The book, The Month of the Holy Souls, presents daily considerations for the month of November in the form of meditations and practical examples. The example for today is as follows.

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EXAMPLE

A pious person, whose word is not to be doubted, relates the following fact, as a proof of the efficacy of prayers for the souls in Purgatory:

“I was very anxious to recover my health, and, for this end, I had prayed to Our Lady of Lourdes, to the Infant Jesus, and to St. Joseph, but in vain—I obtained nothing. It was not until I had asked the Holy Souls to pray for me that my request was granted. I promised them, that if, by Christmas, I could fulfill all my religious duties, and resume my ordinary occupations, I would have Masses offered, and obtain many suffrages for them. May these dearly-loved intercessors be for ever blessed. I am perfectly cured, and I hasten to do all that I had promised. From this fact we may see how much God desires the deliverance of the captive souls of Purgatory, since he obliges us, as it were. to have recourse to them, and to pray for them, in order to obtain the many graces that He wills to grant through their intercession. As for me, I am perfectly convinced of the truth of it, and can vouch, that for all the favors that God grants me, I am indebted to my good friends of Purgatory. All that I ask for, without having recourse to them, I do not obtain; but, in union with them, I never despair, I hope even against hope.”

Learn by this example, O Christian soul, and be convinced that you can obtain all you wish through the mediation of our departed brethren.

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This anecdote comes from Month of the Souls in Purgatory by Abbé Berlioux, originally published in English in the year 1886. This book contains meditations and an example story for each day of the month. In an effort to preserve short inspiring stories from our Catholic past, every day for the month of November you can find the example story for the day published on the website under people/stories.

The same author also published similar books for the months of March (St. Joseph), May (Our Lady), and June (Sacred Heart). We are planning to post the stories for these months in the future, as well as re-publish a collection of these four books as a set, so be sure to check back in a few months.