A Heart for Crying Souls

18 October 2015

Santiago

A Heart for Crying Souls

Before arriving in Santiago, my friend Jim Naso and I stayed at an albergue just 5km outside of the city. We awoke and packed for our final walk and headed to a historic monument of two pilgims of old overlooking with great joy at the cathedral below. We had such a glorious sunrise prayer time as the sun awoke the west with its glorious warm amber light.

The walk into Santiago caused us to beam with anticipation. The long pilgrimage was near an end and God's new message was alive in me. We arrived at the cathedral and attended the pilgrims' mass in time to experienced the swinging of the botafumiero. It is an object made of silver standing about three feet high and 30 inches wide with many open vents cut into it to allow the burning incense to escape. It is filled with burning hot coals and priests shovel the incense into it. A two inch diameter rope connects to the top of this sacramental. That rope extends 50 feet up to the cathedral's central interior dome where there is a central pulley over the altar and back down again to where it is tied off. From the end of that thick rope eight smaller ropes are attached like tenacles of an octupus. A magnificent pipe and trumpet organ blares away creating startling attention and chilling goosebumps for the several thousand pious pilgrims attending. Eight men move it into position near the front of the altar with each one taking one of the the eight strands. With perfect precious and team work they simultaneously make a heave downward and up pops the botafumiero brimming with sweet smelling burning incense. In short time, the thing begins to take momentum until this boat of flames and smoke is swinging almost madly 50 feet to one side of the church, passes the altar, then swings 50 feet to the other side of the church. The momentum finally takes it to such a strength that it reaches the ceiling on each side of the church. How they manage to keep it from colliding with the ceiling above is mind boggling and breathtaking!

I experienced this more intimately a day later when I was offered the gift to serve as deacon of the pilgrim mass in the Cathedral of Santiago. There along with 12 other priest I stood at the altar with the bust of my scripture hero, St. James, perched behind my shoulder. At the time of the swinging botafumiero, I stood but six foot away as this maker of wonder and smoky fragrance was loaded. Soon I was one of the privileged few to have ever stood on the altar and witness it. Botafumiero means "spreader of fumes" and was originally used to cover the smell traveling pilgrims carried into the church up in the choir lofts. It is ever more magnificent in every detail when up that close.

After attending the mass and having some time to unpack the memories of my Camino and all the spiritual blessings it has been, it was time to get my Compostela. This is an official document done in Latin that records that you are an authentic Pilgrim of el Camino de Santiago de Compostela. After a three hour wait in line to reach the offical pilgrims' office, it was time to have my Compostela personally recorded. The wait was a gift that allowed me time to confirm God's will and call for how mine would be recorded.

When God called me to walk the Camino for this second time, it was His unmistakable Spirit whisper in my heart of hearts. "I have so much more to tell you." I love this about the Camino, and my blog entries give testimony to messages He awakened in me along The Way. While in preparation for the Camino, I set out to strengthen three areas of my life: body, mind, and spirit. A surprise in my spiritual prayer journey was the awakening of an undeveloped relationship with the Blessed Mother. I never had any opposition for the theology of Marian devotion, it was that I find such attraction to more meditative/contemplative prayer. I took baby steps of faith in this discovery of a new relationship with her. After all, she's my mom, she's your mom, she's our mom. Imagining her as a little boy sitting like I would with my little Italian momma tucked under her arm and against her bossom is the endearing notion I held in my growing love for our Blessed Mom.

My moment finally arrives at the desk. The office scrutinizes my credentials to make certain I, in truth, completed the necessary kilometers to qualify as a Santiago Pilgrim. With that validation, the lady asks, "What would you like to have inscribed on your Compostela?"

Here is what I requested.

At the top, please inscribe, "Salve, mater misericordiae; Et lesum"

Which means, "Hail to you, Mother of loving kindness. Show me Jesus."

Then my name is beautifully calligraphied in Latin along with the full Latin description of the Camino and the blessings of the Catholic Church.

I further requested that the pilgrim official would inscribe on the bottom of the Compostela to whom I dedicated my Camino. Yes, all the challenges, pain, suffering knees and back, the exhaustion, as well as, all of the joys and pleasures of the breathtaking beauty of the mountainous countryside, all the precious new friends and joys we shared. Yes, all of the fortune of communion with Him. I wished to give it all away; I surrendered all of it in dedication to one pressing thought. My Compostela reads,

"Dedicated to the poor souls in Purgatory."

This very notion fermented within me and became a passion as I neared Santiago. For some, Purgatory is an unexplored theolgy of the Catholic Church. To some, it may hold so little thought or knowledge. To some, it may be oppostional to your beliefs regarding the after life.

Catholics hold to the belief that upon our death, we may have unresolved sin in our life. Jesus' suffering atones for our sins, so true. And at our death, we do receive a final judgment. Catholics fully know that Purgatory is not a second chance at heaven after death. But the idea that some suffering and cleansing may be needed before we can enter into heaven makes sense. We may enter heaven when our full debt has been paid on our part. Purgatory is a time for this.

Is it scriptural. Yes! The word, "Purgatory" may not be explicit in the bible, but neither are the words "incarnation" or "trinity." The scripture reference is in the book of Maccabees, a book Martin Luther refused during the Reformation, however, other Old Testament references and references without the word, Purgatory, are made by Jesus. There are many which space will not allow here.

