Marian Helper Fall 2015

20 M arian H elper • F all 2015 •  marian.org W hat if you could somehow arrange for an army of personal patron saints to look after your children throughout their lives? You’d do it, right? What if you could have your chil- dren perform one of the greatest acts of love in the process? You’d do that, too, right? Well, you can. And here’s how: Have them pray and offer sacrifices for th e Holy Souls in Purgatory. As we approac h November, the month when the Church especially encourages us to remember the Holy Souls in Purgatory, I want to help you teach your children about this important devotion. The Church teaches that the Holy Souls in Purgatory cannot pray for themselves. In purgatory, where Divine Justice purifies souls, the prayers and sacrifices of the living — of us and of our children — can extinguish our loved ones’ burning pain of waiting to be united with God in eternity. For children, this may all be a lot to take in. So where do you begin? You can start by teach- ing them that the greatest act you can do for someone who has died is to pray for them. Start with the basics — that these children loved their grandma (or who- ever has passed away). Focus their attention on their love for that person. Explain that this love doesn’t end with death. Explain that when we are praying for our loved ones, we are keeping that connection. Encourage them to speak in prayer to their deceased love one, some- thing like: “Grandma, I love you so much that I’m going to be thinking about you and praying for you.” Next, since purgatory can be a rather abstract concept for many younger children to grasp, I like to give them an analogy they can understand. My favorite is from writer Mark Hart. He says, “Have you ever tried to put a wrinkled dollar bill into a soda machine? You try your best to straighten it out, but the machine simply can’t receive it in its wrinkled, tattered state. But if you put in a crisp, new bill, the machine takes it no problem. Purgatory is where all the ‘wrinkles’ are purged and ‘ironed out.’ Remember, the wrinkled dollar is not worth less than the new one, it just needs some help. Put simply, pur- By Fr. Andy Davy, MIC F elix C arroll teach your children TO PRAY FOR THE HOLY SOULS I suggest taking older kids to the cemetery. It will help them to visualize, ‘I’m here at the cemetery, Grandma is buried here, and I’m praying for her as I put flowers here. I’m doing something for Grandma.’ — Fr. Andy Davy, MIC