20 Ways To Pray For The Souls in Purgatory

(Source : http://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/20-ways-to-pray-for-the-holy-souls-in-purgatory/)

20 WAYS TO PRAY FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY

1. Pray the Novena to the Holy Souls.

2. Offer up your Holy Communions for the souls in purgatory.

3. Have Masses said for your departed loved ones, especially on the anniversary of his or her death.

4. Pray The Way Of The Cross for Souls in Purgatory.

5. Pray the special Holy Souls Rosary. After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Rosary is the most powerful prayer.

6. Obtain indulgences:  Indulgences reduce or cancel the temporal punishment that we incur through sin.* There are many ways to obtain indulgences through pious actions, and we can apply their merits to the dead. If you visit a church or oratory on All Souls Day and recite there the Lord's Prayer and the Apostle's Creed, you can earn a plenary (full) indulgence applicable only to the souls in purgatory (under the usual conditions).

7. Give alms: The giving of material assistance to the poor has always been considered a penance that can be offered for the Holy Souls. "For almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin" (Tobit 12:9).

8. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the intention of the Holy Souls.

9. Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great: tradition holds that St. Gertrude was told that piously reciting this prayer releases 1,000 souls from purgatory.

10. Sprinkle holy water on the ground: St. John Macias, a great friend of those in purgatory, would often sprinkle holy water on the ground for the spiritual benefit of the suffering souls.

11. When passing by a cemetery, pray the short Eternal Rest prayer: "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen." This prayer carries a partial indulgence applicable to the poor souls.

12. Practice the tradition of praying the Eternal Rest prayer (above) before and after your meals as an easy way to pray for the holy souls daily. You can also pray the prayer between the decades of your daily rosary.

13. Visit a cemetery: Pray over the graves of your departed loved ones, or visit a random graveyard and pray for those who may have no one to pray for them. Simply doing this gains a partial indulgence for those in purgatory.  While you're there, sprinkle holy water on the graves. If you make this visit daily during the octave of All Souls Day (November 2-9) you can gain a plenary indulgence* applicable to the souls in purgatory.

14. Eucharistic Adoration: make reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for those in purgatory.

15. Sacrifices: practice acts of self-denial and offer these penances up for the poor souls.

16. Pray the Office of the Dead. You can find this in your volume of the Liturgy of the Hours or online here.

17. Ask for the intercession of saints who were known to be great friends of the Holy Souls during their lifetime: St. Nicholas of Tolentino, St. Gertrude the Great, St. Catherine of Genoa, St. Padre Pio, St. Philip Neri, St. John Macías, St. Faustina Kowalska, St. Joseph, Our Lady, and others.

18. Special prayers: Throughout your day, offer up short and spontaneous prayers for the holy souls. Consider buying purgatory books with more prayers and special devotions for the Holy Souls.

