DEVOTIONS FOR THE DYING:
THREE VERY BEAUTIFUL PRAYERS
PRAYER FOR THE DYING
LITTLE ACTS OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
PRAYER FOR THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS
PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH
THE ANGEL'S PRAYER
LITTLE ACT OF ENTRUSTING A SOUL
TO MARY
PRAYER TO OBTAIN A SPECIAL FAVOR
NOVENA TO ST. JOSEPH
MARIAN OFFERING OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
PRECIOUS BLOOD OFFERING
OFFERING OF THE HOLY FACE
POWERFUL PRAYER TO SAVE SOULS
PRAYERS WRITTEN BY OR TO ST. GERTRUDE:
TO THE SACRED HEART
ACT OF LOVE TO THE SACRED HEART
DEVOUT AFFECTIONS ON THE PASSION
OF OUR LORD
GUARDIAN ANGEL PRAYER
PRAYER TO FREE 1000 SOULS FROM PURGATORY:
PROMISE PRAYER
THE TWO FLOWER PRAYERS OF ST. GERTRUDE
OBLATION PRAYER
OFFERING TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN
THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES BESTOWED
ON ST. GERTRUDE
PRAYER BEFORE WORK
ACTS OF PRAISE IN HONOR THE MOST
BLESSED TRINITY
OFFERING OF OUR SAVIOR' S LIFE
TO THE ETERNAL FATHER
THE HEROIC ACT IN FAVOR OF THE SOULS IN PURGATORY
O MY GOD! for Your greater glory, and to imitate as closely as possible the generous Heart of Jesus, my Redeemer, and also to testify my devotion to the Blessed Virgin, my Mother, who is also the Mother of the Souls in Purgatory, I place in her hands all my satisfactory works, as well as the fruit of all those which may be offered for my intention after my death, that she may apply them to the Souls in Purgatory according to her wisdom and good pleasure. Amen.
This Heroic Act of Charity is the completely unselfish offering to God of all the satisfactory value of one's prayers and good works --- plus the value of any that might be offered for one after one's death --- for the benefit of the Souls in Purgatory, rather than for oneself. The "satisfactory value" of a good work is its value with regard to making up for our sins and reducing our stay in Purgatory. However, the "meritorious value" of our good works is inalienable, i.e., our merits, which give us a right to an increase of glory in Heaven, cannot be applied to anyone else. Moreover, a person who has made the Heroic Act may still pray for himself, friends and other intentions.
The Heroic Act is revocable at will and is not a vow. Its actual ratification depends on the will of God. By making this act with purity of intention, one is relying upon the mercy of God and the prayers of the Communion of Saints to assist his soul after death. The Heroic Act was approved and encouraged by Pope Benedict XIII [1724-1730].
According to the Raccolta of 1932: The faithful who make the Heroic Act in favor of the Souls detained in Purgatory, may gain an indulgence." At the time this was a plenary indulgence with special conditions attached , such as attending Mass, receiving Holy Communion in supplication for the Holy Souls, etc.
His Holiness, Leo XIII, Jan. 17, 1888, granted to the faithful who shall perform some pious practice for the relief of the Souls in Purgatory, every day during the whole month of November, whether in public or in private, an indulgence of seven years and as many quarantines on each day of the month; a plenary indulgence, once during the same month, on any day of the month, on the usual conditions: confession and communion, and a visit to a church or public oratory, and there praying for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff.
PRAYERS FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK IN AID OF THE SOULS
IN PURGATORY
For Sunday
Lord God omnipotent, I beseech Thee, by the Precious Blood
which Thy Divine
Son Jesus shed in the garden, deliver the souls in purgatory,
and amongst them all especially that soul which is most destitute of
aid;
and bring it to Thy glory. there to praise and bless Thee forever.
Amen.
Amen. Our Father,
Hail
Mary, and the De Profundis
For Monday
Lord God omnipotent, I beseech Thee, by the Precious Blood
which Thy divine Son Jesus shed in His cruel scourging, deliver the
Souls
in Purgatory, and amongst them all, especially that Soul which is
nearest
to its entrance into Thy glory; that ,so it may soon begin to praise
and
bless Thee forever.
Amen. Our Father,
Hail
Mary, and the De Profundis
For Tuesday
Lord God omnipotent, I beseech Thee, by the Precious Blood
which Thy divine Son Jesus shed in His bitter crowning with thorns,
deliver
the Souls in Purgatory, and in particular, amongst them all, deliver
that
one which would be the last to issue from those pains, that it tarry
not
so long a time before it comes to praise Thee in Thy glory and bless
Thee
forever.
Amen. Our Father,
Hail
Mary, and the De Profundis
For Wednesday
LORD God omnipotent, I beseech Thee, by the Precious Blood
which Thy divine Son Jesus shed through the streets of Jerusalem when
He
carried the crust upon His sacred shoulders, deliver the Souls in
Purgatory,
and especially that Soul which is richest in merits before Thee; that
so,
on that throne of glory which awaits it, it may magnify Thee and bless
Thee forever.
Amen. Our Father,
Hail
Mary, and the De Profundis
For Thursday
LORD God omnipotent, I beseech Thee, by the Precious body
and Blood of Thy divine Son Jesus, which He gave with His own hand upon
the eve of His passion to His beloved Apostles to be their meat and
drink,
and which He left to His whole Church to be a perpetual sacrifice and
life-giving
food of His own faithful people, deliver the Souls in Purgatory, and
especially
that one which was most devoted to this mystery of infinite love; that,
with Thy divine Son, and with Thy Holy Spirit, it may ever praise Thee
for this Thy wondrous love in Thy eternal glory.
Amen. Our Father,
Hail
Mary, and the De Profundis
For Friday
LORD God omnipotent, I beseech Thee, by the Precious Blood
which Thy divine Son shed on this day, upon the wood of the cross, from
His most sacred hands and feet, deliver the Souls in Purgatory, and
especially
that Soul for which I am most bound to pray; that the blame rest not
with
me that Thou bringest it not forthwith to praise Thee in Thy glory and
to bless Thee forever.
Amen. Our Father,
Hail
Mary, and the De Profundis
For Saturday
Lord God omnipotent, I beseech Thee, by the Precious Blood
which gushed forth from the side of Thy divine Son Jesus in the sight
and
to the extreme pain of His most holy Mother deliver the Souls in
Purgatory,
and especially that one amongst them all which was ever the most devout
to this great Lady; that it may soon attain unto Thy glory, there to
praise
Thee in her, and her in Thee, world without end.
Amen. Our Father,
Hail
Mary, and the De Profundis
This once carried an Indulgence of 500 days for each prayer
granted by the Pontiff 0f 1826.
The De Profundis still carries an indulgence; the prayers
are still traditionally said as they are efficacious for the relief of
the Holy Souls. Additionally the November prayers for the departed
faithful
still carry indulgences, at the very least a partial.
Most Loving Jesus, I humbly beseech Thee, that Thou Thyself wouldst offer to Thine Eternal Father in behalf of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, the Most Precious Blood which poured forth from the Sacred Wounds of Thine adorable Body, together with Thine agony and death. And do thou likewise, O sorrowful Virgin Mary, present unto Him. together with the dolorous Passion of thy dear Son, thine own sighs and tears, and all the sorrows thou didst suffer in His suffering, in order that, through the merits of the same, refreshment may be granted to the Souls now suffering in the fiery torments of Purgatory, so that, being delivered from that painful prison, they may be clothed with glory in Heaven, there to sing the mercies of God for ever and ever. Amen.
Absolve, O Lord, the Souls of all the faithful departed from every bond of sin, that with Thy gracious assistance they may deserve to escape the judgment of vengeance and enjoy the blessedness of everlasting light.
Eternal rest rant unto them, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
From the gates of Hell,
Deliver their Souls, O Lord.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.
O Lord hear my prayer.
And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray.
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful; grant unto the Souls of Thy servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins: that through our devout supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always desired. Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Carried an Partial Indulgence and a Plenary under the usual conditions, if the prayers were said daily for an entire month. Granted by Pope Leo XIII, 1988.
O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the Souls
of all the faithful departed from the pains of Hell and from the
bottomless
pit; deliver them out of the lion's mouth, lest Hell should swallow
them
up, lest they fall into the outer darkness; but let Thy
standard-bearer,
Saint Michael, bring them back into Thy holy light, which Thou
didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed.
ETERNAL Father, by virtue of Thine generosity and love,
I ask that
Thou accept all my actions, and that Thou dost multiply
their value in
favor of every soul in Purgatory. Through Christ Our
Lord. Amen.
O GOD, Who hast commanded us to honor our father and mother,
in Thy mercy have pity on the souls of my father and
mother,
and forgive them their trespasses; and make me to see
them again
in the joy of everlasting brightness. Through Christ
Our Lord. Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE SOULS OF PRIESTS
O God, Who in the ranks of the Apostolic Priesthood hast
caused Thy servants to
be invested with the pontifical or priestly dignity;
grant, we beseech Thee, that they
also may be joined unto the everlasting fellowship of
the same Thy priest.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE SOULS OF RELIGIOUS
Incline Thine ear, O Lord, unto our prayers, wherein we
humbly pray Thee to show Thy
mercy upon the soul of Thy servant N., whom Thou hast
commanded to pass out of this world,
that Thou wouldst place him in the region of peace and
light, and bid him a partaker with
Thy Saints. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
We beseech Thee, O Lord, according to Thy loving-kindness,
have mercy upon the soul of
Thy handmaiden N., and, now that she is set free from
the defilements of this mortal flesh,
restore her to her heritage of everlasting salvation.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
O GENTLEST Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Blessed
Sacrament,
ever consumed with burning love for the Poor captive
Souls in Purgatory,
have mercy on the Soul of Thy departed servant.
