The Death of an Irish Girl

“Mother,” said a dying girl in Ireland, “it’s a dreadful thing to die.”
“It is that, my darling,” the mother said, as she fondly gazed with tearful eyes upon the fading cheek of her child; “it is that. Oh, that I could die instead! But you have, confessed, so why are you still afraid?”
“Yes, I have confessed every sin I could remember and I have absolution, and I shall have the holy oil when I am just at the last, mother. But then, I must be in the fires of purgatory soon and you are very poor.”
“Leave that to the priest, darling,” said the mother, “and say the prayers to the Virgin that he bade you say. That will bring peace to your heart.”
“No, it’s all dark. And I want to know where I am going—and more, a great deal more than the priest would tell me. “Mother,” she added quickly, “I am thinking of the death of cousin Kathleen; she had no absolution, no unction, no masses, yet she died happy.”
“She was a heretic, daughter dear, and she knew nothing at all so she died in her sins.”
“Some words she said come over me now, mother: ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me’ (Psa. 23:11<<A Psalm of David.>> The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1)). What did she mean, mother? I have no comfort, no staff. I am trembling in the dark, and see only great fires beyond, and am full of fear. Kathleen did not believe in purgatory.”
“Hush, now, Mary, dear,” the mother said, “go to sleep and forget her, and trust in the Blessed Virgin.”
“Well, mother, I’ll try; but I can’t help thinking it must be a happier thing to go straight to heaven at once. I wish I could remember all Kathleen said about it.”
“It’s not for the likes of us to go straight to heaven at once, Mary; we go the way the church directs.”
“But sure it’s a hard way, mother, dear. I often fear that some who get into the fires of purgatory may never get out again.”
“Now, don’t get distrustful of the masses, darling. Just leave thinking about it at all. Now here’s Patrick, he will sit beside you till I run to your grandmother’s and back.”
Patrick had come in and overheard part of the conversation, and now sat down by his sister’s side with a heavy heart, for the doctor said she could not recover, and he had traveled from another part of the country to see her before her death. “Mary,” said he, when their mother had left them alone, “what was that about cousin Kathleen?”
“Ah, Pat, I was wishing I could die as happy as she did; and I can’t believe her soul is in hell, just because—” “Because she believed in the blood and mercies of the Lord Jesus Christ?” exclaimed Pat. “No, Mary, for that’s just the reason she had no need to go to purgatory at all, and as for unction, she had that too. She got it straight from the hands of the Lord Himself. He spoke to her soul, Mary, and comforted her with the assurance of His pardon and love. Do you think she needed anybody else to tell her after that?
Mary stared on her brother. “Sure, brother, you’ve turned heretic too!”
“Well, never mind that,” he said. “I don’t care for nicknames at all, but I’ve been reading the Bible, Mary― God’s own blessed book—full of such melting words to poor sinners as would melt your heart.”
“But how did you get it? Does the priest know?” said the dying girl.
“Sure, I didn’t stop to ask him. But I read and read; and some things were so pretty and went so quick to the heart that I couldn’t stop any more―if I’m burned for it,” said he.
“Well, Pat,” said she, “what is it about purgatory you’ve read in the Bible?”
“Why, just as much as you see in that empty platter―and that’s nothing at all―and I’ve searched from one end to the other. So make your heart easy, Mary, for you can’t go to a place that isn’t in God’s creation. You shall go―and I promise you on the faith of the Holy Scriptures―straight to heaven at once, if you only do one thing.”
“What is it, Pat? Oh, what is there that I wouldn’t do if I could? Is it to make a station?” said Mary.
“No, no, not such things as that, but if you will listen,” said her brother, “I’ll read to you the beautiful words that they are.”
And drawing from his pocket the precious little volume that had enlightened himself, the young Irishman read: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in, Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:55But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)).
“Mary,” he said, “do you think the Lord suffered by halves, and only heals by halves? ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon’ (Isaiah 55:77Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:7)). Is it to ‘abundantly pardon’ to go and suffer torments in purgatory before we get in at all, Mary? ‘For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified’ (Heb. 10:1414For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14).)”
“ ‘Them that are sanctified,’ Pat, what is that? Isn’t it to be sanctified that we go to purgatory?
“No,” said Pat, reading again from the New Testament.
“ ‘Now where remission of these is there is no more offering for sin’ (Heb. 10:1818Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. (Hebrews 10:18)). No offering of your own suffering, Mary; no masses to be said for which our mother must pay. When the blessed Lord was going to be betrayed― before He was taken prisoner―He prayed for all His people, and in His prayer He said not a word of going through purgatory. So, Mary, it is Christ’s blood (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)) for us, and that’s salvation out and out.”
“But now, what’s the thing I’m to do, Pat? You said, if I’d only do one thing.”
“Why, then, it’s just this. ‘Having,’ as the precious Word says, ‘an High Priest over the House of God’ (Heb. 10:2121And having an high priest over the house of God; (Hebrews 10:21)), that is, the Lord Jesus, with the one offering of Himself once offered, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith (Heb. 10:2222Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22)). You must believe these things and that will make them your own. ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved’ (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)). Believe, and you will be saved at once; and ‘Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Rom. 5:11Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)). And then you may ‘Rejoice in the hope of the glory of Go’d (Rom. 1:22(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) (Romans 1:2)), for ‘Being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him’ (Rom.5:9).”
“Oh, Mary,” Pat continued, “it’s all of a piece; it’s like the Word of God, worth loving and preserving forever. Now, can you find it in your heart to trust what God says? It’s faith you must get and not masses, Mary. The offering for sin is made; it is the shed blood that must wash away all your sins, so that what you must do is to believe in Jesus Christ and in Him alone.”
“Faith! Faith! And what is it? said Mary.
“It’s just believing heartily the Lord; that what He says is true, and that He will do as He has promised. ‘With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation’ (Rom. 10:1010For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10)).
And then, Mary dear, if indeed you must leave us—if you cannot stay any longer here—you will pass without fear through the shadowy valley, having the staff of truth to lean upon; and your happy spirit shall be ‘absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord’ (2 Cor. 5:88We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)).”
“Oh, Pat, it’s taking the thorns from the dying pillow, one by one. And I do think I’ll be able to believe it all. But what will the priest say? Perhaps he will say I’m a heretic, Pat,” and she shuddered with the thought.
“Oh, it will do the most harm to himself, then. Never fear, be true and hold fast to the Lord Jesus Christ, and His own words, and you need not fear what men can do. Sure, it’s a blessed religion to comfort us all, whether living or dying; and I only wish the sweet story was now being told from Ballycastle to Cape Clear; till every man, woman and child should know that Jesus died for them. And for His sake God can have mercy on them that believe. It’s the gospel Christ wants us to know, and that is God’s Word—not mine—that says, ‘Happy is that people whose God is the Lord’ (Psa. 144:1515Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord. (Psalm 144:15)).”
“I believe it all, Pat,” said the dying girl, “and it does give peace to my soul.”