are the cosmic consequences of sin. And that makes sense because the human person is at the apex of creation. We’re at the top. We’re the only creature made in God’s image and likeness. The gasses in the air, the rocks and the minerals, the vegetative plants, and the beautiful flowers, and crops, and trees, the brute animals like dogs and cats and horses and cattle. All these other forms of creation tell us something about the beauty of God, the greatness of God, but none of these other forms of creation are made in His image and likeness. Only the human person is made in God’s image and likeness. So we’re at the apex of creation, right? Book of Genesis is very clear about that. So doesn’t it make sense, Adam, that if the human person sins mortally or venially, somehow, some way, somehow, some way, somehow, some way, the lower forms of creation, the cosmos, are going to be adversely affected by that.
So, again, the four consequences of sin when it’s committed by an individual, whether mortal or venial, has four categorical consequences: personal, social, ecclesial, and cosmic. What is mortal sin? Three things. Grave matter, done with fullness of knowledge, and done with deliberate consent of your will. If any of those three are missing, or any two of those three are missing, you have a venial sin. And so the the doctrine of sin and its reality that sin can be both deadly and non deadly. New Testament tells us that. There is both sin that is deadly and sin that is not deadly. That’s the church’s justification for her doctrinal teaching on venial sin versus mortal sin. Again, mortal sin being grave matter, done with fullness of knowledge in its grave matter, and done with deliberate consent of your will anyway. All three elements constitute a mortal sin. But if one or two of those three is missing, you have a venial sin because there is sin that is deadly and not deadly. So the doctrine of sin, the doctrine of indulgences, the doctrine of atoning for temporal punishment, are all tied to the doctrine of Purgatory. And I make this very clear again in my book, The Four Last Things: A Catechetical Guide to Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. There’s a few scripture passages, both Old and New Testament that I’d like to cite here in defense of the doctrine of Purgatory, if that’s alright.
Adam Wright:
Oh, please do.
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Okay, sure. So, in the section on the need for purification, I state this (in The Four Last Things). Now let’s turn to Purgatory. First of all, it’s an indisputable fact the Christians from the very earliest times have prayed insistently for the dead, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist from the earliest centuries. It was a universal practice. Such prayer would be useless to those already in full communion with God, such as the martyrs in Heaven or anyone else in Heaven for that matter, And it would also be useless to those who are condemned to Hell, the reprobated, the damned, who are eternally separated from God. So then if we pray for the dead, there has to be an intermediate state. So, then why pray for the dead? Because prayer for the dead is directed to those who are not yet fully purified at the time of their death, and only absolute purity can enter Heaven. This is the ancient faith of the church. Here’s the collection of some scripture passages that refer to the process of purification that we know as Purgatory.
So first, regarding the fact that total purification is necessary in order to enter Heaven. Total purification. Hebrews 12:14, “Strive for peace with all men, and for that holiness without which no one will ever see the Lord.” Strive for peace with all men, and for that holiness, that purity, without which, no one will ever see the Lord. First Peter 1:7, “So that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, which though perishable, is tested by a fire. May redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” So it talks about purification of a fire and yet still seeing God and having union with Jesus Christ after that communication with fire, that interaction with that purifying fire. Right? Acts 14:22, “Through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. Revelations 21:27, “But nothing unclean shall enter paradise.” Nothing unclean shall enter paradise. So if we die still attached to sin, still having earthly attachments to things that were sinful, venially or mortally, at the time of our death, we need to be purified. But if we can get right with God and strive for that holiness now on Earth, we can atone for temporal punishment now.
I like to remind my listeners, Adam, this point as well. It is God’s plan A for you to go straight to Heaven when you die. Purgatory is a very merciful doctrine, but that said, who wants to go there? I don’t want to go there. I want to enter Heaven immediately upon my death. I pray every morning in my morning offering to have the grace to atone for all temporal punishment now while still living on Earth, thereby obtaining the greatest of all graces of entering Heaven immediately on my death. God’s plan B for you, if you want to call it that. His plan B for you would be to go to Purgatory, because at least the holy souls in Purgatory, again, are assured Heaven, right? That said, His plan A for you is to enter Heaven immediately. And then Matthew 5:25 through 26 says this, Adam, “Make friends quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge and the judge to the guard and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, do so now. You will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” Those are words of our Lord. And Luke 12:58 and 59, “As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge and the judge hand you over to the officer and the officer put you inside the prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last copper.”
