Friday, December 17, 2010

St. Gertrude the Great: Offering Holy Communion for the Souls in Purgatory

 One day, after Communion, the Saint offered the Host which she had just received for the souls in Purgatory; and perceiving the great benefit they obtained thereby, she was amazed, and said to her Spouse: "My God, since I am obliged to declare for Thy glory that Thou dost honor me continually with Thy presence, or rather, that Thou abidest in my soul, unworthy as I am, how is it that Thou dost not work through me as Thou hast done today after I have received Thy adorable Body?" He replied: "It is not easy for everyone to approach a king who remains always in his palace; but when his love for his queen induces him to go forth, then all may behold, through her kindness, his pomp and magnificence; thus, when, moved by My love, I visit one of the faithful (who is free from mortal sin) in the Sacrament of the Altar, all who are in Heaven, on earth, or in Purgatory, receives immense benefits thereby."

On another occasion the Saint humbled herself deeply before approaching the Holy Communion, in honor and in imitation of the humility of the Son of God in descending into limbo. Then, uniting herself with His descent, she found herself descending to the very depths of Purgatory; and humbling herself still lower, she heard Our Lord say to her: "I will draw you to Me in the Sacrament of the Altar in such a manner that you will draw after you all those who shall perceive the odor of your desire."

Having received this promise from Our Lord, she desired after Communion this promise from Our Lord, she desired after Communion that He would release as many souls as she could divide the Host into particles in her mouth; but as she tried to effect this, He said to her: "In order that you may know that My mercy is above all My works, and that the abyss of My mercy cannot be exhausted, I am ready to grant you, through the merit of this life - giving Sacrament, more than you dare ask Me."

~ Excerpt from The Life and Revelations of St. Gertrude the Great ~

"If you make the intention,
God will accept whatever you do,
for all the souls in Purgatory,
just as if applied to one particular soul."

~ Revelation of a deceased nun, from An Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory ~

Eternal Father, by virtue of your generosity and love, I ask that you accept all my actions and that you multiply their value in favour of every soul in Purgatory. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

~ Prayer from Prayers and Heavenly Promises, by Joan Carroll Cruz ~


2 comments:

Glenna said...

Wonderful! I thought about starting my own "purgatory blog" until I found your site. This is perfect. I add you to my Follow List but I can't find a link. Merry Christmas!

one grateful heart said...

Thank you for your kind words. God bless you abundantly at Christmas and always!