FOR THOSE KILLED IN WAR

   We just marked Remembrance Day. The first thing to note is that those killed in war need our prayers, not only our praise.

The passage from the Book of Macchabees in the Old Testament speaks of the great Jewish leader, Judas Maccabaeus, who led a successful revolt against the pagans occupying power in the Holy Land and restored the worship of the God of Israel in Jerusalem.       Although he and his army won the battle, many of his soldiers who died were found to have pagan “lucky charms” on their bodies when they were taken for burial. Judas Maccabaeus called for a sacrifice to be offered to God as a supplication on behalf of these fallen soldiers who had sinned, so that they should not be lost for ever. This means that Judas knew that there was hope for these sinners, even though they had died in sin; and also that the living could assist the dead in being rid of the effects of their sin.

 So, the author of the Book of Macchabees comments: “it is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins.” This is our Catholic faith and understanding: We can help the souls of those who, though sinners, can still find God’s mercy and be cleansed from their sins and the effect of sin which remains in their souls at death.

 Nobody knows how long souls re-main in Purgatory. What “time” in that state between death and heaven is like is difficult for us to assess. Yet since Purgatory is a process in which sinful, yet forgiven, souls become holy and fit for God’s presence, it must take “time” for that change to come about. This change will need to be greater in some souls than others, depending on many circum-stances in their former lives on earth. Our prayers can assist them in undertaking this process.

 That is why it is a charitable and praiseworthy thing for us to have Masses offered, to offer our own prayers and sacrifices, especially during November, for the souls in purgatory—and in particular on this day for all those who died in war. They are most likely to have met death suddenly and without adequate spiritual preparation, just like those for whom Judas Maccabaeus had a sacrifice offered in Jerusalem.                       ~    Fr. Paul Dobson