The joy of suffering

Yet another case is going forward for judgement on one man's right to commission his own death. The person in question is 58 years old and suffering from "locked in syndrome" following a severe stroke.

When such tragic cases hit the headlines it seems to me that the benefits of suffering are never raised, never recognised even.

Can there be benefits attached to an existence that forces you to be reliant on other people for every personal need?

"The vertical bar pointing to the heavens is God's will. The horizontal bar contradicting it is our will. When our will is in conflict with God's will we have a cross. A cross in the mind is fear, anxiety, unhappiness. A cross in the body is pain" (Archbishop Fulton Sheen)

As Catholics we know that there are indeed profound benefits to be gained if we can approach suffering in the right way.
 I am reminded me of a talk given by Archbishop Sheen on the subject of suffering. He met with a woman who was in what we used to call an 'iron lung' - she had been subject to this treatment for some years and was due to spend the rest of her life inanimate in all but speech.

The Archbishop asked her if she knew what suffering was and she replied "No".
He then wrote to her daily over a long period of time and I have no doubt that his letters would have been a lifeline for her.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen had a great insight into suffering and, in later life, he actually experienced it himself following complicated heart surgery.

But, more than that, he wrote about it and it is a constant thread running through most of his books and talks.

Here is what he has to say on the issue of what he calls "wasted pain" -

"One of the greatest tragedies in the world is wasted pain. Pain without relation to the Cross is like an unsigned cheque - without value.
But once we have countersigned with the signature of the Saviour on the Cross, it takes on an infinite value.

A feverish brow that never throbs in unison with a Head crowned with thorns, or an aching hand never borne in patience with a hand on the Cross, is sheer waste.
The world is worse for that pain when it might have been much better.

All the sickbeds of the world therefore, are either on the right side of the Cross or on the left; they ask to be taken down, or like the thief on the right, they ask to be taken up.

It is not so much what people suffer that makes the world mysterious: it is rather how much they miss when they suffer.
They seem to forget that even as children they made obstacles in their games in order to have something to overcome. Why then, when they grow into man's estate, should there not be prizes won by effort and struggle?

Cannot the spirit of man rise with adversity as the bird rises against the resistance of the wind? Do not the game fish swim upstream? Must not the alabaster box be broken to fill the house with ointment?.......................Why then cannot pain be made redemption? Why under the alchemy of Divine Love cannot crosses be turned into crucifixes?........."

Those words say it all really. The negative processes of suffering can be re-directed to positives.

How?

By offering pain and humiliation to the Holy Trinity

By allowing your own suffering to be a platform for others to show their love and care and charity

By resigning oneself to God's will and offering up the pain for the release of the Holy Souls

By bearing the pain and indignity in reparation for blasphemies against the Holy Name and Our Lady

Blessed Miguel Pro wrote a most moving prayer on suffering; it is not an easy prayer to say. It is even harder to abide by the sentiments in the prayer:-

Does our life become from day to day more painful, more oppressive, more replete with afflictions? Blessed be he a thousand times who desires it so.

 If life be harder, love makes it also stronger and, only this love, grounded on suffering, can carry the cross of my Lord  Jesus Christ.

Love without egotism, without relying on self but enkindling in the depth of the heart an ardent thirst to love and suffer for all those around us: a thirst that neither misfortune nor contempt can extinguish…..I believe, O Lord; but strengthen my faith….Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee; but give greater vigour to my confidence.

Heart of Jesus, I give my heart to Thee; but, so enclose it in Thee that it may never be separated from Thee.

Heart of Jesus, I am all Thine; but take care of my promise so that I may be able to put it in practice even unto the complete sacrifice of my life.

"Out of the depths I have cried to You O Lord...."

The Psalms seem very appropriate for the cause of the release of the Holy Souls.

They are plaintive, pleading and full of sorrow for our sins.

Out of the depths....

De profundis from Solesme...but no guitars!

Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord: Lord hear my voice.		De profúndis clamávi ad te, Dómine: Dómine, exáudi vocem meam.
Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.		Fiant aures tuae intendéntes: in vocem deprecationes meae.
If Thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?		Si iniquitátes observaveris, Dómine: Dómine, quis sustinébit.
But there is forgiveness with Thee: because of Thy law I wait for Thee, O Lord.		Quia apud te propitiátio est: et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Dómine.
My soul waiteth on His word: my soul hopeth in the Lord.		Sustinuit ánima mea in verbo ejus: sperávit ánima mea in Dómino.
From the morning watch even until night let Israel hope in the Lord:		A custodia matutina usque ad noctem: specret Israel in Dómino.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plentiful redemption.		Quia apud Dóminum misericordia: et copiósa apud eum redémptio.
And He shall redeem Israel, from all their iniquities.		Et ipse redimet Israel, ex ómnibus iniquitátibus ejus.

