Dear Parishioners,
We will be celebrating All Saints Day on 1st November and on November 2nd we will be celebrating Pray for Souls in Purgatory. “What happens to us after death? What is awaiting us?” Well the Goodnews for us all is that God loves us even when we are not perfect, and therefore, God does not abandon the souls of our departed brothers and sisters even when they did not measure up to the ideals of perfection.
All Souls Day
The Catholic Church On Purgatory
All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire. Our Lady showed some people as to how much the souls in Purgatory suffer and how much they depend upon our prayers. The following is their description of Purgatory.
Vicka’s description of Purgatory:
Purgatory is an endless space of ashy color. It was quite dark. I could feel people strangling and suffering there. The Blessed Mother told us we should be praying for souls stranded in Purgatory. She said only our prayers and sacrifices can release them from that place. The people there are helpless. They are really suffering. We can be like Jesus a little bit if we just do some voluntary penance for the souls on Purgatory, especially for the ones who are abandoned by their families on earth. I am aware of their suffering. I know some of their torment. I know how desperately they need our prayers. It is really a great joy to do penance for the poor souls because I know how much it helps them. And many of our family members who have died desperately need our prayers. The Blessed Mother says we must pray courageously for them so that they might go to Heaven. They are powerless to help themselves.
Our Lady said that the souls in Purgatory can see their loved ones during those moments when we pray for them by name.
This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture:
II Macc 12:46 It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.
From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead.
I Peter 1:7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
