Just One More Mass
This month of November is one dedicated to praying for the dead~ for those souls who are in purgatory. In my post for the feast of All Souls, I mentioned offering Mass for the souls of our departed loved ones. When I read Fr. Mateo's exhortations on the Mass for the conversion of sinners, I found additional meaning in praying for the dead. Those souls who are still walking this earth, but who are doing so in a state of mortal sin are the walking dead. Their situation is much more serious than those who are in purgatory. Those souls are saved; they are simply in need of final purification. Those souls still here, but who have severed their relationship with God through mortal sin are in danger of going to hell if they die in that state. Please note that I said in danger. God's mercy knows no bounds, and none of us knows what occurs between God and a soul at the moment of death. Repentance is possible. However, that is cutting it a bit close.
In reading Fr.Mateo's words about "paying the ransom" for these souls with the Chalice, I realized I can offer these souls to Jesus by placing them in the Chalice at the moment of Consecration. Christ's Precious Blood is the remedy to restore life to these spiritually dead souls.
Now free will does play into this of course. God forces no one to come to Him and love Him, for that would not be true love, but we all know how powerful prayer is and joining that prayer to the Precious Blood of Christ, I believe, intensifies and purifies that prayer.
We all have family or friends who have either strayed from God or who perhaps have never believed in Him. Offer your Masses and your Communions for them. Place them in the Chalice at the Consecration. Give the angels and the saints cause to rejoice over repentant sinners.
I spent much of my life as one of these walking dead. I know it was the prayers and most likely the prayer of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, offered for me by a dear friend, that resurrected my soul to life in Christ. Let us offer just one more Mass and be bold enough to ask God for this miracle.
Well, enough of my own musings on this; here are Fr. Mateo's wise words...
Father Mateo [Crawley-Boevey] had a great appreciation for the value of the Holy Mass. At a talk given in Arizona he said, "Do you know what I am preaching everywhere? I am preaching: Pay the ransom of souls with the Chalice, with the Chalice. The greatest means of converting souls is one more Mass, one more Mass during the week, and, with sacrifice, two or three more Masses; if possible, daily Mass, to pay for the eternal salvation of souls so dear to you. That is the great thing–the Chalice filled with the Precious Blood."
He spoke of the great value of the Mass in converting sinners. "You are asking for a miracle; I approve. But I tell you that you must pay the ransom for the conversions you make. You have a right to ask for such miracles. Do you know what a conversion is? It is the resurrection of a soul. It is far greater to see the resurrection of a soul than the resurrection of a corpse. Oh, one more Mass! Please–one more Mass! Pay the ransom with the Chalice. One more Mass! If you have anyone at home sick, or dying, oh, pay the ransom with the Chalice–one more Mass!"
Comments
As Pope Benedict says, redemption remains an offer of salvation which it is up to us to accept freely. Let us pray for those who died and let us invoke from the Lord the grace to prepare ourselves serenely to depart this world whenever he may desire to call us.
St Teresa of Avila said: we must "beseech God to keep us from all evil! And although our desire for this may not be perfect, let us strive to make the petition. What does it cost us to ask it, since we ask it of One who is so powerful?"
What a good and holy man Fr. Mateo was/is? It's obvious that I am going to have to learn more about him!
Today, before Mass, I prayed the Rosary with a group from my parish for our country and the people in it. Before each Hail Mary we pled the Precious Blood of Christ upon each state and every person in it. I felt so blessed and moved by this Rosary because I also have a devotion to the Precious Blood. I, too, was once one of the walking dead and Jesus' Blood is life giving. Thank you for this post!
I spotlighted your blog on Beautiful Gate, today. Thank you for blogging and loving our Lord so much, Karin. You are an inspiration to me. May God bless you.
Anne- You can follow the link in my post on Fr. Mateo's name for more on him.
Mary- what a powerful rosary you all said. And I firmly believe there is strength in numbers.
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts on this one. Fr. Mateo's words touched me deeply as well which is why I felt the need to post them (along with my own spiritual musings).
Reading the comments above, especially Mary's where she mentions praying the Rosary for "our country", a thought occurred to me. Maybe the reason we're in such a bad state is because not many pray the Rosary for Britain! Plenty of dead souls around here Karinann!
God bless.
Victor- the Rosary is powerful and Our Lady makes many promises to those who pray it. Many miracles have been seen throughout history because of Mary's intercession through the Rosary. Britain and the US desperately need more rosaries prayed.