Be not severe in Thy judgment, but some drops of Thy Precious
Blood fall
upon him [or her], and send, O merciful Savior, Thy Angels
to conduct
him [or her] to a place of refreshment, light and peace.
Amen.
AN OFFERING OF THE HOLY WOUNDS AND THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
ETERNAL Father, I offer Thee the Holy Wounds of Thy Son,
and His Precious Blood,
for the conversion of sinners and for the relief of the
Souls in Purgatory.
NOVENA FOR THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY
By. St. Alphonsus Liguori
Let us commend to Jesus Christ and His Holy Mother the
Holy Souls
in Purgatory, in particular those of our relatives, benefactors,
friends, and enemies;
especially those for whom we are bound to pray; and let
us offer the following
consideration and prayers for them, pondering over the
great sufferings which
these spouses of Christ endure.
PRAYER TO OUR SUFFERING SAVIOR FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY
To be said every day during the Novena after the particular
prayers for that day.
O most sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat which Thou
didst suffer in the
Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these Blessed Souls.
Have mercy on them, O Lord, have mercy on them.
O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst
suffer during
Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them. Have mercy
on them, O Lord.
O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst
suffer in Thy most
painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them. Have
mercy on them, O Lord.
O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst
suffer in carrying
Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them. Have mercy
on them, O Lord.
O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst
suffer during Thy most
cruel Crucifixion, have mercy on them. Have mercy on
them, O Lord.
O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst
suffer in Thy most
bitter agony on the Cross, have mercy on them. Have mercy
on them, O Lord.
O most sweet Jesus, through the immense pain which Thou
didst suffer in breathing
forth Thy Blessed Soul, have mercy on them. Have mercy
on them, O Lord.
[Here recommend yourself to the Souls in Purgatory, and mention the favor you wish to obtain through this Novena.]
Blessed Souls, we [I] have prayed for thee; we [I] entreat
thee, who are so dear to God,
and who are secure of never losing Him, to pray for us
[me] miserable [a miserable]
sinners [sinner], who are [is] in danger of being damned,
and of losing God forever. Amen.
FIRST DAY
Manifold are the sufferings which these Blessed Souls
must endure,
but the greatest of all is the reflection that their
sins in life are the cause
of their present torments.
Prayer
O Jesus, my Savior, I have so often deserved to be cast
into Hell; how great
were my suffering if I were now cast away and obliged
to think that that I, myself,
had cause my damnation! I thank Thee for the patience
with which Thou hast
endured me. My God, I love Thee above all things and
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee because Thou art infinite goodness.
I will rather die
than offend Thee again. Grant me the grace of perseverance;
have pity on me,
and at the same time on those Blessed Souls suffering
in Purgatory.
O Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with
thy powerful intercession.
On Thy Spouses have compassion,
On these suffering children Thine;
Make these Holy Souls partakers
Of Thy happiness Divine.
SECOND DAY
The second pain which causes these Holy Souls much suffering,
is the time lost
in life, when they might have gained merits for Heaven;
and the thought that
they are unable to repair this loss, because the time
of life and merit is passed.
Prayer
Woe to me, unhappy being, so many years have I already
spent on earth and
have earned naught but Hell! I give Thee thanks, O Lord,
for granting me time
even now to atone for my sins. My good God, I am heartily
sorry for having
offended Thee. Send me Thy assistance, that I may apply
the time yet
remaining to me for Thy love and service; have compassion
on me,
and, at the same time, on the Holy Souls suffering in
Purgatory.
O Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with
thy powerful intercession.
On Thy Spouses have compassion,
On these suffering children Thine;
Make these Holy Souls partakers
Of Thy happiness Divine.
THIRD DAY
Another great pain of the Holy Souls is caused by the
hideous vision of their guilt,
for which they now suffer. In this life the hideousness
of sin is not seen as in the
life to come; and this is one of of the greatest sufferings
in Purgatory.
Prayer
O my God! because Thou art infinite goodness, I love Thee
above all things,
and repent with my whole heart of my offenses against
Thee. Grant me the grace of
holy perseverance. Have compassion on me, and, at the
same time on the
Holy Souls suffering in Purgatory.
O Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with
thy powerful intercession.
On Thy Spouses have compassion,
On these suffering children Thine;
Make these Holy Souls partakers
Of Thy happiness Divine.
FOURTH DAY
The pain that still more afflicts these Holy Souls, the
spouses of Jesus,
is the thought of having, during life, displeased by
their sins that God
Whom they so ardently love. Some penitents have felt
so much pain and
sorrow in thinking of having, by their sins, offended
so good a God, that
they died of grief. The Souls in Purgatory understand
far better than we do,
the claims that God has to our love; they love Him with
all their strength.
Hence, at the thought of having offended Him during life,
they experience
pain that surpasses all other pain.
Prayer
O my God! because Thou art infinite goodness, I am sorry
with my whole heart
for having offended Thee. I promise to die rather than
ever offend Thee more.
Give me holy perseverance; have pity on me, and have
pity on those Holy Souls
that burn in the cleansing fire, and love Thee with all
their hearts.
O Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with
thy powerful intercession.
On Thy Spouses have compassion,
On these suffering children Thine;
Make these Holy Souls partakers
Of Thy happiness Divine.
FIFTH DAY
Another great suffering is caused these Holy Souls by
the ignorance of the
time of their deliverance. They are certain of being
one day released, yet
the uncertainty of the time when their Purgatorial term
will have ended, gives
them great pain.
Prayer
Woe to me, unhappy being, if Thou, O lord, hadst cast
me into eternal Hell;
for far from that dungeon of eternal pain there is no
deliverance. O love Thee
above all things, O infinite God, and I am sincerely
sorry for having ever offended
Thee again. Grant me the grace of holy perseverance.
Have compassion
on me, and, at the same time on the Holy Souls suffering
in Purgatory.
O Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with
thy powerful intercession.
On Thy Spouses have compassion,
On these suffering children Thine;
Make these Holy Souls partakers
Of Thy happiness Divine.
SIXTH DAY
The Holy Souls are, indeed, comforted by the recollection
of the Passion
of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Sacrament of the Altar,
since they know
they are saved by the Passion of Jesus Christ, and have
received, and
still receive, so much consolation from Holy Masses and
Holy Communions.
Nevertheless, they are greatly pained by the recollection
of their ingratitude
for these two great gifts of the love of Jesus Christ.
Prayer
O my Divine Redeemer, Thou didst die for me on the Cross,
and hast so often united Thyself with me in Holy Communion,
and
I have repaid Thee only with ingratitude. Now, however,
I love Thee
above all things, O supreme God; and I am more grieved
at my
offenses against Thee than at any other evil. I
will rather die
than offend Thee again. Grant me the grace of holy perseverance.
Have compassion on me, and, at the same time on the Holy
Souls
suffering in Purgatory.
O Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with
thy powerful intercession.
On Thy Spouses have compassion,
On these suffering children Thine;
Make these Holy Souls partakers
Of Thy happiness Divine.
SEVENTH DAY
A further great sorrow of these Holy Souls consists in
their ardent desire
for the Beatific Vision, Slowly and painfully the moments
of their Purgatorial
imprisonment pass by; for, they love God deeply, and
desire to be delivered
from their sad prison in order to praise Him forever.
Prayer
O God, Father of Mercy, satisfy this their ardent desire!
Send them Thy holy Angel to announce to them that Thou,
their
Father, art now reconciled with them through the suffering
and
death of Jesus, and that the moment of their deliverance
has arrived.
O Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with
thy powerful intercession.
On Thy Spouses have compassion,
On these suffering children Thine;
Make these Holy Souls partakers
Of Thy happiness Divine.
EIGHTH DAY
Another bitter sorrow of these Souls is caused by the
reflection that
God had distinguished them by so many graces not granted
to others,
and that they compelled Him, by their sins, to condemn
them to these
sufferings, and that they had deserved Hell, and were
pardoned
and saved only by the mercy of God.
Prayer
O my God! I also am one of these ungrateful beings, having
received so much
grace, and yet despised Thy love, and deserve to be cast
by Thee into Hell.
But Thy infinite goodness has spared me until now. Therefore,
I now love Thee
above all things, and I am heartily sorry for having
offended Thee. Grant me the
grace of holy perseverance. Have compassion on me, and,
at the same time on
the Holy Souls suffering in Purgatory.
O Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with
thy powerful intercession.
On Thy Spouses have compassion,
On these suffering children Thine;
Make these Holy Souls partakers
Of Thy happiness Divine.
NINTH DAY
Great are all the sufferings of the Holy Souls in Purgatory,
the fire,
the grief, the darkness, the uncertainty of the time
of their deliverance
from prison; but the greatest of all these sorrows is
this, that these
Holy Souls are separated from their Divine Spouse, and
deprived
of His Beatific Vision.
Prayer
O my God! how was it possible that I, for so many years,
have borne tranquilly
the separation from Thee and Thy holy grace! O infinite
Goodness, how long-suffering
hast Thou Thyself to me! henceforth, I shall love Thee
above all things. I am deeply
sorry for having offended Thee. grant me the grace of
holy perseverance, and do not
permit that I should ever again fall into sin. Have compassion
on the Holy Souls
suffering in Purgatory. I pray Thee, moderate their sufferings;
shorten the time of
their misery; call them soon unto Thee in Heaven, that
they may behold Thee
face to face, and forever love Thee. O Mary, Mother of
God, come to their
assistance with thy powerful intercession, and pray for
us also who are still
in danger of eternal damnation.
