How TO AV O I D

P U R G AT O R Y
‘

TH l S “T HE BO O ' O U G H T TO
BE R EA D BY EVE RY C AT H O LI C .

BY
’
FR . P A U L O S U LL I V A N , O . P .

[E D M ]
. . .
H O W TO AVO I D

P U R G A TO R Y

T H IS LI T TLE BO O ' O U G H T TO
BE R EA D BY EVE R Y C A T H O LI C .

BY

P A UL O S U L L I V A N , o
I

'
FR . . P .

[E o M '
. . .

AS S O C I AT I O N O F TH E H O LY so ul s

ED I CDES DO C OR P O S A NT O
3 2 -3 4 T y c v essa do C o rpo S a nt o

L isb o n - Z P o rt ug a l
 Fo r e w or d .

Our L ord came on Earth expressly t o give us a

pe rfect R edempti on He gave us a Law of L ove a
.
,

R eli gi on made in every way t o su i t ou r h u man hearts ,

destined t o make us h oly and happy His C ommand .

ments C ounsels and Pr omises a l l breath peace j oy

, , ,

mercy and l ov e .

The idea that near ly all o f us shall n otwithstanding

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, ,

have t o pass a peri od m ore or less l ong in the excru

ciat in g fires o f Pur g at ory a fter death seems t o be at

varian ce with this all merciful and l oving plan of our

Divine L ord .

It is true that we are weak and fall m any times and

’
that G o d s justice is rigor ous and exactin g but it is .

’
e qually certain that G od s mercy a n d l ove are ab ove .

all His Wo rks .

It is n o les s certain that Our L ord has given us

abundant grace and strength t o save us from sin and
many and m ost efficacious mean s of satisfying f or an y
sins that we may have c ommitted .

This last fact seems t o be a l most entirely overlooked

or imperfe ctly underst o od by the maj ority o f Cath olics .

Of c ourse th os e w h o go on deliberately sinning and

w h o make n o effort t o c orrect their faults and refuse
t o use t h e many wonderful means G od offers them for
satisfying f or sin c ondemn themse lves t o Purgat ory
, .

The object of this little b ook is t o sh ow h ow we can

av oid Purgat ory by using the means G od has so gener
ou sl y offered us ' and sec ondly that the use of these
, ,
‘

means is within the reach of every ordin ary C h rist ian .

The careful perus al of the se pages will b e a s ource

o f m u ch benefit and c ons olati on t o al l w h o r ead them .

The Auth or o ffers them t o the l oving Hea rt of Jesus

an d a sks Him t o bless them .
 C an w e av o i d P u rgat o ry Y e s.

Many th ink th at it is pra ctically impossible f or th e

ordinary Chri stian t o a v oid Purgat ory G o there we .

all must so the

y say .

They laughin gly remark : ' Well f or us if we ever get

there' : A l as l when t oo late th ey will rec ogni z e h ow
, ,

terribly rash th eir w ords are .

As a c onsequence of such fatalistic ideas many make

no se ri ous eff ort t o av o id Purgat ory or even t o le ssen

the term they may h ave t o pass there .

T h ank G od all do n ot h old su ch gl oo my views .

We s h al l st ri ve i n t h e f ol l o w i n g p a g e s
t o s h ow

a ' H ow
all ca n n ot ably sh o rte n the ir peri o d o f
expiati on in Purgat ory '
b ' And h ow t hey may even a v oid Pu rgat ory alt o ~

gether .

These pag es are well wo rth reading an d re read ing -

.

The fact is that a great n umber of s ouls go t o Purgat ory

and remain there f or l ong years simply because th ey
have never been t old how they c ould av oid it .

The means we suggest are easy practical and within ,

the rea ch of al l M ore over far from bein g irksome th e

.
, ,

use of the se means will only serve to make our lives on

this Earth h olier and happier and will take away the
exa ggerated fear of death which terrifies so m any .

We ask y ou dear R ead er t o put this little b ooklet

, ,

in th e hands of a l l your friends Y ou cann ot do th em .

a greater service .
 H ow ca n we a v oi d P ur g ator y .

The reas on why we have t o pass thr ough P urgat ory

after de ath is b ecause w e have co mmitt ed sins and have
n ot m ade satis f a cti on f or them .

Every individual sin must be expiated in th is life

or the ne x t N ot even the sli ght est shad ow of sin or
.

evil can en t erth e all h oly presence o f G od

'

The graver the m ore frequent the sins the l onger

,

will be the peri od of expiati on a n d the m ore intense

the pam .

It is n ot Go d s fault n or G od s wish that we go to

’ ’

Purgat ory The fault is al l our ow n

. .

