Purgatory , role of Mary

 From: The wonderful secrets of souls in purgatory by sister Emmanuel.

p.21-22

Q: Maria , can you tell me what is the role of Our Lady regarding the souls in Purgatory?

Yes, she often visits them to console them , by telling them that they have been good in many ways and to encourage them.

Q: Are there any special days in which she liberates them ?

Yes, especially on christmas day. All saints and on Good Friday, as well as on the day of the Assumption and of the Ascension of Jesus.

Q: Maria , why do we go to Purgatory? What sins send souls more frequently to Purgatory?

They are sins against charity, against love for our neighbour, hardness of heart , hostility, slanderm yes, all those I know that slander and defamation are among the gravest sins and require a long time of purification.

On this subject Mary offers us an example which had greatly struck her and which I wish to share with you .

It has to do with a man and a woman about she had been asked or information on whether they were in purgatory.

Much to the surprise of those who had asked her , the woman was already in paradise and the man in purgatory. As a matter of fact , the woman had died after having an abortion , while the man had gone to church very often and apparently had led a life of much dignity and piety.

Maria then enquired again, thinking she had been mistaken, But not at all , it was exactly like that : they had practically died at the same time, but the woman had sincerely repented of what she had done and she had been very humble; while the man , although religious had always been complaining , running down people criticising . This is why his purgatory had been so long. Maria concluded by saying: One must not judege according to appearances.

Other sins against charity are certainly all our rejections of people we do not love , our refusal to forgive and to be at peace with others, and all the grudges we keep in our heart .

On this subject too , Maria told a sotry to ponder upon, It is the story of someone she had known very well. This person died . It was a woman and she was in purgatory, suffering terribly .

When this woman came, Maria asked her the reason why; and the reason was that she had a friend for whom she had felt deep hostility; and although this had been provoked by herself , she had kept this grudge of hers for years and years. Whenever her friend, on several occasions, had come asking her to make friends again, she had always refused, when she became very ill, she still carried on keeping her heart closed and refusing to make peace with her friend as she was asked to do . Even on her deathbed, her friend had come beseeching her to make peace; but even on her deathbed she had refused to do so ; This is the reason why she was now suffering tremendously in purgatory and asking for Maria's help .

This is a very significant example of the grievousness of keeping a grudge, With regard to our words, one could never say sufficiently enough how criticism , a spiteful word, could truly kill a person; and on the other handm how a good word could heal a person.