19. Repent go to confession: Confessing your own sins makes your prayers for souls more effective.

20. Spread devotion to the Holy Souls: Make others aware of the great need these suffering souls have for our prayers.

Deuteronomy 28 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

28 Now if thou wilt hear the voice of the Lord thy God, to do and keep all his commandments, which I command thee this day, the Lord thy God will make thee higher than all the nations that are on the earth.
² And all these blessings shall come upon thee and overtake thee: yet so if thou hear his precepts,
³ Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed in the field.
⁴ Blessed shall be the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the droves of thy herds, and the folds of thy sheep.
⁵ Blessed shall be thy barns and blessed thy stores.
⁶ Blessed shalt thou be coming in and going out.
⁷ The Lord shall cause thy enemies, that rise up against thee, to fall down before thy face: one way shall they come out against thee, and seven ways shall they flee before thee.
⁸ The Lord will send forth a blessing upon thy storehouses, and upon all the works of thy hands: and will bless thee in the land that thou shalt receive.
⁹ The Lord will raise thee up to be a holy people to himself, as he swore to thee: if thou keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.
¹⁰ And all the people of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is invocated upon thee, and they shall fear thee.
¹¹ The Lord will make thee abound with all goods, with the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy cattle, with the fruit of thy land, which the Lord swore to thy fathers that he would give thee.
¹² The Lord will open his excellent treasure, the heaven, that it may give rain in due season: and he will bless all the works of thy hands. And thou shalt lend to many nations, and shalt not borrow of any one.
¹³ And the Lord shall make thee the head and not the tail: and thou shalt be always above, and not beneath: yet so if thou wilt hear the commandments of the Lord thy God which I command thee this day, and keep and do them,
¹⁴ And turn not away from them neither to the right hand, nor to the left, nor follow strange gods, nor worship them.
¹⁵ But if thou wilt not hear the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep and to do all his commandments and ceremonies, which I command thee this day, all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.
¹⁶ Cursed shalt thou be in the city, cursed in the field.
¹⁷ Cursed shall be thy barn, and cursed thy stores.
¹⁸ Cursed shall be the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy ground, the herds of thy oxen, and the flocks of thy sheep.
¹⁹ Cursed shalt thou be coming in, and cursed going out.
²⁰ The Lord shall send upon thee famine and hunger, and a rebuke upon all the works which thou shalt do: until he consume and destroy thee quickly, for thy most wicked inventions, by which thou hast forsaken me.
²¹ May the Lord set the pestilence upon thee, until he consume thee out of the land, which thou shalt go in to possess.
²² May the Lord afflict thee with miserable want, with the fever and with cold, with burning and with heat, and with corrupted air and with blasting, and pursue thee till thou perish.
²³ Be the heaven, that is over thee, of brass: and the ground thou treadest on, of iron.
²⁴ The Lord give thee dust for rain upon thy land, and let ashes come down from heaven upon thee, till thou be consumed.
²⁵ The Lord make thee to fall down before thy enemies, one way mayst thou go out against them, and flee seven ways, and be scattered throughout all the kingdoms of the earth.
²⁶ And be thy carcass meat for all the Fowls of the air, and the beasts of the earth, and be there none to drive them away.
²⁷ The Lord strike thee with the ulcer of Egypt, and the part of thy body, by which the dung is cast out, with the scab and with the itch: so that thou canst not be healed.
²⁸ The Lord strike thee with madness and blindness and fury of mind.
²⁹ And mayst thou grope at midday as the blind is wont to grope in the dark, and not make straight thy ways. And mayst thou at all times suffer wrong, and be oppressed with violence, and mayst thou have no one to deliver thee.
³⁰ Mayst thou take a wife, and another sleep with her. Mayst thou build a house, and not dwell therein. Mayest thou plant a vineyard and not gather the vintage thereof.
³¹ May thy ox be slain before thee, and thou not eat thereof. May thy ass be taken away in thy sight, and not restored to thee. May thy sheep be given to thy enemies, and may there be none to help thee.
³² May thy sons and thy daughters be given to another people, thy eyes looking on, and languishing at the sight of them all the day, and may there be no strength in thy hand.
³³ May a people which thou knowest not, eat the fruits of thy land, and all thy labours: and mayst thou always suffer oppression, and be crushed at all times.
³⁴ And be astonished at the terror of those things which thy eyes shall see:
³⁵ May the Lord strike thee with a very sore ulcer in the knees and in the legs, and be thou incurable from the sole of the foot to the top of the head.
³⁶ The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king, whom thou shalt have appointed over thee, into a nation which thou and thy fathers know not: and there thou shalt serve strange gods, wood and stone.
³⁷ And thou shalt be lost, as a proverb and a byword to all people, among whom the Lord shall bring thee in.
³⁸ Thou shalt cast much seed into the ground, and gather little: because the locusts shall consume all.
³⁹ Thou shalt plant a vineyard, and dig it, and shalt not drink the wine, nor gather any thing thereof: because it shall be wasted with worms.
⁴⁰ Thou shalt have olive trees in all thy borders, and shalt not be anointed with the oil: for the olives shall fall off and perish.
⁴¹ Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, and shalt not enjoy them: because they shall be led into captivity.
⁴² The blast shall consume all the trees and the fruits of thy ground.
⁴³ The stranger that liveth with thee in the land, shall rise up over thee, and shall be higher: and thou shalt go down, and be lower.
⁴⁴ He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be as the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
⁴⁵ And all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue and overtake thee, till thou perish: because thou heardst not the voice of the Lord thy God, and didst not keep his commandments and ceremonies which he commanded thee.
⁴⁶ And they shall be as signs and wonders on thee, and on thy seed for ever.
⁴⁷ Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things:
⁴⁸ Thou shalt serve thy enemy, whom the Lord will send upon thee, in hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put an iron yoke upon thy neck, till he consume thee.
⁴⁹ The Lord will bring upon thee a nation from afar, and from the uttermost ends of the earth, like an eagle that flyeth swiftly, whose tongue thou canst not understand,
⁵⁰ A most insolent nation, that will shew no regard to the ancients, nor have pity on the infant,
⁵¹ And will devour the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruits of thy land: until thou be destroyed, and will leave thee no wheat, nor wine, nor oil, nor herds of oxen, nor flocks of sheep: until he destroy thee.
⁵² And consume thee in all thy cities, and thy strong and high walls be brought down, wherein thou trustedst in all thy land. Thou shalt be besieged within thy gates in all thy land which the Lord thy God will give thee:
⁵³ And thou shalt eat the fruit of thy womb, and the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God shall give thee, in the distress and extremity wherewith thy enemy shall oppress thee.
⁵⁴ The man that is nice among you, and very delicate, shall envy his own brother, and his wife, that lieth in his bosom,
⁵⁵ So that he will not give them of the flesh of his children, which he shall eat: because he hath nothing else in the siege and the want, wherewith thy enemies shall distress thee within all thy gates.
⁵⁶ The tender and delicate woman, that could not go upon the ground, nor set down her foot for over much niceness and tenderness, will envy her husband who lieth in her bosom, the flesh of her son, and of her daughter,
⁵⁷ And the filth of the afterbirths, that come forth from between her thighs, and the children that are born the same hour. For they shall eat them secretly for the want of all things, in the siege and distress, wherewith thy enemy shall oppress thee within thy gates.
⁵⁸ If thou wilt not keep, and fulfill all the words of this law, that are written in this volume, and fear his glorious and terrible name: that is, The Lord thy God:
⁵⁹ The Lord shall increase thy plagues, and the plagues of thy seed, plagues great and lasting, infirmities grievous and perpetual.
⁶⁰ And he shall bring back on thee all the afflictions of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of, and they shall stick fast to thee.
⁶¹ Moreover the Lord will bring upon thee all the diseases, and plagues, that are not written in the volume of this law till he consume thee:
⁶² And you shall remain few in number, who before were as the stars of heaven for multitude, because thou heardst not the voice of the Lord thy God.
⁶³ And as the Lord rejoiced upon you before doing good to you, and multiplying you: so he shall rejoice destroying and bringing you to nought, so that you shall be taken away from the land which thou shalt go in to possess.
⁶⁴ The Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the farthest parts of the earth to the ends thereof: and there thou shalt serve strange gods, which both thou art ignorant of and thy fathers, wood and stone.
⁶⁵ Neither shalt thou be quiet, even in those nations, nor shall there be any rest for the sole of thy foot. For the Lord will give thee a fearful heart, and languishing eyes, and a soul consumed with pensiveness:
⁶⁶ And thy life shall be as it were hanging before thee. Thou shalt fear night and day, neither shalt thou trust thy life.
⁶⁷ In the morning thou shalt say: Who will grant me evening? and at evening: Who will grant me morning? for the fearfulness of thy heart, wherewith thou shalt be terrified, and for those things which thou shalt see with thy eyes.
⁶⁸ The Lord shall bring thee again with ships into Egypt, by the way whereof he said to thee that thou shouldst see it no more. There shalt thou be set to sale to thy enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

