A TREASURE FOR ETERNAL MERIT: The Offering of the Blood of Jesus

“To offer to the Eternal Father the Sacred Wounds of Jesus is to offer Him His Glory, to offer Heaven to Heaven. Each time you offer to My Father the merits of My Divine Wounds, you gain an immense fortune…You must not remain poor, your Father is very rich.”

A HIDDEN TREASURE

       Appearing to one of the sisters of her community shortly after her death, St. Teresa of Avila told the sister that she would be willing to return to a life of suffering on earth until the end of time if thereby she could merit that degree of glory with which God rewards one devoutly recited “Hail Mary.” St. Paul speaks in like manner when he says: “The sufferings of this life are not to be compared with the glory to come.”

       If one short prayer is thus rewarded, what reward awaits those who offer to the Eternal Father, the Precious Blood of Jesus (or who devotedly prays the Rosary and Hail Mary frequently!). “An offering,” says Father Faber, “is more than a prayer. In prayer we are the recipients, but when we make an offering, God vouchsafes to accept something from us.” In Our Lord’s own words to Sister Mary Martha Chambon, Apostle of the Holy Wounds: “To offer to the Eternal Father the Sacred Wounds of Jesus is to offer Him His Glory, to offer Heaven to Heaven. Each time you offer to My Father the merits of My Divine Wounds, you gain an immense fortune…You must not remain poor, your Father is very rich.” She also reported that Jesus told her that “when you offer My Holy Wounds for sinners, you must not forget to do so for the souls in Purgatory, as there are but few who think of their relief…The Holy Wounds are the treasure of treasures for the souls in Purgatory.”

       If you and I, at this very moment, were standing on the threshold of eternity, we would see a limitless duration extending before us which our vision would fail to terminate. Looking on this endlessness the awful truth would come to us that the time of merit had passed forever. The saints realized this truth while yet in life, and we can see the vastness of their reward.

       Those who have passed into eternity realize that there will be no further opportunities for additional merit, for time has passed forever. If regrets were possible in Heaven, unused opportunities would be the cause, for the blessed know what greater capacity for giving accidental honor to God they would have had if they had used all their opportunities. Because of God’s mercy they have no regrets, but their status is sealed forever.

       The position of the priest in heaven must be tremendous for he offers daily a Victim-of-Infinite-Worth; and yet each one of us can offer the same Victim in a different manner by sincerely saying:

       Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus [add request].

       Just suppose that if you were to make the Seven Offerings each day; it would lake only a few minutes of time, and yet the vast merit gained would last eternally.

       What an investment!

THE PRECIOUS BLOOD AND HEAVEN

       Promises of Our Lord to Sister Mary Martha Chambon

       Those who pray with humility and who meditate on My Passion, shall one day participate in the glory of My Divine Wounds. Their members will receive from them a resplendent beauty and glory.

       The more you shall have contemplated My Painful Wounds on this earth, the higher shall be your contemplation of Them glorious in Heaven.

       The soul who during life has honored and studied the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ and has offered Them to the Eternal Father for the Souls in Purgatory will be accompanied at the moment of death by the Holy Virgin and the Angels; and Our Lord on the Cross, all brilliant in glory, will receive her and crown her.

REFLECTIONS

Life is short and death is sure;

the hour of death remains obscure.

A soul you have, and only one;

if that be lost all hope is gone.

Waste not your time while time shall last;

for after death ’tis ever past.

The all-seeing God your Judge will be,

and heaven or hell your destiny.

All earthly things will fleet away, Eternity will ever stay.

SEVEN OFFERINGS OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD

       Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for the propagation and exaltation of my dear Mother the Holy Church, for the safety and prosperity of her visible Head, the Holy Roman Pontiff, for the cardinals, bishops and pastors of souls, and for all the ministers of the sanctuary.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Blessed and praised forevermore be Jesus Who hath saved us by His Precious Blood! Amen.

       Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for the peace and concord of nations, for the conversion of the enemies of our holy faith and for the happiness of all Christian people.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Blessed and praised forevermore be Jesus Who hath saved us by His Precious Blood! Amen.

       Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for the repentance of unbelievers, the extirpation of all heresies, and the conversion of sinners.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Blessed and praised forevermore be Jesus Who hath saved us by His Precious Blood! Amen.

       Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for all my relations, friends and enemies, for the poor, the sick, and those in tribulation, and for all those for whom Thou willest I should pray, or knowest that I ought to pray.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Blessed and praised forevermore be Jesus Who hath saved us by His Precious Blood! Amen.

       Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for all those who shall this day pass to another life, that Thou mayest preserve them from the pains of hell, and admit them the more readily to the possession of Thy Glory.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Blessed and praised forevermore be Jesus Who hath saved us by His Precious Blood! Amen.

       Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for all those who are lovers of this Treasure of His Blood, and for all those who join with me in adoring and honoring It, and for all those who try to spread devotion to It.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Blessed and praised forevermore be Jesus Who hath saved us by His Precious Blood! Amen.

       Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for all my wants, spiritual and temporal, for the holy souls in Purgatory, and particularly for those who in their lifetime were most devoted to this price of our redemption, and to the sorrows and pains of our dear Mother, most Holy Mary.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Blessed and praised forevermore be Jesus Who hath saved us by His Precious Blood! Amen.

       Blessed and exalted be the Blood of Jesus, now and always, and through all eternity. Amen.

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to heal those of our souls.”

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to the suffering souls in Purgatory.”

THE HOLY SOULS WILL REPAY US MANY TIMES OVER

Now who can be in more urgent need of our charity than the souls in Purgatory? What hunger, or thirst, or dire sufferings on Earth can compare to their dreadful torments? Neither the poor, nor the sick, nor the suffering, we see around us, have such an urgent need of our help. Yet we find many goodhearted people who interest themselves in every other type of suffering, but alas, scarcely one who works for the Holy Souls.

Who can have more claim on us? Among them too, there may be our mothers and fathers, our friends and near of kin; and also our neighbour!

When souls from Purgatory are finally released from their pains and enjoy the beatitude of Heaven, far from forgetting their friends and benefactors on earth, their gratitude knows no bounds. Prostrate before the throne of God, they never cease to pray for those who helped them. By their prayers they shield their friends and benefactors from many dangers and protect them from the evils that threaten them.

To have a better understanding of Purgatory and the terrible suffering of the Poor Souls and how we can help them, read the book Purgatory – Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints by Father F.X. Schouppe, S.J. and the booklet How to Avoid Purgatory by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan:
https://against-all-heresies-and-errors.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-to-avoid-purgatory.html

PRAYER OF ST. GERTRUDE THE GREAT

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Jesus, with all the Masses being said all over the world this day, for the Souls in Purgatory.”

Our Lord showed St. Gertrude a vast number of souls leaving Purgatory and going to Heaven as a result of this prayer, which the Saint was accustomed to say frequently during the day.

Taken from the booklet Read Me or Rue it by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan which has the approval of the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal – March 4, 1936.

PRAYER TO JESUS, MARY, JOSEPH!

The aspiration JESUS, MARY, JOSEPH! is enriched with an indulgence of seven years for each recital (Raccolta, 274), applicable to the poor souls in purgatory. This, obviously, is a pearl among partial indulgences.

How often should we pray this aspiration? Without counting. . . or, if we prefer, on our rosary; on each bead these three names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph (you may add: save souls; have mercy on souls; or have mercy on souls in purgatory, especially those most neglected; etc.) and nothing more (that is no Creed, no Our Father, Hail Mary or Glory be to the Father). It is not a rosary, but simply a chaplet of diamonds, beautiful gems from the Orient of Divine love. It is greatly to be desired that this practice be spread over the world, flowing as a river of love in a never-ending stream from the hearts and lips of Christian people.

Since this devotional is so easy and quickly performed, it is advised that the pious reader pray at least one or two full rosary beads each day – that is, 50+ Jesus, Mary, Joseph! ejaculations – applying all the indulgences gained for the souls in purgatory and for the conversion of poor sinners.

Please contact me if you want to receive a free 1 page copy (or copies) of this article in leaflet form for your own use and/or for the distribution to others!

