Intercession of the Souls in Purgatory

PRAY FOR THEM

AND THEY WILL PRAY MORE FOR YOU

After having offered prayers and sacrifices for the Poor Souls, we can confidently ask their intercession:

            My Jesus, give me a share

          in the intercession

          offered by the Souls in Purgatory

          and make it effective for me.

          May they all pray for me,

          especially that I may

          serve You faithfully,

          avoid sin and die a happy death,

          (and for... [name a particular intention].)

          Amen.

             

AN ANALYSIS AND EXPLANATION:

My Jesus, give me a share in the intercession offered by the Souls in Purgatory

Do these souls pray for us even before they have arrived in Heaven? Since the souls in Purgatory are in the state of grace and charity, since they are definitively saved, and since charity is active, it is certain that they exercise that charity by interceding for the Faithful on earth. It is the Doctor of the Church, Saint Robert Bellarmine, who points this out. And magisterial texts affirm it also: in the beatification of the foundress of the Helpers of the Holy Souls, Eugénie Smet, an official document states that it is “mind of the Church” that the Holy Souls pray for us. And in Reconcilatio et paenitentia Pope Sant John Paul II says:

...one cannot deny the social nature of [the Sacrament of Penance], in which the whole church –militant, suffering and glorious in heaven– comes to the aid of the penitent and welcomes him again into her bosom... (31-iv)

But how can the Church Suffering, that is, the Poor Souls, help, other than by interceding? Their sufferings, even if they are very great, are not meritorious.

and make it [their intercession] effective for me [who have prayed for them]

“...Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective” Catechism of the Catholic Church 958. Those who pray for these Poor Souls can rightly expect help from them more than if they never prayed for them.

May they all pray for me,

especially that I may serve You faithfully, avoid sin and die a happy death

A soul from Purgatory told the Venerable Francesca del Santissimo Sacramento that “whenever anyone prays for us [the souls of the Faithful Departed], we all pray for him or her, especially that the person may serve the Lord faithfully, avoid sin and die a happy death."

Mercy

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” If we practice charity and mercy towards the souls of the Faithful Departed, our Faith makes it plain that we shall in our turn also receive mercy. And one of the channels of this mercy will be the grateful intercession of the souls themselves.

Two powerful Prayers

The following two prayers have received ecclesiastical approbation. I hope that we can see their intrinsic power since they combine the all important “supplication” or general plea for mercy for the souls, and a calling upon and at least implicit honouring of the Holy Wounds through whiuch and from which come all graces and mercies.

            Eternal Father,

          through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary,

          I offer Thee, the wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ,

          for all the souls in Purgatory:

          to heal their wounds,

          to cleanse their stains

          and to pay all their debts.

          My Jesus,

          through the merits of Thy Holy Wounds:

          eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,

          and let perpetual light shine upon them.

          May they rest in peace. Amen.

If one has some time, and is moved by holy charity, these prayers could be prayed on the rosary beads. The “Eternal Father” on the Paters, and the “My Jesus” on the Aves, without prejudice to praying our Rosary or part of it.

A Martyr for the Real Presence

Paul Comtois gave his life to save the Holy Eucharist

May this account of a sacrifice to save the Sacred Species, by the Honourable Paul Comtois, ex-Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec, help restore faith in the real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, to everyone.

by JM Laplante, omi

When the Honourable Onésime Gagnon died, Mr. Paul Comtois was chosen to replace him as Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec, the representative of the Crown for that Province of Canada.

Monsieur Comtois was recognized as a most endearing and social personality with exquisite French courtesy and, above all, as a true Catholic and fervent practitioner and member of the Holy Church.

In the wee hours of February 21 (1966), when a fire broke out in the old Manoir du Bois de Coulonge, Madame Comtois was in bed. There were also visitors to the Château Manoir: 10 occupants in all. Mr. Comtois, 70, was the first to react. He took his wife outside. He then personally led his daughter Mireille and all the other occupants to safety. So, as his daughter Mireille wanted to go back inside, he firmly ordered her to stay outside. He himself returned to his private chapel to save the Sacred Species.

Despite the progress of intense smoke and heat and in utter darkness, he succeeded in seizing the ciborium containing the Eucharist. In the seconds that followed, getting ready to go back down, the stairs collapsed and he was burned alive in this infernal furnace. It was by performing a sublime act of faith, which was a magnificent response to the recent encyclical of Pope Paul VI Mysterium Fidei, that a man thus exposed his life, proving his faith in the Real Presence in the Eucharist, to the point of becoming a martyr of Jesus the Bread of Life, the Sacred Host.

