Heaven, Hell, Purgatory & Limbo
"Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth not us, because it knew not Him. Dearly beloved, we are now the sons of God; and it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. We know, that, when He shall appear, we shall be like to Him: Because we shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3:1-2)
What is Heaven? The place of perfect happiness in the next world.
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for those that love Him."
(1 Corinthians 2:9)
Who will go to Heaven? Only those who have Sanctifying Grace in their souls at the moment of death.
"Then shall the king say to them that shall be on His right hand: Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 25:34)
What is the happiness of Heaven? It will consist in seeing God face to face and possessing Him in divine love.
"We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part: But then I shall know even as I am known."
(1 Corinthians 13:12)
Why is the happiness of Heaven perfect? Because God made you for Himself and you can find perfect satisfaction in Him alone.
"Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." (St. Augustine)
Will everyone have the same happiness in Heaven? No, the happiness of some will be greater than that of others, but everyone will be as happy as he can be.
Why will some have greater happiness than others? Because some will see God more clearly.
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will render to every man according to his works."
(Matthew 16:27)
Why will some see God more clearly? Because they died with more Sanctifying Grace on their souls.
"And every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labor." (1 Corinthians 3:8)
How, then, should you spend your time on Earth? Try to get as much Sanctifying Grace in your soul as you can before you die.
"Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto life everlasting, which the Son of man will give you." (1 Corinthians 3:8) "The night cometh, when no man can work." (John 9:4)
Will there be any sorrow or pain in Heaven? No, nor will there be any sickness, temptation, or sin, but complete, unending joy.
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more."
(Apocalypse 21:4)
Will you know your family and friends in Heaven? Yes, and also the Angels and Saints.
"Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners: But you are fellow citizens with the saints, and the domestics of God."
(Ephesians 2:19)
What would keep you from getting into Heaven? Dying with a serious (mortal) sin on your soul.
"And there shall not enter into it any thing defiled, or that worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they that are written in the book of life of the Lamb." (Apocalypse 21:27)
How often should you pray to get to Heaven? Every day, since getting to Heaven is the purpose of life.
"As the heart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after Thee, O God. My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?" (Psalm 41:2-3)
EXPLANATION OF LIMBO
What is Limbo exactly? The residence of those souls excluded from Heaven through no fault of there own; because of the ancient belief that it was situated near the confines of Hell. Theologians distinguished a two-fold Limbo: the Limbo of the Fathers (Limbus patrum) , where the just that died before Christ, were detained until Heaven, which had been closed in punishment for the sin of Adam, was reopened by the Savior, Jesus Christ; and the Limbo of infants (Limbus infantium), where those who die in original sin, but without personal mortal sin, are deprived of the happiness which would come to them in the supernatural order, but not the happiness in the natural order.
What is the chief difference between Heaven and Limbo? The souls in Heaven see God face to face; whereas, those in Limbo do not. Seeing God face to face is called the Beatific Vision. It contains all possible happiness and is unending.
PRACTICAL POINTS
You will never get bored or used to heaven because God is unlimited in every way. Nothing on this earth can completely satisfy you, whether it is money or fame or pleasure, since everything created is limited.
Thinking often of Heaven, putting it before everything else, will give you the correct scale of values, as well as peace of mind in this world.
"The Son of Man shall send His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all scandals, and them that work iniquity. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:41-42)
What is Hell? The place in the next world where the souls of the damned are condemned to suffer forever with the devils.
"If any one abide not in Me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth." (John 15:6)
How do you know there is a Hell? The Bible and Tradition (and Jesus too) often speak of the everlasting punishments of Hell.
"Then He shall say to them also that shall be on His left hand: Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. And these shall go into everlasting punishments: But the just, into life everlasting." (Matthew 25:41-46)
Who will go to Hell? Those who die with mortal sin on their souls, that is, without Sanctifying Grace.
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the pool of fire." (Apocalypse 20:15)
Does anyone ever get out of Hell? No, Hell is a place of "everlasting punishment." (Matthew 25:46)
"And the smoke of their torments shall ascend up for ever and ever: neither have they rest day nor night." (Apocalypse 14:11)
What are the pains of Hell? Separation from God, torture by fire, regret, and the companionship of the devils.
"Before I go, and return no more, to a land that is dark and covered with the mist of death: a land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death, and no order, but everlasting horror dwelleth." (Job 10:21-22)
What is the pain of separation from God? To be separated from God, the Source of all love and happiness, will be the greatest pain in Hell.
"The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven, with the angels of His power: In a flame of fire, giving vengeance to them who know not God, and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall suffer eternal punishment in destruction, from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of His power." (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)
Is there real fire in Hell? Yes, Jesus often spoke of the "unquenchable fire" of Hell and says that the damned souls will be "salted with fire" (Mark 9:43), which is "everlasting fire" (Matthew 25:41).
"If any one abide not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth." (John 15:6)
How does the fire of Hell differ from the fire here on earth? The fire in Hell burns without consuming (it does not burn up your body, so the pain never ends) and can torture not only the body but the soul as well.
"Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished." (Mark 9:47)
"Humble thy spirit very much: For the vengeance on the flesh of the ungodly is fire and worms." (Ecclesiasticus 7:19)
What is the pain of regret? The pain of regret means that you will be tortured forever with the thought that you had so many chances to save your soul and be happy with God, but lost Heaven because of mortal sin.
What is the pain of companionship of the devils? Your companions in Hell will be the devils and the other lost souls, who will always hate you and mock you for being such a fool.
"Then He shall say to them also that shall be on His left hand: Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew 25:41)
Are the pains of Hell the same for all? All the souls in Hell will have the same type of punishment, but the degree of suffering will differ according to the number and kind of sins committed.
PRACTICAL POINTS
Think often of Hell and the possibility of your going there. Pray every day that you will not die with mortal sin on your soul. Say the Act of Contrition every night:
"O my God, I am very sorry for having offended Thee, and I hate all of my sins, because I fear the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because my sins offend Thee, my dear God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, do penance, and amend my life. Amen."
Presumption is the sin committed by people who think that a good God will not punish a sinner with the torments of Hell. God, being a just judge, has to reject those who choose to separate themselves from Him by mortal sin.
The horror of Hell helps us understand the evil of mortal sin. Mortal sin is the greatest evil in the universe.
"And the day following Judas [Machabeus] came with his company, to take away the bodies of them that were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen, in the sepulchres of their fathers. And they found under the coats of the slain some of the donaries of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbiddeth to the Jews: So that all plainly saw, that for this cause they were slain. Then they all blessed the just judgment of the Lord, who had discovered the things that were hidden. And so betaking themselves to prayers, they besought Him, that the sin which had been committed might be forgotten. But the most valiant Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, forasmuch as they saw before their eyes what had happened, because of the sins of those that were slain. And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection, (for if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead), and because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." (2 Machabees 12:39-46)
What is Purgatory? A place and state of temporary punishment in the next world. Hell, on the other hand, is a place of eternal or everlasting punishment.
What does the word "Purgatory" mean? It means "cleansing" (or "purging"). Purgatory is a place where the soul is cleansed of unforgiven venial sin and/or the "debt" of sins already forgiven but not yet made up for.
"If any one abide not in Me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth." (John 15:6)
How do you know there is a Purgatory? The constant teaching and practice of the Catholic Church, based on the Bible and tradition, and even common sense, prove the existence of Purgatory.
How does common sense indicate the existence of Purgatory? Only people with mortal sin go to Hell, and on the other hand, no one can enter Heaven with even the smallest sin. Therefore, there must be a place in the next world where lesser sins can be taken off the soul.
Who will go to Purgatory? People who die with Sanctifying Grace in their souls, but --
who die with venial sin on their souls, or
who have not completed (satisfied for) the
punishment still due to their already forgiven sins.
