“Undas” this Nov. 1 just might not have much meaning for us earthlings unless we believe in Purgatory and act accordingly. The bereaved could feel sad and nostalgic about those days when the departed still lived, but beyond that, there seems to be a growing tendency to console only themselves with the declaration that the departed one is already in Heaven.
Chances are the departed relative has remained in Purgatory. In some of her apparitions, the Blessed Mother said that only a few go directly to Heaven. Also, that, calculated in terms of earthly time, the average stay in Purgatory is about 30 to 40 years...and even to the end of the world for others. Those of us still on earth are the only ones who could speed up their entry into Heaven through Masses and prayers, among other means. (Needless to say, some land in everlasting hell but this is another story.)
It is easy to believe that when we greet a departed one with “Happy birthday in Heaven” on Facebook, the celebrator could be shrieking “No, no, no” in Purgatory because no one rightly prays FOR one already in Heaven. And so to say that a departed loved one is already in Heaven would be to also declare that prayers are no longer needed for him.
More can be learned from the publication titled Manuscript of Purgatory, a historical account of Sister Mary of the Cross, as she encountered the disembodied spirit of Sr. Mary Gabriel who had died in their convent on February 22, 1871, at the age of 36. It turned out that Sr. Mary Gabriel was in Purgatory but was permitted by God to instruct and interact with the former until her ascent to Heaven.
On January 1880, Sr. Mary of the Cross quoted Sr. Mary Gabriel as having told her the previous Christmas: “ On Christmas night, thousands of souls leave their place of expiation for Heaven, but many remain (in Purgatory), and I am of their number. You sometimes say to me that the perfecting of a soul is a long process and you are also astonished that after so many prayers, I am so long deprived of the sight of God. Alas, the perfecting of a soul does not take any less time in Purgatory than upon earth.
“ There are a number of souls, but they are very few, who have only a few venial sins to expiate. These do not stay long in Purgatory. A few well-said prayers,a few sacrifices soon deliver them. But when there are souls like mine — and that is nearly all whose lives have been so empty and who paid little or no attention to their salvation — then their whole life has to be begun over again in this place of expiation.
The departed Sr. Mary Gabriel also said: “ In Purgatory, as in Heaven, religious and those of the same family are not always together. Souls do not all merit the same punishment or the same reward. Still in Purgatory we do recognize others and if God permits it we may communicate with one another.
When Sister Mary of the Cross asked “Are you able to receive a prayer or a thought of friends who are dead, and let them know of the remembrance we have of them?”
The reply was: “ Thoughts of earth can be made known here, but there is not much in all that, because I have already told you that the souls in Purgatory know those persons who interest themselves in their behalf on earth. God sometimes allows those on earth to receive a prayer, a warning or some information.” (End of quote.)
And so with prayers said for those in Purgatory, allow me to concern ourselves here on earth with another message received by stigmatist Luz de Maria de Bonilla, a third degree Augustinian, this time again from St. Michael the Archangel on Oct. 16, 2022. The message:
“People of My King and Lord Jesus Christ:
“As Prince of the Heavenly Legions I am sent to inform you that the time has now come as decreed beforehand by the Most Holy Trinity and mentioned to you.
“Beloved children of Our King and Lord Jesus Christ, the earth is shaking from the depths, amplifying the fault lines that create earthquakes. The earth has always shaken in one place or another, but you cannot deny that at this time the movements are more frequent and volcanic eruptions are intensifying because of the movements of the earth.
“Be warned about false doctrines: The law of God cannot be changed; the Mystical Body of our King and Lord Jesus Christ is aware that the law of God is one and Only in the cross and in unity can you greasp te dimensions of the Divine Will
“Faithful People, it is necessary for you to go from a mediocre spiritual life to living spirituality in its fullness by Faith. The People of God must have firm Faith at this time when de-Christianization is increasingly progressing.
“The human race’s respect for the Divine has fallen very low, and this will generate the great persecution towards the People of God. For this reason, it is necessary for human beings to have Faith and understanding, so that they would be steadfast in prayer; without prayer there is no fusion with the Most Holy Trinity.
“Prayer is necessary and as prince of the heavenly legions, I assure you that every supplication raised with a contrite heart is accepted b the Most Holy Trinit and by Our Queen and Mother of the Last Times.
“Receive the Body and Blood of Our King and Lord Jesus Christ and be faithful to the true Magisterium of the Church of Our King and Lord Jesus Christ.
“Children of the Most Holy Trinity: It is time for you to live the Faith in fullness without fear, without anxiety, without stumbling as the war cry advances, and without forgetting that peace treaties are not peace, but pretense by the nations in order to prepare themselves more and to reach this point.
“Faith, people ofGod!
“Beloved People of Our King and Lord Jesus Christ: the Warning is near, just as war in near...
“Pray as God’s People: pray the Holy Rosary - it is one ofthe prayers in which, together with Our King and Lord Jesus Christ and with Our Queen and Mother, you retrace the Life, Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our King and Lord Jesus Christ.
“Pray, pray. In the House of God praises are to be proclaimed to the Most Holy Trinity and to Our Queen and Mother of the End Times, and the Holy Rosary is to be proclaimed in the face of the threats that humanity is facing due to the proximity of a celestial body that is approaching the Earth.
“Pray, children of the Most Holy Trinity, pray about what is happening on Earth at this time and pray for the powers that will go from making threats to the reality of arms.
“Pray, children of the Most Holy Trinity, pray with your hearts that the intensity of the use of weapons unknown to you would decrease, if this is the Divine Will.
“Pray: prayer is a balm for the soul. I bless and protect you.”