The Power of the Holy Mass

The Power of the Holy Mass

You know that November is the month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. This is the month which the Catholic Church has set aside in a special way, so that we will remember to pray for these Poor Souls who are suffering in the flames of Purgatory. Today’s story is about one of these souls.

A good priest, Fr. Lacordaire, one time wrote a letter to a person saying that a poor Polish peasant who had died, was sent to Purgatory, where he had to suffer in order to make up for his past sins. His dear wife continued to beg God to have mercy on her poor husband, and to release him from Purgatory.

She did not believe that her prayers were very powerful and decided to pray in a special way to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Most of all she wanted to have Mass said for the release of her husband’s soul. But she was poor and did not have any money to offer a priest for a Mass. So she found a rich gentleman and humbly begged him to come to her aid. He was not a Catholic, but he felt sorry for the poor woman and gave her some money to have a Mass said. After the Mass Stipends was given to the priest, he offered the Mass in a chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. There the poor woman assisted at the Mass for her husband and received Holy Communion with great love and devotion.

A few days later the lady’s husband appeared to the rich gentleman saying, “I thank you for giving my poor wife some money to have a Mass said for me. This Holy Mass has delivered my soul from Purgatory. I have been sent by Our Lord to tell you that you are going to die soon and that you should become a Catholic before you die.”

The rich man took the warning to heart and soon converted to the Catholic Faith. Before long he lay on his deathbed and died a very holy death. Such was the mercy of God towards a man who showed mercy!

Now, this type of thing probably won’t happen to you when you have a Mass said for one of your relatives or friends. But you can be sure that when you remember the Poor Souls in Purgatory that they will also remember you and help you in your time of need.

Another nice devotion to have is this. Every time you go to bless yourself with Holy Water, just before you make the sign of the cross, sprinkle a few drops of water on the floor, and say to yourself, “For the Holy Souls in Purgatory.” Then make the sign of the cross and bless yourself. Every time you do this you are giving comfort to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Remember, in the Bible it says, “It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins.”

The End

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