The news was announced on Monday morning, February 22, by CBC, the national communications network.

Let us hope that, by this expression of living faith, the Province of Quebec merits this grace of rediscovering faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, in Jesus remaining truly present in the tabernacle until the end of time.

The Larry Henderson Inquiry

In the religious information bulletin of the Armed Forces of Canada, in Cold Lake, Alberta, Father Frank Micallef repeated the main points of Father Laplante's article. This article caught the attention of journalist Larry Henderson. Mr. Henderson called for an investigation. This investigation was entrusted to a very experienced journalist, Myles O'Farrell, who published it in the Catholic Register of March 2, 1974.

According to Myles O'Farrell's investigation, it emerges that Paul Comtois managed to save the ciborium containing the Sacred Species, which was found intact under his body.

It was Lieutenant-Colonel JP Martin, aide-de-camp to the Lieutenant-Governor, who reported to him that the building caught fire like a box of matches. It was amazing how quickly the flames completely engulfed the residence. The heat of the crackling flames was in sharp contrast to the Siberian cold of less than 25 degrees Fahrenheit. In this extremely freezing temperature, the firefighters could not approach more than one hundred feet from the blaze. Paul Comtois, however, approached.

Myles O'Farrell investigation reveals

There is no doubt today, that on February 21, 1966, Paul Comtois, 70 years old, 21st Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Quebec, died of burns while trying to save the Most Holy Eucharist, from the plagued Château Bois de Coulonge. flames.

Cardinal Maurice Roy, Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of the Church of Canada, paying homage to him, said: “Mr. Comtois, as a Christian, gives everyone an example of wisdom and goodness, of humility and of radiant faith.”

Apart from this tribute, the heroic sacrifice of Paul Comtois has remained ignored.

However, it is now absolutely clear, from eyewitness testimony, that instead of saving his own skin as he could have done, Paul Comtois, like a captain of a ship in distress, refused to leave the ship. building ablaze as long as his family, guests and staff were safe.

So, in a desperate effort to fulfill his final obligation to save the Holy Eucharist from the burning family chapel, he met his death there. The Ciborium, a sacred vessel containing the Eucharist, was found intact under his charred body, as proof of his last will.

Testimony of Mireille Comtois

Mireille, her daughter, tells us: “As I was running through the burning Manor, I saw my father in the chapel. As I was about to walk over to him, he firmly ordered me to jump to the first window, which I did, wondering why he didn't do the same. The last image I have of him, I can still see him under the sanctuary lamp in his pajamas, wearing the rosary around his neck, a memory of his father, which he recited every evening and which he wore to sleep. "

Mireille continues: “My father went to the chapel every evening for his prayers. Her mother was a McCaffrey from Ireland. Although dad was very devout, he feared death. One day he told me how it was not easy to obtain permission from the Cardinal to keep the Blessed Sacrament permanently in the chapel. When he was given permission, it was on the express condition that he held himself personally responsible for the safety and respectful care due our Lord. And my father was a man who assumed his obligations at all costs ...

I was told that when he was found his body was horribly burned and that his arms were not intact even though dad was of strong constitution, it was under him that the Ciborium containing Jesus-Host. His body had saved Him from the flames ... I can still see him under the sanctuary lamp...”

Bruno Turpin, a firefighter from Quebec City, was among the first to locate the body of Mr. Comtois. He reported: "He was found facing the ground, his body terribly burned ... the Ciborium containing the Hosts under him, his arms so charred they were detached from his body."

Marc Stearns, an industrialist from Quebec and guest of the Lieutenant-Governor, had spent the night there. Here is what he tells us: “I jumped from the second balcony, injuring my back and had to be hospitalized for a while. Our couple were true friends of the Comtois family; we visited each other regularly. I was a close friend and admirer of Paul Comtois. He was a very sincere person, very concerned about the problems of humanity ... His religious faith so deep, which impressed me so much, was undoubtedly the instrument of my conversion to the Catholic faith for a short time. after his death, knowing his fervent attachment to the Blessed Sacrament ... I have no doubt that Paul Comtois did everything in his power to save the Holy Eucharist from the fire. "

Father Gaudoise Labrecque, of the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament, was for several years the chaplain of the residence of the Lieutenant-Governor. For him, Monsieur Comtois was a man of compassion, of deep faith and great devotion. “He was always preoccupied,” he says, “with social problems; he spent himself energetically to find solutions for them and he indeed made a great contribution to them. "

Excerpts from the brochure “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”, edited by Jean-Claude Bleau, 15 rue Pierre Boucher, Boucherville, QC, J4B 5A5

Necessary Dispositions for Receiving Holy Communion

"Lord I am not Worthy"

None of us has the right to require and demand that Christ our God should humble Himself to a much greater extent than even in Bethlehem and on Calvary, by becoming the Bread of Life for us in Holy Communion. We are referring to this when we say that we are not worthy to receive Him, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof". Who could in justice ask for such an infinite gift? This is what we are referring to in saying these words together at Holy Mass.

