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Mass Offering
By peace | October 28, 2007
My mother often asks me to order mass offering for the souls — mainly my grandparents, great grandparents and uncle. This year she had made more than three mass offerings for the souls. A few was during the death anniversaries of the dead person and now it was made again for All Souls’ Day.
My mother has a few sisters. She has many siblings. Not all the siblings are closed and not all are Catholic now. My mother is the eldest of all. Her elder brother died many years ago, when they were young. So I had no chance to see my uncle at all. I only get to see his photographs at the cemetery, his grave. His grave was used to be at St Joseph Church, with my grandmother. My grandmother also died very young, of cancer, in her 30s, when my mum was still a child. My grandfather remarried after that. My grandmother and my uncle was buried at St Joseph Church. But one year or many months back, their peace was disrupted. They had to be dug out of their graves and be placed in urns, I have not seen them yet.
My second aunt, my mother’s second younger sister, is a good person. She is very hardworking, selling sugar-cane drinks. I think among the brothers and sisters, she is the one who is closer to my mother. Whenever my mother asked me to make mass offering for her, her name would be mentioned. Yesterday, my mother again asked me to make a mass offering for both of them. Each of them contributed S$10 and I contribute S$10 too.
Previously I did not make any contribution at all. I used to contribute too, but ever since I had stopped working, I stopped. But this time, I just follow my heart. There was one day where I dreamt of a dog, a very weird looking white and black dog. It seems like my dog, walking in front of me and I was elated. I was overjoyed to see my dog. That was how I thought and react in the dream. So I thought it must be my dog — either Cebest or Baby. I had not seen Baby for a long time, perhaps he was dead now and he came to look for me. But my dream was soon vanished when Richard called me that day. It was such a pity. How I wish the dream could be continued.
I used to pray to the dead, my great grandfather especially. My dream was ever fulfilled. I used to dream of the dead too, my grandparents and great grandparents. My mother said it is better to make a mass offering of the souls for them. Do the dead really need prayers and offering mass to them is it a waste of money? Read about Prayers for the dead and more information about All Souls Day and All Saints Day below:
- Souls In Purgatory
- Purgatory
- Days Of The Dead
- Feast of All Saints Facts
- ALL SAINTS’ DAY
- All About The Feast of All Souls
- All Souls Day
Those in Purgatory are not alone in their suffering. They are members of the Body of Christ and are assisted by all the other members. When one part of the human body is in pain or distress, all the other parts assist it. The same is true of the members of Christ’s Body. The saints in Heaven assist those in Purgatory by their prayers. Those on earth assist them by their prayers and sufferings. The Church from earliest times has offered up the Mass for the repose of those in Purgatory and encouraged Catholics to pray and make sacrifices for them. Inscriptions on the graves of the early Christians, and the prayers of the Church in her liturgy, testify to the constant belief that the living can help the “faithful departed”.
Topics: Faith, View All Post |
November 22nd, 2007 at 8:26 am
[...] The Second Vatican Council reaffirmed the belief of the early church that Christians ought to pray for those who are experiencing God’s purification after death: “Very much aware of the bonds linking the whole mystical body of Jesus Christ, the pilgrim church from the very first ages of the Christian religion has cultivated with great piety the memory of the dead. [...]
March 10th, 2008 at 9:56 am
The earliest popularization of offering mass for the dead was during the time of Pope Gregory who offered Mass 30 consecutive days uninterupted for the dead monks, and He testify that monks will actually come back to thank him after the end of the 30 days Mass because they will now go to heaven thanks for the Mass he offered for them.
Mother Mary in one of my readings I’ve read said the Souls in purgatory are allowed to manifest in their relatives and friends to solicit prayers, (ex. they comes in dreams) because the thirst of the Souls to be with God is just too intence, their’s no comparison like that thirst here on earth. Mother Mary said in Medjugorje that 7 Our Father, 7 Hail Mary and 7 Glory Be and 1 Apostles Creed is enough to help them relieved the thirst of the Soul in Purgatory.
Mass offering is more powerful than our own prayer. And offering even one Mass for our own while we are still living is far better than is offered when we are already dead, “1 lite Candle gives light better than 10 candles lit behind you”.
The everyday Rosary being said and dedicated to Souls also will benefits them in Purgatory, its like a tidal wave of prayers that push the Souls closer and closer to the door way to Heaven.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:01 am
[...] phone ring and how much I want to write about what I feel, I sensed and I seem to comprehend. The mass offering which I had made, for my mother, the name of the dead person, my uncle, someone I never seen [...]
May 20th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
[...] garden to himself! And Yang Yang is my favourite dog, love at first sight, the first time I sent mass offering at Father Cyril’s office. Yang Yang (the black and white dog) sleep on the floor in Father [...]
June 11th, 2008 at 2:18 am
[...] it was Cebest’s 2nd death anniversary — my best friend, my loyal friend. Made Mass Offering on 5th June 2008, as well as Saturday 7th June [...]