We have sinne d and have not made sat isfacti on .

Even after ou r sin Go d in His infinite goo dn ess , ,

pla ces at ou r disp osal many easy and efficaciou s m eans

by which we may c onsiderably lessen our term of expi
ati on or even entire ly can cel it
, .

Most Christians with inc omprehensible rashness neg

, ,

l ect the se means and so have t o pay their debts in the

dreadful pris on h ouse of Purgat ory .

We will brie ' y enumerate s ome of the principal m eans

by which we can av oid Purgat ory or at least lessen , ,

its seve rity and durati on .

T h e f irst mea n s of av o idin g P urg at ory is m anifestly

to rem ov e the cause which , is sin .

It may n ot be e asy t o all even the re f rain from ,

smaller sins but every ordinary Christian can by the

, ,

frequent use o f the Sacraments easily a bsta in from ,

m ortal sin .

Sec ondly we can all av oid del ib erate an d grav e venial

,

sin It is an awful th in g t o offend the good G od del i

.

b eratel y Deliberati on intensifies en orm ously th e malice

.

of sin a n d offends G od much m ore than faults of

wea kne ss or sins committ ed when we are o f f our guard
, .
 Lastly we must use ou r b est e ndeav ours t o b reak
,

off bad habits Habits like deliberati on add seri ously

.
, ,

t o the malice of sin .

A del ib erat e falseh ood is very much w orse than a

has ty lie of e xcuse an d a lie resulting from the in vete
r at e ha b it o f lying is very much w orse than a casu al l ie
'

A lady on ce to ld us h ow she had when y ounger , ,

th e habit of c onstantly speaking il l of her neighb ours .

Havin g heard a serm on on the subject she t ook a

str on g res oluti on never t o do so again and kept it , .
.

That simple str ong res oluti on changed the who le

,

trend of her life and saved her fr om th ousands of sins

and m ost surely fr om a l ong and p ai nful Purgat ory .

Wh o cann ot make a l ike res oluti on and keep it '

If a Christian av oids as he easily can these three , ,

class es o f sin v iz
, m ortal sins deliberate and grave
, ,

venial sins and habits o f sin it will be relatively easy

, ,

f or him t o at one f or faults of frailty as we shall pre

sen t l y see .

R esol u tion .

We w ould be well advised pron ounc e with special to

emphasis and ferv our every time we say the Our Father
the w ords :
' F orgive us ou r trespasses as w e forgive th ose w h o

trespass again st us ' .

These are the very w ords of G od Himself and repeat

ed frequently and fervently will certainly obtain f or

us pard on of our sins .

 6 '

T he se con d mea n s of
this sat isf y in g f or [
ou r sin s in
life is b y d oing penan ce ' D o penance o r y ou shall .

all likewise perish ' D o pe nance or y ou w ill burn long

.
,

years in Purg at or y is a fact that there is n o gettin g

away from .

This is a terrifying th ought an d on e that makes th e

bravest man shudder Wh ich o f us d oes n ot tremble .

when we think of th ose w h o h ave been burnt t o death

in a sl ow fire ' What fear would n ot b e ours if w e
had t o face a similar death ' Y et their suffering was
re latively of sh ort durati on The inc omparably fiercer .

fire of Purgat ory which we may have t o fa ce may

, ,

last 2 0 o r 5 0 or 1 00 y ears'
, ,

Many pe opl e have such a h orr or of penanc e that

they never even dream of practising it It is like t he .

fear that children have of gh osts a very great but a ,

very unfounded fe ar .

Their idea is that penan c e is s omething aw ful ' They

think perhaps of the severe penanc es of the great saints
, ,

and of c ourse are afraid t o attem pt any thing of a

, ,

l ike kin d .

G od d oes n ot ask us as a rule to do what is he roic , , .

Wh en He d oes He give s us all the stren gt h necessary ,

as in the cas e of the sai nts He asks e ach on e t o do a .

little If we a re a f raid and it is only nat u ral that some

.
,

sh ould b e of d oing much let us do a little N o on e but

, , .

a c oward is afraid t o do a little especially if he gets

mu ch in exchan g e .

The easy r o ad t o Heaven of Little Saint Teresa is

t o do many littl e things .

G od was infinitely please d w ith the w id ow s mite

’

He will b e equally plea sed with our littl e penance s .

As a result of l ittl e m ortificat ions w e can deliv er our

selves from the aw fu l fires of P u rgat ory and amass rich
merits f or H eaven .
 T o go fu rthe r int o the matter there is n ote m u ch diff i,

culty ab ou t m ortifi cati on or penan ce notw ithstanding ,

the abs urd fear th at people have of it .

