Purgatory Litany and More Prayers For The Holy Souls
WHAT IS PURGATORY?
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What is purgatory? Purgatory is simply the place where already saved souls are cleansed of the temporal effects of sin before they are allowed to see the holy face of Almighty God. Revelation 21:27 tells us that “...nothing unclean will enter [Heaven].” Cyprian of Carthage writes in A.D. 253: The Church Fathers speak of purgation. For examples, St. John Chrysostom in his Homilies on 1 Corinthians 41:5, A.D. 392, says: Archaeology also indicates the antiquity of the Christian belief in purgatory, the Final Theosis: the tombs of the ancient Christians were inscribed with words of petition for peace and for rest, and at the anniversaries of deaths, the faithful gathered at the graves of the departed to make intercession for those who had gone before.
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Praying for the Dead
“And making a gathering, he [Judas] sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection (for if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead) and because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.” MORE PRAYERS FOR THE POOR SOUL'S – II Maccabees 12:43-46
As to the Church Suffering in purgatory, St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that they are not able to know, by themselves, our prayers; however, it is piously believed, and taught by St. Alphonsus Liguori, that God makes our prayers known to them – not directly, as they are deprived of the beatific vision until they enter Heaven, but by infusing this knowledge into their souls. St. Bellarmine teaches that because the Church Suffering is so close to God – much closer than we are and having the great consolation of knowing they are saved – their prayers for us are very effective. So, as you pray for your dead loved ones and all the holy souls in purgatory, ask them to pray for you, too! As to the damned, there is no hope; no prayer can help them and we can't pray formally for those in Hell. The problem, of course, is that we can't know who is damned, and so we pray generally for "all the faithful departed." For those who've died outside of visible Communion with Christ's Church or for those Catholics who've died seemingly without repentance and in scandal, public prayer cannot be offered, but we can most certainly still pray privately with the hope that they've died in a state of grace (i.e., those who are denied a Catholic funeral can't be prayed for liturgically, publicly, but they can most definitely be prayed for -- and should be prayed for -- privately). Priests can even offer Masses for such people privately, without naming them. LITURGICAL PRAYER FOR THE DEAD In addition to the prayers said just after death, and the prayers of the funeral Mass,it is Catholic practice to have Masses said for the departed on the 3rd, 7th, and 30th days after the death or burial, and also on the anniversaries of the death (or as close to it as possible).
Masses for the dead have infinite value, in the objective order, for the souls of the departed. They also have great subjective value for those who survive in that it is comforting to know that Masses are being offered for one's departed loved ones. So, while the bereaved can arrange such Masses, others, even non-Catholics, can arrange with a priest to have such Masses said, too, which would be a great gift of comfort to survivors.
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Visit our Store (http://www.olrl.org/mm5/merchant.mvc) for prayers and devotions (listed below) we offer for the Poor Souls in Purgatory, all priced very reasonable to encourage widespread distribution.
- Litany for the Poor Souls in Purgatory prayer card - Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great card - Read Me or Rue It booklet - several prayers included - Purgatory Explained book
Also available, 2012 Liturgical Calendars featuring the Mysteries of the Rosary and a new 8 x 10 combined Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary picture.
Languentibus in Purgatorio (The Suffering Souls in Purgatory)
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