Litany of the Most Precious Blood

Blood of Jesus, Help Me!

In every need let me come to Thee with humble trust saying,

Blood of Jesus, help me!

In all my doubts, perplexities, and temptations,

Blood of Jesus, help me!

In hours of loneliness, weariness and trials,

Blood of Jesus, help me!

In the failure of my plans and hopes; in disappointments, troubles and sorrows,

Blood of Jesus, help me!

When my heart is cast down by failure, at seeing no good come from my efforts,

Blood of Jesus, help me!

When others fail me, and Thy grace alone can assist me,

Blood of Jesus, help me!

When I throw myself on Thy tender love as my Father and Savior,

Blood of Jesus, help me!

When I feel impatient, and my cross irritates me,

Blood of Jesus, help me!

When I am ill, and my head and hands cannot work and I am lonely,

Blood of Jesus, help me!

Always, always in spite of weakness, falls and shortcomings, of every kind,

Blood of Jesus, help me and never forsake me.

PRAYER FOR THE DYING

O MOST MERCIFUL JESUS, Lover of souls I pray Thee,

by the agony of Thy most Sacred Heart,

and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother,

cleanse in Thine Own Blood the sinners of the whole world

who are now in their agony and who are to die this day. Amen.
HEART OF JESUS, once in agony, have pity on the dying.

EJACULATION BY ST. GABRIEL OF OUR LADY OF SORROW

O my dear Jesus, love for love, suffering for suffering, blood for blood. Thy wounds are my hope and salvation. O Mary, my sweetest Mother, thou knowest that I love thee and that I belong to thee.

PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH BY ST. GABRIEL OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS

O Mother of Sorrows,
by the anguish and love with which thou didst stand beside the Cross of Jesus,
stand by me in my last agony.
To thy maternal heart I commend the three last hours of my life.
Offer these hours to the Eternal Father in union with the agony of our dearest Lord.
Offer frequently to the Eternal Father, in atonement for my sins,
the Precious Blood of Jesus, mingled with thy tears on Calvary,
to obtain for me the grace to receive Holy Communion
with most perfect love and contrition before my death,
and to breathe forth my soul in the actual presence of Jesus. 
Dearest Mother, when the moment of my death has come,
present me as thy child to Jesus; say to Him in my behalf:
“Son, forgive him, for he knew not what he did. Receive him this day into Thy kingdom of glory to be united with You forever. Amen.”

Related articles:

https://against-all-heresies-and-errors.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-to-avoid-purgatory.html

https://against-all-heresies-and-errors.blogspot.com/2017/07/jesus-mary-joseph.html

https://against-all-heresies-and-errors.blogspot.com/2017/05/heaven-opened-by-the-practice-of-the-three-hail-marys.html

How to Easily Help Souls in Purgatory, and hence gain Merit and their Prayers!

Suffering in Purgatory is greater than all suffering on Earth. Such is the doctrine of tradition, supported by theological reasoning. Tradition is expressed by St. Augustine: “That fire will be more painful than anything man can suffer in the present life.” St. Isidore speaks in the same sense. According to these testimonies and others similar to them, the least pain in Purgatory surpasses the greatest sufferings of the present life!

THE HOLY SOULS WILL REPAY US MANY TIMES OVER

Now who can be in more urgent need of our charity than the souls in Purgatory? What hunger, or thirst, or dire sufferings on Earth can compare to their dreadful torments? Neither the poor, nor the sick, nor the suffering, we see around us, have such an urgent need of our help. Yet we find many goodhearted people who interest themselves in every other type of suffering, but alas, scarcely one who works for the Holy Souls.

Who can have more claim on us? Among them too, there may be our mothers and fathers, our friends and near of kin; and also our neighbour!

When souls from Purgatory are finally released from their pains and enjoy the beatitude of Heaven, far from forgetting their friends and benefactors on earth, their gratitude knows no bounds. Prostrate before the throne of God, they never cease to pray for those who helped them. By their prayers they shield their friends and benefactors from many dangers and protect them from the evils that threaten them.

