God The Original Intent

Your soul is separated from your body. And at that very instant, you stand before the judgment seat of God. You and Jesus and at times a blessed mother, your guardian angel and St. Michael the Archangel may be there. If you die in friendship with God and arrive perfectly purified, then you enter into heaven. If you are still needing purification, which most of us do, then you are both sent to and choose of your own free will the place in purgatory that God’s justice demands. Mystics reveal to us that St. Michael the Archangel, also known as the angel of purgatory, takes you to your designated place. Tradition and various saints tell us that purgatory is located in the center of the earth near hell, the same heart of the earth that Jesus descended to after his death.

Various mystics such as St. Francis of Rome revealed to us that there are three levels of purgatory. the great purgatory which is the most intense and reserved for those that barely escaped hell through God’s mercy or have many forgiven mortal sins to atone for the second purgatory where very few escape avoiding since here are purified venial sins that have been forgiven but are still in need of atoning. The last level of purgatory is called the threshold of heaven where those go who have any remaining imperfections that need to be purified before they behold the beatotific vision in heaven.

All of these levels are like a real martyrdom as every purgatory mystic reveals that the spiritual fires of purgatory are more painful than even the most painful sufferings on earth. Although typically purgatory is done in the center of the earth, it may also be done in places where a person has sinned or if they had devotion to the eucharist during their life, it may even be done efore the blessed sacrament in chapels. All depends on God’s judgment. This is the reason why what the world calls ghosts, we Catholics call souls in purgatory, who often are allowed to appear to the living to request help and prayers so that their purification may happen faster.

The church has believed in purgatory since the beginning. The earliest known apparition happening in the year 200 to an early Catholic martyr, St. Perpetual. Her brother Dinois appeared to her in a vision displaying an incredible thirst that he was unable to quench. And then after her prayers, he appeared to her able to quench his thirst and delivered of his suffering. Many New Testament scriptures reveal and give us the seeds to the Catholic belief of purgatory. 1 Corinthians 3:15 shows St. Paul saying that he himself will be saved yet so as by fire speaking about a mysterious fire that can bring you to salvation after death. 1 Corinthians 15:29 saying that what will they do that are baptized for the dead if the dead will not rise again indicating that the early Christians would believe that they could affect the state of the souls of those who had already died.

Matthew 5:25 and Luke 12:58, advising us to consent unto your adversary while you were with him on the way, lest perhaps he would hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the torturer, and you are sent into prison. Amen. I say to you, you will not go out from there until you pay the last penny. Revealing quite plainly the reality of a spiritual prison, which is precisely what purgatory is. A less agreed upon passage is out of Luke 16:19 with the rich man, who the rich man also died and was buried. And from the the netherworld where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, “Father Abraham, have pity on me.” Who, because of his being in torment, and yet requesting assistance, was declared by the 13th century St. Peter martyr to be a clear example of a soul in purgatory.

Because of the reality that time stops after death, time in purgatory is experienced significantly different than time on earth. The intense agony makes one moment feel like days and minutes feel like months. There was the famous story of a holy priest who would joke too often and then died and was told by his guardian angel that he would be sentenced to 3 days of purgatory but was given the hope that it will be a short while. Initially consoled, he appeared much later to a spiritual daughter of his saying, “Alas, my guardian angel lie to me as it felt like ages.” Although purgatory will feel different to everyone, most testimonies reveal that one week in purgatory will feel something like 700 years on earth. Although the time for mercy ends the moment we die, and we are then subject to God’s justice, those of us on earth can appeal to God’s mercy on behalf of the souls in purgatory.

Since they no longer pray for themselves, we can come to their aid in various ways. The principal way we can help them is through the offering and attending of the mass. This has been done since the beginning but was famously elevated by Pope St. Gregory the Great after a monk from his community named Justice revealed just before his death that he had kept money in his cell despite the vow of poverty. He died and one month later St. Gregory began a series of 30 consecutive masses, now called Gregorian Masses, for the repose of his soul. He appeared to one of the brothers and revealed his release from purgatory on the very day of the 30th mass.

