“THEREFORE, following the example of St. Francis de Sales, we should encourage all to have hope for the deceased, no matter how impenitent a death a person may seem to have died. This saint based his principle chiefly on the doctrine that, as the first grace of justification is not merited by any previous good work, so also the final grace of perseverance need not necessarily depend upon our merits. How consoling, therefore, are those thoughts of the great and saintly son of Holy Mother Church. How comforting to those who have had dear ones snatched away suddenly, seemingly unprepared. God is infinite mercy. He would have us trust him implicitly and murmur not as those who have no hope.
“Let us then never despair of the salvation of anyone, but rather let us pray for all the departed. For in bringing the lost sheep back to the good shepherd and the prodigal child back to his father, we prepare for ourselves in heaven the fulfillment of the words of the prophet saying, ‘Lift up thy eyes round about and see all these are gathered. Together they are come to thee. I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt be clothed with all these as with an ornament and as a bride. Thou shalt put them about thee’ (Isaias. 49, v. 18). Let us pray for the faithful departed!”
— Teresa Stanfill Benns, Betrayed Catholics