What is meant by the "punishment still due to sin"? This means that, even though God forgives your sins, He still requires that you be punished for them (i.e. "pay" for them), either in this life or in the next.
For example: A boy playing ball in his yard breaks his neighbor's window. He goes and tells the lady he is sorry, and she forgives him but she tells him he will still have to pay for the window.
Do you suffer in Purgatory? Yes. Besides not being allowed to see God face to face, the souls in Purgatory suffer a great deal. "The fire of Purgatory", says St. Augustine, "is more terrible than man can suffer in this life."
How long will you have suffer in Purgatory? That depends on the number and seriousness of the sins to be atoned for.
"My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God." (Psalm 41:3)
Where do you go when you leave Purgatory? To Heaven to see God and enjoy Him forever.
"Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not come out from thence till thou repay the last farthing." (Matthew 5:26)
Will Purgatory ever end? Yes, at the Last Judgment. After that all souls will be in either Heaven or Hell forever.
Can you help the souls in Purgatory? You can shorten their stay by having Masses said for them, by praying for them and by doing good works for them.
"Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched me." (Job 19:21)
Does the Bible say anything about praying for the dead (doctrine of Purgatory)? YES! The Bible teaches (a) that some sins are forgiven in the next world; (b) that some souls are saved in the next world "by fire"; (c) that it is useful and beneficial to pray for the dead.
Matt. 12-32: "And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, NEITHER IN THE WORLD TO COME." (Some sins can therefore be forgiven after death.)
I Cor. 3, 13 and 15: "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 15. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, YET SO AS BY FIRE."
2 Machabees, 12-46: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins."
We also read that Judas Machabeus, "sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifices to be offered for the sins of the dead." (2 Machabees 12:43)
(This is one of the Old Testament books omitted from the Protestant Bible).
COMMENT: As nothing defiled can enter Heaven (Apocalypse 21-27), there must necessarily exist a state of cleansing or purgation usually called "purgatory."
How can you avoid Purgatory? Avoid even the smallest faults, do penance for sins already forgiven, gain indulgences and receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.
PRACTICAL POINTS
All Souls' Day is the day set aside by the Church for special prayers and Masses for all the souls suffering in Purgatory. It is celebrated every year on November 2.
The souls in Purgatory cannot help themselves. We should help them by our prayers and sacrifices. They, in turn, can and do pray for us.
The souls in Purgatory are known as the Poor Souls
The Church Suffering
PURGATORY AND SUFFRAGES
FOR THE DEAD
And his lord being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid
the debt.-MATT. xviii. 34.
The servant spoken of in our text owed his master an
immense sum, equal to nearly twenty million dollars in our money; and because
of his sin the master cast him into prison until he should pay the last
farthing. Like this servant of the parable we are all debtors to God in
satisfaction for our sins. Every conscious moment of our existence there is
recorded in the book of life something to our credit or something against us;
and at the end of our days upon earth the Lord will reckon up our debts, and
demand a strict account of them. Even those who die in God's favor must
nevertheless pay in the fires of purgatory the debt of satisfaction which they
owe for their sins.
I. The nature and existence of purgatory, 1. Purgatory is the place and state
of expiation for all those who have died in the friendship of God, but without
having fully satisfied for their sins. 2. That purgatory really exists is
plain, (a) from Holy Scripture: "It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray
for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins" (2 Mach. xii. 46);
Tobias commanded his son to give an alms to the poor for the liberation of a
just man's soul (Tobias iv. 18); the inhabitants of Jabes Galaad fasted seven
days for Saul and Jonathan after the latter's death (i Kings xxxi. 13) ; our
Lord told the Pharisees that certain sins would not be forgiven either in this
world or in the world to come (Matt. xii. 32) ; the Fathers see a reference to
purgatory in those passages where our Lord speaks of a prison from which a man
shall not be released until he has paid the last farthing (Matt. v. 2; Luke
xii. 59). (b) The Church has always taught the doctrine of purgatory, as we
know from the practice of praying for the dead, from the early liturgies,
Councils, and writings of the Fathers, (c) The doctrine of purgatory is most
reasonable, since on the one hand nothing defiled shall enter into heaven (Apoc.
xxi. 27), and on the other hand the God of justice will not punish slight
faults with eternal penalties, (d) The doctrine of purgatory is most consoling
and helpful for the living as well as the dead. 3. The sufferings of the souls
in purgatory are severe and consist in the deprivation of the vision and
presence of God, and in certain positive afflictions; but they are resigned to
God's will, they are certain of their salvation, and they know that their
sufferings are not eternal.
II. The souls in purgatory are helped by our suffrages. 1. This is the
teaching of Scripture, as we can see from the passages quoted above, and has
been constantly taught by the Church from the beginning. 2. That the just on
earth can assist the souls in purgatory is certain from the doctrine of the
Communion of Saints. All the members of the Church form one society and one
mystical body, and hence there is an interchange of good offices between them.
The help we give the souls in purgatory mitigates their sufferings and hastens
the time of their deliverance. 3. The chief means of suffrage are Masses,
prayers, works of satisfaction, the heroic act of charity, and indulgences. 4.
The Councils of Florence and Trent have declared that Masses are the principal
means of assisting the souls in purgatory. 5. After the Sacrifice of the Mass
the most suitable means of helping the holy souls are prayers. 6. Works of
satisfaction embrace all our good works inasmuch as being difficult they have
a compensatory value for the temporal punishment due to sin; hence the benefit
of our fasts, almsdeeds, crosses, etc., can be transferred to the suffering
souls. The heroic acts of charity consist in the total transfer to the holy
souls of all our satisfactions, whether acquired by our own efforts, or
offered for us by others. during our life or after our death. 7. An indulgence
is not a permission to commit sin, nor a forgiveness of the guilt of sin; it
is the remission outside of the Sacrament of Penance of some of the temporal
punishments due to sin. In granting an indulgence the Church draws upon the
superabundant merits and satisfactions of Christ and the saints. 8. That the
Church has the right to grant indulgences is proved, (a) from the power of
loosing given her by Christ (Matt. xvi. 19) ; (b) from the fact that, under
the guidance of the Holy Ghost, she has exercised this power from the
beginning (2 Cor. ii. 10). 9. There are two kinds of indulgence: (a) plenary,
or the remission of the entire punishment due to sin; (b) partial, or the
remission of only a portion of the temporal punishment due to sin. An
indulgence of forty days or seven years means the remission of as much
temporal punishment as would have been paid by one of the ancient canonical
penances of forty days or seven years duration. 10. The conditions for gaining
an indulgence are: (a) the state of grace, at least at the completion of the
work, and freedom from those venial faults whose punishment we wish to cancel
(for a plenary indulgence freedom from all affection to sin is necessary); (b)
the devout fulfillment of the works prescribed by the Church; (c) the intention
at least in general of gaining the indulgence. It is a good practice to form
the intention every morning of gaining all the indulgences possible on that
day. Most indulgences can be applied to the souls in purgatory; when so
applied they are offered to God with the request that He may accept them for
the benefit of the suffering souls. Such application of indulgences is highly
pleasing to God and beneficial to the poor souls.
LESSONS, 1. From a consideration of the sufferings of purgatory we should
learn how great is the punishment for venial sin, and should strive to avoid
it in future, and do penance now for the sins of the past. 2. Since it is in
our power to help the suffering souls, we should be zealous to do for them
what we hope others will do for us when we are in need.
