Dear reader, the present volume is not a treatise nor a doctrinal defense or dissertation on Purgatory. It is a pious exercise of devotion for the Holy Souls within the confines of speculative reflection and grace, using the two elements (sources) of mystical theology: dogma and the experience of the Saints.
Furthermore, it is also a specific exercise of mystical theology within the context of the pastoral care of souls for one's spiritual children: devout young men discerning a higher call in their lives, the original recipients of this book.
Alex Baranton
PREAMBLE AND GOAL: THE GLORY OF HEAVEN
On this holy eve, which providentially precedes the whole month of the Holy Souls of Purgatory, it is most fitting to turn our gaze and affix it to the glory of Heaven: our eternal goal and everlasting home.
In this way, dear brothers, every holy exercise we will be performing daily for the aid and suffrage of the Holy Souls in Purgatory will unite us more to their ardent, earthly unthinkable, and one only desire: to behold God in that unending face-to-Face of Divine Love and Bliss!
Therefore, our already spiritual communion with them —the Suffering Church— will acquire an even greater character by holy desire —the holy longing for Paradise—; and, in this holy sharing —or renewed communion of desire for Heaven—, we will only be most compassionate with them and eagerly urge ourselves to do everything possible to aid these holy spouses of our Lord in their final purification stage before entering their Wedding Feast.
Exercise
Let us then begin our holy exercises for the Holy Souls by stirring that common holy desire for the glory of Heaven and lovingly offering for them, before Jesus Hostia, the following meditation on the reality of Heaven drawn from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1023-1029.
We shall do this meditation asking the Holy Ghost to guide our every thought, discourse, idea, imagination, and all inner movements and motions of the heart so that —with minds renewed and heart refreshed— the whole of our soul's desire is inflamed heavenwards.
So, please let us read the text of the Catechism below (and, from now on, any other texts provided herein): slowly, prayerfully, and with the freedom to pause, drench ourselves, and drink from the richness of any given phrase that the Holy Spirit will highlight for us in His mysterious ways.
In such a way set ablaze, we'll allow the same Paraklete to stretch our hearts in divine compassion and embrace within them our holy brethren in Purgatory, for whom the fruits of this pious exercise is intended, directed, and avowed.
Hearts, minds, and dispositions ready, Lord! Show us Heaven, our Eternal Home! Take us There along with the Holy Souls! You are the Bridegroom of the Church, the Divine Spouse of All Souls, we long for our Heavenly Banquet in Your Wedding Feast! We long for You!
HEAVEN
«1023 Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they “see Him as He is,” face to face:⁵⁹⁸
“By virtue of our apostolic authority, we define the following: According to the general disposition of God, the souls of all the saints … and other faithful who died after receiving Christ's holy Baptism (provided they were not in need of purification when they died, … or, if they then did need or will need some purification, when they have been purified after death, …) already before they take up their bodies again and before the general judgment —and this since the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into heaven— have been, are and will be in heaven, in the heavenly Kingdom and celestial paradise with Christ, joined to the company of the holy angels. Since the Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen and do see the divine essence with an intuitive vision, and even face to face, without the mediation of any creature.”⁵⁹⁹
1024 This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity —this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed— is called “heaven.” Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness.
1025 To live in heaven is “to be with Christ.” The elect live “in Christ,”⁶⁰⁰ but they retain, or rather find, their true identity, their own name.⁶⁰¹
For life is to be with Christ; where Christ is, there is life, there is the kingdom.⁶⁰²
1026 By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has “opened” heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ.
1027 This mystery of blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ is beyond all understanding and description. Scripture speaks of it in images: life, light, peace, wedding feast, wine of the kingdom, the Father's house, the heavenly Jerusalem, paradise: “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.”⁶⁰³
1028 Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man's immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory “the beatific vision”:
How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God, … to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of heaven with the righteous and God's friends.⁶⁰⁴
1029 In the glory of heaven the blessed continue joyfully to fulfill God's will in relation to other men and to all creation. Already they reign with Christ; with him “they shall reign for ever and ever.”⁶⁰⁵»
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1023-1029.
⁵⁹⁸ 1 Jn 3:2; cf. 1 Cor 13:12; Rev 22:4.
⁵⁹⁹ Benedict XII, Benedictus Deus (1336):DS 1000; cf. LG 49.
⁶⁰⁰ Phil 1:23; cf. Jn 14:3; 1 Thes 4:17.
⁶⁰¹ Cf. Rev 2:17.
⁶⁰² St. Ambrose, In Luc.,10,121:PL 15 1834A.
⁶⁰³ 1 Cor 2:9.
⁶⁰⁴ St. Cyprian, Ep. 58,10,1:CSEL 3/2,665.
⁶⁰⁵ Rev 22:5; cf. Mt 25:21,23.
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Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A DAY WITH ALL THE BLESSED OF HEAVEN FOR THE HOLY SOULS
On this great solemnity of All Saints let us continue, brothers, to look and affix our gaze heavenwards...
In doing that, we will not only continue our holy communion of desire with the Holy Souls but actually consciously «reach» —with them in heart— to the reality of Heaven; and, in this way, we will wilfully rekindle —for us and for the Holy Souls— holy communion with that other glorious part of our Church —the Triumphant Church.
So, it will be our aim and mission today to be a bridge or channel of fresh graces that will run from the heavenly port of the Blessed to the merciful port of purifying suffering: where the Holy Souls will find immense alleviation and solace!
Exercise
Let us then offer the following meditation on Heaven sketched by one of our triumphant friends —St. Peter of Alcántara— in his Treatise on Prayer and Meditation, chapter II.
A MEDITATION ON HEAVEN
«This day you shall meditate upon the glory of the saints of God, which may more eagerly inflame your soul, to contemn the vanities of this world, and aspire to that eternal felicity.
To the end you may get a better knowledge and gust of this inestimable glory, consider these five things. First, the excellency of the place. Secondly, the joy of that society. Thirdly, the vision of God. Fourthly, the glory of their bodies. Fifthly, the complete perfection of all abundant good.
In the excellency of the place, take notice of the admirable and wonderful spaciousness of it; in approved authors you read that the least of the fixed stars of heaven is bigger than the whole earth, and some of them exceed the earth two or three hundred times in bigness. Then cast up your eyes to heaven, and consider the innumerable multitude of them in the firmament, and you shall see a great deal of void space, where many more may be placed, how can you then but be astonished at the greatness of so rare a fabric.
Then consider the beauty of that place, which no tongue is able to express, for if Almighty God, in this place of banishment and vale of misery, has made many things of admirable and comely hue; of what great beauty, and how much adorned do you think that place to be, which God would have to be the ordinary seat of his glory, the palace of his majesty, the mansion of the elect, and the paradise of all pleasure?
After the beauty of the place, consider the nobility of the inhabitants, whose number, sanctity, riches, and glory, are far beyond our imagination. St. John says, the multitude are so great that they are innumerable (cf. Rev 5:11). St. Dionysius affirms, that the multitude of angels far exceed the number of sublunary creatures (cf. De cœlesti hierarchia, c. xiv). Whom St. Thomas following, thinks, that as the heavens by many degrees exceed the bigness of the earth, being but, as it were, a point of them; so proportionably the glorious spirits therein contained, do surpass all earthly things (cf. Is, q. 50, a. 3). What can be thought more admirable? assuredly this well pondered would make a man lose himself in the abyss of Almighty God's goodness.
Yea, without comparison every one of these Blessed Spirits is far more beautiful to the eye than all this visible world. Oh, what would it be to contemplate the incomprehensible number of so rare and glorious Spirits, and to understand their several offices and perfections? — How the angels bring messages; how the archangels minister; how the principalities triumph; how the powers rejoice; how the dominations bear sway; how the virtues shine; how the thrones do glitter; how the Cherubim do illuminate; how the Seraphim burn with love; and finally, how all with one unanimous consent, praise Almighty God.
If the conversation and fellowship of good men be so delightful, what pleasure will it be, to be associated with so great a multitude of Saints? — to be conversant with the Apostles, to talk with the Prophets, to discourse with Martyrs, and to enjoy the blessed familiarity of all the Elect?
Where there is so much glory in rejoicing in the company of the good, oh, but what will it be to enjoy His presence whom the morning stars do magnify? — whose beauty the sun and moon admire; before Whom the holy angels and all the celestial spirits prostrate themselves. That Summum Bonum, that infinite Good, which in itself comprehends all good whatsoever; oh, what content will the heart of man feel, to behold Him, Who is one and all: Who although He be most simple without composition, yet contains in Himself the perfections of all things created. What can the heart of man desire greater?
If it were so much to see and hear king Solomon, that the queen of Saba coming from far remote parts, moved with his great wisdom, should say, “Beati viri tui, et beati servi tui, qui slant coram te semper et audiunt sapientiam tuam”, “Blessed are your men, and blessed are your servants, who stand before you always and hear your wisdom.” (cf. 2 Ch 9:7) What would it be to behold that true Solomon, that Eternal Wisdom, that immense Majesty, that inestimable Beauty, that Infinite Goodness, and, which is more, to enjoy Him for all eternity.
This is the essential and truest glory of the saints; this is the last end and centre of all our wishes.
Consider, moreover, the glory of their bodies, which shall be beautified with these four gifts: subtility, agility, impassibility, and clarity; which will be so great, that every one of the elect, as our blessed Saviour says, shall glitter like the sun in the kingdom of His Father (cf. Mt 13:43).
If one only sun so rejoices and illuminate this universe, what do you think so many brighter suns will do, which shall there shine?
What should I speak of other joys which there shall be? health without infirmity, liberty without violence, beauty without deformity, immortality without corruption, abundance without want, rest without trouble, security without fear, riches without poverty, joy without sorrow, honor without contradiction. There, as St. Augustine says (cf. The City of God), shall be true glory, when every one shall be commended without error or flattery. True honor shall be denied to none that is worthy of it, and it shall be given to none unworthy, neither shall any unworthy attempt it there, where none shall be permitted but the worthy. There shall be true peace, where they shall suffer no contradiction from themselves or others; the reward of virtue shall be he which gave virtue. And he has promised to give himself, than which nothing can be better, or greater. For what other thing is it, that he spake by the prophet: “Ero illormn Deus, et ipsi erunt mihi plebs”, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” If I do not, who is it that can satiate their souls? I will be that Good which can possibly be desired of man, their life, their peace, their honor. For so is that understood which the Apostle speaks: “Ut sit Deus in omnibus”, “that God be in all.” He shall be the End of all our desires, which shall be contemplated without end, shall be loved without tediousness, shall be praised without ceasing.
