Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Please Pray for the Dead

 I've been reading this book this month, 
the month of the Holy Souls.

I've learned quite a few things about Purgatory.

One thing, is that we Catholics are not the only ones that pray for the dead!
This was a Jewish custom and in fact, Orthodox Jewish still pray for the dead.

Please go 
for biblical proof of Purgatory. 
I'd try to explain it but he does a much better job than I'd do!

I love that Everything we Catholics do is BIBLICAL!! 
I am black and white, I need that order, that backing so to speak.

I've always thought of Purgatory as a place of cleansing.
A place where the soul wants to be, to be purified for God.

Now, Yes, Jesus died for us, for our sins.
But sin is sin and the soul knows it.
The flames of Purgatory is the yearning the soul has for God.

The way I understand it is
each day in Purgatory is one day closer to God 
so there is Joy and a yearning pain at the same time.
The soul wants to be there.
The soul knows that he is going to Heaven.
  

Last week, I couldn't go to my holy hour 
because I wanted to go to my uncle's funeral.
On the way there, I had this pain in my heart, 
upon the realization of not seeing Jesus that day.
This pain is yearning.  It brought me to tears.  

I think that is a very small example of what Purgatory will be like.
It's a love.  
The Love we have for our Father in Heaven.
The love and desire to be perfect for Him.  

St Faustina Kowalska relates in her diary, her mystical experience
of the complete moral self-insight that one day will be revealed to every man at the particular judgement after death:

Once I was summoned to the judgement (seat) of God, I stood alone before the Lord.  Jesus appeared such as we know Him during His Passion...Suddenly I saw the complete condition of my soul as God sees it.  I could clearly see all that is displeasing to God.  I did not know that even the smallest transgressions will have to be accounted for.  What a Moment!  Who can describe it?  To stand before the Thrice-Holy God!  Jesus asked me, "Who are you?" "You are guilty of one day in purgatory."  I wanted to throw myself immediately into the flames of purgatory,
 but Jesus stopped me.  

From Hungry Souls:

"St Faustina transmits the awfulness of the soul's confrontation with the Eternal, 
its insight that perfect holiness is required before it can enjoy God's presence--the smallest imperfections having more weight than even a pure soul as Faustina's had been aware--and the instinctive impulse of the soul to be cleansed, even in the flames of Purgatory."

This book also explains that ANY spiritualist phenomena, 
or so called manifestations of the dead during states of trance, hypnosis, or at a spiritualist and other magic or occult sessions: they are by no means the departed persons they pretend to be, but hoaxes or demonic imposters. 

This makes me think of mediums claiming to be "Catholic" and yet 
going against the Church and continuing to delve into this kind of phenomena.

Poor souls are not sensitive to commands to vanish in the Name of God, or in the Name of Jesus.
Their anxious begging for help signals hope for deliverance.





 The sad thing is that I don't think many people give much thought 
to what happens to the soul after death, except that it goes to Heaven.
I think that most people think that almost everyone goes to Heaven.

This is one of the greatest tragedies. 
The souls in Purgatory, having no one to pray for them, 
all their loved ones believing they are already in Heaven.

Pray, Pray, Pray...
They need our prayers



 Another book, I'm going to read again (in Texas this winter)
is Get Us Out of Here!

This book is Maria Simma's accounts of the Poor Souls that appeared to her, 
begging for prayers.  

This book is SO good!! 
You can find it HERE


 If you click on this picture you can see my Little Red in the background, getting ready to run!
(stinker)

Pray for the dead, pray rosaries, offer Masses, 
never give up praying for them!
Last week we had some of our Catholic Homeschool Youth 
 (32 of them) over for a walk to the graveyard 
(up the hill, down the hill, through the woods, and across the field)
to pray for the Holy Souls

I gave a short talk on Purgatory, indulgences  
and a little about St Gertrude and the prayer given to her from Jesus:

Eternal Father, 
I offer you the most precious
Blood of Your Divine Son,
Jesus, in union with the Masses said
throughout the world today, 
for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, 
for sinners in the Universal Church, 
those in my own home, 
and within my family.
Amen.

(This prayer was given to St Gertrude and Jesus promised that every time it was said, 1,000 souls would be released from Purgatory and allowed into God's Presence)

The saints knew of Purgatory!!

 

 Here we are walking across the field
 After my short talk, the kids got to explore and try to find the oldest grave.
We also have a section where all the babies that were miscarried during the year 
are buried through our Catholic hospital in town.  
Several of us went over there. 
Instant tears, I tell you, instant. 

 We caught this beautiful sunset on our way home...
 Then it got loud and a little crazy....
 We had pizza, pop, snacks and lots of fun!
 We broke into 2 groups (16 kids each)
 And played Minute to Win it games!!
 M&M Suck it (I named this one)

 Face the Cookie
 Stack Attack!
The parent helpers were awesome! 
 Guess the Candy amount to win the candy!!
 Have you ever made this?  Tastes exactly like Salted Nut Rolls...

