Please release 1000 Holy Souls today

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Our Lord told ST. Gertrude the Great that the following prayer would release 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is said. '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 David S

-- David S (asdzxc8176@aol.com), August 21, 2001

Answers

Requiescant in pace. Amen.

-- (jgecik@amdg.ihs), August 21, 2001.

Just seen this old thread looking for the St. Bridget thread. I wanted to hopefully try and release some holy Souls. You don't have to post, because God and those 1000 souls know. :-)

Mother Seton please pray for us.

God bless you

-- David (David@excite.com), July 06, 2002.


David,

Your acquaintance as regard the saints as well as their intercessory supremacy is outside any words of admiration. :-)

Keep the banner flying.

Peace & Prayers

PS : Greetings to your Mom. I will certainly say some prayers for her and your family today. How is your wife and children ?

-- Xavier (xavier_david24@yahoo.com), July 09, 2002.


Why, hello again, Xavier

Thank you for your prayers for my family. I appreciate that more than I can type here on forum. :-) Thanks for you kind words to me.

My family is doing well! (Wife and one daughter). I will prayer for you, and your family today, too. I don't know what I did to be blessed with my family because they are the kindest, most beautiful people I know.

May the Infant Jesus of Prague bless you and your family as well, Xavier. The infant Jesus of Prague's feastday is celebrated on the third Sunday in May. Some of The infant Jesus's Patronage's are, good finances, good health, and PEACE.

Peace& Blessings to you, Xavier

David

-- David (David@excite.com), July 09, 2002.


The Church, particulary during the month of November, reminds us of our responsibility to pray for the dead. I encourage you to consider attending a weekday Mass, a Saturday morning Mass, and/or stopping by an Adoration chapel to pray for those who have gone before us in faith.

God bless you.

David S

-- David (David@excite.com), November 04, 2002.



The "St. Gertrude" prayer which is claimed to release 1000 souls is a private revelation, which Catholics are not obligated to believe. Not only are Catholics not obligated to believe in it, might it not be correct to say that it is highly doubtful and perhaps could be superstitiously sinful to do so? While the prayer itself is fine, is there not a serious theological problem with some of the extravagant claims associated with the prayer? The claim is frequently made, e.g. in lots of Internet sites and in printed prayer cards, that "EVERY time that the St. Gertrude prayer is said, 1000 souls are released from Purgatory!"

While the idea of praying for the departed in Purgatory certainly is a well-established Roman Catholic tradition (especially appropriate in November and around All Souls Day), is not such an automatic claim of effectiveness of the prayer bogus and superstitious?

Considering that not even the offering of a Mass is defined as releasing 1000 souls from Purgatory and even a highly approved action or prayer with a Plenary Indulgence applicable to the dead (which has conditions required) only is claimed for 1 soul, is not the spuriousness of the 1000 soul release claim obvious? It does little good (and may do harm) to overclaim the value of a prayer or devotion. Edward Pothier

-- Edward Pothier (EdwardPothier@aol.com), November 05, 2002.


Dear Edward,
It's true the Catholic Church says such revelations are not binding to believers as a defined article of faith. We are neither obliged to accept nor forbidden to believe such a revelation. Usually the Church pronounces this kind of story ''not injurious'' to the faith, but not specifically promoted as truth.

There's a long leeway for understanding such things. You and I know in some select cases the Church does give her approval to some events after extensive investigation. Even then the approval never amounts to a canonization, or certificate of inspired truth. We aren't commanded to believe, for instance, in the Lourdes apparitions or miracles. Nor some of the others just as fully approved.

/ / / /

In Saint Gertrude's defense, we should consider that she is a canonized saint of the Church. Her word, then --is quite substantial compared say, to an obscure holy man or seer still living in a remote community of Italy or the Holy Land.

What the Church would advise a sincere believer to realise is, all prayers, all indulgences as well, find validity with God in heaven not by force of any promises associated with the saint who promoted them; but to the believer's own faith, in compliance with the conditions attached to that prayer. Novenas, for instance, draw our faith up in the sight of God. Our faith in the holiness of the saint or his/her power of intercession is what might give us an answer to our prayer.

Saint Gertrude, then, is a recipient (she asserts) of such a favor, from Christ in person. He averred to her the worthiness of such a practice, as Christian assistance to the holy souls of Purgatory. He insists on our personal FAITH if we expect results; not because He is committed under the conditions. God is free to deny us, no matter what form our prayer takes.

But Saint Gertrude makes her case. Her own faith in Jesus is the motivation for giving us this revelation. It must be obvious the prayer has NO value in God's eyes unless we have great faith in HIM, not in our prayer!

-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), November 05, 2002.


Hello, Edward

"...Not only are Catholics not obligated to believe in it.."

I didn't say any where that Catholics have to believe in it Eddie. Truth is none of us know except God. I was sharing a prayer and trying to send some holy souls to heaven. Do you have another prayer that you would like to share with us for holy Souls this month? I would say it is safe to say, that most Catholics in this forum know that we are not obligated to believe in private revalations.

"..Might it not be correct to say that it is highly doubtful and perhaps could be superstitiously sinful to do so?"