One of the most beautiful and divine doctrines of the
Catholic Church, dear brethren, is that which is professed under the title of
"Communion of Saints." It is, as it were, a loving concession on the part of
Almighty God that He suffers us to think of our friends, whom He has called
into their rest. He is a jealous God; one condition He is forever insisting
upon as necessary to our salvation--that is, that we should give Him our whole
beings, every act we perform, every thought we think. But He knows what the
human heart is, He who loved so tenderly the Mother who bore Him, and He
yields to our weakness, and suffers us to think of, to rejoice with, or to
sympathize with, those to whom human affections attached us in this life. I
have called it divine. It is nothing less. No one but a loving God could
inspire us with the belief that death is in reality no separation, no fierce
rending asunder of affections, no violent wrenching of heart from heart and
soul from soul. Death makes a change, it is true, but what is that change? It
is a change that increases, strengthens, and exalts that love which we have
for one another in this world. Our love is proportioned to our veneration and
respect; the more our friend is free from human infirmities, the more we are
drawn toward him, and this is the blessed change that death effects. It steps
in between those friends and takes one, and separates from that one all his
imperfections, and changes him into a bright, pure, angelic spirit, but does
not destroy him. That friend whom we loved still lives, but is more worthy
than ever of our love, and we are not separated. We can reach into eternity,
we can add new lustre to our sainted brethren in heaven; even the little mite
of our praise and love does help to swell the eternal jubilee of the saints in
heaven. And on the other hand, we can reach those saints who are in pain,
those blessed souls who have got a glimpse of the spotless sanctity of God and
a true idea of their own imperfections and then hurried away from the sight of
God and plunged themselves in the purifying flames of purgatory that they may
be able for eternity to stand unashamed in company with their brethren.
Blessed be God. We can enter even that prison, and give our brethren a respite
from pain, we can do, in a milder way, by our prayers, the purifying work of
these awful flames, we can shorten the terms of their imprisonment, and at the
same time, satisfy their sensitiveness and quiet their apprehension lest they
should again carry sin into the presence of God.
There is not in this world anything so beautiful as the
deathbed of a holy Catholic. Fortified by the Sacraments of the Church, serene
in the consciousness of the possession of God's grace, yet half afraid to meet
that God whom its soul longs to possess, picturing to itself the happiness of
heaven, it is a recompense well worthy of the repentance of a lifetime. And
yet, except with the greatest saints, it clings to the memory, love, and
protection of its earthly friends. Behind the veil, it knows well it will be
clasped in the arms of Jesus Christ, but it clings to the warm grasp of its
earthly friends even till the eyes swim and the earth is gliding from beneath
its feet. And its last and best consolation as it glides into the world of
spirits is that the prayers of its friends are before it, that already there
are voices pleading for it at the judgment seat of the Lamb. And is it not so?
Oh yes, dearly beloved. The prayers for the dying are over, the prayers for
the dead begin. We intrude into the awful courts of heaven, we interrupt the
process of Judgment, we silence the voice of the accuser, by speaking to Jesus
the Judge and reminding Him that that soul is His, that He redeemed it, that
the marks of His blood are upon it, and by conjuring Him to save that dear
soul, to fit it for presence in heaven, but not to deliver it into the hand of
His enemy. Even that body that is left us, do we not reverence it, do we not
consecrate it? Do we not make these lifeless arms into the sign of our
redemption. Do we not sprinkle that body with holy water, because it is holy?
Do we not incense it, because it is worthy of all reverence? We will not even
allow it to mingle with unhallowed dust, but we bless the very earth into
which it will be changed, and then raise over it the sign of our redemption,
that nothing unholy might come near it, that the enemy may know that there is
nothing in this grave that belongs to him, but a body that was crucified and
nailed to the cross with Jesus Christ.
And then we follow the souls of our friends into
eternity. From the judgment seat we follow them into their prison, where their
angel conducts them, and our prayers, as it were, rain down incessantly on
those fires. We pray for them at our public services; we pray for them at our
private devotions; we pray for them even at our meals; there is scarcely a day
in which the Holy Sacrifice is not offered for these suffering souls; there
are many in the Church who have given to God all the merits of their lives,
their prayers, fastings, almsdeeds for the souls in purgatory; there are
religious Orders in the Church who repeat frequently during the day the De
Profundis for the departed. And with all this, dear brethren, if we consider
how great are the sufferings of these poor souls, we shall see how really
uncharitable we are and how unreasonable it is that we do so very little.
THE REASON FOR PURGATORY
For why do we not speak of purgatory? Apart from the
fact that purgatory exists, a belief founded upon the teachings of Scripture
and the Church, what is the reason of purgatory, its purpose, its objects? It
has a twofold reason--to satisfy the justice of God and the mercy of God. In
heaven there is nothing but mercy; in hell there is nothing but justice; in
purgatory justice and mercy meet, and the poor souls detained there are the
victims of God's great justice and at the same time the objects of His love
and clemency. They passed into eternity, faithful to God, united to God. He
could not cast them out of His sight forever, but unconsciously they carried
with them before the All Holy God some human weaknesses, some human
infirmities, and as "nothing defiled can enter into the kingdom of heaven,"
His mercy provided for them a place of purgatory, where sharp penance would
expiate their faults and restore them spotless to His bosom. Heresy rushes
into extremes on this as well as on all other dogmas. It condemns a soul
without remorse or scruple, it saves souls easily and pleasantly without even
the pretense of penance. It believes that for the slightest sin, for the half
voluntary thought or the silly word, a merciful God will cast a soul into the
flames of hell forever, whereas on the other hand, years of sin may be atoned
for by the simple presumption that God has pardoned them. The innocent soul
that has never lost the grace of Baptism, but has only yielded to those faults
that the judgment angel does not care to record, if suddenly snatched from
life by death, is banished from the presence of God forever, whereas the
sinner who has been heaping up for himself a measure of wrath for many years
is admitted at once, unshriven, impenitent, and unpurified, into the company
of the angels and the elect. I do not believe in such very sudden changes. I
know the power of God. I would not for the world underrate or depreciate it.
But there is a saying of St. Augustine full of much wisdom: "God has created
us without ourselves; God will not save us except by our cooperation," and
that cooperation, if we have sinned, is the cooperation of penance. The
redemption of the world by our divine Lord has not changed the nature of sin.
Sin is as hateful in the eyes of God now as it was then, and it is true now as
it was when John the Baptist preached: "Except you do penance you shall all
likewise perish" (Luke xiii. 5). That penance must be done either in this
world or in the next. If we be guilty of mortal sin, it must be atoned for in
this life by penance, or it will never be atoned for, though it will be
punished in the eternal fires of hell; if it be venial sin, it can be atoned
for by penance and prayer in this life, or by the sharp fires of purgatory in
the next.
The late Father Faber was accustomed to say that he
could never understand why we speak of the poor souls in purgatory. He thought
them rich indeed, much to be envied, little to be pitied, They are indeed
truly rich, because they are certain of possessing God forever. Compared with
us, living as we do in dreadful uncertainty about our salvation, they are to
be envied exceedingly. And yet it is also true that they are deserving of our
sympathy and pity. They are poor because they are suffering, and the promise
of the future scarcely relieves their anguish in the present. A man lies upon
his bed, writhing and tossing in fever. His physician gives hopes of his
recovery, tells him almost infallibly that he will recover. Yet with that
prospect of certain recovery, is he not deserving of our pity and compassion?
These poor prisoners that are cut away from all human society in the jails of
the country, are they not deserving of pity, even though their term of
imprisonment is not eternal, and they will enjoy their liberty all the more
for having lost it for a time? So with the blessed souls in purgatory. They
are truly deserving of our pity, compassion, and sympathy, because, although
they belong to God, yet they are suffering now, suffering bitterly, suffering
intensely in the fires of purgatory. If a child were in agony, and if the
mother who could relieve it turned aside from it, consoling herself with the
reflection that it wouldn't die, would we not call her unfeeling and cruel?
Yet we do the very same thing when we refuse or neglect to assist the
suffering souls on the pretense that they cannot die because they are saved.
