For souls uncertain of the duration of their purification

From the Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Sacred Scripture: Isaiah 43:2

Meditation for Day 5

The holy souls in Purgatory do not know when their purification will end — a particular suffering for those who long with every fiber of their being to be united with God. Yet God speaks through the prophet: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned (Is 43:2). The souls are sustained by certainty of God's love even while the moment of release remains hidden from them. Our prayers can hasten that moment; each Our Father and Hail Mary we offer is an act of charity that helps shorten their time of longing.

Daily Novena Prayer (recited every day)

Closing Prayer

O God, the author of mercy, the lover of the salvation of mankind; we address thy clemency, in behalf of our brethren, relations, and benefactors, who are departed this life, that by the intercession of blessed Mary, ever virgin, and of all the saints, thou wouldst receive them into the enjoyment of eternal happiness; through Christ our Lord. Amen.