Offering Sacrifices
"Offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (IPeter 2:5)
In order for any good work or sacrifice to be of any use for the poor souls in purgatory, they must be performed by one in a state of grace. When a soul is in mortal sin it cannot make satisfaction for itself nor for the poor souls. Prayer coming from a soul in grace is, according to St. Augustine "a key to heaven."
Gaining indulgences with the intention of aiding the souls in purgatory, either a specific soul or for any in general is a great act of charity and gains merit for the one earning the indulgence. I encourage you to purchase The Handbook of Indulgences, read it, use it daily, it is available here. Apply your indulgences to your deceased family members, loved ones or such catagories as souls most abandoned, souls nearest or farthest from attaining Heaven, priests & religious.
We call the souls in purgatory "poor" because they suffer great poverty of spirit, paying the price they owe due to sin. They can do nothing for themselves, rather they passively submit to purification and suffer more than we can imagine. We call them "holy" because they are holy having died in a state of grace and they can sin no more. They are loved by God and He is very pleased when we help them with our prayers and sacrifices. Today, offer a small sacrifice on thier behalf - set aside part of a meal, drive in silence rather than amuse yourself with music, read holy books instead on watching TV, think of small offerings you can make and make of this a holy habit! The souls that benefit will repay you tenfold with thier prayers for you!
Prayer
O Lord God almighty, I pray Thee, by the precious blood which Thy divine son shed on this day upon the wood of the cross, especially from His most sacred hands and feet, deliver the souls in purgatory, and in particular that soul for which I am most bound to pray; that no neglect of mine may hinder it from praising Thee in Thy glory and blessing Thee forever. Amen+
Our Father, Hail Mary...
Eternal rest grant unto them, may eternal light shine upon them, may they rest in peace. Amen+
Reflections on the end of man
"The path of the just, as a shining light goeth forward and increaseth even unto the perfect day." (Proverbs 9:18)
01.jpg)
2 comments:
What wonderful words about Purgatory. One doesn't get to read too much about it anymore and that is so sad. I hope to get some Purgatory holy cards up on my site soon.
Good idea, with your permission perhaps I could use them from time to time to spread devotion and prayer on behalf of the poor souls?
Post a Comment