If you were in purgatory, what would you desire for Christmas? The gift of heaven, of course!
According to Our Lady of Medjugorje, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Theresa of Avila, the holy mystic Denis the Carthusian, Maria Simma, and others, it is not on All Soul’s Day, as one might expect, but on Christmas Day, that Jesus, the Newborn Babe, releases the most souls from purgatory.
Jesus, as we see in the Gospels and throughout Church history, never wants to do things alone. He invites His Mother, the Apostles, His disciples, and you and me to participate in salvation. He wants to use you and me to help Him release millions of souls from purgatory – especially this Christmas.
The Holy Souls in purgatory love and praise God unceasingly, although their suffering, we are told, is worse than any on earth. They are saved. They have experienced God, and they desire Him with an insatiable burning fire, but are held back.
We often hear, “So-and-so is in heaven,” or “So-and-so is in a better place.” But so often this misguided charity causes souls to suffer even more! Only God knows the disposition of the soul at the hour of death. If we don’t pray for those we assume went straight to heaven, we are entirely abandoning them. And if the soul is in Heaven, praise God! No prayer is ever wasted. God applies our prayers to other souls.
So this Christmas Day, and every Christmas, you and I will help Jesus send thousands of souls, including our deceased loved ones and friends, directly into paradise. We’re going to send them home. We’re going to give them the greatest gift of all, the fulfillment of every soul’s deepest longings. Imagine your ancestors and so many more, who rushing into heaven with your help, knowing that you helped them, and now dedicating themselves to praying for you throughout the rest of your life.
So what can you do this Christmas for the Holy Souls?
Offer your sufferings on Christmas Day for them.
Light candles, saying a pray for the souls in your heart. The burning candle signifies a bright silent intercessor for the holy souls.
Make a generous donation at Mass, on behalf of the Holy Souls.
During the offertory, quietly say this beautiful prayer dictated to the Bolivian mystic Catalina Rivas by the Blessed Mother, which has received her bishop’s Imprimatur. (See her vision of the Mass here):
Lord, I offer all that I am, all that I have, all that I can. I put everything into Your Hands. Build it up, Lord, with the little thing that I am. By the merits of Your Son, transform me, God Almighty. I petition You for my family, for my benefactors, for each member of our Apostolate, for all the people who fight against us, for those who commend themselves to my poor prayers. Teach me to lay down my heart as if on the ground before them so that their walk may be less severe. This is how the saints prayed; this is how I want all of you to do it. [Add in your own words a prayer for the release of the Holy Souls into heaven.]
Consider Saint and Mother Theresa of Calcutta’s “emergency” novena, whereby she said nine Memorare’s in petition, and one in Thanksgiving.
The Memorare:
There are countless other creative ways to pray and sacrifice for souls on Christmas Day.
Be creative and enjoy. God will not be outdone in generosity.
Click here for a beautiful montage of scenes of Jesus’ birth:
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