THE SUFFERINGS OF PURGATORY-AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
Have we forgotten the Poor Souls? St. Francis de Sales said: “Their memory seems to perish with the sound of the funeral bells.“ To begin with, I would first like to ask you to do an act of charity for the poor souls, by praying a Hail Mary for them, and the St. Gertrude prayer: Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy divine Son Jesus, in union with all the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory. It is said that this prayer can release many souls from purgatory. When we consider the infinite value of the Precious Blood, and it being offered in thousands of Masses each day, who would dispute that we can piously believe that a many souls can be released? I would encourage you to say these prayers on a daily basis, and consider saying them 5 times each day in honor of the 5 Holy Wounds of Our Lord. If you will do so, you will receive great blessings, and the Poor Souls will benefit tremens- dously.
Before I start, I recall reading in a Theresa Neumann book, the stigmatist who suffered the Passion of Our Lord and lived on nothing but Holy Communion for 34 years, stated that she had been suffering for a priest who had been in purgatory for a 100 years. , I would urge you all to get a copy of Fr. Shouppe’s book on purgatory, PURGATORY EXPLAINED BY THE LIVES AND LEGENDS OF THE SAINTS. . I urge you to get it and read it. It will change your life; it will change the way you view sin lightly; and it will help you to prepare for death. Let us do penance while we are able, not later in the fire. Also, you should learn to do the SABBATINE PRIVILEGE which delivers us from purgatory the 1st Saturday after our death, if we fulfill the conditions. And now, let us read some of the points in Fr. Shouppe’s book.
From the book, Purgatory: Explained by the Lives and the Legends of the Saints by Fr. F. X. Shouppe. “It is a holy and wholesome thought, to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins.” 2 Mach. 12: 46. Also Scripture says, “Restrain not grace from the dead.” Ecclus.7:37. Failing to pray for them, offering sacrifices, Masses and so forth restrains grace from the dead. Scripture says, not to do that.
Fr. Shouppe says it is believed that purgatory is in the earth, and he relates how some souls delivered were seen issuing from the earth. There was a Blessed Stephen who saw a deceased Religious, suffering purgatory because of his tepidity and negligence at the Divine Office. “It is the common opinion of the Doctors,” says Fr. Shouppe, “that it consists in fire and other species of suffering. (1 Cor.3:15). The fire of purgatory, say the Fathers, is that of hell, of which the rich glutton speaks, “I suffer cruelly in these flames.” St. Robert Bellarmine stated that there was no comparison between the sufferings of this life, and those of purgatory. St. Thomas taught that the least pain in purgatory was worse than the worst pain on earth. Thomas a Kempis said, “There one hour of torment will be more terrible than a 100 years of rigorous penance done on earth.”
A man named Drithelm, who had died and was restored to life, did phenomenal penance till the end of his life after he viewed purgatory. This is what he related: “I saw a valley of immense extent, all fire on one side, all ice and snow on the other; on the one hand braziers and caldrons of flame; on the other the most intense cold and the blast of a glacial wind. (They will pass from the snow waters to the heat, and their sin even down to hell.” Job 24:19). This mysterious valley was filled with innumerable souls, which, tossed as by a furious tempest, threw themselves from one side to the other. When they could no longer endure the violence of the fire, they sought relief amidst the ice and snow; but finding only a new torture, they cast themselves again into the midst of the flames.
I contemplated in a stupor these continual vicissitudes of horrible torments, and as far as my sight could extend, I saw nothing but a multitude of souls which suffered without ever having repose. Their very aspect inspired me with fear. I thought at first I saw Hell; but my guide who walked before me, turned to me and said, ”No; this is not, as you think, the Hell of the reprobate. Do you know,’ he continued, “what place this is?” “No,” I answered. “Know,” he resumed, “that this valley, where you see so much fire and so much ice, is the place where the souls of those are punished who, during life, have neglected to confess their sins, and who have deferred their conversion to the end. Thanks to a special mercy of God, they have had the happiness of sincerely repenting before death, of confessing and detesting their sins. This is why they are not damned. And on the great day of judgment will enter into the Kingdom of heaven. Several of them will obtain their deliverance before that time, by the merits of prayers, alms, and fasts, offered in their favor by the living, and especially in virtue of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for their relief.” Drithelm after that, would plunge himself into frozen waters, and perform the most phenomenal penances till the end of his life. This event produced a great sensation in England, and a great number of sinners, touched by the words of Drithelm, and struck by the austerity of his life, became sincerely converted.”
