All Souls' Day/30 Days of Thankfulness

Today is All Souls' Day and also the second day of the 30 days of thankfulness for this month.  Once again I'm combining these two things.  I am thankful for the opportunity to go to Mass daily, though I don't always take it or don't always pray the Mass as I should.  I am thankful for the reminder that death does not sever the ties with the entire Body of Christ.  There is always hope, and we remain connected with each other.  I am also thankful for Purgatory.  That final cleansing, that final application of Jesus' sacrifice, is really a wonderful, merciful gift from God.  What love to give us that final cleansing so we can stand before Him in our wedding garments, without any attachment to sin (wish I could say I have no attachment to sin now, but that's definitely not true).

I also like to pray the St Gertrude prayer on this day (and whenever I remember to do so).  I only just learnt that St Gertrude was a Benedictine (Benedictines rock!); she was promised that 1,000 souls would be released from Purgatory with this prayer.  I know we're not required to believe private revelation, but it is a beautiful thing to contemplate and the prayer itself is a wonderful way of remembering the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.