Virgo Potens

2 of 2 THE MEMORY OF THE DEAD 3. Yes, they are more our own, Since now they are God's only ; And each one that has gone Has left our heart less lonely. He mourns not seasons fled, Who now in Him possesses Treasures of many dead In their dear Lord's caresses. 4. Dear dead ! they have become Like guardian angels to us ; And distant heaven like home, Through them begins to woo us ; Love, that was earthly, wings Its flight to holier places ; The dead are sacred things That multiply our graces. 5. They whom we love on earth Attract us now to heaven ; Who shared our grief and mirth Back to us now are given. They move with noiseless foot Gravely and sweetly round us, And their soft touch hath cut Full many a chain that bound us. 6. O dearest dead ! to heaven With grudging sighs we gave you, To Him—be doubts forgiven ! Who took you there to save you :— Now get us grace to love Your memories yet more kindly, Pine for our homes above, And trust to God more blindly. ~ Rev. Fr. Faber Frederick William Faber, D.D., Hymns (1861)

THE MEMORY OF THE DEAD Hymn 1. Oh it is sweet to think, Of those that are departed, While murmured Aves sink To silence tender-hearted, While tears that have no pain Are tranquilly distilling, And the dead live again In hearts that love is filling. 2. Yet not as in the days Of earthly ties we love them ; For they are touched with rays From light that is above them : Another sweetness shines Around their well-known features ; God with His glory signs His dearly ransomed creatures. continued)

(continued) 2 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 16th In Ireland this devotion has obtained a strong hold on the faithful. Even the very poor make many sacrifices in order to secure for their departed relatives, and others also, the special benefits of the Holy Mass. May the same enlightened piety ever remain firmly rooted in the hearts of our people, and may the day never come when they will cease to follow beyond the grave with tender solicitude the souls of those they loved in life. ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

1 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 16th “Have Pity on Us!” (continued) We have in our power to help these suffering friends of God. We can do so by prayer, alms deeds, the Holy Mass, our indulgences, and to do so is certainly a work of mercy and charity. Understanding this full well, the saints, without exception, have been most earnest and constant in their efforts to help them. Some of them have made this devotion one of the strong characteristics of their sanctity, and we venture to say that no truly devout or sincere Catholic neglects this spiritual work of mercy. (continued)

(continued) 2 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 15th When the angel had spoken, there arose a most piteous moan from a great multitude of souls. They entreated the Eternal Judge to forget their many sins, to apply to them the merits of His sacred passion, and to admit them into His presence. They besought Him most earnestly to inspire the faithful, but particularly priests and nuns, to offer up prayers, Masses, alms, and indulgences in their behalf, because by doing this they would lessen and shorten their torments, and enable them to enjoy the sooner the beatific vision of Jesus, their Love. Suddenly a mysterious light, the brilliancy of which was tempered by a certain dull hue, broke forth and covered over the dark prison. It was the symbol of approaching deliverance, and the poor souls greeted it with acclamations of joy. But they did not forget their benefactors; on the contrary, they asked our blessed Redeemer to reward a hundredfold the charity of those who had prayed for them. ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

St. Bridget beholds Purgatory in a vision. 1 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 15th Chapter 3 “Have Pity on Us!” St. Bridget had once a vision of Purgatory, and there beheld the souls of the just being cleansed from every stain of sin, as iron is purified in a fiery furnace. She tells us that she heard an angel calling down the blessing of God upon the charitable Christians who hasten to the rescue of the Poor Souls, for unless they are released by the good works of the faithful, God in His ineffable justice is resolved to purify them by the flames of Purgatory. (continued)

PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH O Glorious St. Joseph, behold I choose thee today for my special patron in life and at the hour of my death. Preserve and increase in me the spirit of prayer and fervor in the service of God. Remove far from me every kind of sin; obtain for me that my death may not come upon me unawares, but that I may have time to confess my sins sacramentally and to bewail them with a most perfect understanding and a most sincere and perfect contrition, in order that I may breathe forth my soul into the hands of Jesus and Mary. Amen. ~ Favorite Prayers to Saint Joseph (1997)

2 of 2 HAVE MERCY, LORD, ON ALL WHO WAIT Hymn 4 By Thy five Wounds and seven cries, By piercèd Heart and closing Eyes, By Thy dread awful Sacrifice, Miserére, Domine. 5 These souls forlorn, Redeemer blest, Never denied Thee, but confest; Grant them, at last, eternal rest. Miserére, Domine. 6 For these poor souls who cannot pray, For gone is their probation day, We plead Thy Cross, and humbly say: Miserére, Domine. 7 Remember all their sighs and tears, One day with Thee a thousand years: Give peace, O Lord, and calm their fears. Miserére, Domine. 8 As pants the hart for cooling spring, As bird flies home with wearied wing, Homeward they turn, Lord, homeward bring. Miserére, Domine. ~ Rev. Dr. Lee ~ A Daily Hymn Book (1958)

1 of 2 HAVE MERCY, LORD, ON ALL WHO WAIT Hymn 1 Have mercy, Lord, on all who wait In place forlorn and lonely state, Outside Thy peaceful Palace gate. Miserére, Domine. 2 These were the work of Thine own hands; Thy promise sure for ever stands; Release them, Lord, from sin and bands. Miserére, Domine. 3 By sweat of Blood and Crown of thorn, By Cross to Calvary meekly borne, Be Thou to them salvation’s dawn. Miserére, Domine. (continued)