On Thy Spouses have compassion,
On these suffering children Thine;
Make these Holy Souls partakers
Of Thy happiness Divine.
Conclude on the Ninth Day with:
OUT OF THE DEPTHS [De profundis]
Out of the depths I cry to
You, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication:
If you, O Lord, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with You is forgiveness,
that You may be revered.
I trust in the Lord;
my soul trusts in His word.
My soul waits for the Lord,
more than sentinels wait
for the dawn.
More than sentinels wait
for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the
Lord;
For with the Lord is kindness
and with Him is plenteous
redemption;
And He will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
A partial indulgence
is granted to the faithful, who piously recite
the De Profundis or Psalm
129.
NOTE: THE DE PROFUNDIS MAY BE ADDED AT THE END
OF EACH DAY'S PRAYERS IF YOU PREFER AS IT
CARRIES AN INDULGENCE. TRADITIONALLY IT IS SAID ON THE
NINTH DAY OF THE NOVENA, PERHAPS
BECAUSE THE NOVENA PRAYERS AND REFLECTIONS TAKE
A LITTLE TIME WHEN ADDED TO
ALL YOUR OTHER DAILY PRAYERS.
PRAYER FOR AND TO THE HOLY SOULS: CROWN OF THORNS
Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them,
may they rest in peace. Amen.
Then say 50 times:
O Most Holy Wounds,
that covered Our Lord.
so much suffering;
Have mercy on the
Poor Souls in Purgatory,
and have mercy on me,
a wretched sinner.
Then say 50 times:
O Holy Souls,
who left this world and
are awaited eagerly in Heaven,
have mercy on me,
and ask for all the
graces I need.
Say a brief prayer to Eugenie Smet, words of your choice,
or ask the Saint to join in
with you in the above litany. Eugenie was beatified in
1957.
SHORT PRAYERS IN HONOR OF THE EUCHARISTIC HEART OF JESUS
NOTE: SOME OF THESE INVOCATIONS ARE ALSO ON SACRED HEART PAGE 15. ALL THE PRAYERS ON THIS PAGE ARE EITHER FROM THE ENCHIRIDION OR THE RACCOTA.
A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who visit the Most Blessed Sacrament to adore It; a plenary [with the usual conditions] is granted if the visit lasts for at least one half hour. If a visit to a church is not possible, these prayers are still efficacious as acts of love for Jesus Christ and merit grace for oneself.
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, burning with love of us, enkindle
in
our hearts the love of Thee.
Blessed be the Most Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.
Blessed and praised be the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the
Most Blessed Sacrament.
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, increase in us faith, hope
and charity.
May the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus be praised, adored, and loved at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, furnace of Divine charity, give peace to the world.
I adore Thee, most Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.
Love, honor and glory to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.
Hail, saving Victim, offered for me and for all mankind upon the gibbet of the Cross.
Hail, Precious Blood, flowing from the wounds of our crucified Lord Jesus Christ, and washing away the sins of the whole world.
Bemindful, O Lord, of Thy creature, whom Thou hast redeemed by Thy Precious Blood.
My Lord and my God!
O Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, have mercy on us!
O Sacrament most Holy, O Sacrament most Divine!
All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
Praise and adoration ever more be given to the most Holy Sacrament.
Jesus, My God, I adore Thee here present in the Sacrament of Thy love!
The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul unto evelasting life.
Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
[Originally from the Roman Missal, the last line of this
invocation is the correct translation, which has been badly trashed by
the ICEL in the Novus Ordo missalette.]
O MOTHER of mercy, help of Christians, most faithful minister
of Divine Providence,
treasurer of all graces, remember that never in the world
has it been heard that thou hast left him without comfort who has come
to thee with true devotion. Wherefore I, trusting in thy tender pity
and
in thy most generous providence, bend low before thee, praying that
thou
wouldst hear my prayer.
Obtain for me a holy provision for the future, namely
graces for all my spiritual and temporal needs.
I fervently recommend to thy loving motherly Heart our
Holy Church, the Sovereign Pontiff, the
conversion of sinners, the spread of the Catholic Faith,
and those Souls chosen by our Lord,
who are suffering the tormenting flames of Purgatory,
that they may soon be comforted
with eternal refreshment. Amen.
MOST holy Mary, Our Lady of Intercession, whose maternal
tenderness gathers in one
embrace all the Souls redeemed by the Precious Blood
of thy Son Jesus, we come before
thy royal throne with sadness in our hearts as we remember
those who have gone
before us, but also with unlimited confidence in thine
intercession. Death, which burst
asunder the bonds of earth, has not destroyed the affection
which binds us to those who lived
in the same Faith as we do. O Mary, countless souls await
with unutterable anxiety the
assistance of our prayers, and the merits of our good
works in that place of expiation.
Urged by the charity of Jesus Christ, we raise our countenance
and heart in supplication
to thee, the compassionate Mother of all believers, in
favor of those suffering Souls.
Make our prayers of good effect, O Mary; obtain for them
the power to move the
Heart of Jesus our Redeemer through thy motherly intercession.
Let thine
incomparable holiness supply the defects of our misery,
thy love make good our
languid affection, thy power strengthen our weakness.
grant, O Queen of Heaven,
that the ardent desire of the Souls of the departed to
be admitted to the
Beatific Vision may soon be satisfied. We pray to thee,
O Mother, especially
for the Souls of our relations, of priests, of those
who were zealous in honoring
thee, of those who did good to the Souls of others, of
those who wept with them
and for them and finally, for the Souls of those who
are forgotten.
Grant that one day, when we are all reunited in Heaven,
we may be able to rejoice
in the possession of God, in the happiness of thy dear
presence, in the fellowship
of Saints, thanking thee forever for all the blessings
thou hast obtained for us,
O Mother, who art our unfailing comfort. Amen.
Hail Mary
three times, and once:
Eternal rest give unto them. O Lord, and let perpetual
light
shine upon them; may they rest in peace. Amen.
ASPIRATIONS TO BE SAID DEVOUTLY FOR THE
INTENTION OF RELIEVING A HOLY SOUL
HAIL, glorious Angel, appointed by God to be my guardian!
Hail, holy Angel, my protector in all dangers!
Hail, holy Angel, my defense in all afflictions!
Hail, holy Angel, my most faithful friend!
Hail, holy Angel, my guide!
Hail, holy Angel, my preceptor!
Hail, holy Angel, witness of all my action!
Hail, holy Angel, my helper in every difficulty!
Hail, holy Angel, my counselor in doubt!
Hail, holy Angel, my shield at the hour of death!
PRAYER TO ALL GUARDIAN ANGELS
NOTE: THIS PRAYER IS ALSO FOUND ON GUARDIAN ANGEL PAGE
O PURE AND HAPPY Spirits whom the Almighty selected to
become the Angels
and Guardians of men. I most humbly prostrate myself
before thee to thank thee for
the charity and zeal with which thou dost execute this
commission. Alas, how many
pass a long life without ever thanking their invisible
friends, to whom they owe a
thousand times their preservation!
O charitable Guardians of those Souls for whom Christ
died, O flaming Spirits,
who cannot avoid loving those whom Jesus eternally loved,
permit me to address
thee on behalf of all those committed to thy care, to
implore for each of them a
grateful sense of thine many favors and also the grace
to profit by thine charitable
assistance.
O Angels of those happy infants who are as yet "without
spot before God,"
I earnestly beseech thee to preserve their innocence.
O Angels of youth, conduct them, exposed to so many dangers,
safely to the bosom
of God, as Tobias was conducted back to his father.
O Angels of those who employ themselves in the instruction
of youth,
animate them with thy zeal and love, teach them to emulate
thy purity and
continual view of God, that they may worthily and successfully
co-operate
with the invisible Guardians of their young charges.
O Angels of the clergy, of those "who have the eternal
Gospel to preach to them
that sit upon the earth," present their words, their
actions and their intentions to
God, and purify them in that fire of love that consumes
thee.
O Angels of the missionaries who
have left their native land and all who were dear to them in
order to preach the Gospel in foreign
fields, protect them from the dangers which threaten them,
console in their hours of discouragement
and solitude, and lead them to those souls who are in
danger of dying without Baptism.
O Angels of infidels and pagans,
whom the True Faith has never enlightened, intercede for them,
that they may open their hearts
to the rays of grace, respond to the message delivered by
God's missioners and acknowledge
and adore the one true God.
O Angels of all who travel by air,
land or water, be their guides and companions, protect them
from all dangers of collision,
fire, and explosion and lead them safely to their destination.
O Guardian Angels of sinners, charitable
guides of those unhappy mortals whose perseverance
in sin would embitter even thine
unutterable joys, wert thou not established in the peace of God!
Oh join me, I ardently beseech
thee, in imploring their conversion!
And thou, O Guardian Angels of the
sick, I entreat thee especially to help, console and
implore the spirits of joy for
all those who are deprived of health, which is among God's
most precious gifts to man. Intercede
for them, that they may not succumb to
despondency or lose by impatience
the merits they can gain in carrying with resignation
and joy the cross which Christ
has laid upon them as a special token of His love.
O Angels of those are at this moment
in the agonies of death, strengthen, encourage and
defend them against the attacks
of their infernal enemy.
O faithful Guides, holy spirits,
adorers of the Divinity, Guardian Angels of all creatures,
protect us all; teach us to love,
to pray, to wage combat on earth, so that one day we
may reach Heaven and there be happy
for all eternity! Amen.
