In Prison

There is a prison of fire in which the sick and wounded of Christ’s army are held for a time.

The instant we die, we stand before our Lord to be judged. Every thought, every word, every act of our whole life will be laid bare. If our souls are in mortal sin, we shall be cast into hell forever; if our souls are in sanctifying grace, we shall live in Heaven forever. But we may not go to Heaven at once, for only those whose souls are spotless can enter there. And if we have venial sins on our souls and if we have not made up for all our sins that have been forgiven, we shall enter, for a time, the prison of fire called Purgatory, there to suffer until all stains are burned away and we are fit to live with Jesus in His Father’s House. Then our angel will come for us and, lifting us out of the terrible flames, will carry us to Heaven and for the first time we shall see God face to face!

The sufferings in Purgatory are very great, and yet the souls there know that it will only last for a time (Purgatory itself will end with the world), and they love God with all their strength.

We can help the poor souls in Purgatory by offering our prayers and sufferings for them. They can do nothing for themselves, but they can do a great deal for us and they will never forget us if we shorten their stay in the fiery prison. Often during the day say, “My Jesus, mercy!” for the soul of some one you know that has died or for some poor soul that has no one to pray for it. And when you want some favor from God, pray to the poor souls to get it for you.

And we can say little prayers for ourselves, too, to make up for our own sins so that we shall not have to stay so long in Purgatory when we die.

We must make up for every sin we commit, no matter how small, either here before we die or in Purgatory after we die. If, every time we go to commit a sin, we stop and think, “I must burn for this,” we shall not commit nearly as many as we do.

At this moment persons are burning for lies they told so easily, for little things they stole, for mean things they said.

Be very careful not to take anything that does not belong to you. Never touch so much as a penny that is not yours. If you borrow anything, even a pencil or an eraser, take care to give it back. Some boys and girls do not care how they hurt what belongs to someone else. This is not right and we ought to be just as careful of what belongs to others as we are of what belongs to ourselves.

Boys and girls that are truthful and that can be trusted never to touch what is not theirs are the boys and girls that God loves and that every one else loves, too.

Another sin you must guard against is saying mean things, things you would not like to have said about yourself. Don’t carry tales. And if others talk unkindly of someone, stand up for him and take his part. There are some boys and girls about whom people say: “You can not get them to say a mean thing about anyone and they will not let anyone else say anything mean, either.” Wouldn’t it be fine if our Lord could say that about you?

Be friends with every one. If you do not want to go with a certain child, you do not have to, but at least speak when you meet, unless, for some good reason, you have been told not to do so.