The Divine Praises As A Way To Discover The Truth

(Source : http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2013/12/the-battle-for-souls-mystic-saints-vs.html)

The Devil Tries To Appear In Disguise as Jesus It should be of no wonder to us that the demons often try to appear as Angels, Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary or even Jesus Himself, since the Scriptures themselves warn us to be on our guard, stating that "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light".  [2 Corinthians 11:14].


In light of this we see how in her journal Josefa Menendez writes:
"On the night of the 13th or 14th of January, 1922 that the devil began once more to torture me. He tried to force me to abandon my vocation. In his increasing fury he even tried to ensnare me by taking on the appearance of Jesus ." 

In fact the devil continued to try to appear as Jesus so to remedy this problem her spiritual director, Father Boyer O.P. at first had her renew her profession vows [as a nun] whenever a "heavenly" visitor would appear, and later upon the appearance of any "visitor" he told her to recite the 'Divine Praises' of which she asked the visitors to repeat after her. In their great pride and hatred for God the demons could never utter any of the "Blessings" of the Divine Praises [ie- the "Blessed be God" and "Blessed be Jesus Christ" etc..]

Josefa's spiritual director most assuredly discovered this new powerful weapon against the demons disguises from the life of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), for it was precisely through the reciting of the "Divine Praises" that Gemma was finally able to thwart the devil who was frequently appearing to her under different disguises in an effort to deceive her. For as Gemma learned (thanks to her spiritual director, Venerable Fr. Germanus C.P.) that the devil with his polluted lips is never able to utter such words of praise and benediction.