The place of the saints, if you behold the spaciousness of it, it shall be most ample, if the beauty, most delicious; if the splendor, most exceedingly bright. There shall be admirable delightful society, no vicissitude of times, the day shall not succeed the night, nor the night the day, but all time shall be there alike. There shall be one perpetual spring, which the Holy Ghost, with a wonderful temper, shall always make green and flourishing; there shall all celebrate everlasting holidays, rejoicing with unspeakable gladness; there shall all sound their instruments of music and sing praises to him, by whose power they live and reign for all eternity.
O celestial city, secure habitation, palace flowing with all delights, people without murmuring, quiet citizens, men without poverty. Oh, that I may at length enjoy you. Oh, that the days of my banishment were ended. When will that joyful day come? When shall I go out of this mortality? When shall I come and appear before Your face, O God?»
St. Peter of Alcántara,
Treatise on Prayer and Meditation, chapter II.
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Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
THE DAY OF MERCY FOR THE HOLY SOULS
The commemoration of the faithful departed —the Holy Souls of Purgatory— is upon us again! What a profound joy!
After renewing our holy communion of desire with them and becoming conscious bridges of grace for them with our glorious brethren in Heaven, we continue today our holy endeavor of dedicated mercy and love for the Holy Souls. For it is to us, active members of the Militant Church on Earth, whom God has entrusted this great privilege, powerful tool, and holy duty of attaining suffrages for the faithful departed.
What a great mercy our loving Father has with us and with them so as to deign to use us, so faulty creatures, to dispense from the mystical treasury of the Church the great charity of delivering the Holy Souls from their captivity in that most holy, yet painful, prison of mercy: Purgatory!
Exercise
Since these Holy Souls while on Earth did not arrive to the state of holiness necessary to contemplate the Beatific Vision and «possess», so to speak, God, they remain detained in the next life in that prison of mercy:
«All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven» (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1030).
In a loving effort to be thoroughly purified, so as to be a greater source of grace for all souls —for «the prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects» (cf. Jam 5:16)—, let us then aim to renew today in a loving act the baptismal innocence we once had: for the greater glory of God and with the merciful effect of deliverance of the Holy Souls in heart.
For this lofty exercise, we will use a script written by St. Gertrude (a champion and great apostle of mercy for the Holy Souls while alive here below) in order to prepare her nuns for greater degrees of holiness. This script is the fundamental and first of seven exercises she wrote with this aim. It is found in the book Exercises of St. Gertrude, pp. 1-18, compiled by the Servant of God Prosper Guéranger, the holy benedictine abbot of Solesmes Abbey.
Behold, then, the brief introduction to this first exercise by Dom Guéranger (Exercises of St. Gertrude, p. 3), just before the long text of the exercise itself composed by St. Gertrude (Exercises of St. Gertrude, pp. 5-18). Let us do this holy exercise in a loving, candid, and tranquil dialog before Jesus Hostia…
THE RENEWAL OF BAPTISMAL INNOCENCE
INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY
«This Exercise is the starting point of the whole work of St. Gertrude. The end which the illustrious Abbess proposes to herself is, as we have said, to assist the soul which has placed itself under her care, up to the moment when it is freed from the trammels of the body, and stands before God, its Judge and its great Reward.
The first need of the soul in this progress towards its last end is that sanctifying grace which was communicated to it by Baptism; and therefore St. Gertrude brings it back, in the first place, to that baptismal font wherein it was regenerated, and whence it drew a divine life. She brings before it the several circumstances which accompanied this divine adoption; and she suggests the acts which should be called forth by the review of the several rites wherewith the Holy Church surrounds the sacramental action itself with such magnificence and such depth of meaning.
How many are there of the faithful who, for want of a due comprehension of these sublime ceremonies, retain only a vague recollection of them, and bestow on them a slight and distracted attention! By using the acts which St. Gertrude here clothes for them with words, they may repair this unhappy forgetfulness, and will revive within them the grace of that august Sacrament of Christian initiation, to which they owe all their rights in the order of salvation, and all the supernatural gifts which are unceasingly flowing down upon them, —gifts to which God will add the crown and consummation in the other life, by the manifestation of his sovereign beauty.»
Servant of God Prosper Guéranger,
Exercises of St. Gertrude, p. 3.
FIRST EXERCISE
«If you wish to present to the Lord, at the close of your life, the robe of baptismal innocence without stain, and the seal of the Christian faith whole and unbroken, set apart some time in each year for dwelling on the memory of your Baptism; and let it be, if possible, about Easter or Pentecost. To perform this Exercise aright, you will excite in yourself an earnest desire to be born again unto God by the holiness of a renewed life, and to enter again into a restored infancy. And you will say:
God be merciful to me and bless me; may He up the light of His countenance on me, and have mercy on me. Let my heart praise Him in sincerity and truth; let the whole earth of my heart tremble and be moved before the presence of the Lord; may my spirit be recreated and renewed by the Spirit of His mouth; and may that good Spirit bring me forth into the land wherein reigneth justice.
Then repeat the Creed; beseeching the Lord to enable you perfectly and entirely to renounce Satan, and to uphold you in a right, living, and entire faith to the latest moment of your life.
O LORD God, Who art full of mercy and of truth, my Creator and my Redeemer, Who hast caused to shine on me the sacred light of thy countenance; Who hast redeemed me with the precious Blood of Thine only Son, and hast regenerated me by Baptism and by the power of thy Holy Spirit, into hope of everlasting life; enable me, with a sincere heart and in all truth, to renounce the devil, his pomps and his works. Enable me to believe firmly in Thee, with a right and fervent faith, having in it the life and the root of good works. Make me to believe in Thee, my God and my Creator, through Jesus Christ thy Son, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and by the mighty working of the Holy Ghost. Grant me to cling to Thee, and evermore to abide unchangingly in Thee, even to the end. Amen.
In memory of the sign of faith which was first of all impressed on you, say:
O Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, by Thy divine and almighty power direct and strengthen my faith; by Thy divine wisdom condescend to instruct it and enlighten it; by Thy divine goodness vouchsafe to sustain and to perfect it, that at the hour of my death I may be enabled to present it before Thee pure and entire, together with the practice and discharge of all virtues. Amen.
In union with the exorcism which was performed in your regard, beseech the Lord that He would deign to enable you, by the might of His Name, to detect and to overcome all the wiles of the devil; so that the enemy may never glory in having prevailed against you, but that in every temptation he may retreat baffled and confounded at being repulsed at the very onset.
O LORD Jesus Christ, Thou great High Priest, who by Thy precious death hast restored me to life, vouchsafe to breathe on me in the virtue of Thy Spirit, and to scatter all the ambushes of the enemy by the efficacious might of thy presence. Break within me all the bonds of Satan; and in thy mercy remove far from me all blindness of heart. Let thy perfect love, O Christ, be to me an assured triumph in every temptation. Let thy sacred humility teach me to avoid all the snares of the enemy. Let thy clearshining truth be my guide, and enable me to walk before Thee with a sincere and upright heart. Finally, may the blessing of thy most indulgent mercy ever prevent me, follow me, and keep me, even to the end of my life. Amen.
You will then make on yourself the sign of the cross, which was made on your forehead and on your breast, saying:
IN the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. O sweetest Jesus, my crucified Love, deign Thyself to impress the sign of thy cross on my forehead and on my heart, that I may live evermore and for ever beneath thy protection. Bestow on me a living by faith, that I may fulfil thy heavenly precepts; enlarge my heart, that I may run in the way of thy commandments; and render me meet to become the temple of God and the abode of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Here implore the Lord Jesus, Who is the great High-Priest, to lay on you His hand, that thus you may dwell for ever beneath the shadow of the Most High, and abide under the protection of the God of heaven.
O JESUS, full of love, protect me beneath the shadow of thy hand, and let thy right hand uphold and sustain me. Open to me the doors of thy loving mercy; impress on me the seal of thy wisdom; withdraw me, the clear shining of thy truth, from all earthly desires; gladden my soul with the sweet fragrance of thy commandments, and enable me to advance in virtue day by day. Amen.
In order to obtain from the Lord the Angel who may be your guide throughout the voyage of life, say:
JESUS, Prince of Peace, Angel of the great counsel, be ever at my right hand as my leader and my guardian throughout my pilgrimage, that I be not shaken or moved, nor wander far from Thee. Vouchsafe to send from heaven thy holy angel to take charge of me as the minister of thy loving care concerning me, to lead me onwards according to thy good pleasure, to help me to walk in thy ways, and to bring me at length to Thee, perfect and complete. Amen.
Welcome the holy angel, and greet him, saying:
HAIL, holy Angel of God, guardian of my soul and of my body. By the sweetest Heart of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, take me beneath the shelter of thy faithful and fatherly care, for the love of Him whose creature thou art even as I myself, and Who put me under thy charge on the day of my Baptism. Help me to cross, unharmed and unsullied, the swollen torrent of this life, until I be admitted to behold, like thee and with thee, that ravishing Face, that beauty of the supreme King, the sight of which infinitely transcends the highest bliss our hearts can conceive. Amen.
Here pray that your mouth may be filled with the salt of wisdom, that through the Holy Ghost the savour of the faith may ever be sweet to your taste.
SWEETEST Jesus, bestow on me, in thy goodness, the salt of wisdom and the spirit of understanding, unto life everlasting. Amen. Enable me to taste the sweetness of thy Spirit; make me to hunger after thy will; give me to know thy good pleasure, that my service may ever be acceptable unto thee. Amen.
Make the sign of the cross on your ears and on your nostrils, beseeching our Lord to open Himself the ears of your heart to hear his law, and to shed throughout your whole being the sweet fragrance of his knowledge.
JESUS, my tender and loving Shepherd, grant that I, thine unworthy sheep, may always know and follow evermore thy sweetest voice. Grant that, drawn by the sweet fragrance of a living faith, I may bend my steps towards the pastures of everlasting life, wherein I may rest for ever, and for ever behold, O loving Master, the wonders of thy surpassing sweetness.
