Valentine Obienyem
Please pardon the digression. As some young people entered the Church, all eyes were on them, signalling that something was amiss. Look at the attached picture, and you will see four of them. I deliberately waited until after Mass to capture their backs, because my intention is simply to illustrate a point.
Why do people embrace inverted or provocative sartorial displays? Why do some go nearly naked when dignity would suggest otherwise? Why do some prefer to wear their trousers at the middle of their buttocks? Why do girls sometimes leave half of their breasts exposed? Why, after slitting their clothes down to the last vertebra, do they still pretend to cover themselves with their hands while, in truth, deliberately leaving everything in open view?
Why has modesty- once regarded as a noble virtue – become an object of mockery? Why do many dress not to express refinement, but to provoke attention? Why must everything now be tight, transparent, shredded, or abbreviated in the name of “fashion”? Why does decency suddenly feel like an outdated relic to be buried with our parents’ generation?
Why do young men believe manhood is measured by sagged trousers, red-tinted hair, and earrings large enough to anchor sails? Why must every new trend tilt towards the extreme, as though moderation is a crime?
Why is it now easier to shock society than to edify it? Why does someone stepping into a place of worship or solemn gathering choose to appear as though walking into a nightclub? Why do some seek validation not in character or intellect but in how much skin they can reveal or how bizarre they can appear?
These are necessary questions.
Yet, for the sake of the Internet, let us be reminded: there is nothing new under the sun. No form of sexual provocation or moral experimentation is unprecedented. Humanity has travelled this path before. Thus, when the young ones parade attitudes and fashions they believe are revolutionary or shocking, I simply smile and ask, rhetorically, “Wetin the world never see?”
Often cocooned within the narrow bubbles of their limited exposure, they imagine they have stumbled upon a new civilisation of sophistication, and that we – who have watched seasons rise and fall – must now sit at their feet as pupils in this self-appointed academy of modernity. They forget that time has a longer memory than social media, and that what they parade as novelty is, in most cases, merely ancient folly stitched into new garments.
Only recently, while looking through my father’s old photographs, I noticed they too had turn-ups trousers and barbered “punks” – fashion statements proudly recycled by today’s youth as though freshly invented. “Nnamochie,” whom we fondly called Ezemenike, would often speak about his “Isi agana,” the same dreadlocked style now flaunted with the confidence of people who believe they have uncovered some hidden truth for the first time.
I have always tried to respond to any form of perversion by reference to authenticity. Most of these behaviours are not authentic to the individuals themselves. Take these four young boys, for example. Ask them why they braided their hair – I bet they cannot give a reason. They probably saw someone else do it and immediately followed suit. In such cases, the ideal reaction is often one of pity.
Now, turning to the subject of today: All Souls’ Day. This observance is one of several doctrines of the Church that, over the centuries, became points of contention during the Reformation and contributed to theological disagreements with other Christian communities. Yet its significance runs deep, for it rests upon the profound and enduring truths of Purgatory and the spiritual practice of indulgences.
All Souls’ Day is not merely a ritual or custom; it is a solemn reminder of our bond with the departed, a call to mercy, and a reflection of the Church’s teaching on the communion of saints – the mystical unity that transcends life and death. In observing this day, the faithful acknowledge that the journey to God’s kingdom continues beyond earthly life, and that prayer, sacrifice, and charity can aid souls still in need of purification
The priest who celebrated the 5:30 am Mass at St. Joseph the Worker provided the occasion with profound theological and biblical depth. Fr. Lawrence Akwuba traced the roots of All Souls’ Day to the Communion of Saints, elucidating the invisible yet powerful spiritual bond that unites the Church militant (the faithful on Earth), the Church suffering (souls undergoing purification in Purgatory), and the Church triumphant (the saints in Heaven). This sacred fellowship transcends time and mortality: in it, we are not isolated individuals, but members of one mystical body. In solidarity with those who have gone before us, we pray for the dead who cannot aid themselves, offering our supplications, sacrifices, and intercessions. Simultaneously, we seek the prayers of the saints, who, already in the fullness of divine presence, intercede on our behalf, extending God’s mercy and grace in ways visible and invisible. Through this communion, the faithful participate in a living network of prayer, hope, and charity, manifesting the profound interconnectedness of the Church across heaven and earth.