In the life of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa (1904-1955) --a Portuguese mystic and stigmatic of whom we will speak more about below---we read another occurrence of the devil making himself out to be Jesus.

In this case Blessed Alexandrina writes:
“Every now and then I see a rapid light. Twice I have seen two very big eyes, wide open, staring at me, but they disappeared quickly. On Sunday, I heard a very sweet voice saying, 'My daughter, I come to tell you not to write anything of what you see: your sight is deceiving you. Don't you feel how weak you are? You displease me with this; it is your Jesus who speaks to you, not Satan.'
I was suspicious and began to kiss the crucifix. The voice became enraged and thundered, 'If you continue to write I will destroy your body. Do you think I cannot do this?' (From the writings of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, 1934)

The Divine Praises

The Divine Praises traditionally follows the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at Church when it is prayed by the priest and the worshippers before our Lord (in the Host) is returned to the tabernacle following adoration.

It was composed in a slightly shorter form by Luigi Felici, a Jesuit priest, in 1797, as a prayer to make reparation for blasphemy and profane language. You can recite it privately (or in group settings other than during the Benediction) for this purpose as a great way to show God, the Holy Family, and the Angels and Saints thanksgiving and praise.

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy.
Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her Glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints. Amen.

In an era when many people only refer to our Lord in an exclamatory fashion after some sort of accident, it is good for us to sing His Divine Praises here. As we say in the introduction to the Eucharistic prayer at Mass “it is right to give Him thanks and praise!”

Saint Thomas Aquinas once noted that this can increase the fervor of our devotion to Him, and that thus “we praise God not for His benefit but for ours.” This prayer reminds us of the glories of the Trinity, and of the key role our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, and the Angels and saints have played in our salvation as well.

The devil tries to appear in disguise as Jesus 

It should be of no wonder to us that the demons often try to appear as Angels, Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary or even Jesus Himself, since the Scriptures themselves warn us to be on our guard, stating that "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light".  [2 Corinthians 11:14]. 

In light of this we see how in her journal Josefa Menendez writes:
"On the night of the 13th or 14th of January, 1922 that the devil began once more to torture me. He tried to force me to abandon my vocation. In his increasing fury he even tried to ensnare me by taking on the appearance of Jesus ."  

In fact the devil continued to try to appear as Jesus so to remedy this problem her spiritual director, Father Boyer O.P. at first had her renew her profession vows [as a nun] whenever a "heavenly" visitor would appear, and later upon the appearance of any "visitor" he told her to recite the 'Divine Praises' of which she asked the visitors to repeat after her. In their great pride and hatred for God the demons could never utter any of the "Blessings" of the Divine Praises [ie- the "Blessed be God" and "Blessed be Jesus Christ" etc..] 

Josefa's spiritual director most assuredly discovered this new powerful weapon against the demons disguises from the life of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), for it was precisely through the reciting of the "Divine Praises" that Gemma was finally able to thwart the devil who was frequently appearing to her under different disguises in an effort to deceive her. For as Gemma learned (thanks to her spiritual director, Venerable Fr. Germanus C.P.) that the devil with his polluted lips is never able to utter such words of praise and benediction.

In the life of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa (1904-1955) --a Portuguese mystic and stigmatic of whom we will speak more about below---we read another occurrence of the devil making himself out to be Jesus. In this case Blessed Alexandrina writes:

“Every now and then I see a rapid light. Twice I have seen two very big eyes, wide open, staring at me, but they disappeared quickly. On Sunday, I heard a very sweet voice saying, 'My daughter, I come to tell you not to write anything of what you see: your sight is deceiving you. Don't you feel how weak you are? You displease me with this; it is your Jesus who speaks to you, not Satan.' 

I was suspicious and began to kiss the crucifix. The voice became enraged and thundered, 'If you continue to write I will destroy your body. Do you think I cannot do this?' (From the writings of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, 1934)

- See more at: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2013/12/the-battle-for-souls-mystic-saints-vs.html#sthash.3KaNPSyA.dpuf

The devil tries to appear in disguise as Jesus 

It should be of no wonder to us that the demons often try to appear as Angels, Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary or even Jesus Himself, since the Scriptures themselves warn us to be on our guard, stating that "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light".  [2 Corinthians 11:14]. 

In light of this we see how in her journal Josefa Menendez writes:
"On the night of the 13th or 14th of January, 1922 that the devil began once more to torture me. He tried to force me to abandon my vocation. In his increasing fury he even tried to ensnare me by taking on the appearance of Jesus ."  