Oh dearly beloved! It it very selfish and unfeeling on our parts, it is enough
almost to make God abandon us, if we go through life, and never assist these
blessed souls, whom we can assist so easily and who need our assistance so
much. I do not think that there is one of us who does not feel remorse again
and again during life for neglecting the souls in purgatory. There is not one
of us who does not start from a long course of selfishness, start with the
thought that all that time we were enjoying ourselves, light-hearted and
careless, that dear friend, whom we loved in this world and who prized our
love, has been crying to us in anguish, has been lifting up his hands to us
from the flames, perhaps has long ago turned away from us in despair, and
rested all its hopes on the mercy of God rather than upon the cruelty of his
friends. There is not a single soul among us to whom voices are not crying
every hour of the night and day, in the language of Holy Job, "Have pity on
me, have pity on me, at least you, my friends, for the hand of the Lord hath
touched me" (Job xlx. 21). If we had faith, we would hear them. And if we had
even human hearts, and not hearts icy cold through selfishness and
worldliness, we would rest neither by night nor by day from relieving them.
THE SUFFERINGS OF PURGATORY
And let us not deceive ourselves with the delusive hope
that the pains of purgatory are very short or very trifling. We do not know
what sin is. But if we only look on the cross of Jesus Christ, we must
acknowledge that it is of infinite malice in the sight of God. If, therefore.
His justice demanded the life of His Son for a single sin, what will not His
justice demand of us for our countless sins? And though His Justice saves us
from the hell which we deserve. His justice demands from us some slight
satisfaction at least. Again mortal sin, being of infinite malice, is punished
with infinite torments; how venial sin approaches as nearly to mortal sin as
finite things can approach to infinite, and, therefore, that punishment of
venial sin in purgatory is everything but infinite. And the doctors of the
Church teach us, and teach us with truth, that the pains of purgatory are the
pains of hell, but they are not eternal. In purgatory, as in hell, there is
the physical pain of fire; in purgatory, as in hell, there is the shame and
remorse of sin; and above all there is that pain, infinite, unendurable, the
pain of loss, the pain of being separated from God. We cannot understand that,
because we have not seen God, but, dear brethren, it is for God we are made.
We are in this world always fretting and chafing at our separation from God;
all the sorrow of the world, if really resolved, would be found to be
separation from God. At death when our souls are freed, they fly straight to
the bosom of God, and what a dreadful anguish it must be to be spurned by God,
to see Him and not to possess Him, to know and perceive that He is everything
our souls can desire and yet be unable to possess Him. To have seen the face
of Jesus Christ, to have heard His sweet voice speaking to us words of mercy,
and then to be led away from Him with a barrier of fire between us, that is
the greatest torture a human soul can suffer, and that is the suffering of the
soul in purgatory. Do not make light of it, dear brethren. Do not think little
of it. No one but a mother can understand a mother's sorrow for her child, and
no soul but that has seen God can understand what it is to lose Him even for a
time. But it is a truth of divine faith, and our ignorance of the real nature
of that truth, our inability to understand it, does not lessen the anguish of
those souls who know it too well. And if we be wise, and wise with the wisdom
of charity, we shall act on what faith teaches us, and try to help those
blessed souls as if we saw with our own eyes their prison, and heard with our
own ears their cries for mercy. The truths of faith are more certain than
those things to which our senses testify, and it is truly a Catholic spirit to
believe them as thoroughly, and act upon them as fearlessly and
unhesitatingly.
EXHORTATION
O dearly beloved! if we could only behold the joy that
lights up the countenances of these blessed souls, when our prayers are heard
in heaven, and their angel comes and blows aside from them the flames that
torment them, and tells them that years are blotted from their sentences, and
that soon they will again behold the face of God, I think we should pray night
and day incessantly for them. Oh, it is a truly noble work; there is no
charity to be compared with it. It is good to feed the hungry, to clothe the
naked, to visit the sick, but it is the highest office of charity to visit the
suffering saints, and restore them to their places as princes of the court of
heaven. And when we remember that amongst these suffering saints are some of
our own flesh and blood, who loved us in this world, and whom we loved, the
father or mother, to whom we owe whatever good we possess, the brother or
sister, whose affection was the one joy and support of our youth, it is not
charity alone that demands our prayers, but pity and justice and gratitude.
And if we neglect them, whatever we may profess to be, we cannot free
ourselves from the imputation of being uncharitable, unjust, impious, and
ungrateful.
I exhort you, therefore, dear beloved, to pray for the
souls in purgatory, to whose special remembrance this day is devoted. Pray for
them, that through your prayers not only they may be admitted to the glory of
God, but also you may share in the reward which our Lord promised in the
words: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!"
THE HOLINESS OF THE SOULS IN PURGATORY
Every soul in
Purgatory, before coming there, appears before the judgment seat of Christ
and there recognizes its state before God, and (as many theologians tell us)
makes an act of perfect contrition and fervent love, by which all the guilt
of sin still attaching to it is removed. It is, as far as its own intrinsic
condition is concerned, ready to appear in the immediate presence of God,
and to enjoy the Beatific Vision for ever. O happy souls that die in a state
of grace, and are united to God by bonds that no power on earth or Hell can
sever!
This act of perfect contrition also implies a detestation of all venial sin,
and of anything that interferes with the pure love of God. But it does not
remove the debt that still has to be paid. It is rather the very intensity
of the act of contrition that will make the soul long to do penance, and
cause it to rejoice in being buried in Purgatory until the justice of God is
satisfied. How differently I shall then view my sins! How I shall loathe and
detest the folly that led me to prefer to the will of God what was hateful
in itself, and more hateful still by reason of the Divine prohibition!
These Holy Souls will, however, gain no merit by their act of contrition and
love. They will indeed receive the assistance of actual grace in proportion
to the degree of sanctifying grace in which they died, but their
co-operation with it will not add to their glory in Heaven, or shorten their
Purgatory. After death, no redemption; no power to shake off the temporal
punishment of a single sin. Pray that you may lose no opportunity of merit
while on earth.
by the Rev. R.F. Clarke, S.J.
For Prayers for the Poor Souls in Purgatory...Click Here
How
to Avoid Purgatory
By Fr. Paul O'Sullivan
CONTENTS
* FOREWARD
1. CAN WE AVOID PURGATORY?
2. HOW CAN WE AVOID PURGATORY?
3. THE FIRST MEANS: REMOVING THE CAUSE
4. THE SECOND MEANS: PENANCE
5. THE THIRD MEANS: SUFFERING
6. THE FOURTH MEANS: CONFESSION, COMMUNION, HOLY MASS
7. THE FIFTH MEANS: ASKING GOD
8. A SIXTH MEANS: RESIGNATION TO DEATH
9. THE SEVENTH MEANS: EXTREME UNCTION
10. INDULGENCES AND PURGATORY
11. THE THIRD ORDERS
12. THOSE WHO EARNESTLY HELP THE HOLY SOULS MAY WELL HOPE TO AVOID
PURGATORY
13. TO AVOID PURGATORY, DO AS FOLLOWS
14. HOW WE CAN HELP THE HOLY SOULS
* THE BROWN SCAPULAR
FOREWORD
Our Lord came on earth expressly to give us a perfect Redemption. He gave us a
Law of Love, a Religion in every way to suit our human hearts, destined to make
us holy and happy. His Commandments, counsels and promises all breathe peace,
joy, mercy and love.The idea that nearly all of us shall, notwithstanding, have
to pass a period more or less long in the excruciating fires of Purgatory after
death seems to be at variance with this all-merciful and all-loving plan of our
Divine Lord.It is true that we are weak and fall many times and that God's
justice is rigorous and exacting, but it is equally certain that God's mercy and
love are above all His works. It is no less certain that Our Lord has given us
abundant grace and strength to save us from sin and many (and most efficacious)
means of satisfying for any sins that we may have committed. This last fact
seems to be almost entirely overlooked, or imperfectly understood by the
majority of Catholics. Of course, those who go on deliberately sinning and who
make no effort to correct their faults and refuse to use the many wonderful
means God offers them for satisfying for sin, condemn themselves to Purgatory.
