DAY 7
Pity of the worm or remorse
MONTH OF NOVEMBER
IN SUFFRAGE OF
THE BLESSED SOULS
OF PURGATORY
Francisco Vitali
For the signal...
INITIAL SENTENCE
O Mary, Mother of mercy: remember the children you have in purgatory and, presenting our suffrages and your merits to your Son, intercede so that he may forgive them their debts and take them out of those darkness into the admirable light of his glory, where they enjoy your sweetest sight and that of your blessed Son.
O glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph, intercede together with your Wife before your Son for the souls of purgatory. Amen.
It is read about every day.
DAY 7
Meditation
Pity of the worm or remorse
The second punishment of Purgatory, more cruel than fire itself, is that of the worm of conscience, that is, of the remorse that is felt for the defects of the past life. Three painful glances cast the soul on the past life; with the first see how much evil he could have avoided and did not avoid it, How many thoughts, how many disordered affections could he have repressed? How many idle words, how many indecent acts could I have omitted? How many weaknesses and how many scandals could he have fled from? And not being able to admit guilty while she could not have been guilty, she feels great pain, not so much for the damage she caused herself as for the disgust she has given to God. Oh, truly happy, the one whose conscience does not remorse of a crime! Let us seek, therefore, carefully, O Christians! Never fall into sin.
With a second and more penetrating look that pierces her deeply, the soul in Purgatory sees the good that could have done in life and did not do it. What else could the Lord have done to make it fruitful for her eternal health? He gave birth to her in the bosom of faith, adorned her with knowledge and freedom, he deigned to feed her with the holy Sacraments, strengthen her with heavenly graces, attract her to himself with the example of the good. With so many stimuli and help he had to, as a giant, have run quickly along the path of holiness and reached the highest perfection. But she, despite everything, stopped many times on the way, others walked at a slow pace, she took a cold in the exercises of piety, let pass many opportunities to do good and did, because of her, ineffective many graces from the Lord. In view of so many negligences, he cries and sighs for not having time to recover what was lost. We, but, oh Christians! We can still repair it with greater fervor and with a more constant accuracy in the service of God. And why don't we do it?
With another more sublime look towards heaven, he sees, finally, the soul in Purgatory, the place that has been destined for him in the eternal kingdom, but at the same time he knows and looks with pain that, with having avoided, as it was in his hand, so many defects, and with having done all the good that was possible, his throne in Paradise would be much more glorious and resplendent. For there is no doubt that, since there are many dwellings in that blessed homeland, each degree of merit increases proportionally the degrees of glory, and the closer the soul comes to God with the perfection of charity in this life, the closer it is to him in the next. Do we wish, then, O Christians, to enjoy the most sublime glory in heaven? Let's strive to be the most virtuous and perfect on earth.
Prayer
Give us grace, O Lord!, so that we may become what you want us, perfect and like you, so that we may flee from all evil, so that we may grow in all kinds of goods, and that we may earn a distinguished place next to you in heaven. The souls of Purgatory, because they were lacking in some of these things, rigorously pay the penalty in that prison of pains among the continuous remorse of their spirit. Don't worry, O Lord! Their conscience, calm it with the remission of the sentence due to the faults they committed, by calling them to the crown and to glory, because too bitter is their affliction, of which they continuously feed in that deep abyss. Amen.Eternal Father, for the most precious blood of Jesus, mercy.
(X3)
V. Do not remember, Lord, my sins.
R. When you come to purify the world in fire.
V. Direct, Lord my God, to your presence my steps.
R. When you come to purify the world in fire.
V. Give them, Lord, eternal rest and let eternal light show for them.
R. When you come to purify the world in fire.
Our Father... (he recites in silence)
V. Libra, Lord, their souls.
R. From the sorrows of hell.
V. Rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. Lord, listen to our prayer.
R. And our cry comes to you.
Let's pray. Oh my God, of whom it is proper to have compassion and forgiveness: we beg you pleading for the souls of your servants whom you have ordered to migrate from this world, especially for the souls of our relatives, friends and benefactors (they can be named by their proper name), so that you do not leave them in purgatory, but that you order your holy angels to take them and take them to the homeland of paradise, so that, because they waited and believed in you, they do not suffer the sorrows of purgatory, but possess the eternal joys. For Christ our Lord. Amen.
V. Give them, Lord, eternal rest.
R. And shine for them perpetual light.
V. Rest in peace.
R. Amen.
Church of the Savior of Toledo at 21:00:00