In fact the devil continued to try to appear as Jesus so to remedy this problem her spiritual director, Father Boyer O.P. at first had her renew her profession vows [as a nun] whenever a "heavenly" visitor would appear, and later upon the appearance of any "visitor" he told her to recite the 'Divine Praises' of which she asked the visitors to repeat after her. In their great pride and hatred for God the demons could never utter any of the "Blessings" of the Divine Praises [ie- the "Blessed be God" and "Blessed be Jesus Christ" etc..] 

Josefa's spiritual director most assuredly discovered this new powerful weapon against the demons disguises from the life of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), for it was precisely through the reciting of the "Divine Praises" that Gemma was finally able to thwart the devil who was frequently appearing to her under different disguises in an effort to deceive her. For as Gemma learned (thanks to her spiritual director, Venerable Fr. Germanus C.P.) that the devil with his polluted lips is never able to utter such words of praise and benediction.

In the life of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa (1904-1955) --a Portuguese mystic and stigmatic of whom we will speak more about below---we read another occurrence of the devil making himself out to be Jesus. In this case Blessed Alexandrina writes:

“Every now and then I see a rapid light. Twice I have seen two very big eyes, wide open, staring at me, but they disappeared quickly. On Sunday, I heard a very sweet voice saying, 'My daughter, I come to tell you not to write anything of what you see: your sight is deceiving you. Don't you feel how weak you are? You displease me with this; it is your Jesus who speaks to you, not Satan.' 

I was suspicious and began to kiss the crucifix. The voice became enraged and thundered, 'If you continue to write I will destroy your body. Do you think I cannot do this?' (From the writings of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, 1934)

- See more at: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2013/12/the-battle-for-souls-mystic-saints-vs.html#sthash.3KaNPSyA.dpuf

The devil tries to appear in disguise as Jesus 

It should be of no wonder to us that the demons often try to appear as Angels, Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary or even Jesus Himself, since the Scriptures themselves warn us to be on our guard, stating that "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light".  [2 Corinthians 11:14]. 

In light of this we see how in her journal Josefa Menendez writes:
"On the night of the 13th or 14th of January, 1922 that the devil began once more to torture me. He tried to force me to abandon my vocation. In his increasing fury he even tried to ensnare me by taking on the appearance of Jesus ."  

In fact the devil continued to try to appear as Jesus so to remedy this problem her spiritual director, Father Boyer O.P. at first had her renew her profession vows [as a nun] whenever a "heavenly" visitor would appear, and later upon the appearance of any "visitor" he told her to recite the 'Divine Praises' of which she asked the visitors to repeat after her. In their great pride and hatred for God the demons could never utter any of the "Blessings" of the Divine Praises [ie- the "Blessed be God" and "Blessed be Jesus Christ" etc..] 

Josefa's spiritual director most assuredly discovered this new powerful weapon against the demons disguises from the life of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), for it was precisely through the reciting of the "Divine Praises" that Gemma was finally able to thwart the devil who was frequently appearing to her under different disguises in an effort to deceive her. For as Gemma learned (thanks to her spiritual director, Venerable Fr. Germanus C.P.) that the devil with his polluted lips is never able to utter such words of praise and benediction.

In the life of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa (1904-1955) --a Portuguese mystic and stigmatic of whom we will speak more about below---we read another occurrence of the devil making himself out to be Jesus. In this case Blessed Alexandrina writes:

“Every now and then I see a rapid light. Twice I have seen two very big eyes, wide open, staring at me, but they disappeared quickly. On Sunday, I heard a very sweet voice saying, 'My daughter, I come to tell you not to write anything of what you see: your sight is deceiving you. Don't you feel how weak you are? You displease me with this; it is your Jesus who speaks to you, not Satan.' 

I was suspicious and began to kiss the crucifix. The voice became enraged and thundered, 'If you continue to write I will destroy your body. Do you think I cannot do this?' (From the writings of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, 1934)

- See more at: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2013/12/the-battle-for-souls-mystic-saints-vs.html#sthash.3KaNPSyA.dpuf

The Fifiteen Promises of The Most Holy Rosary

Besides the Indulgences attached to the Rosary, Our Lady revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche additional benefits for those who devoutly pray the Rosary.  Our Lady's promise is shown in darker blue text.

 


1.  Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces. Signal Graces are those special and unique Graces to help sanctify us in our state in life. See the remaining promises for an explanation for which these will consist. St. Louis de Montfort states emphatically that the best and fastest way to union with Our Lord is via Our Lady [True Devotion to Mary, chapter four].

