BROTHER JOHN WAS KEPT FROM THE FACE OF GOD BECAUSE HE HAD NEGLECTED TO PRAY FOR THE DEAD

Death of St Francis

There was a good Franciscan, a certain Brother John de Via, who died a holy death in his friary on the Canary Islands. In his last days he had been nursed by Brother Ascension. One day Brother Ascension was in his cell praying for the soul of the late John de Via, when suddenly he saw a spectacular spectacle: it was a Franciscan in brown robes but his face was so dazzling that he did not recognise him. His whole being emitted such a glorious light it turned his cell into a veritable light box.

Brother Ascension mustered the courage to ask his visitor who he was and why he had come unbidden into his cell. "I am the spirit of Brother John de Via," said the Holy Soul, "I thank you for the prayers which you have poured forth to Heaven in my behalf, and I come to ask of you one more act of charity. Know that, thanks to the Divine mercy, I am in the place of salvation, among those predestined for Heaven - the light which surrounds me is a proof of this." Then Brother John explained, "Yet I am not worthy to see the face of God on account of an omission which remains to be expiated. During my mortal life I omitted through my own fault, and on several times to recite the Office for the Dead, which it was prescribed by the Rule." He then begged of Ascension to pay his debt, "I beseech you, my dear brother, for the love you bear Jesus Christ, to say those offices in such a manner that my debt may be paid, and I may go to enjoy the vision of my God."

When Brother John had left, Brother Ascension ran to the Father Guardian and told him what had just happened. In Brother John's stead, Brother Ascension offered the Office for the Dead on several occasions and made good Brother John's sins of omission. In time the soul of Brother John visited him again, this time he was glorified and as dazzling as possible because his soul was fit to enjoy the Beatific Vision.

I was jolted by this account because Brother John was in Purgatory because when he was alive he had failed to offer prayers for the dead. And now that he was dead, he needed a living person to offer the prayer he had neglected.  That which deserves further scrutiny is that Holy Souls may pray for others and this begs the question, could not Brother John as a Holy Soul have offered the Office of the Dead? But as this case shows a Holy Soul may be prevented from offering prayer he was meant to pray in his mortal life, and may need a mortal human being to offer them in his place. They may need us to offer the prayer for others that in this life they did not offer.