Fasting for the Benefit of the Holy Souls

An excerpt from "Charity for the Suffering Souls" by Rev. John A. Nageleisen


Everybody in this world experiences in himself two conflicting powers, which are described by St Paul as follows: "I am delighted with the law of God according to the inward man: but I see another law in my member, fighting against the law of my mind, and captivating me in the law of sin, that is in my members" (Rom 7:22-23) Reason, and religion demand that in this combat of the "inward man" we decide in his favor against sin. Our soul is immortal, the breath of God, His image. Our body is a handful of clay, soon to moulder in the grave. What does it matter if the body, a food for worms, be made to suffer, if only the immortal soul be saved? Of what consequence is it, if the body die, if only the soul lives? St Paul was the apostle of the gentiles, a light of the world, a vessel of election; nevertheless he felt t a necessary duty to bring his body into subjection.  He says, "I chastise my body and bring it into subjection, lest perhaps when I have preached

The Real Truth about Purgatory

"Oh! If people only knew what Purgatory is!"
In 1870, Belgium fought as an ally with France against Germany. In September of that year, Sister Maria Serafina, a Redemptorist nun in Malines, Belgium, was suddenly seized with inexplicable sadness. Soon after, she received the news that her father had died in that war.
From that day on, Sister Maria repeatedly heard distressing groans and a voice saying, "My dear daughter, have mercy on me!"
Subsequently, she was besieged with torments, which included unbearable headaches. While laying down one day, she saw her father surrounded with flames and immersed in profound sadness. He was suffering in Purgatory and had received permission from God to beseech prayers from his daughter and relate Purgatory's suffering to her. Thus he said:

Pious Invocations for the Souls in Purgatory

From the Holy Bible:
"It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins" (2 Maccabees 12:46)

1. O Lord Jesus, by the precious Blood which Thou didst shed in the Garden of Olives, deign to help and release the souls in purgatory, particularly the soul that is most abandoned. Place it today in heaven, that united with the Angels and Thy Blessed Mother it may praise Thee forever. Amen.

2. O Lord Jesus, by the precious Blood Thou didst shed during Thy scourging, deign to help and release the souls in purgatory, particularly the soul that did most good during life. Place it today in Heaven, that united with the Angels and Thy Blessed Mother it may praise Thee forever. Amen

Litany for the Poor Souls in Purgatory

Litany for the Poor Souls in Purgatory

O Jesus, Thou suffered and died that all mankind might be saved and brought to eternal happiness. Hear our pleas for further mercy on the souls of:

My dear parents and grandparents, my Jesus mercy!

My brothers and sisters and other near relatives, my Jesus mercy!

My godparents and sponsors of Confirmation, my Jesus mercy!

My spiritual and temporal benefactors, my Jesus mercy!

My friends and neighbors, my Jesus mercy!

All for whom love or duty bids me pray, my Jesus mercy!

Those who have suffered disadvantage or harm through me, my Jesus mercy!

Those who have offended me, my Jesus mercy!

Those who are especially beloved by Thee, my Jesus mercy!

Those whose release is near at hand, my Jesus mercy!

Those who desire most to be united to Thee, my Jesus mercy!

Those who endure the greatest sufferings, my Jesus mercy!

Those whose release is most remote, my Jesus mercy!

Those who are least remembered, my Jesus mercy!

Those who are most deserving on account of their services to the Church, my Jesus mercy!

The rich, who are now the most destitute, my Jesus mercy!

The mighty, who are now powerless, my Jesus mercy!

The once spiritually blind, who now see their folly, my Jesus mercy!

The frivolous, who spent their time in idleness, my Jesus mercy!

The poor who did not seek the treasures of heaven, my Jesus mercy!

The tepid, who devoted little time to prayer, my Jesus mercy!

The indolent, who neglected to perform good works, my Jesus mercy!

Those of little faith, who neglected the frequent reception of the Sacraments, my Jesus mercy!

The habitual sinners, who owe their salvation to a miracle of grace, my Jesus mercy!

Parents who failed to watch over their children, my Jesus mercy!

Superiors who were not solicitous for the salvation of those entrusted to them, my Jesus mercy!

Those who strove for worldly riches and pleasure, my Jesus mercy!

The worldly minded, who failed to use their wealth and talents in the service of God, my Jesus mercy!