Take in your hand the cross as a banner of salvation, that you may be conqueror in all your struggles with the enemy, and say:
JESUS, full of love, place the sign of thy holy cross in my right hand, that ever armed therewith, and encompassed by thy protection, I may boldly advance against all the ambushes of the enemy. Amen. May the almightiness of God the Father bless me! May the wisdom of the Son bless me! May the most compassionate charity of the Holy Ghost bless me, and keep me unto everlasting life! Amen.
You will next turn to the Virgin Mother, that she may obtain for you the complete renewal of your life. You will beseech her, who is the rose worthy of all admiration, to be so your mother that you may become her true daughter by your conduct. You will implore that pearl most pure to cover your soul with the mantle of her chastity, and to preserve you, by the virtue of her sweetest countenance, pure and without spot for her Son, your Lord and King. Beseech her to cause your name to be written amongst those who have obtained the better part in Israel; and that your inheritance may be with those who walk in innocency of heart, and set the Lord before them as their one and only End throughout the whole course of their lives.
HAIL, Mary, Queen of Compassion, through whom the lifegiving remedy hath come unto us; Virgin and Mother of the Divine Infant; thou, by whom hath come unto us the Son of the everlasting Light, He Who sheds his perfumes over Israel. In thy Son thou art become the true Mother of all those of whom this one only Son of thy womb hath not abhorred to become the brother. Wherefore I beseech thee, by his love, receive me, all unworthy as I am, into thy maternal arms. Aid and sustain my faith, preserve and enlighten it; be within me a principle of renewal and of fidelity, thou who art my only and most loving Mother. May I be encompassed during this mortal life with thy tender and most compassionate care; and do thou receive me into thy maternal bosom at the hour of my death. Amen.
In memory of the holy chrism, make the sign of the cross on your breast and between your shoulders, saying:
GRANT me, O my Jesus, ever to bear on my shoulders, for love of thy love, the yoke so easy and the burden so light of thy commandments; and to preserve lovingly on my breast the mystery of thy sacred faith as a bundle of myrrh, so that thou mayest ever be to me the Crucified, fixed forevermore in my heart. Amen.
Reflecting on the name which was then given to you, say:
O SWEETEST Jesus, write my name beneath thine own in the book of life. Say to my soul, “Thou art mine; I am thy salvation. I have known thee and acknowledged thee; thou shalt no more call thyself the forsaken, but thy name shall be my delight is in her, and thine inheritance shall be with Me in the land of the living.”
Represent to yourself the moment in which you were plunged into the sacred font, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
O JESUS, Fountain of life, give me to drink of that living water which gushes forth from Thee, that, having tasted of Thee, I may thirst evermore after Thee alone. Plunge me all into the depths of thy loving mercy. Baptise me into the holiness of thy precious death. Renew me in that blood wherewith Thou hast redeemed me. Wash out, in the water which flowed from thy most holy side, all the stains wherewith I have defiled my baptismal innocency. Fill me with thy Spirit, and take entire possession of me in purity of soul and of body. Amen.
Recall to mind the holy chrism wherewith you were anointed on coming forth from the water, and ask our Lord that the unction of his Spirit may teach you all things.
O HOLY Father, who, through thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, hast regenerated me with water and the Holy Ghost, grant me this day perfect and entire remission of all my sins, and vouchsafe to seal me with the anointing of thy Spirit unto everlasting life. Amen. May thy peace be with me evermore. Amen.
Say in memory of the white robe wherein you were clothed:
O JESUS, Sun of Justice, clothe me with thyself, that I may be enabled to live according to Thee. Enable me henceforward to keep the robe of my baptismal innocence in all its whiteness and in its unsullied holiness, so that I may present it at thy judgment-seat without spot, and be arrayed therewith in life everlasting. Amen.
Think of the taper which was put into your hand, and pray for interior light:
O JESUS, Thou unfailing Light, kindle within me evermore the glowing lamp of thy love, and teach me how to keep my baptism pure and without reproach, that I may appear with humble confidence when I am summoned to thy divine espousals, and be accounted worthy to enter into the joys of the life that never ends, and see Thee, O Thou true Light, and gaze upon the beauty of thy divine countenance. Amen.
Recalling to mind the communion thou didst receive of the lifegiving Body and Blood of the Lamb without spot, say:
O JESUS Christ my Lord, may thine adorable Body and thy precious Blood preserve my body and my soul unto everlasting life. Amen. May thy peace be with me! O Jesus, Thou true Peace, may I have evermore abounding peace in Thee; so that through Thee I may attain to that peace which passeth all understanding, amidst which I shall behold Thee in everlasting gladness. Amen.
In this communion, pray that your life may be entirely hidden with Jesus Christ in God, that at the hour of your death you may be found complete in Him.
O JESUS, full of love, Thou sweetest guest of my soul, may thine exquisite and ravishing union with me be to me today the remission of all my sins, the satisfaction for all my negligences, and my return to the life I had lost. May it be my everlasting salvation, the healing of my soul and of my body, the enlargement of my love, my renewal in virtue, and the establishment of my life in Thee for evermore.
May this thy coming unto me work in me a perfect liberty of spirit, the cleansing of my whole life, and a noble generosity in all good works; may it be to me the shield of my patience, the triumph of humility, the stay of confidence, my consolation in sadness, and an effectual aid towards final perseverance. May it be to me the armour of faith, the firmness of hope, the perfection of charity, the accomplishment of thy commandments, the renewal of my mind, my entire sanctification in thy truth, and the crown and consummation of my life in a perfect dedication to Thee.
May it be within me the source of all virtues, the end of all sin, the increase of all good, and the everlasting covenant of thy love; so that my body alone may linger in this place of exile, and the whole energy of my soul be there where Thou art, my heritage beyond all price; and that at the close of my life I may throw off the bitter husk and shell of this body, and possess that sweetest fruit which I shall taste evermore when I gaze upon the flashing radiance of thy supreme divinity in the mild star of thy glorified humanity, giving forth ever new splendours; when thy sweetest countenance, fairer than fairest roses, shall communicate to me a new being by its transcendent beauty; when I shall be set free from the weariness of this life, and take my place with joy at thine everlasting feast; when I shall exult with gladness amidst the riches of thy love, even as a bride amidst the raptures of the king her spouse. Amen.
Now renew within your soul the grace of Confirmation.
O JESUS, King most triumphant, most exalted High-Priest, confirm and strengthen me with that power of thine which nothing can resist. O mighty Warrior, gird on me the sword of the Spirit; that through Thee I may ever triumph over the countless ambushes and snares of the devil. Amen.
And then you will end with this prayer:
O LORD God, Thou art not only my Creator, but also my Redeemer, renew thy Holy Spirit within me this day. Write my name, as that of a child new-born, amongst thy people of adoption; that, being admitted amongst the children of the promise, I may exult in that I have received by grace what I had not, could not have, by nature.
Make me strong in faith, joyful in hope, patient in my tribulations, glad in praising Thee, fervent in spirit, faithful and devout in serving Thee, my Lord, my God, and my true King; and give me to abide with Thee and to watch with Thee to the latest moment of my life; and then mine eyes shall behold with ecstasy the very reality of the things I now believe and hope for; then shall I see Thee as Thou art, then shall I see Thee face to Face. Then wilt Thou make me like unto Thee, O my Jesus! Then the gazing on the beauty of thy countenance will be my everlasting joy, and my untroubled, unending rest! Amen! Amen! Amen!
May the faithful God, the true Amen, which knoweth neither pause nor interruption, condescend to excite within me a thirst for that beloved Amen of which He is the source; may He render sweet to my taste that sweetest Amen wherewith He doth ever nourish his friends; may He make me perfect in the blessedness of that Amen wherewith He completeth and endeth all things; may He grant me to enjoy for evermore the delights of the ravishing and eternal Amen who will show me after this exile, according to my sure hope, the true Amen, Jesus, the Son of God, Who alone sufficeth unto him that loves; Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, is the source of all good things, and Who despiseth nothing that He hath made. Amen! Amen! Amen!
In this last prayer commend to the gracious care of our Lord your faith and your baptismal innocence, which his grace has just renewed within you.
O MY sweetest Jesus, keep in the sanctuary of thy Heart, so full to overflowing of goodness, the purity of my baptismal innocence and the solemn engagements of my faith, that they may be kept in safety beneath thy faithful care, and that I may present them to Thee whole and undefiled at the hour of my death. Grave on my heart the seal of thy sacred Heart, that I may live according to thy good pleasure; and that, after this exile, I may come to Thee with gladness, without obstruction or delay. Amen.»
St. Gertrude the Great,
Exercises of St. Gertrude, pp. 5-18.
❦
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A DAY OF CHARITY FOR THE SUFFERING SOULS
The beautiful memorial of St. Martin de Porres blesses today's holy exercise for the Holy Souls. We will, thus, endeavor to imitate his heroic charity which was the motor of every deed he performed on behalf of others —within his convent and outside his convent: even in other parts of the world by the gift of bilocation!
His undividedness of heart towards God set him constantly ablaze in Divine Love and, from that Love, supernatural effects «naturally» and ordinarily flew out of his heart towards the most needy around him, very often in the form of miracles and wonders.
His charity was so vivid and noticeable by all that the local people began to call him «Martín de la caridad» (literally, «Martin of charity» or, analogously, «Martin the charitable»)!
St. John XXIII, when canonizing St. Martin de Porres, captured a descriptive portrait of this:
«Saint Martin, always obedient and inspired by his Divine Teacher, dealt with his brothers with that profound love which comes from pure faith and humility of spirit. He loved men because he honestly looked on them as God’s children and as his own brothers and sisters. Such was his humility that he loved them even more than himself and considered them to be better and more righteous than he was.
He did not blame others for their shortcomings. Certain that he deserved more severe punishment for his sins than others did, he would overlook their worst offences. He was tireless in his efforts to reform the criminal, and he would sit up with the sick to bring them comfort. For the poor he would provide food, clothing and medicine. He did all he could to care for poor farmhands, blacks and mulattoes who were looked down upon as slaves, the dregs of society in their time. Common people responded by calling him “Martin the charitable.”
The virtuous example and even the conversation of this saintly man exerted a powerful influence in drawing men to religion» (St. John XXIII, Sermon at the canonization of St. Martin de Porres).