A second powerful way to assist the souls in purgatory is through the praying of the stations of the cross. A way whose power is revealed by the following story. Two lords owned nearby cities and one of them prayed for the souls in purgatory principally through the stations of the cross but also by donating the proceeds of his city for the poor souls. The other lord led a conquest to take over the devout lord’s city and he succeeded. Not knowing what to do and unable to summon an army, the devout lord called upon the souls in purgatory. And from a distance came a large army of souls clad in white shining armor carrying the instruments of their redemption. Namely the instruments had been used to torture our Lord in his passion.

The souls in purgatory may also be assisted by the praying of the rosary as is especially highlighted by the example of the famous thief of purgatory who prayed so many rosaries for the souls in purgatory that upon his death it was revealed to him that he had released more than 1 million souls through the praying of the rosary. All of which came to greet him and to bring him to his eternal reward upon his death. We can also assist the souls in purgatory through various simple sacrifices throughout our day as is given in the example of the nun who was encouraged by her superior to sacrifice drinking water in between meals even on hot days. She accepted this challenge and after she died, she appeared gloriously to her superior, revealing that the glass of water she sacrificed to the Lord was held by her guardian angel. And while she was in purgatory, he came amidst the flame and extinguished the fires with that single glass, thereby releasing her into eternal glory.

There are three days on which the souls in purgatory can receive the most amount of help from us. The feast of the assumption of the blessed virgin Mary on August 15th since it commemorates the day she entered heaven. Many souls are released on this day. November 2nd, the feast of all souls, where every single soul in purgatory, no matter whatever is the punishment, is able to receive prayer from the church. And on Christmas Day, December 25th, the day revealed by Maria Simma and other purgatory mystics to be the day on which the most souls in purgatory are released each year. (Easter?)

Many stories from purgatory reveal the tremendous benefit that we on earth receive when we pray for these poor souls. There is a famous story of the Jesuit priest who while traveling in Italy to an important meeting where they were carrying donations for their religious order were protected by robbers by the souls in purgatory because at each hour during their travel they would stop and pray for them. The souls quite literally held the robbers still as they were about to shoot them, giving them enough time to get away in their horse coach. Then there was the famous story of the priest in purgatory that appeared to a humble convent in Italy over 30 times to repay the money that he had stolen during his life. Because of their prayers and masses for him, he promised always to intercede and protect their convent.

Lastly, there was a story of the woman who had lost her job yet offered her last bit of savings for masses for the souls in purgatory. A young man appeared to her and revealed a job that was being offered just down the road. She arrived to find out that the young man had died a year earlier and he was in fact the son of the woman who owned the house. They have even offered to help in much more spectacular ways. In the 1800s, a holy priest in Ireland offered 100 consecutive masses for the souls of the Irish who had been killed in the potato famine. On the 100th mass that night appeared on the gable of his parish church, the blessed mother, St. Joseph, and St. John, as well as Jesus, the lamb of God. An apparition which incredibly blessed that church and the country of Ireland.

The church, in light of the great suffering that is in purgatory, has offered both us and the souls in purgatory ways to avoid it and shorten its duration. Chief among these are indulgences, both partial and plenary. A greatly misunderstood church teaching where we perform certain prayers as well as a few other requirements so that ours and others purgatory may be greatly shortened. Hundreds, if not thousands of saints and regular Catholic people, even people of other religions, have had souls in purgatory appear to them, sometimes regularly, both to ask for help, to remind them of the reality of purgatory, or to thank them for assistance given. This all too often forgotten teaching of the Catholic Church is closer to us than we realize. They often seek our help in very subtle ways, little reminders to us that although they may be saved, they are still in need of prayer and purification.

If we knew the relief they received when we pray for them and the incredible help they can give us, we would never forget our brothers and sisters in purgatory. Before you go, if you have loved learning about purgatory through this video and you want to find a beautiful way to teach your own children, then this book, All Hallows Eve, is an incredible way to do so. I have been reading it to my four and six-year-old over the last few days, and they have loved it. It has taught them about purgatory. It has taught them to pray for the souls in purgatory. Following four young children that go into a cemetery and have an encounter that teaches them all about these things in a way written for young children, but also that adults can get something profound out of it. It is beautifully illustrated and has a powerful timeless message that all of us should learn.