From Exile to Holiness (16)

continued from part (15)...

Stations of the Cross:

After Holy Communion we shall speak of the Stations of the Cross. This holy exercise may be considered in itself, and in the indulgences with which it is enriched. In itself, it is a solemn and very excellent manner of meditating on the Passion of our Saviour, and consequently the most salutary exercise of our holy religion. In its literal sense, the Way of the Cross is the distance traversed by the Man-God whilst carrying the weight of His cross from the palace of Pilate, where He was condemned to death, to the summit of Calvary, where He was crucified. After the death of her Divine Son, the Blessed Virgin, either alone or in company with the holy women, frequently visited that dolorous path. After her example, the faithful of Palestine, and in the course of ages numerous pilgrims from the most distant countries, went to visit those holy places, bedewed with the sweat and blood of Jesus Christ ; and the Church, to encourage their piety, opened to them her treasures of spiritual blessings. But as every one cannot go to the Holy Land, the Holy See allows to be erected in the churches and chapels in other countries, crosses, paintings, or bas-reliefs representing the touching scenes which took place on the real road to Calvary at Jerusalem. In permitting the erection of these holy Stations, the Roman Pontiffs, who understood all the excellency and all the efficacy of this devotion, deigned also to enrich it with all the Indulgences which they had granted to a real visit to the Holy Land. And thus, according to the Briefs and Constitutions of the Sovereign Pontiffs Innocent XL, Innocent XII., Benedict XIIL, Clement XIL, and Benedict XIV., those who make the Stations of the Cross with proper dispositions, gain all the Indulgences granted to the faithful, who visit in person the Holy Places of Jerusalem, and these Indulgences are applicable to the dead. Now it is certain that numerous Indulgences, whether plenary or partial, were granted to those who visited the Holy Places of Jerusalem, as may be seen in the Bullarium Terræ Sanctæ, so that as regards Indulgences, we may say that of all practices of piety the Way of the Cross is the most richly endowed. Thus this devotion, as well on account of the excellence of its object, as by reason of the Indulgences, constitutes a suffrage of the greatest value for the Holy Souls.

We find an incident relating to this subject in the Life of Venerable Mary d'Antigna. For a long time she had the pious custom of making the Stations of the Cross each day for the relief of the souls departed ; but later, for motives more apparent than solid, she did it but rarely, and finally omitted it altogether. Our Lord, who had great designs in regard to this pious virgin, and who desired to make her a victim of love for the consolation of the poor souls in Purgatory, vouchsafed to give her a lesson which serves as an instruction to us all. A Religious of the same convent, who had died a short time previously, appeared to her, complaining sorrowfully. " My dear sister," she said, "why do you no longer make the Stations of the Cross for the souls in Purgatory? You were formerly accustomed to relieve us every day by that holy exercise ; why do you deprive us of that assistance? " Whilst the soul was still speaking our Lord Himself appeared to His servant, and reproached her with her negligence. " Know, my daughter," He added, " that the Stations of the Cross are very profitable to the souls in Purgatory, and constitute a suffrage of the greatest value. This is why I have permitted this soul, for her own sake and for the sake of others, to implore this of you. Know also that it was on account of your exactitude in practicing this devotion that you have been favoured by frequent communication with the dead. It is for this reason also that those grateful souls never cease to pray for you, and to plead your cause at the tribunal of My Justice. Make known this treasure to your sisters, and tell them to draw from it abundantly for themselves and for the dead."