Since it is Divine Charity —cemented upon the primacy of loving God above all and upon that holy longing for Him— which gives value, fruit, and merit to everything we do, let us now unite to the charity of St. Martin de Porres, who from Heaven is eager to share it with us, and employ it for the good of the Holy Souls.
Exercise
So, for our exercise of today, let us (1) renew our communion of desire with the Holy Souls (2) in the divine charity of St. Martin de Porres and —filled our souls with these two holy powerful tools— let us place our hearts and minds in spirit in the midst of Purgatory: that «final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned, [...] [and which] the tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire» (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1031).
There, in the midst of purifying fire, we will find all sorts of souls: of men and women, of virgins, monks, nuns, friars, religious, and other consecrated, of deacons, priests, and bishops, of souls who departed Earth as youths or elderly, single or married, from all walks of life and states of life! Some might even be related to us by family ties, bonds of friendship, or any other special spiritual links. Some might have been our benefactors and sources of graces and blessings while still with us here below; or, on the other hand, perhaps they were our fierce enemies here on Earth.
Yet, they all have one thing in common: they died in friendship with God —even if by a last miracle of Mercy— and are now our brethren in the greatest indigency... for they cannot do anything to help and avail themselves! They suffer tremendously their purging with peaceful conformity to the Divine Will and Justice —since they are now sinless—; and, in Divine Mercy, they passively depend on and eagerly await our help for a gratuitous advancement in their purging unto their so longed and desired End: the eternal beholding of God in the Beatific Vision.
Let us then, with the deep compassion of St. Martin de Porres, conclude this our first brief spiritual walk through Purgatory —like St. Faustina in the passage below— asking God to imprint within us these vivid images of the Holy Souls and solidify within us a habitual and holy communion with them.
Finally, with the heroic charity of St. Martin de Porres, let us turn with our holy rosaries to our Blessed Mother, the Star of the sea of fire of Purgatory, so that she refreshes the Holy Souls and speeds up their purification... so longed by the Mercy of God and so humbly awaited by our suffering brethren!
A SHORT VISIT TO PURGATORY
«Shortly after this, I fell ill [general exhaustion]. The dear Mother Superior sent me with two other sisters for a rest to Skolimow, not far from Warsaw. It was at that time that I asked the Lord for whom else should I pray for. Jesus said that on the following night He would let me know for whom I should pray.
[The next night] I saw my Guardian Angel, who ordered me to follow him. In a moment I was in a misty place full of fire in which there was a great crowd of suffering souls. They were praying fervently, but to no avail, for themselves; only we can come to their aid. The flames which were burning them did not touch me at all. My Guardian Angel did not leave me for an instant. I asked these souls what their greatest suffering was. They answered me in one voice that their greatest torment was longing for God. I saw Our Lady visiting the souls in Purgatory. The souls call her “The Star of the Sea.” She brings them refreshment. I wanted to talk with them some more, but my Guardian Angel beckoned me to leave. We went out of that prison of suffering. [I heard an interior voice] which said, “My mercy does not want this, but justice demands it.” Since that time, I am in closer communion with the suffering souls.»
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska,
Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, n. 20.
❦
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A DAY FOR THE HOLY SOULS WITH THE HEART OF A PASTOR
As we continue our walk with the Holy Souls, today we do it along another triumphant brother brought especially present to us by the Divine Liturgy: the holy bishop of Milan, St. Charles Borromeo.
While on Earth, he was most remarkably noted for his pastoral heart, one after the Heart of Christ: always attentive, present, and accessible to every sheep within his flock —with all their particular needs, personal wounds, and illnesses of the soul.
With that pastoral heart and without reserves he gave everything of himself for the salvation and sanctification of the flock placed under his care —both the laity in need and those chosen by God to be His servants.
With that pastoral heart, as a good loving father and formator, he was also most particularly devoted to his priests: his closest collaborators in the personal care for the flock of God.
Exercise
So, brothers, with that type of universal heart —the heart of a pastor who cares for the whole flock in each individual sheep—, with those dispositions and graces God allows St. Charles to share with us today, let us renew once more our communion of desire for Heaven and visit again the prison of mercy of the Holy Souls, to care for them.
Today, though, during our holy exercise, in a contemplative awe, let our pastoral heart focus, first, on the nature and causes of the torments our suffering brethren experience there in that purifying fire, both collectively as a suffering flock and individually as particular sheep.
Secondly, in the same contemplative awe, let our pastoral heart focus on the immense Mercy of God behind those torments, which even allows souls to be purified in the next life with an assured salvation instead of opening the gates of hell for their perpetual abode!
Thirdly, in that twofold contemplative awe of the torments and Mercy of Purgatory, we will allow the Good Shepherd to naturally move our pastoral hearts to utilize His own Mercy and employ It to aid better the Holy Souls.
Having recourse to the text below, with St. Charles —and like him in his pastoral and synodial walks throughout his diocese of Milan—, let us then start our visit by walking in spirit through a portion of the sea of fire of Purgatory, paying special attention to the movements of our pastoral heart as we encounter each sheep of that suffering flock, especially the chosen servants of God.
Finally, once our visit is over and we would have gathered in heart our impressions and blessings from each encounter, let us glorify God's Mercy —for, in the next life, He never forsakes His friends who died with lesser stains nor those who for the first time opened their lifelong hardened-hearts to accept His friendship at the last moment of their earthly lives! ...And let us pray to that Divine Mercy and commit to care daily, with a pastoral heart, for the needs of each sheep of that suffering flock.
ANOTHER ABYSS OF WOE
«There were other mysteries beyond the pale that were revealed to Josefa during this period of Lent 1922.
Whilst day and night she bore the burden of these terrible persecutions, God put her in touch with another abyss of woe, that of Purgatory. Many souls came to solicit her suffrages and sacrifices in terms of very great humility. At first she was frightened, but by degrees she became accustomed to their confidences. She listened to them, asked them their names, encouraged them, and very humbly recommended herself to their intercession. The lessons they inculcated are worth remembering.
One of them came to announce her deliverance and said: “The important thing is not entrance into religion, but entrance into the next world.” “If religious souls but realized the heavy price to be paid for concessions to the body...” said another, while asking for prayers. “My exile is at an end and I am going to my eternal home....”
A priest-soul said to her: “How great is the mercy of God, when He deigns to make use of the sufferings of other souls to repair our infidelities; what a degree of glory I might have acquired had my life been different.”
It was a nun who, on her entrance into Heaven, confided to Josefa: “How different the things of Earth appear when one passes into eternity. What are charges and offices in the sight of God? All He counts is the purity of our intention when exercising them, even in the smallest acts. How little is the Earth and all it contains, and yet, how loved.... Ah, what comparison is there between life, however prolonged, and eternity! If only it were realized how in Purgatory the soul is wearied and consumed with desire to see God,”
There were also some poor souls, who having escaped through God's mercy from a still greater peril, came to beg Josefa to hasten their deliverance.
“I am here by God's great mercy,” one of them said, “for my excessive pride had brought me to the gates of Hell. I influenced a great number of other people, and now I would gladly throw myself at the feet of the most abject pauper. Have compassion on me and do acts of humility to make reparation for my pride, thus you will be able to deliver me from this abyss.”
“I spent seven years in mortal sin,” another confessed, “and three years ill in bed, and I always refused to go to Confession. I was ripe for hell-fire and would have fallen into it if by your present sufferings you had not obtained for me the grace of repentance. I am now in Purgatory, and I entreat you, since you were able to save me... draw me out of this dreary prison.”
“I am in Purgatory because of my infidelity, for I would not correspond with God's call,” said another. “For twelve years I held out against my vocation and was in the greatest peril of damnation, because in order to stifle my conscience I gave myself up to a life of sin. Thanks to the divine goodness, which deigned to make use of your sufferings, I took courage to come back to God... and now, of your charity, get me out of this gloomy prison.”
“Offer the blood of Christ for us,” said another who was just about to leave Purgatory. “What would become of us, if there were no one to help us?”
The names of these Holy Souls, who were personally unknown to Josefa, having been carefully noted down with the date and place of their decease, were more than once verified. The assurance thereby gained of the truth of the facts she related remains as a precious testimony of her intercourse with Purgatory.
Lent was drawing to a close while these successive alternations of pain and austere graces continued. Without the special intervention of God Josefa could not have endured such contacts with the world invisible and at the same time lead her even life of devotedness and labor. Such, however, was the spectacle of heroic love she daily gave to the Heart of Him who sees in secret, whereas those about her could not but mistake the value of those externally monotonous days, spent in the plain accomplishment of duty.»
Sister Josefa Menéndez,
The Way of Divine Love, pp. 169-171.
❦
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A DAY TO PLUNGE INTO THE TREASURY OF MERCY FOR THE HOLY SOULS
As of today, brothers, by the grace of God, we have endeavored to walk —with no closed borders— in the supernatural bonds of charity throughout the three parts of the One Church of Jesus Christ: the Triumphant part of the Blessed, the Suffering part of the Holy Souls, and the Militant part of our baptized brethren living as pilgrims within the confines of our current earthly reality.
We have had no problem in traveling back and forth, to and fro, yesterday and today, among these holy strata of the One Rock with no other passport than that of Divine Love and no other visa than that of divine charity.
This is so, because the supernatural highways that run throughout the One Rock and cross any direction needed —anytime— of this mystical City of God are made permanently open —and without any adverse traffic— by the Sacred Flow of the Blood and Water of the Pierced Side of the Lamb: Its Servant and King, Its Source and End, Its Pontiff and Consummator.
Christ our Redeemer, with His Paschal Sacrifice, established this perennial link of love and exchange of everything good amongst all the redeemed, the members of His mystical body, which is called the Communion of Saints. The spiritual goods of the Communion of Saints, which are exchanged amongst the members of the mystical body, are called the Treasury of the Church. This is why we can «spiritually walk» the supernatural highways of charity —anytime— with a Blessed from Heaven —like St. Martin de Porres or St. Charles Borromeo, the Guardian Angels or our most merciful Blessed Mother— and penetrate into the confines of Purgatory in order to dispense graces for the Holy Souls.