2.  I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.  Our Lady is our Advocate and the channel of all God's Grace to us. Our Lady is simply highlighting that She will watch especially over us who pray the Rosary. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62) [a great more detail is available on this topic in True Devotion to Mary, chapter four, by St. Louis de Montfort]

3.  The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.
This promise, along with the next, is simply the reminder on how fervent prayer will help us all grow in holiness by avoiding sin, especially a prayer with the excellence of the Rosary. An increase in holiness necessarily requires a reduction in sin, vice, and doctrinal errors (heresies). If only the Modernists could be convinced to pray the Rosary! (see Lumen Gentium chapter V - The Call to Holiness #42) St. Louis de Montfort states "Since Mary alone crushed all heresies, as we are told by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary)..." [True Devotion to Mary #167]

4.  It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal Things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
This promise, along with the previous, is the positive part, that being to live in virtue. Becoming holy is not only avoiding sin, but also growing in virtue. (see Lumen Gentium chapter V - The Call to Holiness #42)

5.  The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. 
Since Our Lady is our Mother and Advocate, She always assists those who call on Her implicitly by praying the Rosary. The Church reminds us of this in the Memorareprayer, "... never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided ..."

6.  Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.
This promise highlights the magnitude of Graces that the Rosary brings to whomever prays it. One will draw down God's Mercy rather than His Justice and will have a final chance to repent (see promise #7). One will not be conquered by misfortune means that Our Lady will obtain for the person sufficient Graces to handle said misfortune (i.e. carry the Crosses allowed by God) without falling into despair. As Sacred Scripture tells us, "For my yoke is sweet and my burden light." (Matthew 11:30)

7.  Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
This promise highlights the benefits of obtaining the most possible Graces at the hour of death via the Sacraments of Confession, Eucharist, and Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Sick). Being properly disposed while receiving these Sacraments near death ensures one's salvation (although perhaps with a detour through Purgatory) since a final repentance is possible.

8.  Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise.
Our Lady highlights the great quantity of Graces obtain through praying the Rosary, which assist us during life and at the moment of death. The merits of the Saints are the gift of God's rewards to those persons who responded to His Grace that they obtained during life, and so Our Lady indicates that She will provide a share of that to us at death. With this promise and #7 above, Our Lady is providing the means for the person to have a very holy death.

9.  I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
Should one require Purgatorial cleansing after death, Our Lady will make a special effort to obtain our release from Purgatory through Her intercession as Advocate.

10.  The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.
This promise is a logical consequence of promises #3 and #4 since anyone who truly lives a holier life on earth will obtain a higher place in Heaven. The closer one is to God while living on earth, the close that person is to Him also in Heaven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states "Spiritual progress tends toward ever more union with Christ." (Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2014)

11.  You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.
This promise emphasizes Our Lady's role as our Advocate and Mediatrix of all Graces. Of course, all requests are subject to God's Most Perfect Will. God will always grant our request if it is beneficial for our soul, and Our Lady will only intercede for us when our request is good for our salvation. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62)

12.  All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
If one promotes the praying of the Rosary, Our Lady emphasizes Her Maternal care for us by obtaining many Graces (i.e. spiritual necessities) and also material necessities (neither excess nor luxury), all subject to the Will of God of course.

13.  I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.
Since Our Lady is our Advocate, She brings us additional assistance during our life and at our death from all the saints in Heaven (the Communion of Saints). See paragraphs 954 through 959 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

14.  All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ.
Since the Rosary is a most excellent prayer focused on Jesus and His Life and activities in salvation history, it brings us closer to Our Lord and Our Lady. Doctrinally, Our Lady is our Mother and Jesus is our Eldest Brother, besides being our God. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62)

15.  Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
Predestination in this context means that, by the sign which is present to a person from the action of devoutly praying the Rosary, God has pre-ordained your salvation. Absolute certainty of salvation can only be truly known if God reveals it to a person because, although we are given sufficient Grace during life, our salvation depends upon our response to said Grace. (See Summa Theologica, Question 23 for a detailed theological explanation). Said another way, if God has guaranteed a person's salvation but has not revealed it to Him, God would want that person to pray the Rosary because of all the benefits and Graces obtained. Therefore the person gets a hint by devotion to the Rosary. This is not to say that praying the Rosary guarantees salvation - by no means. In looking at promises #3 and #4 above, praying the Rosary helps one to live a holy life, which is itself a great sign that a soul is on the road to salvation. (See also paragraphs 381, 488, 600, 2782 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.) In fact, St. Louis de Montfort says even more strongly that "an infallible and unmistakable sign by which we can distinguish a heretic, a man of false doctrine, an enemy of God, from one of God's true friends is that the hardened sinner and heretic show nothing but contempt and indifference to Our Lady..." [True Devotion to Mary, #30]

Reminder: these promises mean that, by faithfully and devoutly praying the Rosary, Our Lady will obtain for us the necessary Graces to obtain said promises.  It is still up to each individual soul to respond to those Graces in order to obtain salvation.

