An interesting book authored by a Salesian Italian priest, Fr. Adolf Faroni, SDB; titled MARY, Mother of Mercy and the Souls of Purgatory extensively discusses a very controversial topic, the existence of Purgatory.
Purgatory as the name implies is a place of expiation and suffering. Although it is not mentioned in the Bible, this book chronicles the true to life experiences of Maria Simma, the Austrian visionary who since 1940 was tasked to help those souls from Purgatory who continuously come to ask for her help.
As recounted by Maria Simma in Fr. Faroni's book "These souls appear in diverse forms. Some appear in their human shape as clearly visible as their mortal life dressed as in ordinary days while others are dressed in a fading way.
The suffering souls who are enwrapped by the terrible fire of purgatory produce a dreadful impression. The more they are purified by their sufferings, the more they become luminous and affable. Often, they tell how they had sinned and how they managed to escape hell, thanks to the Divine Mercy."
These suffering souls came to Maria Simma to ask her to physically accept their sufferings for them and by accepting their sufferings voluntarily reduces the amount of time that soul was supposed to suffer for itself.
According to Maria Simma, "Purgatory is found in several places. The souls never come out of purgatory but they come with purgatory in themselves."
Maria saw purgatory in several ways. There is an immense crowd of people in purgatory, it is a continuous coming and going. Those who sinned against faith carried a dark flame in their hearts. Others who sinned against purity had a red flame.
She also saw souls in groups: priests, religious; Catholics, Protestants, pagans. The souls of Catholics suffer more than those of Protestants. Pagans instead have a purgatory still less painful, but they receive less help and their punishment is longer. The Catholics receive more help and are freed faster. She also saw many religious condemned to purgatory for their tepidity of faith and their lack of charity.
It was also revealed to Maria how every soul is punished according to the nature of his faults and the degree of attachment to the sin committed. The intensity of suffering is not the same for every soul.
Some have to suffer as one suffers on earth when one lives a hard life, and have to wait to see God. A day of strict purgatory is more painful than ten days of light purgatory. The duration of suffering varies greatly.
There are also souls who have to suffer terribly till the time of universal judgment. Some others have only half an hour of suffering to undergo, or even less, they do nothing else than crossing purgatory as if in a flight.
The souls of purgatory suffer with admirable patience, and praise the Divine Mercy for having escaped hell. They know that they have deserved to suffer, deplore their faults and, undergo the process of purification. They beseech Mary, Mother of Mercy.
Maria Simma also saw many souls waiting for help from the Mother of God. For the souls of purgatory, Mary is the Mother of Mercy. When her name is heard in Purgatory; souls experience a great joy.
A soul said that Mary at Her death, had asked Jesus to free all the souls who were in Purgatory on the day of Assumption and Jesus accepted the prayer of His Mother. On Assumption Day these souls accompanied Mary into Heaven because She had been crowned Mother of Mercy and Mother of Divine Grace.
In Purgatory, Mary distributes graces according to Divine Will. She often passes through Purgatory and this is what Maria Simma observed.
The important message that this informative book imparts confirm the existence of a place called Purgatory as a place of expiation and suffering for those souls who escaped hell, the place of eternal damnation.
If you are able to acquire this very interesting book, try to read it as it could be of great help to our dearly departed who may still be in Purgatory needing our sacrifices and awaiting for our valuable prayers.