Moreover, brothers, let us keep in an awe-stricken mind as well, that it is the infinite and sufficient merits of the Paschal Sacrifice through which Jesus established —and «sourced»— the invaluable and inexhaustible spiritual wealth of the treasury of the Church. But not only that, in a similar awe-stricken movement of His Mercy, Jesus designed that —although from this treasury all graces and everything good flows throughout the Communion of Saints— to this treasury as well every single personal merit of each member of His body is «added,» so to speak, for the good and sanctification of all! What an unfathomable and mysterious treasure of Mercy!
Exercise
As you see, brothers, this reality of the treasury of the Church and its dispensation throughout the communion of Saints encompasses a far greater abyss of richness, mystery and love rooted in the Throne and Font of Mercy. And, thus, it demands our plunging into it wholeheartedly: in order to better understand it, know how to put it into concrete deeds of Mercy, and thus profit all Souls as much as it is possible.
St. Faustina, our good sister, when she was still a pilgrim on this Earth, was graced with infused and special graces to be able to clearly penetrate, grasp, live, and habitually move within this mystery of the treasury and communion, that unfathomable work of Divine Mercy.
One day, she wrote in her diary: «The Lord said to me, “Enter into Purgatory often, because they need you there.”» Then, she wrote her response: «O my Jesus, I understand the meaning of these words which You are speaking to me, but first let me enter the treasury of Your mercy.» (St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, n. 1738).
Therefore, brothers, before our next spiritual walk through the sea of Purgatory, with St. Faustina, and like her, let us now plunge deep into the treasury of Mercy: seeking to clearly penetrate, grasp, live, and habitually move within this mystery of the treasury and communion. Our mere plunging into it will attain today many graces for the Holy Souls.
For that let us have recourse to a meditative reading of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (nn. 1474-1477): after all, it is through the Church —since it is her treasury— that God chooses to dispense the excellent, excelling, and beautiful richness found in this holy vault for each and every soul!
IN THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS
«1474 The Christian who seeks to purify himself of his sin and to become holy with the help of God's grace is not alone. “The life of each of God's children is joined in Christ and through Christ in a wonderful way to the life of all the other Christian brethren in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, as in a single mystical person.”⁸⁶
1475 In the communion of saints, “a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things.”⁸⁷ In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin.
1476 We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church's treasury, which is “not the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the course of the centuries. On the contrary the ‘treasury of the Church’ is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ's merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy.”⁸⁸
1477 “This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission in the unity of the Mystical Body.”⁸⁹»
Catechism of the Catholic Church, nn. 1474-1477.
⁸⁶ Indulgentiarum doctrina, 5.
⁸⁷ Indulgentiarum doctrina, 5.
⁸⁸ Indulgentiarum doctrina, 5.
⁸⁹ Indulgentiarum doctrina, 5.
❦
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A DAY WITH THE HEART OF MERCY FOR THE HOLY SOULS
Yesterday we cast ourselves into the unfathomable reality of the treasury of the Church, that sacred Vault of Mercy from which all our graces emanate and flow —since the Paschal Sacrifice is its Source— and to which all our embellished deeds of grace return and adhere —in the form of precios merits, partakers of Christ's— in order to be used again —through the Communion of Saints— for the good of all Souls who make up the diverse strata of the One Rock —Jesus, His Mystical Body—, of the One City of God.
Today, as we are still submersed in that unfathomable Vault of Mercy —which has no limits or ends other than that of Love, which is boundless in Itself—, today we continue diving freely through its secret alcoves and beds, through its most exquisite and rare chambers, until we arrive and rest in its very center and apex, its source of everything good: its heart.
It is indeed, the Most Merciful Heart of Jesus, the Heart of His Mystical Body, which is in turn the Heart of the treasury of the Church! Its Love and Sufferings, Its merits and satisfactions, are the efficacious cause of our redemption before the Father, and thus, are the Fountain of the Inexhaustible Twofold River of Mercy —of Blood and Water— in which everything redeemed exists, becomes holy, and partakes in the supernatural life of Divine Charity.
Exercise
Now that we dwell in the mystical confines of the Vault of Mercy, let us then, dear brothers, glorify, unite, and partake in the Love, merits, and graces of this Most Merciful Heart of Jesus. And, with our given portion in the treasury of the Saints, let us send as well, in the Twofold River of Mercy which opens the supernatural highways of Love, the necessary aid for the Holy Souls!
We will do this in two ways: first, by our own consecration to that Sacred Heart, which will glorify Jesus in us and place us in the midst of His merits and satisfactions; and secondly, by bringing to that Most Merciful Heart of Jesus, in virtue of the Communion of Saints, all the Holy Souls of Purgatory: for He will attain for them unsurpassing graces in their path to complete purification.
For the first part of the exercise, we will use the formula of consecration to the Sacred Heart by our beautiful sister St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the messenger of the Sacred Heart; for the second part of the exercise, we will use the text which the same Heart of Mercy instructed our good St. Faustina to write for the eighth day of the solemn novena for the feast of Divine Mercy.
Finally, as we conclude this holy exercise for the Holy Souls, we will spiritually deposit into the Heart of the treasury —as in a very dear and special safe within the Vault of Mercy— all the faithful departed, but particularly those to whom we have a special duty of love by any family ties, bonds of friendship, or any other holy spiritual link —both, known and unknown to us.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE SACRED HEART
«O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.
I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.
I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants. Amen.»
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
EIGHTH DAY OF THE SOLEMN NOVENA TO DIVINE MERCY
Eight Day of the Solemn Novena to the Feast of Divine Mercy by St. Maria Faustina Kowalska.
«“Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.”
Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be praised.
From that terrible heat of the cleansing fire
Rises a plaint to Your mercy,
And they receive comfort, refreshment, relief
In the stream of mingled Blood and Water.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.»
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska,
Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, n. 1226-1227.
❦
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A DAY WITH THE PRISTINE STAR FOR THE HOLY SOULS
Today, as we get more used to dwell within, move throughout, and habitually distribute (dispense) graces among this profound mystery of the communion of the Saints and the treasury of the Church for the good of Souls, we turn now, brothers, to a predilect chamber of the Vault where a most resplendent, pristine throne is signaled: that of the Most Holy, Immaculate Mary.
First of all we will notice that this pristine see sits just below that of the apex we encountered yesterday: where the Head, the source of Mercy —the Sacred Heart— is the ever open bridge —the Pontiff— into the Bosom of Mercy of the Father on behalf of His Body —the One solid Rock— ... from where He streams and communicates, thus, the Living River of the Trinitarian life with each of us, albeit in a diverse form adequate to the specific strata each Soul currently belongs (Earth, Purgatory, or Heaven).
Secondly, we will come to realize that this placement just below the Head is justly so, given that this treasury of mercy includes all the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which «are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God» (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1477); but, furthermore, because just as Christ is the Head of the Body, Mary is Its solid neck through which everything that initiates in the Head finds its limpid, secure, and necessary passage, as through an impeccable aqueduct, for all the other members of the Body (cf. St. Pius X, Ad diem illum laetissimum, n. 13).
Exercise
Therefore, brothers, in this beautiful reality of communion and treasury, let us exercise Mercy for the Holy Souls with, through, and by the hands of Mary —that pristine Star which brings unsurpassable graces of refreshment and deliverance to the sea of fire of Purgatory— as we already saw in previous days.
We will endeavor to do so confident that, like we said, as Jesus is the source of Mercy —for He is the Victim of the Paschal Sacrifice— Mary —due to her unique companionship in sorrow and suffering with the Victim of the Paschal Sacrifice— is the neck of Mercy, who will hear our plea for the Holy Souls and dispense and communicate to them their much needed graces of succor:
«And from this community of will and suffering between Christ and Mary she merited to become most worthily the Reparatrix of the lost world (Eadmeri Mon. De Excellentia Virg. Mariae, c. 9) and Dispensatrix of all the gifts that Our Savior purchased for us by His Death and by His Blood» (St. Pius X, Ad diem illum laetissimum, n. 12).
«Yes, says St. Bernardine of Siena, “she is the neck of Our Head, by which He communicates to His mystical body all spiritual gifts” (Quadrag. de Evangel. aetern. Serm. x., a. 3, c. iii.)» (St. Pius X, Ad diem illum laetissimum, n. 13).
So, brothers, let us now advance our exercise and knock at the always-open threshold of that predilect, pristine chamber of the Immaculate Heart (for It remains pierced of Love) so that upon our call, with its flame of love, It may embrace and replace the purging fire of the Holy Souls.
For this, we will do a slower meditation of the text below (Lumen gentium, nn. 60-62), which is the second reading of the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary assigned to the office of Matins for today's feast of Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces, celebrated in some parts of our universal Church.
Then, with a further renewed, confident trust in Mary's mediation and dispensation of graces for the Holy Souls —like we saw in the previous short trip to Purgatory of St. Faustina— we will proceed our meditation with a tender colloquium with the Star of Purgatory. In it, we will lovingly entrust in a particular way the Holy Souls who were most devoted to her while on Earth and those to whom she will grant next the sabbatine privilege and any other indulgence attained through devotion to her. And with a heart full of sincere thanksgiving we'll conclude our exercise chanting (or reciting) to Mary the Memorare on behalf of all the Holy Souls.
MARY MEDIATRIX OF GRACES
«There is but one Mediator as we know from the words of the apostle, “for there is one God and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a redemption for all” (1 Tim. 2:5-6). The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no wise obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows His power. For all the salvific influence of the Blessed Virgin on men originates, not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on His mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it. In no way does it impede, but rather does it foster the immediate union of the faithful with Christ.
Predestined from eternity by that decree of divine providence which determined the incarnation of the Word to be the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin was on this earth the virgin Mother of the Redeemer, and above all others and in a singular way the generous associate and humble handmaid of the Lord. She conceived, brought forth and nourished Christ. She presented Him to the Father in the temple, and was united with Him by compassion as He died on the Cross. In this singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the work of the Saviour in giving back supernatural life to souls. Wherefore she is our mother in the order of grace.
This maternity of Mary in the order of grace began with the consent which she gave in faith at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, and lasts until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this salvific duty, but by her constant intercession continued to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation.¹⁵* By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and cultics, until they are led into the happiness of their true home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix.¹⁶* This, however, is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator.¹⁷*
For no creature could ever be counted as equal with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer. Just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by the ministers and by the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is really communicated in different ways to His creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source.
