A Letter From Croaghpatrick

A Letter from Croaghpatrick

Dear Friend,

On a number of occasions I have watched several thousand dedicated Pilgrims as they slowly made their way to the summit of ‘The Reek’. Most of the Pilgrims climb for the purpose of doing penance for their sins. Many climb in their bare feet, and are prepared to suffer severe hardship in their efforts to earn indulgences. They will then ask God to put the merits of these indulgences either to their own account or to the account of some loved one whom they believe to be in Purgatory.

Many of the pilgrims will have spent some time in prayer during the night before the climb. Some will have been trying to assure their deceased loved ones that they will make every effort to help shorten their stay in Purgatory. They will attempt to do this by earning indulgences as they climb Croagh Patrick. The following is a typical prayer of a pilgrim who is grieving the loss of his mother -

‘Dear Mother, my heart is breaking as I think of you this evening. I have many happy memories of when you were rearing us. Times were not easy, and you had to endure a lot of hardship and difficulty. But you always made sure we had enough. Thank you, dear Mother, for all the sacrifices you made on my behalf.

As I remember your loving face and your wonderful smile, I find it very hard to come to terms with the fact that your soul is now suffering severely in the terrible fires of Purgatory.

Mother, it breaks my heart to realise that while I sleep soundly in a comfortable bed you are enduring unbearable pain. I didn’t fully realise the intensity of your sufferings until I learned that, according to St Thomas Aquinas, “the fires of Purgatory are heated seven hundred times hotter than the fires of Hell.” I am determined to do all I can to help get you out of Purgatory as soon as possible.

As you know, I have already climbed Croagh Patrick on a number of occasions, in an effort to earn forgiveness for my own sins. I intend to climb it again tomorrow. But this time I will do it on your behalf. I plan to attempt it in my bare feet on this occasion. I want to suffer as much hardship as possible during the climb. I intend to pray for you at each of the three stations on the mountain. I am also determined to go to Confession, attend Mass and receive Holy Communion in the Chapel on the summit. By doing this I hope to earn as many indulgences as possible. I will then ask God to put the merits of these indulgences to your account. This will help shorten the duration of your stay in Purgatory.

Mother, I don’t know how much more time you will have to spend in Purgatory, suffering for your sins. I don’t know how many more days you will have to spend in agony in those flames. It has been quite a number of years since you died, so I hope your soul will soon be purified. You can then leave that place of torment and go to Heaven. It would bring me great joy to know you have been released from Purgatory. But how will I know when that happens? How will I know when your suffering is ended? I don’t think there is any way of knowing. But don’t worry, Mother. I promise I will I continue, for the rest of my life, to do all that I can to get you out of Purgatory as soon as possible. I will gladly climb Croagh Patrick tomorrow for you’.

Friend, what a heart-breaking prayer! Here is somebody sincerely trying to earn forgiveness for his own sins and those of a deceased loved one.

Some time ago I was in a similar situation. I thought I could earn forgiveness for sin through religious exercises, penance and good works. I was sincerely doing my best to merit salvation.

But when I read the Scriptures I discovered that even though I was very religious I was no different than anybody else –

‘For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God’. (Romans 3 v 23)

This meant I was still a sinner, regardless of how many times I might climb Croagh Patrick. Because I was a sinner I was liable to sin’s penalty -

‘For the wages of sin is death…’ (Romans 6 v 23)

This is not just physical death, but also spiritual death, which is separation from God - ‘But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear’. (Isaiah 59 v 2)

‘And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire’. (Revelation 20 v 15)

I discovered that prayers, fasting, penance or religious exercises could not save me. The Scriptures make it clear that salvation is not by works, but by Grace –

‘For by Grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast’. (Ephesians 2 vs. 8, 9)

‘But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which WE have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…’ (Titus 3 vs. 4, 5)

‘For the Grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men’. (Titus 2 v 11)

God’s Grace is His unmerited favour to the sinner. It means God reaches down to the helpless sinner, revealing to him the fact that He loves him so much that He sent His Son to Calvary on his behalf. On the cross, Jesus took the sinner’s place by becoming his substitute and paying the penalty for the guilt of his sin –

‘But he was wounded for OUR transgressions, he was bruised for OUR iniquities; the chastisement of OUR peace was upon him, and with his stripes WE are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid ON HIM the iniquity of us all’. (Isaiah 53 vs. 5, 6).

Friend, you or I don’t need to walk up this mountain in an effort to merit forgiveness for our sins. Jesus walked up another mountain on our behalf. He carried His cross up Mount Calvary. On that mountain He suffered and died as our substitute. Three days later He rose from the dead – ‘…Having obtained eternal redemption for us’. (Hebrews 9 v 12)

Jesus secured Salvation for all who will repent of their sins and trust Him as Saviour.

Having climbed Croagh Patrick you return home exhausted. But spiritually you are no different than you were before you climbed this mountain. Deep down in your heart you know you are a sinner in need of a Saviour. You know you can’t earn or merit salvation through your own efforts. But you can be saved if you come to the Lord in sincere repentance for your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ.

Acknowledging the fact that you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive you and trust Him to save you. And He will! –

‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Romans 10 v13)

God invites you to come to Him right NOW –

‘Come NOW, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool’. (Isaiah 1 v 18)