The games were a lot of fun, but next time, 
I think we'll set up several places where the games can be going on at the same time, 
it seemed like there was a lot of waiting around...and then the non game players 
got bored...but most had fun, I think!
 My daughter heard kids talking about it the next day after Mass and she said they had fun!

My own kids thanked and thanked me over and over 
for a fun night!!

Please pray for the Holy Souls!!

I've always had a love for the Poor Souls
I have a hard time writing about it, for fear of not doing justice, 
but my goal here is to make people aware and to hopefully pray more!


15 comments:

  1. Great post, Jamie Jo. I definitely feel pulled to the holy souls in purgatory. I think it stemmed initially from a selfish viewpoint of thinking who would pray for me should I die? That led to thinking of all those unnamed and unprayed for souls.

    I will check out your books. My husband and I actually talked a bit on this tonight. Apparently ~27% of Americans believe in ghosts. Both of us thought the # would be higher considering the culture. But this led to the conversation that most probably don't even think of death. It's too frightening. What throws me is hearing other Catholics thinking or saying a certain person is in heaven.

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    1. If you are trying to decide which one to get, I'd get the 2nd one first!! It is really eye opening and a very hard one to put down!

      Yes, I really don't think many people think another thought about the soul after they die, they just think they are in heaven. Done. The biggest thing to remember is that the soul WANTS to be in Purgatory, it wants it. The soul KNOWS heaven is next. If our goal is Heaven and we make Purgatory, well, then we are doing good....if our goal is Purgatory and we miss...well...no 2nd chance.



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  2. This is such a great, informative post Jamie Jo. Thanks for sharing. I will be praying harder for the souls in purgatory now.
    What a fun time you gave those kids! A night to remember, for sure.

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    1. Awesome!! You know once a soul you've prayed for gets into Heaven, you have a friend forever!!

      It was a fun night...hoping to maybe do another night in March when we come home...

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  3. Oh Jamie!
    Such a wonderful post!
    Our priest had a wonderful homily a few weeks ago about this.
    He stated that as Catholics, we often assume that when a loved one dies, he or she goes straight to Heaven. We forget that Purgatory exists, and forget to pray!
    Thank you! Thank you.
    Your soul is so full, my friend...

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    1. Yay!! Let me know what you think about it! I actually liked the 2nd book better. BUT the first book, really tells a lot about the saints and Purgatory, the early church...things like that.

      Your priest is right. We need to pray for priests also, that they remember to remind people to pray for the dead!!

      Honestly, I don't think many people give any thought to Purgatory at all.
      Even if this post helps one person to stop and think and pray for a soul, then it's worth it.

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    2. Loved it!!!! Could not put it down.
      Thank you so very much for inspiring me. Truly. Thank you.

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  4. I am also going to order the first book since I love the second one so much. Yes..the souls are so in need. I don't think anybody goes straight to heaven except...maybe...Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa. Again I said maybe. I remember Fatima and the children saw hell and they saw people dropping into hell like snowflakes. God is so merciful. Thankful everyday of purgatory. I just pray. Sacrifice.

    That looks like it was an awesome party. A lot of work???!!!

    Thank you for these posts. I hope they touch souls to pray and grow closer to God.

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    1. I think babies go straight to heaven and innocent souls...also I believe in some of the promises of praying the rosary, wearing the scapular...and other devotions, wearing a medal...the prayers of St Bridget have some amazing promises...that one year novena...can't remember which promises go with what, but some of them are being delivered from Purgatory to Heaven the first Saturday by the Virgin Mary...things like that.

      I know that quote about people "falling into hell" I think about that a lot.

      Let me know what you think about that book!

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  5. This is so a great! I have a devotion to the souls in Purgatory too and my priest frequently reminds us that the souls who are helped by our prayers will in turn remember us in their prayers. And to go along with the quote above - when Faustina appeared before God, He told her that her sins merited one day of purgatory OR she could suffer on Earth and she begged to do both but He assured her one was enough. Ever since I read that, I have not been scared of purgatory. It is a mercy that we will beg for!!! Again, thanks for this post. You always come across so genuine and I enjoy reading here. :)

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    1. Oh, I love that!!

      And YES, I told the kids that once they pray a soul into heaven, (from Purgatory) they have a friend forever!!

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  6. I love that you took the youth group to pray for the souls! And made it fun for them as well. We are, or should be, a joy filled people...even when praying for the dead.

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  7. Heyyyyyyyy Jamieeeee...how are you dear?
    i m back to check out ur lovely lovely blog after such a long time..was busy with exams..anyway...like all the time, the bubble kids' pics made my day.. :* :* :* :* :* :* six kisses, one for each pretty kid.
    I want to know about your DSLR as well. Could you plz help me with brand name and model number? Is your DSLR good for food photography? i thought i should take your opinion since you click so many awesome awesome pics :) thanks..

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Thank you so much for stopping and commenting!