The Church does not hesitate to profess this subordinate role of Mary. It knows it through unfailing experience of it and commends it to the hearts of the faithful, so that encouraged by this maternal help they may the more intimately adhere to the Mediator and Redeemer.»
Lumen gentium, nn. 60-62
¹⁵* Cfr. Kleutgen, textus reformstus De mysterio Verbi incarnati, cap. IV: Mansi 53, 290. cfr. S. Andreas Cret., In nat. Mariac, sermo 4: PG 97, 865 A. - S. Germanus Constantinop., In annunt. Deiparae: PG 98, 321 BC. In dorm. Deiparae, III: col. 361 D. S. Io. Damascenus, In dorm. B. V. Mariae, Hom. 1, 8: PG 96, 712 BC-713 A.
¹⁶* Cfr. Leo XIII, Litt. Encycl. Adiutricem populi, 5 sept. 1895: ASS 15 (1895-96), p. 303. - S. Pius X, Litt. Encycl. Ad diem illum, 2 febr. 1904: Acta, I, p. 154- Denz. 1978 a (3370) . Pius XI, Litt. Encycl. Miserentissimus, 8 maii 1928: AAS 20 (1928) p. 178. Pius XII, Nuntius Radioph., 13 maii 1946: AAS 38 (1946) p. 266.
¹⁷* S. Ambrosius, Epist. 63: PL 16, 1218.
MEMORARE
«Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help,
or sought thy intercession,
was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.
To thee do I come,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.»
St. Bernard de Clairvaux
❦
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A DAY OF OF LOVING SUFFRAGE FOR SOULS WHO HAD A HIGHER CALL
Today the Church provides for us the festival of two of our beautiful Blessed from Heaven: Bl. John Duns Scotus and St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, two consecrated souls who lived on Earth in holy religion —that is, religious life—.
Both Blessed lived on Earth a dedicated religious life of poverty in the mendicant tradition of our Church, although the first in an active vocation —as an itinerant Franciscan friar and priest, professor at the four main European universities of Canterbury, Oxford, Paris, and Cologne— while the second in a contemplative vocation —as a Discalced Carmelite nun in the French cloister of Dijon—.
Both of them, though, achieved, by their generosity to God and undividedness of heart, the highest degree of contemplation, heroic virtue, true holiness of life, and experienced mystical gifts. Although our itinerant friar passed to the next life in his holy mid adulthood years and our cloister nun in her holy youth ones, both are a testimony to the high degree of holiness that can and must be achieved in holy religion regardless of the contemplative or active nature of each higher call.
Exercise
Therefore, brothers, today we will dedicate our holy exercise for those Holy Souls who are suffering in Purgatory because they did not attain the degree of holiness God predestined them to achieve with the abundant blessings and graces He gave them —those especial graces He always gives to those He has called for a higher vocation: one lived for the Beloved alone.
Since a higher vocation deals with the Highest call, that is, to be consecrated, to be set aside from the world and exclusively for God —dedicating the totality of one's person with an undivided orientation toward the spousal love of God and His service, and prefiguring so, the life everyone will live in Heaven (without marriage)— the graces bestowed on these souls are immense and the demands for their holy fruitfulness alike.
Having realized the deep reality of the Communion of Saints and the exchange of spiritual gifts, instead of spiritually walking into Purgatory like before, today we will ask Bl. Duns Scotus and St. Elizabeth of the Trinity to come to us and assist us in our performance of this exercise. We will also ask them to be the ones, along with our Guardian Angels, to take the fruit of our good deeds and prayers in the form of suffrages to the Immaculate Conception, of whom Duns was a champion, lover, and defender. She will then carry our fruits —as that limpid aqueduct she is— and, uniting them to hers, she will dispense them —marvelously enriched— to those Holy Souls she knows best.
So, for that, let us first meditatively read another section of the Diary of St. Faustina, found below. There, she relates precisely the deep proximity of the communion of Saints, in the everyday, ordinary affairs of religious life and how she utilized her contribution to the treasury of the Church to aid the consecrated.
Secondly, let us pause and ask our Blessed helpers of today to bring to heart the multitude of Holy Souls in higher calls we will assist today: not only with the daily plenary indulgence we seek to obtain for them and this exercise, but with the totality of our good works and prayers of today. Here, we will dilate our hearts with Divine Love to embrace popes, bishops, priests, deacons, virgins, hermits, monks, nuns, sisters, brothers, friars, canons, lay brothers, oblates, missionaries, third order members, consecrated seculars, and any other soul who was consecrated to God in a higher call.
Finally, let us conclude our exercise allowing our Blessed helpers to rise our contribution to the treasury to the Heart of the Immaculate Conception while joyfully and in holy awe we turn to humbly contemplate the blessed assistance our Mother of Mercy will effectuate upon these multitude of Holy Souls, our dear brethren!
HOLY ENCOUNTERS AND THEIR EFFECTS
«One evening, one of the deceased sisters, who had already visited me a few times, appeared to me. The first time I had seen her, she had been in great suffering, and then gradually these sufferings had diminished; this time she was radiant with happiness, and she told me she was already in heaven. She told me that God had tried our house with tribulation because Mother General [Michael] had given in to doubts, not believing what I had said about this soul. And further, as a sign that she only now was in heaven, God would bless our house. Then she came closer to me, embraced me sincerely and said, “I must go now.” I understood how closely the three stages of a soul's life are bound together; that is to say, life on earth, in purgatory and in heaven [the Communion of Saints]»
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska,
Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, n. 594.
«One night, a sister who had died two months previously came to me. She was a sister of the first choir. I saw her in a terrible condition, all in flames with her face painfully distorted. This lasted only a short time, and then she disappeared. A shudder went through my soul because I did not know whether she was suffering in purgatory or in hell. Nevertheless, I redoubled my prayers for her. The next night she came again, but I saw her in an even more horrible state, in the midst of flames which were even more intense, and despair was written all over her face. I was astonished to see her in a worse condition after the prayers I had offered for her, and I asked, “Haven't my prayers helped you?” She answered that my prayers had not helped her and that nothing would help her. I said to her, “And the prayers which the whole community has offered for you, have they not been any help to you?” She said no, that these prayers had helped some other souls. I replied, “If my prayers are not helping you, Sister, please stop coming to me.” She disappeared at once. Despite this, I kept on praying.
After some time she came back again to me during the night, but already her appearance had changed. There were no longer any flames, as there had been before, and her face was radiant, her eyes beaming with joy. She told me that I had a true love for my neighbor and that many other souls had profited from my prayers. She urged me not to cease praying for the souls in Purgatory, and she added that she herself would not remain there much longer. How astounding are the decrees of God!»
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska,
Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, n. 58.
❦
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A DAY OF HUMBLE SUBMISSION FOR HOLY SOULS WHO WERE DISOBEDIENT
As today the year of grace brings to our liturgical celebration the feast of the dedication of the Lateran basilica in Rome, the «mother of all cathedrals» (for it is the see of the Holy Father, bishop of Rome), we cannot but echo in heart Jesus' words to St. Peter: «And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.» (Mt 16:18).
For what an unfathomable design of God to establish here on Earth, through the Second Person of the Holy Trinity —Jesus Christ, our Lord—, the opening promise of the foundation of His One Church, of His One Mystical Body, that will transcend the corporeal reality and embrace, as we have seen, the invisible reality of the Blessed in Heaven and the Suffering in Purgatory.
And what is even more awesome, that this foundation —which has the keys of the kingdom of Heaven with the power to bind and loose: «whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.» (Mt 16:19)— has the seal of security and authenticity imprinted by Jesus Himself in the indelible charism of authority given to a human being: in the person of His first Vicar on Earth —the Apostle St. Peter— (and his legitimate successors theron)... and all that, until the end of time!
Exercise
It is this Vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth, this «servant of the servants of God» («servus servorum Dei», like St. Gregory the Great first referred to his office as Pope), this «sweet Christ on Earth» (like St. Catherine of Siena tenderly referred to the office of Pope), who assures and safely shepherds the pilgrim Church on Earth so that we —like living stones «built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ» (1 Pe 2:5)—, having borne much fruit and holiness of life, can arrive resplendently to our Heavenly home.
It is him too, this Vicar of Christ, who, by a mysterious design of God, extends his pastoral care or aid to the suffering Church, particularly by making available to the faithful pilgrims the gift of indulgences for the faithful departed:
«An indulgence is obtained through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the Saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for their sins. Thus the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance, and charity (cf. Indulgentiarum doctrina, 5).
Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of Saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted.» (Catechism of the Catholic Church, nn. 1478-1479).
Therefore, for our exercise of today, like yesterday, we will remain very much grounded here on Earth and ask St. Peter himself, along with our Guardian Angels, to help us minister to the Holy Souls detained in Purgatory because of their acts of disobedience.
But most especially we'll plea mercy and do humble suffrages for those Holy Souls detained there for disobedience to God —to His specific Holy Will over them— and disobedience to the Church along with the legitimate authorities she had placed to serve and oversee them... for disobedience is very displeasing to God and harmful to our souls.
For that, we will firstly consider, with two attached excerpts from the Diary of St. Faustina, the eternal consequences acts of humble obedience can have in the Holy Souls. Secondly, we will do a firm reparative act of humble submission to God and His Church, with the text from the Profession of faith that our Holy Church has put together for certain people of the faithful who have special offices of services in the name of the Church —like pastors of parishes, theology professors at seminaries, etc.— among other uses (like our pious one of today).
Let us also offer along in this exercise all our good deeds and prayers of today to Mary Most Holy, so that what we have done and will do today —with her supernatural and unmatchable humility added— can bear extraordinary fruit for the Holy Souls.
OBEDIENCE AND THE WILL OF GOD
July 9, 1937. This evening, one of the deceased sisters came and asked me for one day of fasting and to offer all my [spiritual] exercises on that day for her. I answered that I would.
From early morning on the following day, I offered everything for her intention. During Holy Mass, I had a brief experience of her torment. I experienced such intense hunger for God that I seemed to be dying of the desire to become united with Him. This lasted only a short time, but I understood what the longing of the souls in purgatory was like.