            But there is another form of unworthiness, that of being in a state of mortal sin, or worse, which I wish to address.

            If a Catholic has lost his or her Faith in the Real Presence, that person should not receive our Lord, without recognizing that He is there.

            There are Catholics known to God, often known to God alone, who SHOULD NOT receive our Divine Lord. They should and must repent of their sins and go to Confession first.

            And there are Catholics who have taken a public stance of being in grave opposition to, or grave disobedience to the Law of Christ. They should not approach, and if they do, they must not be given Holy Communion.

OFFICIAL TEACHING of the CHURCH

Presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion should be a conscious decision, based on a reasoned judgment regarding one's worthiness to do so, according to the Church's objective criteria, asking such questions as:

  •         Am I in full communion with the Catholic Church?

  •         Am I guilty of grave sin?

  •         Have I incurred a penalty (e.g. excommunication, interdict) that forbids me to receive Holy Communion?

  •         Have I prepared myself by fasting for at least an hour?

The practice of indiscriminately presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion, merely as a consequence of being present at Mass, is an abuse that must be corrected (cf. Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, nos. 81, 83)...

Apart from an individual's judgment about his worthiness to present himself or herself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion may find himself in the situation where he must refuse to distribute Holy Communion to someone, such as in cases of a declared excommunication, a declared interdict, or an obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin (cf. can. 915).

Catechesis on the Eucharistic Sacrifice

"Above All Else a Sacrifice"

The celebration and offering of the Holy Eucharist is called "the Memorial of the Lord" and "the Memorial of His Passion". All other memorials, such as Brock's Monument, are memorials of the life of someone who is dead. This Memorial is the Memorial of the DEATH of Someone Who is ALIVE!

            It is not a mere reminder or portrayal of His Passion and His Person. The two major images of Christ in this church, depict Him and remind us of His Passion. But in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, He Who is alive and risen comes and RE-PRESENTS the Sacrifice of His Death on the Cross.

            The Lamb of God shed His Precious Blood for all people, so anybody can say "Almighty Father, remember the suffering of Your Son, remember how He poured out His Divine Blood for me, and have mercy on me!"

            The baptized have been grafted onto the True Vine. They belong to Christ and Christ belongs to them. They are children of God through Faith. They are a race of priests, and belong to the Kingdom of God on earth. Therefore they can not only "remind" the Lord of the saving work of His Son, they can OFFER the Blood. And when they do, they are offering the infinitely precious Blood.

            A finite person, a created, limited person, such as you and me, can offer the infinite Blood, the "acceptable sacrifice that brings salvation to the whole word".

BUT IN THE MASS...

But in the Mass Christ our Saviour becomes present and He, an infinite Divine Person, offers His Death, offers His love and obedience, offers His Precious Blood. The all holy, all innocent Lamb of God offers again His one death on Calvary. He uses the priest, but it is Himself.

* * * * *

Teaching of Christ through His Church:

"We believe that the Mass, celebrated by the priest representing the person of Christ by virtue of the power received through the Sacrament of Orders, and offered by him in the name of Christ and the members of His Mystical Body, is the sacrifice of Calvary rendered sacramentally present on our altars." (Credo of Pope Saint Paul VI)

"At the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the Sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of His Death and Resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.'" (Paul VI quotes Vatican II)

Re-enactment at Heart of Doctrine

The heart and core of the doctrine, is that, by means of the Mystery of the Eucharist, the Sacrifice of the Cross which was once carried out on Calvary is re-enacted in wonderful fashion and is constantly recalled, and its saving power is applied to the forgiving of the sins we commit each day.