Perhaps could be superstitiously sinful to do so? Ya right! Loosen up a little Ed. :-)

God bless you

David

-- David (David@excite.com), November 05, 2002.


Sorry Ed, I am sure the 1000 Souls know too. ;-)[ I said, "Truth is only God knows in my previous post]

David

-- David (David@excite.com), November 05, 2002.


David S, you wrote:
"The Church, particulary during the month of November, reminds us of our responsibility to pray for the dead. I encourage you to consider attending a weekday Mass, a Saturday morning Mass, and/or stopping by an Adoration chapel to pray for those who have gone before us in faith."

Thank you for this good reminder. I need things like this, because I am so forgetful.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), November 08, 2002.



I have read a very interesting book about Purgatory - "Get Us Out Of Here" - Maria Simma, Austrian mystic, speaking to Nicky Eltz. The book explains clearly what made the souls go to Purgatory. I have learnt a lot from the book. The book is very highly recommended. Everyone must read this book - www.getusoutofhere.com or niallmc.com/book.jpg or www.medjugorje.org

St. Gertrude the Great's prayer is very powe

-- Niall McCormack (crystalnmc@aol.com), August 22, 2003.


Thank you for this wonderful experience My mother passed away a year ago and we had a mass for her and the serom was all about purgatory and my family didn't like so I was trying to find this prayer to send to them so that they could say it and help more souls out of purgatory.

-- Paula A Wetterlund (mom4mikeusa@yahoo.com), November 02, 2003.

Paula,

I will pray for the repose of your Moms' soul at Mass tonight.

-- - (David@excite.com), November 02, 2003.


"... there are three different kinds of faith by which we believe different kinds of stories: To stories of Holy Scripture we owe DIVINE FAITH; To stories concerning other than religious subjects, which do not militate against common sense and which are written by trustworthy authors, we pay the tribute of HUMAN FAITH; whereas To stories about holy subjects which are told by good authors and are not in the slightest degree contrary to reason, faith or morals (even though they may sometimes deal with happenings which are above the ordinary run of events) we pay tribute to PIOUS FAITH. I agree that we must be nither too credulous nor too critical and that we should remember that "virtue takes the middle course" --- keeping a happy medium in all things in order to find just where truth and virtue lie. But on the other hand I know equally well that charity easily leads us to believe all that is not contrary to faith or morals: "CHARITY... BELIEVETH ALL THINGS;"(1 COR. 13:7) in the same way pride induces us to doubt even well authenticated stories on the plea that they are not to be found in the Bible. This is one of the DEVIL'S TRAPS; heretics of the past WHO DENIED TRADITION have fallen into it and OVER-CRITICAL PEOPLE OF TODAY are falling into it too without even realizing it." BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT, from SECRET OF THE ROSARY

-- Daniel James Cruz (djladerasc@yahoo.ie), November 17, 2003.

From a purely statistical point of view, if this prayer claim were true, then there'd be no excuse for any soul to remain in purgatory one day longer. 1000 souls every time it's prayed . . .

- if just one person says the prayer 1,000 times, there would be 1,000,000 souls released, OR - if just 1,000 people said the prayer 1 time, there would be 1,000,000 souls released - if 1 million people said the prayer 1 time, there would be 1 BILLION souls released

Surely the Catholic Church could institute the prayer into the liturgy and clear out Purgatory in a week or two if not sooner.

But what does this say with respect to the purpose of purgatory? If a soul can be released with a single prayer, has that soul been cleansed? The only way praying for someone to be released from purgatory can have any effect is if it's an act of grace in response to prayer. And if it's grace, why isn't the cross of Jesus sufficient grace to cover all of the necessary cleansing?

No, if a purgatory is necessary to cleanse, then the only way it makes sense is for the cleansing to be complete without shortcuts. And if grace is taught as a mitigating factor, then I must conclude there is no purgatory, for the grace of Christ is all-sufficient.

Dave

-- non-Catholic Christian (dlbowerman@yahoo.com), November 18, 2003.



The grace of Christ is all-sufficient. Unfortunately, the response to, and cooperation with, that all-sufficient grace is often insufficient on the part of an individual person. God does not force grace upon anyone. That is why Purgatory is required, that the grace of Christ may continue to cleanse and purify and restore a person whose response to that grace during his allotted time on earth was lacking. Not totally lacking of course. One who totally failed to respond to the all-sufficient grace of Christ, rejecting it outright, is in Hell, beyond the help of grace. But the average Christian, who keeps one foot in the Kingdom and the other in the world (or at least one toe in the world) is in need of ongoing purification after death but before entering heaven. All such purification, either on earth or in Purgatory, is solely by the grace of God. The lack of full purification while on earth is not the result of any insufficiency in God's grace, but only in a person's acceptance of God's grace. The reason that intercessory prayer can contribute to the purification process is that prayer is a channel of grace; and intercessory prayer is a channel of grace for the person who is the object of the intercession.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), November 18, 2003.

Thanks Paul. Interesting food for thought. Obviously I'm wrestling with the concept of purgatory (trying to weed out the doctrine from the misconceptions and added myths). Your response is helpful.

Dave

-- non-Catholic Christian (dlbowerman@yahoo.com), November 19, 2003.


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