Immediately after Holy Mass, I asked Mother Superior's permission to fast, but I did not receive it because of my illness. When I entered the chapel, I heard these words: “If you had fasted, Sister, I would not have gotten relief until the evening, but for the sake of your obedience, which prevented you from fasting, I obtained this relief at once. Obedience has great power.” After these words I heard: “May God reward you.”»
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska,
Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, nn. 1185-1187.
«Before All Souls' Day, I went to the cemetery at dusk. Although it was locked, I managed to open the gate a bit and said, “If you need something, my dear little souls, I will be glad to help you to the extent that the rule permits me.” I then heard these words, “Do the will of God; we are happy in the measure that we have fulfilled God's will.”
In the evening, these souls came and asked me to pray for them, and I did pray very much for them. In the evening, when the procession was returning from the cemetery, I saw a great multitude of souls walking with us into the chapel and praying with us. I prayed a good deal, for I had my superiors’ permission to do so.»
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska,
Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, nn. 518-519.
❦
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A DAY OF SUFFRAGE FOR HOLY SOULS WHO WHO DESPISED TRUTH
Today again the Divine Liturgy brings to our humble attention the sacred office of the Vicar of Christ; this time, though, in the person of Pope St. Leo the Great, who is also a doctor of the Church.
He had a great theological mind with a fervent zeal for Truth and its Revelation, and thus diligently kept in the Church the entirety of Tradition and orthodoxy handed on to him, even with an ecumenical Council: that of Chalcedon (where he fought heresy and after reading his famous «Tome» was so acclaimed by the Councilar Fathers: «Peter has spoken through Leo!»).
Along that clarity and union with the Revealed Truth, he also had a true pastoral heart (for everyone, especially the vulnerable of his time) which led him to champion both, the living out in charity of his petrine ministry as well as the doctrinal articulation of the Primacy of the See of Peter.
Therefore, brothers, since St. Leo the Great was so united to Truth in Charity, today we will offer our day and exercise for those Holy Souls who are now in Purgatory precisely for their lack of docility in accepting Truth and live by It —by Its totality, which includes Charity— in other words, for despising Truth.
Exercise
There are many ways one can delict against or despise Truth: from hiding something that ought to be revealed to publicly calumniating an innocent... from uttering a less grave lie due to fear to fully, consciously rejecting the Revealed Truth that is inconvenient or incompatible with one's wants, desires, and goals... The Catechism teaches us an umbrella of delicts against Truth and are worth meditating upon.
However, whether in a lesser degree or in a more grave one, according to Jesus' words, he who lies is, in a sense, of the devil, his child: «You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies» (Jn 8:44).
Usually, there are also other vices commingled with despising Truth that can aggravate or diminish the culpability of those delicts committed against Truth and, thus, their temporal punishment due to sin. Within the Church, heresy, schism, or apostasy, for example, are good examples of how pride, indocility, or impiety/licentiousness can be intertwined with sinning against Truth. Among these adjunct vices, mercilessness is very common yet subtle to notice: for in there one sins with truth, or «in the name of truth», against charity of neighbor.
King Henry VIII, Rev. Martin Luther, or bishop Marcel Lefebvre are indisputable historical figures or embodiments of those grave delicts against Truth commingled with other vices that ended up having severe consequences for the Mystical Body of Christ, despite any possible diminishing factors to their own personal culpability. However, if they died —by a miracle of grace— in an unexpiated yet repented state or otherwise —by diminishing circumstances— in some imperfect friendship with God, they could —and most likely would— spend reparative time in Purgatory (cf. Lk 12:47-48), rather than the punishment of the everlasting fire of hell.
So, brothers, for our exercise today, let us especially keep in mind these type of Holy Souls who harmed much the Body of Christ by their despise of Truth (as well as their deceased followers today), who, with or without invincible ignorance, are now suffering in Purgatory (especially because most likely their loved ones and acquaintances don't believe in Purgatory and thus, don't pray for them after death).
Again today, we will have recourse to a Blessed from Heaven —St. Leo the Great— to aid us in our pious endeavor: endowing us with the same zeal he has for Truth and Charity and with his same pastoral heart he has for these Holy Souls. Also, let us ask our Guardian Angels to lift the fruits of our exercise today to Mary Most Holy for their multiplied dispensation.
Finally today, we will use again two excerpts from St. Faustina's Diary. With them, we will first contemplate in awe the spiritual reality that emerges from very minor hesitations to the Truth known or from a very minor going along with human respect rather than with the convictions of known Truth. Secondly, we will also contemplate in awe the much greater easy way Divine Mercy can triumph in these minor delicts with a simple, sincere and humble repentance as well as a loving, resolute dedication to carrying out the known Truth, Who sets free... even with a great aid to the Holy Souls!
May the Mercy of God be glorified forever!
KNOWN TRUTH AND CONSCIENCE
«End of postulancy [April 29, 1926]. My superiors [probably Mother Leonard and Mother Jane] sent me to the novitiate in Cracow. An inconceivable joy reigned in my soul. When we arrived at the novitiate, Sister [Henry] was dying. A few days later she came to me [in spirit, after her death] and bid me to go to the Mother Directress of Novices [Sister Margaret] and tell her to ask her confessor, Father Rospond, to offer one Mass for her and three ejaculatory prayers. At first I agreed, but the next day I decided I would not go to Mother Directress, because I was not sure whether this had happened in a dream or in reality. And so I did not go.
The following night the same thing was repeated more clearly; I had no more doubt. Still, in the morning I decided not to tell the Directress about it unless I saw her [Sister Henry] during the day. At once I ran into her in the corridor. She reproached me for not having gone immediately, and a great uneasiness filled my soul. So I went immediately to Mother Directress and told her everything that had happened to me. Mother responded that she would take care of the matter. At once peace reigned in my soul, and on the third day this sister came to me and said, “May God repay you.”»
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska,
Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, n. 21)
«When Sister Dominic died at about one o'clock in the night, she came to me and gave me to know that she was dead. I prayed fervently for her. In the morning, the sisters told me that she was no longer alive, and I replied that I knew, because she had visited me. The sister infirmarian [Sister Chrysostom] asked me to help dress her. And then when I was alone with her, the Lord gave me to know that she was still suffering in purgatory. I redoubled my prayers for her. However, despite the zeal with which I always pray for our deceased sisters, I got mixed up as regards the days, and instead of offering three days of prayer, as the rule directs us to do, by mistake I offered only two days. On the fourth day, she gave me to know that I still owed her prayers, and that she was in need of them. I immediately formed the intention of offering the whole day for her, and not just that day but much more, as love of neighbor dictated to me.
Because Sister Dominic, after her death, gave the appearance of looking so well, some sisters said that perhaps she was only in a coma, and one of the sisters suggested to me that we ought to go and put a mirror to her mouth to see if it would mist, because it would if she were alive. I said all right, and we did as we said, but the mirror did not mist, although it seemed to us as if it had. Nevertheless, the Lord gave me to know how much this had displeased Him, and I was severely admonished never to act again against my inner convictions. I humbled myself profoundly before the Lord and asked His pardon.»
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska,
Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, nn. 1382-1383):
❦
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A DAY OF SUFFRAGE FOR THE MOST FORGOTTEN SOULS IN PURGATORY
Our heavenly helper for today is another holy bishop —St. Martin of Tours— who, unlike our prior helpers, was also a holy monk and founder of monasteries —the father of monasticism in Gaul—, and a disciple of St. Hilary of Poitiers.
Although born a pagan, during his childhood years he heard the Gospel and embraced it as Truth. Having to serve the military in his teen years, while being still a catechumen, he was blessed with a very special encounter with Jesus, under the guise of a poorly clothed beggar, which marked his life forever:
«Accordingly, at a certain period, when he had nothing except his arms and his simple military dress, in the middle of winter, a winter which had shown itself more severe than ordinary, so that the extreme cold was proving fatal to many, he happened to meet at the gate of the city of Amiens a poor man destitute of clothing. He was entreating those that passed by to have compassion upon him, but all passed the wretched man without notice, when Martin, that man full of God, recognized that a being to whom others showed no pity, was, in that respect, left to him. Yet, what should he do? He had nothing except the cloak in which he was clad, for he had already parted with the rest of his garments for similar purposes. Taking, therefore, his sword with which he was girt, he divided his cloak into two equal parts, and gave one part to the poor man, while he again clothed himself with the remainder. Upon this, some of the by-standers laughed, because he was now an unsightly object, and stood out as but partly dressed. Many, however, who were of sounder understanding, groaned deeply because they themselves had done nothing similar. They especially felt this, because, being possessed of more than Martin, they could have clothed the poor man without reducing themselves to nakedness.
In the following night, when Martin had resigned himself to sleep, he had a vision of Christ arrayed in that part of his cloak with which he had clothed the poor man. He contemplated the Lord with the greatest attention, and was told to own as His the robe which he had given. Ere long, he heard Jesus saying with a clear voice to the multitude of Angels standing round: “Martin, who is still but a catechumen, clothed Me with this robe” (cf. Mt 25:40). The Lord, truly mindful of His own words (who had said when on earth: “Inasmuch as you have done these things to one of the least of these, you have done them unto Me”), declared that He Himself had been clothed in that poor man; and to confirm the testimony He bore to so good a deed, He condescended to show him Himself in that very dress which the poor man had received. After this vision the sainted man was not puffed up with human glory, but, acknowledging the goodness of God in what had been done, and being now of the age of twenty years, he hastened to receive baptism» (Sulpicius Severus, Life of St. Martin, ch. 3).
After this holy event, St. Martin was even more solidified in his charity for Christ, and remained thus a distinctive mark all of his life..
Exercise
So, dear brothers, with this beautiful testimony of charity from St. Martin —which even attained for him a vivid encounter with the Triumphant Church—, let us now ask his aid in order to imitate his own charity to the Suffering Christ: this time, however, to the Suffering Christ guised for us under the person of each Holy Soul in Purgatory.
For this, we will ask St. Martin to make himself present to us and walk with us as we visit the nearest Catholic cemetery —a truly holy place— in order to intercede, pray, and attain suffrages and indulgences for the members of the Suffering Christ who dwell in the sea of fire of Purgatory: but most particularly, to the ones who are sunk in the deepest realms of that sea —for they are most forgotten by everyone.