O Angels of those who are lingering in Purgatory, intercede
for them that God
may permit thee to bring them some balm; console them
that they may know
that we are praying for them and that we ask thee to
join in our entreaties.
NOVENA TO OUR GUARDIAN ANGEL FOR THE HOLY SOULS
TO BE SAID FOR NINE CONSECUTIVE DAYS
O HOLY ANGEL, whom God, by the effect of His goodness
and His tender regard
for my welfare, has charged with the care of my conduct,
and who assists me in all
my wants and comforts me in all my afflictions, who supports
me when I am discouraged
and continually obtains for me new favors, I return thee
profound thanks, and I
earnestly beseech thee, O most amiable protector, to
continue thy charitable care
and defense of me against the malignant attacks of all
my enemies. Keep me away
from all occasions of sin. Obtain for me the grace of
listening attentively to thy
holy inspirations and of faithfully putting them into
practice, In particular, I implore thee
to obtain for me the relief and deliverance of all the
Souls in Purgatory, the ones who
prayed for the Souls themselves while still on earth;
the forgotten and abandoned Souls;
the souls of my relatives and friends; the souls of priests
and religious; the souls of all
those to whom I am obligated by charity to pray for and
may have neglected by laxity
in memory; and most especially for the Soul I here name
in this novena.
[Mention the person or think of him.]
Protect me in all the temptations and trials of this life.
but most especially at the
hour of my death, and do not leave me until thou hast
conducted me into the
presence of my creator in the mansions of everlasting
happiness. Amen.
ABOUT PURGATORY
There is a place for the purification of Souls which, after death, are yet stained with venial sins, or have not yet entirely satisfied for their pardoned sins. The Holy Catholic Church teaches it. I believe it firmly. By the light of the flames of Purgatory, I better understand Thy holiness, Thy justice, Thy mercy, O my God! O Lord, inspire my soul with the horror of sin! Grant me the grace to atone for my faults here below! Thou art just, O Lord, and Thy judgments are right!
We present this small treatise to pious persons, entreating them to peruse it:
Long ago the Holy Ghost said: "It is a holy and wholesome thing to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins." [II Macc. 12: 46] Our Lord shed tears in seeing the tomb of Lazarus, and the Church, well acquainted with the feelings of her Divine Founder, is incessantly recommending charity for the Souls suffering in Purgatory. One of her eminent Doctors, St. Thomas Aquinas, has said that: "Of all prayers, the most meritorious, the most acceptable to God are prayers for the dead, because they imply all the works of charity, both corporal and spiritual.
WHY WE SHOULD ASSIST THE SOULS IN PURGATORY
But there are many who are not conscious of the fact that charity for the "Poor Souls" is profitable to the living as well as to the dead. It is the teaching of the most learned theologians, such as St. Ligorius, St. Belleramin, Suarez, and St. Alphonsus Liguori, among others that: "It is true that they are unable to pray for or merit anything for themselves, yet when they pray for others, they are heard by God . . . The Souls in Purgatory can pray for those who address to them their petitions, and obtain from God help, forgiveness, assistance against temptations, and, all favors, both temporal and spiritual, which they may need."
Many Saints have experienced this wonderful assistance. St. Catherine of Bologna assured her sisters that: "She obtained many favors by the prayers of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, which she had asked in vain, through the intercession of the Saints." St. Theresa affirms that: "She always obtained the favors which she asked from God, through the intercession of the Poor Souls." We also read in the book of St. Brigid's Revelations: "Being one day conducted by an Angel into Purgatory, she heard a Soul say: 'O Lord, vouchsafe to reward those who assist us! Return hundredfold blessings to those who help us and introduce us into the light of Heaven.' " St. Leonard of Port Maurice emphatically affirms: "The Blessed Souls, delivered by our prayers, will come down from Heaven to assist us in our temporal and spiritual affairs." The Venerable Cure d' Ars, replying to a priest said: "If one knew that we may obtain from God by the intercession of the Poor Souls, they would not so much be abandoned. Let us pray a great deal for them, they will pray for us."
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had a special devotion for the Souls in Purgatory and often accepted the charge of suffering for them. "Would that you knew," she said, "how my soul was replenished with joy, when speaking to those Souls, and seeing them immersed in glory as in a deep ocean. As I requested them to pray for you, they replied: 'An ungrateful soul is not to be found in Heaven."
No, we cannot be deceived! if we have an ardent charity, a sincere piety, a true devotedness for the Poor Souls, we will be favored with their protection. Let us try it! When we are in trouble, when we long for a favor, let us perform some pious work for the relief of the "Poor Souls." They will be grateful, they will plead for us, and present our requests to the Eternal Father, Who loves them.
THE INTENSE SUFFERING OF THE HOLY SOULS
Let us go with our Guardian Angel to Purgatory, to that place where the Divine Justice purifies Souls before they are admitted to Heaven. There we will meet our parents and our friends. Had this devotion no other advantage than that of reminding us of our departed ones, we should be grateful to God for such a consolation:
Our pains, they say to us, are beyond description. When separated from our body, we saw the face of God, our Supreme Good, the Infinite Perfection. Then would we rush into His bosom, but we were driven back by His justice, we were banished! Oh no! On earth below you will never understand our pain, our grief, because we are separated from God! Your troubles, your sorrows, are the mere shadow of our affliction. But we suffer through our fault. If we would return to our former place on earth, we would be glad to accept the hardest mortification in exchange for Purgatory . . . Appease the Divine Justice with your good works, pay our debts, hasten the day when we shall enter Heaven, and then we will return our gratitude forever.
The soul of a pious lady, deceased at Luxembourg, appeared on All Saints' Day to a young girl of great piety, to beg the assistance of her prayers. When the latter was going to church, when approaching the holy rails, she was followed bu the Soul. Outside the church it could not be seen. As the young girl inquired the reason for it, she was answered: "You cannot understand how painful it is to be away from god. I am attracted to God by impetuous transports, by intolerable anxiety, and I am condemned to live far away from him. My sorrow is so intense, that the ardor of fire, which surrounds me, is a lesser suffering. To soothe my pain, God, in His mercy, has allowed me to come into this church, and to adore Him, veiled under the Host, until I might see Him face to face in Heaven," She entreated the girl to pray for her deliverance. It was done with so much fervor, that on the 10th of December, the soul appeared, as bright as the sun, going to Heaven. [Recorded in the Hoffmann Novenas booklet.]
During the long captivity, God's people, sitting on the shores of the Euphrates, moaned and cried in remembering Sion. So the Souls in Purgatory, plaintive and doleful, long for the joys of the Heavenly mansion. They have had a glimpse of its glory and happiness, but because they were too much attached to earthly pleasures, they will be deprived, perhaps for a long time, of the celestial joys. They remember all the negligence of their former life, which now obstructs their way to heaven. What sorrows and remorse!
THE GRATITUDE OF GOD FOR OUR SUFFRAGES ON BEHALF OF THE POOR SOULS
Since God has granted us the power of paying the debts of the "Poor Souls" with our works and prayers, which are works as well, let us appreciate this immense privilege, and it is that, a privilege. A noble heart should be delighted in relieving the poor, in consoling the afflicted, in bringing peace and happiness to those who assist the Souls suffering in Purgatory, because they deliver them from the hardest captivity and they open to them the gates of Heaven. Moreover, our charitable deeds for the Holy Souls will secure for us the gratitude of God Himself. When our Lord said to His holy servant, St. Gertrude the Great, "A Soul is liberated by your prayers, I accept it, as if I had been Myself liberated from captivity, and I will assuredly reward you according to the abundance of My mercy."
How long do the pains last in Purgatory? Nobody knows, but God has permitted some Souls to appear to friends and benefactors to announce their departure from heaven, but it has not occurred often, and we cannot draw any conclusions from such cases. The period of confinement in Purgatory is probably much longer than we are inclined to think. We ought to remind ourselves about the young girl in Fatima who had died during the seers' visits with Our Lady. One of them, little Jacinta, asked about the Soul of their village acquaintance. Now, she was but a young girl, over the first age of reason, yet not an adult. Our Lady told the seers that the Soul of that girl would be in Purgatory until the "end of time." How does this concern us? How much longer we have been given to live, with all the missed opportunities, the relapses into sin. If we were to die today, in the state of grace, as she did, but with unatoned sin or with unforgiven venial sins, what does this fact portend for our stay, at least in theory, as no two cases are perhaps equal in all things? And we say fact, because Our Lady said it, not from a rumor or speculation. She must have revealed this girl's plight to the seers to move them and us to compassion for her Soul, and for them and us to resolve to stop offending God at all! And to make sacrifices for sinners who have no one to pray for them! As the vision of Hell inspired them!
Centuries may pass until Divine Justice is satisfied and the Poor Soul is so purified as to be admitted to the Vision of God. The Venerable Bede relates that it was revealed to Drithelm, a great servant of God, that the Souls of those who spend their whole lives in the state of mortal sin, and are converted only on their death-bed, are doomed to suffer the pains of Purgatory to the Day of Last Judgment. Father Faber, commenting on this subject, says very justly: "We are not to leave off too soon praying for our parents, friends, or relatives, imagining with a foolish and unenlightened esteem for the holiness of their lives, that they are freed from Purgatory much sooner than they really are!"
Let us consider the purity which is necessary to a Soul, before being admitted into the presence of God! Let us remember the multitude of our venial sins, and see what light penance we have done for them. On the Day of Judgment the book of our deeds will be opened, and then we will be obligated to pay the last farthing. How guilty we are in so easily abandoning the Souls who need our assistance so much!