To have a better understanding of Purgatory and the terrible suffering of the Poor Souls and how we can help them, read the book Purgatory – Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints by Father F.X. Schouppe, S.J. and the booklet How to Avoid Purgatory by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan:

https://against-all-heresies-and-errors.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-to-avoid-purgatory.html

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Jesus, with all the Masses being said all over the world this day, for the Souls in Purgatory.”

Our Lord showed St. Gertrude a vast number of souls leaving Purgatory and going to Heaven as a result of this prayer, which the Saint was accustomed to say frequently during the day.

Taken from the booklet Read Me or Rue it by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan which has the approval of the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal – March 4, 1936.

Venerable Denis, the Carthusian, relates that the Virgin, St. Gertrude, had made a complete donation of all her works of satisfaction in favour of the faithful departed, without reserving anything wherewith to discharge the debts which she herself might have contracted in the sight of God. Being at the point of death, and, like all the saints, considering with much sorrow the great number of her sins on the one hand, and, on the other, remembering that she had employed all her works of satisfaction for the expiation of the sins of others, she was afflicted, lest, having given all to others and reserved nothing for herself, her soul, on its departure from this world, should be condemned to horrible suffering. In the midst of her fears our Lord appeared to her and consoled her, saying: “Be reassured, my daughter, your charity towards the departed will be no detriment to you. Know that the generous donation you have made of all your works to the holy souls has been singularly pleasing to me; and to give you a proof thereof, I declare to you that all the pains you would have had to endure in the other life are now remitted ; moreover, in recompense for your generous charity, I will so enhance the value of the merits of your works as to give you a great increase of glory in Heaven.” (Rev. F.X. Schouppe, S.J. - The Dogma Of Purgatory: https://archive.org/details/purgatoryillustr00schouoft)

Prayer to Jesus, Mary, Joseph!

The aspiration JESUS, MARY, JOSEPH! is enriched with an indulgence of seven years for each recital (Raccolta, 274), applicable to the poor souls in purgatory. This, obviously, is a pearl among partial indulgences.

How often should we pray this aspiration? Without counting. . . or, if we prefer, on our rosary; on each bead these three names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph (you may add: save souls; have mercy on souls; or have mercy on souls in purgatory, especially those most neglected; etc.) and nothing more (that is no Creed, no Our Father, Hail Mary or Glory be to the Father). It is not a rosary, but simply a chaplet of diamonds, beautiful gems from the Orient of Divine love. It is greatly to be desired that this practice be spread over the world, flowing as a river of love in a never-ending stream from the hearts and lips of Christian people.

Since this devotional is so easy and quickly performed, it is advised that the pious reader pray at least one or two full rosary beads each day – that is, 50+ Jesus, Mary, Joseph! ejaculations – applying all the indulgences gained for the souls in purgatory and for the conversion of poor sinners.

Please contact me if you want to receive a free 1 page copy (or copies) of this article in leaflet form for your own use and/or for the distribution to others!

Related articles:

https://against-all-heresies-and-errors.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-to-avoid-purgatory.html
https://against-all-heresies-and-errors.blogspot.com/2017/07/jesus-mary-joseph.html

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Prayer Card (Freebie)

In order to get a free "Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Prayer Card" sent to your home adress or to a friend of yours, please contact the email below and make a free request:

Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.

I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.

I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants.

Amen.

St. Louis de Montfort’s Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

I, (name), a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands, O Immaculate Mother, the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before.

In the presence of all the heavenly court I choose thee this day, for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God, in time and in eternity. Amen.

Also see:

Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary Prayer Card (Freebie)

Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary Prayer Card (Freebie)

In order to get a free "Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary Prayer Card" sent to your home adress or to a friend of yours, please contact the email below and make a free request:

Also see:

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Prayer Card (Freebie)

JESUS, MARY, JOSEPH! (ejaculation with a seven years indulgence for each recital!)

O God, come to our assistance; Jesus, Mary, Joseph please make haste to help us!

Jesus!    Mary!    Joseph!

