Monday thru Friday at www.DailyCatholic.org See why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!" e-mail: DailyCatholic@dailycatholic.org

Appreciation of the Existence of Purgatory

    Today we continue with our new series in the search to uncover the wonderful treasures of the Church contained in the great Deposit of Faith. We look again today at that merciful gift from God - Purgatory - where we are able to be cleansed before looking upon the Beatific Vision forever. There have been many misconceptions about this intermediate "stopping off point" between earth and Heaven and we hope to convey what the Church teaches about Purgatory over the next several installments. For the fifty-first installment, click on APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH

THE SOULS IN PURGATORY

    We can help the poor souls in purgatory by Masses, by prayers, and by other good works.

    Masses. The holy Sacrifice is the greatest help we can offer, because its effect depends on itself, and not on the piety of the priest who offers it. Whenever possible, Gregorian Masses should be offered; these consist of thirty Masses celebrated on consecutive days for some deceased person.

    If we cannot have a Mass said, we should at least hear Mass for our dear departed. A Mass has infinite merit, for it is the sacrifice of Our Lord Himself. It will surely avail our dead to offer for them God the Son Himself in Holy Mass.

    Prayers. We should pray with devotion for the poor souls. God does not regard the length of the prayer or the words so much as the love in the heart of the one who prays.

    There are special prayers enriched with indulgences, applicable to the souls in purgatory. We should also receive the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist for the poor souls. "Know ye that the Lord will hear your prayers if you continue in perseverance" (Judith 4:11).

    Alms-giving. No pompous funeral or profusion of flowers is of any avail for the poor souls in purgatory. As St. John Chrysostom says, "Not by weeping, but by prayer and almsgiving are the dead relieved."

    It is better to give to charity the money spent on idle and worldly show, which canot help the poor souls. Instead of sending costly wreaths to the family of a dead friend, it is an excellent custom instead to have Masses offered for his soul.

    The Heroic Act of Charity. By this Act a person surrenders, in behalf of the souls in purgatory, all the satisfaction made to God by his good works, including whatever satisfaction may be offered for him by others during his life and after.

    Those who make the Act may gain a plenary indulgence applicable only to the dead: (1) each day that they receive Holy Communion, if they have made their confession and visited a church or public oratory and prayed for the intentions of the Holy Father; (2) on Mondays if they attend Mass in supplication for the faithful departed, and fulfill the usual conditions.

    For making the Heroic Act of Charity, the following prayer is suggested: "O my God, I voluntarily offer to Thee through the mediation of Mary, all the works of satisfaction that I may make in this life, as well as all suffrages which may be offered for me, after my death, in behalf of thepoor souls in purgatory, placing myself entirely at Thy mercy."

    We should not, however, rely too much on the prayers and sacrifices that our relatives may offer for us after our death. Even granting that they will remember us oten and fervently in prayers, it is nevertheless true that works offered in suffrage for souls avail them only to a limited extent.

    God gives more value to a little voluntary penance done here on earth than to disciplines offered for that soul after death. As a Saint aptly said, "One Mass devoutly heard during life is worth more than a great sum left for the celebration of a hundred Masses after death."

Tomorrow: The Souls of Purgatory part five

As Patriarch of Antioch Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir is the Cedar of Lebanon for the Maronites in union with Rome

    We continue with this special series introducing you to the Princes of the Church. Our one-hundred-twenty-second red-hat we feature, in alphabetical order, is the 79 year-old Patriarch of Antioch Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir who leads the Maronites in union with Rome. He is five days older than the Holy Father and has been instrumental as a peacemaker over the many years of conflict in Lebanon. He was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope John Paul II during the Consistory of November 26, 1994. For more on Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, click on COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION

122.   Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir

    The Church's only Maronite cardinal is Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, Patriarch of Lebanon. He was born in the Maronite Eparchy of Sarba in Lebanon on May 15, 1920 and brought up a strict Maronite by devoted parents which sowed the seeds of a vocation to the priesthood. He was ordained on May 7, 1950 and, after six years of pastoral work and teaching Arabic Literature and Philosophy at the Marist Fathers College in Jounieh, he was appointed secretary of the Marionite Patriarchate in Beirut in 1956 where he was able to tend to those duties as well as teach at the College until 1961. It was then, on July 16, 1961 that he was elected Bishop of Tarsus for the Maronites.