And supposing that we had delivered the Souls of our relatives and friends, have we emptied the prison of Purgatory? How many poor, abandoned Souls linger in such horrible pains, imploring the assistance of some charitable heart? Cardinal Belleramin has affirmed that: "Some Souls would suffer in Purgatory till the Day of Judgment, if they were not delivered by the prayer of the Church." Therefore he authorized the foundation of Masses to be said in perpetuity.
Sister Denis, one of the first members of the Order of the Visitation, was a zealous promoter of the devotion of the "Poor Souls," It was revealed to her that a prince, one of her relatives, had been condemned to suffer in Purgatory until the Day of Judgment. She offered herself as victim for the relief of this soul. On her death-bed she said to the Mother Superior that she had obtained for that soul the remittance of some hours of his pain. As the Superior wondered at this, she replied: "O mother, time in Purgatory is not counted as on earth; years passed here in sorrow, in poverty, sickness, in suffering, are nothing if we compare them with one hour in Purgatory!"
There are in Purgatory Souls abandoned even by their parents and their friends, and for whom on one cares. Forgotten is their life, no thinking of it anymore; forgotten is their name, their grave, which is visited no more; forgotten is the Soul lingering in the fire of Purgatory, and their pain is increased by our neglect. Particularly are those souls of young children who reached the age of reason, as we tend to think of them as blameless; the souls of religious and priests, whom we tend to think as holier than we are; the souls of those who have no family members who practice the Faith anymore, or the souls of converts who may not have a family of the Faith; those so long ago dead that their name are no longer known, but who may still be in Purgatory. And of course, the soul of that young girl from Fatima. How many of us remember this fact from Our Lady?
NINE RESOLUTIONS AND NINE PRACTICES: HOW CAN WE HELP THE POOR SOULS?
I resolve:
1. Everyday of my life I will pray or do some good work
for the "Poor Souls."
2. At night, in the examination of my conscience, I will
question myself:
"What have you done today for the relief of the Poor
Souls?"
3. Be faithful in little things. Everything is great
which is done for the Glory of God.
4. I will observe abstinence and fast prescribed by the
Church, unless prevented by illness.
5. Each time I hear the clock strike, or otherwise note
the passing of an hour, I will say:
"Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual
light shine upon them,"
for the relief of a Poor Soul.
6. I will pray for the most abandoned Souls, making them
my own.
7. I will endeavor to promote devotion to the "Poor Souls."
8. I will offer the abandonment of our Lord Jesus, in
His Passion, for the most abandoned Souls.
9. I will never miss the opportunity of assisting the
Souls in Purgatory.
I can and must practice as many of these I can:
1. Pray to the Divine Heart of Jesus that he deign to
enkindle many souls with an ardent charity
for the Souls in Purgatory.
2. Encourage all the works established in the norms and
grants of Indulgences, for the
relief of the Holy Souls.
3. Perform this day an act of mortification or obedience
for the relief of the "Poor Souls,"
asking God to multiply its value because of His Passion.
4. Let us pray to Our Lord today to apply the merit of
His death on the Cross
to the Souls in Purgatory.
5. Would it not be a holy deed to form among relatives
and friends, an association of seven
members, so that each would employ a day of the week
for the relief of the Holy Souls!
6. St. John Chrysostom recommended to every Christian
family that they have a box in
a convenient place in the home, into which they put pennies
or some other sum, to be
used to have Masses said for the dead.
7. Say the De Profundis each day for the Holy
Souls. It is found
Here.
8. Let us pray often and do some good works for the most
abandoned Souls, such as
the Souls of priests. Often during the day, say an indulgenced
aspiration or offer a
disappointment or a bodily pain as a cheerful sacrifice.
9. Give alms to the poor; insure your soul with prayers
and good deeds against the fire of
Purgatory. Money is useless at the hour of death, but
your good works will follow you.
Many think it is practically impossible for the ordinary
Catholic to avoid Purgatory. Go there we all must
- so they say. They laughingly remark: "Well for us if we ever get
there:" Alas!, too late, they will recognize how terribly rash their
words
are. As a consequence of such fatalistic ideas many make no serious
effort
to avoid Purgatory or even to lessen the term they may have
to pass there. Thank God all do not hold such gloomy
views.
How Can We Avoid Purgatory?
The reason we have to pass through Purgatory after death is because we have committed sins and have not made satisfaction for them. Every individual sin must be expiated in this life or the next. Not even the slightest shadow of sin or evil can enter the all holy presence of God. The graver, the more frequent the the sins the longer will be the period of expiation and the more intense the pain. It is not God's fault nor God's wish that we go to Purgatory. The fault is all our own. We have sinned and not made satisfaction. Even after our sin God, in His infinite goodness, places at our disposal many easy and efficacious means by which we may considerably lessen our term of expiation, or even entirely cancel it. Most Christians, with incomprehensible rashness, neglect these means and so have to pay their debts in the dreadful prison house of Purgatory. We will briefly enumerate some of the principal means by which we can avoid Purgatory or lessen its duration and severity.
1. The first means of avoiding Purgatory is the removal of its cause, sin. It may not be easy to refrain from all sin, even the small sins, but every ordinary Catholic can, by frequent use of the Sacraments easily abstain from mortal sin. We can also avoid deliberate and grave venial sin. It is an awful thing to offend the good God deliberately. Deliberation intensifies enormously the malice of sin and offends God much more than faults or weakness, or sins committed when we are off guard. We must do our best to avoid the habit of deliberate and malicious sin. A deliberate falsehood is much worse than a hasty lie of excuse and a lie resulting from the inveterate habit of lying is very much worse than a casual lie.
Resolution
We would be well advised to pronounce with special emphasis and fervor every time we say the Our Father the words: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." These are the very words of God Himself and repeated frequently will certainly obtain for us pardon of our sins, if we willingly forgive those who have injured us in some way.
2. The second means of satisfying for our sins in this life is by doing penance. "Do penance or you shall all likewise perish." Do penance or you will burn long years in Purgatory. This is a terrifying thought and one that makes the bravest man shudder. Which of us does not tremble when we think of those who have been burnt to death in a slow fire? What fear would not be ours if we had to face a similar death? Yet their suffering was of relatively short duration. The incomparably fiercer fire of Purgatory, which we may have to face could last for a hundred years! Many people have such a horror of penance that they never dream of practicing it. It is their idea that penances are horrible. They think, perhaps of the severe penances of the great Saints, and are, of course afraid to try any thing of this kind. God does not ask us, as a rule, to do what is heroic. And in those times when He does, He gives us all the strength necessary, as in the case of the Saints. He asks each one to do a little. If we are afraid of doing much, let us do a little. No one but a coward is afraid to do a little, especially when he receives much in exchange. The easy road to heaven of St. Therese was to do little things. He will be equally pleased with our little penances. As a result of small mortifications we can deliver ourselves from the awful fires of Purgatory and amass rich merits in Heaven. Actually penance is not only easy, it is necessary and it will bring us great happiness. In fact, not to do penance is the greatest penance of all! Think how easily we eat the right foods to avoid bad healthy and a premature death; think of the sacrifices we made to get through training for a career, etc. Yet, we are prepared to do less to attain Heaven which is forever, while the others are but passing.
Resolution
If we are afraid to do much, let us be resolute in doing
many little things.
3. The third means of avoiding Purgatory is very easy. It consists in making a virtue of necessity, by bearing patiently what we cannot avoid, all the more as suffering, born patiently, becomes easy and light. Suffering, if accepted with calmness and for God's sake, loses all its sting. If received badly, in the spirit of revolt and with repugnance it is intensified a hundredfold, and becomes almost intolerable. Every one in this Vale of tears has to face sorrows innumerable and infinite in variety. Crosses light and crosses heavy are the lot of us all. Strange as it may seem these sorrows, which most of us would gladly dispense with, are in truth God's greatest graces. They are the little shares He offers us of His Passion and which He asks us to bear for love of Him and as penance for our sins. Endured with in this spirit, they will lessen our time in Purgatory considerably and very possibly completely remove it with this difference - any time spent in Purgatory cannot and will not increase our merits in Heaven, but penances endured here on earth can increase our happiness in Heaven.
Resolution
Let us suffer with calmness and serenity for the love of God.
4. The fourth means of avoiding Purgatory is by frequent
Confession, and daily Communion and daily Mass. Confession applies to
our
souls the Precious Blood of Christ, wipes out our sins, gives us light
to see their malice, fills us with horror of sin, and above all, it
gives
us strength to avoid it. In Holy Communion, we receive the God of
infinite
mercy and love, the God of all sanctity, Who comes expressly to pardon
our sins and help us to sin no more. He visited the house of Zaccheus
once,
and in that one visit Zaccheus obtained pardon for all his sins. How is
it possible, that the same God of goodness and sweetness cam come, not
into our houses, but into our very hearts in Holy Communion and not
give
us the same and even greater graces. He visited Zaccheus once, He
visits
us every day if we allow Him. The Mass is identical with the Sacrifice
of Calvary, in its essence, in its value, in the graces it bestows. The
Sacrifice of Calvary saved all the world, millions and millions of
souls,
and was sufficient to save countless other sinful worlds, had they
existed.
By assisting at Mass we can apply all these oceans of graces to our own
souls, and
not once, but every day.
Resolution
Let us go to Mass and Holy Communion every day if our state in life permits. We can do nothing better, One day with Mass and Communion is worth a 100 days without them.