FERVENT invocation of these blessed names gains for us access to the persons, yes, to the very hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

The aspiration JESUS, MARY, JOSEPH! is enriched with an indulgence of seven years for each recital (Raccolta, 274), applicable to the poor souls in purgatory. This, obviously, is a pearl among partial indulgences. But why should so high an atoning value be attached to so short a formula?

1. To invite us to pray it unceasingly.

2. Because of the incomprehensible grandeur of the holy Names of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The name of a person is a personification of its bearer. What a glorious invocation, then, is the prayer: Jesus, Mary, Joseph! What a vast field for meditation here lies open to angels and men! Each one of these names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, unfolds to us a world of wonders, an abyss of greatness and beauty, of grace and power.

At the sound of these names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, which to us are so sweet and love-inspiring, all hell shrinks back in terror. The aspiration Jesus, Mary, Joseph! is a deadly flash of lighting to Satan and the devils.

The aspiration Jesus, Mary, Joseph! is a golden arrow, a fiery dart, which springs from our hearts and at the same moment blissfully wounds the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and lays them lovingly open to us and to our dear departed. Into this formula, so divine in its content, one breathes the tenderest, strongest and purest love.

How often should we pray this aspiration? Without counting. . . or, if we prefer, on our rosary; on each bead these three names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph (you may add: save souls; have mercy on souls; or have mercy on souls in purgatory, especially those most neglected; etc.) and nothing more (that is no Creed, no Our Father, Hail Mary or Glory be to the Father). It is not a rosary, but simply a chaplet of diamonds, beautiful gems from the Orient of Divine love. It is greatly to be desired that this practice be spread over the world, flowing as a river of love in a never-ending stream from the hearts and lips of Christian people. (Since it is prayed so easily and quickly by everyone, it is advised that the pious reader pray at least one or two full rosary beads each day – that is, 50+ Jesus, Mary, Joseph! ejaculations – applying all the indulgences gained for the souls in purgatory and for the conversion of poor sinners.)

The aspiration Jesus, Mary, Joseph! is an inexhaustible treasure of indulgences especially for the poor souls. With this prayer one enkindles a fire on earth which extinguishes the flames of Purgatory. If every Christian soul but knew, if the world but knew, what consolation for the poor souls is contained in the names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph!  Day and night, everywhere and without ceasing may this blessed prayer be the refrain of fervent petitions. Gather, O Christian souls, gather blessings through these heavenly names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, for those who suffer unspeakable pains in the flames of Purgatory; beg in these sweet names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, without ceasing.

The aspiration Jesus, Mary, Joseph! is a golden book, an inexhaustible fountain. It awakens a piety which is sweet and strong, wide, deep and full of meaning. And yet, how short and clear, how simple and wonderful is its form! It is the golden key to the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It is a precious gem of piety. Already here on earth, but especially in heaven, this prayer will effect an intimate union of the soul, a jubilation, a true fire of love.

The aspiration Jesus, Mary, Joseph! is an inexhaustible subject for meditation. The thoughtful repetition of these names, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, so full of love and light, causes us to meditate, and from the beginning this meditation appeals to us, charms us, affects us, leads us to God and submerges us into Him. We find in these names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, a power that urges, uplifts, stimulates, impels and quickens. Meditation on these holy names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, fills the heart and mind, excites sublime thoughts and leads one to self-sacrificing resolutions. This method of meditation may constitute the bliss of a theologian even as it enraptures the soul of a little child. It permits all, without exception, to penetrate into the vast domain of our holy Religion and to meditate at the same time on the articles of faith, the commandments, virtues and sacraments. Like a bee that flies about in an immense garden, where perpetual spring reigns, drawing sweet nectar from bud and blossom, so we may gather heavenly thoughts and graces.

May these blessed names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, be often on our lips during life, and may we with our dying breath sigh: Jesus, Mary, Joseph!

Closing Prayer Before Sleep

Bless, O Lord, the repose I am about to take, that with renewed strength I may be able to serve you faithfully. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you. Rising under the protection of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and armed with the sign of the holy cross: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

THE HOLY SOULS WILL REPAY US MANY TIMES OVER

Now who can be in more urgent need of our charity than the souls in Purgatory? What hunger, or thirst, or dire sufferings on Earth can compare to their dreadful torments? Neither the poor, nor the sick, nor the suffering, we see around us, have such an urgent need of our help. Yet we find many goodhearted people who interest themselves in every other type of suffering, but alas, scarcely one who works for the Holy Souls.

