Fatima : Living the Message

During the night of 12-13 October it had rained throughout, soaking the ground and the pilgrims who make their way to Fátima from all directions by the thousands. By foot, by cart and even by car they came, entering the bowl of the Cova from the Fátima-Leiria road, which today still passes in front of the large square of the Basilica. From there they made their way down the gently slope to the place where a trestle had been erected over the little holm oak of the apparitions. Today on the site is the modern glass and steel Capelhina (little chapel), enclosing the first chapel built there and the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima where the holm oak had stood.

As for the children, they made their way to the Cova amid the adulation and skepticism which had followed them since May. When they arrived they found critics who questioned their veracity and the punctuality of the Lady, who had promised to arrive at noon. It was well passed noon by the official time of the country. However, when the sun arrived at its zenith the Lady appeared as she had said she would.

"What do you want of me?"
I want a chapel built here in my honor. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. The war will end soon, and the soldiers will return to their homes.

"Yes. Yes."

"Will you tell me your name?"

I am the Lady of the Rosary.

"I have many petitions from many people. Will you grant them? "

Some I shall grant, and others I must deny. People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord any more, for He is already too much offended!

"And is that all you have to ask?"

There is nothing more.

As the Lady of the Rosary rises toward the east she turns the palms of her hands toward the dark sky. While the rain had stopped, dark clouds continued to obscure the sun, which suddenly bursts through them and is seen to be a soft spinning disk of silver.

"Look at the sun!"

From this point two distinct apparitions were seen, that of the phenomenon of the sun seen by the 70,000 or so spectators and that beheld by the children alone. Lucia describes the latter in her memoirs.

After our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus seemed to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our lady; it seemed to me to that it was Our Lady of Sorrows (Dolors). Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Carmel. [Only Lucia would see the later, presaging her entrance into Carmel some years later.]

This would be the last of the apparitions of Fátima for Jacinta and Francisco. However, for Lucia Our Lady would return a seventh time, in 1920, as she had promised the previous May. At that time Lucia would be praying in the Cova before leaving Fátima for a girls boarding school. The Lady would come to urge her to dedicate herself wholly to God.

An Eyewitness Account by Dr. José Maria de Almeida Garrett, professor at the Faculty of Sciences of Coimbra, Portugal

"It must have been 1:30 p.m when there arose, at the exact spot where the children were, a column of smoke, thin, fine and bluish, which extended up to perhaps two meters above their heads, and evaporated at that height. This phenomenon, perfectly visible to the naked eye, lasted for a few seconds. Not having noted how long it had lasted, I cannot say whether it was more or less than a minute. The smoke dissipated abruptly, and after some time, it came back to occur a second time, then a third time
"The sky, which had been overcast all day, suddenly cleared; the rain stopped and it looked as if the sun were about to fill with light the countryside that the wintery morning had made so gloomy. I was looking at the spot of the apparitions in a serene, if cold, expectation of something happening and with diminishing curiosity because a long time had passed without anything to excite my attention. The sun, a few moments before, had broken through the thick layer of clouds which hid it and now shone clearly and intensely.

 "Suddenly I heard the uproar of thousands of voices, and I saw the whole multitude spread out in that vast space at my feet...turn their backs to that spot where, until then, all their expectations had been focused, and look at the sun on the other side. I turned around, too, toward the point commanding their gaze and I could see the sun, like a very clear disc, with its sharp edge, which gleamed without hurting the sight. It could not be confused with the sun seen through a fog (there was no fog at that moment), for it was neither veiled nor dim. At Fatima, it kept its light and heat, and stood out clearly in the sky, with a sharp edge, like a large gaming table. The most astonishing thing was to be able to stare at the solar disc for a long time, brilliant with light and heat, without hurting the eyes or damaging the retina. [During this time], the sun's disc did not remain immobile, it had a giddy motion, [but] not like the twinkling of a star in all its brilliance for it spun round upon itself in a mad whirl.

"During the solar phenomenon, which I have just described, there were also changes of color in the atmosphere. Looking at the sun, I noticed that everything was becoming darkened. I looked first at the nearest objects and then extended my glance further afield as far as the horizon. I saw everything had assumed an amethyst color. Objects around me, the sky and the atmosphere, were of the same color. Everything both near and far had changed, taking on the color of old yellow damask. People looked as if they were suffering from jaundice and I recall a sensation of amusement at seeing them look so ugly and unattractive. My own hand was the same color.