5. The fifth way to avoid Purgatory is this simple little secret: God promises us in the most solemn and deliberate way [and He cannot fail to what He promises] that He will give us everything we ask in prayer, if it is good for us. Now two conditions, especially, make prayer infallible, namely perseverance and faith. God cannot refuse such a prayer. Those Catholics. who expressly pray every day of their lives that God will free them from Purgatory, in every single prayer and Mass, in every good act they perform, have the express intention of asking God first of all and with all their hearts to deliver them from Purgatory, have a strong expectation that this kind of beseeching on their part will lead to move God to not refuse their request. It is indeed, not easy, to see how God could refuse such persevering prayer. We exhort all visitors here to adopt this practice. The more they know and think on Purgatory, the more fervently will they make this prayer.
Resolution
Every time we say the Hail Mary let us say with all the fervor of our hearts the words: "Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen."
6. Some great Saints give us a sixth method of avoiding
Purgatory. They say that when a sick person becomes aware that he is
dying
and offers to god his death with perfect resignation it is very likely
that he will go straight to Heaven. Death is the awful punishment of
sin
and when we accept it, as of course we ought to do, with submission and
resignation, our act pleases God do much that it may satisfy perfectly
for all sins. The idea of Pope Pius X was the same when he granted a
plenary
indulgence at the hour of death to those who say at least after one
Holy
Communion the following prayer: "Eternal Father from this day forward I
accept with a joyful and resigned heart the death it will please Thee
to
send me with all its pains and sufferings."
It will be better to say this prayer after every Holy
Communion we receive.
Resolution
Let us say with special fervor each time we repeat the Our Father the words: "Thy will be done." In all our troubles, small and great, let us do likewise. Thus everything is a merit. By this simple act we change sorrow to joy, the worries of life into gold for Heaven.
7. God has given us a seventh means of avoiding Purgatory,
the Sacrament of Extreme Unction or the Last Rites, which according to
St. Thomas and St. Albert was instituted especially to obtain for us
the
grace of a happy and holy death and to prepare us for immediate
entrance
into Heaven.
Many Catholics do not understand this most consoling
doctrine and, because they do not understand it, they prepare
themselves
insufficiently for the reception of this last Sacrament and so lose
many
of its great graces. Every Sacrament properly received produces its
effects.
Baptism cleanses us from Original Sin and any other actual sins that
may
have been committed by adults before receiving the Sacrament. In the
same
way the Last Rites or Extreme Unction as it used to be called, if
devoutly
received, prepares the dying Catholic for immediate entrance into
Heaven,
thus delivering him from Purgatory. How foolish it is, then, to put off
receiving this Sacrament until very late when the dying person is too
exhausted
to receive it with full knowledge of what he is doing and with due
fervor
and devotion. The moment of death is the supreme moment in our lives.
It
is the moment that decides our fate for all Eternity.
Resolution
Let us use every means in our power to secure a happy and holy death, especially by receiving devoutly and as soon as possible this Last Sacrament.
8. God in His infinite mercy and compassion offers us
a most wonderful and easy means for lessening or canceling our
Purgatory.
Fully aware of our weakness and knowing, too, how fearful many are of
penance,
He opens wide the treasury of His Goodness and offers most abundant
Indulgences in exchange for some small act of devotion.
For instance, those who say the short aspiration, "Sacred Heart of
Jesus
I place my trust in Thee," 100 times a day for 30 years, gains 3,000
Partial
Indulgences. Nothing can be easier than to acquire the habit of saying
this little but most powerful prayer which carries a partial
Indulgence;
partial Indulgences are not limited to one a day as are plenary
Indulgences;
although, there are a number of these latter Indulgences to acquire
throughout
a life time and at the Moment of Death. These indulgences can be
applied
to our own souls or to the Souls in Purgatory who will see to it that
our
generosity will be rewarded.
Resolution
Let us strive to gain all possible Indulgences AND TO
WEAR THE BROWN SCAPULAR.
Please visit our Indulgence and Scapular pages.
9. The ninth means of grace to avoid Purgatory is to become
a member of a Third Order, that is a lay member of a religious order
that
has a Tertiary. Tertiaries share in many Masses and prayers. A most
salutary
means of helping the Holy Souls is to join the Association of Holy
Souls.
The conditions for doing so are easy. If the Association
is not in your Parish, write to:
ASSOCIATION OF THE HOLY SOULS
32, Travessa do Carpo Santo,
Lisbon-2 Portugal.
10. St. James the Apostle gives a tenth means of avoiding
or reducing Purgatory. He says: "He who saves a soul saves his own and
satisfies for a multitude of sins."
All of us in many ways can save souls:
1. We can pray for them earnestly.
2. By being good examples and not temptations to
sin;
by giving good counsel.
3. Evangelization and Catholic Action, spreading the
word
about the Church as the One Ark of Salvation.
These prayers are most efficacious to say for a dying person, and should be prayed often as an act of mercy.
There once was Pope in Rome who was surrounded by many sins. The Lord God struck him with a fatal illness. When he saw that he was dying he summoned Cardinals, Bishops and learned persons and said to them: "My dear friends! What comfort can you give me now that I must die, and when I deserve eternal damnation for my sins?" No one answered him. One of them, a pious curate named John said: "father, why do you doubt the Mercy of God?" The Pope replied: "What comfort can you give me now that I must die and fear that I'll be damned for my sins?" John replied: "I'll read three prayers over you; I hope you will be comforted and that you will obtain Mercy from god." The Pope was unable to say more. The curate and all those present knelt and said an Our Father, then the following prayers:
1. Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ! Thou Son of God and Son of the Virgin
Mary, God and Man,
Thou Who in fear sweated blood for us on the Mount of
Olives in order to bring peace,
and to offer Thy Most Holy Death to God Thy Heavenly
Father for the salvation of
this dying person . . . If it be, however, that by his
sins he merits eternal damnation,
then may it be deflected from him. This, O Eternal Father
through Our Lord
Jesus Christ, Thy Dear Son, Who liveth and reigneth in
union with the Holy Spirit
now and forever. Amen.
2. Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ! Thou Who meekly died on the trunk
of the Cross for us,
submitting Thy Will completely to Thy Heavenly Father
in order to bring peace,
and to offer Thy Most Holy Death to God Thy Heavenly
Father in order to free
. . . [this person] . . . and to hide from him what he
has earned with his sins;
grant this O Eternal Father! Through Our Lord Jesus
Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee in union with the Holy
Spirit now and forever. Amen.
3. Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ! Thou Who remained silent to speak
through the mouths
of the Prophets: I have drawn Thee to me through Eternal
Love, which Love
drew Thee from Heaven into the body of the Virgin, which
Love drew Thee
from the body of the Virgin into the valley of this needful
world, which Love
kept Thee 33 years in this world, and as a sign of Great
Love, Thou hast
given Thy Holy Body as True Food and Thy Holy Blood as
True Drink, as a
sign of Great Love, Thou hast consented to be a prisoner
and to be led from
one judge to another and as a sign of Great Love Thou
hast consented to die
and to be buried and truly risen, and appeared to Thy
Holy Mother and all the
Holy Apostles, and as a sign of Great Love Thou hast
ascended, under Thy
own Strength and Power, and sitteth at the Right Hand
of God Thy Heavenly
Father, and Thou hast sent Thy Holy Spirit into the hearts
of Thy Apostles and
the hearts of all who hope and believe in Thee. Through
Thy Sign of Eternal Love,
open Heaven today and take this dying person . . . and
[remitted of] all
[his pardoned] sins into the Realm of Thy Heavenly Father,
that he may reign
with Thee now and forever. Amen.
Meanwhile the Pope died. The curate persevered to the third hour, then the Pope appeared to him in body and comforting him; his countenance as brilliant as the sun, his clothes as white as snow, and he said: "My dear brother! Whereas I was supposed to be a child of damnation I've become a child of happiness. As you recited the first Prayer many of my sins fell from me as rain from Heaven, and as you recited the second Prayer I was purified, as a goldsmith purifies gold in a hot fire. I was still further purified as you recited the third Prayer. Then I saw Heaven open and the Lord Jesus standing on the Right Hand of God the Father Who said to me: 'Come, all thy sins are forgiven thee, you'll be and remain in the Realm of My Father forever. Amen!' With these words my soul separated from my body and the Angels of God led it to Eternal Joy."
As the curate heard this, he said: "O Holy Father! I can't tell these things to anyone, for they won't believe me." Then the Pope said: "Truly I tell thee, the Angel of God stands with me and has written the prayers in letters of gold for the consolation of sinners. If a person has committed all the sins in the world, but that the three Prayers shall have been read [over him] at his end [death], all his sins will be forgiven him, even though his soul was supposed to suffer until the Last Judgment, it will be redeemed [freed].
The person who hears them read, he won't die an unhappy death, also in whose house they will be read. Therefore take these prayers and carry them into St. Peter's Basilica and lay them in the Chapel named the Assumption of Mary, for certain consolation. the person who will be near death, who reads them or hears them gains indulgences for some of the days he was supposed to suffer in Purgatory because of his guilt. Also who reads this Prayer or hears it read, the hour of his death shall be revealed to him. Amen!
MOST merciful Jesus, lover of souls, I pray Thee,
by the agony of Thy most Sacred Heart
and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother,
wash in Thy Blood the sinners of the whole world
who are now in their agony and are to die this day. Amen.
Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the dying.
O St. Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus Christ and true Spouse
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us and for the dying
today
[or tonight].
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.
LITTLE ACTS OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
Blessed be God
for the conversion of [Name]!
