Prayer and Devotions for the Holy Souls

In the Catholic Church, the month of November is traditionally given over to prayers for the Holy Souls. The most powerful form of prayer for the Souls in Purgatory is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. A quote often used by Catholics in the UK is ‘Masses for our dead, not flowers’ and it makes perfect sense. Flowers decorate a grave but wither and die, with no benefit to the soul of the deceased at all. The benefit is for the donor and the surviving family members, often with pride as to how many wreaths have been donated. We have the opportunity to assist the Holy Souls in purgatory through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They cannot help themselves but they do remember us with gratitude in their prayers.

At every Holy Mass, we enter into the timeless reality of the perfect and acceptable Sacrifice of Christ to the Father for our sake. And from that Sacrifice, immeasurable graces flow for all people and especially for those for whom the Mass is being offered. This is particularly the case for the deceased who may be undergoing purification in purgatory to prepare them for the joy of heaven. We can offer the Holy Souls no better comfort and solace than to attend a Mass for them, or have Masses said for them.

The post Pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory in November first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #121103 ( 07min) Play– Today we pray for all the faithful departed of the Seraphic Order, and Fr. Dominic preaches on our duty to pray for one another, prepare for death, die to ourselves, and live always for others.

Ave Maria!
Mass: Commemoration of the Franciscan Deceased – Mem – Form: OF
Readings: 
1st: wis 3:1-9
Resp: psa 23:1-3, 4, 5, 6
Gsp: joh 6:37-40

Audio (MP3)

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The post Nov 03 – Homily – Fr Dominic: Franciscan Souls in Purgatory first appeared on AirMaria.com.

November is a month especially dedicated to praying for the souls in Purgatory.  Let us begin with these thoughts:

According to tradition, our Lord promised St. Gertrude the Great that 1000 souls would be released from purgatory each time it is said devoutly.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

other prayers:

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.”

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen

For more information on the Indulgence to be gained and also an Introduction to All Souls Day:

Often overshadowed by the two days preceding it, Halloween and All Saints Day, All Souls Day is a solemn feast in the Roman Catholic Church commemorating all of those who have died and now are in Purgatory, being cleansed of their venial sins and the temporal punishments for the mortal sins that they had confessed and atoning before entering fully into Heaven.

History of All Souls Day:

The importance of All Souls Day was made clear by Pope Benedict XV (1914-22), when he granted all priests the privilege of celebrating three Masses on All Souls Day: one, for the faithful departed; one for the priest’s intentions; and one for the intentions of the Holy Father. Only on a handful of other very important feast days are priests allowed to celebrate more than two Masses.

While All Souls Day is now paired with All Saints Day, which celebrates all of the faithful who are in Heaven, it originally was celebrated in the Easter Season, around Pentecost Sunday (and still is in the Eastern Catholic Churches). By the tenth century, the celebration had been moved to October; and sometime between 998 and 1030, St. Odilo of Cluny decreed that it should be celebrated on November 2 in all of the monasteries of his Benedictine congregation. Over the next two centuries, other Benedictines and the Carthusians began to celebrate it in their monasteries as well, and soon it spread to the entire Church.

On All Souls Day, we not only remember the dead, but we apply our efforts, through prayer, almsgiving, and the Mass, to their release from Purgatory. There are two plenary indulgences attached to All Souls Day, one for visiting a church and another for visiting a cemetery. (The plenary indulgence for visiting a cemetery can also be obtained every day from November 1-8, and, as a partial indulgence, on any day of the year.) While the actions are performed by the living, the merits of the indulgences are applicable only to the souls in Purgatory.

Praying for the dead is a Christian obligation. In the modern world, when many have come to doubt the Church’s teaching on Purgatory, the need for such prayers has only increased. The Church devotes the month of November to prayer for the holy souls in Purgatory, and participation in the Mass of All Souls Day is a good way to begin the month.

The post November 2nd: All Souls Day first appeared on AirMaria.com.

A Day With Mary #121 – The Eucharist, All Saints and the Holy Souls in Purgatory ( 8min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Fr. Joseph Michael speaks on the Eucharist during the “Day With Mary” held at St. Bernadette Parish in Port Kennedy, Western Australia on 1 November 2014.

Audio (MP3)

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Homily #141107n ( 04min) Play – Father reminds us today of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, how dear they are to Our Lord and the Church, and he urges us to, especially in this month dedicated to them, to draw from the treasury of the Church by gaining indulgences for those in Purgatory
Ave Maria!
Mass: Friday in the 31st Week in Ordinary Time – Wkdy – Form: OF
Readings: 
1st: phi 3:17-4:1
Resp: psa 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5
Gsp: luk 16:1-8

Audio (MP3)

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The post Nov 07 – Homily – Fr Matthias: Draw From the Treasury of the Church first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Mary Now #14 ( 06min) Play – Dr. Mark Miravalle on how the teaching of the Church on Purgatory which seem rather harsh is actually quite merciful in that it enables those who are not perfect to get to heaven. It also has a family aspect where we pray for our brothers and sisters in purgatory.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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The post Video – Mercy of Purgatory – MNOW 14 first appeared on AirMaria.com.

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

O Lord through Your Divine Mercy, Your love and compassion, please welcome into Your Sacred Heart, Your loving arms, and Your heavenly home the holy souls in purgatory, that they may attain their eternal peace and happiness with You, their Lord and Savior. Amen.