Penance is n ot only easy it is u seful and ne cessary,

‘
and it will bri ng us ve ry great happin ess N ot t o do .

pen an ce is the greatest penance of all .

As a matt er of fact every man of t h e w orld n aturally ,

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spontane ously mo rtifies h imself .

T h e first principle f or instanc e of p oliteness a n d

, ,

goo d br eeding i s t o sacrifice ou r whims an d tastes f or

the sake of o thers The selfish man is a b ore the gen
.
’

er ou s man is the id o l of all .

Again th e only way of securing go od health is t o

eschew the m ost appetisin g viands when they do us
harm and t o make use of plain foo ds when they do us
‘
,

oo d f Over e ating i the c ause o f the vast maj ority of

g s

s ickness and premature dea ths .

T o take an other example T h e secret of success is

.

strenu ous meth o dical regula r w ork

, , .

N ow gener o sity self denial meth o d re gularity are

, , ,

o ther f orms of ve ry genuine but practical m ortific ati on .

Y et n o man can ge t on with out them T o insist on ou r .

o w n li kes a n d dislike s t o do only as we please is t o

,

lead a life brist l ing with difficulties in which every ,

du ty is a burden every goo d act an effort an d a lab our

, .

B oy scouts and girl guides are b ound t o do a kin d

act every day ev en th ough it c osts them a big effort
, .

Christi ans sh ould s ure ly do m ore Daily acts of self .

restraint of patien ce with others o f kindness t o others

, , ,

the exa ct f ulfil ment of duty are splendid penances an d

a gr eat aid t o happiness .

R esol u tion .

If we are afraid t o do much let us do m any little

things .
 -
8

T h ir d mean s b y w hich w e can avo id P u rg at o ry

T he
is very easy It c onsists in makin g a virtue of necessity
.
,

by h earing patiently what we cann ot av oid al l the more ,

as su ffering , b orn p atien tl y , b ecomes easy an d l ig ht .

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Sufferin g if accepted with calm ness and f or God s sake
l oses all its sting . If received badly in the spirit of ,

rev olt and with repu gnance it is intens ified a hundre d

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f old and b ec omes al n iost int olerable

,
.

Every on e in th is V al e of tears has t o fac e sorrows

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innumerable and infinite in variety Cr osses light and

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cr oss es heavy are the l ot of us al l Strange as it may .

seem these s orr ows which m ost of us w ould gladly

,
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dispense with are in truth G o d s greatest g races They
, .

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a re th e little share He offers us of H is Passi on an d

which H e asks us t o bear f or l ove of Him and as

penance f or our sin s .

B orne in this spirit they will lessen c onsiderably ou r

time in Purgat ory and very p ossibly compl et el y remo ve
it with this differenc e that Purg at ory even a P ur
g at o ry o f 5 0 or 1 0 0 years will in n o wise increas e

ou r merits in Heaven whereas every p ain and s orr ow ,

a n d disap p ointment in th is life will lesse n ou r suffering

in Purgat o ry and al so bring us m ore happi ness and

gl ory in Heaven
H ow sad it is that so many Christians f or want of
th ou ght make their sufferings a th ousands times w orse
than they are and l ose all the i mmense merits that they
c ould so easily gain .

R esol u tion .

Let us suffer w ith calmness and sere nity f or the l ove

of G od We sh all thus save ourselv es from Purga
.

t ory .
 T h e Fo u rt h me an s b y w h ich w e can l esse n ou r t ime
in P u rg at or y , or av oid it alt ogether is by frequent ,

C onfessi on C ommuni on and daily assistance ai Mass

' '

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,

C onfessi on applie s t o ou r s ouls the P reci ous Bl ood

of Christ wipes o u t ou r sins
, g ives us light t o see their
,

malice fills us with h orr or of si n an d ab ove all it

, , ,

gives us stren g th t o av oid it .

In H oly C ommuni on w e receive the G od of infinit e

me rcy an d l ove the G od of all sanctity w h o c omes
, ,

e xpressly t o p ard on ou r sins and help us t o sin n o

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m ore .

He vis ited the h ouse of Z acch eu s once an d in that ,

on e visit Z acch eu s obtained c omplet e ard n f all hi s

p o o

sms .

H ow is it p ossibl e that t h e same G od of g oodness

,

and sweetness can c ome n ot int o o u r h ouses but int o

, ,

ou r very hearts in H oly C ommuni on and n ot give us

the same and even greater graces He visited Z acch eus .

once He visits us every day if we all ow Him

, .