Okay? And regarding the reality of the degrees of expiation of sins, Matthew 12:31, “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” And “All wrongdoing is sin, but there is such thing that is not mortal.” And that’s 1 John 5:17. There’s sin that is deadly and sin that is not deadly. And of course, Maccabees, “It is a holy and pious practice to pray for the dead.” And I’ve got tons more of scripture passages in here about the reality of temporal punishment. You know, Adam, if I can remind your listeners, this is a quick read. It’s only a hundred pages. Five short chapters: death, judgment, Heaven, Hell, and the fifth chapter is titled “The Necessity of the Spiritual Life”. What a great Advent read. Advent’s about four and a half weeks long, right? Leading us right up to Christmas and the New Year’s celebration. Start this the first week of Advent. It’s only a hundred pages. Take a chapter a week. Death, judgment, Heaven, Hell, and and the necessity of the spiritual life. And make this a great Advent, focusing on the two comings of Christ, which is what the church’s eschatology, the study of the four last things, is all about. Four last things, right? Death, judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Three of which will apply to each one of us personally: death, judgment, Heaven, or Hell. So it’s important to pray for the holy souls in Purgatory, and I want then to be praying for me while I’m still living here on Earth.
Adam Wright:
Father, as we wrap up, I think I’d like to turn to that fifth chapter, the spiritual life. Because as you’ve been talking about this, the image that comes to my mind is one of that movie they made us watch my junior year of high school in theology class, The Mission. The great Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons. The scene of Robert De Niro climbing up the side of the mountain lugging all of his armor that he had used in the capture of the indigenous people as slaves, carrying all of that up the mountain to ask for forgiveness and carrying that heavy load and wondering if in my atonement in trying to be purified of the temporal effects of sin, am I being called to that? Because to be honest, I haven’t had a confessor say, “Now, Adam, for your penance I want you to go carry a heavy load all the way down the street and walk five miles one way and five miles back, whipping yourself as you go.” But I have had several confessors say, “I want you to stay in a daily life of prayer each and every day.” So, sometimes I think we get caught up on grand gestures and grand moments, but it sounds like it’s really those everyday moments of attending to these things faithfully, like your morning offering that you mentioned and that daily Rosary, and the daily chaplet, and going to Mass, and praying for the poor souls. This is the key to it.
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Yeah. It’s living “eternity minded”. That’s what I call it in my book. In fact, I also refer to eternity mindedness and the importance of it in my second book from 2020, Overcoming the Evil Within: The Reality of Sin and the Transforming Power of God’s Grace and Mercy. But in The Four Last Things, I give some steps to help you live eternity minded and what are some of those? Number one: monthly confession, say in honor of the first Friday devotion to the nine first Fridays of the Sacred Heart, or the five first Saturday devotion in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Go to confession monthly. Show me a person who goes to confession monthly, Adam. Faithfully, twelve times a year once a month. Again, say in honor of the first Friday or first Saturday devotions, so the Sacred Heart or Immaculate Heart, respectively. Chances are that person will never have mortal sin to confess. Why? Well, in part, it’s the practice of a monthly confession per se that is keeping them away from mortal sin, and that’s a pretty awesome thing. So monthly confession. Number two: weekly eucharist, meaning Sunday Mass attendance, and it’s obligatory. Every Sunday is a holy day of obligation. It’s obligatory, not because we fear God, but precisely because we love Him with a filial fear, not a servile fear. Right? So monthly confession, weekly Eucharist, how about a weekly visit to the Blessed Sacrament? Whether it’s in a Eucharistic Adoration Chapel where the Eucharist is exposed or maybe not. Maybe it’s just an open church where you go pray before the tabernacle, which houses the Eucharist.
How about the morning offering? I’ve already talked about that. You know, Adam, I pray in my morning offering that the day I do die, whether it’s through a slow demise like cancer, or whether it’s immediate like through a car accident. I pray in my morning offering daily that the day I do die, regardless of how I die, that the day I do die, I will have made a morning offering. That’s how important the morning offering is. Right? So that’s important. The daily Rosary, the daily divine mercy chaplet. Come on now. The five decade Rosary takes about 17 minutes to pray. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy takes about seven minutes to pray. There is no reason, barring ill health, that a person cannot pray both of those beaded prayers each day, either on their own or with their spouse, their family, their loved ones. And for families with small children, Adam, I like to recommend one day Rosary, one day chaplet, one day Rosary, one day chaplet with the family in the evening, say 7 o’clock, before the image of the Sacred Heart or the Immaculate Heart of Mary or whatever. Some some family altar. But one day Rosary, one day chaplet, one day Rosary, one day chaplet, because praying both beaded prayers can be a lot for small ones. Kids, even adolescents, pre teens. So the beauty with alternating night to night is that your children will grow up knowing both staple beaded prayers. And by the way, the kids will especially love, Adam, those chaplet nights, because they’re a little bit shorter than the five decade nights, and they’ll let you know. You’ll be asked, “Daddy, is tonight a chaplet night or a Rosary night?” But those 2 staple beaded prayers are important.
