The Consolations of Purgatory

T HERE is nothing in this world more common than affliction, and nothing is more vain and frivolous than the consolations which are most frequently offered to dry the tears of those in sorrow. There is no true or solid consolation except in religion, especially when the sorrow is caused by the loss of some dearly loved friend. How many mourners have declared that they could be reconciled to the separation if only they knew that their dead friends were happy, if someone would unveil for them the mysteries of the world beyond the grave! Only religion with its Gospel and its revelations, the religion of Christ with its great dogmas of Purgatory and the Communion of Saints, can give them the enlightenment they desire. It tells us that if our dead friends are in heaven, they are in possession of a happiness which nothing on earth can equal, and that if they are still in purgatory, we, by our prayers and good works, can make satisfaction for them, relieve their sufferings, and shorten the time of their detention. This little work is intended to comfort those who are in sorrow by showing them what consolation is to be found in devotion to the holy souls; and for that purpose it presents the doctrine of the Church according to the writings of her holy Fathers and Doctors and the revelations of the Saints