In this month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, we as Catholics know that the dogma of purgatory is a merciful and just gift from God. Heaven would simply not be Heaven if we died with our souls in the condition that they are.
Many of us still struggle with many sins be it gossip, pride, rash judgement, lust, and so on. Even if we work diligently through God's grace at purifying our souls of even the slightest sins, we may still continue to struggle with our inclinations towards sin: We many a desire to speak an ill comment toward someone; we may experience a desire to watch impure television programs or listen to songs with impure lyrics or cuss words, even though we refrain from actually doing it; we may respond - even if momentarily - interiorly with indignation at criticism directed towards us; we may neglect to fast; we may experience a desire to spew out in cuss words from our frustration, even though we do not actually do that, etc... While we may be avoiding sin in these situations, these are still imperfections of our fallen human nature. We will not find even these inclinations towards sin in heaven. There will be nothing but perfect love. Hence, St. Paul in Hebrews speaks of heaven consisting of the "spirits of the just made perfect." Where could they be "made perfect" if those justified by God's grace has still committed venial sins or had inclinations towards sinful things up until death? How can "nothing unclean enter heaven" (Revelation) if we are sinners and still struggling with sin, most likely even until we die, as Scripture affirms?
Thank God for purgatory where we become purified and "refined by fire" of these venial sins and imperfections so that heaven will be what is should: A place of perfect love. Many times the saint have reminded us to seek to serve our purgatory here on earth.
A beautiful image from the altar of the Chapel of the Souls in Purgatory in the Holy Land. The souls in purgatory are the happiest and most blissful they have ever been, as they have secured heaven. Yet they still must suffer through a "refining fire" to be purified completely of their sins so that they may be made perfect for heaven. This is why Christian tradition, rooted in Scripture, has always prayed for the dead: Because our prayers relieve them and hasten their purification in purgatory so they may more quickly enter into heaven. This is why Masses and funeral Masses are offered for those who die.
Fallen human nature
I think one of the scariest things about our fallen human nature is that we often don't even see all that is broken within us. We often gloss over the possiblity of hidden sins of which we do not know. If we don't earnestly desire to know these things by asking for the light of the Holy Spirit upon them, we may never find out until we die.
The Psalmist David begs God to acquit him of even his hidden faults.
Who can understand sins?
From my secret ones cleanse me, O Lord. - Psalm 19:3
Nothing is hidden before God, but they may be hidden before us by our own blindness and our own self-deception due to our pride.
You have kept our faults before you,
our hidden sins in the light of your face. - Psalm 90:8
The realization of our sins, the sins we commit yet may not be aware of, and our weaknesses due to the flesh and our pride are what should drive us to complete trust and dependence on the Lord and give us a distrust of ourselves, knowing that at any moment we are capable of the greatest sin.
A prayer rooted in this nature should humble us before God and others. And, should we wish to save our soul by cooperating with the graces God gives us, it is necessary to conquer not only the sins we know we commit, but desire the Lord reveal to us the sins and imperfections in which we don't know we are enslaved to. This can be painful for our pride; it is the pride within us that does not want us to seek to know more of our weaknesses. Pride wants us to remain contented with where we are at, satisfied in our own opinions and estimation of things, including ourselves.
As we endeavor to humble ourselves before the Lord, we need to remember that we worship and love a tender, gentle and merciful God if we so choose to humbly follow Him. Jesus Christ tells us that the reason He became man and died on the Cross was not to condemn us, but to save us.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through Him. - John 3:17
The Lord is so gentle when we submit to His designs. As we in our best yet measly and humble efforts strive to draw closer to Him, we fear that He may be harsh or upraid us with a lightning bolt, but this is not so. Now, the Lord has another way with the proud, arrogant and hard of heart and those who resist or reject the truth (which we will not get into here); but it is one with a simple, humble and childlike faith and trust that the Lord says deserves a great place in heaven and the Lord is so tender and merciful towards.