    In 1977 he was appointed a representative of the Assembly of the Patriarchs and the Catholic Bishops for Caritas-Lebanon and three years later the Spiritual Counselor of the Order of Malta. Throughout his episcopal life he has worked tirelessly to promote multireligious dialogue with other faiths in Lebanon including Jewish and Moslim religious leaders. On April 19, 1986 he was promoted to Patriarch of Antioch for the Maronites and less than a month later granted ecclesial communion with the Holy See by Pope John Paul II who made him a cardinal bishop during his Consistory of November 26, 1994. As President of the Assembly of the Patriarchs and Bishops of Lebanon he has made great strides in safeguarding the spiritual and cultural traditions of the Holy Land's largest Maronite community while at the same time mediating as a peacemaker in a country that has been one of the most conflict-ridden theatres in the world over the decades. These attributes have made him a valuable asset to the Church. At the time of his entrance into the College of Cardinals he was assigned membership in the curial offices of the Congregation for Oriental Churches and the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care to Health Care Workers as well as the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Liturgical Texts. At 79, he resides in Bkerke, Lebanon at the Patriarcat Maronite house there.

It's slim pickins at the movies, nothing left but "The Bone Collector"

    The Halloween fallout continued this week with "The Bone Collector", a thriller starring Denzel Washington easily knocking the marrow out of all the rest, more than doubling up on last week's top film "House on Haunted Hill." With only a few on the list worth seeing, why not rent one of the finest movies in years "Life is Beautiful", Roberto Benigni's Oscar-winning film - which the Pope loved - now available at the video store in your neighborhood. We highly recommend it as one of the best movies you'll see in a long time! As for the Top Ten reviews for the first week of November prepared by the NCCB, click on MOVIES AND MORALS

TOP TEN MOVIES
FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER

1.   THE BONE COLLECTOR

(Universal)$16.7 million in one week:
    Because of grisly violence, an implied affair, occasional profanity and recurring rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-IV -adults, with reservations. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. "The Bone Collector" is a grim thriller in which paralyzed police forensics expert Denzel Washington relies on rookie cop Angelina Jolie to gather evidence and clues to the identity of a serial killer who is taunting the bedridden cop with a series of increasingly grotesque murders. The police procedural slides from engrossing to disappointing with its unsatisfying revelations and gory wrap-up. selfdestruction.

---

2.   HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL

(Warner Brothers)$7.7 million last week/  &nsp;$28 million in two weeks:
   Because of sporadic violence, brief nudity and frequent profanity and rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. In "House on Haunted Hill" a murderous married couple and five strangers are locked overnight in a crumbling insane asylum whose spirits rise, intent on killing all within its walls by dawn. The uninspired re-make of the 1958 original lacks subtlety, offering more gore than goosebumps and some nasty characters to boot.

---

3.   THE BACHELOR

(New Line Cinema)$7.5 million in one week:
   Because of some sexual references, occasional profanity and an instance of rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-IV -- adults, with reservations. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. In "The Bachelor" commitment-shy Chris O'Donnell is rejected by girlfriend Renee Zellweger then learns he must marry someone within 24 hours or he will lose a multimillion dollar inheritance. The lightweight romantic comedy has appealingly goofy characters but its depiction of a priest willing to marry a couple on a moment's notice should not be taken seriously.

---

4.   THE INSIDER

(Buena Vista Pictures)$6.7 million in one week:
    ecause of frequent rough language, and mature subject matter, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R restricted. "The Insider" is a fact-based, largely riveting account of how a CBS news producer (Al Pacino) is prevented from airing a -60 Minutes" interview with a tobacco company whistleblower (Russell Crowe) because the CBS corporate parent feared a costly lawsuit. Superbly acted, the lengthy, documentary-like drama explores corporate manipulation of journalism as well as the human cost to those involved in complex ethical issues.

---

5.   THE BEST MAN

(Universal)$4.3 million last week:/   $24 million in three weeks:
    Because of a fleeting sexual encounter, crude bachelor-party lap dancing, brief violence, occasional profanity and much rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-IV -- adults, with reservations. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. "The Best Man" is an uneven romantic comedy about a group of affluent African-Americans in which a wedding is jeopardized when the best man's autobiographical novel suggests he was intimate with the bride-to-be while she was dating his best friend, the now-enraged groom. Often raunchy despite the groom's fervently-held Christian beliefs, which finally lead him to forgiveness, the comedy strains for laughs about the war of the sexes and the double standard.

