About Me

My photo
Life is tough. Nuns are tougher.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Limbo, Limbo, Limbo

Less than a week to go to the big day! Very exciting.  We have our little concert all ready to go.  We've added "Little King So Fair and Sweet" to the program.  I really never thought of that one as a Christmas song.  I always think of the Infant of Prague during that number.


Meanwhile, our readers are communicating with each other in the comments section, which always makes me happy.  Well, almost always, sometimes people get fussy.  Not today, though.


If heaven wasn't open until Jesus died where were all the souls who had already died. Were they suffering or just in waiting.
and a reader's answer:
Anon, if you recall, when Jesus died, he descended into Hell, to free the just who had gone before him. They waited and are now in heaven.


Whoa, Nelly.  This is where people get a little confused.  When we say that Jesus "descended into Hell", we don't actually mean that Hell, the one that awaits ghastly sinners where the Satan lives forever with his minions and everyone is on fire.


What we mean is that Jesus descended into what we call "The Limbo of the Fathers".


Now, I have gotten myself into trouble before discussing Limbo, so let's proceed with caution.


Before Jesus died for our sins, no one could enter Heaven and everyone went to Limbo. Most of us think of Limbo as a place where the unbaptized babies go and all the pagans and that is correct. But we think of it that way because we have lived for over 2000 years with Heaven open to the public.  


Before Jesus died on the cross, everyone who died went to what we call the "Limbo of the Fathers", thusly named because holy people like Moses and Abraham had to reside there until the Messiah came (and went).  So when Jesus died on the cross they all got into Heaven.


"Right this way, Moses!"


That's what Jesus was up to during the three days he was dead. He went to the Limbo of the Fathers and let everyone out. So Limbo was closed.


But then, God needed someplace for the unbaptized babies to go, so we had Limbo again, reopened. 


This is where I got into trouble. I really thought that Limbo closed again after Vatican II.  There certainly was some discussion that surely God would take unbaptized babies into Heaven.  And maybe He does.  I've been informed that the jury is still out on Limbo and the Church has not let the notion go. Is there a Limbo now?  Maybe. Maybe not.  Limbo was never, ever dogma, it was just a thought about what might go on.  Limbo is not mentioned in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and recent thought is that we can probably let it go.


I, for one, certainly hope so.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi SMM,

can i ask why we bless things? I had bought a new second hand car and asked Father to bless it, and he did. In my mind, I was thinking about how blessing things 'super sizes' them...how does blessing my car super size anything I do with it?

Claudia said...

I thought that Limbo was eliminated too. Guess I should pay more attention.

I like the word "limbo" it can applly to a lot of situations where would you like to leave but can not.

Especially at work when it is slow and the seconds seem to pass at the rate of minutes.

I am happy to report, after my inquiry, that the daughter found a job as a RN. She had to move and we did that two weeks ago.

Her job sounds exciting, she will be working in the OR at a Trauma Center. It was one of the few hospitals that did not require previous experience.

Merry Christmas to all.

Anonymous said...

The artist certainly had a thing for naked bodies, why bother to cover up legs when everything else is right out there!

Anonymous said...

Is Limbo the same as purgatory?

Arkanabar T'verrick Ilarsadin said...

I suppose we ask God to bless things, so that in having and using them, we are more likely to love and serve Him.

Purgatory is not the same as Limbo. I expect that, while I may be saved from Hell by Christ's sacrifice upon the Cross, when I die, there is likely to still be some unholiness in me. Most likely, there will be a fair bit. Now God is holy, and tolerates nothing unholy in His presence. That means I'm going to have to clean myself up, with the power of His grace. To put it another way, I will have to purge myself of all unholiness before I can enter into Heaven. Since I will be dead, and won't yet be in Heaven, where will I undergo this purgation?

Might as well call it Purgatory as anything.

Anonymous said...

I 'v heard about the 4 days of rain causing problems in LA, I am praying ro those in need, are you and the other sisters safe?

You are a wonderful explainer, story teller, person.

God Bless