Who can have more claim on us? Among them too, there may be our mothers and fathers, our friends and near of kin; and also our neighbour!

When souls from Purgatory are finally released from their pains and enjoy the beatitude of Heaven, far from forgetting their friends and benefactors on earth, their gratitude knows no bounds. Prostrate before the throne of God, they never cease to pray for those who helped them. By their prayers they shield their friends and benefactors from many dangers and protect them from the evils that threaten them.

To have a better understanding of Purgatory and the terrible suffering of the Poor Souls and how we can help them, read the book Purgatory – Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints by Father F.X. Schouppe, S.J. and the booklet How to Avoid Purgatory by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan:

https://against-all-heresies-and-errors.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-to-avoid-purgatory.html

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Jesus, with all the Masses being said all over the world this day, for the Souls in Purgatory.”

Our Lord showed St. Gertrude a vast number of souls leaving Purgatory and going to Heaven as a result of this prayer, which the Saint was accustomed to say frequently during the day.

Taken from the booklet Read Me or Rue it by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan which has the approval of the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal – March 4, 1936.

Venerable Denis, the Carthusian, relates that the Virgin, St. Gertrude, had made a complete donation of all her works of satisfaction in favour of the faithful departed, without reserving anything wherewith to discharge the debts which she herself might have contracted in the sight of God. Being at the point of death, and, like all the saints, considering with much sorrow the great number of her sins on the one hand, and, on the other, remembering that she had employed all her works of satisfaction for the expiation of the sins of others, she was afflicted, lest, having given all to others and reserved nothing for herself, her soul, on its departure from this world, should be condemned to horrible suffering. In the midst of her fears our Lord appeared to her and consoled her, saying: “Be reassured, my daughter, your charity towards the departed will be no detriment to you. Know that the generous donation you have made of all your works to the holy souls has been singularly pleasing to me; and to give you a proof thereof, I declare to you that all the pains you would have had to endure in the other life are now remitted ; moreover, in recompense for your generous charity, I will so enhance the value of the merits of your works as to give you a great increase of glory in Heaven.” (Rev. F.X. Schouppe, S.J. - The Dogma Of Purgatory)

Please contact me if you want to receive a free 1 page copy (or copies) of this article in leaflet form for your own use and/or for the distribution to others!

Related article:

https://against-all-heresies-and-errors.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-to-avoid-purgatory.html

HEAVEN OPENED BY THE PRACTICE OF THE THREE HAIL MARYS

HEAVEN OPENED BY THE PRACTICE OF THE THREE HAIL MARYS

One of the greatest means of salvation, and one of the surest signs of predestination, is unquestionably, the devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. 

All the holy doctors of the Church are unanimous in saying with St. Alphonsus Liguori: “A devout servant of Mary shall never perish.” The chief thing is to persevere faithfully until death in this devotion. 

Can there be an easier or more adaptable practice for all than the recitation each day of three Ave Marias in honor of the privileges conferred by the Adorable Trinity on the Blessed Virgin? 

Appearing to one of the sisters of her community shortly after her death, St. Teresa of Avila told the sister that she would be willing to return to a life of suffering on earth until the end of time if thereby she could merit that degree of glory with which God rewards one devoutly recited “Hail Mary.” St. Paul speaks in like manner when he says: “The sufferings of this life are not to be compared with the glory to come.”

If one short Hail Mary is thus rewarded, what reward awaits those who offer to the Eternal Father, many Hail Marys and Rosaries said very devotedly?

One of the first to say the three Hail Marys and to recommend them to others was the illustrious St. Anthony of Padua. His special aim in this practice was to honor the spotless Virginity of Mary and to preserve a perfect purity of mind, heart and body in the midst of the dangers of the world. Many, like him, have felt its salutary effects. 