This is what Catholic teaching holds to be true. Purgatory does cleanse us through a painful process. Once judgment has been passed, the dead have no means to do good works or pray their way out. They suffer until the purge is complete. There is a common expression within Catholic teaching called, "Praying for the poor souls in Purgatory." These are the reasons why. Their burden can be lightened by our praying for them and offering our pains and suffering, our love offerings made on their behalf, going to mass and offering special prayers.

Here it is friends. While on the Camino God broke my heart to hear the crying souls in Purgatory. It took 500 miles for it to grow to a new appreciation within me. It is this that I believe was part of the message of having "so much more to tell me." Now I suggest, ask yourself a few questions.

What if? What if Purgatory is real? What if there is a purification process needed to make us ready to enter heaven pure as Revelation teaches? What if you can imagine, as I have come to believe, that we can help pray a loved one from Purgatory to heaven by pleading for God's mercy to advance their journey? What if you could believe this to be true?

Now consider a loved one who has passed on who you, and maybe many others, know lived, let's say, an adventurous, worldly life. It is not our place to judge, God will do that at the moment of our death. Perhaps you may know personal accounts of that loved one's kindness and good deeds. He/she may have been God honoring, but let's say again, mischievous.

You might ask, "Where are they now?" What if, yes what if you could accept that they might be in Purgatory. Perhaps you might consider or reconsider directing prayers for a loved one who might be crying out and helpless in Purgatory.

Granted, I have a strong imagination. I creatively contemplated this whole notion. I invite you to consider our journey toward the after life like traveling through an airport from one gate to another. We enter through security and are directed to another gate. For some, the gate is immediately present. That would be heaven. For some, the gate is in a directly opposite direction, that might be hell. For some, it is a long journey to another gate. All these souls must trudge and struggle toward that far off gate. However, some gain the help of a moving walkway. You know, the one that moves while you walk along in airports? While on them, the sense that you're racing ahead is empowering. That experience is one I imagine happens when a suffering soul has prayer power behind them. The journey is faster. Without the prayer, it is the slower, more painful trek toward the next gate. Eventurally all get there, but the pain of the journey is longer.

I end with two short stories of how Purgatory made an intimate connection in me. After our son died prematurely at 28 years of age of a sudden heart attack, life was chaos. Nothing made sense and peace could not be found in any thing. However, a few months after the tragedy, I had a dream where he appeared to me. I was in the kitchen and he suddenly was. . . just there. I went to him in startled gratitude. I asked, "How are you, Son." He gave only a short reply, "Lot's of training." It was but a brief moment of revisiting his love again that was like I swallowed the sun in my heart. It filled me with such love.

I sought spiritual counsel for the possible meaning behind this dream because it was so real and heartfelt. One priest suggested it may mean that Tony is in Purgatory and the training is preparation for heaven. Nice thought. But at that time in my life I could not accept it. Now 82 months later, God brought me to reconsider this possibility.

Many messages evolved in me over these 33 days and over 500 miles. Many blessed insights enriched me. To my surprise, the notion of Purgatory unfolded. I considered some personal life experiences beginning with some "What if's?" What if Purgatory was possible for loved ones I have said good bye to. Those like my brother who died of a cocaine overdose, or may dad who suffered from alcoholism at one time in his life, or friends who died prematurely. What if Purgatory is real for them? Is there a connection of someone to whom has passed away in your lifetime?

Now comes the climax of stories. I completed my Camino with all these thoughts of Purgatory and developing a heart for the crying souls there. Then just about a week before arriving, my sweet wife shared a precious heavenly gift she was granted. It was a treasure gift wrapped in a healing, breathtaking dream. The fact that her gift and the Camino's hidden message occurred simultaneously of eachother is nothing short of what I refer to as a Godcidence.

In her dream, our son, Tony, appeared to her. He came and sat at her feet and greeted her. She was allowed to stroke his head and greet him. He spoke only one request, "Mom, will you pray for me?" She wholeheartedly agreed and placed her hand on his head and began praying. All too soon it evaporated and she awoke in joy-filled tears.

Once again, these are dreams in which we strain to make meaning. We don't really know. Only God knows the meaning of the dream. But a Godcidence occurred between us.

What if, just what if someone from the great beyond is begging for prayer to finish their final leg of the journey. Perhaps you have someone in mind whom you are considering now. Who knows, they may be just "one gate away" from the destination of heaven. Who could deny them prayer? Consider the consequences of refusing prayer and then their continued suffering. What if you could make a difference in their afterlife? These are big "what if" questions to consider.

My dear wife's experience brought my Camino experience to full circle. We have our Blessed Holy Mom in heaven who is eager to care for us. She has the constant ear of her son. We can go before her, just as my son did in my wife's dream, and ask for mercy for those crying souls in heaven. She will listen. She loves us like a tender and compassionalte mother. She will take our prayers to her son and intercede for us. This is something I firmly believe is true.

Salve, mater misericordae; Et lesum.

Hail to you, mother of loving kindness. Show us Jesus.

There lies the heart of my Compostela, my entire Camino, my love offering.

In the faith of His direction, in the hope of His sunlight to light the path, and the passion of His call to take us home to Him one day, I remain yours in love

Deacon Willie, DW