"Then, suddenly, one heard a clamor, a cry of anguish breaking from all the people. The sun, whirling wildly, seemed all at once to loosen itself from the firmament and, blood red, advance threateningly upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge and fiery weight. The sensation during those moments was truly terrible.

"All the phenomena which I have described were observed by me in a calm and serene state of mind without any emotional disturbance. It is for others to interpret and explain them. Finally, I must declare that never, before or after October 13 [1917], have I observed similar atmospheric or solar phenomena."

Fatima Prayers

Decade Prayer (After each decade of the Rosary)

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Pardon Prayer
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I implore Your pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You. Amen.

Angel's Prayer
Most Holy Trinity - Father, Son, Holy Spirit - I adore You profoundly and offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the earth, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He Himself is offended. And by the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and those of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer
Most Holy Trinity, I adore you! My God, my God, I love you in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Sacrifice Prayer
O my Jesus, it is for love of you and in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and for the conversion of poor sinners.

Penance Prayer
O My Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
[Said when offering up personal sacrifices, sufferings and penance.]

CONGREGATION 
FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH   

THE MESSAGE 
OF FATIMA 

THE TRUE STORY OF FATIMA Father John de Marchi, I.M.C,

Heaven's Weapons : First Five Saturdays

Read this doc on Scribd: The Message of Our Lady of Fatima

The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist

Our Catholic Faith teaches that in the Eucharist Our Lord Jesus Christ is truly and substantially present under the species of bread and wine. The presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is "real' not in the sense of excluding all other types of presence as if they were 'not real' but because it is a presence in the fullest sense: a substantial presence whereby Christ, the Man-God, is wholly and entirely present... the consecration of the bread and wine effects the change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord, and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. And the Holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called this change transubstantiation" (Ecclesia de Eucharista n. 15)

"The Eucharist is a mystery of presence, the perfect fulfillment of Jesus' promise to remain with us until the end of the world (Mayne nobiscum Domine, n.16)"

Reflection The Lord is present in many diverse ways. At Mass, he is present when his Word is proclaimed, he is present in the congregation that gathers to celebrate the Mass, he is present in the person of the priest who represents him during the celebration, but above all, Christ is present in the Eucharist, when after the words of the consecration, the bread and wine become His very Body and Blood: "Take this, all of you and eat it. This is my Body... This is the cup of my Blood." How much do we appreciate the fact at Mass, Jesus is truly and really present to us, by the way we comport ourselves and participate at Mass? People run to shrines or alleged apparition sites to experience the presence of the divine, forgetting that at Mass, we have Jesus with us in a most intimate and real way. Do we really show respect and reverence to Christ's presence at Mass? It is because Christ is truly present whenever we celebrate Mass that the Mass is the most precious treasure that we, as a Church possess. What can be more important than Jesus whenever we celebrate the Mass? Our cell phones? Our cars? Our comfort? Do we really believe in the Lord's real presence at Mass that we make an effort to be in Church in time to dispose ourselves properly for mass to encounter Him? 

  Prayer 

Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of yourself in the Eucharist. Increase my love and devotion to your abiding Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Come Lord Jesus, be the center of my life... now and forever. Amen

Divine Mercy Sunday

St. Faustina Kowalska was a Polish nun who died on October 5,1938 at only 33 years of age. She had lived a very simple life proclaiming an extremely simple message: the Heart of Jesus is overflowing with divine mercy towards sinners and wants all to come to him with trust-filled love. This invitation is powerfully expressed in the classic painting of the Risen Christ, which an artist executed under the guidance of Sr. Faustina herself who, on February 22, 1931 had seen Him with red and pale rays of light emanating from His chest.Those rays of light recalled the blood and water that flowed down from the pierced heart of Christ on the cross and symbolized the inexhaustible richness of his merciful love made present and available to all through the Sacraments.

Jesus himself had instructed Sr. Faustina to have the sentence "JESUS I TRUST IN YOU" written at the bottom of that painting. this sentence expresses the response of humble faith on the part of the sinner to the endless mercy with which God views mankind and constantly brings about the salvation of the world.

This is the mercy that brought God's son to become a human being and to give his life on the cross for all sinners. This is also the same mercy that led the Risen Christ to go in search of His disciples the very day He rose from death, to reassure them of His forgiving love. No revenge for having been deserted by them right when he needed their allegiance most, but only the gifts of His peace and comforting presence. No bitterness against the doubting Thomas who persisted in rejecting the witness of his companions, but only patient understanding for his weakness and a tender desire to arouse in him faith in the Resurrection.