Those who witnessed the death of others, but would not think of their own, my Jesus mercy!

Those who did not provide for the life hereafter, my Jesus mercy!

Those who sentence is severe because of the great things entrusted to them, my Jesus mercy!

The popes, kings and rulers, my Jesus mercy!

My teachers and spiritual advisers, my Jesus mercy!

The priests and religious of the Catholic Church, my Jesus mercy!

The defenders of the holy faith, my Jesus mercy!

Those who died on the battlefield, my Jesus mercy!

Those who fought for their country, my Jesus mercy!

Those who were buried in the sea, my Jesus mercy!

Those who died of apoplexy, my Jesus mercy!

Those who died of heart attacks, my Jesus mercy!

Those who suffered and died of cancer, my Jesus mercy!

Those who died suddenly in accidents, my Jesus mercy!

Those who died without the last rites of the Church, my Jesus mercy!

Those who shall die within the next 24 hours, my Jesus mercy!

My own poor soul when I shall have to appear before Thy judgement seat, my Jesus mercy!

Prayer

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them: Forevermore with Thy saints, because Thou art gracious.

May the prayer of  Thy suppliant people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, benefit the souls of Thy departed servants and handmaids: that Thou mayest both deliver them from all their sins, and make them partakers of Thy redemption. Amen.

Eternal rest grand unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Council of Trent Decree on Purgatory

DECREE CONCERNING PURGATORY.

COUNCIL OF TRENT, SESSION XXV

DECEMBER 4, 1563

Since the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has, following the sacred writings and the ancient tradition of the Fathers, taught in sacred councils and very recently in this ecumenical council, that there is a Purgatory, and that the souls there detained are aided by the suffrages of the faithful and chiefly by the Acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar, the Holy Council commands the bishops that they strive diligently to the end that the sound doctrine of Purgatory, transmitted by the Fathers and sacred councils, be believed and maintained by the faithful of Christ, and be everywhere taught and preached.

When was the last time you heard Purgatory either being taught or preached at Mass or Catechism? Yeah, me neither. This is incredibly sad. How many souls must languish for far longer than they could have if priests would preach about our duty to our Suffering Brethren. This is my motivation for this blog. To spread the word about the Poor Souls and our sacred duty to assist them.

The Chaplet of the Holy Souls

So little here on Earth can help so much in Purgatory. This little chaplet is short but helps souls more than we know! When we beg the Father for Mercy by pleading not on our merits but the Merits of Jesus Christ, how can He refuse?

CHAPLET OF THE HOLY SOULS

This chaplet may be recited by using a regular Rosary.

On the large beads of the Rosary recite:

"O holy Souls draw the fire of God's love into my soul to reveal Jesus crucified in me here on earth rather than hereafter in Purgatory. Amen."

On the small beads of the Rosary recite:

"Crucified Lord Jesus, have mercy on the souls in Purgatory. Amen."

 

So simple! And yet so helpful. Father F. X.  Schouppe in his book "Purgatory Explained" he tells us that:

"He who purifies himself of his faults in this present life satisfies with a penny a debt of a thousand ducats; and he who waits until the other life to discharge his debts, consents to pay a thousand ducats for that which he might before have paid with a penny" (pg. xxx)

Our prayers for them is as almost as valuable as the Saints in Heaven prayer's are for us!

Offer It Up

I'm one of those women who never "got" house-work. My parents house was always neat and tidy. Mine is not. Mine is a disaster. My mother would often ask me "How can you live like this?" I never could answer because I don't know; I hate having mess and chaos and grotty grime and all that. Perhaps it reflects the chaos and mess and grotty grime that is in my head. It causes the mess and chaos and grotty grime. It's one of those catch-22's.
My mother's ashes are sitting on top of my tall bookshelf and she would be horrified at the state of my apartment; particularly the kitchen. (I just spent an hour in there scrubbing some brown .... goo ... off my counter). Last Tuesday I spent an hour with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, praying for my mother's soul and for all the souls in Purgatory. I offered to suffer any physical pain to alleviate hers. But the answer came to me as I was sitting quietly: the best Penance I could offer would be to clean my apartment. It sounds silly but it makes perfect sense: I absolutely abhor housework. There is no way my mom can be at peace whilst her earthly remains are in this cesspool of filth. So, I offer up my disgust and repulsion for her. I hope it gives her at least a little relief.