After the death of St. Christine, while her body was in the church, she arose full of vigor, and related her vision of purgatory, hell, and heaven. Purgatory was so rigorous she thought it to be hell, and saw some of her acquaintances. She also saw souls she formerly knew in the fires of hell. God restored her to life to suffer for the Poor Souls, and told her when her life ended, it would be laden with merits. She renounced all the comforts of life, lived without house or fire; would plunge herself into fiery furnaces and other times in the frozen river, dogs would bite her and she would run into thickets and thorns, covered with blood.
St. Anthony Claret, speaking of the evil of deliberate venial sins, of which we think nothing of, said souls are burning in purgatory for telling a lie, for an indecent smile, for a little grumbling…He said if you saw the police come and take a soul away to a courtyard, start a big fire, and cast that person in the fire, and you asked, “What did he do?” and they said, “Oh, he told a little lie, or another like sin, would you still think that a venial sin was of little importance? What if we offended our spouses, our friends and acquaintances as many times a day like we do to God. Do you think they would be much offended?
Sister Teresa , who was a model of fervor and charity, appeared after her death, complaining, “Oh! My God! How I suffer!” Having reached the door, she cried aloud, “Behold a proof of the mercy of God.” She then struck the upper panel of the door, leaving the imprint of her right hand on the door as with a red hot iron, and then disappeared. Chap.14. A Franciscan Friar, also appeared after his death, complaining of his terrible sufferings, saying there was nothing like it on earth, and burned the imprint of his hand on the table of the refectory. This is quite in contradiction of what you hear when someone has died who suffered much, “Oh, he’s better off now!” whether he be sinner or saint. The body may be dead and no longer suffering, but the soul is not, and it is usually suffering terribly either in the fires of purgatory, or the fires of hell.
One day the Venerable Stanislaus Chocosca had a soul appear to him enveloped in fire, begging prayers. The saint asked her if this fire was more painful than the fire on earth. She replied, “Ah! All the fires of earth compared to that of purgatory are like a refreshing breeze.” The saint offered to suffer some of her pain. She said he could not; it would kill him, but she let fall a drop of liquid on his hand, and he uttered a piercing cry, and fainted. After reading these terrible stories, I hope you will not go to bed today before you offer a rosary for them, and as soon as possible, run to the priest and have Masses offered for them. In the Bull of the canonization of Blessed John Massias, it said he always had the pious custom to pray the rosary everyday for the Poor Souls, and by means of it throughout his life, had delivered one million four hundred thousand souls.
Then there is the story of the sick man, who implored God to let him die rather than live longer on the sick bed. God sent his angel to give him the choice of 3 days in purgatory or another year of suffering on earth. He chose the 3 days. Scarcely had he died and he complained to his angel about being there for years, and , he had been there only one hour! And his angel said to him, “What’s that you say? You speak of years? Your body is still warm from your sickbed!“ I can just hear the worldlings say, ”Oh, he’s better off now! He won’t have to suffer anymore.’’ Maybe they should ask the deceased person.
Again, there is the story of the religious, who because of his sanctity, was surnamed Angelicus. He even died in the odor of sanctity, yet being in purgatory several days, appeared to his friend begging for the Masses. His friend was shocked that he was in need, after a life so holy. He replied, “Alas! Alas! No one can believe with what severity God judges and punishes His creatures. His infinite sanctity discovers in our best actions defective spots, imperfections which displease Him. He requires us to give an account even to the last farthing. To be continued…
Part 2 On the Sufferings of Purgatory
In chap. 23 Fr. Shouppe deals with the judgements that God gives even to the popes, according to the Scripture, “A most severe judgement to them that bear rule.” Wis.6:6. St. Lutgarda was shown in a vision Pope Innocent III enveloped in flames for three faults which he said he was expiating, and he informed her if she did not help him, he would be there for centuries. Fr. Shouppe said he was shocked when he read about it because Pope Innocent III was one of the greatest popes to fill the Chair of Peter, who had done much good for the Church of God and holy discipline. St. Vincent Ferrer,that tremendous saint, had a sister who would not listen to him. She died repenting at the last, and went to purgatory. She appeared to him begging his prayers, and especially his Masses, and she revealed to him she would be there until the end of the world, if he did not intercede for her. If I recall correctly. St. Padre Pio also had a sister that wouldn’t listen to him. I don’t know if she was ever converted or not. Again, another gentleman who died in 1636 was in purgatory for 200 hundred years before he received the relief he needed to be delivered.