The object of this little book is to show how we can avoid Purgatory by using
the means God has so generously offered us, and, secondly, to show that the use
of these means is within the reach of every ordinary Christian. The careful
perusal of these pages will be a source of much benefit and consolation to all
who read them. The author offers them to the loving Heart of Jesus and asks Him
to bless
them.
Chapter 1
CAN WE AVOID PURGATORY? YES.
Many think that it is practically impossible for the ordinary Christian to avoid
Purgatory. Go there we all must--so they say. They laughingly remark: "It will
be well for us if we ever get there" Alas! When too late they will recognize how
terribly rash their words were. As a consequence of such fatalistic ideas, many
make no serious effort to avoid Purgatory, or even to lessen the term they may
have to pass there. Thank God all do not hold such gloomy views.
WE SHALL STRIVE IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES TO SHOW
a) How all can notably shorten their period of expiation in Purgatory; b) And
how they may even avoid Purgatory altogether. These pages are well worth reading
and re-reading. The fact is that a great number of souls go to Purgatory and
remain there for long years simply because they had never been told how they
could have avoided it. The means we suggest are easy, practical and within
the reach of all.
Moreover, far from being irksome, the use of these means will only serve to make
our lives on this earth holier and happier and will take away the exaggerated
fear of death which terrifies so many. We ask you, Dear Reader, to put this
little booklet into the hands of all
your friends. You cannot do them a greater service.
Chapter 2
HOW CAN WE AVOID PURGATORY?
The reason why we have to pass through Purgatory after death is that we have
committed sins and have not made satisfaction for them. Every individual sin
must be expiated--in this life or the next! Not even the slightest shadow of sin
or evil can enter the all-holy presence of God. The graver, the more frequent
the sins, the longer will be the period of expiation and the more intense the
pain. It is not God's fault, nor God's wish, that we go to Purgatory! The fault
is all our own. We have sinned and have not made satisfaction. Even after our
sin, God, in His infinite goodness, places at our disposal many easy and
efficacious means by which we may considerably lessen our term of expiation, or
even entirely cancel it. Most Christians, with incomprehensible rashness,
neglect these means and so
have to pay their debts in the dreadful prison house of Purgatory. We will
briefly enumerate some of the principal means by which we can avoid Purgatory-or
at least lessen its severity and duration.
Chapter 3
THE FIRST MEANS: REMOVING THE CAUSE
The First Means of avoiding Purgatory is manifestly to remove the cause which
sends us there, which is sin.It may not be easy to refrain from all sin, even
the smaller sins, but every ordinary Christian can, by the frequent use of the
Sacraments, easily
abstain from mortal sin. Secondly, we can all avoid deliberate and grave venial
sin. It is an awful thing to offend the good God deliberately. Deliberation
intensifies enormously the malice of sin and offends God much more than faults
of weakness, or sins committed when we are off our guard. Lastly, we must use
our best endeavors to break off bad habits. Habits, like deliberation, add
seriously to the malice of sin A deliberate falsehood is very much worse than a
hasty lie of excuse, and a lie resulting from the inveterate habit of lying is
very much worse than a casual lie. A lady once told us how she had, when
younger, the habit of constantly speaking ill of her neighbors. Having heard a
sermon on the subject, she made a strong resolution never to do so again, and
kept it. That simple, strong resolution changed the whole trend of her life and
saved her from thousands of sins, and most surely from a long and painful
Purgatory.
Who cannot make a like resolution and keep it?
If a Christian avoids, as he easily can, these three classes of sin, viz.,
mortal sins, deliberate and grave venial sins, and habits of sin, it will be
relatively easy for him to atone for faults of frailty, as we shall presently
see.
RESOLUTION
We would be well advised to pronounce with special emphasis and fervour, every
time we say the Our Father, the words:"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us"These are the very words of God Himself and
repeated frequently and
fervently will certainly obtain for us pardon of our sins.
Chapter 4
THE SECOND MEANS: PENANCE
The Second Means of avoiding Purgatory is to satisfy for our sins in this life
by doing penance. "Do penance or you shall all likewise perish" Do penance, or
you will burn long years in Purgatory, is a fact that there is no getting away
from. This is a terrifying thought and one that makes the bravest man shudder.
Which of us does not tremble when he thinks of those who have been burnt to
death in a slow fire? What fear would not be ours if we had to face a similar
death? Yet their suffering was of relatively short duration. The incomparably
fiercer fire of Purgatory, which we may have to face, may last 20, or 50 or 100
years! Many people have such a horror of penance that they never even dream of
practicing it. It is like the fear that children have of ghosts, a very great
but a very unfounded fear. Their idea is that penance is something awful They
think perhaps of the severe penances of the great Saints and of course are
afraid to attempt anything of a like kind.
The Second Means: Penance
God does not ask us, as a rule, to do what is heroic. When He does, He gives us
all the strength necessary, as in the case of the Saints. He asks each one to do
a little. If we are afraid of doing much, and it is only natural that some
should be, let us do at least a little. No one but a coward is afraid to do a
little, especially if he gets much in exchange. The easy road to Heaven of Saint
Therese, the Little Flower, is to do many little things. God was infinitely
pleased with the widow's mite; He will be equally pleased with our little
penances. As a result of little mortifications, we can deliver ourselves from
the awful fires of Purgatory and amass rich merits for Heaven. To go into the
matter further, there is not much difficulty about mortification or penance,
notwithstanding the absurd fear that people have of it. Penance is not only
easy, it is useful and necessary, and it will bring us very great happiness. Not
to do penance is the greatest penance of all. As a matter of fact, every man of
the world naturally, spontaneously mortifies himself. The first principle, for
instance, of politeness and good breeding
is to sacrifice our whims and tastes for the sake of others. The selfish man is
a boor; the generous man is the idol of all. Again, the only way of securing
good health is to eschew the most appetising viands when they do us harm and to
make use of plain foods when they do us good. Overeating is the cause of the
vast majority of sickness and premature deaths.
To take another example. The secret of success is strenuous, methodical, regular
work. Now generosity, self-denial, method, regularity are other forms of very
genuine but practical mortification. Yet no man can get on without them. To
insist on our own likes and dislikes, to do only as we please, is to lead a life
bristling with difficulties, in which every duty is a burden, every good act an
effort and a labor. Boy scouts and girl scouts are bound to do a kind act every
day, even though it costs them a big effort. Christians should surely do more.
Daily
acts of self-restraint, of patience with others, of kindness to others, the
exact fulfillment of duty are splendid penances and a great aid to
happiness.
RESOLUTION
If we are afraid to do much, let us do many little things.
Chapter 5
THE THIRD MEANS: SUFFERING
The Third Means of avoiding Purgatory is very easy. It consists in making a
virtue of necessity, by bearing patiently what we cannot avoid, and all the more
since suffering, borne patiently, becomes easy and light. Suffering, if accepted
with calmness and for God's sake, loses all its sting. If received badly, in the
spirit of revolt and with repugnance, it is intensified a hundredfold, and
becomes almost intolerable.
Everyone in this vale of tears has to face sorrows innumerable and infinite in
variety. Crosses light and crosses heavy are the lot of us all. Strange as it
may seem, these sorrows, which most of us would gladly dispense with, are in
truth God's greatest graces. They are the little share He offers us of His
Passion and which He asks us to bear for love of Him and as penance for our
sins. Borne in this spirit they will lessen considerably our time in Purgatory
and very possibly completely remove it--with this difference, that Purgatory,
even a Purgatory of 50 or 100 years, will in no wise increase our merits in
Heaven; whereas, every pain and sorrow and disappointment in this life will
lessen our suffering in Purgatory, and also bring us more happiness and glory in
Heaven. How sad it is that so many Christians, for want of thought, make their
sufferings a thousand times worse than they are and lose all the immense merits
that they could so easily gain.