Indulgences:

Let us pass to those indulgences applicable to the dead.Here Divine Mercy reveals itself with a sort of prodigality. We know that an indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to sin, granted by the power of the Keys, outside of the Sacrament of Penance. In virtue of the power of the Keys, which she has received from Jesus Christ, the Church may free the faithful from every obstacle to their entrance into glory. She exercises this power in the Sacrament of Penance, where she absolves them from their sins ; she exercises it also outside of the Sacrament, in remitting the debt of temporal punishment which remains after the absolution ; in this second instance it is the indulgence. The remission of temporal punishment by indulgences is granted to the faithful in this life only ; but the Church may authorise her children whilst still living to transfer to their departed friends the remission accorded to themselves ; this is the indulgence applicable to the souls in Purgatory. To apply an indulgence to the dead, is to offer it to God, in the name of His Holy Church, that He may deign to employ it for the benefit of the suffering souls. The satisfactions thus offered to the Divine Justice, in the name of Jesus Christ are always accepted, and God applies it either to some soul in particular or to certain souls which He Himself wishes to benefit, or to all in general. Indulgences are either plenary or partial. A plenary indulgence is, to such as gain it, a remission of all the temporal punishment which it deserves in the sight of God. Suppose that, in order to acquit ourselves of this debt, we should be obliged to perform a hundred years of canonical penance upon earth, or suffer for a still longer time in Purgatory, by the virtue of a plenary indulgence properly gained all this punishment is remitted, and the soul no longer retains in the sight of God any shadow of sin, which prevents it from seeing His Divine face. The partial indulgence consists in the remission of a certain number of days or years. These days and years in no way represent days and years of suffering in Purgatory; it must be understood of days and years of public canonical penance, consisting principally in fasts, and such as were formerly imposed upon sinners, according to the ancient discipline of the Church. Thus, an indulgence of forty days or seven years, is a remission such as was merited before God by forty days or seven years of canonical penance.

What proportion exists between those days of penance and the duration of the sufferings of Purgatory? This is a secret which it has not pleased God to reveal to us.

Indulgences are, in the Church, a true spiritual treasure laid open to all the faithful; all are permitted to draw therefrom, to pay their own debts and those of others. It was under this figure that God was one day pleased to show them to Blessed Mary of Quito. One day, rapt in ecstasy, she saw in the midst of a large space an immense table covered with heaps of silver, gold, rubies, pearls, and diamonds, and at the same time she heard a voice saying, "These riches are public property; each one may approach and take as much as he pleases." God made known to her that this was a symbol of indulgences. We may say with the pious author of the "Merveilles" how culpable we are, if in such abundance we remain poor and destitute ourselves and neglect to assist others. Alas ! the souls in Purgatory are in such extreme necessity, they supplicate us with tears in the midst of their torments; we have the means of paying their debts by indulgences, and we make no endeavour to do so. Does access to this treasury demand painful efforts on our parts, such as fastings, journeys, and privations insupportable to nature? "Even though such were the case," says with reason the eloquent Father Segneri, "we should submit to them." Do we not see how men for love of gold, in order to preserve a work of art, to save a part of their fortune or a precious fabric, expose themselves to the flames of a fire? Ought we not then to do at least as much to save from expiatory flames those souls ransomed by the Blood of Jesus Christ? But Divine goodness asks nothing so painful : it requires only such works as are ordinary and easy—a Rosary, a Communion, a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, an alms or the teaching of the elements of the Catechism to abandoned children. And we neglect to acquire the most precious treasures by such easy means, and have no desire to apply them to our poor relatives languishing in the flames of Purgatory.

Venerable Mother Frances, of the Blessed Sacrament, of whose charity towards the holy souls we have already spoken, was also most zealous in relieving them by indulgences. One day God showed her the souls of three prelates who had previously occupied the See of Pampeluna, and who still languished in the sufferings of Purgatory. The servant of God understood that she must employ every means to effect their deliverance. As the Holy See had then granted to Spain the Bulls of the Crusade, which permitted the gaining of a plenary indulgence under certain conditions, she believed that the best means of assisting those poor souls would be to procure for each of them the advantage of a plenary indulgence. She spoke to her Bishop, Christopher de Ribera, acquainting him with the fact that three of his predecessors were still in Purgatory, and urging him to procure for her three indulgences of the Crusade. She fulfilled all the conditions required, and applied a plenary indulgence to each of the three Bishops. The following night they all appeared to Mother Frances, delivered from all their sufferings. They thanked her, and begged her to thank also the Bishop Ribera for the indulgences, which had opened Heaven to them.