O Eternal Father, I offer You through the Immaculate Virgin Mary and the Precious Blood of Your Son, for the relief of the suffering souls in purgatory. Amen.

My Jesus, by the sorrows You suffered in Your agony in the garden, in the scourging and crowning with thorns, in the way to Calvary, in Your crucifixion and death, have mercy on the souls in purgatory especially those who are most forsaken; deliver them from the dire torments they endure, and admit them to Your most sweet embrace in paradise. Amen.

Susan Tassone (Prayer Book for Adoration)

The post Some Short Prayers for the Souls in Purgatory first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria Meditations

O most sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these Blessed Souls. Have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel Crucifixion, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the immense pain which Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy Blessed Soul, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

(Recommend yourself to the Souls in Purgatory and mention your intentions)

Blessed Souls, we have prayed for thee; we entreat thee, who are so dear to God, and who are secure of never losing Him, to pray for us miserable sinners, who are in danger of being damned, and of losing God forever.

Let us pray:  O God, the author of mercy, the lover of the salvation of mankind; we address Thy clemency, in behalf of our brethren, relations, and benefactors, who are departed this life, that by the intercession of Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, and of all the saints, Thou wouldst receive them into the enjoyment of eternal happiness; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Alphonsus Ligouri

The post Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Br. Gabriel preaches a retreat on purgatory called November, Month of Holy Souls. In this first talk, he covers the biblical and traditional roots of purgatory and how the souls in purgatory need prayers and especially masses said for them.

Notes:

Story of purgatory Frasen to Father Montfort

Mercy exercised toward the soles and purgatory

Promise to distribute books on purgatory to save son and wife.

Souls in purgatory are very appreciative of prayer and can give graces to us in return

They cannot help themselves though. They need our help

Purgatory Explained by Rev. Fr. F. X. Schouppe, S.J.
Buy: https://www.amazon.com/Purgatory-Explained-Lives-Legends-Saints/dp/0895553015
Read online: https://archive.org/details/purgatory00scho/page/280/mode/2up
Audio: https://librivox.org/purgatory-by-rev-francois-xavier-schouppe/

How All souls Day started

Monastery Clooney under St Odilo

Maccabees make a sacrifice for the souls that perish and battle

Jesus’s mentions of punishment after death will not get out till you pay the last penny

First St Paul of the Corinthians 3:13-15

Will be saved yet so as by fire

St Gregory of Nyssa

Pray for the dead that they may be loose from sin

Pope Saint Gregory the Great

In the fire, the sinner is purified

St Thomas Aquinas says something similar

Summa, it is sufficiently clear that there’s purgatory after this life.

Council of Trent

The apostles gave us the doctrine of purgatory

Prayers for those in purgatory

Pope Leo XIII

The holy sacrifice of the mass is the most effective way of helping the poor  souls in purgatory

Pius XII

Souls don’t want to leave purgatory until they are purified and presentable to God

The love of God and the desire to see him and knowing that they will be able to far out ways the sensible pain they are experiencing purgatory

Prayer helps them get the process done.

World War I

Given the number who died 20 million gave all priests the ability to say three masses per day on All souls day.

Also on Youtube: https://youtu.be/FUWje9hTIM8

YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-TlYvy_hbw&list=PLejh_e0-LN4zsd9XUd7dbgFmrlmfc6-pV

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The post 1 of 5 – Purgatory – Doctrinal Roots – Br. Gabriel Cortes first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Br. Gabriel preaches a retreat on purgatory called November, Month of Holy Souls. In this second talk, he describes the nature of the realm of purgatory.

Notes:

The realm of purgatory

Cannot sin

People there want to be there until they are purified enough to be in the presence of God

The location most likely inside the Earth

But that is just an opinion

Regardless, both geologists and medieval theologians believe that the realms below are hot

Place of sustained pain to make expiration for temporal debt due to personal sin.

Any suffering here is mild compared to purgatory and is meritorious so it is very worthwhile to suffer patiently now in Union with Christ’s sufferings

5 pains are sensible and more or less severe and render the soul fit to see God face to face

There are no bodies because it’s a spiritual realm but there are sensible pains

6 mental happiness knowing we’re saved in spite of the physical sufferings

Purgatory will end after the general judgment

Love reigns in purgatory

They do not complain about their sufferings but ask for prayers to be able to see God. It is purely a longing for God that is the basis for a suffering

8 salvation is secured but still need help which they can receive from us for mitigation of sentences

Scapular those who wear it will not go to hell and will be freed from purgatory on the Saturday following entry into purgatory

10 purgatory is populated with people of the body of Christ called The Church suffering

The idea that the faithfully departed are still alive it’s part of the reason why we pray to the saints the logic of purgatory and heaven are the same

Story of Driltham, Man raised from the dead who saw purgatory and was completely transformed.

Purgatory Explained by Rev. Fr. F. X. Schouppe, S.J.
Buy: https://www.amazon.com/Purgatory-Explained-Lives-Legends-Saints/dp/0895553015
Read online: https://archive.org/details/purgatory00scho/page/280/mode/2up
Audio: https://librivox.org/purgatory-by-rev-francois-xavier-schouppe/

Also on Youtube: https://youtu.be/V2oQQykit4w

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The post 2 of 5 – Purgatory – Nature of the Realm – Br. Gabriel Cortes first appeared on AirMaria.com.