Poor Souls - Nov. 2nd - Dorothy and Her Deceased Husband

 

Today we remember holy souls, the faithful departed who are detained in purgatory until their time of purification has ended.

I have three Masses today, and will give pretty much the same homily. However, in each homily I will tell a different story about a personal experience I had with souls who have gone before us.

In the bulletin this week was the prayer of St. Gertrude. It is said 1000 souls enter heaven every time its devoutly prayed. While we can’t know for sure if this is the exact amount or if 1000 souls refers to “many” souls, by faith we believe our prayers can help souls in purgatory to go to heaven. I encourage you to pray that prayer everyday during the month of November.

However, the greatest and most powerful way to liberate a soul is through the Holy Mass. There are some monasteries and religious orders that can offer 30 consecutive Masses for the soul of one person, and its believed by the end of the 30 days, that soul will go to heaven. Its called Gregorian Masses, due to a private revelation to Pope St. Gregory the great. While its okay to believe this private revelation, perhaps some people need just a few Masses or maybe others need many more. Only God really knows for certain. Sometimes it takes more than 30 Masses and sometimes just a few Masses, which all depends upon how much temporal punishment was not made up in this life, but needs to be made up in the next.

As we know Padre Pio, St. Faustina, St. Charles of Sezze and other saints had encounters with souls who died requesting his prayers. But its not just the saints who have had these encounters. Some including myself have experienced souls who seem to be asking for prayers and/or Masses. For example: I used to give Communion to a lady at Sacred Heart in Halstead, that at times was not able to go to church and other times she could, depending upon her health. As the months progressed she was slowly less able to attend Mass and I would give her Holy Communion on Wednesdays. Since, her health was frail and seemed to be declining, I gave her anointing of the sick.

One day she confided in me and told me that she thought her deceased husband would at times come to her at night and lay next to her. But, she said it was creepy and she didn’t like it. I blessed her house and sprinkled holy water and asked her to tell me, if it happens again. A few weeks later, she said it happened again. She said this figure keeps coming out of her closet and either sits on the bed or lays down next to her. I asked her if there was anything in the closet that did not belong to her. And she said, her husband’s shirt was still in the closet. She like it because it reminded her of him. I told her if she wanted to stop having that happen, to dispose of the shirt and she did. I also said maybe her husband is wanting Masses for his soul and she mentioned that she hadn’t really offered Masses for him after he died. I said, “I will schedule three Masses for him.” Over the next few weeks, first we had one Mass, then the next week I offered another Mass for his soul and then on the 3^rd week, I offered the last of the three Masses. After I offered the Mass that morning, I heard a siren of an ambulance, which sounded like it went to either the public high school or to the assisted living center which was located next to the school. I decided to quickly get into my car to see if any Catholic needed to be anointed. There on the ground at the assisted living center, lay Dorthy, who the EMT’s were performing CPR. I quickly gave her anointing of the sick and the Apostolic Pardon and she died soon thereafter. She died on the same day, the last of the three Masses was offered for her husband. Perhaps, he came to ask for Masses for himself and somehow wanted to help prepare her for her upcoming death.

We can offer our Holy Communions, Rosaries, make sacrifices, our daily duty, do works of charity on behalf of a soul who has died, so they can enjoy heaven. We can even offer one plenary indulgence per day, as long as we receive Holy Communion for that person, go to confession within 8 days before or after. A plenary indulgence, if obtained with the proper disposition, can completely free a soul from the punishment due to their sins, so they can enjoy heaven forever. We can offer our Eucharistic Holy Hour for a particular soul too.

May the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.