Many alas never feel never grasp the imm ense j oys
,

an d c ons olati on o f H oly C ommuni on .

The Mass is identical with the Sacrifice o f Calvary ,

in its essence in its value in the graces it be st ows The

, , .

Sacrifice o f Calvary saved all the world milli ons and ,

milli ons of s ouls and was sufficient t o save c ountless

,

o ther sinful w orlds had th ey e x isted By assisting at -

Mass we can apply all these oceans of grace s t o our ow n

sou l s and that n ot o nce but every day
, .

R esol u tion .

Let us go t o Mass and H ol y C ommuni on every day .

We can do n o t hin g better One day with M ass and .

C ommun i on is w orth a 1 00 days w ith out them .

 10

T he Fi f t h w ay of a v oi din g P u r g at or y .

S om e W i se Cath olics have a really grea t if simple , ,

secret which is well worth learning an d using f or our

ow n benefit .

G od pr omise s us in the m ost s olemn and delibe rate

way 'and He cann ot fail t o do what h e promises '
, ,

that He will give us everyt hing we ask in prayer if it ,

is g ood for us .

N ow t w o c onditi ons e specially m ake prayer in f al l i

, ,

ble namely perseverance and faith G od cann ot refuse

, .

such a prayer .

These Cath olics we speak of pray e xpressl y e v er y

, ,

day of t h eir l ive s that G od will free them from P ur

g at o r y .In every single prayer they say in every M ass ,

they hear in every goo d act they p erform the y hav e

,

the ex press intenti on of asking G od first of all and

with all their hearts t o deliver them from Purgat ory .

H ow ' That is f or G od t o decide .

It is n ot e asy t o see h ow G od can p ossibly refuse such

c onstant unceasing prayer ' The fact that they are said
,

daily and many time s in the day f or 2 0 30 5 0 y e ars , ,

sh ows that they are s ai d w ith und oubting faith an d

magnificent perseverance .

We e xh ort all ou r readers t o ad opt this practi se The .

m ore they kn ow an d think on Purgat ory the m ore fer

‘
v en t l y w il l they make this prayer .

R esol u tion .

Every time w e say th e Hail Mary let us say with

all the ferv our of our hearts the words : ' Pray f or us
s inners n ow and at t he h ou r o ou r deat h
f Am en . .
 S o me great S ain t s g iv e u s a six t h me t h od of av oiding
P urgat ory They say that when a sick person b ec om es
.

aware th at he is dyin g and offers t o G od his death

w ith perfect resignatio n it is v ery lik ely that he will go

straig ht t o Heaven .

Death is the awful punishment of sin and when we

accept it as of c ours e we ought t o do with submissi on
, ,

and resignati on ou r act pleases G od so much that it

may satisfy perfectly for all sins .

The idea of P ope Pius ' was th e sa m e when he

g ra n t ed a plenary indulgence at the h ou r of death t o
.

th os e w h o say at least after on e H oly C ommuni on the

following prayer :.

' Eternal Father fr om this da f rward I a ccept with

y o

a j oy f ul and resigned he art the death it will plea se y ou

- f

t o send me with all its pai ns and sufferin g s '

'
.

It wi ll b e bett er still t o say this prayer after ev ery

H oly C ommuni on we receive .

’
It is f or our be st in terest t o a ccept G od s will in
e v eryt hin g that happens t o us in life and in death .

N othing can be easier when w e remembe r that G od

always wishes what is best f or us If we do what G od .

d o es n ot will we sh all su re l y su ffer .

R esol u tion .

Let us say with spe cial fervour each time we repeat

the Our Father th e words : T hy w il l b e done In all .

our troubles small and great l et u s do likewis e Thus

, , .

eve rything is a merit .

By this simple act we ch ange s orrow int o j oy the ,

worries o f life int o gold for Heaven .

 — 12

T he S e v e n t h m e an s of a v oi din g P u r g a t or y .

G od H imself has g1v en us a Sacrament the end of

which is t o take us directly t o Heaven This Sacramen t .

is E x treme U ncti on which acc ording t o St Th omas and

, .

St Albert was instituted especially t o obtain f or us the

.

grace of a h oly and happy death and t o prepare us f or

immediat e entrance int o H eaven .

Many Catholics do n ot understand this m ost c ons oling

d oc trine and because they do n ot understand it they
, ,

prepare themselve s insufficiently f or the recepti on of

Extreme U ncti on an d so l os e many of its great graces .

Every Sacrament pr operly received pr oduces its effect .

Baptism cleanses us fr om Ori g inal sin and any other

actual sins that may have been c ommitte d by adults
before receivin g the Sacrament .

