Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA)

Purgatory – Half Way To Heaven!

At the moment of birth, a child is a mystery of the future. With time, events and the graces given him between the moment of birth and the moment of death, each human being makes choices, advancing toward God or turning away from Him. At the time of death, he has lived one of these two patterns: Either, with his mind on God and motivated for the love of God, to do God’s Will; or with his mind set on himself or another creature in place of God, living his whole life to do his own will. At death, a person’s will is fixed, either on himself or God. If he is in the state of grace, he is God-directed. If he is in the state of unrepented mortal sin, then he has rejected God, set up his own will in opposition to the Divine Will – the consequence of his choices is Hell!

Even in the state of grace and, therefore, a friend of God, a person may not have achieved a total love of God nor a complete union with His Will. What is imperfect and out of order must be consumed and purged so that the soul may be wholly ready for the wedding feast of Heaven. This place of purgation is called “Purgatory”. Although it is not hell, it has some of the intense pains associated with the sufferings of Hell; and while it is not Heaven, it has some intense joys of Heaven. St. Catherine of Genoa, a “specialist” on the doctrine of Purgatory, laid emphasis on the joy of Purgatory — outside of Heaven itself, the happiest state in creation is that of Purgatory.

What Then Is Purgatory?

Purgatory is the never failing and encompassing love of God in action for the souls of the departed who are not yet completely holy. These are friends of God, who died in the state of Sanctifying Grace and share in His Divine Life. They have a right to Heaven but are not yet ready for the fullness of what He has promised. They must be readied by the expiation they undergo in purgatory. It is a time of paying a debt but not degrading or shameful. It is a state of maturing and growing perfect in love.

At the moment a soul passes into eternity, time ceases to exist for it. In Purgatory, the soul progresses toward purity and holiness, but it cannot be said to be in this state for a certain time period. God is at work in the soul and the soul is delayed entry into the unending happiness of Heaven. This process is not measured in our days or years. The Council of Trent declared: Purgatory exists, and certain souls are detained there; these souls can be helped by the prayers and alms of the faithful and especially by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Christian at the moment of death, in the proper disposition, should be able to say, “My Father, whatever I deserve for my sins and my failures, into Thy loving Hands I yield up my soul.” God is Love! Can His purifying work in a soul be done in any other condition than one of love?

For the soul in the state of purgation, the world is left behind! The demands of the body and its senses completely cease. The soul is free, for the first time, to see spiritual realities in the way the Angels perceive them. Heaven is assured. Divine illumination floods the soul’s understanding with an appreciation and desire for God. It sees what shallow satisfactions, weaknesses and selfishness came between God and itself, and understands that satisfaction must be made. In Purgatory, the soul is keenly aware of being deprived of God. It has seen the utter beauty and loveableness of God. His Goodness, Holiness, Love and Wisdom have set the soul aflame with adoration, gratitude and love. This is what penetrates the souls in Purgatory. Nothing distracts them from their attention to HIM! Purgatory is a state of suffering, but the suffering is not grim. The suffering is intense, but it is borne with joy.

The pain of purgatory purifies and prepares the soul for eternal joy. This joy carries them through their suffering. Self-centeredness and selfishness are stripped away as the souls in Purgatory become what God meant them to be on earth: Saints entirely in love with Him. They can in NO WAY accelerate the healing of purgatory’s “fire of joy”. Their utter passivity is probably the reason they are called the “Poor Souls”. Helpless of themselves, they can be helped! They can be helped by our prayers, alms and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

They cannot receive the Sacraments or offer acts of mortification in expiation for their sins, BUT WE CAN! What better way to please Christ than coming to the aid of the poorest of the poor: the helpless souls in Purgatory. Let us remember, too, that by aiding them, we witness God’s mercy and power, and contribute to His glory for all eternity.

There are some who have a special claim to our charity: parents, brothers, sisters, teachers and the priests who brought us the Sacraments. Perhaps, there are thousands of others in Purgatory who have won special graces for us, whom we shall never know … an old woman who suffered patiently and endured pain for some poor sinner known only to God. We are all branches of the Vine, Christ, and we can help one another through channeling the life of the whole Vine, one to the other. The shortest prayer, the smallest act done for the love of God can become a lever to Heaven for the souls in Purgatory.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated for the souls in Purgatory, wins the infinite merits of Christ, which open like a floodgate to wash over the souls of the living and the dead. The holy souls in Purgatory cannot now unite themselves to Him in Holy Communion, but they can share in the graces that flow from the celebration of the Mass, especially if we bring them there, in spirit, by our Mass intentions.