A little night music....

Requiem....beautiful, atmospheric......and for those in Purgatory

We are still in November and 'they'...........

.....are still in Purgatory!

It surprises me just how many Catholics know nothing about Purgatory and, even, dismiss it as being part of the 'outdated' teachings of the Church.

I am not suggesting for one minute that readers of this blog fall into that category but they might like to send this video clip to any family members who have expressed doubts on what is infallible Church teaching.

Of course, we don't like to talk about Purgatory just as we do not like to talk about death but, if we get to Purgatory we will not have to face eternal death, only eternal life.
Better still if we can avoid Purgatory altogether and join the glorious faithful in Heaven.

And one way in which we may achieve this seemingly over ambitious aim is to follow the advice given by St James the Apostle who states:

"He who saves a soul, saves his own, and satisfies for a multitude of sins"

How do we do this? By praying for the Holy Souls, by offering up penances on their behalf and by propagating the faith.

A powerful prayer for the Holy Souls...pray it to 'empty Purgatory':

"Eternal Father I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Jesus, with all the Masses being said all over the world this day, for the Souls in Purgatory."

The best November hymn for the Holy Souls

Help Lord the souls.....


"in prison for the debt unpaid...."

 By far and away the best and probably most effective lament on behalf of the Holy Souls.

I could not find a Youtube clip worth listening to so I sang the hymn myself....if you turn up the volume on your PC (why do people say "turn it up real loud?") you may hear a rather crackly but fine baritone voice.....

Here are the words......

Help, Lord, the souls which Thou hast made,

The souls to Thee so dear,

In prison for the debt unpaid

Of sins committed here.

Those holy souls, they suffer on,

Resign'd in heart and will,

Until Thy high behest is done,

And justice has its fill.

For daily falls, for pardon'd crime,

They joy to undergo

The shadow of Thy cross sublime,

The remnant of Thy woe.

Help, Lord, the souls which Thou hast made,

The souls to Thee so dear,

In prison for the debt unpaid

Of sins committed here.

Oh, by their patience of delay,

Their hope amid their pain,

Their sacred zeal to burn away

Disfigurement and stain;

Oh, by their fire of love, not less

In keenness than the flame,

Oh, by their very helplessness,

Oh, by Thy own great Name,

Good Jesu, help! sweet Jesu, aid

The souls to Thee most dear,

In prison for the debt unpaid

Of sins committed here.

   Blessed Cardinal John Newman - Pray for the Holy Souls - Pray for us!



Be a hero - for the sake of the Holy Souls

Make an heroic Act of Charity, (but it's not to be undertaken lightly), you give up all of your 'satisfactory value' towards the alleviation of your own time in Purgatory in order to release souls now. Here's how, courtesy of Fisheaters -

                                               Heroic Act of Charity

An "Heroic Act of Charity" is the offering of the satisfactory value (not the merits) of all of our sufferings and works of the rest of our lives and of any time we may spend in Purgatory for the relief of the souls in Purgatory. We do this by first deciding to do so, and then praying (using our own words or the more formal prayer below) to offer these things to God through Mary's hands.

Doing this is not a matter of taking a vow; it doesn't bind under pain of sin, and it is revokable (unless one vows never to revoke the Act). But it is a tremendous sacrifice, hence the name. It is truly heroic, a giving up of one's own earned relief from the temporal effects of sin -- even relief of the sufferings of Purgatory -- for the good of others.

In addition to asking God to use their satisfactory works for the souls in Purgatory, those who make this Act also receive a plenary indulgence (under the usual conditions) for the souls in Purgatory each time they receive Communion, and each time they hear Mass on Mondays for the sake of the departed.

Words to a formal Act of Heroic Charity are as follows:

O Holy and Adorable Trinity, desiring to aid in the relief and release of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, through my devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, I cede and renounce, on behalf of these souls, all the satisfactory part of my works, and all the suffrages which may be given to me after my death. In their entirety, I offer them to Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God, that she may use them, according to her good pleasure, for those souls of the faithful departed whom she desires to alleviate their suffering. O my God, deign to accept and bless my offering which I make to Thee through the most august Queen of Heaven and Earth.

        Amen.

Phew! I feel a little faint!

The Catholic brand

This month especially we pray "to empty Purgatory" - a wondrous ambition.

A priest friend of mine always makes a point of visiting any non Catholic cemetery he happens to be passing in order to say an eternal rest or three for those buried there. That is an admirable practice.

Those souls have no one to pray for them and they carry the stain of their earthly sin until such time that recompense has been judged to have been made.

They are branded with the infection of sin; sin that needs to be eradicated just as an infected wound is cauterized, by fire.

