Saint Francis de Sales on the Purification of the Soul from Mortal Sin

  
“THE first purification to be made is from sin;—the means whereby to make it, the sacrament of penance. Seek the best confessor within your reach, use one of the many little books written in order to help the examination of conscience. Read some such book carefully, examining point by point wherein you have sinned, from the first use of your reason to the present time. And if you mistrust your memory, write down the result of your examination. 

Having thus sought out the evil spots in your conscience, strive to detest them, and to reject them with the greatest abhorrence and contrition of which your heart is capable;—bearing in mind these four things:—that by sin you have lost God’s Grace, rejected your share in Paradise, accepted the pains of Hell, and renounced God’s Eternal Love. You see, my child, that I am now speaking of a general confession of your whole life, which, while I grant it is not always necessary, I yet believe will be found most helpful in the beginning of your pursuit after holiness, and therefore I earnestly advise you to make it. 

Not unfrequently the ordinary confessions of persons leading an everyday life are full of great faults, and that because they make little or no preparation, and have not the needful contrition. Owing to this deficiency such people go to confession with a tacit intention of returning to their old sins, inasmuch as they will not avoid the occasions of sin, or take the necessary measures for amendment of life, and in all such cases a general confession is required to steady and fix the soul. 

But, furthermore, a general confession forces us to a clearer selfknowledge, kindles a wholesome shame for our past life, and rouses gratitude for God’s Mercy, Which has so long waited patiently for us;—it comforts the heart, refreshes the spirit, excites good resolutions, affords opportunity to our spiritual Father for giving the most suitable advice, and opens our hearts so as to make future confessions more effectual. 

Therefore I cannot enter into the subject of a general change of life and entire turning to God, by means of a devout life, without urging upon you to begin with a general confession.” 

A Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

  

While there is still time.. Repent!

  

It is because of the fall of Adam and Eve that Original Sin has come into the world. When sin came into the world, nature within itself has fallen. Our very human nature itself has become attached to sinful vices that not only contradicts our very obligation to serve God, but offends Him dearly since He has been nothing but merciful and loving like any good Father would.

Whether it be greed, lust, envy, hatred, theft, pride etc: we all have a sinful vice that we need to break from by the Grace of God. It is very necessary to cooperate with God’s Graces and stay in Sanctifying Grace, for we are not guaranteed another breath nor another heart beat. It is nearly impossible to count how many Blessings Our Dear Lord has given us, that being each beat and breath of life that we do not deserve.

Since life on Earth is temporary, we must remember to seek first the Kingdom of God, for attachments to this very world is not only foolish, but deceptive since this world will pass away; whether it is by our own personal death or the return of Our Lord in Glory, we will have no choice but to detach ourselves from it. 

To the parents, priests, and other superiors that view this blog; it is necessary to make sure that your dear children are in the state of grace, whether it be your own as a parent or the souls you are responsible for as a priest. Remember that you are held accountable. 

At baptism, we promise to renounce Satan and to make sure that we raise our children within the Church for their salvation. Priests have a equivalent obligation by the virtue of religion and their vocation. 

This is what Christ means by the Commandments He as God in the Flesh has given to us; “Love thy neighbor as thy self.” How can we say we love somebody -whether it be a friend, spouse, child etc. – when we do not care for their souls? 

How can we truly love ourselves if we are not staying close to the sacraments and praying daily to flee from sin and temptation? 
It is necessary to pray as if it is your very breath, for the soul cannot truly live without it since it depends upon it for the Graces necessary for its salvation.

 It is prudent to flee putting yourself in occasions of sin as if it were the plague, and to never  ever return. Returning would be like returning to your own vomit. When sin comes your way, chastise yourself through prayer and much penance. 

Remember what scripture says my dear friends, “Blessed is he that has the law of God written in his heart. Blessed is He who is tempted and overcomes it.” Christ told the apostles this very request in His Agony in the garden: “Pray that you may not be tempted.”

Some say “well if I sin again I’ll just go to confession. God will understand. I’ll sin now and repent later.” This is the sin of presumption and a very foolish and deceptive view, especially when even some priests encourage it to their very flock by being lukewarm and sugar coated in the confessional. 

Remember that confession is a privilege. Taking advantage of it and misusing it would be blasphemy, such as going just to make fun or hold back sin. We never know when our last confession will be. Heck, the next confession may be your final one. Who knows when we will die. That’s why it’s necessary to repent daily. Stay in the state of grace. Without grace in the soul, one will be damned for eternity.

Why am I telling you guys this? Because I love you all and want to see you in Heaven. Im repeating this because TAB is also a poor sinner. I’m serious. I’m a sinner and the worse of all of them. But it doesn’t mean I cannot encourage my dear brothers and sisters to do better than me, a hypocrite. This is why I beg all of you to not only pray for one another as a family in Christ, but to pray for me. 

Daily adopt a unknown dying soul

It is because of the fall of Adam and Eve that Original Sin has come into the world as a consequence for disobedience to the commands of God. Being that we are human beings with a fallen nature, we are attached to sin. However, it is by God’s Grace that we can avoid sin and near occasions of sin. It is Catholic dogma that the only spotless Humans to be purely immaculate and free of sin are both Our Lord Jesus Christ – being that He is God and cannot contradict His own nature since He is Almighty and Good – and Our Immaculate Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary.

It is at the very moment of our death that the devil and his minions tempt the soul to fall into sin so that the soul may descend into Hell for all eternity; therefore loosing all hope for salvation and also loosing the possibility of attaining Eternal Life and the Beatific Vision. “Moreover we define that according to the general disposition of God, the souls of those who die in actual mortal sin go down into hell immediately after death and there suffer the pain of hell.” (Encyclical “On the Beatific Vision of God” Issued by Pope Benedict XII in 1336).

What a aweful tragedy it is to be tempted, especially at death since the time on earth to save ones soul is absolutely over. The Catholic Church teaches that it is a spiritual work of mercy to pray for souls and their conversion so that they may be saved, especially for the souls in purgatory in whom are already saved but thirst for Heaven since there are not any prayers being said for them. So what can we do to pray for souls at the hour of their death so that they may not be tempted? I invite you to join me in the following prayer. You won’t regret it. Let’s not forget that some day we will die and we will need prayers for us at the hour of our death as well, for we cry out to Our Dearest Lady: “Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

A Prayer for the Dying and a Special Soul
“O MOST MERCIFUL JESUS, lover of souls,

I beseech Thee, by the agony of Thy most Sacred Heart,

and by the sorrows of Thy Immaculate Mother,

wash clean in Thy Blood the sinners of the whole world

who are to die this day.
Remember most especially the soul I spiritually adopt

with the intention of entrusting him or her to Thy Shepherd’s care:

I beseech Thee for the grace to move this sinner, who is in

danger of going to Hell, to repent. I ask this because of my

trust in Thy great mercy.
If it should please Thy Majesty to send me a suffering this day

in exchange for the grace I ask for this soul, then, it, too,

shall please me very much, and I thank Thee, Most Sweet Jesus,

Shepherd and Lover of Souls; I thank Thee for this

opportunity to give mercy in thanksgiving for all the mercies

Thou hast shown me. Amen.
Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the dying. Amen”

Let us all keep each other in prayer for salvation. The way is very narrow to Heaven, however, the way to Hell is very wide. Pray for me as well, dear friends, for the TAB is also a sinner. God Bless You!