The Miraculous Medal (The Medal of the Immaculate Conception)

The Blessed Virgin herself designed the Medal of the Immaculate Conception—popularly known as the Miraculous Medal! No wonder, then, that it wins such extraordinary graces for those who wear it and pray for Mary's intercession and help.

The First Apparition
The story begins on the night of July 18-19, 1830.  A child (perhaps her guardian angel) awakened Sister (now Saint) Catherine Labouré, a novice in the community of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, and summoned her to the chapel.  There she met with the Virgin Mary and spoke with her for several hours.  During the conversation, Mary said to her, “My child, I am going to give you a mission.”

The Second Apparition
Mary gave her this mission in a vision during evening meditation on November 27, 1830. She saw Mary standing on what seemed to be half a globe and holding a golden globe in her hands as if offering it to heaven. On the globe was the word “France” and our Lady explained that the globe represented the whole world, but especially France.  The times were difficult in France, especially for the poor who were unemployed and often refugees from the many wars of the time.  France was first to experience many of those troubles which ultimately reached other parts of the world and are even present today.  Streaming from rings on Mary's fingers as she held the globe were many rays of light. Mary explained that the rays symbolize the graces she obtains for those who ask for them.  However, some of the gems on the rings were dark, and Mary explained that the rays and graces were available but did not come because no one had asked for them.

The Third Apparition and the Miraculous Medal
The vision then changed to show our Lady standing on a globe with her arms now outstretched and with the dazzling rays of light still streaming from her fingers. Framing the figure was an inscription: O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

The vision turned and showed the design of the reverse side of the medal. Twelve stars encircled a large "M" from which arose a cross. Below are two hearts with flames arising from them. Thorns encircle one heart and a sword pierces the other.

Then Mary spoke to Catherine: “Have a medal struck upon this model. Those who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around the neck.” Catherine explained the entire series of apparitions to her confessor, and she worked through him to carry out Mary’s instructions. She did not reveal that she received the Medal until soon before her death 47 years later.

With approval of the Church, the first Medals were made in 1832 and were distributed in Paris. Almost immediately the blessings that Mary had promised began to shower down on those who wore her Medal. The devotion spread like wildfire. Marvels of grace and health, peace and prosperity, followed in its wake. Before long people were calling it the “Miraculous” Medal. In 1836, a canonical inquiry undertaken at Paris declared the apparitions to be genuine.

There is no superstition, nothing of magic, connected with the Miraculous Medal. The Miraculous Medal is not a “good-luck charm”. Rather, it is a great testimony to faith and the power of trusting prayer. Its greatest miracles are those of patience, forgiveness, repentance, and faith. God uses a Medal, not as a sacrament, but as an agent, an instrument, in bringing to pass certain marvelous results. “The weak things of this earth hath God chosen to confound the strong.”

When our Blessed Mother gave the design of the medal to Saint Catherine Labouré she said, “Now it must be given to the whole world and to every person.” The Association of the Miraculous Medal in Perryville, Missouri carries out our Lady’s request in many ways, including offering you a free Miraculous Medal.

Association of the Miraculous Medal
http://www.amm.org/AboutAMM/Miraculous%20Medal%20Story.aspx

The Jubilee Medal of St Benedict

Have you ever looked at a St. Benedict medal and wondered what it all means?  The front and back are covered with letters that don't seem to make any sense.  You probably made out the name "Benedict", but the rest of the words were in Latin.  The complete meaning of this medal was shrouded in mystery for many years, until an important discovery was made in 1647 at the Abbey of Metten in Bavaria.  They found a manuscript from the year 1415 which explained the initials found on the medal.  The mystery was finally unraveled!

 The Front Side - St. Benedict is shown at the center of the medal. In his right hand he holds a cross. The cross represents the saving power of Christ and the work of evangelization by the Benedictines over the centuries. In his left hand is a book containing the Holy Rule of his order. To his right is a broken cup. This cup was said to be poisoned by monks who did not like it when he became Abbot of their monastery. The cup was shattered when St. Benedict made a sign of the cross over it, and his life was saved. To his left is a raven. The raven carried away a poisoned loaf of bread the monks tried to give St. Benedict.