As Fr. explained, the Communion of Saints was instituted by Christ Himself, who is the eternal Head, with the Church as His mystical Body. In this divine order, the bonds forged in faith and love are neither broken by death nor diminished by the grave. Those who have departed from this life remain intimately united with the living faithful, participating in a spiritual fellowship that transcends time and space. In Christ, the separation of life and death is not final, for the unity of His Body endures, linking the Church militant, the Church suffering, and the Church triumphant in a ceaseless exchange of prayer, mercy, and grace.
At one point, the priest posed the fundamental question: Why Purgatory? He explained that in the Church’s eschatology, we speak of the last things – Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Purgatory, therefore, is not an invention of sentiment, but a doctrine rooted in divine justice and mercy. It is the temporary state where souls who depart this world in God’s grace, yet still tainted by venial sin or imperfectly purified, undergo cleansing. For, as Scripture solemnly declares, “nothing unclean shall enter it” (Revelation 21:27).
Saint Paul alludes to this mystery when he speaks of those who “will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15) – suggesting purification, not damnation. And our Lord Himself hints at forgiveness beyond this earthly realm when He says that certain sins “shall not be forgiven, neither in this world nor in the world to come” (Matthew 12:32). The implication is unmistakable: if there are sins not forgiven in the next life, then there are sins that can be forgiven there.
Thus, Purgatory is neither punishment for the damned nor a second chance for the unrepentant; it is the merciful furnace of divine love -the final cleansing before union with the all-holy God, for whom “without holiness, no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
Which fire purifies them? The priest explained that it is the fire of God’s holiness. Nothing impure can be united with Him, for divine justice demands that all that is unclean be cleansed before entering His presence. The Church teaches that some sins, particularly venial sins or the temporal effects of sin, may be remitted after death.
Since the souls in Purgatory cannot aid themselves, it is incumbent upon the faithful to assist them through our prayers, the offering of Masses, the application of indulgences, acts of almsgiving, and charitable works. In doing so, we participate in the Communion of Saints, extending God’s mercy and love to those who have gone before us, and helping them complete their purification for union with the Lord.
But is the Catholic Church correct in teaching the reality of Purgatory? Unequivocally, it is. As the divinely guided guardian and interpreter of divine truth, the Church’s teachings are always reliable and trustworthy. The doctrine of Purgatory is neither a later innovation nor the product of human speculation; it is firmly anchored in Sacred Scripture, upheld through Sacred Tradition, and solemnly affirmed by the authoritative ecumenical councils of the Church. Far from being an abstract concept, Purgatory reflects the consistent wisdom of the Church in harmonising divine justice with divine mercy, providing a path of purification for souls destined for union with God yet not fully sanctified at the moment of death
Scripture itself provides unmistakable evidence. In 1 John 1:7–9, the distinction between venial and mortal sins is made clear, showing that not all sins lead to eternal damnation. Saint Paul, in 1 Corinthians 3:15, affirms that some “will be saved, yet so as through fire”, pointing to a post-mortem purification. Moreover, in 2 Maccabees 12:44–46, we read that Judas Maccabeus and the people prayed for the dead so that their sins might be forgiven—a direct biblical precedent for intercessory prayer on behalf of souls undergoing purification.
The Church’s Magisterium has consistently upheld this teaching. The Council of Florence (1439) confirmed that souls departing this life in grace but imperfectly purified undergo cleansing in Purgatory before entering the heavenly kingdom. Later, the Council of Trent (1545–1563) reaffirmed this doctrine and taught that the faithful can assist these souls through prayers, Masses, and indulgences.
This teaching beautifully harmonises divine justice and mercy: justice, because nothing unclean can enter Heaven; mercy, because God provides a means of purification for those who die in grace but are not yet fully sanctified. With the authority of Scripture, Tradition, and the councils combined, I can affirm the doctrine with absolute confidence. Q.E.D.