Blessed be Mary Immaculate,
Mediatrix of all graces,
for the conversion of [Name]!
PRAYER FOR THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS
God of great mercy, Who deigned
to send us Your only-begotten
Son as the greatest proof
of Your fathomless love and mercy,
You not not reject sinners;
but in Your boundless mercy You
have opened for them also
Your treasures, treasures, from
which they draw abundantly,
not only justification, but also
all the sanctity that a
soul can attain. Father of great mercy,
I desire that hearts turn
with confidence to Your infinite mercy.
No one will be justified
before You is he is not accompanied by
Your unfathomable mercy.
When You reveal the mystery of
Your mercy to us, there
will not be enough of Eternity to
render You thanksgiving.
O Jesus, how sorry I am for
poor sinners. Jesus, grant them
contrition and repentance.
Remember Your Sorrowful Passion.
Jesus, give me the souls
of sinners; let Your mercy rest on
them. Take everything away
from me, but give me souls.
Let the shell of my body
conceal my offering, for Your
Most Sacred Heart is hidden
in a Host, a living sacrifice. Transform
me into a sacrifice for
sinners, pleasing to You. I desire to atone
each moment for poor sinners
. . .O my Creator and Father
of great mercy, I trust
in You, for You are Goodness Itself.
O merciful Jesus, stretched on the Cross, be mindful of
the hour
of our death. O most merciful Heart of Jesus, opened
with a lance,
shelter me at the last moment of my life. O Blood and
Water,
which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount
of
unfathomable mercy for me [cleanse me of my sins and
offenses].
O dying Jesus, Hostage of mercy, avert the Divine wrath
at the hour of my death.
THE ANGEL'S PRAYER
NOTE: THIS PRAYER ALSO APPEARS IN THE FATIMA SECTION,
totus4.htm
MOST Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly.
I offer
Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ,
present
in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages,
sacrileges,
and indifference by which He is offended. And through the
infinite
merit
of His Most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I
beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.
[3 times]
LITTLE ACT OF ENTRUSTING A SOUL TO MARY
IMMACULATE Heart of Mary, I entrust to thee the salvation
of [Name],
having great confidence that thou wilt save him [or her]!
PRAYER TO OBTAIN A SPECIAL FAVOR
In this prayer we ask St. Joseph to take our place in
offering to God the Father the Precious Gift which He cannot refuse to
accept.
O BLESSED Saint Joseph. tenderhearted father, faithful guardian of Jesus, chaste spouse of the Mother of God, we pray and beseech thee to offer to god the Father His Divine Son, bathed in Blood on the Cross for sinners, and through the thrice-holy Name of Jesus, obtain for us from the Eternal Father the favor we implore. [Name your petition.]
Appease the Divine anger so justly inflamed by our crimes; beg of Jesus mercy for thy children. Amid the splendors of eternity, forget not the sorrows of those who suffer. those who pray, those who weep; stay the Almighty arm which smites us, that by thy prayers and those of thy most holy Spouse, the Heart of Jesus may be moved to pity and to pardon. Amen.
NOVENA TO ST. JOSEPH
To be prayed every day for nine days.
O GLORIOUS St. Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, to thee do we raise our hearts and hands, to implore thy powerful intercession in obtaining from the benign Heart of Jesus all the helps and graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special favor we now implore [Mention your petition].
Then say the following seven times in honor of the seven sorrows and seven joys of St. Joseph:
O Glorious St. Joseph! Through the love thou bearest to Jesus Christ and for the glory of His Name, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist us.
MARIAN OFFERING OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
IMMACULATE Heart of Mary, do thou offer to the Eternal
Father the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for the conversion
of sinners, especially [Name].
ETERNAL Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, in satisfaction for my sins, in supplication for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and for the needs of Holy Church [especially for the soul of (Name)].
ETERNAL Father, I offer Thee the adorable Face of Thy Bloved Son, for thy honor and glory of Thy Name, for the conversion of sinners, and for the salvation of the ying. [Here you may add: especially (Name)].
POWERFUL PRAYER TO SAVE SOULS
by St. Therese of Lisieux
ETERNAL Father, since Thou hast given me for my inheritance
the
Adorable Face of Thy Divine Son, I offer that Face to
Thee. I beg Thee,
in exchange for this coin of infinite value, to forget
the ingratitude of
souls dedicated to Thee and to pardon all poor sinners.
THE ROSARY FOR THE POOR SOULS IN PURGATORY
It is a practice earnestly recommended to all persons
who desire to
assist the "proor Souls." It is said on your regular
Rosary beads.
On the Cross: De
Profundis or 1 Our Father and 1 Hail Mary.
DE PROFUNDIS
Psalm 129
Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord: O Lord, hear my
voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication,
If Thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall abide it?
For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness: and because of Thy law I
have waited for Thee, O Lord.
My soul hath waited on His word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night let Israel hope in the Lord.
For with the Lord there is mercy; and with him is plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it
was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine
upon them. Amen.
On the Single Bead after the Cross:
Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord; and
let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
On the next three beads:
ACT OF FAITH:
My God, I believe in Thee, because Thou art Truth itself.
ACT OF HOPE:
My God, I hope in Thee because Thou art infinitely good.
ACT OF CHARITY:
My God, I love Thee with my whole heart and above all
things,
because Thou art infintely perfect.
EACH OF THE FIVE DECADES:
10 TIMES:
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love.
Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
ONCE, after each set of 10 beads:
Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord; and
let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
END WITH:
Jesus, meek and humble of Heart,
make my heart like unto Thine.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.
St. Joseph, model and patron of those who
love the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.
NOTE:
Each of these prayers carries a partial indulgence each
time they are devoutly said.
DEVOUT AFFECTIONS ON THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
It was revealed to St. Gertrude that reading and meditating on the Passion are far more useful and efficacious than all other spiritual exercises. As those who handle flour cannot avoid contracting some of the flour's powdery substance, so no one, however imperfect his devotion may be, can occupy his mind with the Passion of Our Lord without receiving some benefit therefrom. And, however cold and lukewarm our devotion, Our Lord will look upon us with greater long-suffering and mercy if we never omit the memory of His Passion.
FIRST PRAYER
O Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal sweetness and jubilee
of those who love Thee, remember all the presentiment of grief Thou
didst
endure from the moment of Thy conception, and especially at Thy
entrance into Thy Passion, when Thou didst say: My
soul is sorrowful even unto death; and when, by reason of Thy
overwhelming
dread and anguish and grief, Thou didst sweat, as it were, drops of
Blood
trickling down upon the ground. Remember all the bitterness of Thy
sorrow
when Thou wast seized upon by the Jews, accused by false witnesses,
condemned
by three judges, buffeted and smitten, spit upon, scourged, and crowned
with thorns. O sweetest Jesus, I implore Thee, by all the sorrows and
insults
Thou didst endure, have mercy on me, a sinner.
SECOND PRAYER
O Jesus, paradise of the delights of God, remember now
all the dread and sorrow Thou didst
endure when Pilate pronounced on Thee sentence of death;
when the godless soldiers laid the
heavy Cross on Thy shoulders, and fastened Thee thereon
with rude and blunted nails,
cruelly stretching Thy sacred limbs so that all Thy bones
could be numbered: I beseech Thee,
vouchsafe to pronounce a merciful sentence on me in the
day of judgment, and deliver me
from all punishment. Amen.
THIRD PRAYER
O Jesus, Heavenly Physician, remember now the languor
and the pain Thou didst endure
when lifted upon the Cross, when all Thy bones were out
of joint, so that no sorrow was like
to Thy sorrow, because, from the sole of Thy foot to
the top of Thy head, there was no
soundness in Thee; when, notwithstanding, Thou didst
put away the feeling of all Thine
own griefs, and pray to Thy Father for Thine enemies,
saying: Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do. By this, Thy charity
and Thy mercy, grant that the
dignity and worth of Thy Passion may be the entire remission
of all my sins. Amen.
FOURTH PRAYER
O Jesus, mirror of the eternal splendor, remember now
that sadness which filled
Thy Heart when Thou didst behold in the mirror of Thy
Divinity the reprobation of
the wicked and the multitude of the lost; and by the
depth of the compassion Thou
didst show to the robber on the cross, saying: This
day thou shalt be with Me in
Paradise, I beseech Thee, O compassionate Jesus,
show me Thy mercy in the
hour of my death. Amen.
FIFTH PRAYER
O Jesus, King most beloved, remember now the mournful
desolation of Thy Heart,
when Thou, forsaken by all, wert mocked as Thou didst
hang on the Cross; when
Thou didst find none to comfort Thee but Thy beloved
Mother, who stood by Thy Cross
to the last, and whom Thou didst commend to Thy disciple,
saying: Woman, behold
thy son, and to the disciple: Behold thy Mother.
I beseech Thee, O compassionate
Jesus, by that sword of anguish which then pierced her
Heart, do Thou condole with me
and console me in all my tribulations. Amen.
SIXTH PRAYER
O Jesus, inexhaustible fountain of pity, remember now
that bitterness which Thou didst
endure when, Thy strength being exhausted and Thy sacred
Body dried up, Thou didst
feel that burning thirst, and hadst not one drop
of water to cool Thy parched tongue, but
only vinegar upon hyssop; I beseech Thee that Thou wouldst
extinguish in me the
thirst of carnal concupiscence and worldly delights.
Amen.
SEVENTH PRAYER
O Jesus, mighty King, remember now that when Thou wast
plunged into the bitter
waters of Thy Passion until they closed over Thy head,
Thou wast forsaken not only
by men, but by Thy Father also, and didst cry out with
a loud voice, saying: My God,
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? By this Thine
anguish and dereliction, I
beseech Thee, forsake me not in my last agony. Amen.