            Just as Moses made the Old Testament sacred with the blood of calves, so too Christ the Lord took the New Testament or Covenant, of which He is the Mediator, and made it sacred through His own Blood, in instituting the mystery of the Eucharist. For, as the Evangelists narrate, at the Last Supper "He took bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is My Body, given for you; do this for a commemoration of Me. And so with the cup, when supper was ended, This cup, he said, is the new testament, in my Blood which is to be shed for you." And by asking and commanding the Apostles to do this in memory of Him, He made clear that He wanted it to be forever repeated. This intention of Christ was faithfully carried out by the primitive Church through her adherence to the teaching of the Apostles and through her gatherings to celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice. As St. Luke is careful to point out, "They occupied themselves continually with the Apostles' teaching, their fellowship in the breaking of bread, and the fixed times of prayer." The faithful used to derive such spiritual fervour from this practice that it was said of them that "there was one heart and soul in all the company of the believers." (16)

            Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei

Catechesis on the Most Holy Eucharist

The Real Presence

The fact of the REAL PRESENCE

The reality itself of the bread, is changed, into the reality itself of the living, wounded, glorified, Body of Jesus Christ. The same Body that was born of the Virgin, nailed to Cross, and which came forth alive from the tomb on the third day.

The reality itself of the wine is changed, into the reality itself of the living, glorified, Blood of Jesus Christ. We call this the Real Presence. It is real. Just as real as you are, sitting in that pew It is not a merely symbolic presence. The crucifix behind me shows Jesus crucified, still alive but crucified. The image of the Sacred Heart shows Jesus Christ risen from the dead . These are images. These are depictions. But what is in the tabernacle is not an image, not a symbol, not a depiction. Jesus Christ is as really present in the Blessed Sacrament as you are really present in that bench where you are sitting. You are not symbolically present in the church today, you are really present. Jesus Christ is present really, truly and substantially in His Body Blood, Soul and Divinity.

The WITNESS of the Church's Faith

When this mass began you stood up to begin the sacred action of worship of the Divine Majesty. (You did not stand "to greet Father Paul".) Rather, we stood to begin the Sacred action. When I reached the front, on your behalf and my own,0 I touched my right knee to the ground. I made a genuflection. This was an act of adoration of the Real Presence. Later, just after the consecration of the bread, I touched my right knee again to the ground. And after consecrating the chalice, which from that moment contains the glorified Blood of Jesus, I bent my knee to the ground, I touched my right need to the ground. These are acts of adoration of the Real Presence. Again before receiving Holy Communion, I genuflected, and before I left the area of the sanctuary and processed to the back of the church I genuflected. These are acts of adoration of the Real presence. I acknowledged my Creator and Lord, Who is Jesus, present in the tabernacle or on the altar. I expressed therefore my absolute dependence upon my Lord and my God and I expressed that I owe Him everything. Before the time of Holy communion, you yourselves attested to the fact of the Real Presence. You were on your knees and I held up the Bread of Life, the Sacred Host and I said to you in, in effect. "Look! This is is the Lamb of God. Behold the Lamb of God." And you responded, speaking to the Host, speaking to the Bread of Life. "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof."

God Himself bears witness

From time to time God Himself bears witness to the Real Presence. These divine testimonies are called "Eucharistic Miracles". Here is an example:

A genuine miracle played a decisive role in Pedro Arrupe's decision to become a priest. He was a young medical student on pilgrimage to Lourdes. He noticed a young man twisted with polio in a wheelchair at Mass. As the Blessed Sacrament came near, he cried out "If you want to, You can cure me!" When he was blessed by the Sacred Host in the monstrance, the young man leapt to his feet, instantly and completely cured. Writes Arrupe:

Thanks to the special permission I had, I was later able to assist at the medical examinations of the young man. The Lord had truly cured him. There is no need to tell you what I felt and thought at that moment. I had come from the Faculty of Medicine in Madrid where I discovered so many professors (some truly renowned) and so many companions who had no faith and who always ridiculed miracles. At Lourdes, I had been an eyewitness of a true miracle worked by Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, by that same Jesus Christ who had, during the course of His life, cured so many who were ill and paralytic.

"I sensed God very close and tugging at me."

Interestingly, there was another miracle in the future Jesuit's life.

Arrupe wrote in a book –I lived the atomic bomb – his experiences the day of the tragedy and the following months. On 6 August 1945, he was in a house with 35 young people and several Jesuit fathers, when, at 8:15 a.m., he saw "a very powerful light, like a magnesium explosion, shot before our eyes".

When we opened the door of the room facing Hiroshima, "we heard a huge explosion, similar to the roar of a terrible hurricane, which took doors, windows, glasses, unstable walls…, that broke to pieces and fell over our heads". These were three or four seconds "that seemed to be lethal", although all those present there saved their lives. And none of those in the house ever suffered radiation sickness.