Later on, St. Leonard of Port-Maurice, the celebrated missionary, had the three Ave Marias recited morning and evening in honor of Mary Immaculate, to obtain the grace of avoiding all mortal sins during the day or and night; moreover, he promised in a special manner eternal salvation to all those who proved constantly faithful to this practice. 

After the example of these two great Franciscan Saints, St. Alphonsus Liguori adopted this pious practice and gave it his most ardent and powerful support. He counseled its use and even imposed it as a penance on those who had not adopted this good habit. The holy Doctor exhorts, in particular, parents, and confessors to watch carefully that children be faithful in reciting each day their three Hail Marys, morning and evening and recommended it to  all the devout young or old. 

It is this Saint who suggested adding the aspiration after each Hail Mary: “By thy Immaculate Conception, O Mary, make my body pure and my soul holy [preserve me this day/night from mortal sin].” 

This practice has been revealed to St. Melchtilde with the promise of a good death, if she was faithful to it every day. 

It is also written in St. Gertrude’s revelations: 

“While this Saint sang the Hail Mary, at the matins of the Annunciation, she suddenly saw spring out from the Heart of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, three bright flames which penetrated the Heart of the Holy Virgin.” Then she heard the following words: 

“After the Power of the Father, the Wisdom of the Son, and the merciful Tenderness of the Holy Spirit, nothing approaches the Power, the Wisdom and the merciful Tenderness of Mary.” 

His Holiness, Benedict XV raised the Confraternity of the Three Hail Marys to an Archconfraternity and accorded it indulgences. 

Our Lady requested the daily recitation of three Hail Marys, revealing the following to St. Melchtilde: 

“The first Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Father, Whose omnipotence raised my soul so high above every other creature that, after God, I have the greatest power in Heaven and on earth. In the hour of your death I will use that power of God the Father to keep any hostile power from you. 

“The second Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Son, Who communicated His inscrutable wisdom to me . . . In the hour of your death I will fill your soul with the light of that wisdom so that all the darkness of ignorance and error will be dispelled. 

“The third Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Holy Ghost, Who filled my soul with the sweetness of His love and tenderness and mercy . . . In your last hour I will then change the bitterness of death into Divine sweetness and delight.”

PROMISE: 

During an apparition to St. Gertrude, the Blessed Mother promised, “To any soul who faithfully prays the Three Hail Marys I will appear at the hour of death in a splendor of beauty so extraordinary that it will fill the soul with Heavenly consolation.”
  

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE BLESSED TRINITY AND THE HAIL MARY
  

With all my heart I praise Thee, Most Holy Virgin
above all Angels and Saints in Paradise, Daughter of
the Eternal Father, and I consecrate to Thee
my soul with all its faculties.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee!
Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of
Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

By thy holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary,
make my body pure and my soul holy;
preserve me this day/night from mortal sin. 

With all my heart I praise Thee, Most Holy Virgin
above all Angels and Saints in Paradise, beloved Mother
of the Son of God, and I consecrate to Thee my body
with all its senses. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee!
Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of
Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

By thy holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary,
make my body pure and my soul holy;
preserve me this day/night from mortal sin. 

With all my heart I praise Thee, Most Holy Virgin
above all Angels and Saints in Paradise, beloved Spouse
of the Holy Ghost, and I consecrate to Thee my heart
with all its affections, and beseech Thee to obtain for me from
the Most Holy Trinity all the graces necessary for salvation. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee!
Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of
Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

By thy holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary,
make my body pure and my soul holy;
preserve me this day/night from mortal sin. 

PRACTICE: 

Recite morning and evening the Consecration and Three Hail Marys in honor of the three great privileges of Mary, together with this invocation at the end of each Hail Mary: 

By thy holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary,
make my body pure and my soul holy;
preserve me this day/night from mortal sin. 

ALTERNATIVE: 

Recite morning and evening Three Hail Marys – skipping the Consecration part – (in honor of Mary and in order to receive Her protection to be preserved from mortal sin,) together with this invocation at the end of each Hail Mary: 

By thy holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary,
make my body pure and my soul holy;
preserve me this day/night from mortal sin. 

This devotion in its present form is from St. Leonard of Port Maurice.

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