The following is related by Father Cepari in his Life of St. Magdalen de Pazzi. A professed Religious, who, during her last sickness, had been most tenderly cared for by St. Magdalen, died, and as it was the custom to expose the body in the church, Magdalen felt herself inspired to go and look upon it once more. She went, therefore, to the grid of the chapter-room, whence she could see it ; but scarcely had she done so, than she was ravished in ecstasy, and saw the soul of the departed sister take its flight to Heaven. Transported with joy, she was heard to say," Adieu, dear sister ; adieu, blessed soul ! Like a pure dove, you fly to your celestial home, and leave us in this abode of misery. Oh, how beautiful and glorious you are! Who can describe the glory with which God has crowned your virtues? What a short time you have passed in Purgatory! Your body has not yet been consigned to the tomb, and behold! Your soul is already received into the sacred mansions. You now know the truth of those words I so lately addressed to you, (That all the sufferings of this life are nothing in comparison with the reward which God has reserved for His friends.'" In the same vision, our Lord revealed to her that this soul had passed but fifteen hours in Purgatory, because she had suffered much during life, and because she had been careful to gain the indulgences granted by the Church to her children, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ.

St. Teresa in her works speaks of a Religious who set the highest value on the smallest indulgence granted by the Church, and endeavored to gain all in her power. She led otherwise a very ordinary life, and her virtue was of a very common order. She died, and the saint, to her great surprise, saw her soul ascend to Heaven almost immediately after her death, so that she had, so to say, no Purgatory. When St. Teresa expressed her astonishment at this, our Lord made known to her that it was due to the great care she had taken to gain all the indulgences possible during life. "It was by that means," He added, "that she had discharged almost the whole of her debt, which was quite considerable, before her death ; and had therefore appeared with great purity before the tribunal of God."

There are certain *indulgences which are easy to be gained, and are applicable to the dead. We hope to afford pleasure to the reader by indicating the principal ones.

1. The prayer: Oh, good and most sweet Jesus. —A plenary indulgence for those who, having confessed and communicated, recite this prayer before an image of Christ crucified, and adding some other prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff.

2. Indulgenced Rosary Beads. — Great indulgences are attached to the recitation of the Holy Rosary, if we make use of beads indulgenced either by our Holy Father, the Pope, or by a priest who has received the faculties.

3. The Stations of the Cross. — As we have said elsewhere, several plenary indulgences, and a great number of partial indulgences, are attached to the Stations of the Cross. These indulgences do not require Confession and Communion; it suffices to be in the state of grace, and to have a sincere sorrow for all our sins. As to the exercise itself of the Stations of the Cross, it requires but two conditions— 1st, to visit the fourteen Stations, passing from one to the other, as much as circumstances will permit ; 2nd, to meditate at the same time on the Passion of Jesus Christ. Persons who do not know how to make connected meditation may content themselves with thinking affectionately of some circumstance of the Passion suited to their capacity. We exhort them, without, however, imposing it as an obligation, to recite a Pater and Ave before each cross, and to make an act of contrition for their sins.

4. The Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity. — An indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines each time they are recited.

5. The Litany of the Blessed Virgin.—Three hundred days each time.

6. The Sign of the Cross. —Fifty days each time; with holy water, a hundred days.

7. Divers prayers. My Jesus, mercy!—A hundred days each time. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.—Three hundred days, one a day. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation. —Three hundred days each time.

8. Praised be Jesus Christ. R. For ever and ever, Amen.—Fifty days each time that two persons salute each other with these words.

9. The Angelus.—An indulgence of a hundred days each time it is recited, either in the morning, at noon, or in the evening, at the sound of the bell, kneeling, and with a contrite heart.

*www.catholic.org/prayers/indul…

to be continued...