Daemons Domain – All Souls Trilogy Online Fanzine + Podcast: November 2015
We are going to get our geek going with a more somber topic than our last Weekly Geek. We covered Halloween and the fun traditions that originated from both Pagan and Christian origins. Today, we are going to take a closer look at Matthew Clairmont’s faith a bit. And maybe we’ll be able to gain some insight into what has troubled the man for so many years…
Today is All Souls’ Day. We’re celebrating Matthew Clairmont’s birthday (as opposed to his re-birthday) this week! Matthew is a a Scorpio born on the day the Catholic Church has designated as a day of prayer for all of the souls in Purgatory (as opposed to All Saints’ Day which honors those who have gone to Heaven). Coincidence, much? The poster boy for self-loathing was born on All Souls’ Day(!) His vampiric life, up to the point he meets Diana, is for all intents and purposes, something he sees as his personal Purgatory. The best (and by best, we actually mean ironic) part is we, as readers, finally learn this after he finally learns to forgive himself.
Purgatory
*Begin Daemonic Lesson: Given that this Daemon’s Vatican II driven Catechism class was concentrated more on macaroni crosses and guitar mass than hard core theological instruction, we will rely on www.integratedcatholiclife.org for a simple explanation of Purgatory. Simply stated, if one dies in a state of Sanctifying Grace – that is, if they are “saved” when they pass to the next life – there remains the possibility of “spending time in” Purgatory before entering Heaven. It is important to recognize that Purgatory is not a “second chance” at salvation. If one should die separated from God, there is no second chance. “Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27).
| Fresco depicting souls leaving Purgatory by Luca Signorelli |
God’s mercy is not supposed to overlook imperfections and sin; it’s purpose is to remove them and repair the damage. The Merciful Father welcomed home the Prodigal Son, and his sins were forgiven. This is usually seen in relation to our conversion, repentance and forgiveness received on earth in this life. We can also see elements that can point to Purgatory. Consider the son’s anguished journey home, arising and traveling a great distance from that “far country.” Seen in the context of the next life, there is not necessarily an immediate admittance to the Beatific Vision. A painful journey, or cleansing, may still be in our future. The Father waits with open arms, but we must still travel to Him (does this remind you of certain journey Matthew made to Philippe?). The son was forgiven from the moment he sought forgiveness, but the journey home was not yet complete. Doesn’t Sacramental Confession remove sin? Aren’t we forgiven?
Yes, we are forgiven. Our sins are absolved when we make a good confession, however there are two punishments due to sin. Which punishment does Confession remit? The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say: “To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the “eternal punishment” of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the “temporal punishment” of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.” (CCC 1472)
So, there are two types of punishment due to sin, eternal and temporal. It is the eternal punishments that are forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The doctrine of Purgatory is a dogma of the Church and must be given the assent of faith. Those who die in a state of grace, but who still suffer from unforgivable venial sins, attachments to sin, or any temporal punishment due to sin, are cleansed of these imperfections in Purgatory by God’s love.
All Souls’ Day
| Candles being lit for lost souls. |
In the Roman Catholic Church, All Souls‘ commemorates the dead who currently reside in Purgatory, being cleansed of their venial sins, and receiving the temporal punishments for the mortal sins that they had confessed to and are atoning for (before entering fully into Heaven). On All Souls’ Day, Catholics not only remember the dead, but petition for their release from Purgatory through prayer, almsgiving, and Mass. While the actions are performed by the living, the merits of the indulgences are applicable only to the souls in Purgatory.