Whoever humbles himself like this child is he greatest in the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 18:4
In my own personal life, I have experienced this tenderness of God, even in the midst of Him convicting me of my sins and bringing them into the light - even those hidden ones. It has always moved me to tears of gratitude, repentance, and tender love. The tears flowed not from any kind of fear, but because it became more clear to me how incredibly loving, how majestic and great, and how perfect the Lord is and there was I: A sinner, unworthy of this incredible love that He still continues to take delight in lavishing upon me. It is only as the Lord peels away more and more layers of our subtle and hidden sins, vainities, pride and arrogance and it is only as the Lord binds up our wounds that we come to see Him more and more as He really is and who we really are. It is incredibly freeing and and truly sets you free to love others more deeply and live more joyfully. It testifies to the words our Lord spoke:
"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." - John 8:32
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His mercy endures forever.
Four simple prayers to draw you closer to the Lord
1. "Lord, let me not deceive myself that I may walk in Your truth."
Probe me, God, know my heart;
try me, know my thoughts.
See if there is a wicked path in me;
lead me along an ancient path.
- Psalm 139:23-24
As sinful humans, we tend to hide behind our pride and esteem ourselves greater than we are. In subconciously seeking to conform God to who we want Him to be, we can easily deceive ourselves into thinking we are justified in God's Presence. We like to project our moral standards onto God; sometimes, we like to project our opinions about things and the way things "should" be onto God rather than submitting all thoughts and opinions under His reign. He will guide us, even if we cannot make sense of every little thing, and He will change and move our hearts.
2. "Lord, remove my blindness."
Again, as sinful human beings, we are blind to things: our own weaknesses or our own sins; sometimes, our own understanding and estimation of things in the world around us or in the Church may be blinded.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9
Walk in humilty.
God sees a bigger picture and looks at things on a completely different plane than we often do. The closer we draw to God by shedding the ways of sin and combatting our imperfections, detaching ourselves of everything save God, the more we will see things as He sees them.
3. "Reveal to me the thing that is holding me back from You right now."
Sometimes, we don't even know what to pray for in the spiritual life. Sometimes, we know there are things keeping us back from the Lord, as we are not perfect, yet we don't know what they are. This simple prayer expresses that yearning to God. It says, "Lord, I want You. I want to be completely united to You, but I know I'm far from You. Show me what's in my way and is keeping me from being closer to You." The Lord, again, is so incredibly gentle in revealing our faults and attachments to us. Praise Him, He is so good.
4. Pray for humility.
Years ago, my spiritual director gave me the "Litany of Humility." I have not stopped praying that each day since. I also encountered another short, beautiful prayer of humility. I will share both here.
Litany of Humility
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me. From the desire of being esteemed...Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, deliver me Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me Jesus.
That other may be loved more than I, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
I remember my friend once explaining that it's not that people are not going to love you, or that you are not going to be respected. What we are praying for is the desire to not seek human praise or respect, nor desire it. We're praying to be rid of any fears of being rebuked, abandoned, hated and the like. This is incredibly freeing. This is true humility: That despite human praise or human contempt, we remain at peace and are not disturbed or swayed either way.
Pride, especially spiritual pride, is the death of the spiritual life. You can find saints' quotes over and over again about the danger of pride. We must diligently work, with God's grace, to weed it out.
Not too long ago I also came across another beautiful prayer of humility on Mark Mallet's blog. It's called The Invisible Prayer.
O Lord, help me decrease so that you may increase,
To be hidden so that You be revealed,
To be forgotten such that You may be remembered,
To be unseen so that You may be seen,
To be little so that You may be magnified,
To be invisible so that You may be made visible.
O God, may I no longer live, but Christ in me. Amen.
How beautiful.
This should be the goal of the Christian interior life: To live so that "it is no longer I who lives, but Christ Who lives in me." So let us, by God's grace, purge away all within us that is an obstacle to God and His love so that we may abide in Him and He in us.
"Remain in Me, as I remain in you...as the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and remain in His love. I have told you this that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete."
~ John 15:4, 9-11