Month of Holy Souls - Eighteenth day

Archangel Michael saving souls from purgatory, by Jacopo Vignali

 MONTH OF HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY

 EIGHTEENTH DAY

HE THAT GIVES SUFFRAGES TO THE SOULS IN PURGATORY DOES A THING MOST AGREEABLE TO THE ANGELS.

The angels, in their incessant love towards God, wish to conform themselves entirely to His pleasure. If, then, the giving of suffrages to the souls in purgatory is a thing most pleasing to God, it must be equally so to the angels also. They are, in fact, faithful ministers of the great God, destined to procure for the elect the inheritance of eternal salvation. They are invoked by holy Church, that they may come to succour the souls at their departure from life, and present them before the Most High after their departure. They carry from earth to heaven the prayers of the just while living, and with greatest satisfaction carry to purgatory from heaven the favourable decrees for the liberation 'of these blessed souls. Who, then, can imagine the festive gladness into which these blessed spirits break forth at conducting into the heavenly Jerusalem the souls from purgatory, of whom they were either guardians or protectors, when these are freed by our suffrages from this prison? Happy we if we can gain this satisfaction for the angels: we shall then be one day partakers of their glory.

Ejaculation

Come, ye heavenly spirits, down,

To the dungeon wend your way,

And the thirst of suffering souls

With your spells of love allay.

De profundis

Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it. For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word: My soul hath hoped in the Lord. From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord. Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord; and. let perpetual light shine upon them.

St. Michael, the Archangel will be the protector of this day, of whom the Church, in the person of the Lord, says, I have appointed thee the Prince for receiving all the souls; and in the Mass for the dead she prays that he may conduct these souls to rejoice in that divine light which was promised to Abraham and his descendants. (In Off. et Miksa.)

       Tobias and the Angel with the Fish, DUJARDIN, Karel

Example

In addition to what we have already remarked about the zeal shown by the angels of paradise for the souls in purgatory, we may notice shortly what is related in the book of Tobias. This holy man had the pious custom of practising special acts of mercy towards the dead. Whenever he was informed that the corpse of any of His brethren was found on the road, having been cruelly killed by the enemies of the Hebrew nation, amongst whom he lived as a slave, he, even if at table, rose immediately, left his dinner, and went to the place where the body lay, and, accompanying his prayers with tears, gave it, at a convenient time, an honourable burial. So pious an action pleased the angel Raphael, so that, after having done many kindnesses to his son, and miraculously restored to himself, now grown blind, his sight, he gave him to understand that when he accompanied his prayers with tears, and having left his table, gave the corpses burial, he presented his prayers to the throne of God. Let us, then, O Christians, try to engage these blessed angels to present all the suffrages which we are able to put up for the souls in purgatory, so that, as a sweet-smelling incense, they may be graciously received by them. (Ex. lib. Tob.)