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Prayer is our ticket to ride!

      Who wants to stand in line? Very few, and very few would want to stand in line ad infintum in Purgatory after getting a glimpse of the Beatific Vision and then being denied this wonderful privilege until we have served our time in purification for entering into Heaven forever. But that could take months, or years or decades or centuries if we do not prepare ourselves here on earth. As we complete our short series on IN COMMUNION WITH THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS we point out it's our choice we can help those who need our help the most right now - the poor and abandoned souls in Purgatory - and count on their help later, or we can ignore them and stand in line in Purgatory while we wait, wait, wait and wait some more. Our surest ticket to avoiding this long line is prayer, especially in November for the holy souls who depend on us to shorten their stay. For the Eighty-third installment of this on-going megaseries, click on WHERE IS HOLY MOTHER CHURCH HEADING AS WE NEAR THE MILLENNIUM?.

      As we conclude this short series it's time to purge ourselves of the idea that Heaven's a cakewalk. Our Lord Himself said in Matthew 7: 14, "How narrow the gate and close the way that leads to life! And few there are who find it." The controversy rages on that there is no Purgatory. Protestant ministers claim that since the word "Purgatory" is not in the bible, it doesn't exist. They forget that the word "Trinity" is included anywhere in Sacred Scriptures either, but it's a fact of life that the Triune Divinity truly exists. Though the specific word "Purgatory" is missing, there are enough scriptural passages to verify such a place exists. Besides Sacred Scripture, the Traditions and Doctrines of the Holy Roman Catholic Church and the Creed unequivocally pronounce the existence of this "waystation" between Heaven and earth where those within the framework of the Communion of Saints have passed from the Church Militant to the Church Suffering while waiting to be purified in order to enter the ranks of the Church Triumphant. Sadly, since Vatican II there's been a de-emphasis on the existence of Purgatory. As a result, many have ceased praying for the holy souls who have left this earth. We have been given the false impression by many modernists that these souls are all in Heaven. Perhaps we're assuming too much on God's love and not enough on His equally necessary Mercy and Justice. We've heard often enough, "there's no such thing as a 'free lunch'!" and we must come to the stark realization that not all leave this world on an express train to Heaven. For centuries most souls have had to wait in line to get into Heaven. Take a number, so to speak...yes, even saints. Why then would it change in the last half of this century when the world has become more wicked than the time of Sodom and Gomorrah? We're kidding ourselves and it'll be no joke when we get there and realize we've got a long, long, long wait. But then we'll have an eternity to wait, right?!?

      Holy Mother Church in her wisdom has mitigated some of the harshness that once seemed to make God a severe Judge and nothing more. But it is vital for us in these end times to remember that God is truly a God of Love - of Mercy and desires salvation of all His children. By the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, His Only-begotten Son, we receive Merciful Divine Love in the sacramental life of the Church, and through the Mercy of God Himself poured into us through grace. Let us, then, as little, humble children, acknowledge our own sins and work ardously to expiate for them in this, our exile. And let us also, as true children of God, gathered beneath our Heavenly Mother's Immaculate Mantle, proceed with unfailing charity, true heroic charity, to pray for our departed brothers and sisters, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory. By this commitment we place our trust in Almighty God as we surrender all our good works and any merit they might receive, into His hands, to use as He sees fit, ready to appear before Him at the moment of our death, clothed with nothingness, only to receive the blessing of being clothed in the very Mercy of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

      The prayers of the Church Militant are so vital to the Church Suffering that Our Lady imparted powerful promises through Hungarian visionary Mrs. Elizabeth Szanto Erzebet, mother of six who died in 1985. Our Lady's words are recorded in the devotion to the "Flame of Love." "My daughter, your compassion for suffering souls moved my Motherly Heart so much that I will grant the grace that, if anyone anywhere will say 3 Hail Mary's in reference to my Flame of Love, on each occasion A SOUL WILL BE FREED FROM PURGATORY." The Blessed Mother continued with an even more powerful promise which all can practice during the month of November: "Furthermore, in the month of the Holy Souls (November) TEN SOULS WILL BE FREED FROM PURGATORY FOR EACH HAIL MARY... Suffering souls will also feel the effect of the grace coming from my Motherly Flame of Love." When one contemplates this staggering assurance it would be unwise not to heed her guarantee.