The Sacrament o f Ho ly Orders gives a priest all his

tremend ous p owers Matrimony makes man and w oman
.

husband and wife I n the same way Ex treme U ncti on

.
,

if dev outly received prepares the dyin g Christian f or

,

immediate e ntran ce int o Heaven thus delivering h im ,

fr om Purgat ory .

H ow f oolish it is therefore t o put off receiving this

, , ,

Sacrament until very late when the dying persons i s t oo

exhausted t o r eceive it with full kn owle dge of what
he is d oing and with due ferv our and dev oti on T he .

m oment of death is t he su p reme m om ent in ou r lives .

It is the m oment which decides our fate f or all Eternity .

R esol u tion .

Let us use ev ery means 1 n our po wer t o secure a

happy and h oly death esp ecial l y by receiving m ost de
,

v ou t l
y and as
, s oon as p oss ible Extr eme U ncti on , .
 I n du l g e n ce s an d P u r g a t or y .

G od in His i nfinite mercy and c ompassi on o ffers us

a m ost w onderful and easy means f or l essening or can
cellin g our Purgat ory .

Fully aware o f ou r w eakness an d kn owing t oo h ow , ,

fearful many are of penance He opens wide the treasury

,

of His G oo dness and o ffers us m ost abundant I n du l gen

ces in e x change f or s ome small act of dev oti on .

F or on e recitati on of sh ort ejaculat ory prayers He ,

grants 1 0 0 or 3 0 0 or m ore days of Indulgence These .

‘
we may say hundreds of times in the day .

Th ose w h o say the little ejaculati on : ' Sacred Hea rt

o f Je sus I place my trust in Thee ' on e hundred times a
_
.

day gain
r-
days Indulgence Th ose w ho say it .

times as many do gain

, , days Indul gence ,

each day .

N othin g can be easi er than t o a cquire th e habit of ‘

saying this little prayer all day l ong countless times ,

each day .

Then f or ea ch H ail M ary of the R osary on e gai ns

m ore than days Indulgence '
‘
Besides an immense number of partial I ndulgences
there are very many pl en ar y indulgenc es which may
be gained during life and at the h our of death .

These are special l y given by the Church t o enabl e

us t o av oid Purgat ory
These Indul g ences can be applied t o ou r o w n s ouls
and we thus directly make satisfacti on f or our sins Or . ,

w e may apply them t o the s ouls in Purg at ory w h o w ill

see t o it that we do n ot l ose by ou r gener osity .

R esol u tion .

Let us strive to ga in all po ssible Indulgences .

 T h e T hir d Or de r s .

Am ong th e extra ordinary graces which C ath olics gain

by bec oming membe rs of a Third Order are a share in
many Masse s and prayers .

T o menti on f or instance the Third Or der of Saint

, ,

D ominic of which Benedict ' V himself a Tertiary , ,

says : ' One of the easiest and m os t effectual ways of

reachin g a high degre e of sanctity is by bec oming a
D ominic an Tertiary' .

The members o f this o rder receive during life a sh are

ev ery day in th ousands o f Masses and prayers and ,

after death when alas ' so many are ne g lected by their

,

relatives th ose w h o are members of this Third Order

,

have a share daily in other th ousands of Masses and

'

prayers this f or as l ong as they remain in Purgat ory

, .

Am ong the many b eautiful characteristics of the

Order of St D ominic is its intense dev otio n an d l ove
.

f or the H oly S ouls especially f or the s ouls of its mem

,

b ers friends and benefact ors

, S o true is this that a
.

y oung Italian n obleman w h o c onsulted the P ope as t o

which R eligi ous Order he wo uld do well t o ent er t e
ceiv ed f or answer : ' My dear son y ou may with much ,

profit j oin any of the Orders f or in e ach y ou will find

abundant means of bec omin g a Saint After death .
,

h owever be a D ominican ' T h e H oly Father meant

, .

t o imply that the suffra g es given after death t o their

deceased members are indeed m ost abundant in the
, ,

D ominican Order .

The co nditi ons of bec oming a mem b er of th 1 s order

are so easy and the advantages so many that half the
world w ould bec om e D ominican Tertiaries did they
kn ow these a dvantages .

Write t o an y D ominican Father f or informati on .

 S t J ame s t he
Apo st l e g1 v es a n oth er very e ffe ctual
meth od of av oiding o r lessening our stay in Purgat ory
.
,

He says : ' He w h o saves a s oul saves his ow n and sat

isf ies f or a multitude o f sins ' .