---

6.   DOUBLE JEOPARDY

(Paramount)$4.3 million last week/   $104.3 million in seven weeks:
   Because of some violence, a shadowy sexual encounter, and intermittent profanity and rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. "Double Jeopardy" is a sleek thriller in which probation officer Tommy Lee Jones chases parolee Ashley Judd across country to prevent her from murdering the two-timing husband who framed her. The straightforward fugitive story maintains suspense without relying solely on the expected revenge motive.

---

7.   AMERICAN BEAUTY

(Dreamworks)$3.3 million last week/   $58.9 million in seven weeks:
    Because of brief gory violence, sexual situations including adultery, masturbation and nudity, some profanity and recurring rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. "American Beauty" is a nihilistic black comedy in which a husband (Kevin Spacey) lusts after a blond teen-ager (Mena Suvari), his shrill wife (Annette Bening) has an affair with a business rival (Peter Gallagher) and their teen daughter (Thora Birch) finds solace with a drug-dealing classmate from an equally dysfunctional family. Director Sam Mendes paints a corrosively bleak portrait of family life in which the increasingly desperate behavior of self-absorbed characters culminates in murder.

---

8.   THE SIXTH SENSE

(Disney)$3.1 million last week/   $264 million in fourteen weeks:
    Because of gory violence, a menaced child and coarse language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. "The Sixth Sense" is a clunky psychological thriller in which child psychologist Bruce Willis tries to help a shaky 8-year-old who keeps seeing dead people walking around, though matters ultimately are not what they seem. The story's vague assumptions and boring situations are suddenly thrown into an entirely new light by a twist ending, though few will find the "surprise" worth waiting for.

---

9.   MUSIC OF THE HEART

(Miramax)$2.8 million last week/  &nsp;$7.7 million in two weeks:
    Because of an implied affair and an instance of rude language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance. "Music of the Heart" is a fact-based story about an abandoned wife and mother (played by Meryl Streep) who turns her life around teaching underprivileged Harlem schoolchildren the disciplined art of playing the violin. Anchored by Streep’s finely-tuned performance, the inspiring movie captures a devastated woman’s personal growth as well as the enduring value of the arts in the educational curriculum.

---

10.   FIGHT CLUB

(Fox)$2.4 million last week/   $31.9 million in four weeks:
    Because of excessive violence, sexual encounters, nudity, rough language and profanity, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. "Fight Club" begins as a dark satire of materialistic society, then turns into a slap-happy fantasy of underground male terrorists out to destroy that society. Overlong and emotionally primitive, the convoluted plot is an unsatisfying exercise in self-destruction.

---

SIMPLY SHEEN: The Man of Sorrow knows our sorrows

    They say a picture is worth 1000 words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminarydid so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".

"The principal reason why Christ suffered was to make Him not only our Savior, but also our Sorrows: 'He was a Man of Sorrow and acquainted with grief.' Hence the sufferer who is despised by his prosperous brethren can turn with assurance of sympathy to the Savior of men. Our Lord learned compassion by what He suffered and thereby converted the Cross into a lever for raising a fallen world. Those who receive mercy from Him should show mercy; those who owe all they have to the pity of God, will not be pitiless to their brethren."

---

Finally the long-awaited books "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..." and THE HIDDEN WAY are NOW available!

   With the messages completed, you can now order the book that contains ALL the messages. This much-anticipated 224-page book of ALL the messages to the world imparted to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart from the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a lasting gift that will inspire you in your faith, and all God asks of us. You can acquire your own handsome, coffee-table top copy of "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..." containing all 632 messages or the THE HIDDEN WAY containing 100 inspirational Meditative Lessons from Our Lord and Our Lady on Church Doctrine by clicking on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..." or THE HIDDEN WAY or both books at BOOKS

---

---

Click here to go to SECTION FOUR or return to SECTION ONE or SECTION TWO or click here to return to the graphics front page of this issue.

---

---

November 12-14, 1999 volume 10, no. 214  DAILY CATHOLIC