Virgo Potens

2 of 2 THE QUEEN OF PURGATORY (continued from above) 3. In pains beyond all earthly pains, Favorites of Jesus ! there they lie, Letting the fire wear out their stains, And worshipping God's purity. 4. Spouses of Christ they are, for He Was wedded to them by His Blood ; And angels o'er their destiny In wondering adoration brood. 5. They are the children of thy tears ; Then hasten. Mother ! to their aid ; In pity think each hour appears An age while glory is delayed. 6. See, how they bound amid their fires. While pain and love their spirits fill ; Then with self-crucified desires Utter sweet murmurs, and lie still. 7. Ah me ! the love of Jesus yearns O'er that abyss of sacred pain, And, as He looks, His bosom burns With Calvary's dear thirst again. 8. O Mary ! let thy Son no more His lingering Spouses thus expect ; God's children to their God restore, And to the Spirit His elect. 9. Pray then, as thou hast ever prayed ; Angels and Souls all look to thee ; God waits thy prayers, for He hath made Those prayers His law of charity. Frederick William Faber, D.D., Hymns (from the Author’s Last Edition of 1861)

1 of 2 THE QUEEN OF PURGATORY 1. O turn to Jesus, Mother ! turn, And call Him by His tenderest names ; Pray for the Holy Souls that burn This hour amid the cleansing flames. 2. Ah ! they have fought a gallant fight ; In death's cold arms they persevered ; And after life's uncheery night, The arbor of their rest is neared. (continued below)

2 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 8th Proofs of the existence of Purgatory are to be found: 1st. In Holy Scripture In the Old Testament we read of Judas Machabeus sending twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem, to be offered in sacrifice for the dead who died in battle; and we are told in the same chapter that it is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from sins. ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

1 of 2 Het is een vrome en heilzame gedachte voor de overledenen te bidden. 2. Mach. 12, 46. It is a devoutly wholesome thought to pray for the dead. Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 8th PART ONE Chapter 2 Proofs of the Existence Purgatory Purgatory is a state of suffering where the souls of those who die in grace but without having fully satisfied the justice of God, remain for a time, to pay the debt of temporal punishment due to their sins, and to be purified for heaven, into which, according to Holy Scripture, nothing defiled can enter. (continued)

1 of 2 Het is een vrome en heilzame gedachte voor de overledenen te bidden. 2. Mach. 12, 46. It is a devoutly wholesome thought to pray for the dead. Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 8th PART ONE Chapter 2 Proofs of the Existence Purgatory Purgatory is a state of suffering where the souls of those who die in grace but without having fully satisfied the justice of God, remain for a time, to pay the debt of temporal punishment due to their sins, and to be purified for heaven, into which, according to Holy Scripture, nothing defiled can enter. (continued)

St. Gertrude the Great, pray for us. Novena In Thanksgiving for the Graces Bestowed upon St. Gertrude and to Implore Favors through Her Merits November 7th - 15th God revealed to St. Gertrude that those who should thank him for the graces bestowed upon her would participate in her merits, and would obtain their petition provided it were for their eternal welfare. Begins today at Christus Regnat ~ https://t.me/RexUniversi

2 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 7th Let us, however, guard against excessive fear, and not lose confidence. Let us not forget the mercy of God, which is not less infinite than His justice. Thy mercy is great above the heavens, says the Prophet; (1) and elsewhere, The Lord is gracious and merciful: patient, and plenteous in mercy. (2) This ineffable mercy should calm the most lively apprehensions, and fill us with a holy confidence, according to the words, In te, Domine, speravi, non confundar in æternum—“In Thee, O Lord, I have hoped; let me never be put to confusion.” (3) If we are animated with this double sentiment, if our confidence in God’s mercy is equal to the fear with which His justice inspires us, we shall have the true spirit of devotion to the souls in Purgatory. (Rev. F. X. Schouppe, S.J., Purgatory, 1893) (1) Ps. cvii (2) Ps. cxliv (3) Ps. lxx ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

1 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 7th Purgatory in the Divine Plan (continued) Think of the fire of Purgatory, and you will endeavor to avoid the least faults; think of the fire of Purgatory, and you will practice penance, that you may satisfy Divine Justice in this world rather than in the next. (continued)