RESOLUTION
Let us suffer with calmness and serenity for the love of God. We shall thus
save ourselves from Purgatory.
Chapter 6
THE FOURTH MEANS: CONFESSION, COMMUNION, HOLY MASS
The Fourth Means by which we can lessen our time in Purgatory, or avoid it
altogether, is by frequent Confession, Communion and daily assistance at Mass.
Confession applies to our souls the Precious Blood of Christ, wipes out our
sins, gives us light to see their malice, fills us with horror of sin and, above
all, it gives us strength to avoid it. In Holy Communion we receive the God of
infinite mercy and love, the God of all sanctity, who comes expressly to pardon
our sins and help us to sin no more. He visited the house of Zaccheus once, and
in that one visit, Zaccheus obtained complete pardon of all his sins How is it
possible that the same God of goodness and sweetness can come, not into our
houses, but into our very hearts in Holy Communion and not give us the same and
even greater graces. He visited Zaccheus once, He visits us every day if we
allow Him. Many, alas, never feel, never grasp the immense joys and consolation
of Holy Communion. The Mass is identical with the Sacrifice of Calvary, in its
essence, in its value, in the graces it bestows. The Sacrifice of Calvary was
sufficient to save all the world, millions and millions of souls, and was also
sufficient to save countless other sinful worlds, had they existed. By assisting
at Mass, we can apply all these oceans of graces to our own souls, and that not
once, but every day.
RESOLUTION
Let us go to Mass and Holy Communion every day. We can do nothing better. One
day with Mass and Communion is worth a hundred days without them.
CHAPTER 7
THE FIFTH MEANS: ASKING GOD
The Fifth Means of avoiding Purgatory is asking God for this grace. Some wise
Catholics have a really great, if simple secret, which is well worth learning
and using for our own benefit. God promises us in the most solemn and deliberate
way (and He cannot fail to do what He promises) that He will give us everything
we ask in prayer, if it is good for us. Now two conditions, especially, make
prayer infallible, namely perseverance and faith. God cannot refuse such a
prayer. These Catholics we speak of pray expressly every day of their lives that
God will free them from Purgatory. In every single prayer they say, in every
Mass they hear, in every good act they perform, they have the express intention
of asking God first of all and with all their hearts to deliver them from
Purgatory. How? That is for God to decide.
It is not easy to see how God can possibly refuse such constant, unceasing
prayer. The fact that such prayers are said daily and many times in the day, for
20, 30, 50 years, shows that they are said with undoubting faith and magnificent
perseverance. We exhort all our readers to adopt this practice. The more they
know and think on Purgatory, the more fervently will they make this prayer.
RESOLUTION
Every time we say the Hail Mary let us say with all the fervor of our hearts the
words: "Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen"
Chapter 8
A SIXTH MEANS: RESIGNATION TO DEATH
A Sixth Means of avoiding Purgatory is given us by some great saints: They say
that when a sick person becomes aware that he is dying and offers to God his
death with perfect resignation, it is very likely that he will go straight to
Heaven. Death is the awful punishment of sin, and when we accept it, as of
course we ought to do, with submission and resignation, our act pleases God so
much that it may satisfy perfectly for all our sins. The idea of Pope St. Pius X
was the same when he granted a plenary indulgence at the hour of death to those
who say at least after one Holy Communion the following prayer:
"Eternal Father, from this day forward, I accept with a joyful and resigned
heart the death it will please You to send me, with all its pains and
sufferings"
It will be better still to say this prayer after every Holy Communion we
receive. It is for our best interest to accept God's will in everything that
happens to us in life and in death. Nothing can be easier when we remember that
God always wishes what is best for us. If we do what God does not will, we shall
surely suffer.
RESOLUTION
Each time we repeat the Our Father, let us say with special fervor the words:
Thy will be done. In all our troubles, small and great, let us do likewise. Thus
everything will gain us merit. By this simple act we change sorrow into joy, the
worries of life into gold for Heaven.
THE SEVENTH MEANS: EXTREME UNCTION
The Seventh Means of avoiding Purgatory is Extreme Unction: God Himself has
given us a Sacrament, the end of which is to take us directly to Heaven. This
Sacrament is Extreme Unction, which according to St. Thomas and St. Albert was
instituted especially to obtain for us the grace of a holy and happy death and
to prepare us for immediate entrance into Heaven. Many Catholics do not
understand this most consoling doctrine, and because they do not understand it,
they prepare themselves insufficiently for the reception of Extreme Unction and
so lose many of its great graces. Every Sacrament properly received produces its
effect. Baptism cleanses us from Original Sin and any other actual sins that may
have been committed by adults before receiving the Sacrament. The Sacrament of
Holy Orders gives a priest all his tremendous powers. Matrimony makes man and
woman husband and wife. In the same way Extreme Unction, if devoutly received,
prepares the dying Christian for immediate entrance into Heaven, thus delivering
him from Purgatory. How foolish it is, therefore, to put off receiving this
Sacrament until very late, when the dying person is too exhausted to receive it
with full knowledge of what he is doing and with due fervor and devotion. The
moment of death is the supreme moment in our lives. It is the moment which
decides our fate for all Eternity.
RESOLUTION
Let us use every means in our power to secure a happy and holy death, especially
by receiving most devoutly, and as soon as possible, Extreme Unction.
Chapter 10
INDULGENCES AND PURGATORY
God in His infinite mercy and compassion offers us a most wonderful and easy
means for lessening or canceling our Purgatory. Fully aware of our weakness, and
knowing, too, how fearful many are of penance, He opens wide the treasury of His
Goodness and offers us most
abundant Indulgences in exchange for some small act of devotion. For one
recitation of short ejaculatory prayers, He grants 100 or 300 or
more days Indulgence. These we may say hundreds of times in the day. Those who
say the little ejaculation: "Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee"
one hundred times a day gain 30,000 days Indulgence. Those who say it 1,000
times, as many do, gain 300,000 days Indulgence each day! Nothing can be easier
than to acquire the habit of saying this little prayer all day long, countless
times each day.
Then, for each Hail Mary of the Rosary, one gains more than 2,000 days
Indulgence! Besides an immense number of Partial Indulgences, there are very
many Plenary (full, complete) Indulgences which may be gained during life and at
the hour of death. These are specially given by the Church to enable us to avoid
Purgatory. These Indulgences can be applied to our own souls, and we shall thus
directly make satisfaction for our sins. Or, we may apply them to the souls in
Purgatory, who will see to it that we do not lose by our generosity.
RESOLUTION
Let us strive to gain all possible Indulgences.
Chapter 11
THE THIRD ORDERS
Among the extraordinary graces which Catholics gain by becoming members of a
Third Order is a share in many Masses and prayers.
To mention, for instance, the Third Order of Saint Dominic, Pope Benedict XV,
himself a Tertiary, said: "One of the easiest and most effectual ways of
reaching a high degree of sanctity is by becoming a Dominican Tertiary" The
members of this order receive during life a share every day in thousands of
Masses and prayers, and after death, when, alas, so many are neglected by their
relatives, those who are members of this Third Order have a share daily in
thousands of other Masses and prayers, this for as long as they remain in
Purgatory!
Among the many beautiful characteristics of the Order of St. Dominic is its
intense devotion and love for the Holy Souls, especially for the souls of its
members, friends and benefactors. So true is this that a young Italian nobleman
who consulted the Pope as to which religious order he would do well to enter
received for answer: "My dear son, you may with much profit join any of the
Orders, for in each you will find abundant means of becoming a Saint. After
death, however, be a Dominican" The Holy Father meant to imply that the
suffrages given after death to their deceased members are, indeed, most abundant
in the Dominican Order.