2 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 14th There is a communication of the fruit of good works between the living faithful and the departed. The Catholic Church, enlightened by the Holy Spirit and guided by the Scriptures and the traditions of the early Fathers, teaches in her Councils the existence of Purgatory, and that souls detained in this place of suffering are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, and particularly by the precious Sacrifice of the Altar (Council of Trent, Seas. 25). —Little Month of the Souls in Purgatory. ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

1 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 14th On the Duration of the Sufferings of Purgatory These sufferings are of short duration compared to the eternity of the pains of hell, but considered in themselves they are long, very long. The Church authorizes anniversaries of prayers for years and even centuries after souls have departed this life; and eminent writers, Bellarmine among others, think that there are sinners who will remain in Purgatory until the end of the world. (continued)

Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 13th On the State of the Souls in Purgatory Though in the midst of the most cruel sufferings, the Holy Souls never yield to impatience or despair; they are in a state of grace and charity, and their will is so at one with that of God that they cheerfully will all that He desires. They adore the hand that strikes them; and however ardently they yearn for their deliverance, they would only have it in the order of God’s will. The certainty that they will never offend God more, and that they will one day possess Him in heaven, is a source of great consolation to them. ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 12th On the Causes of Purgatory There are two causes of Purgatory: 1st. The lack of sufficient satisfaction for remitted sin. It is of faith that God, in pardoning sins committed after Baptism, and remitting the eternal punishment due to mortal sin, usually leaves the absolved souls a debt of temporal punishment which it must pay in this life or the next. 2d. The venial sins which may mar the souls of the just when they depart this life. ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 11th On the Sufferings of Purgatory (continued) The second is suffering which subjects the soul to tortures more terrible than those inflicted on the martyrs. The Church has not defined the nature of this suffering; it is generally taught, however, with the permission of the Church, that Purgatory is a mysterious fire which, like that of hell, devours the soul without destroying it; and though this is not an article of faith, says La Luzerne, yet all authorities so strongly support the doctrine of an expiatory fire, that it is best not to depart from it. ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 10th On the Sufferings of Purgatory Revelation, which speaks very clearly of the existence of Purgatory, is not so clear on the state of the Suffering Souls, and we have no accurate knowledge of the place of suffering, or of the nature or the form of their sufferings. We know with certainty, however, that the pains of Purgatory are extremely great, and of two kinds. The first and most unendurable, says the Council of Florence, is the privation of God. The soul released from the body comprehends God as the only object of its happiness, and the desire to see and possess Him is felt with extraordinary keenness in all its faculties. It is a burning thirst, a devouring hunger, a terrible void, a species of suffocation produced by the absence of God, the food and breath of the soul. ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

PRAY FOR THE DEAD Pray for the dead All ye who mourn, Love ends not with the grave; In life, perhaps, They needed not But now your aid they crave. Refrain Unto all, O Jesus blest, Grant Thine own eternal rest. Pray for the dead, All ye who weep, Tears will not set them free, Nor comfort them In their distress Until God’s face they see. Refrain Pray for the dead, All ye who hope, The joy of heav’n to gain, And you may seek Their aid, and lo! You will not seek in vain. Refrain ~ M. B. Marr The American Catholic Hymnal (1913)

PRAY FOR THE DEAD Pray for the dead All ye who mourn, Love ends not with the grave; In life, perhaps, They needed not But now your aid they crave. Refrain Unto all, O Jesus blest, Grant Thine own eternal rest. Pray for the dead, All ye who weep, Tears will not set them free, Nor comfort them In their distress Until God’s face they see. Refrain Pray for the dead, All ye who hope, The joy of heav’n to gain, And you may seek Their aid, and lo! You will not seek in vain. Refrain ~ M. B. Marr The American Catholic Hymnal (1913)

PRAY FOR THE DEAD Pray for the dead All ye who mourn, Love ends not with the grave; In life, perhaps, They needed not But now your aid they crave. Refrain Unto all, O Jesus blest, Grant Thine own eternal rest. Pray for the dead, All ye who weep, Tears will jot set them free, Nor comfort them In their distress Until God’s face they see. Refrain Pray for the dead, All ye who hope, The joy of heavn to gain, And you may seek Their aid, and lo! You will not seek in vain. Refrain ~ M. B. Marr The American Catholic Hymnal (1913)

2 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 9th 2d. In all tradition, which is thus incontestably confirmed by the following decree of the Council of Trent: “If any one claim that a penitent sinner when he receives the grace of justification obtains the remission of the guilt and the eternal punishment, so that neither in this life nor in Purgatory has he any temporal punishment to undergo before he can enter heaven, let him be anathema!” (Sess. 6th) ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

1 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 9th Proofs of the Existence Purgatory (continued) 1st. In Holy Scripture. (continued) In the New Testament our Lord plainly tells us there are sins which shall not be forgiven in this world or in the world to come (St. Matt. xii.); again in St. Matthew we read of a prison which the debtor shall not leave until he has paid the last farthing (St. Matt. v.); and St. Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians says: Every man’s work shall be manifest: for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire: and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work burn, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by fire. (I Cor. iii. 13, 15.) (continued)