A Sunday Thought About Dies Irae to Start the Week Off Right
Dies Irae means Day of Wrath. It is recited or sung in funeral masses in the Extraordinary Rite. Once it was heard at all funeral masses. Since the month of November is dedicated to the Holy Souls, let's take a moment to consider this traditional prayer and hymn, especially since it finds no place in the new order (Novus Ordo) of the Mass now known as the Ordinary Rite.
This extraordinarily solemn and beautiful hymn recalls the Day of Judgment. It begins:
A literal translation:
Some Catholics I've met find this a rather daunting prospect. So daunting, they're relieved that the Dies Irae is no longer heard at Mass. They also typically prefer the priest wearing white rather than the traditional black. Further, these same folks like to hear Father talk about the deceased as being in Heaven, avoiding any talk of them possibly spending even a minute in Purgatory.
Why is this? Is it somehow comforting to avoid talk of Purgatory (never mind Hell)? And yet we Catholics know that Purgatory exists, right? So why do some of us turn our backs on it? Rather than proffer my own opinion on the matter, let's just say that such a state of affairs calls for a restoration of the Dies Irae. Among it's many merits, it won't let you turn your back on reality. And lest you think that the reality of sin, suffering and Purgatory is just too harsh, too "negative," or maybe too "old fashioned" for us enlightened, modern Catholics, how about we let St Francis de Sales put the kibosh on such nonsense.
(You can find more details and several English translations of the Dies Irae HERE.)
This extraordinarily solemn and beautiful hymn recalls the Day of Judgment. It begins:
Dies iræ, dies illa
Solvet sæclum in favilla,
Teste David cum Sibylla.
Quantus tremor est futurus,
Quando Judex est venturus,
Cuncta stricte discussurus!
A literal translation:
The day of wrath, that day
Will dissolve the world in ashes
As foretold by David and the Sibyl!
How much tremor there will be,
when the Judge will come,
investigating everything strictly!
Some Catholics I've met find this a rather daunting prospect. So daunting, they're relieved that the Dies Irae is no longer heard at Mass. They also typically prefer the priest wearing white rather than the traditional black. Further, these same folks like to hear Father talk about the deceased as being in Heaven, avoiding any talk of them possibly spending even a minute in Purgatory.
Why is this? Is it somehow comforting to avoid talk of Purgatory (never mind Hell)? And yet we Catholics know that Purgatory exists, right? So why do some of us turn our backs on it? Rather than proffer my own opinion on the matter, let's just say that such a state of affairs calls for a restoration of the Dies Irae. Among it's many merits, it won't let you turn your back on reality. And lest you think that the reality of sin, suffering and Purgatory is just too harsh, too "negative," or maybe too "old fashioned" for us enlightened, modern Catholics, how about we let St Francis de Sales put the kibosh on such nonsense.
“We may draw from the thought of Purgatory more consolation than apprehension. The greater part of those who dread Purgatory so much think more of their own interests than of the interests of God’s glory; this proceeds from the fact that they think only of the sufferings without considering the peace and happiness which are there enjoyed by the holy souls. It is true that the torments are so great that the most acute sufferings of this life bear no comparison to them; but the interior satisfaction which is there enjoyed is such that no prosperity nor contentment upon earth can equal it.With this deep, comforting, and beautiful understanding of Purgatory, I think we're ready for the Dies Irae. Here is the traditional version, as it has been chanted between the Epistle and the Gradual in every Catholic Church in the Latin Rite for centuries.
“The souls are in continual union with God. They are perfectly resigned to His will, or rather their will is so transformed into that of God that they cannot will but what God wills; so that if Paradise were to be opened to them, they would precipitate themselves into Hell rather than appear before God with the stains with which they see themselves disfigured. They purify themselves willingly and lovingly, because such is the Divine good pleasure. They wish to be there in the state wherein God pleases, and as long as it shall please Him. They cannot sin, nor can they experience the least movement of impatience, nor commit the slightest imperfection. They love God more than they love themselves, and more than all things else; they love Him with a perfect, pure, and disinterested love. They are consoled by angels. They are assured of their eternal salvation, and filled with a hope that can never be disappointed in its expectations. Their bitterest anguish is soothed by a certain profound peace. It is a species of Hell as regards the suffering; it is a Paradise as regards the delight infused into their hearts by charity – Charity, stronger than death and more powerful than Hell; Charity, whose lamps are all fire and flame. Happy state! More desirable than appalling, since its flames are flames of love and charity.”
(You can find more details and several English translations of the Dies Irae HERE.)
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