If s ome on e were fortunate en ou gh h o save the life

o f a ' in g s only son
’
the heir t o his thr one from a
,
,
,

horrible death what reward mi ght he n ot ex pect t o

'

receive fr om the grateful m onarch ' N o ' in g h owever , ,

‘
co uld be as grat efu l t o and an x i ous t o reward the pers on
w h o saved his so n as G od is gr ateful and ready t o
'

reward the pe rs on w h o saves on e s oul from Hell .

All of us may m a th ousand different ways sav e n ot

, ,

one but many s ou ls fr om Hell For instance :

‘
.

l .
t “
We can do so by prayin g earnestly f or the m .

’
H ow often d oes n ot a m other save her son s s oul by
h er fe rvent prayers We can save s ouls by giving good
advice and als o by ou r g o od example H ow many b oys
.

'

ow e their sterlin g q ualities t o the wise c ounsels of a ]

good Father or friend '

'

2 .
d
The m ost efficac i ous m eth od of sav mg s ouls
1n

is by pro p ag an da viz : C at h o l ic Act io n .

The incredible ign orance apathy and indiffer ence of ,

Cath olics is t he evil of the day

It is the b ounden duty of Cath olics t o spread ab out
~

th ousands and th ousand s of pamphlets of all kinds full ,

of life V i g our and burn i ng interest crisp incisive clear

, , , ,

and str on g O t h e rw ise t h e se are u se l ess

.
z .

Each pamphlet or l eaf l e t must carry a message straight

r

t o the h eart of the reader r ousing him co nvincin g him , , ,

galv anising him int o acti on .

 T id P
‘
o av o u rgat o r y
do as fol l o w s

I . In e very prayer y ou say every Mass y our h ear , k g

,

e v ery C ommuni on y ou receive every good w ork y ou ,

perform have the exp r ess intenti on of impl oring G od ‘

t o grant y ou a h oly and happy death and n o Purga

t ory Surely G od will hear a prayer said with such
.

c onfidenc e an d p erse v erance .

II Always wish t o do G od s will It is in every

.
-
.

sense the best f or y ou When y ou do or seek anyt hing

'

th at is n o t G od s will y ou are sure t o suffer

’
.

S ay therefore fervently each time y ou recite the Our

, ,

Father T h y w il l b e don e
. .

I II Accept all the sufferi ngs s orr ows pains and

.
, ,

disapp ointments of life be they great or small ill health , , ,

l oss of g oods the death of y our dear ones heat or c old

, , ,

rain or sunshine as c oming fr om G od Bear them calmly .

and patie ntly for l ove of Him and in penanc e f or y our

sins Of course on e may use all his efforts t o ward of f
.

“
.

tr ouble and pain but when on e cann ot av oid it let him

,

bear it manfully .

Impatience and r ev olt make sufferings v astly greater

and m ore diffic ult t o bear .

’
IV Christ s life a n d acti ons are so many less on s
.

f or us t o imitate .

The greatest act in His life was His Passi on As He .

had a Passion so ea ch on e o f us has a Passi on Ou r .

Passi on c onsists in the sufferings and lab ours of every

,

day The penance G od imp osed on man f or sin was

.

t o gain his bread with the sweat o f his br ow Therefore .

let us do ou r w ork a ccept its disap pointments and ,

h ardshi ps and h ear our pa ins in uni on with the Passi on

 18

ofChrist We gain m ore merit by a little pai n than by

.

years of pleasure .

V . F orgive all in j uries and o ffence s for inprop orti on

as we for give others G od forgives us .

VI Av oid m ortal sins delibe rate venial sin s and

.
,

bre ak of f bad habits Then it will be relatively easy .

’
t o sa tisfy G od s justic e f or sins o f frailty Abov e all .

av oid sins a gainst charity and ch as tity in th ou ght w ord ,

and deed f or thes e sins are the rea so n why many s ouls '

a re detai ned in Purgat o ry f or l ong years .

VI I If afraid of d oing much do many little things

.
,

acts of kindness an d charity giv e the alms y ou can , ,

cultivate regularity meth od punctuality in th e perform , ,

an ce of duty ' d on t grumble or c omplain when thin gs ’

’
are n ot as y ou please ' d on t censure and co mplain of
oth ers ' never r efus e t o do a f av our t o others when it is

p ossible .

These and such lik e little acts are a splendid pe nance .

V III D o all in y our po wer f or the H oly S ouls in

.

Purgat ory Pray f or them c onstantly get othe rs t o do

.
,

so j oin the Ass ociati on of the H oly S ouls a n d ask all

,

th ose y ou kn ow t o do likewise T h e H oly S ouls will .

repay y ou m ost generou sly .