HYMN Help, Lord, the souls which Thou hast made, The souls to Thee so dear, In prison for the debt unpaid Of sins committed here. Those holy souls, they suffer on, Resigned in heart and will, Until Thy high behest is done, And justice has its fill. For daily falls for pardoned crime, They joy to undergo The shadow of Thy Cross sublime, The remnant of Thy woe. O, by their patience of delay, Their hope amid their pain, Their sacred zeal to burn away Disfigurement and stain. O, by their fire of love, not less In keenness than the flame; O, by their very helplessness, O, by Thy own great Name: Good Jesu, help! sweet Jesu, aid The souls to Thee most dear, In prison for the debt unpaid Of sins committed here. ~ Cardinal Newman St. Basil’s Hymnal (1918)

2 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 6th In order to be perfect, devotion to the souls in Purgatory must be animated both by a spirit of fear and a spirit of confidence. On the one hand, the sanctity of God and His justice inspires us with a salutary fear; on the other, His infinite mercy gives us boundless confidence . . . . This fear of Purgatory is a salutary fear; its effect is, not only to animate us with a charitable compassion toward the poor Suffering Souls, but also with vigilant zeal for our own spiritual welfare. (Rev. F. X. Schouppe, S.J., Purgatory, 1893) ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

Foi + Charité La porte du Ciel sera ouverte a l’ame chretienne qui se sera polie par la Charite . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Faith + Charity The gateway of Heaven will be opened to the Christian soul that has been polished by Charity.  (Basset) Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 6th Purgatory in the Divine Plan (continued) Prayer for the departed, sacrifices, and suffrages for the dead form a part of Christian worship, and devotion toward the souls in Purgatory is a devotion which the Holy Ghost infuses with charity into the hearts of the faithful. It is a holy and wholesome thought, says Holy Scripture, to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins. (II Machab. xii, 46) . . . . (continued)

O LORD, REPRIEVE THE LONELY STATE HYMN O Lord, reprieve the lonely state Of those on whom Thy mercy wait, To end their longing desolate, Miserére Domine. Their yearning for Thee, Lord, requite, And let them come before Thy sight, Released from purgatory’s night. Miserére Domine. By Cross and Passion Thou hast borne, O Christ, release their souls forlorn, That they in Thee may be reborn, Miserére Domine. O Father, Son, and Spirit blest, We pray Thee, help these souls possessed With love and longing for Thy rest. Miserére Domine. ~ Edward C. Currie St. New Basil Hymnal (1958)

2 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 5th This triple Church constitutes the mystical body of Jesus Christ, and the souls in Purgatory are no less His members than are the faithful upon earth and the elect in heaven. In the Gospel, the Church is ordinarily called the Kingdom of Heaven; now Purgatory, just as the heavenly and terrestrial Church, is a province of this vast kingdom. The three sister Churches have incessant relations with one another, a continual communication which we call the Communion of Saints. These relations have no other object than to conduct souls to eternal glory, the final term to which all the elect tend. The three Churches mutually assist in peopling heaven, which is the permanent city, the glorious Jerusalem. What then is the work which we, members of the Church Militant, have to do for the souls in Purgatory? We have to alleviate their sufferings. God has placed in our hands the key of this mysterious prison: it is prayer for the dead, devotion to the souls in Purgatory. . . . (Rev. F. X. Schouppe, S.J., Purgatory, 1893) ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

1 of 2 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 5th Purgatory in the Divine Plan Purgatory occupies an important place in our holy religion: it forms one of the principal parts of the work of Jesus Christ, and plays an essential role in the economy of the salvation of Man. Let us call to mind that the Holy Church of God, considered as a whole, is composed of three parts: The Church Militant, the Church Triumphant, and the Church Suffering, or Purgatory. (continued)

