WHY IT IS BETTER TO HAVE CHARITY FOR THE HOLY SOULS THAN FOR SINNERS

On occasion I have been questioned by others as to the time and energy I give to the holy souls. I have been asked would it not be better to pray more for those who are alive, because they are in real danger of perdition while the holy souls are assured of their salvation except that for a while they are passing through fire on their way to Heaven. 

Many ages ago, two Dominican priests, Brother Benedict and Brother Bertrand hashed out this exact question, who deserves prayers and sacrifice the most: the living or the dead?

Brother Bertrand prioritized his prayers and offered Masses for the conversion of sinners. He inflicted harsh punishments on himself by way of penance for sinners in danger of Hell. But he did not often remember the dead in his prayers. His peer, Brother Benedict devoted himself so much to the holy souls that he asked Bertrand to explain why he was so negligent to the suffering souls. 

Bertrand gave an eloquent defense:  "Because the souls in Purgatory are sure of their salvation while sinners are continually exposed to the danger of falling into Hell. What more deplorable condition than that of a soul in a state of mortal sin? She is in enmity with God, and bound in the chains of the devil, suspended over the abyss of hell by the frail thread of life, that may be broken at any moment. The sinner walks in the way of perdition; if he continues to advance, he will fall into the eternal abyss. We must therefore, come to his assistance, and preserve him from this, the greater of misfortunes, by laboring for his conversion." 

Then Bertrand reminded Benedict of Jesus's Passion, "Moreover, was it not to save sinners that the Son of God came upon earth and died upon a cross? St Denis also assures us that the most divine of all divine things is to work with God for the salvation of souls. As regards the souls in Purgatory, they are safe, their eternal salvation is secure. They suffer, they are a prey to great torments, but they have nothing to fear from Hell, and their sufferings will have an end. The debts they have contracted diminish each day, and they will soon enjoy eternal light; whilst sinners are continually menaced with damnation, the most terrible misfortune that can befall one of God's creatures."

Benedict ably corroborated Bertrand, but he also pointed out that sinners who are alive have the means of breaking free from the shackles of sin, but the poor souls are helpless, "All that you have said is true, but there is another consideration to be made. Sinners are salves of Satan, of their own free will. Their joke is of their own choosing, they could break their chains if they pleases, whereas the poor souls in Purgatory can but sigh and implode the assistance of the living.  It is impossible for them to break the fetters which hold them captive in those penal flames. Suppose you met two beggars, the one sick, maimed, and helpless, absolutely incapable of earning his livelihood, the other on the contrary, although in great distress, young and vigorous, which of the two would deserve the greater share of your alms?"

Logic forced Bertrand to answer, "Assuredly the one who was unable to work." 

Benedict affectionately finished his apologia for the holy souls, "Well, my dear Father, this is just the case with regard to the sinners and the holy souls. They can no longer help themselves. The time of prayer, confession and god words is past for them; we alone are able to relieve them. it is true they have deserved these sufferings in punishment for their sins, but they now bewail and detest those sins. They are in the grace and friendship of God, whereas sinners are His enemies. Certainly we must pray for their conversion, but without prejudice to that which we owe to the suffering souls, so dear to the heart of Jesus. Let us compassionate sinners, but let us not forget that they have all the means of salvation at their disposal; they must break the bonds of sin and fly the danger of damnation which threatens them. Does it not appear evident that the suffering souls are in greater need and merit a larger share in our charity?"

While Benedict clearly won the argument, Bertrand remained stubbornly fixed in his ways and he gave little to the holy souls. Then one night Bertrand had a mystical apparition of a soul in Purgatory and she gave him a taste of her pain. The agony he experienced was so intense that he found it almost impossible to withstand, but it instilled in him a determination to do more for the holy souls. The morning after the vision, Bertrand hurried to the altar and offered Holy Mass for the dead. 

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The dialogue between Bertrand and Benedict and an account of the apparition of the holy soul to Bertrand was logged in Chronicles of the Friars Preachers, the records of the Dominicans or Order of Preachers, and the same dialogue was included in Schouppe's Purgatory. As of now, I have not been able to find an online version of Chronicles of the Friars Preachers, the source for the post above, and Schouppe's source, too.