My first piece at Catholic Lane is up today. While we should remember to pray for the holy souls in purgatory every day, November is dedicated to this spiritual work of charity.
Here's the intro:
I lost my Dad in 1999. He was a wonderful father and certainly considered by all to be a good man. He and my Mom passed on their love of God and love of the Faith to me. As a Catholic, I knew about Purgatory; that place or state where a soul which dies in God’s grace, but is not completely spotless must work off the punishment due to confessed sins and unconfessed venial sins. While my Dad was a knight in shining armor to me, it was also probable, or at least possible, that he was doing time in Purgatory. The thought that he may be suffering inspired in me the deep desire to relieve that suffering.
Read the rest here .
Oremus pro invicem!
2 comments:
Hi Jim,
Thank you for your wonderful article. I am so sorry about the loss of your father. May he rest in Peace.
I have recently learned about the need to pray for the Holy Souls. In your article you stated,
“For example, in our first prayer of the morning, remember to offer some of the work, joy and suffering of the day for the holy souls.”
I understand the part of offering my suffering, but am not sure on how to offer my work or joy.
I read in a book about Maria Simma where she stated,
“Even washing the kitchen floor when one doesn’t really feel like it, but one does it anyway out of love for the Poor Souls in general or out of love for a particular Poor Soul, will greatly help them go on their way. In the case of the kitchen floor, it will help someone, who during life neglected to keep the house in good order for the family.”
Is that what you meant by work?
Lithloren
Lithloren: The work you offer may be work you would rather not do as you described, but also could be work you love.
Think about it this way: if you are making a meal for someone (a parent, a child, a friend, a sick neighbor), even if you absolutely love to cook, you are still making the meal out of love for that someone. It may take more love if you absolutely hate to cook, but either way you are making the meal out of love.
In the same way you can offer work and play and joy by doing whatever you are doing charitably and to the best of your ability for God, which you can offer for a special intention like for the holy souls. Whether it be pain or joy, it is meritorious to offer it to God. God doesn’t just want our pain, He wants all of our life.
If you live in God’s presence, that is always remembering He is there, (easier said than done), you will be offering all you do to Him.
In Christ,
Jim
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