I' There is n o m ore po werful way of obt ai ning

.

fr om G od a most h ol y and happy death than by weekly

“

C onfess i on daily mass an d daily c ommuni on

, .

' A daily visit t o the Blessed Sacrament

. it ne ed
only be three or fo ur minute s is an e asy way of
obt ai ning the sam e grac e ' neeling in the presence of .

Jesus with eyes fixed on th e Tabernacle sure th at He ,

is l ookin g at us let u s f or a few minute s repe at s ome

,
‘
little prayer like these : My Jesus mercy My J es u s .

have pity on me a sinner My Jesus I l ove y ou My . .

Jesu s g ive me a happy death .

 H ow we ca n h el p t h e H ol y S ou l s .

I The firs t means is by j oining th e Ass ociati on

. .
of

the So uls of P urgat ory The c on diti ons are easy . .

A s so ci a t i on of the H ol y S ou l s .

A ppro v ed by t he C ardin al P a t ria rch o f L is b on j un e 1 936

l ,
st
T he mem b ers
asked t o send us full name are

and add ress t o : T H E ASSOCIATION 3 2 Travessa do ,

C orpo S ant o Lisb on 2 P ort u g al ,

-
, .

z ud
T he
members must pr omise t o pray daily f or
the H oly S ouls and t o offer Mass on ce a week f or the .

same intenti on 'Sunday s Mass fulfils this obligati on '

-

, .

3 d T o read and propagate literature on Purgat ory

r . .

' we rec o mmend the b o oklets ' R ead me or rue it ' and
' H ow t o av oid

h
4 t
The me mbers a re asked t o c ontribute a small
yearly alms The alms is used in having Masses said f or
.

the H oly S ouls and f or the publishing of b ooks on Pur

g at ory Th o se w h o wish
. t o bec ome Perpetual mem b ers
g ive an alm s 1 0 / or o nce only .

II A sec ond means of helpin g the H oly S ouls is by

.

having Mas se s o ffered f or them This is certainly t h e .

m ost efficaci ous way of relievin g them .

I II Th ose w h o cann ot g et many M asses o ffered

.
,

owing t o want of mean s ought t o assist at as many

‘

Masses a s p ossible f or this intenti on .

A y oung man w h o was earning a very m odest salary, ,

t old the w riter : ' My wife die d a few years ago I g ot .

1 0 Masses said f or h er I co uld n ot p ossibly do m ore .

but h eard 1 0 0 0 f or her dear s oul ' .

IV The recital of
. th e R sary with its in numerable
o

indulgences th e Way , of th e Cross which is als o richly

,
indulgence d are excellent m eans of helping the H oly
,

S ouls .

Blessed J ohn of M assias as we saw released fr om

, ,

Purgat ory m ore than a milli on s ouls chiefly by recit ,

in g the R osary an d o ffering its innumerable in du l

n es f or them
g e c .

V An other easy and e fficaci ous way is by the

.

constant repetiti on o f sh ort indulgenced prayers Many .

pe ople have the cust om of sayin g 5 0 0 or 1 0 0 0 t irnes ,

each day the little ejaculati on ' Sacred Heart o f Jesus ,

I place my trust in Thee ' or the on e w ord ' j esu s' .

These are m ost c ons oling dev oti ons and bring oceans
of grac es t o th ose w h o practise them and give immense

relief t o th e H oly S ouls .

Th ose w h o say the ejaculati ons 1 000 times a day gain

day s Indulgence ' What a multitude o f 8 0 11 18
they can thus relieve ' P hat will it n ot be at th e end of
a m onth a year 5 0 years ' And if they do n ot say the
, ,

ejaculati ons what an immense number of graces and

fav ours they shall have l ost It is quite p ossible an d
.

eve n easy t o say these ejaculati ons 1 0 0 0 time s a day .

But if on e d oes n ot say them 1 000 times let him say

them 5 00 or 2 00 times .

VI Still an other p owerful prayer 1 5 : ' Eternal Father

.

‘
I offer y ou the m ost Preci ous Bl ood of Jesus with all
the Masses being said this day al l over the W orld f or
the S ouls in Purgat ory ' .

_
Our L ord sh owed St Ge rtrude a vast number of s ouls
.

leaving Purgat ory and g oing t o Heaven as a result of

this prayer which the Saint was accust omed t o say f re
quently during the day .

VI I The Heroic Act consists in offering t o G od in

.
,

fav our of the S ouls in Purgat ory all the w orks of satis
facti on w e practi se du rin g l ife and all th e suffrage s th at
w ill b e offer ed f or us after death If G od r eward s so.

abundantly the m ost tri fl in g alms given to a p oor man

in His nam e What an immense rewar d will H e n ot give
t o th ose w ho o ffer al l t h eir w or ks of satisfaction in life
and d eath f or th e Souls H e l oves so dearly .