"My Lord and my God!" exclaimed the bewildered apostle as he felt himself inundated by the love of the Man-God who had only words of mercy and forgiveness for him.

"Jesus, remember me when you enter into your reign!" had been the earnest plea of the man being executed with Him on calvary as he viewed his life as a total failure and Jesus' mercy as his only hope. And he was not disappointed.

"Jesus have mercy on me, I trust in You!" is the expression of complete self surrender which all of us should address to our Savior as we realize our unworthiness and our need to be forgiven. What can save us from the devastating consequences of our sins is only God's merciful love.

And this is what we implore, in all humility and confidence, not only on the Second Sunday of Easter, but throughout our lives, until our last moments. Like the repentant thief dying on a cross, side by side with the Innocent Victim, we place all out trust in Jesus, the King of Divine Mercy.
The Divine Mercy Novena

Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom He said:
"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."
In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:
"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls."

How to Recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five decades. The Chaplet is preceded by two opening prayers from the Diary of Saint Faustina and followed by a closing prayer.

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The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Meditation, Readings and Prayers for Lent

The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Anne Catherine Emmerich

This is an account of the events leading up to the Crucifixion of Christ by a 19th century German stigmatic and visionary, Anne Catherine Emmerich. This once-obscure book recently achieved a much higher profile because it was used as an inspiration for the screenplay of Mel Gibson's controversial movie, The Passion of the Christ. A riveting 'you are there' account of this pivotal event, the story is told with great attention to small details, many not mentioned in the Gospels. This is not a novelization; it is a recounting of Emmerich's ecstatic visions, which were accompanied by painful and mysterious physical torments. Emmerich was practically illiterate and this book was dictated by her, which makes the fact that the narrative is so internally coherent all the more compelling.

Some readers will note passages which by contemporary standards might be considered anti-Semitic, particularly in the way that the Jewish population is presented as having collective responsibility for the death of Christ. Of course, without apologizing for this in the slightest, it is to be noted that religious and secular institutions of the time sanctioned anti-Semitism in one form or another, so this view was not atypical. On the whole, however, the account considers each of the numerous actors in the drama, Christian, Jewish, or Roman, as individuals with particular motivations, strengths and weaknesses.

Emmerich was beatified on Sunday, October 3rd, 2004 by Pope John Paul II, the final step before sainthood. Her feast day is the anniversary of her death on February 9th, 1824.

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The Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory 

 The Way of the Cross represents the sorrow­ful journey that Jesus Christ made with the cross to die on Calvary. The church teaches that the Souls in Purgatory undergo a process of purification that must include suffering. By praying and making sacrifices for the Holy Souls, you have the marvelous power and privilege to relieve their pain. In return, their gratitude will bring you countless blessings. May a stream of mercy flow from you to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

 

Mother Agreda: An Account of the Way of the Cross 

 The sentence of Pilate against our Savior having been published in a loud voice before all the people, the executioners loaded the heavy Cross, on which He was to be crucified, upon his tender and wounded shoulders. In order that He might carry it they loosened the bonds holding his hands, but not the others, since they wish to drag Him along by the loose ends of the ropes bound his body. In order to torment Him the more they drew two loops around his throat. The Cross was fifteen feet long, of thick and heavy timbers. The herald began to proclaim the sentence and the whole confused and turbulent multitude of the people, the executioners and soldiers, with great noise, uproar and disorder began to move from the house of Pilate to mount Calvary through the streets of Jerusalem. The Master and Redeemer of the world, Jesus, before receiving the Cross looked upon it with a countenance full of extreme joy and exultation such as would be shown by a bridegroom looking at the rich adornments of his bride, and on receiving it, He addressed it as follows...

 

The Crucifixion of Jesus according to the revelations of Maria Valtorta

Two executioners sit him on the chest to have it still. A third party will take the right arm holding it with one hand in the first part of the forearm and the other where the fingers end. The fourth, which is already in hand the long pointy nail ... supports the point of the nail on the wrist, up the hammer and tee off ... The breaking nail penetrates muscles, veins, nerves and bones dislocating them.

The right hand is stuck. Passed to the left. The hole does not correspond to the carpus. Then catch a rope, tied her left wrist and pull to dislocate the joint and tendons and muscles abused ... nailing where they can, that is, between the thumb and fingers, right in the center of the metacarpal. Here comes more easily spot but more spasm, because important nerves must be cut, so that the fingers are inert, while others on the right have contractions and tremors that confirm its vitality.

