Virgo Potens

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matt. 5:5 Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 17th

Chapter 3 “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. 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)

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. 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. Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 15th

Chapter 2 Proofs of the Existence Purgatory (continued) 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. 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)

Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 13th Chapter 2 Proofs of the Existence Purgatory (continued) 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 Chapter2 Proofs of the Existence Purgatory (continued) 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 Chapter2 Proofs of the Existence Purgatory (continued) 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 Chapter 2 Proofs of the Existence Purgatory (continued) 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)

Chapter 2 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.) 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)

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. 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)

Chapter 1 Purgatory (continued) 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. 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)

Chapter 1 Purgatory (continued) 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) . . . . 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)

Faith + Love   The door of Heaven will be opened to the Christian soul that has been polished by Love.  (Basset) Month of the The Holy Souls in Purgatory ~ November 6th

Chapter 1 Purgatory (continued) 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. 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)