EIGHTH PRAYER
O Jesus, strong Lion of the tribe of Juda, remember now
the sorrow and the woe Thou
didst endure, when all the forces of Thy Heart and of
Thy Flesh failed Thee utterly, and
Thou didst bow Thy Head and cry: It is consummated.
By this Thine anguish and Thy woe,
have mercy on me at the end of my life, when my soul
shall be troubled, and my spirit
disquieted within me. Amen.
NINTH PRAYER
O Jesus, splendor of the Father's glory and figure of
His substance, remember now that
earnest commendation with which Thou didst commend Thy
Spirit to the Father, saying:
Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit! and
when, Thy most sacred Body being
torn and Thy Heart broken, and all the bowels of Thy
compassion laid bare for our
Redemption, Thou didst give up Thy Spirit: I beseech
Thee, by all that love which moved
Thee, the Life of all that live, to submit to death,
that Thou wouldst mortify and kill in my
soul whatever is displeasing to Thee. Amen.
TENTH PRAYER
O Jesus, true and fruitful Vine, remember now the lavish,
the excessive profusion
wherewith Thou didst shed Thy Precious Blood, when on
the Cross Thou didst tread
the winepress alone, and wast crushed a s a cluster of
ripe grapes; when Thou didst
give us water and Blood from Thy pierced Side, so that
not one drop remained in
Thy Heart. Then wast Thou hung up as a bundle of myrrh,
and Thy tender Flesh grew
pale, and Thy moisture was all dried up within Thee,
and the marrow of Thy bones
consumed. By this Thy most bitter Passion, and by the
shedding of Thy most
Precious Blood, I beseech Thee, O most loving Jesus,
wash my soul at the hour of
my death with the water which flowed from Thy Sacred
Side, and adorn it with
comeliness in the Precious Blood of Thy sweetest heart,
and render it acceptable
in Thy sight in the fragrant odor of Thy Divine love.
Amen.
Accept, O compassionate Jesus, this my prayer with that
exceeding love wherewith
Thou didst endure a bitter Death, and didst offer it
, together with all the fruit of Thy
most sacred Humanity, to God the Father on the day of
Thine Ascension; and by the
depth of those Wounds which scarred Thy Flesh and pierced
Thy hands and feet
and Heart, I beseech Thee, raise me up, who am steeped
and sunk in sin, and render
me well-pleasing to Thee in all things. Amen.
PRAYER OF ST. GERTRUDE TO THE SACRED HEART
This prayer is thought to be originally prayed by
St. Gertrude and adapted
by St. Alphonse Liguori; he is considered the author
because of its final formulation.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and life giving fountain
of eternal life,
infinite treasury of the Divinity, and glowing furnace
of love, Thou art
my refuge and my sanctuary. O adorable and glorious Savior,
consume my heart with that burning fire that ever inflames
Thy Heart.
Pour down on my souls those graces that flow from Thy
love. Let my
heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be
one, and mine
may in all things be conformed to Thine. May Thy will
be the rule
of both my desires and my actions.
ACT OF LOVE TO THE SACRED HEART
How great, O my Jesus, is the extent of Thine excessive
charity! Thou hast prepared
for me, of Thy most precious Body and Blood, a divine
banquet, where Thou
givest me Thyself without reserve. What hath urged Thee
to this excess of love?
Nothing but Thine own most loving Heart.
O adorable Heart of my Jesus, furnace of Divine Love,
receive my soul into the wound
of Thy most Sacred Passion, that in this school of charity
I may learn to make
a return of love to that God Who hast given me such wonderful
proofs of His love.
O MOST holy Angel of God, appointed
by God to my Guardian, I give thee thanks for all the
benefits which thou hast ever bestowed
on me in body and soul. I praise and glorify thee that thou
condescended to assist me with
such patient fidelity, and to defend me against all the
assaults of my enemy. Blessed be
the hour in which thou were assigned me for my Guardian,
my defender and my patron. In acknowledgment
and return for all thy loving ministries to me, I
offer thee the infinitely precious
and noble Heart of Jesus, and firmly purpose to obey thee
henceforward, and most faithfully
to serve my God. Amen.
PRAYER TO FREE 1000 SOULS FROM PURGATORY: PROMISE PRAYER
A Prayer Which Would Release 1,000 Souls From Purgatory
Each Time It Is Said
Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that the following
prayer would release 1,000
Souls from Purgatory each time it is said. The prayer
was later extended to include
living sinners as well.
"ETERNAL FATHER, I OFFER THEE THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD
OF THY DIVINE SON,
JESUS, IN UNION WITH THE MASSES SAID THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
TODAY, FOR ALL THE
HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY, for sinners everywhere, for
sinners in the universal Church,
those in my own home and within my family. Amen."
APPROVAL AND RECOMMENDATION: M. Cardinal Pahiarca at Lisbon, Portugal, March 4, 1936
THE TWO FLOWER PRAYERS OF ST. GERTRUDE
HAIL,
White Lily, of the ever-peaceful and glorious Trinity!
Hail,
Vermilion Rose, the delight of Heaven, of whom the King
of
Heaven was born and by whose milk He was nourished!
Do
thou feed our souls with the effusions of your divine influences.
Hail!
Vivifying Gem of Divine Nobility!
Hail,
Most Loving Jesus, Unfading
Flower
of Human Dignity!
You
are my Sovereign and only Good.
A MOST TENDER AND EFFICACIOUS OFFERING TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN
O Sweetest Jesus, I beseech Thee, by the love which caused
Thee to take
flesh in the bosom of this most pure Virgin, that Thou
wouldst supply for our
defects in the service and honor of this most benign
Mother who is ever ready
to assist us, with maternal tenderness, in all our necessities.
Offer to Thy
beloved Mother, O amiable Jesus, the superabundant beatitude
of Thy sweetest
Heart. Show her Thy Divine predilection which chose her
from all eternity,
above all creatures, to be Thy Mother, adorning her with
every grace and virtue.
Remind her of all the tenderness which Thou didst manifest
to her on earth,
when she carried Thee on her bosom and nourished Thee
with her milk.
Recall to her Thy filial obedience to her in all things,
and especially Thy care
at the hour of Thy death, when Thou didst forget Thine
own anguish to solace
hers, and didst provide her with a faithful guardian.
Remind her, also, of the
joys and glory of her Assumption, when Thou didst exalt
her above all the choirs
of Angels and constitute her Queen of Heaven and earth.
O good Jesus, make
Thy Mother propitious to us, that she may be our advocate
and protectress
in life and in death. Amen.
THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES BESTOWED ON ST. GERTRUDE
To implore favors through her merits:
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.
O most sweet Lord Jesus Christ, I praise, extol and bless
Thee, in union with that
Heavenly praise which the Divine Persons of the Most
Holy trinity mutually render to
Each other, and which thence flows down upon Thy Sacred
Humanity, upon
the Blessed Virgin Mary and upon all the Angels and Saints.
And I give Thee
thanks for all the graces Thou didst lavish upon Thy
beloved spouse, St. Gertrude.
I thank Thee especially for that ineffable love wherewith
Thou didst pre-elect her
from all eternity, didst enrich her so highly, didst
draw her so sweetly to Thyself by the
strongest bonds of love, didst unite her so blissfully
to Thyself, dwell with such delight
in her heart, and crown her life with so blessed an end.
I recall to Thee now, O most
compassionate Jesus, the promise Thou didst make to Thy
beloved spouse, that
Thou wouldst most assuredly grant the prayers of all
who come to Thee through her
merits and intercession, in all matters concerning their
salvation. I beseech Thee, by
Thy most tender love, grant me the grace . . . [mention
it] which I confidently expect. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ, in union with Thy most perfect actions
I commend to Thee
this my work, to be directed according to Thy adorable
will, for the salvation
of all mankind. Amen.
ACTS OF PRAISE IN HONOR THE MOST BLESSED TRINITY
I venerate and glorify Thee, O Most Blessed Trinity, in
union with that ineffable glory
with which God the Father, in His omnipotence, honors
the Son and the Holy Spirit forever.
Glory
be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it
was
in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
I magnify
and bless Thee, O Most Blessed Trinity, in union with that
most reverent glory with
which God the Son in His unsearchable
wisdom, glorifies the Father and the Holy Spirit forever.
Glory
be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it
was
in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
I adore and extol Thee, O Most Blessed
Trinity in union with that most adequate and
befitting glory with which the
Holy Spirit, in His unsearchable goodness, extols the
Father and the Son forever.
Glory
be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it
was
in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
OFFERING OF OUR SAVIOR'S LIFE TO THE ETERNAL FATHER
O most loving Father, in atonement and satisfaction for
all my sins, I offer Thee
the whole Passion of Thy most beloved Son, from the plaintive
wail He uttered when
laid upon the straw in the manger, through all the helplessness
of His infancy,
the privations of His boyhood, the adversities of His
youth, the sufferings of His manhood,
until that hour when He bowed His head upon the Cross
and with a loud cry gave up His Spirit.
And, in atonement and satisfaction for all my negligences,
I offer Thee, O most loving
Father, the most holy life and conversation of Thy Son,
most perfect in His every thought,
word, and action, from the hour when he came down from
His lofty throne to the
Virgin's womb, and thence came forth into our dreary
wilderness, to the hour when He
presented to Thy fatherly regard the glory of His conquering
flesh. Amen.
www.catholictradition.org/Classics/prayers5.htm