Can you guess what went on? 😆 What would make someone pray for souls in purgatory, right? I mean, I certainly never bothered much especially as a lukewarm Catholic.
Even last year I didn't think much about it. Sure I added them to the list of church petitions and for masses during the whole month of November. And that was the extent of what I did. However this year, suddenly I think this is Mama Mary's answer to my question.
Indeed, I've never really bothered much with them. I mean, isn't the living people more important to pray for? There are so many sinners on Earth that everybody needs prayers. Even those who aren't even born yet already need it!
We all have so many problems and issues in life that negativity just keeps spreading! Prayers are needed for conversion of sinners and the irreligious, many Christians need to change from being lukewarm to devout/pious, etc. Those were my thoughts prior to what happened on Monday.
For several weeks now I've felt like I should pray for souls in purgatory more. See I have a written list of groups of people (prayer intentions) to dedicate my daily rosary to. I started doing this last year. But then this year I realized there are still more people we should all pray for. Naturally I added a second set to my list.
And then last month or so, I suddenly felt like something's missing. I had to add the souls in purgatory somewhere in what I wrote. Only because I got the sense that I should add them too! 😅 Ignorance is not bliss, so I keep saying, in terms of our spiritual life. And yet despite such "externally sourced feelings", I still didn't try to find out why I should pray for them!
All I really knew about praying for the dead is because it's common knowledge. Cradle Catholics usually just go through the motions without really learning about the various church practices and teachings. My lukewarm Christian life was like that where nobody asks or even explains why we need to keep praying for the dearly departed after the funeral and such.
So why have I been thinking of praying for them more now than before? God moves in mysterious ways. It's likely part of the progression from my old tepid and growing cold Catholic self which I completely turned away from last year. Now I'm on the road to devoutness!
I finally started learning more about my religion in 2023.. No thanks to those "evil whispers" that kept fanning the flames of my sins until Lent that year. Thank God it's been more than a year that I finally love Catholicism! ♥️ I have personally proven and discovered how glorious and powerful God is! (Just read all my previous posts.) He is truly merciful and loving too! Even Mama Mary helps me a lot! Wow.
This is the only reason I will pray for the dead: the fire of purgatory is more painful than any suffering on Earth! Do you think you can stand such a spiritual pain? This has to happen so impure souls can finally be worthy to enter Heaven. For it is written, nothing unclean can be allowed in the Kingdom of God. (Revelation 21:27) This is also why it is better to suffer for our sins and carry our crosses now than after death!
A cemetery on All Souls' Day. | photo source
Physical, mental and/or emotional pain here on Earth is nothing compared to what our souls will experience in purgatory! Like, you think we're extremely suffering now? Haha, nope, this is just a little bit compared to what they experience in there. Just read the writings and stories of the saints about it. What Jesus, Mama Mary and/or the angels showed them should make each of us repent now. Alas, we're just too stubborn and sinful to even fathom it while alive!
Even I still didn't care much, as mentioned. Despite divine inspiration that I should add them to my prayers, I still wasn't that convinced on the why.
When we die, depending on how we lived our life, we can end up in hell, purgatory or heaven. This is a core Catholic belief about death.
In the sacrament of Confession, our sins can be forgiven but temporal punishment from such would remain. That needs to be cleansed by our good works and supplication/prayers to God (e.g. plenary indulgence, Divine Mercy Sunday, etc.) while we're still alive. Otherwise, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (P2S2C2A4: 1472) states that temporal punishment will be done in purgatory! Even Jesus told St. Faustina Kowalska those souls are there, suffering in flames due to retribution to His justice.
People don't wanna end up in hell and only a few get to heaven. Many fall into purgatory for sure. Why not when I know it's really and truly hard to be holy without God's help. I've been trying to rid myself of venial sins but it just keeps happening because they're ingrained in my personality! Like wtf!!! (Apparently God's grace can help a lot!)
Aside from having a difficult time changing myself, there are moments when it's a struggle to deal with other people too! Of course there will always be those we can't get along with anywhere. And we ourselves are also not that easy to get along with from someone else's perspective. The combination of internal and external factors make the work to becoming holy really hard! 🤦♀️
So anyway, on Monday after some work meeting in another city, I was able to go to the adoration chapel of the nearest church. I saw a pile of books there and looked through each one. Surprisingly, I found an interesting red booklet called Read Me or Rue It.
It's a short enough read and provides lots of insight on why living a pious or devout life doesn't automatically mean going to heaven. Also we can learn the importance & benefits of praying for the Holy Souls in purgatory from it. I recommend that you get yourself a copy or just read the online version I linked up there to fully understand why.
There are various conditions and promises stated by Jesus and Mama Mary in order to be saved from purgatory, etc. The saints even mention shortcuts to go straight to Heaven, just like St. Therese of Lisieux (link below). Of course if we aren't able to be as self-sacrificing as Jesus then I don't think we can go straight to God upon death.
Despite the many warnings from saints for centuries there are still many who end up in purgatory. God is so merciful and loving He even had to have a place to purify souls just so more can enter His Kingdom!
Now what are we to do? There are still many who don't care about God, their own souls and other people. How can we stop ending up in purgatory? Remember my posts about Heaven, Hell and Purgatory?
As I look back on what I've written, I can't help but focus on the purgatory part now. Last year, I didn't really think about the souls of people who end up there. However now that I really know my limitations and stubborn sins, I truly have to pray for them. Haha.
Woman lighting candles in church. photo source
If you're also having a hard time doing the 7 Corporal Works of Mercy then start praying for the Holy Souls in purgatory! Offer masses for them regularly because staying in there is not pleasant at all! (I got a sense this is what Mama Mary is telling me to do based on what I keep asking God. But hey it's better if more of us do this too!) At least you'll be doing something Jesus Christ approves of!
Imagine if nobody prays for us when we end up in purgatory, OH THE PAIN! Everyone who ends up there will spend a long time in spiritual agony until humanity's prayers help release them! I don't want to end up in there but of course only Jesus can say where we will go upon death. We shall be judged according to what we've done while we lived. If we did not store any riches in heaven then all the more reason we can end up in purgatory if hell is not the option.
Again, let's add them to our prayers everyday and offer masses for the Holy Souls. Nobody else can do anything for them except us who are still alive. If you've been regularly doing such for quite some time now then that's great! If not then let's start now.
XOXO,
