ELEVENTH DAY
HE WHO GIVES SUFFRAGES TO THE SOULS IN PURGATORY IMITATES GOD IN MERCY.
All God's perfections are infinite, but His mercy in its effects may be
said to go beyond them all. The faithful Christian who gives suffrages to the
souls in purgatory practices an action of most perfect mercy, and consequently
makes himself an imitator of the mercy of God Himself; and God, whose property
it is, as the Church sings, to have mercy, recognizes this perfection as
specially His own. Who does not see, then, how acceptable to God that mercy
proves which is practiced by all those who, with their suffrages, succour the
souls in purgatory? They are, (so to speak) just to the mind of His heart so
infinitely gracious, and imitate their heavenly Father in this virtue, so
specially His own, so much beloved by Him, so dear to Him, so much His
favourite, and execute this admonition of His Son, Be ye merciful, as your
heavenly Father is merciful. Let us, then, by generously giving suffrages to
the souls in purgatory, aspire to this virtue of mercy, so beloved by God.
Ejaculation
If, O my God, you bear so long With wandering sinners here below, For
holy souls, O, let Thy heart With tend'rest mercy's yearnings glow.
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.
Miraculous
Mass of Saint Gregory
St. Gregory the Great (the Apostle of England) shall be the protector of
this day, who was the first to prescribe the celebration of trentals for the
dead, which are lulled the thirty Masses of St Gregory.
Example
It is impossible to commend sufficiently to those devout towards the
souls in purgatory the precious treasure in the sacrifice of the Mass, as most
efficacious in setting them free from their torments. In confirmation of this,
we shall adduce what St. Bernard relates, and which we have noticed, merely in
passing, on the second day. St. Malachy, the Irish bishop, when some time had
elapsed since his sister had died, saw her one day appearing suddenly in a
dream, and lamenting with herself that thirty days had now elapsed since she
had had any food, and that so she had need of some succour. The Saint knew at
once what it was his sister wanted, and, having closely considered the number
of days of which he had heard her speak, it occurred to him that it was from
the very day on which he had given over offering the Divine sacrifice for her.
So he recommenced offering it for her without intermission, until he saw his
sister again, first on foot, at 'the entrance of the church, in a black dress,
and then, as he went on celebrating the holy Mass in suffrage for her soul, he
saw her again in a whitish garment, inside the church indeed, but a long way
from the altar. At last he saw her close up to the altar, in a very white
dress, in the midst of a troop which was similarly habited in white; whence he
learnt that his sister was cleansed from her sins by the continual operation of
his prayers and sacrifices. Let us also learn from this Saint the duty of
perseverance in giving suffrages to the souls of the departed, especially with
the frequent celebration of the holy sacrifice, and they will certainly get set
free from their torments.
(St. Bern, in vit. St. Mai. cap. 6.)
Papa Sancte Gregorius Magnus, ora pro nobis!
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