Above his head are the words: Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti (Cross of the Holy Father Benedict). Around the edge are the words: Ejus in obitu nostro praesentia muniamus. (May we at our death be fortified by his presence).

Below his feet are the letters: EX SM CASINO MDCCCLXX (From holy Monte Cassino, 1880).

This medal was created in Monte Cassino, Italy, in 1880 to celebrate the 1400th anniversary of Saint Benedict's birth. The occasion of this celebration is why the medal is called the "Jubilee" medal.

The Reverse Side - The back of the medal is dominated by a large cross. The letters on the cross are actually the initials for the Latin phrases: Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux (The Holy Cross be my light) and Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux (Let not the dragon be my guide).

In the four corners are circles with the letters CSPB. These letters are the initials for Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti (The Cross of our holy father Benedict).

At the top is the word Pax (peace). Around the edge are the initials for the exorcism prayer: Vade Retro Satana, Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana - Sunt Mala Quae Libas, Ipse Venena Bibas (Begone, Satan, do not suggest to me thy vanities - evil are the things thou profferest, drink thou thy own poison).

The Jubilee Medal itself has no power at all. Wearers must be careful not to fall into acts of superstition. The Jubilee Medal is simply a visible sign of the inner devotion and belief the wearer has to Jesus and his servant, St. Benedict. We ask for God's blessing and protection through the intercession of St. Benedict.

The Jubilee medal includes an unconditional indulgence to anyone at the time of death who will "wear, kiss or hold the Medal between the hands with veneration". The indulgence is given if the person commends his or her soul to God and makes a good confession or receive Holy Communion. If the person cannot do this, he or she can "invoke the Holy Name of Jesus with feelings of contrition, (or with the heart if one cannot speak)".

In addition to the unconditional indulgence, a partial indulgence is given to anyone who will "wear, kiss or hold the Medal between the hands with veneration". Over the years, many miracles have been reported by those wearing the medal. The medal has also been attributed to great blessings. Some of those blessings include:

1. Warding off temptation
2. Obtaining the conversion of sinners, especially before death
3. Easing of pain for women during labor
4. Help in preserving purity
5. Granting the grace of a happy death
6. Protection during storms
7. Interceding for curing disease

My Very Own Prayer Booklet

After years of carrying around various prayer booklets (because I liked two prayers in one, three in another and one in yet another), I suddenly had an idea...why don't I make my own prayer booklet?

I mean, I've been making booklets for various purposes at work...why not for my own use?

And so I got down to work.

And this is the result...I'm very happy with it.  My handbag's so much lighter now.  The best thing is...I can change it any time I want.

Prayer booklet in MS Publisher format

http://www.mediafire.com/view/6nlq3d9ih50wahh/Prayer_Booklet_14_May_2014.pub

Prayer booklet in PDF (single page format, portrait)
http://www.mediafire.com/view/p7y3u16kd34jnp9/Prayer_Booklet_Single_Page_Format_14_May_2014.pdf

Prayer booklet in PDF (side fold, double page, landscape, running pages)
http://www.mediafire.com/view/u3ct5s69n2bdgpw/Prayer_Booklet_Side_Fold_Running_Pages_14_May_2014.pdf

Contents:

St Michael the Archangel prayer                                           

Saints’ Quotations on Prayer                                                          

How To Pray The Rosary                                                   

Mysteries of the Rosary                                                      

Prayers of the Rosary                                                          

Marian Consecration Prayer                                                   
Prayer to the Two Hearts 
Double Great Novena 

The 15 Prayers of St Bridget                                             

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy 

Other Prayers

Prayer of St Gertrude 

Prayer to St Joseph 

The Miracle Prayers

-Prayer To Apply The Blood of Christ 

-Prayer Before Reading the Bible

-Prayer For Salvation 

-Prayer of Healing 

-Prayer To Break Generational Curses 

-Prayer Against Fear 

-House Dedication Prayer 

Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood 

Litany of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ 

Consecration to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ

Prayers in Latin 

Aspirations (Short Prayers)

Sacramentals 

Five Crowns Promised by God 

Armour of God 

Spiritual Communion 

Keys to Heaven 

Anima Christi (Soul of Christ)

Indulgences 

Original St Michael the Archangel Prayer 

Angel of God Prayer