The purpose of souls in purgatory is to undergo purification before entering heaven. During their time there, they reflect on their sins, seek forgiveness, and are cleansed of their imperfections through suffering and prayers from the living.
St. Gertrude the Great is invoked for souls in purgatory and for living sinners. Our Lord told St. Gertrude that the following prayer would release 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is said.
The practice of paying to the church to release souls from purgatory, known as indulgences, was historically a controversial aspect of Catholic teaching, particularly during the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church no longer endorses the sale of indulgences, emphasizing that salvation and the alleviation of suffering in purgatory come through faith, repentance, and prayer rather than financial contributions. Today, Catholics may offer donations to the church, but these are intended for the support of church activities and not for the purpose of reducing time in purgatory.
In Catholic belief, individuals cannot expedite their time in purgatory through any actions on Earth. The duration of time spent in purgatory is believed to be determined by the individual's sins and the need for purification before entering Heaven. The best way to reduce time in purgatory is to lead a life of virtue, seek forgiveness through confession, and pray for the souls in purgatory.
Purgatory is a place or state in some Christian beliefs where souls are purified before entering heaven. It is seen as a temporary place of cleansing for those who have not fully atoned for their sins on Earth. Purgatory is mainly found in Catholic and Orthodox Christian traditions, where it is believed that prayers and good deeds from the living can help shorten the time spent in purgatory.
Medieval people sought to reduce their time in purgatory primarily through acts of penance, prayer, and good works. They believed that engaging in charitable acts, attending Mass, and making pilgrimages could earn them indulgences, which were believed to lessen their time in purgatory. Additionally, they often relied on the intercession of saints and the prayers of the living, believing that these could aid their souls in achieving a quicker passage to heaven.
In Catholic beliefs, purgatory is a place where souls undergo purification before entering heaven. It is believed that those who die in a state of grace but with remaining sins or imperfections must be purified before entering heaven. Prayers, Masses, and other acts of devotion by the living can help shorten the time a soul spends in purgatory.
In the revelations to St. Gertrude the Great, Jesus emphasized the power of the prayer known as the "Eternal Father" prayer, which is a plea for mercy for souls in purgatory. He promised that each time it is prayed with sincerity and devotion, it would lead to the release of a significant number of souls from purgatory. This highlights the importance of intercessory prayers and their impact on the souls in need of divine mercy. St. Gertrude's experiences illustrate the profound connection between prayer and the spiritual realm.
The concept of purgatory varies among different religious traditions, particularly within Catholicism, which teaches that it is a temporary state for souls undergoing purification before entering heaven. The duration of time spent in purgatory is not specified and is believed to depend on the individual’s sins and the effectiveness of prayers and Masses offered for them by the living. Ultimately, the length of stay is considered a mystery known only to God.
St. Gertrude the Great, the only nun and female so honored, was a Benedictine nun (possibly Cistercian) who was a great mystic and theologian in the 13th century. She enjoyed a number of mystical visits from Our Blessed Lord, and in one of them she was told the prayer and that it would release "1000 souls from purgatory" each time it was said. We must remember that historically, the number 1000 usually is a reference for "a whole lot" and not usually meant to be taken as a literal number, although it certainly might have been, we just don't know.Our Lord wishes people to pray for the souls in purgatory. He once showed Gertrude a table of gold on which were many costly pearls. The pearls were prayers for the holy souls. At the same time the saint had a vision of souls freed from suffering and ascending in the form of bright sparks to heaven.In one Vision, Our Lord tells Gertrude that he longs for someone to ask Him to release souls from purgatory, just as a king who imprisons a friend for justice's sake hopes that someone will beg for mercy for his friend. Jesus ends with:"I accept with highest pleasure what is offered to Me for the poor souls, for I long inexpressibly to have near Me those for whom I paid so great a price. By the prayers of thy loving soul, I am induced to free a prisoner from purgatory as often as thou dost move thy tongue to utter a word of prayer."In another vision she was given the Prayer which Our Lord told her would release 1000 Souls from Purgatory every time it is said with love and devotion. "Eternal Father, I offer You the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus Christ, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
The response of the church is simply to listen their criticism.There is reason why Catholic has a dogma about Purgatory.Mother Mary sent a message to Saint Faustina and the children of Fatima to pray the suffering souls in Purgatory.The Bible speaks incomplete because it is not perfect.The loving Lord does not want that all sinful people will go to hell.The Lord always gives a chance to those sinner who hope to go to heaven.There is a final purification.The Lord needs prayer to church on earth to pray the souls in purgatory especially the time of all souls day.To those in hell,there is no chance because it is their choice and they are full of despair and they do not know how to love.
Catholic Christians believe in Purgatory, which is the ancient Christian belief that souls who have already been forgiven in life in the Sacrament of Reconciliation may still undergo purgation in the afterlife as a temporal punishment, to purify them from attachments formed to sin in their lifetimes- but after time in Purgatory, these souls always go to Heaven, as Heaven's "antechamber", metaphorically speaking, is Purgatory. During this time, some Catholics believe souls may appear as an apparition on Earth, what we would call a "ghost". However, this is not an explicit teaching of the Catholic Church like Purgatory is. Catholics are free to believe or disbelieve in ghosts roaming the world- but they must believe in Purgatory, as it is a dogma of the faith. The Protestant sects and denominations do not have official teachings about ghosts, but they do not believe in Purgatory. Therefore, many do not believe in ghosts, and instead believe all souls go straight to Heaven regardless of any attachment to sin formed in this life, if the person was "saved", while "unsaved" go straight to Hell. Therefore, the various beliefs of the Protestant sects do not really hold a place for belief in ghosts. More information re. Protestant beliefs: Certain Protestant denominations (and conservative groups within other denominations) view both the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures as literal truth. These believers look at several texts as indicating that souls of believers go immediately to heaven while those of the lost go immediately to hell. Consequently, when an apparition of any sort is experienced, spirit, ghost, angel or whatever, their only option is to identify that apparition as a demonic deception. To these believers, there is no middle ground between what is absolutely and entirely consistent with their interpretation of Scripture, and that which is entirely of the devil. At the same time, a great many Protestants have more "liberal" or "progressive" beliefs and do not regard the Scriptures as literal truth in all aspects. These believers do not have definitive guidance or any church doctrine regarding ghosts and other apparitions. They are more likely to be influenced by popular culture or by their own more-or-less informed opinions.
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