Additionally, for our holy journey and mission of charity, today we will go to the cemetery —like in everything we do— with the guide and protection of our Holy Guardian Angels but also today with one of our dear mystics who now dwells in Heaven: Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich.
With these Blessed Aids, and allowing our hearts to be deeply moved to compassion and charity, let us turn now to a loving reading for the Holy Souls from one of Bl. Anne Catherine's extraordinary experiences with them while visiting herself a cemetery —extraordinary because it exercises a special charism God habitually placed within her soul: that of hierognosis (which consists in the supernatural ability to recognize, know, and discern sacred, holy, or consecrated things, places, or persons from those that are not).
And thus —our hearts full of divine charity for our most forgotten faithful departed— let us conclude today's mission of diakonia placing the fruit of our exercise in the Most Tender Heart of the Immaculate Virgin Mary: she will then go from our presence in the cemetery to the depths of the sea of the purifying fire... and succor and lift —higher and higher— those forgotten Souls: until they arrive at their so-longed, yearned Heavenly Haven and secure eternal Port of Blessedness!
A HOLY WALK THROUGH THE CEMETERY
«I have always had an intuitive perception of what is sacred and of what is profane, of what is holy and what unholy; the former attracts me, the latter repels, disquiets, and terrifies me, forcing me to resist it by faith and prayer. This impression is especially keen near human remains, nay more, near the smallest atoms of a body once animated by a soul. The feeling is so strong that I have always thought there exists a certain relationship between soul and body even after death, for I have felt the most opposite emotions near graves and tombs. Near some I have had a sensation of light, of superabundant benediction and salvation; by others a sentiment of poverty and indigence, and I felt that the dead implored prayers, fasts, and alms; by many others I have been struck with dread and horror. When I had to pray at night in the cemetery, I have felt that there brooded around such graves as the last named a darkness, deeper, blacker than night itself, just as a hole in black cloth makes the blackness still deeper. Over them I sometimes saw a black vapor rising which made me shudder. It also happened sometimes that when my desire to render assistance urged me to penetrate into the darkness, I felt something repulsing my proffered aid. The lively conviction of God's most holy justice was then for me like an angel leading me out from the horrors of such a grave. Over some, I saw a column of gray vapor, brighter or darker; over others, one of light more or less brilliant; and over many others, I beheld nothing at all. These last made me very sad, for I had an interior conviction that the vapor, more or less brilliant, issuing from the graves, was the means by which the poor souls made known their needs, and that they who could give no sign were in the lowest part of Purgatory, forgotten by everybody, deprived of all power of acting or communicating with the body of the Church. When I knelt in prayer over such graves, I often heard a hollow, smothered voice, as if calling to me from a deep abyss: “Help me out!” and I felt most keenly in my own soul the anguish of the helpless sufferer. I pray for these abandoned, forgotten ones with greater ardor and perseverance than for the others. I have often seen a gray vapor slowly rising over their empty, silent tombs which by the help of continued prayer grew brighter and brighter. The graves over which I saw columns of vapor more or less bright, were shown me as those of such as are not entirely forgotten, not entirely bound, who by their own expiatory sufferings, or the help of their friends, are more or less consoled. They have still the power to give a sign of their participation in the Communion of Saints, they are increasing in light and beatitude, they implore that help they cannot render themselves, and what we do for them they offer to Our Lord Jesus Christ for us. They remind me of poor prisoners who can still excite the pity of their fellow men by a cry, a petition, an outstretched hand.
A cemetery, such as I have described, with its apparitions, its different degrees of light and darkness, always seemed to me like a garden all parts of which are not equally cultivated, but some allowed to run to waste. When I earnestly prayed and labored and urged others to the same, it seemed as if the plants began to revive, as if the ground were dug and renewed, as if the seed sprang forth under the beneficent influence of the rain and dew. Ah! if all men saw this as I see it, they would surely labor in this garden with far more diligence than I! Such cemeteries speak as plainly to me of the Christian zeal and charity of a parish, as do the gardens and meadows around a village proclaim the industry of its inhabitants. God has often allowed me to see souls mounting joyously from Purgatory to Paradise. But as nothing is accomplished without pain and trouble, so to0 when praying for the dead, I was frequently terrified and mal-treated by lost spirits even by the demon himself. Loud noises and frightful spectres surrounded me. I was pushed off the graves, tossed from side to side, and sometimes an invisible power tried to force me out of the cemetery. But God strengthened me against fear. I never recoiled one hair's breadth before the enemy, and when thus interrupted, I redoubled my prayers. O how many thanks I have received from the poor, dear souls! Ah! If all men would share this joy with me! What a superabundance of grace is upon earth, but forgotten, despised, while the poor souls languish for it! In their manifold sufferings they are full of anguish and longing, they sigh after help and deliverance; yet, how great soever their distress, they still praise Our Lord and Saviour, and all that we can do for them is a source of unending bliss.»
Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich
in Very. Rev. Carl E. Schmöger, C.SS.R.,
The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich:
Book 2, pp. 181-184.
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Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A DAY OF KOINONIA FOR HOLY SOULS WHO CAUSED DIVISION
One of the most vivid pleas our Blessed Redeemer made to His Heavenly Father when He was surrounded by his disciples, just before the start of His Holy Passion for us, was «I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me» (Jn 17:20-21). Jesus wanted to bestow the same communion of love (koinonia) He has with His Father (and the Holy Spirit) upon all his followers of all epochs until the end of the world.
But Jesus even went on further pleading fervently for the effects of that divine koinonia in his disciples of all ages, in those who are His, his new acquired family: «The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me» (Jn 17:22-23).
Jesus willed to give his new acquired family —the Church— that divine koinonia —that common union— which brings about the glory of God in souls so that those who are not yet in his family —the world— may come to believe in the Father’s love for them and thus enter into that koinonia and friendship with the Triune God (already here on Earth and henceforth for all eternity in Heaven): «Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world. (Jn 17:20-).»
That is why, any wound to the unity of the Church is deeply contrary to this deepest desire of Jesus, to this most lofty Trinitarian koinonia of love, to this sacred communion of the saints.
A champion of this unity, of this koinonia in the Church, was the holy eastern bishop St. Josaphat from the town of Volodymyr in current Ukraine, our holy helper of today brought to us by our Divine Liturgy. He understood, honored, and fought with all his love to maintain the union of all Christians, especially his fellow Orthodox Christians who were debating whether or not to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church under the headship of the Pope instead of remaining an independent church of the East, as they have been for so many centuries since the Great Schism.
St. Josaphat’s burning koinonia and holiness of life was so strong and effective that many Eastern Orthodox from his Slavic regions of Ruthenia (and even some separated Calvinist brethren) indeed entered into full communion with the Church. So much so was his sincere and effective love for unity that his Orthodox enemies nicknamed him “the soul-snatcher” and planned all they could to kill him.
Therefore, after an abundant ministry of heroic pastoral service to his flock, of a loyal allegiance to the divinely instituted petrine ministry, and of a richly fruitful zeal for his fellow Orthodox brethren in order to bring them to the full unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, St. Josaphat suffered like Jesus a cruel bloody martyrdom for the sake of the Kingdom: for the sake of unity, for the sake of koinonia… he became a true victim of love.
Exercise
Let us then turn to our holy exercise of today for the Holy Souls begging our Beloved Lord to aid those Holy Souls who especially damaged the unity of the Mystical Body of Christ and are now suffering in the sea of fire of Purgatory because of that.
Since the sacrament of the Eucharist —of Holy Communion— is the real center and utmost concrete expression of the koinonia of the faithful, of the union of every member of the Mystical Body, of the communion of the saints in every dimension of the Church (Heaven, Purgatory, and Earth), let us then turn to that reality and deepen our awareness of it. For that, we will use a beautiful text from the Revelations of St. Gertrude that would enable us to enter with SS. Josaphat and Gertrude into that dimension of Holy Communion. Then, we will conclude our exercise offering our Holy Communion of today, like St. Gertrude (and St. Josaphat) did in life, for those Holy Souls who defiled union in the Body of Christ.
THE VALUE OF COMMUNICATING FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY
«One day, after Communion, the Saint offered the Host which she had just received for the souls in Purgatory; and perceiving the great benefit they obtained thereby, she was amazed, and said to her Spouse: “My God, since I am obliged to declare for Thy glory that Thou dost honor me continually with Thy presence, or rather, that Thou abidest in my soul, unworthy as I am, how is it that Thou dost not work through me as Thou hast done today after I have received Thy adorable Body?” He replied: “It is not easy for everyone to approach a king who remains always in his palace; but when his love for his queen induces him to go forth, then all may behold, through her kindness, his pomp and magnificence; thus, when, moved by My love, I visit one of the faithful (who is free from mortal sin) in the Sacrament of the Altar, all who are in Heaven, on earth, or in Purgatory, receive immense benefits thereby.”
On another occasion the Saint humbled herself deeply before approaching the Holy Communion, in honor and imitation of the humility of the Son of God in descending into limbo. Then, uniting herself with His descent, she found herself descending to the very depths of Purgatory; and humbling herself still lower, she heard Our say to her: “I will draw you to Me in the Sacrament of the Altar in such a manner that you will draw after you all those who shall perceive the odor of your desire.”
Having received this promise from Our Lord, she desired after Communion that He would release as many souls as she could divide the Host into particles in her mouth; but as she tried to effect this, He said to her. “In order that you may know that My mercy is above all My works, and that the abyss of My mercy cannot be exhausted, I am ready to grant you, through the merit of this life-giving Sacrament, more than you dare to ask Me”.»
St. Gertrude the Great and the religious of her monastery,
The Life and Revelations of St. Gertrude the Great:
Part 3, ch. 17, §12.
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Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
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St. Luke: Chapter 17:1-10
Some sayings of Jesus
1 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
7 “Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”
Imitation of Christ: Book 2, Chapter 5
That all troubles are to be endured for the sake of eternal life
Jesus:
1. "My Son, let not the labours which thou hast undertaken for Me break thee down, nor let tribulations cast thee down in any wise, but let my promise strengthen and comfort thee in every event. I am sufficient to reward thee above all measure and extent. Not long shalt thou labour here, nor always be weighed down with sorrows. Wait yet a little while, and thou shalt see a speedy end of thine evils. An hour shall come when all labour and confusion shall cease. Little and short is all that passeth away with time.
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