This Act d oes n ot prevent priests fr om offering Mass

f or th e i ntenti ons they wish o r lay pe ople fr om praying -

f or any p ers ons or o th er mt en t ion s they d esir e We .

cou ns el every on e t o make this act .

A l ms h e l p t h e H ol y S ou l s .

St Martin g ave half

. of
his cl oak t o a poor beggar
t o find ou t afterw ards that it was t o Christ he had give n
it Ou r L ord appeared t o him and thanked h im
. .

Blessed J ordan of the Do m i n i can Order c ould n ever

refus e an alms when it was asked in th e name of G od .

On e day he had forgotten his purs e A po or man .

impl ored an alms f or the l ove of G od R ather than .

re f us e him J ordan w ho was then a stu dent gave him

a m
, , ,

o st preci ous girdle which he pri z ed dearly Sho rtly .

after he entere d a church and found his girdle encircling

the waist of Christ Cru cified He t oo had given his .
,

alms t o Christ We al l give our alms t o Christ

. .

R esol u tion .

'
a us
L et give all the alms we can aff ord '
b ' Let us have said all the Masses in ou r p ower '
c' L et u s hear as many m ore as it is possible '
d' Let u s o ffer al l o ur pains an d su fferings for t he,

rel ief of t he H ol y S oul s .

We shall thus deliver countless S ouls from P urgat ory ,

w h o will repay us ten th ou sand times over

'

.
 B o o ks w e r e co m m en d

R ea d Me or R ue it .

Thi s bookl et full y d ese rv es its ti tl e It pu t s before its .

readers th e gr eat d oc tri ne o f Pur gat ory in a striking

way quo ting as auth orities the g eat Saints and D oct ors
, r

of th e Church It grips th e at t enti on fr om th e start an d

.

t akes a m essa ge strai ght t o the hear t .

The auth or of thi s boo k h as foll owed the t r end o f

events in Fatima fr om t h e very beginning and h as had
eve ry oppo rtunity o f obtainin g ex act inf ormatio n of all
tha t has passe d since Ou r La dy appear ed The boo k is .

ful l of inter estin g facts n ot found in other b oo ks and has

t h e uni que pri v il ege o f ha vi n g a letter o f approbati on
from the Bish op of Fatima hi m self w h o h ope s that it ,

wil l ' n d a p l ace in every C ath olic home It is beauti .

fully e di t ed and has a pict ure of Our Lady spe aking t o

the children .

H ow t o be h a p p y , H ow to be H o ly .

This book has ar ouse d the w ides t interest and is ,

eagerly r ead by pe ople o f al l cl ass es by d oct ors law , ,

y e rs
, pr o fessors even,by Pr ote t an ts I t h as th e appr o
s .

ba f i on of many Bish ops .

T he La n d of the E u ch ar i s t .

A thril l in g st ory of ol d P ort ugal . Its every page is fu ll

of in teres t.
 T he W on ders of C on fession is read w ith th e great est
'

pleasure by Cath olics an d Protestants It is a r ev elation .

to all .

V isit s t o t h e B l e sse d S acr ame n t makes its read ers

r ealiz e clearly the R eal P r esen ce
car din al M ermil l od an d t h e Act ress is a w ond erfu l
l ittle st ory .

T he S t or y of a G r e a t M an .

A sh ort sket ch of the l ife of th e great statesman

' Sala z ar ' .

Ov e r t h r ee C e n t u r ie s of H istor y
Over 3 00 years of Irish D ominican Hist ory in Lisb on
in cluding a sh ort life of Fr P aul O S u l l iv an
’
. .

These b ooks may b e got th r ough any Cath ol ic b ook

-
se ller or fr om

E dicdes do C orpo Sant o

32 T . do C orpo S ant o , Lisb on 2 P ortugal -
,

I N I R E L AN D :
D omimcan Publications
‘
St Sa vi ou r s D orset St D ubl in
’
. . .

Sa int Martin Ap ost olate

3 0 Parnell Square D ublin .

D ominican Bureau
’
P ope s ' u ay C ork .

I MP R I M A T U R

Ol y ssip on e , die 29 S ep . 1 9 86

C an on i cus E mman u el A n aqu im, V G . .

C um P er missu S up erioru m
 I copy 30
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Order fr om
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'

C omposto e impresso us T ip . da L . C . G . G .

R ua ' oao P ereira da R osa, 18 L I S BOA