      In addition, Saint Gertrude, whose feast we celebrate in two weeks, received a very special prayer that, for some reason, has not been promulgated as it should. It is a very short, but powerful prayer which Jesus imparted to her that would release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it was said devoutly. This SPECIAL PRAYER FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY was also extended by Pope Clement X to include those sinners who are living today by which the person praying this prayer could alleviate the indebtedness accrued during their lives. When one prays the following prayer from the heart countless souls are released from Purgatory at God's will. It is an excellent way as members of the Church Militant to fulfill our role in the Communion of Saints for it allows us to concentrate on what we, as members of the Church Militant, can do to help free the souls from Purgatory:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son Jesus in union with all the Masses said throughout the world today; for the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, in my home and in my family. Amen.

      There is the additional Fatima Prayer for Souls said at the end of every decade of the Rosary:

Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy Mercy.

      Finally, there are the Fifteen Prayers to Saint Bridget as recorded in the Pieta devotional booklets in which Our Lord promises that He will deliver 15 souls of the person's lineage from Purgatory.

      The above prayers are keys to help open the cells of Purgatory and free those abandoned souls. We help them now, they reciprocate by helping us later when we need their intercession the most. It's a win-win situation that we can't afford to ignore. Therefore, in this month of November particularly, and for every day of our lives, let us, as true children of God and members of the Church Militant, ceaselessly pray for the souls in Purgatory. Let's not lose a single opportunity to obtain for them the release they seek but cannot obtain for themselves, so that the Beatific Vision is theirs. Just think of the vast number of souls who could be delivered from Purgatory into the Glory of Heaven through our commitment to prayer! Oh yes, there's another guarantee in this: Those souls will not forget when they join the Church Triumphant. Let us sincerely and with heart-felt prayer ask Almighty God for their release, and in like manner, may those who enter into the joy of Heavenly bliss, pray for and with us for the Triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart that the Reign of the Sacred Heart, the Age of the Divine Will, the New Millennium of Peace, the Era of the Eucharistic Presence, the New Advent and Second Pentecost may come now to this suffering and sorrowful world.

"In truth the enemy lies within yourselves, and thus the destruction I have warned of your nation has already begun, because you, as a nation, have lost God."

      Those words from the Blessed Mother Mary in messages 265 and 266 were imparted to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart back in December 1992 and they would seem even more pertinent today in light of the recent elections in which many pro-abort candidates were reelected. Our Lady warned of this in her messages and that it is not only happening within our country, but also within our Church as satan is taking hold and manipulating the sheep who, out of pride, have turned their back on the Divine Will in favor of material goals. The Blessed Virgin reaffirms that only the prayers of her remnant faithful have staved off total destruction. For messages 265 and 266, click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."

Messages Two Hundred Sixty-five and Two Hundred Sixty-six

      Beloved Hidden Flower, I love and bless you on this and every day. I love and bless all of my children, for my Immaculate Heart loves with God's Infinite Love.

      Many of my little ones have listened to my words. They have willed for their hearts to be converted and are well on the way to holiness.

      But yet I weep. Oh! How lax, yes lazy, are so many of my little ones throughout the world. They seek the easy way in all things - even to loving and honoring my Divine Son. They have taken their fervent religious faith and snuffed out its Advent flame. Their faith is so shallow as to be only a mirage, by which satan fools them while leading them to perdition. They love with their minds and therefore rationalize and justify their excesses of the flesh and their neglect of their soul.

      In this Holy Season of Advent it is my desire for all of my little ones to keep vigil. O! With what joy would heaven respond if the faithful little ones would come before the tabernacle on Christmas Eve, and keep silent watch with Him, your God and Savior. Then would He truly enter into your heart with the great wounding Flame of Divine Love!

      But woe to the world that seeks not God, but prefers its earthly festivities of material goods which are truly given you by God, and which you abuse so profoundly. Woe to all who prefer social gatherings and deny my Divine Son His right to reign supreme on earth as He does in Heaven! May the Most Holy Trinity be forever praised, adored and loved.

      I, the Mother of God, bear Him in my Immaculate Womb. I come bearing Him Who is God, to be born in the womb of your holy soul, that you might be enflamed by His Love, Mercy and Peace.

      Prepare, then, to receive the Divine Infant, for I bring Him to you. In eternity all time is as one point, and this sacred moment occurs for you just as it did long ago in Bethlehem.

      Pray, my little ones. Please pray! Only in this way shall you know Him. Only then can you love and serve Him.

      Behold, He comes. Prepare for Him. Then shall you see clearly the signs given unto you. Then shall you judge wisely, guided by the Holy Spirit in all things.

      I solemnly tell you that the Great Apostasy has happened. Soon my little ones, gathered beneath my Immaculate Mantle, shall be separated from those who follow the lies of those who perpetrate this Apostasy.

      Be humble, little, obedient children and fear nothing. God does not abandon His children. Yet I solemnly tell you awful is His Holy Justice, Which already strikes creation.

      Pray! Pray! Pray! I love and bless you. Thank you for responding to my Call!

