Of all those with whom we have been connected
by some tie of friendship or affection, of
companionship, or common occupation, or business,
how many there must be who are now in Purgatory!
Most of them have some sort of claim on us.
Some have been entrusted to our care; others have
been influenced by our example; others have
claims on our gratitude; others have in some way
helped us on our way to Heaven. To all these we
should seek to hold out a hand during their time
of suffering.
There is one class in Purgatory whom we are
bound to help. In the course of our lives we have
done much harm and little good. The harm we
have done has had an evil influence on others;
perhaps we have led them into sin by our bad
example. We might have done so much by the
holiness of our lives to make them love God, and
we have done so little! Will there not be many
whose time in Purgatory will be much longer than
it would have been if I had only lived up to a
higher standard?
There are also many in Purgatory who have
commended themselves to our prayers or been
commended to us after their death; we have
promised to pray for them, yet we have done little or
nothing for them. How unkind they must think
us to have forgotten them! In our thoughtlessness
we have lost an opportunity of charity that would
have won for us their grateful thanks for all eternity.
Examine yourself as to whether you owe help to
any in Purgatory by reason of either (1) your
bad example, (2) your neglect of duty to them
when alive, (3) your neglect of your promise to
help them after death.