by James Akin
Suppose a friend or co-worker comes to you and says:
"The Catholic Church has this massive doctrine of purgatory, invented in the middle ages. The Church used to even sell indulgences to shorten your time in purgatory by a fixed number of days. This doctrine is based on books that don't belong in the Bible. There is no place or region in the afterlife for the saved except heaven. There is no pain in the afterlife, and the minute we die we go to heaven, as Paul says, 'To be absent from the body is to be present with Christ,' praying for people in purgatory makes no sense. Worst of all, it infringes on the sufficiency of Christ's work. It is completely unbiblical. No Protestant could believe it."more >>
5 comments:
Eternal Father, I offer you the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen ~ St. Gertrude the Great
Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
Lord Jesus, have mercy on the souls detained in Purgatory. It was for their salvation that you took on our human nature and suffered a most painful death. Have mercy on their burning desire to see you, have mercy on their tears of repentance. Through the merits of your Passion, remit the sentence they incurred by their sins.
Dear loving Jesus, may your Blood descend on those dear souls! May it shorten their time of atonement and may they soon be called to eternal happiness in your Presence! Amen.
O Salutaris Hostia Sacra
O Holy Victim for our salvation. You are perfect humanity, true divinity, the source and origin of our salvation. Have mercy on the deceased!
You, our Redeemer, O Jesus! You erase our sins and you forgive us. Have mercy on the deceased!
Touched by our prayers, sweet Jesus, and by the supplications of all the faithful, receive our prayers, and have mercy on the deceased!
O Jesus, we beg you to grant eternal rest to those who have died in your Grace. May the eternal and blessed light shine upon them. Amen.
Prayer to Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth
O Mary, may the souls who suffer cruel torments in Purgatory, purified by the ardor of the flames, be the object of your compassion!
O Mary, Open Spring which cleanses our faults, Reconciler of sinners, reach out to those who pray you and implore your assistance in Purgatory!
O Mary, intercede for our deceased. They await patiently the end of their suffering when they will see you and taste eternal joys!
O Mary, Model of the Just, Guide of the faithful, Salvation of those who hope in you, help us to pray ardently for the souls of the deceased and touch the Heart of your Divine Son!
O Mary, by the merits you have gained, give the dead true life, obtain mercy for them, and be the way which leads to your Son Jesus and to Eternal Rest! Amen!
Glad you posted this. Been having a dialogue with a few anti-Catholics on this very topic on this blog post: http://www.onthebox.us/2011/08/is-there-truth-in-all-religions.html.
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