This special feast in remembrance of the Holy Souls dovetails perfectly following the Feast of All Saints. We know that one day the souls in purgatory will join their brethren to enjoy the Beatific Vision of our Eternal Lord in perpatual adoration and praise. We should never forget these beloved souls of our Lord.
The painting above is a reduced workshop version of a large altarpiece painted by Rubens about 1630 to 1633 for the Church of the Discalced Carmelites in Antwerp. The inscription on an engraving by Schelte a Bolswert after Rubens's altarpiece relates the scene to the story of Bernardino de Mendoza, a young Spaniard who had given Saint Teresa land on which to build a convent. Bernardino died before it could be built, and Christ appeared to Saint Teresa informing her that his soul could not be released from Purgatory until the convent was completed. Bernardino appears in Purgatory at the left of the painting. (See http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/110001995)
St. Teresa of Avila had a vision of Purgatory once when she was praying her Rosary. She saw that at each Hail Mary those souls received a spray of cool water that relieved them in their burning torments. The holy Rosary is particularly effective as an appeal for them. Our prayers, then, sustain the Poor Souls as they make their way through Purgatory. We should never forget them and pay attention when the Holy Spirit prompts us to pray for someone who has died - even someone we do not know directly or personally. There are many souls in purgatory who have noone to pray for them.
May we keep this in mind and dedicate ourselves more fervantly to prayers for them and they will pray for us. Amen.
