Devotion to the Madonna and the souls of Purgatory
The Blessed Virgin Mary and the souls of Purgatory
The punishment is also extraordinarily tempered in the souls who were particularly devoted to Mary. This sweet Mother goes to console her, and being She candor of the Eternal light and mirror without stain, she shows them, in Her, the reflected splendor of the glory of God.
Mary is Mother of the Church, therefore she is close to every child. But in a special way it is next to the weakest. To the little ones. To the persecuted. To the dying. To all those who have not yet managed to achieve full communion with God. This position of the Virgin was also underlined by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council: assumed in Heaven she has not deposited this function of salvation, but with her multiple intercession continues to obtain us the graces of eternal health.
With his maternal charity he takes care of the brothers of his Son who are still wandering and placed in the midst of dangers and worries, until they are led to the blessed homeland ". (Lunien Gentiuni 62) Now, among those who have not yet been admitted to the Blessed Fatherland there are the Souls of Purgatory. And the Virgin intervenes in their favor. Because, as St. Brigida of Sweden reiterates "I am a mother to everyone who is in Purgatory". Various saints have, even before Vatican II, stressed this aspect of Mary's maternal function. For example, Sant'Alfonso Maria de 'Liguori (1696-1787) writes:
"Since those souls (of Purgatory) are most in need of relief (..), nor can they help themselves, much more there, this Mother of mercy undertakes to help them" (The glories of Mary) Saint Bernardino of Siena (1380- 1444) states:
“The Virgin visits and helps the Souls of Purgatory, mitigating their pains.
She obtains thanks and blessings for the devotees of these Souls, especially if these faithful recite the prayer of the Rosary in suffrage of the dead. "(See Sermon 3 on the name of Mary)
Saint Brigid of Sweden born in Sweden in 1303 writes that the Virgin herself revealed to her that the Souls of Purgatory feel supported only by hearing the name of Mary. The centuries are rich in other signs of mercy of the Mother of Jesus.
Think of the history of the various Religious Orders where the action of Our Lady is visibly in favor of the pilgrim Church on earth, but also of the one that purifies itself in Purgatory. And the same events connected with the use of the scapular among the Carmelites demonstrate how an authentic love for Mary, fruitful of works of charity, receives answers from her which pour a particular positive influence also on the Souls of Purgatory.
Finally, it is useful to remember the testimony of a Polish religious, Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938). She writes in the diary:
“At that time I asked the Lord Jesus: 'For whom do I still have to pray?'. Jesus replied that the following night he would make me known for whom I had to pray. I saw the Guardian Angel, who ordered me to follow him. In a moment I found myself in a misty place, invaded by fire and, in it, a huge crowd of suffering souls. These souls pray with great fervor, but without efficacy for themselves: only we can help them. The flames that burned them didn't touch me. My Guardian Angel did not abandon me for a moment. And I asked those souls what their greatest torment was. And unanimously they replied that their greatest torment is the ardent desire of God. I saw the Madonna who visited the souls of Purgatory. Souls call Mary 'Star of the Sea'. She brings them refreshment. "
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska p. 11)