St Gertrude

 St. Gertrude And The Poor Souls 

St. Gertrude entertained a deep compassion for the souls in purgatory. At Holy Communion she besought our loving Savior with tender, fervent petitions, to be merciful to these dear sufferers. Once, before Communion, as she reflected with heartfelt pity on the sufferings of the holy souls, it seemed to her that she descended with Our Lord into the depths of purgatory. There she heard Jesus say: "At Holy Communion I will permit thee to draw forth all to whom the fragrance of thy prayers penetrates."  After Holy Communion Our Lord often delivered more souls than she dared to ask for. Once Gertrude prayed with particular fervor for the faithful departed, on asking Our Lord how many souls His mercy would deliver, she received this reply: "My love urges Me to release the poor souls. If a beneficent king leaves his guilty friend in prison for justice's sake, he awaits with longing for one of his nobles to plead for the prisoner and to offer something for his release. Then the king joyfully, sets him free. Similarly, I accept with highest pleasure what is offered to Me for the poor souls, for I long inexpressibly to have near Me those for whom I paid so great a price. By the prayers of thy loving soul, I am induced to free a prisoner from purgatory as often as thou dost move thy tongue to utter a word of prayer !"  Our Saviour also instructed Gertrude for whom she should pray most. On the day when the community commemorated in common the death of their parents, our saint saw the happy souls ascend from dense darkness like sparks from a flaming forge. She inquired if all these were relatives. Our Lord replied: "I am thy nearest relative, thy father and thy mother. Therefore, My special friends are thy nearest relatives, and these are among those whom I have liberated."

Source:  Saint Gertrude the Great 

                Herald of Divine Love