Luke 16:19-31 The Rich Man and Lazarus
24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,have pity on me and
send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because
I am in agony in this fire.’27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send
Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn
them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the
Prophets; let them listen to them.’
I always had an anxiety, and probably many of you,
on our life after death. In christian beliefs, still the much heard heaven,
hell and purgatory was never convincing nor palatable, until I read from a book
by Maria Simma, ‘The Souls in Purgatory’. Maria Simma’s many time
confrontation and her conversation with the souls, and the realization of the
facts from the souls smoothened much of my bitter pain and concerns of my
question on life after death
Perhaps we need to define what is the soul first. The soul is the
primary principle of life. In every individual soul is created directly by
God and is infused into the embryo at the moment of conception.
Souls in Purgatory, or the Holy Souls, are the souls of those who
have died in the state of grace but who are not yet free from all punishment
due to their unforgiven venial sins and all other sins already forgiven (for
which satisfaction is still to be made). They are certain to enter Heaven but
must first suffer proportionately in Purgatory. It is the teaching of the
Church that these souls are aided by our prayers and good works, and especially
by the Sacrifice of the Mass.
Though they cannot help themselves, it is commonly believed that
they can assist us, and the Church commends our prayers for their intercession.
The length of time souls are detained in Purgatory depends on:
a) the number of their faults;
b) on the malice and deliberation with which these have been
committed;
c) on the penance done, or not done, the satisfaction made, or not made for
sins during life;
d) much, too, depend on the suffrages offered for them after death by friends
and relatives still alive.
What can be safely said is that the time souls spend in Purgatory,
as a rule, is very much longer than people commonly imagine.
Excerpts from the interview with Maria Simma is here with the link
for the full interview article.
What do these souls ask of you?
“In most cases, they ask to have Masses celebrated; they ask to
have the rosary said and also that one make the Stations of the Cross:".
Maria, do the souls in Purgatory have, nevertheless, joy and hope
amidst their suffering?
Yes. No soul would want to come back from Purgatory to the earth.
They have knowledge which is infinitely beyond ours. They just could not decide
to return to the darkness of the earth. There is nothing on earth which could
make them want to live here again, where one is never sure of anything
Maria, can you tell us now If it is God who sends a soul into
Purgatory, or If the soul itself decides to go there?
It is the soul itself which wants to go to Purgatory, in
order to be pure before going to Heaven
Maria, can you tell us what the role of Our Lady is with the
souls in Purgatory?
She comes often to console them and to tell them they
have done many good things. She encourages them. She visits often on
Christmas Day, All Saints Day, Good Friday, the Feast of the Assumption,
and the Ascension of Jesus.
Maria, why does one go to Purgatory? What are the sins which most lead to Purgatory?
Sins against charity, against the love of one’s neighbor; hardness
of heart, hostility, slandering, calumny – all these things
Once I asked a poor soul if she could go to look for a soul I
had been asked to find out about. She replied: “No, it is the
Mother of Mercy who tells us about it.” Also, the souls in
Heaven do not come to Purgatory. On the other hand, the angels are there: Saint
Michael...and each soul has its guardian angel with it.
Maria, does the devil have permission to attack us at the moment
of death?
Yes, but man also has the grace to resist him, to push him away.
So, if man does not want anything to do with him, the devil can do nothing.
Pray hard! Prepare him for death; one must speak the truth.
Maria, I would like to ask you: at the moment of death, is there a
time in which the soul still has the chance to turn towards God, even
after a sinful life, before entering into eternity - a time, if you like,
between apparent death and real death?
Yes, yes, the Lord gives several minutes to each one, in order to
regret his sins and to decide: I accept or I do not accept to go see
God.
Maria, do the souls in Purgatory rebel when faced with their
suffering?
No! They want to purify themselves; they understand that it
is necessary
Maria, are there any children in Purgatory?
Have people from other religions-for example, Jews - come to visit
you?
Yes, they are happy. Anyone who lives his faith well is happy. But
it is through the Catholic faith that we gain the most for Heaven
What happens to people who have committed suicide? Have
you ever been visited by these people?
Up to now, I have never encountered the case of a suicide who was
lost - this doesn’t mean, ofcourse, that that doesn’t exist -but often, the
souls tell me that the most guilty were those around them, when they were
negligent or spread calumny.
What advice would you give, then, to all those people afflicted by
homosexuality, with this tendency in them?
Pray a lot for the strength to turn away from it. They should
above all pray to the Archangel Michael; he is the great fighter par excellence
against the Evil One.
One day, I was on a train and in my compartment there was a
man who didn ‘t stop speaking evil of the Church,of priests, even of God. I
said to him: “Listen, you don’t have the right to say all that, it’s not good.”
He was furious at me. Afterwards, I arrived at my station; I got down from the
train, and said to God: “Lord, do not let this soul be lost.”Years later; the
soul of this man came to visit me; he told me that he had come very close to
Hell, but he was saved simply by this prayer I had said at that moment!
Yes, it’s extraordinary to see that just one thought, one impulse
of the heart, a simple prayer for someone can prevent them from falling into
Hell. It is pride which leads to Hell. Hell is to stubbornly say “NO” against
God. Our prayers can elicite an act of humility in the dying, a single instant
of humility, however small, which can help them to avoid Hell
When the devil appears, does holy water always make
him leave?
It disturbs him very much and he flees at once
Really! What do you think of the practices of spiritism, for
example, calling up the spirits of the departed, Ouija- boards, etc.?
It is not good. It is always evil. It is the devil who makes
the table move
Don’t Forget About
Indulgences!
Mother Church has some wonderful treasures in store for us - let’s
take a closer look at some of them!
“Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the remission of
temporal punishment resulting from sins for themselves and also for the
souls of Purgatory”
Plenary indulgence can be obtained on the following occasions:
·
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for at least one half-hour;
·
recitation of the entire rosary in church, as a family or in
community
·
making the Stations of the Cross;
·
reading Holy Scripture for at least one half-hour;
·
a church visit between noon of November 1 and mid-night of
November 2, for the intention of the deceased;
·
visiting a cemetery, for the intention of the deceased;
·
taking part in a First Holy Communion ceremony, or the first Mass
of a priest, or the anniversary of 25, 50, or60 years of priesthood;
·
renewing one’s baptismal promises during the Easter Vigil;
·
adoration of the Cross during the Good Friday liturgy;
·
papal benediction, even when received listening to the radio or
watching on television.
Yes, Divine Heart of Jesus
Grant me the grace always to live according to your will, as much
in the finest, most joyful, most important moments of my life as in the difficult
moments. Grant me always to be ready for my last hour; give me the courage to
give everything for your love, even my life, if necessary. Jesus, through
your most Holy and painful Passion, may your coming at the hour of my death
find me awake, like a good servant, with true repentance, a good confession,
fortified by the last sacraments. Lord, do not abandon me in my last struggle
on this earth, when I will have to battle against Satan, perhaps raging in
fury. May your Holy Mother, the Mother of Mercy, and Saint Michael and all
the angels, help and protect me against all temptation at the hour I leave
this world. May they strengthen and console me in my pain. Grant me, Lord, at
that hour, a living faith, a firm trust, an ardent love and a great patience.
Help me to commit myself fully, in all clarity of mind, into your hands
and to abandon myself like a little child to your holy peace. In your
infinite goodness and your great mercy, O Jesus, remember me! Amen.
The day of clearing the week- long accumulations at home. The day I wish let the navigators show wrong direction to all the visitors to my home, as I enjoy my laziness and sweat from house hold chores. The day I don't comb my hair, the day I fold my blanket 'n' number of times, the day I watch movies with out seeing it.
