Twenty-seventh Day; The Lord rewards charity towards the Holy Souls
by VP
Posted on Wednesday November 27, 2024 at 12:00AM in Meditations
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." ( Matth. V. 7)
Theologians assert that those who bestow mercy upon the suffering souls shall themselves find great relief and assistance in Purgatory. They consider active charity toward the holy souls a mark of predestination to eternal happiness. It is true, says St. Thomas of Aquin, that he who satisfies for the suffering souls does not satisfy for himself. But it is also true, adds the saint, that he deserves more than the remission of pain, namely, eternal life. Here it is that God by the mouth of the Royal Prophet, expresses Himself: "Blessed is he that undertandeth concerning the needy and the poor: the Lord will deliver him in the evil day." (Ps. XI, 1). The assistance of the holy souls is also experienced in temporal wants in favor of their benefactors. Bishop Colmar of Mayence writes: "These destitute, suffering souls do not wait until they enter Heaven to show their gratitude towards their benefactors; whilst they still languish in Purgatory they pray without ceasing for the welfare of the soul and body, obtain for them recovery from disease, assistance in poverty, help in necessities, counsel and protection on journeys and in danger, preservation on journeys and in danger, preservation and increase of their temporal goods, aid them in the salvation of their souls, and, above all, come to their relief in the agonies of death and before the judgment seat of God."
Prayer: We beseech Thee O Lord, graciously to hear the humble and fervent prayers we offer for the souls in Purgatory, and grant that the charity we extend towards our suffering brothers and sisters, may, by their supplications obtain for us protection and help. Through Christ our Lord. Amen
Prayer for Priests in Purgatory: My Jesus, by the sorrows Thou didst suffer in Thine Agony in the Garden, in Thy Scourging and Crowning with thorns, in the Way to Calvary, in Thy Crucifixion and Death, have mercy on the souls of priests in Purgatory, especially those most forgotten and who have no one else to pray for them. I wish to remember all those priests who ministered to me, the priests my heart has never forgotten, and for those that I no longer recall due to my frailty of memory. Do Thou deliver them from the dire torments they endure; call them and admit them to Thy most sweet embrace in Paradise.
Pope Saint Pius X and Saint John Vianney, pray for us and especially for our priests. Amen
Special Intercession: Pray for souls who are suffering in Purgatory for their want of gratitude.
Lord grant them eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. (three times)
Invocation: My Jesus, mercy!
Source: Manual of the Purgatorian Society, Redemptorist Fathers. 1907