I have been reading Eamon Duffy's pseudo-classic The Stripping of the Altars, which discusses "Traditional Religion in England 1400-1580". It is rife with some pretty amazing things concerning the Christian faith in England. For one, Duffy paints a picture of a populace, rich and poor, gentry and serf, that is relatively well-educated theologically. One thing is for sure, Catholicism in England's heartland was in no need of Reformation prior to Henry VIII's desire to legally have an heir with a woman not his wife. That, however, is not the "astounding thoughts" I am referring to.
Astounding Thought Number 1: Catholics didn't actually believe they were saved by works in any way shape or form...
I will admit that I have long thought that the Church in the early 1500s had some definite need for change. I used to say, and adamantly believe, that while the Church never taught salvation by works officially, that is what the people believed. Boy was I wrong. While the people may have striven to do good and avoid evil, and while the people may have correctly believed that works are a part of salvation (see James 2), to think that works=salvation is a huge myth...at least in England. Consider the preamble of a will from the century before the Reformation: "Lord I put the deth of oure lord Ihesu Crist betwene me and myn evil dedes, betwene me and thi Iugement", or what of Sir Roger Townsend (a successful lawyer who died in 1492), who was "besechyng him for the merytes of his bitter and gloriouse passion to have mercy oon me and to take me into his mercy which is above all workes..." Far from being rare among people's wills, this was the norm: to beseech God to consider the Cross of Christ when judging the person's works. For many, according to Duffy, the Crucifix was a huge consolation at the deathbed, for it helped remind them of Christ's Sacrifice, and warded off those dangerous thoughts that they were too great a sinner to be saved. This was far from being rare...this was the norm. In fact, instruction books for the clergy emphasized this, and the primers that the people used for private devotion (written in English and Latin in many cases), emphasized it as well. But what of the people who couldn't read, or couldn't afford a primer? Where did they learn it? From the Mass and the Liturgical Calendar, which focused on the Saving and Redeeming Sacrifice of Christ.
Astounding Thought Number 2: Parishes exhibited a sense of the Communion of Saints and Cloud of Witnesses through the charity of prayer for the dead...
People in the 1400s and 1500s were not all that different from people today: we all are afraid of being forgotten after we die. Many today attempt to build their legacy, to create some kind of memorable thing for them when they die: a charitable organization, some indellible mark on history, some major social or economic work, perhaps a physical monument, whatever. In Fifteen Century England, it was through requests for prayers for the deceased person's soul. See, despite the fact that we want to believe that all Christians are going to heaven, we seriously can't say that for sure. Jesus says in Matthew "Not everyone who says 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven." People then really understood that, and so petitioned God that in His Mercy, He would substitute the death of His Son for the soul of the deceased. In addition, Scripture says in Revelation that nothing impure will enter Heaven (and seriously, how can it? I mean to enter into the Presence, the Pure and Perfect, stainless, sinless, Presence of the Almighty is too awesome to consider, and you want to say that somehow we can do so with the stain of sin on our souls?), and seeing as we die with sin on our souls, we must be purified of the sin after death. The people would pray that the soul of the deceased would quickly be purged and enter into the Presence.
What does this have to do with the Communion of Saints and Cloud of Witnesses? Well, it was common for each parish to keep a "bede-roll", which contained the names of each and every person who ever donated time, money, goods, or talents to the parish. This bede-roll was read each and every Sunday and on Holy Days throughout the year. Thus, each and every donor/volunteer was remembered each week and their souls were prayed for each week as well. It was a principle way for the parish to remember its dead. However, Duffy explains a different, more subtle, and perhaps latent purpose: "It was also designed to present for imitation a pattern of piety, and to instill in the hearers a sense of the parish and its worship, as a continuing reality." In other words, such a practice encouraged othe parishioners not only to donate, but to participate in parish life. Also, later he says, "Here the parish community has become something more than the total of its past and future members: it has been set in the full perspective of eternity." How is this? Well, the individual's salvation becomes intertwined with the salvation of all who came before, and will come after, as they all continue to pray for each other. The hearers are drawn into eternity by constantly praying for those that came before and by knowing that those who come after will pray for them. There is an otherworldly sense of community.
So, why are these astounding thoughts?
1) How many people do we know who truly and honestly have any concern for their souls when they die? The idea that Christ's Sacrifice is the only thing that links us to God is not common for most people that we (actually I) meet. This orientation has nothing to do with us, but rather with God, His Mercy, and His Son. The thought is pretty astounding: no matter what, our sinful nature and our sinful deeds separate us from God. The Mass makes it painfully obvious: the Sacrificed Victim is presented to the Father in our stead: instead of our sins, our faults, and our failings, all the Father sees is His Sacrificed Son. Unfortunately, it appears that that blatant sign of the Mass was lost when, for no good reason, priests began to "turn their backs" on God. Christ is offered to us, not for us.
2) No matter where I've gone to church, Protestant or Catholic, there has been a lack of this sense of Communion of Saints. It is not as if we are in this together. As a Methodist, we had a church historian, an elderly woman who was a life-long member of the congregation. I remember reading of the church's history, but aside from the buildings, there was no palpable connection, no real, lasting unity...they weren't part of our communion. The same has been true in Catholic parishes I've been involved with. How else can you describe the constant battle for parishes to raise the necessary funds to function, or to bring forth holy priests? There is lacking a sense of an eternal community. The current members are not beholden to those who went before, and have no concern for those who will come after. Their individual salvations are not perceived as intertwined.
Now, I am not suggesting that we go back to those ancient practices of theological will-writing, or bede-rolls. But it is worth noting that the attitudes they presented are positive and should be encouraged.
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