Don’t Forget About Me

Luca Giodarno - Madonna and Child
with Souls in Purgatory

It seems like I can’t go one single day without writing myself a note of some kind to remind me to do something. I’m sure a lot of you can relate. And the older I get, the worse it is. There are days when it seems like I have notes to remind me to write myself a note. It’s ridiculous. Nevertheless, if I don’t want to forget about something, it’s what I have to do. Then there are the things that I actually DO forget about because I forgot to write myself a note. It’s an endless cycle.

But what’s worse than forgetting to do something? I guess it would be forgetting about someone. Maybe there’s been a time or two when you forgot someone’s birthday or anniversary, or you forgot to call someone when you said you would. That is an awful feeling. What’s even worse is when you ARE the one who’s been forgotten. It probably happens to everyone at some point or another in our lives. I guess it’s probably one of the saddest things in the world to be forgotten. I can only imagine that’s how it must be for most homeless people, when it feels like the whole world has forgotten about them.

While I have never been homeless, I can remember a time in my own life when there were things going on that were particularly bad, and I was feeling so low down, I remember looking at my wife and saying, “I think God forgot about us.” That was such a sad day. Of course, I knew in my heart that it wasn’t true, it just felt that way at the time. It’s a terrible thing to feel like the ones you love have forgotten about us.

The truth is, that all of us probably have loved ones that we forget about every day. As Catholics, we believe that there is a place we call Purgatory. Actually, it’s not really a place, but more of a “state of being”. Unfortunately, we don’t hear a lot of our priests talking a lot about Purgatory in their homilies, but if you want to know what the official Church Doctrine is regarding Purgatory, you can read more yourself. In a nutshell, it is simply a place where we go (actually it’s not even a place, it is more of a state of being) when we die where our souls get purified before we enter into Heaven. Simply put, according to Catholic Answers:

The purification is necessary because, as Scripture teaches, nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal sins forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically venial sins and the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven. 

As amazing as it may sound, you and me probably have loved ones going through that purification process right now.

What does this mean for you and me?
It means that rather than dying and going immediately to Heaven, (as many people like to think), we may have to spend some time somewhere else before we get there, and yes, more than likely, you and I will go there too unless for some reason you’ve managed to live your entire life without sin. Make sense?

How long do we have to stay there?
I guess that depends on how much cleansing our souls need to go through.

Will it hurt?
Probably, but not in the way we normally experience our own physical pain because the suffering that takes place in Purgatory, is described by many theologians in this way;

It is a pain of being separated from God and with the desire to be purified so it can be in the beatific vision. Each soul also feels joy knowing it will one day be with God.

In other words, yes, the suffering in Purgatory is a burning pain, but it would better be described as a burning desire. I imagine it must be similar to the longing I described in my previous post, “I’ve Missed You”, except a million times stronger and unlike anything we have ever felt. And along with the suffering, there is joy.

While some of us might think to ourselves, “You mean I have to suffer before I go to heaven? Why do I need to do that?” I believe that in spite of any suffering we may have to undergo, there is some really good news. Once you’ve made it to Purgatory, you’re in! That’s right, you’re on your way to Heaven. While we may endure suffering in Purgatory during our purification process, we also know that it is not eternal because one day, our suffering ends and our souls will be released into Heaven.

So what does all of this have to do with being forgotten?

It means we need to get praying! While it is important to keep in mind that while most of us pray for our family and friends that are still here with us and for their needs, we also need to remember to pray for those who are in Purgatory. Why? Because by doing so, we can actually lessen their suffering in Purgatory by interceding for them here on Earth with our prayers. Consider this: Our Lady of Medjugorje on July 21, 1982 spoke these words in a message to the world, concerning Purgatory;

"There are many souls in Purgatory. There are also persons who have been consecrated to God - some priests, some Religious. Pray for their intentions, at least the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be seven times each, and the Creed. I recommend it to you. There is a large number of souls who have been in Purgatory for a long time because no one prays for them." 

The Prayer of St. Gertrude, below, is one of the most famous prayers for souls in purgatory. St. Gertrude the Great was a Benedictine nun and mystic who lived in the 13th century. According to tradition, our Lord promised her that 1000 souls would be released from purgatory each time it is said devoutly.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee 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.

Many other Saints have also written and testified to the importance of remembering and praying for those in Purgatory. St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom considered prayers for souls in purgatory to be essential. In 1922, Padre Pio testified that he himself had experienced visions of the souls in Purgatory.

Brothers and sisters, there is so much more you can learn about Purgatory than just the little I’ve written here but here are some things that we should all keep in mind every day. Pray daily for all the souls in Purgatory. I recently learned that one of the common prayers that we hear quite frequently is actually a prayer for the souls in Purgatory. It is better known as the Requiem Aeternam:  “Eternal rest, grant unto him/her O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him/her. May he/she rest in peace. Amen.”

I’ll leave you with one final thought. Speaking for myself, I know with 100% certainty, that I want those I left behind to pray for me. Don’t you?