Hello friends! I hope you are getting a chance to enjoy this beautiful fall day and are able to find some time to pray for all deceased souls on this Feast of All Souls Day. As we think about all the souls that have gone before us and pray for God's mercy to lift them up to heaven, we may spend some time to contemplate the state of our own soul!
If you ask most Catholics where they think they will end up when they pass away, the majority will say "Purgatory." This one answer can really show some insight into the mindset of the people in our church. God created purgatory in His great mercy, to be a place to make clean our souls that have been tarnished over a lifetime of sin and neglecting the will of God. It would grieve us tremendously to be face-to-face with God and still have the stain of sin on our souls. The thing is about purgatory though- is that this is not a place that we all must go in order to get to heaven but rather a place we could go if we don't live out our lives as perfectly in line with God's will as we should. In saying this, we should all strive to go straight to heaven at our deaths, not just assume we will go to purgatory first! Going straight to heaven is God's will for us all- not just the very pious saints that have levitated and were consecrated religious.
Saint Therese believed this to be true as well! Saint Therese said this to her fellow sister, Sr. Maria Philomena:
“You do not have enough trust. You have too much fear before the good God. I can assure you that He is grieved over this. You should not fear Purgatory because of the suffering there, but should instead ask that you not deserve to go there in order to please God, Who so reluctantly imposes this punishment. As soon as you try to please Him in everything and have an unshakable trust, He purifies you every moment in His love and He lets no sin remain. And then you can be sure that you will not have to go to Purgatory.”
So, Saint Therese is telling us to keep trusting in God's mercy and keep trying to do His will!! On a daily basis, we do not need to worry about our whole life- that would be too overwhelming, we just need to take one day at a time, and one moment at a time. If in each moment we strive to trust and have good intentions- we will not have to suffer the flames of purgatory.
Quoting from "33 Days to Merciful Love" by Fr. Michael Gaitley, he tells the story: One novice asked the Saint, ' "If I fail even in the small things, may I still hope to get straight to heaven?" Now Therese knew the young nun's weakness very well, and yet she still responded with beautiful words for little souls: "Yes! God is so good. He will know how He can come and get you. But despite this, try to be faithful, so that He does not have to wait in vain for your love." Yes God is so good to little souls who recognize their weakness. So, let's try to be faithful, and let's trust in God's promise of mercy.'
If you want to read more about this topic and/or to consecrate yourself to God's Merciful Love just like St. Therese did- rather than to the justice of God, I highly recommend the 33 Days to Merciful Love book by Fr. Michael Gaitley. Much like the consecration to Jesus through Mary, you will use the prayer that St. Therese composed to consecrate yourself to the Merciful Love of Jesus.
In closing, SMILE and let God love you. Let us be grateful for the beautiful opportunity of each new day to once again renew our trust and faith in God and His perfect will for us. Let us strive to go straight to Heaven and know that we too were created to be counted among the saints in Heaven and can bypass purgatory just like many of them!
