SECTION 3

SUCCORING THE DEAD
i. The Dogma of the Communion of Saints. — The Council of Trent says that the poor souls in Purgatory "are aided by the suffrages of the faithful, and principally by the acceptable sac- rifice of the altar/' 1 The efficacy of this inter- cession is based on the Communion of Saints. 2
a) By the Communion of Saints we understand the spiritual union of the faithful with one an- other, with the blessed Angels, the Elect in Heaven, and the poor souls in Purgatory, under the supernatural headship of Christ, who is the font and well-spring of all grace; 8 or, to put it somewhat differently, the mystic union of the mili- tant, the triumphant, and the suffering Church of Christ.
b) The ninth article of the Apostles' Creed teaches that there is a visible communion on earth, as well as an invisible interchange of blessings between the militant and the triumphant Church,
l Seas. XV: . . catholic a Ec- 2 " Credo sanctorum communio- clesia . . . docuerit, purgatorium nem." (Apostles' Creed). esse, anitnasque ibi detentas fidelium s On the gratia capitis see Pohle- sufFragiis, potissimum vero accepta- Preuss, Christology, pp. 239 aqq. biU altaris sacrificio iuvori. , . ."
9*
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of which latter Purgatory is a preparatory stage. This has always been Catholic teaching. 4 Whereas an impassible gulf separates the Blessed in Heaven from the demons, 5 the mem- bers of Christ's mystic body in Heaven and on earth are closely bound together by a super- natural communion of blessings, 6 of which the innermost essence and principle is sanctifying grace, or theological love, and, to some extent, theological faith. For this reason even those Catholics who are guilty of mortal sin belong to the militant Church and consequently, in a restricted sense, also to the Communion of Saints. As for the angels, they form part of the ecclesia triumphans, and as such participate in the com- munio sanctorum.
Through the Communion of Saints the faithful on earth, especially those who are in the state of sanctifying grace, share in all the Masses, pray- ers, and good works offered up by the militant Church. They are moreover benefitted by the in- tercession of the angels and the just in Heaven, and they can aid the poor souls in Purga- tory by prayers, indulgences, alms, and other good works, especially by having the Sacrifice of the Mass offered for them. The first and second of the above-mentioned propositions having been
4 Cfr. A. Harnack, Apestol. Glau- s Cfr. Luke XVI, 26. b$msM*nntni$, $th ed, pp. 99 tqq.» • Cfr. 1 Cor. XII, 24 §qq. Berlin 189a.
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dealt with in previous volumes of this series, 7 it remains to prove the third, viz.: that the liv- ing faithful can succor the dead by works of satis- faction. 8
2. The Dogma. — That the souls of the faith- ful departed are aided by the suffrages of the living faithful follows as a corollary from the dogma of Purgatory. 9
Theologians are wont to quote in confirmation of this teaching certain scriptural texts, which are not, however, entirely convincing. Such a text is, e. g., Tob. IV, 18: "Lay out thy bread and thy wine upon the burial of a just man, and do not eat and drink thereof with the wicked 10 Some exegetes interpret this passage as inculcat- ing the usefulness to the dead of a meal given to the poor in their memory. 11 But this is by no means certain. Another, equally inconclusive text often quoted in this connection is I Cor. XV, 29, where the Apostle speaks of persons "who are baptized for the dead." As Dr. MacRory points put, "this metaphorical sense of Baptism (as a baptism of mortification and affliction for the
T Pohle-Prcuss, Mariohgy, pp. 14a the History of ■ Dogma, London
sqq.; The Sacraments, Vol. II, pp. 1911) ; Chi. F. McGinnis, The Com-
376 tqq. munion of Saints, St. Louis 19 13.
8 On the dogma of the Communion • V. supra, Sect. 1.
of Saints see J. P. Kirtch, Die Lehre 10 Tob. IV, 18: "Pattern tuum
von der Gemeinschaft der HeUigen et vmum tuum super sepulturam iusti
im christlichen Altertum, Mayence constitue et noli ex eo manducare et
1900 (tr. by J. R. McKee, The Doc- bibere cum peccatoribus."
trine of the Communion of Saints 11 Cfr, Bellarmine, De Purgatorio,
in the Ancient Church; A Study in I, 3.
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dead) is very rare, being found only in the two passages just referred to, and there in the mouth of Christ in reference, not to ordinary mortifica- tions, but to His baptism in His blood. This be- ing so, is it likely that the Corinthians could be expected to think of a metaphorical baptism here? Besides, if this were the sense, the Apostle, as Estius points out, should have written, 'who bap- tize themselves,' i. e. undergo voluntary mortifi- cations, rather than 'who are baptized/ " 12
3. Suffrages for the Dead. — In regard to suff rages for the dead (suffragia pro mortuis) we may ask four questions: (a) How many kinds of suffrages are there? (b) Who profits by them? (c) In what manner do they advantage the dead? and (d) By whom can they be offered?
a) There are three different kinds of suffrages by which the living can assist the dead, viz.: the Mass, prayers, and good works. This dis- tinction is very old. 13
While good works are mostly typified by alms, there are others, such as fasting, scourging, making pilgrimages, etc. The shedding of tears alone is not effective. St. Chrysostom says, " the dead are not aided by tears, but by prayer, intercession, and alms." 14
If a man has forgotten or neglected to make restitution for some injury done to his neighbor, and others make it
12 The Epistles of St. Paul to tht 18 V. supra, Sect x. Corinthians, Part I, pp. 239 «!•» Horn, in Ep. J. ad Cor., 41.
Dublin 191 5. Cfr. Bellarmine, De Purg., I, &.
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for him after his death, does he derive any spiritual benefit from the act ? D. Soto 15 and Bellarmine 16 answer this question in the negative, and they are probably right. For the dead man, in omitting to make restitution, either committed a sin or he did not. If he committed a sin, he must expiate that sin, regardless of what his heirs or friends may do. If he did not sin, he incurred no punishment.
Offering up indulgences for the dead is not a distinct class of good works, because the efficacy of indulgences is conditioned upon prayer and good works. Neither are the ceremonies of Christian burial to be regarded as a special kind of suffrage, for to bury the dead is an act of corporal mercy and therefore belongs to the category of good works. 17 The same applies to the preparation of corpses for burial, the burning of candles at the bier, sprinkling dead bodies with holy water, accompanying them to their last resting-place, decorating the graves, etc., etc. All these are good works which help the dead if performed with the right intention. 18
Cremation is not a good work but " a detestable abuse 99 in which the Church forbids Catholics to cooperate. 19 The practice of burning dead bodies, though in itself not opposed to Catholic dogma, was prohibited because it was originally introduced and is now advocated chiefly by avowed enemies of religion. 20
15 Comment, in Sent., IV, dist 45, qu. 2, art. 3.
16 De Purgatorio, II, 16. lTCfr. 2 Kings II, 5; Matth.