The conditions of becoming a member of this order are so easy and the advantages
so many that half the world would become Dominican Tertiaries did they know
these advantages.
Chapter 12
THOSE WHO EARNESTLY HELP THE HOLY SOULS MAY WELL HOPE TO AVOID PURGATORY
The Holy Souls whom we relieve or release by our Masses and good works pray for
us with such indescribable fervour that God cannot refuse to hear their prayers.
One of the principal graces they ask for their friends is that these shall have
little or no Purgatory. No one knows better than they the awful intensity of the
Purgatorial flames; no one, therefore, can pray for us as they do. Let us
remember that:
a) God thanks as done to Himself what we do to others. When we relieve or
release any of the Holy Souls, we relieve or release, as it were, God Himself.
How ready, therefore, will He not be to hear the prayers offered by these souls
for us.
b) Our Blessed Lord lays down clearly the great law: "By that measure by which
you measure, it will be measured to you again" In proportion, consequently, to
our generosity towards the Holy Souls will God's mercy and generosity be towards
us. Those who work heart and soul for the relief of the Holy Souls may thus well
hope that their Purgatory will be entirely remitted, or notably lessened. On the
other hand, those who neglect the Holy Souls may justly fear a severe judgment
and a long Purgatory.
RESOLUTION
Let everyone without fail join the Association of the Holy Souls. All the
members of the family should do so. The conditions are very easy. If the
Association is not established in your Parish, write to: Association of the Holy
Souls, Dominican Nuns of the Perpetual Rosary, Pius XII Monastery, Rua do
Rosario 1, 2495 Fatima, Portugal, which is one of the centers of the devotion.
St. James the Apostle gives another very effectual method of avoiding or
lessening our stay in Purgatory. He says: "He who saves a soul, saves his own,
and satisfies for a multitude of sins"
If someone were fortunate enough to save the life of a King's only son, the heir
to his throne, from a horrible death, what reward might he not expect to receive
from the grateful monarch? No King, however, could be as grateful to and anxious
to reward the person who saved his son as God is grateful and ready to reward
the person who saves one soul from Hell. All of us may, in a thousand different
ways, save not one but many souls from Hell. For instance :
1. We can do so by praying earnestly for them. How often does not a mother save
her son's soul by her fervent prayers. We can save souls by giving good advice
and also by our good example. How many boys owe their sterling qualities to the
wise counsels of a good Father or friend!
2. Another efficacious method of saving souls is by propagating the Faith, viz.,
Catholic Action. The incredible ignorance, apathy and indifference of Catholics
is the evil of the day! It is the bounden duty of Catholics to spread about
thousands and thousands of pamphlets of all kinds, full of life, vigor and
burning interest, crisp, incisive, clear and strong. Otherwise, these are
useless. Each pamphlet or leaflet must carry a message straight to the heart of
the reader, rousing him, convincing him, galvanizing him into action.
Chapter 13
TO AVOID PURGATORY, DO AS FOLLOWS
1. In every prayer you say, every Mass you hear, every Communion you receive,
every good work you perform, have the express intention of imploring God to
grant you a holy and happy death and no Purgatory. Surely God will hear a prayer
said with such confidence and perseverance.
2. Always wish to do God's will. It is in every sense the best for you. When you
do or seek anything that is not God's will, you are sure to
suffer. Say fervently, therefore, each time you recite the Our Father: "Thy will
be done"
3. Accept all the sufferings, sorrows, pains and disappointments of life, be
they great or small: ill health, loss of goods, the death of your dear ones,
heat or cold, rain or sunshine, as coming from God. Bear them calmly and
patiently for love of Him and in penance for your sins. Of course one may use
all his efforts to ward off trouble and pain, but when one cannot avoid them let
him bear them manfully.
Impatience and revolt make sufferings vastly greater and more difficult to bear.
4. Christ's life and actions are so many lessons for us to imitate. The greatest
act in His life was His Passion. As He had a Passion, so each
one of us has a passion. Our passion consists in the sufferings and labours of
every day. The penance God imposed on man for sin was to gain his bread in the
sweat of his brow. Therefore, let us do our work, accept its disappointments and
hardships, and bear our pains in union with the Passion of Christ. We gain more
merit by a little pain than by years of pleasure.
5. Forgive all injuries and offences, for in proportion as we forgive others,
God forgives us.
6. Avoid mortal sins and deliberate venial sins and break off all bad habits.
Then it will be relatively easy to satisfy God's justice for sins
of frailty. Above all, avoid sins against charity and against chastity, whether
in thought, word or deed, for these sins [and the expiation for
them] are the reason why many souls are detained in Purgatory for long years.
7. If afraid of doing much, do many little things, acts of kindness and charity,
give the alms you can, cultivate regularity of life, method in
work, and punctuality in the performance of duty; don't grumble or complain when
things are not as you please; don't censure and complain of others; never refuse
to do a favor to others when it is possible. These and suchlike little acts are
a splendid penance.
8. Do all in your power for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Pray for them
constantly, get others to do so, join the Association of the Holy Souls and ask
all those you know to do likewise. The Holy Souls will repay you most
generously.
9. There is no way more powerful of obtaining from God a most holy and happy
death than by weekly Confession, daily Mass and daily Communion.
10. A daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament--it need only be three or four
minutes--is an easy way of obtaining the same grace. Kneeling in the presence of
Jesus with eyes fixed on the Tabernacle, sure that He is looking at us, let us
for a few minutes repeat some little prayer like
these: "My Jesus, mercy." "My Jesus, have pity on me, a sinner" "My Jesus, I
love You" "My Jesus, give me a happy death"
Chapter 14
HOW WE CAN HELP THE HOLY SOULS
I. The first means is by joining the Association of the Holy Souls. The
conditions are easy.
ASSOCIATION OF THE HOLY SOULS
Approved by the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, June, 1936
1. The members are asked to send their full name and address to: Association of
the Holy Souls, Dominican Nuns of the Perpetual Rosary, Pius XII Monastery, Rua
do Rosario 1, 2495 Fatima, Portugal.
2. The members must offer up a Mass once a week for the Holy Souls (Sunday's
Mass can fulfil this obligation).
3. The members pray for and promote devotion to the Holy Souls. (We recommend
the booklets Read Me or Rue It and How to Avoid Purgatory.)
4. The members are asked to contribute a yearly alms to the Mass Fund. The alms
is used to have Masses said for the Holy Souls every month.
5. A second means of helping the Holy Souls is having Masses offered for them.
This is certainly the most efficacious way of relieving them.
6. Those who cannot get many Masses offered, owing to want of means, ought to
assist at as many Masses as possible for this intention.
A young man who was earning a very modest salary told the writer: "My wife died
a few years ago. I got 10 Masses said for her. I could not possibly do more but
heard 1,000 for her dear soul "
7. The recital of the Rosary (with its great indulgences) and the Way of the
Cross (which is also richly indulgenced) are excellent means of helping the Holy
Souls. St. John Massias, as we saw, released from Purgatory more than a million
souls, chiefly by reciting the Rosary and offering its great indulgences for
them.
8. Another easy and efficacious way is by the constant repetition of short
indulgenced prayers, offering up the indulgences for the Souls in
Purgatory. Many people have the custom of saying 500 or 1,000 times each day the
little ejaculation, "Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee" or the one
word, "Jesus" These are most consoling devotions and bring oceans of graces to
those who practice them and give immense relief to the Holy Souls. Those who say
the ejaculations 1,000 times a day gain 300,000 days Indulgence! What a
multitude of souls they can thus relieve! What will it not be at the end of a
month, a year--or 50 years? And if they do not say the ejaculations, what an
immense number of graces and favors they shall have lost. It is quite possible
and even easy to say these ejaculations 1,000 times a day. But if one does not
say them 1,000 times, let him say them 500 or 200 times.