And to carry the metaphor still further, iron loses its properties (sin) in fire and then, if heated to the correct degree and annealing takes place, it becomes harder and stronger then before.

It becomes perfect just as our souls will become perfect so that we may enter into God's kingdom for all  time.

Cristobal de Morales - Missa Pro de Defunctis

Misere mei Deus.....

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them.
                                          May they rest in peace. Amen.

Free them from their sins Lord

Absolve Domine......for the Holy Souls

Remember, each day, the Holy Souls

Libera Me

Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna
in die illa tremenda
quando coeli movendi sunt et terra,
dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.

Tremens factus sum ego et timeo,
dum discussion venerit atque venture ira:
quando coeli movendi sunt et terra.

English Translation:

Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death
on that awful day
when the heavens and earth shall be shaken
and you shall come to judge the world by fire.

I am seized with fear and trembling
until the trial is at hand and the wrath to come:
when the heavens and earth shall be shaken.

 

The Feast of The Holy Souls

A soul is carried up to Heaven

See A Reluctant Sinner's post for a very beautiful account of those souls most in need.

Through our intercession, by means of prayer, we can aid the release of souls from the torments of Purgatory.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Dies irae, dies illa
Day of wrath and doom impending,
David's word with Sibyl's blending,
Heaven and earth in ashes ending!

O what fear man's bosom rendeth,
When from Heaven the Judge descendeth,
On whose sentence all dependeth!

Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth,
Through earth's sepulchres it ringeth,
All before the throne it bringeth.

Death is struck, and nature quaking,
All creation is awaking,
To its Judge an answer making.

Lo! the book exactly worded,
Wherein all hath been recorded;
Thence shall judgment be awarded.

When the Judge His seat attaineth,
And each hidden deed arraigneth,
Nothing unavenged remaineth.

What shall I, frail man, be pleading?
Who for me be interceding,
When the just are mercy needing?

King of majesty tremendous,
Who dost free salvation send us,
Fount of pity, then befriend us!

Think, kind Jesu!-----my salvation
Caused Thy wondrous Incarnation;
Leave me not to reprobation.

Faint and weary Thou hast sought me,
On the Cross of suffering bought me;
Shall such grace be vainly brought me?

Righteous Judge! for sin's pollution
Grant Thy gift of absolution,
 Ere that day of retribution.

Guilty, now I pour my moaning,
All my shame with anguish owning;
Spare, O God, thy suppliant groaning!
Through the sinful woman shriven,
Through the dying thief forgiven,
Thou to me a hope hast given.

Worthless are my prayers and sighing,
Yet, good Lord, in grace complying,
Rescue me from fires undying.

With Thy sheep a place provide me,
From the goats afar divide me,
To Thy right hand do thou guide me.

When the wicked are confounded,
Doomed to shame and woe unbounded,
 Call me, with Thy Saints surrounded.

Low I kneel, with heart's submission,
See, like ashes my contrition!
Help me in my last condition!

Ah! that day of tears and mourning!
 From the dust of earth returning,
Man for judgment must prepare him:

Spare, O God, in mercy spare him!
Lord, all-pitying, Jesu blest,
Grant them Thine eternal rest. Amen.

MOST loving Jesus, I humbly beseech Thee, that Thou Thyself wouldst offer to Thine eternal Father on 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.

Prayer for Deceased Parents

O God, Who hast commanded us to honour our father and our 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 Faithful Departed

O Most compassionate Jesus, have mercy on the Souls detained in Purgatory, for whose redemption Thou didst take upon Thyself our nature and endure a bitter death. Mercifully hear their sighs, look with pity upon the tears which they now shed before Thee, and by virtue of Thy Passion, release them from the pains due to their sins. O most merciful Jesus, let Thy Precious Blood reach down into Purgatory and refresh and revive the captive souls who suffer there. Stretch out to them Thy strong right hand, and bring them forth into the place of refreshment, light and peace. Amen.

Lent is a good time to remember those in Purgatory

Lenten prayers may release a soul to Heaven

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 your departed servant (name). Be not severe in your judgement, but let some drops of Your Precious Blood fall upon him/her, and send, O merciful Saviour, Your angels to conduct him/her to a place of refreshment, light and peace. Amen.

Thanks for this prayer to Salve Regina

Last chance in November....

..to pray for the release of your family, friends and even those who have no one to pray for them

A soul being carried to Heaven

"O Lord, who art ever merciful and bounteous with Thy gifts, look down upon the suffering souls in purgatory. Remember not their offences and negligences, but be mindful of Thy loving mercy, which is from all eternity. Cleanse them of their sins and fulfill their ardent desires that they may be made worthy to behold Thee face to face in Thy glory. May they soon be united with Thee and hear those blessed words which will call them to their heavenly home: "Come, blessed of My Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."