
As we Drove down the unlit parts of the M3, we approached a black car with no lights on. My husband flashed his own lights, and we waved and pointed, and flashed again for another 3 miles, we stayed close behind in a bid to protect them. As the black car took the slip road off and we over took, they wound down the windows made lots of fast moving hand gestures and screamed words we couldn’t make out entirely but got the gist of.
“You just can’t help some people” said Dave with a sigh, and we shrugged, laughed a bit and carried on home.
I’m not sure what the driver of that car thought, maybe that we had an issue with him, maybe he knewwwww that his lights were not on and that was his choice. Either way he clearly didn’t want our help.
I wonder how many times the angels and saints have had a similar response from us. Sending warnings and signs that we are in potential danger, to be ignored or worse rejected.
Today is the Feast of All Saints and tomorrow we pray for the Holy souls. A great time to think about that one way ticket out of here that waits for us all. This is the Church telling us, you need to stop driving in the dark if you want to safely reach your intended destination.
Even my most atheist of friends have a sense there’s something more, that there must be a purpose to their existence, it’s a rare person who truly believes that all we see is all we get. When faced with a funeral there is always some sense of knowing that loved one exists still somewhere.
The deliberation comes in the where of the somewhere.
Most faiths have an understanding of heaven and of hell and surprisingly Islam and Judaism also have similar concepts of purgatory (Barzach and Gehenna). An understanding since very ancient times that we are mostly going to fall short of the perfection required for heaven. That if God is good and loving (and He is) then there will be a provision for the majority of us who have at least tried to reach Him in heaven. A state where the requirements of Justice collide with the mercy that pours out from His sacred heart.
But… this isn’t just immensely beautiful, this is very, very clever. Like God level clever.
We have these three states of the church, militant (us here on earth) The suffering (those souls in purgatory being purified by a burning desire for God) and Triumphant ( those who have made it to eternal glory).
The Triumphant are praying for us constantly, flashing headlights to gain our attention, we the militant pray for the Holy souls, releasing more souls into heaven to pray and intercede for us to at least reach purgatory. The offering of those prayers in themselves are purifying us. The Communion reaches beyond the veil because love transcends death.
That leaves just the one other option, and it is that, an option. The whole of heaven is also praying that even the hardest of hearts, the most stubborn amongst us, will in those very last moments of earthly life, choose Him and not eternity without Him. Look at the thieves on the crosses beside Jesus.
I’ve pictured this moment often. That first meeting with Jesus in heaven, I’m happy for that moment to come, So much easier to run full pelt into the arms of the one saying “welcome home, good and faithful servant” if you have some idea of the one saying it.
So I guess I just want to say if you are being irritated by constant Christian posts or seemingly preachy friends and you’ve read this far … just maybe someone is praying for you to get home safely.
#purgatory #saints #Holysouls #christian #catholic #heaven #gospelreflection #feast