9. Still another powerful prayer is: "Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most
Precious Blood of Jesus, with all the Masses being said all over the world this
day, for the Souls in Purgatory." Our Lord showed St. Gertrude a vast number of
souls leaving Purgatory and going to Heaven as a result of this prayer which the
Saint was accustomed to say frequently during the day.
10. The Heroic Act consists in offering to God in favor of the Souls in
Purgatory all the works of satisfaction we practice during life and all the
suffrages that will be offered for us after death. If God rewards so abundantly
the most trifling alms given to a poor man in His name, what an immense reward
will He not give to those who offer all their works of satisfaction in life and
death for the souls He loves so dearly. This Act does not prevent priests from
offering Mass for the intentions they wish, or lay people from praying for any
persons or other intentions they desire. We counsel everyone to make this act.
ALMS HELP THE HOLY SOULS
St. Martin of Tours gave half of his cloak to a poor beggar, only to find out
afterwards that it was to Christ he had given it. Our Lord appeared to him and
thanked him. Blessed Jordan of the Dominican Order could never refuse an alms
when it was asked in the name of God. One day he had forgotten his purse. A poor
man implored an alms for the love of God. Rather than refuse him, Jordan, who
was then a student, gave him a most precious belt or cincture which he prized
dearly. Shortly afterwards, he entered a church and found his cincture
encircling the waist of an image of Christ Crucified. He, too, had given his
alms to Christ. We all give our alms to Christ.
RESOLUTION
a) Let us give all the alms we can afford; b) Let us have said all the Masses in
our power; c) Let us hear as many more as is possible; d) Let us offer all our
pains and sufferings for the relief of the Holy Souls. We shall thus deliver
countless souls from Purgatory, who will repay us ten thousand times over.
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Appendix I
THE BROWN SCAPULAR
Two wonderful promises of Our Lady of Mount Carmel are available to those who
have been enrolled in the Brown Scapular.
The great promise of the Blessed Virgin Mary, given to St. Simon Stock on July
16, 1251, is as follows: "Whoever dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer
eternal fire." Our Lady's second Scapular Promise, known as the Sabbatine
Privilege (the word "Sabbatine" meaning "Saturday"), was given by the Blessed
Virgin Mary to Pope John XXII in the year 1322 and is as follows: "I, the Mother
of
Grace, shall descend on the Saturday after their death, and whomsoever I shall
find in Purgatory, I shall free."
There are three conditions for obtaining this privilege: 1) the wearing of the
Brown Scapular; 2) the practice of chastity according to one's state of life; 3)
the daily recitation of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Those who
cannot read can abstain from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays instead of
reciting the Little Office. Also, any priest who has diocesan faculties (this
includes most priests) has the additional faculty to commute (change) the third
requirement into another pious work--for example, the daily Rosary.
Because of the greatness of the Sabbatine privilege, the Carmelite Order
suggests that the third requirement not be commuted into anything less than the
daily recitation of seven Our Fathers, seven Hail Marys, and seven Glory Be to
the Fathers.
"ALL SOULS' DAY"
The Liturgical Year, XV, Book VI, Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B. Pages 93-96 & 143
"We will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep
that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope." (1 Thess. 4:13) The
Church today has the same desire as the St. Paul, thus expressed to the first
Christians. The truth concerning the dead not only proves admirably the union
between God's justice and His goodness; it also inspires a charitable pity which
the hardest heart cannot resist, and at the same time offers to the mourners the
sweetest consolation. If faith teaches us the existence of a purgatory where our
loved ones may be detained by un-expiated sin, it is also of faith that we are
able to assist them: and theology assures us that their more or less speedy
deliverance lies in our power.
Let us make use of our treasures and exercise mercy towards the poor suffering
souls. Is any condition more pitiable than theirs? So great is their anguish,
that no distress on earth can approach to it... All heaven cannot help them, for
there is no merit to be gained there. God Himself, though most merciful owes it
to His justice not to deliver them until they have paid the whole debt that they
carried with them beyond the world of trial. The debt was contracted perhaps
through our fault, and in our company; and it is to us they turn for help, to us
who are still dreaming of nothing but pleasure, while they are burning and we
could so easily shorten their torments!
Whether it be that purgatory is now more than ever overflowing with the
multitudes daily sent thither through the worldliness of the age, or that the
last and universal judgment is approaching-- the Holy Ghost is no longer
satisfied with keeping up the zeal of ancient confraternities devoted to the
service of the departed. He raises up new associations, and even religious
families, whose one aim is to promote, by every possible means, the deliverance
or the solace of the suffering souls.
From the very beginning the Church has always prayed for the dead, as did even
the Synagogue before her (2 Mach. 12:46)... Thus as St. Augustine remarks, those
who had no relatives and friends on earth were hence forth not deprived of
suffrages: for, to make up for their abandonment they had the tender compassion
of the common mother...The holy souls had the gift of faith and did the works of
faith while on earth; their eternal reward is therefore secured, and God
mercifully accepts the offerings we make for them...
TOTIES QUOTIES INDULGENCE
Beginning on, November 1st at noon and continuing to Midnight, November 2nd, the
Catholic faithful, as often as they visit a Catholic Church to pray for the
dead, praying 6 times during the visit Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be for the
intentions of Holy Mother Church, may gain: A Plenary
indulgence applicable only to the souls in purgatory. This indulgence may also
be gained from noon of the following Saturday until Sunday midnight, but only by
those who did not gain the indulgence on All Souls' Day (Raccolta #590).
The Faithful who during the period of 8 days from the commemoration of All Souls' Day, inclusive, visit a cemetery in a spirit of piety and devotion and pray, even mentally for the dead, may gain: A Plenary indulgence on the usual conditions on each day of the octave , applicable only to the faithful departed. Those souls who make such a visit, and pray for the Holy Souls, on any day in the year, may gain: A indulgence of 7 years, applicable to the faithful departed (Raccolta #592).
The faithful who recite prayers or perform other devout exercises in supplication for the Faithful Departed during the month of November may gain: A indulgence of 3 years, once each day; a Plenary indulgence on the usual conditions at the end of their 7 or 9 days of prayer (Raccolta #589).
Those who, during the aforesaid month, take part in
public services held in a church or public oratory in intercession for the
faithful departed may gain: A indulgence of seven years
on each day of the month; a Plenary indulgence, if they attend these exercise on
at least 15 days, and in addition go to Confession, receive Holy Communion and
pray for the intentions of Holy Mother Church (Raccolta #589).
The faithful who devoutly offer prayer at any season of the year in intercession
for the souls of the faithful departed, with the intention of so continuing for
7 or 9 consecutive days, may obtain: An indulgence of 3
years, once each day; a Plenary indulgence on the usual conditions at the end of
their 7 or 9 days of prayer (Raccolta #588).
All Masses that are celebrated
at any altar by any priest within the period of 8 days from the Commemoration of
All Souls'; inclusive, enjoy the same privilege as if they were offered on a
privileged altar, but only in favor of the soul for whom they are applied (Raccolta
#591).
CONDITIONS FOR GAINING AN INDULGENCE
To gain any indulgence, one must:
1) Be in a state of grace.
2) Have the intention to gain the indulgence.
3) Perform the work required.
IN ADDITION,
If it is a question of a Plenary indulgence, once must:
1) Have true sorrow for all one's sins.
2) Go to Confession and Receive Holy Communion.
3) Pray One Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be for the intentions of Holy Mother
the Church.
4) Make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.
REMEMBER:
You must move your lips during your prayers ( This will assure you do not get
distracted by your thoughts.)