Then, there is the story of the priest who had died and had to suffer 77 years in purgatory for having neglected to say 7 Masses of obligation, and would have to suffer another 11 years if the novice did not come to his assistance. Fr. Shouppe goes on to say that the neglect of the sacraments greatly lengthens the time one spends in purgatory. Because confession purifies our soul, Holy Communion strengthens it and we go into eternity being accompanied by our Lord, and Extreme Unction purifies and strengthens it as well. He relates a story about an ecclesiastic who, instead of receiving promptly the Extreme Unction, and therein giving good example to the faithful, was guilty of negligence in this respect, and was punished by a 100 years in purgatory. The deceased himself was allowed to reveal this, and he noted that if he had taken advantage of the sacrament, he would have escaped death and been given time to do penance. If this be the case, what will be the terrible judgement of the clergy who will not preach the Gospel “out of season,” who will not speak out against sin, against immodesty so prevalent in our society, sins of the tongue as well, warn about hell, allow Catholic weddings with immodest gowns and so forth? And we laity, how often are we silent in the face of sin failing to “admonish our neighbor or family member,” letting them go on to hell rather than correct them. Is this charity, or is it cowardly?
Lack of respect in prayer: How often have we not seen Catholics make the Sign of the Cross in a careless manner, sometimes hardly recognizable? Venerable Sister Frances of Pampeluna once saw a poor priest in purgatory with frightful ulcers on his fingers, for having at the altar having made the Sign of the Cross with too much levity, and without the necessary gravity. She said that in general priests remain in purgatory longer than laymen, and that the intensity of their torments is in proportion to their dignity. St. Alphonsus in his book, Dignities and Duties of a Priest said, “What is venial in a layperson is grievous in a priest.” “Because,” he said, “the priest sins against the light when he sins.” He has been taught to know what sin is, whereas many laypeople sin through ignorance. One priest had to suffer 40 years for allowing someone to die without the sacraments. Another, 45 years for having performed the sublime functions of his ministry with a certain levity. One might ask, “What kind of punishment is laid up for those clergy who are liberal in the liturgy, who give Communion in the hand with no regard for the Particles, who do not speak on hell, immodesty, drunkenness, adultery and so forth?”
Fr. Shouppe goes on to relate the story of St. Severinus, who was detained in purgatory for 6 months because he would rush through his Holy Office without recollection, and at hours not appointed by the Church. A saint in purgatory for 6 months for not praying properly! How often and how easily it is to fall into the sin of praying disrespectfully, in the rosary, the Mass, and our other prayers. St. Louis de Montfort complains of this in the 44th chapter of The Secret of the Rosary where he calls it “ a slipshod address which we would not address to the most unimportant person, and yet, we expect Jesus and Mary to be pleased with it!” Just as the sacraments are holy; just as the vessels are holy; just as the sacred images are holy, and should be handled with respect, so also our prayers are holy in the sense that we are addressing God, and should be doing so respectfully. “Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully.” And again, if we are not recollected but just running off prayers, where is our heart? “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far away.”
Sins of the tongue: “Where words are many, sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips doth well.” And again, “Blessed is the man that hath not slipped by a word of his mouth…” Ecclus.14:1. In a monastery of the Order of Citeaux lived 2 sisters, Gertrude and Margaret. Gertrude often transgressed the rule of silence in the choir with useless words and her lack of piety, also disedification and scandal to her sister and the others. She soon died and was allowed to appear to Margaret to beg for prayers. She told Margaret, “Oh, if you knew what I suffer! I am devoured by these flames, my tongue especially is dreadfully tormented .” She then disappeared. Here we see the verification of the words of Scripture, “By what things a man sinneth, by the same also is he tormented.” Wis.11:17. Another religious in the monastery of Cluny was seen suffering from frightful ulcers in his mouth for transgressing the Rule of silence and idle words. “He that hath no guard over his speech, shall meet with evils.”Prov.13:3. Then there is the story of the young man trying to seduce the young lady embracing the religious life. He was warned to prepare soon for death which came shortly thereafter. They feared his damnation but the Religious saw with horror a vision of him with chains of fire around his neck, wrists, knees and ankles, begging for prayers…End of Part 2.
If you have benefited from reading this article, please consider sharing it with others. And may we redouble our prayers and Masses for the poor souls.
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