      Beloved Hidden Flower, I am here. I come to speak to my little ones words of joy and hope, but also of warning. My dear little children, I thank all who have, by an act of their will, begun their conversion of heart and are gathered beneath my Immaculate Mantle. I tell you that all of Heaven rejoices at your faith. And I solemnly tell you that it is by your faithful response that many of satan's plots are halted for a time, and God's Divine Justice is mitigated. Know it is your loving suffering which allows me, the Mother of God, to hold back the Divine Wrath and allows me to gather more of my children beneath my Immaculate Mantle. Persevere and pray. Now also must I warn you. The fury of the evil one is so great upon all the world, that even at this present moment he plans to destroy all good, and the evil in men's hearts will cover every nation.

      Have I not already warned you, telling you through my appearances and messages throughout the world, that no nation would be spared? You, my little ones, live a false security enclosed in a false peace. You are prey to the evil one who whispers to you that the enemy is of another nation, another race. In truth the enemy lies within yourselves, and thus the destruction I have warned of your nation has already begun, because you, as a nation, have lost God. The total destruction of your own nation is already past the horizon. It is only my faithful little ones who suffer in union with my Son's Divine Passion who hold off this event of incalculable proportions!

      The evil one shall seek to pull down every nation, and he shall seek to shake my Son's Church to its True foundation. The Great Apostasy has already come. The Great Schism already exists. These events shall come together at a moment not far off, and then shall the antichrist rule the world. Then shall my faithful ones suffer; but God shall Triumph!

      I seek to bestow upon all the world my Son's Infinite Peace. Please give me your hearts. It is in and through the heart that I can bestow many graces. It is through the heart you shall know, love and serve my Divine Son and persevere until the end.

      Please pray and be of one mind, one heart through the grace of the Holy Spirit. In this way all of my faithful little ones shall know one another and be strengthened in the time of terrible persecution.

      Pray to the Divine Infant and become humble, obedient, loving servants of the Divine Will. I, the Mother of God, do solemnly tell you that after the Purification the Divine Will shall be upon earth as it is in Heaven. Seek the Divine Will and be obedient, even unto death, for the Triune God shall fulfill all Scripture and the crown of victory is prepared for all who truly strive for Him Who is Love.

      I love and bless you. Thank you for responding to my Call.

      For events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for November 5:

692 A.D.


Death of Saint Bertille, Abbess who led a life of austerity and prayer.

1414 A.D.


The Emperor Sigismond convenes the 16th Ecumenical Council at the Council of Constance because of the Western Schism in which there were three contemporaneous claims to papal obedience: Rome, Avignon and Pisa. It was during this council that the body of bishops voted that conciliar power supersedes the Popes and thus Pope Gregory XII was forced to renounce the Papacy. This would be corrected later at the Council of Florence.

1956 A.D.


Pope Pius XII issues his 36th encyclical Datis nuperrime which deals with the events in Hungary and the Soviets' ruthless invasion there which the Holy Father condemns.

1982 A.D.


Pope John Paul II beatifies Blessed Sister Angela of the Cross.

LITURGY OF THE DAY

      Today and tomorrow we observe the Thirty-first Thursday and Thirty-first Friday in Ordinary Time. For today and tomorrow's liturgies, and meditations, click on LITURGY FOR THE DAY.

Thursday November 5:
Thirty-first Thursday in Ordinary Time

Green vestments

First Reading: Philippians 3: 3-8
Psalms: Psalm 105: 2-7
Gospel Reading: Luke 15: 1-10

Friday November 6:
Thirty-first Friday in Ordinary Time
FIRST FRIDAY

Green vestments

First Reading: Philippians 3: 17-21; 4: 1
Psalms: Psalm 122: 1-5
Gospel Reading: Luke 16: 1-8

PRAYERS & DEVOTION

     Today's prayer is in honor of the poor souls in Purgatory. When one prays this prayer from the heart countless souls are released from Purgatory at God's will. It is an excellent way as members of the Church Militant to fulfill our role in the Communion of Saints:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son Jesus in union with all the Masses said throughout the world today; for the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, in my home and in my family. Amen.

   Dear children! Today I call you to come closer to my Immaculate Heart. I call you to renew in your families the fervor of the first days when I called you to fasting, prayer and conversion. Little children, you accepted my messages with open hearts, although you did not know what prayer was. Today, I call you to open yourselves completely to me so that I may transform you and lead you to the heart of my Son Jesus, so that He can fill you with His love. Only in this way, little children, will you find true peace - the peace that only God gives you. Thank you for having responded to my call.

For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE AND MORE

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November 5, 1998 volume 9, no. 217   DAILY CATHOLIC