How about fasting according to the mind of the church? Two small meals which together do not quite equal the one regular sustaining meal, and no food in between except for water or medicine that you have to take. Well, heck, that’s pretty easy to do. I pretty much do that each day just for basic health intentions. Let alone with the intention of fasting. Right? Two daily examinations of conscience: the particular examen at midday and the general examen at the end of the day. Close each one with an act of contrition. Right? How about the short fervent aspiratory prayers? Like “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls.” “My guardian angel protect me.” “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us, who have recourse to Thee.” “O sacred heart of Jesus have mercy on us.” “Immaculate heart of Mary pray for us.” “Saint Joseph terror of demons pray for us.” Each time you pass a cemetery, “Eternal rest grant unto them, oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace, amen.” There’s a beautiful prayer each time we pass a cemetery. So the short fervent aspiration prayers, right? And then the use of sacramentals: holy water in the home, a holy water font on the wall by the door that gets used the most by the family. How about wearing the patronal saints medal of your patronal namesake saint, whether it’s your baptismal name or your confirmation namesake saint? Having it blessed.
How about having your home blessed, having your new car blessed, having your pets blessed? Not that the pet becomes a sacramental, but the in part of blessing them is a sacramental, because the sacramental can also be a blessing received or a blessing given, in addition to being an actual artifact, like a Rosary can be a sacramental. The Brown Scapular can be a sacramental. So, but sacramentals are also blessings given and blessings received. So a parent blessing their child just before they leave for college for the first time. A parent blessing their child on the forehead just before they leave for the military. One of the most beautiful wedding gestures I saw at a Catholic wedding was once the father walked up his daughter to receive the hand of the groom, his future son-in-law. And the father grabbed both hands and placed them together in one another, the bride and groom. But just before he did that, when he arrived at the front of the aisle with his daughter, father and daughter turned and they faced each other, she went down on one knee. And the father pulled back her veil and gave her his final blessing as her father before her marriage, something that he did throughout her lifetime. And he gave her a blessing, and then he put the veil back down, and he helped her get back up. And then he joined her hand to his future son in law’s hand. There was no kiss of the bride and groom. Judas betrayed with a kiss for crying out loud. Right? But kisses mean nothing. Or they can or cannot mean nothing. This father didn’t kiss his daughter. He gave her her final blessing. How beautiful is that? So again, the use of sacramentals. So again, we need to live eternity minded, Adam, eternity minded, and that’s a phrase that I love.
Adam Wright:
Alright. Well, Father Wade, I am grateful for the time you spent with us today. I always enjoy our conversations and friends, while we’re talking about this in November, this is the beauty of the internet, the podcast, the video that we can go back to this time and time again. Because it’s work not limited to this month of November. It’s work for the entire calendar year. Father Wade, as we always do, could I ask you to close our time together with a prayer?
Fr. Wade Menezes:
Yes. And before I do that, Adam, may I tell your listeners, what sections of the catechism to go to on all of these topics we’ve talked about today, especially regarding the holy souls in Purgatory, the dead praying for them and indulgences. Numbers 1030 through 1032. And then 1468 all the way through 1479. Those are the sections I want your listeners to go to and use as meditation pieces, on everything we talked about today. Adam, may the blessing of almighty God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit descend upon you and all your listeners at Covenant Network and remain with each and every one of you, this day and always. And as my ink pen says, Saint Joseph terror of demons. Pray for us. Adam, I’ve got to get you one of these next time I see you.
Adam Wright:
I look forward to it, Father. Thank you so much for the time with us today.
Fr. Wade Menezes:
You’re welcome. God bless you now.
In this episode of Roadmap to Heaven, host Adam Wright interviews Father Wade Menezes about the topic of praying for the dead. The importance of praying for the souls in purgatory is emphasized, as it can benefit them and make their intercession for the living more effective. Fr. Wade discusses the significance of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, acknowledging the communion between the three states of the Church.
The conversation turns to the concept of the three states of the Church: the church triumphant (heaven), the church militant (those fighting on Earth), and the church suffering/penitent (Purgatory). Fr. Wade explains that those who are pure and without attachment to sin can enter Heaven immediately, while those who need atonement for their sins go to Purgatory.
Father Menezes delves into the works of mercy, both for the body and the soul, and indulgences in relation to Purgatory. He explains that indulgences can be obtained through specific spiritual works and can be offered for deceased loved ones. He clarifies the consequences of sin, the distinction between mortal and venial sins, and the interconnectedness of sin, indulgences, and Purgatory.
Father Menezes also discusses the importance of regular confession and Sunday Mass attendance as a way to prevent mortal sin and show love for God. He also emphasizes the significance of weekly visits to the blessed sacrament and daily prayers such as the morning offering, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and acts of contrition.
Throughout the episode, Father Menezes emphasizes the importance of praying for the dead, particularly for specific souls in purgatory. He speaks about the mercy of the Purgatory doctrine but admits his own desire to enter Heaven immediately. The relationship between grieving and service is explored, suggesting that grief can be an opportunity to perform acts of service in honor of the deceased.
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