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| Souls in Purgatory |
The Holy Souls in Purgatory
Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
(All Souls)
November 2
The following excerpt is from Chapter 8 of My Catholic
Faith! :
As we celebrate the Commemoration of All Souls, let’s
reflect upon our Church teaching on Purgatory:
The Church Suffering:
Purgatory is an often misunderstood doctrine of our Church. What is Purgatory? Is it the place we have to
go to be punished for our sins? Is it
God’s way of getting us back for the wrong we’ve done? Is it the result of God’s anger? None of these questions really answer the
question of Purgatory. Purgatory is
nothing other than the burning and purifying love of our God in our lives!
When someone dies in God’s grace
they are most likely not
100% converted
and perfect in every way.
Even the greatest of saints most often would have some imperfection left
in their lives. Purgatory is nothing
other than that final purification of all remaining attachment to sin in our lives.
By analogy, imagine that you had a cup of
100% pure water, pure H2O. This cup will
represent Heaven. Now imagine that you
want to add to that cup of water but all you have is water that is 99%
pure.
This will represent the holy
person who dies with just some slight attachments to sin. If you add that water to your cup then the cup
will now have at least some impurities in the water as it mixes together. The problem is that Heaven (the original cup
of 100% H2O) cannot contain any impurities.
Heaven, in this case,
cannot have even
the slightest attachment to sin
in it.
Therefore, if this new water (the
99% pure water) is to be added to the cup it must first be purified even of the
last 1% of impurities (attachments to sin).
This is ideally done while we are on Earth. This is the process of getting holy. But if we dies with any attachment, then we
simply say that the process of entering into the final and full vision of God in
Heaven will purify us of any remaining attachment to sin.
All may already be forgiven,
but we may not
have detached
from those things forgiven.
Purgatory is the process, after death,
of burning out the last of our
attachments
so that we can enter Heaven 100%
freed of everything to do with
sin.
If, for example, we still have a
bad habit of being rude, or sarcastic, even those tendencies and habits must be
purged.
How does this happen?
We do not know. We only know it
does. But we also know it’s the result
of God’s infinite love that frees us of these attachments.
It is painful? Most likely.
But it’s painful in the sense that letting go of any disordered
attachment is painful. It’s hard to
break a bad habit. It’s even painful in
the process.
But the end result of true
freedom is worth any pain we may have experienced.
So, yes, Purgatory is painful. But it’s a sort of sweet pain that we need
and it produces the end result of a person 100% in union with God!
Now since we are
talking about the Communion of Saints, we also want to make sense to understand
that those going through this final purification are still in communion with
God, with those members of the Church on Earth, and with those in Heaven.
For example, we are called to pray for those
in Purgatory. Our prayers are
effective. God uses those prayers, which
are acts of our love, as instruments of His grace of purification. He allows us
and invites us to participate in their final purification by our prayers and
sacrifices.
This forges a bond of union
with them. And no doubt the saints in
Heaven especially offer prayers for those in this final purification as they
await full communion with them in Heaven.
It’s a glorious thought and a joy to see how God has orchestrated this
entire process for the ultimate purpose of the holy communion to which we are
called!
Lord, I pray for those
souls going through their final purification in Purgatory.
Please pour forth Your Mercy upon them so that
they may be freed of all attachment to sin and, thus, be prepared to see You
face to face.
Jesus, I trust in You.
taken from the book, Daily Reflections for Ordinary Time: Weeks 18-34 by John Paul Thomas
Prayers for the Souls in Purgatory
No one can enter into Heaven without having first been
perfectly purified. Every one of our
words, actions, and omissions have eternal consequences.
Praying for the souls in Purgatory is a work
of mercy.
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Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; And let perpetual
light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen
O Lord, who art ever merciful and bounteous with Thy gifts,
look down upon the suffering souls in purgatory. Remember not their offenses
and negligences, but be mindful of Thy loving mercy, which is from all
eternity. Cleanse them of their sins and fulfill their ardent desires that they
may be made worthy to behold Thee face to face in Thy glory. May they soon be
united with Thee and hear those blessed words which will call them to their
heavenly home:
"Come, blessed of My Father, take possession of the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
