mercifully with you, as you have dealt with the dead. [1] These different sentences express, in their strongest sense, Charity towards the departed.
All that we offer to God in Charity to the dead, says St. Ambrose in his book of Offices, is changed into merit for ourselves, and we shall find it after our death increased a hundredfold — Omne quod defunctis impenditur, in nostrum tandem meritum commutator, et illud post mortem centuplum recipimus duplicatum. We can say that the spirit of the Church, the sentiments of the doctors and the saints, are expressed in these words: What you do for the dead, you do in a most excellent manner for yourself. The reason of this is, that this work of mercy will be returned to you increased a hundred-fold, in the day when you yourself shall be in distress. We may here apply the celebrated words of St. John of God when he asked the inhabitants of Granada to give him an alms for the love of themselves. To provide for the needs of the sick whom he took into his hospital, the charitable saint traversed the streets of Granada, crying, " Give alms, my brethren, give alms for the love of yourselves." People were astonished at this new form of expression, because they had always been accustomed to hear: alms for the love of God. " Why," said they to the saint, "do you ask us to give alms for the love of ourselves? " " Because," replied he, " it is the great means of redeeming your sins, according to the words of the Prophet: Redeem thou thy sins with alms, and thy iniquities with works of mercy to the poor." [2] In giving alms, you labour in your own interest, since you thereby diminish the terrible chastisements which your sins have merited. Must we not conclude that all this is true of alms bestowed upon the souls in Purgatory? To assist them is to preserve ourselves from those terrible expiations which we shall not otherwise escape. We may, therefore, cry with St. John of God, Give them the alms of your suffrages: assist them for the