GREGORIAN Masses are one of the most effective means of delivering a soul from Purgatory. These are 30 Masses offered for the soul of one specified deceased, during the period of 30 consecutive days. The custom originated with St. Gregory the Great. We are not justified to consider the Gregorian Masses as an infallible means of freeing a soul from Purgatory, because the application of the fruit of the Masses depends on the Holy Will of God. Thus, more than one series of Gregorian Masses can be offered for the same soul.

The Way of the Cross, prayerfully made, is highly indulgenced and of great efficacy for the holy souls in Purgatory. The Holy Rosary recalls the events of Redemption, taking us from the first Joyful Mystery to the last Glorious Mystery as we meditate on the great doctrines of the Church. It is best to use a Rosary that has the ‘ABCD’ blessings to obtain the greatest indulgences for the Poor Souls.

Almsgiving is another form of corporal charity that is efficacious and pleasing to God. Today’s poor and suffering are great in number and we ought to thank God we can come to their aid. When this is done for the love of God, we can offer any expiatory value of these acts to God on behalf of the departed souls.

The taking of holy water and sprinkling both ourselves and our surroundings with it, draws down blessings upon the objects that are sprinkled. Hence, the regular and confident use of holy water is attended with great benefits for the living and brings consolation to the departed soul.

Offering indulgenced prayers is beneficial to the Holy Souls. Each of these is given a gain of so many days indulgence in the Raccolta. This does not mean that 300 days are going to be subtracted from their debt, but rather that it is our drawing on the merits of Christ and the saints for the performance of a penance carried out for 300 days in behalf of the poor soul. There is no time beyond death!

God is never outdone in generosity and is sure to be moved by any and all the acts of faith and charity made in the name of the poorest of the poor, the holy souls in Purgatory.

Divine Heart of Jesus, convert Sinners, save the Dying, delivery the Holy Souls in Purgatory. (300 days Indulgence)

Gregorian Masses For Your Departed Loved One

The Gregorian Masses are arranged through Fr. Ivan Kolodij. The money is personally delivered to the priest who will offer 30 consecutive Masses for your departed loved one. This is carried out by the Byzantine priests in Ukraine. The stipend for the Gregorian Masses is $500. We will mail the Mass card to you.

Click here to request your Gregorian Masses

Our Battle Cry

We set out now on a glorious crusade, to conquer the whole world for Christ. Our weapons in this battle must be like arrows that fly with lightning speed from a loving heart, to reach the very Heart of God. Our prayers and pious aspirations must expand the lungs of our soul, keep us in contact with the supernatural and render us ever conscious of our mission as apostles.

In this decisive battle for souls, the Holy Rosary is our protection, our firm anchor, our exultant hope and solid nourishment. We must never set our holy Rosary aside, but carry it in our hand during the day, wear it around our neck, or keep it in our pocket. Each morning, when we set out to conquer the world for Christ, we may most effectively use our Rosary as a panoply; for it is our sign of Total Consecration, and affords us the protection of a full suit of armor! With our Rosary, we can spread our “AVES” out along the path of our laborious day like milestones of Christian life. Keeping our vigil of Aves, we can pass our precious time like a pilgrim of eternity. It will help us think more often and better of the sweet Immaculate Virgin and be encouraged after Her example, and with Her help, to trample underfoot the eternal traitor of purity and impenitent profaner of holiness. And with the Aves, let us breathe in and breathe out the simple ejaculation so delicious to the heart that loves:

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy Kingdom Come!

It is a shout of conquest, a profession of Faith, a protestation of subjection to the great King; it is, at once, reparation and expiation, a creed and a Decalogue; it is the Gospel compacted into three words, it is the essence of all that the soul can desire; it is a stairway on which one mounts to Heaven! And the infinite beauty of this little practice is that it can be done, not in fits and starts, but uninterruptedly, without losing a single moment of your day.

Let Us Exclude No One!

As you offer this little prayer, you will want to think how it can be scattered to the ends of the Earth. Travel from one country to the next in your heart, showering upon them all this priceless dew of grace. While praying your beads and breathing in and out this powerful song of conquest and subjection, think of the abundant fruit it will bear in time, first in Africa and then in China. To each one, it is love released. I am sure you will like it.

Make a TRIAL of it and you will see for yourselves;
But one must have FAITH and most especially,
One must have LOVE!

As the world engages in the epic battle with death, you will have merited for souls the flood of Divine Mercy, which is able to save them. Would that millions pray in this manner! May God grant that your little invocations become fervent and passionate!

May they flash ceaselessly across the firmament of the Church like lightning!

May they heal all the sores and wounds of the whole world, all the sobs of ruined innocence, and all the burning tears of the good, who are unjustly oppressed!