St. Therese: The Sanctifying Fire of Love

"I am not afraid of Purgatory. I know that I am not worthy to enter that place of expiation with those holy souls. But I know, also, that the fire of Love is more sanctifying than the fire of Purgatory."

~ St. Therese, Little Flower of Jesus ~

Prayer for Today's Needs: "Just for Today"

JUST FOR TODAY

Lord, for tomorrow and its needs

I do not pray;
Keep me, my God, from stain of sin.

Just for today.

Let me both diligently work

And duly pray;

Let me be kind in word and deed.

Just for today.

Let me be slow to do my will,

Prompt to obey;

Help me to mortify my flesh,

Just for today.

Let me no wrong or idle word

Unthinking say;

Set Thou a seal upon my lips,

Just for today.

Let me in season, Lord, be grave,
In season gay;

Let me be faithful to Thy grace,
Just for today.

And if today, my life
Should ebb away,

Give me Thy Sacraments divine,
Sweet Lord, today.

In Purgatory's cleansing fires
Brief be my stay;

Oh, bid me, if today I die,

Come home today.

So for tomorrow and its needs,
I do not pray;

But keep me, guide me, love me, Lord,

Just for today.

~ From Frank Leslie's Sunday Magazine, 1887 ~

It is interesting to me that the above lyrics are available from many sources on the Internet, but some have less stanzas or are arranged in a different order. What is usually omitted is the stanza that mentions the Sacraments or the one that mentions Purgatory, or both. Instead of "In Purgatory's cleansing fires" as written above, the source I am quoting from below says "In pain and sorrow's cleansing fires".

Information about the hymn's author:

The text was written by Sybil Farish Partridge, who was born around 1856 at London in Middlesex, England. Originally in eight four-line stanzas, it is dated 1876 and first appeared in the Jan., 1880, issue of The Messenger of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1881, she was a governess of a school in Liverpool while living in the convent of Notre Dame on Mount Pleasant. Frederick M. Steele, a Presbyterian minister from Chicago, IL, visited her, known then only as Sister Mary Xavier or S. M. X., to meet the author of "Lord, for tomorrow and its needs." She gave him her name but said, "It would be my preference that the great world outside should not know it till after I am gone." Sometimes the author’s name is erroneously listed as E. R. Wilberforce. The text’s first appearance in America seems to have been in the 1888 Songs of Rejoicing edited by Fred A. Fillmore.

In the Nov. 11, 1920, issue of The Continental, Lee wrote of his earlier visit with Partridge, saying, "I learn she recently has passed away, so I am at liberty now to tell the story." Thus, she must have died somewhere around 1910 to 1920, probably at the convent of Notre Dame in Liverpool, England. The tune (Vincent) most commonly used was composed for this text by Horatio Richmond Palmer (1834-1907). Though copyrighted in 1887, it first appeared in his 1892 Garnered Gems of Sunday School Song. Palmer is best remembered for "Yield Not to Temptation." Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, a version of "Just For Today" appeared in the 1966 Christian Hymns No. 3 with both words and music arranged by editor Lloyd Otis Sanderson (1901-1992). The same tune was used in the 1925 edition of the 1921 Great Songs of the Church (No. 1) and the 1937 Great Songs of the Church No. 2 with Robert Walmsley’s hymn "The Sun Declines O’er Land and Sea." ( Source)

St. Faustina: Jesus Wants Prayers Instead of Talk

"I sometimes talk too much. A thing could be settled in one or two words, and as for me, I take too much time about it. But Jesus wants me to use that time to say some short indulgenced prayers for the souls in purgatory. And the Lord says that every word will be weighed on the day of judgment." (274)

~ From Divine Mercy In My Soul, The Diary of Sr. M. Faustina Kowalska ~

~Some short indulgenced prayers ~

Purgatory Is a Divine Mercy

St. Faustina: Summoned to the Judgment Seat of God

"Once I was summoned to the judgment [seat] of God. I stood alone before the Lord. Jesus appeared such as we know Him during His Passion. After a moment, His wounds disappeared except for five, those in His hands, His feet and His side. Suddenly I saw the complete condition of my soul as God sees it. I could clearly see all that is displeasing to God. I did not know that even the smallest transgressions will have to be accounted for. What a moment! Who can describe it? To stand before the Thrice-Holy God! Jesus asked me, Who are you? I answered, "I am Your servant, Lord." You are guilty of one day of fire in purgatory. I wanted to throw myself immediately into the flames of purgatory, but Jesus stopped me and said, Which do you prefer, suffer now for one day in purgatory or for a short while on earth? I replied, "Jesus, I want to suffer in purgatory, and I want to suffer also the greatest pains on earth, even if it were until the end of the world." Jesus said, One [of the two] is enough; you will go back to earth, and there you will suffer much, but not for long; you will accomplish My will and My desires, and a faithful servant of Mine will help you to do this. Now, rest your head on My bosom, on My heart, and draw from it strength and power for these sufferings, because you will find neither relief nor help nor comfort anywhere else. Know that you will have much, much to suffer, but don't let this frighten you; I am with you." (36)

~ From Divine Mercy In My Soul, The Diary of Sr. M. Faustina Kowalska ~

Fr. William Doyle: What God Wants is Love

"I fear you are allowing the devil to score off you by getting so much upset over these bothersome, but harmless, temptations. You must let our Lord sanctify you in His own way. Were we to pick our own trials and modes of sanctification, we should soon make a mess of things. The net result of your temptations is a deeper humility, a sense of your own weakness and wretchedness, and is not this all gain ? “My brethren, count it all joy, when you shall fall into diverse temptations,” says St. James (1.2). All I ask you to do is to try to crush down the first movements of temptation, which perhaps can best be done by praying that others may be more favoured or esteemed than you. There is a danger you may not suspect in thinking and grieving too much over temptation and faults. First of all there is oftentimes a secret pride hidden in our grief and anger with ourselves for not being as perfect as we thought, or as others thought. Then this worrying over what cannot well be avoided distracts the soul from God. After all, what God wants from you, my child, is love, and nothing should distract you from the grand work of love-giving. Hence when you fail, treat our Blessed Lord like a loving little child, tell Him you are sorry, kiss His feet as a token of your regret, and then forget all about your naughtiness."

~ Fr. William Doyle, from Remembering Fr William Doyle SJ ~

St. Faustina: The Power of Obedience

July 9, 1937. "This evening, one of the deceased sisters came and asked me for one day of fasting and to offer all my [spiritual] exercises on that day for her. I answered that I would. (1185)

"From early morning on the following day, I offered everything for her intention. During Holy Mass, I had a brief experience of her torment. I experienced such intense hunger for God that I seemed to be dying of the desire to become united with Him. This lasted only a short time, but I understood what the longing of the souls in purgatory was like. (1186)

"Immediately after Holy Mass, I asked Mother Superior's permission to fast, but I did not receive it because of my illness. When I entered the chapel, I heard these words: "If you had fasted, Sister, I would not have gotten relief until the evening, but for the sake of your obedience, which prevented you from fasting, I obtained this relief at once. Obedience has great power." After these words I heard: "May God reward you." (1187)

~ From Divine Mercy in My Soul, the Diary of Sr. M. Faustina ~