Sir, - I refer to Joe Foyle's article, "Why sons are losing faith of fathers", in your Rite and Reason slot for December 31st. Mr Foyle asserts that the main reason many men have fallen away from the practice of Roman Catholicism is that, since Vatican II, there has been little frank preaching on the after life. Mr Foyle says that post Vatican II preaching "fails to answer our male `what difference does it make?' question". Mr Foyle refers in particular to Hell, to Purgatory, and to Heaven.
If he is right in regard to the question the above mentioned men ask themselves, then surely they have ceased to be Roman Catholics? Would they not feel more at home with those Anglicans who believe that membership of the Anglican Communion, in itself, is sufficient for salvation?
If, on the other hand, it is just a case of confusion and weak faith, these men could do with a reminder that faith is a gift from God, and if we neglect to nurture that faith through the Mass, through prayer, fasting, good works, and frequent recourse to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we shouldn't be surprised if our faith grows weak and dies.
To be fair to our priests, I think the tide is slowly turning in regard to preaching. Not so long ago I was very pleasantly surprised, not to say challenged, by an excellent sermon on the Last Things by a priest in Clarendon Street. It was one of those rare sermons during which you could hear a pin drop. Roman Catholics believe that we shall receive both mercy and justice when we die. The consensus position among Roman Catholic theologians is that only a few of us will escape Purgatory. It is in our, mystical tradition for a thousand years that Hell is the most merciful place for those who suffer eternal damnation.
As to Heaven, we can't comprehend the joy that awaits those who are saved. Neither can we understand what is meant by the promise of a new Heaven, and a new Earth, nor when that is to happen.
In the meantime we are comforted by the doctrine of the Communion of Saints. This urges us to pray to the souls of our deceased loved ones in the hope that they are at least in Purgatory, if not already in Heaven. Our prayers for them can help them in Purgatory, as their prayers for us take effect at least when they reach Heaven; the present Pope is of the opinion that, even while still in Purgatory, the prayers of the dead benefit the living. I understand that not a few Anglicans and Presbyterians now believe in Purgatory. - Yours, etc.,
83 Beaufort Downs,
Rathfarnham Village, Dublin 14.