Chapter 19: The reward of praying for the dead— And the punishment of disobedience and detractions

ON one occasion, while Mass was celebrating for a poor woman who had died lately, St. Gertrude recited five Pater nosters, in honour of our Lord's Five Wounds for the repose of her soul ; and, moved by Divine inspiration, she offered all her good works for the increase of the beatitude of this person. When she had made this offering, she immediately beheld the soul in heaven, in the place destined for her ; and the throne prepared for her was elevated as far above the place where she had been, as the highest throne of the seraphim is above that of the lowest angel. The Saint then asked our Lord how this soul had been worthy to obtain such advantage from her prayers, and He replied : " She has merited this grace in three ways: first, because she always had a sincere will and perfect desire of serving Me in religion, if it had been possible ; secondly, because she especially loved all religious and all good people ; thirdly, because she was always ready to honour Me by performing any service she could for them." He added : You may judge, by the sublime rank to which she is elevated, how agreeable these practices are to Me."

A certain religious died who had always been accus tomed to pray very fervently for the souls of the faithful departed ; but she had failed in the perfection of obedience, preferring her own will to that of her superior in her fasts and vigils. After her decease she appeared adorned with rich ornaments, but so weighed down by a heavy burden, which she was obliged to carry, that she could not approach to God, though many persons were endeavouring to lead Let to Him.

As Gertrude marvelled at this vision, she was taught that the persons who endeavoured to conduct the soul to God were those whom she had released by her prayers ; but this heavy burden indicated the faults she had committed against obedience. Then our Lord said : " Behold how those grateful souls endeavour to free her from the require ments of My justice, and show these ornaments; never theless, she must suffer for her faults of disobedience and self-will." The Saint replied: "But, Lord, did she not repent when admonished of these faults before her death ? did she not perform penance for them ? and does not Scripture say, ' when man confesses, God pardons ? '" * Our Lord answered : " If she had not acted thus, the burden of her faults would have been so heavy, that she could scarcely ever have come to Me."

Then the Saint beheld her ornament, which appeared like a vessel of boiling water containing a hard stone, which must be completetly dissolved therein before she could obtain relief from this torment ; but in these sufferings she was much consoled and assisted by these souls, and by the prayers of the faithful. After this our Lord showed St. Gertrude the path by which the souls ascend to heaven. It resembled a straight plank, a little inclined; so that those who ascended did so with difficulty. They were assisted and supported by hands on either side, which indicated the prayers offered for them. Those who were assisted by the angels had a great advantage, as they repelled the dragons who flew round it, endeavouring to prevent their prayers. The religious who hare lived under obedience were assisted by a kind of railing, placed at each side of this plank, iso that they were both supported and protected from falling.

" Cum homo agnoscit, Deus ignoscit.'

8UFFEKINGS OF A RELIGIOUS FOE DETRACTIONS. 541

In some places these railings were removed, as a punishment to those superiors who had failed to govern their subjects by the rules of obedience. But all the souls who had been truly obedient were assisted and supported by the angels, who removed every impediment from their path.

A religious, who had listened to murmurs and de tractions, appeared to the Saint also under a human form, and was punished by having her ears closed with a hard substance, which she could only remove with great diffi culty and by slow degrees ; her mouth also was covered with a kind of bridle, for having uttered some detractions, so that she could not taste the Divine sweetness. It was revealed to St. Gertrude that this person had sinned through inadvertence and ignorance, and had repented for her fault ; but that those who persisted habitually in this sin would be punished far more severely, and their suffer ings would be so intense and horrible as to make them objects of aversion to the citizens of heaven.

" Alas, Lord ! " exclaimed the Saint with tears ; " for merly Thou didst show me the merit of the saints, and now I only see the punishments of these souls." He replied : " Men were then more easily won by gifts of grace ; now they must be terrified by threats and judgments."

We will now relate how the Divine mercy prepared Gertrude for her last eud.