Museum of the Holy Souls, Rome Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 4th Location of Purgatory (continued) “A very probable opinion,” says St. Thomas (2) “and one which, moreover, corresponds with the words of the saints in particular revelation, is that Purgatory has a double place for expiation. The first will be destined for the generality of souls, and is situated below, near to hell; the second will be for particular cases, and it is thence that so many apparitions occur.” The holy Doctor admits, then, like so many others who share his opinions, that sometimes Divine Justice assigns a special place of purification to certain souls, and even permits them to appear either to instruct the living or to procure for the departed the suffrages of which they stand in need; sometimes also for other motives worthy of the wisdom and mercy of God. (2) Suppler. part. iii. sues. ult. ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 3rd Location of Purgatory Although faith tells us nothing definite regarding the location of Purgatory, the most common opinion, that which most accords with the language of Scripture, and which is the most generally received among theologians, places it in the bowels of the earth, not far from the hell of the reprobates. Theologians are almost unanimous, says Bellarmine,(1) in teaching that Purgatory, at least the ordinary place of expiation, is situated in the interior of the earth, that the souls in Purgatory and the reprobate are in the same subterranean space in the deep abyss which the Scripture calls Hell. (1) Catech. Rom., chap. vi. Para. 1 ~ Rev. F. X. Lasance, Holy Souls Book: Reflections on Purgatory (1922)

VISIT to a CEMETERY The faithful who during the period of eight days from the Commemoration of All Souls inclusive, visit a cemetery in a spirit of piety and devotion, and pray, even mentally, for the dead, may gain: A plenary indulgence under the usual conditions* on each day of the Octave, applicable only to the dead. Those who make such a visit, and pray for the Holy Souls, on any day in the year, may gain: An indulgence of 7 years, applicable only to the departed. (S. P. Ap., Oct. 31, 1934). ~ The Raccolta (1943) *The usual conditions are sacramental Confession and Holy Communion, within eight days, prayer for the intentions of the Pope, and that there be no attachment to sin, even venial sin.

FIRST SATURDAY of NOVEMBER 💙 “See my daughter, how my heart is encircled by thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me, and announce that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who on the First Saturdays of five consecutive months, confess, receive Holy Communion, recite part of My Rosary, and keep me company for a quarter of an hour, meditating on its mysteries with the intention of offering me reparation.” ~ Words of Our Lady to Sr. Marie (Lucia dos Santos) on December 10, 1925 If possible, make First Saturday devotions today, in reparation for offenses against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as requested by Our Lady herself in 1925, and confirmed by Our Lord in 1927.

O Holy Guardian Angels, pray for the Poor Holy Souls in Purgatory. Novena to One’s Guardian Angel for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Begins today at Christus Regnat ~ https://t.me/RexUniversi

2 of 2 SEQUENCE - Mass for the Dead Dies irae dies illa (continued from above) Now the books are open spread ; Now the writing must be read, Which condemns the quick and dead : Now, before the Judge severe Hidden things must all appear ; Nought can pass unpunish’d here. What shall guilty I then plead ? Who for me will intercede, When the Saints shall comfort need ? King of dreadful Majesty ! Who dost freely justify ! Fount of Pity, save Thou me ! Recollect, O Love divine ! ’Twas for this lost sheep of thine Thou thy glory didst resign : Satest wearied seeking me ; Sufferedst upon the Tree : Let not vain thy labour be. Judge of Justice, hear my prayer ! Spare me, Lord, in mercy spare ! Ere the Reckoning-day appear. Lo ! thy gracious face I seek ; Shame and grief are on my cheek ; Sighs and tears my sorrow speak. Thou didst Mary’s guilt forgive ; Didst the dying thief receive ; Hence doth hope within me live. Worthless are my prayers, I know ; Yet, oh, cause me not to go Into everlasting woe. Sever’d from the guilty band, Make me with thy sheep to stand, Placing me on thy right hand. When the curs’d in anguish flee Into flames of misery ; With the Blest then call Thou me. Suppliant in the dust I lie ; My heart a cinder, crush’d and dry ; Help me, Lord, when death is nigh ! Full of tears, and full of dread, Is the day that wakes the dead, Calling all, with solemn blast, From the ashes of the past. Lord of mercy ! Jesu blest! Grant the Faithful light and rest. Lyra Catholica: Containing All the Breviary and Missal Hymns. Rev. Fr. Edward Caswall, M.A., translator. (1849)