<*}}}>< St. Elizabeth of Hungary: The Life Offering

[Sue Cifelli]

November & December 2009

Dear Friends of the Poor Holy Souls in Purgatory,

When praying please pray for the souls of our families, our friends, our enemies, all pagans, all priests and religious, the just, all sinners, and for the souls who have no one to pray for them.  Remember that the month of November is set aside for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and they receive more graces during the month of November.

When we sin and repent of our sin (repentance means asking for forgiveness with the intent of not repeating the sin), God will forgive us but we still have to pay for the damage we caused due to the sin. The damage is the "stain" we leave on our souls when we sin. Even though we are forgiven, the stain remains.

It should be understood that when we sin, it produces two effects on our souls: the debt of guilt and the punishment due to that sin. We are guilty of both and deserve punishment. When we repent of our sin, the guilt is removed but the stain remains. The souls in Purgatory must expiate for their temporal punishment due to their past sins.  When the debt is paid they acquire Heaven.

An indulgence is the remission of the penalty due to sin, or in other words, it is a "payment" to remove the stain of pain from our souls. The payment can be made through prayers, acts of charity, and acceptance of the suffering we endure throughout our lives.  There are two types of indulgences: partial and plenary. A partial indulgence is the easiest one to obtain. It will remit a part of the penalty of the sins we have committed, while a plenary indulgence will remove all of the stains of sin in our soul.

In order to get a partial indulgence, we must have the intent of obtaining the indulgence, we must be in a state of grace (repented of all of our sins), and say the prayer or perform the act which would lead to an indulgence. We are permitted by the Church to get as many partial indulgences each day as we wish.

A plenary indulgence is more difficult to obtain. In addition to the conditions attached to a partial indulgence, we must go to Confession and receive Holy Communion. We must also pray for the intentions of the Pope by praying one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory be.  A plenary indulgence can be obtained only once per day but those who are in danger of dying may receive a second plenary indulgence in the same day.

We can apply the indulgences to pay for the sins we have committed, OR we can apply those indulgences to remit the penalty of sins for the souls in Purgatory. When we give our indulgences to the holy souls, it will shorten their stay in Purgatory, give them some comfort, and may release them from Purgatory sooner if their soul is completely purified from the stains of sin.

A partial indulgence given to the poor souls in Purgatory will shorten their time there, while a plenary indulgence has the great grace of completely purifying the soul and allowing them to immediately entering Heaven. In order to be granted a plenary indulgence, we must be completely free from the stain of sin, which is difficult to do. But we should always try. If the indulgence is not granted, it will at least be partial and will provide some benefit for the souls.

It is a great act of charity and mercy to pray for the dead. The holy souls will not forget what we have done for them and they will repay us a thousand times over for all we do. May God have mercy on them and may we pray for them every day.

These Messages, prayers and promises were given to St. Elizabeth of Hungary

The Five Promises of Our Heavenly Mother to those who offer their lives to Her through "The Life Offering"

1.  Their names will be written in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, inflamed by love.

2.  Their life offering, together with the infinite merits of Jesus, can save many souls from damnation.  All souls who will live until the end of the world will benefit from their life offering.

3.  None of their family members will go to Hell, even if it seems otherwise, because they will receive, in the depth of their souls, the grace of sincere contrition before their soul departs from their bodies.

4.  On the day they offer their lives, their loved ones suffering in Purgatory will be released.

5.  I will be with them at the hour of their death.   They will not know Purgatory. I will carry their souls straight to the Presence of the Glorious Trinity, where they will live with me in a special place created by God and will rejoice forever.

TEXT OF THE LIFE OFFERING should be made with a humble heart, firm resolution and clear intent.  Make the Life Offering as soon as you feel ready and renew it from time to time:

"My dear Jesus, before the Holy Trinity, Our Heavenly Mother, and the whole Heavenly Court, united with your Most Precious Blood and Your sacrifice on Calvary, I hereby offer my whole life to the intention of your Sacred Heart and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Together with my life I place at your disposal all Holy Masses, all my Holy Communions, all my good deeds, all my sacrifices, and the sufferings of my entire life for the adoration and supplication of the Holy Trinity, for unity in our Holy Mother Church, for the Holy Father and priests, for good priestly vocations, and for all souls until the end of the world. 

Oh My Jesus, please accept my life sacrifice and my offerings and give me Your grace that I may persevere obediently until my death. Amen."

News from the Central Office

A Prayer Warrior sent us the following:  These are very evil times in which we live and everyone must be on guard. The Church has given us from Our Lord many weapons to help us in our daily battle against the prince of darkness. Jesus said that we should lay up riches for ourselves in Heaven. Well, we always tell others who are in the world that they will never see a Wells Fargo or Brinks truck in a funeral procession.

The riches are Prayers, Masses, Communions, Novenas, Rosaries, etc.
These are what go to judgment with us. Fasting, good works, etc help to
offset the punishment due to our daily faults and failings which are very
displeasing to God. Most priests today will not tell you that Venial Sin
is just as serious in God's eyes as Mortal. Mortal however will condemn
one forever from God's Holy sight because nothing imperfect can enter
Heaven!  We try hard every day to remember what Jesus said in
Matthew: Every hair on our head has been counted.....Further God will not
be mocked or fooled....

Today, there is too much false compassion and it clouds good judgment. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are needed to keep one with a good and right conscience and discernment. We enjoy praying for the Holy Souls as they will never forget us. It is part of the real Christian brotherhood of Love: The Saints in Heaven, the Holy Souls being purified in Purgatory, and we, the Church Militant! We, the Church Militant, have a duty to those yet in Purgatory - they have gone on ahead, yet they still need our help, and we can help them, even if we don't know them now, we will reap those graces, because when we pray for "the poor souls in Purgatory" - the Church Suffering - and offer Masses for them, and light candles for them, and pray Rosaries for them, we obtain unbelievable graces, for this act of spiritual mercy.

St. Alphonsus Liguori called it "A Christian Duty" to pray for the souls in Purgatory. He also said that St. Catherine of Bologna, "when she wished to obtain any grace, had recourse to the souls in Purgatory, and her prayers were heard immediately. She declared that, by praying to those holy souls, she obtained many favors which she had sought through the intercession of the saints without obtaining them. The graces which devout persons are said to have received through these holy souls are innumerable."

 Friends of the Poor Souls - Established September 15, 2004 - Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

Robert & MaryAnn Luetkemeyer – Coordinators  -  For more information, please write or email to:  436 Vasey Oak Drive, Keller, TX 76248 OR holy...@att.net
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Booklet containing the Life Offering may be obtained here: http://www.divinemercyusa.com/prayerbooks.htm