Now is the turn of the feet. Six feet from the end of the cross, is a small wedge, barely enough for a foot. About this is taken to check the feet as well. And know that's a little lower and get bad feet, ankles stretched by poor martyr. The rough wood of the cross rubbed both wounds, remove the crown, moving abusing and threatening new hair and the hips.

Those sitting on the chest of Jesus stand up to scroll knees ... And tread on his knees skinned, poor and crowded in warm bruised, while the other two make the operation more difficult, the nailing of one foot over the other, trying to combine the two joints of the tarsi at a time ... subjected foot moves by the vibration of the nail, and it should almost desclavar because, having entered the soft, cloves and blunted by having pierced the right foot should be brought closer to the center a little. And knock, knock, knock ...

Now the cross is dragged to the hole, shaking the poor Crucified bounces on the uneven ground. The cross is raised twice escaping to the rise and falls once a blowout, one in the right arm of the same, giving a rough torment Jesus because the sudden jolt injured joints removed. But then when the cross is dropped in his hole, before being secured with rocks and dirt, flies in all directions, the poor printing continuous displacements of Jesus Body suspended by three nails. The suffering must be atrocious.

The whole body moves forward and down, and the holes are elongated, especially the left hand, and enlarged the hole in the foot while blood pours harder. And if it drips foot lot, the fingers on the ground and runs down the wood of the cross, it follows by the hands forearms because they are higher than the wrist and armpit, by force of the position, ribs also watered down the armpit to the waist. The crown, when the waves cross before being posted, because the head moves back jerks from behind the neck pressing on the bulk knot of thorns crown ends in stabbing and then getting back gently on the forehead and spider, spider, without mercy.

Finally the cross is assured and there is only the torment of being hanged. Izan thieves also, which, once set vertically, screaming as if they were skinned alive for the torture of the ropes that cut wrists and hands do get black, with swollen veins like ropes. Jesus is silent. The crowd is not silent, but it resumes its infernal din.

Since the top of Golgotha has his trophy and his honor guard. In the higher limit (side) the cross of Jesus. Next B and C the other two. Half a century of soldiers with guns to walk all around the top, within the armed siege of ten felled to play dice convicted dresses. Straight up, between the cross of Jesus and that of the right, Longinus. And they seem mountains honor guard Martyr King. The other half century, rest, is under the command of Longinus assistant in the path to the left and the lower square, waiting to be used in case of need. Among the soldiers there is almost total indifference. Only a face lift to the crucified once in a while.

Maria Valtorta - Poem of the Man-God

Wikipedia Biography

The War In Heaven

The angels were created in the empyrean heavens and in the state of grace by which they might be first to merit the reward of glory. For although they were in the midst of glory, the Divinity itself was not to be made manifest to them face to face and unveiled, until they should have merited such a favor by obeying the divine will.

The holy angels, as well as the bad ones, remained only a very short time in the state of probation; for their creation and probation with its result were three distinct instants or moments, separated by short intermissions. In the first instant they were all created and endowed with graces and gifts, coming into existence as most beautiful and perfect creatures. Then followed a short pause, during which the will of the Creator was propounded and intimated, and the law and command was given to them, to acknowledge Him as their Maker and supreme Lord, and to fulfill the end for which they have been created. During this pause, instant or interval, Saint Michael and his angels fought that great battle with the dragon and his followers, which is described by the apostle Saint John in the twelfth chapter of the Apocalypse. The good angels, persevering in grace, merited eternal happiness and the disobedient ones, rebelling against God, merited the punishment, which they now suffer.

He did not do it with perfect charity, for he, as it were, was divided in his will between himself and the infallible truth of the Lord.

At first they received a more explicit intelligence of the being of God, one in substance, trine in person, and that they were commanded to adore and reverence Him as their Creator and highest Lord, infinite in his essence and attributes. All subjected themselves to this command and obeyed it, but with a certain difference; the good angels obeyed through love and on account of the justice of it, offering their love and good will, freely and admitting and believing what was above their intelligence, and obeying with joy. Lucifer, on the other hand, submitted himself, because the opposite seemed to him impossible. He did not do it with perfect charity, for he, as it were, was divided in his will between himself and the infallible truth of the Lord. In consequence it happened that the precept appeared to him in a measure difficult and violent, and his fulfilling of it was wanting in love and in the desire to do justice. Thus he exposed himself beforehand to the danger of not persevering. Although grace did not leave him on account of this remissness and slowness in the accomplishment of these first acts, nevertheless his bad disposition began with them; for there remained with him a certain weakness and laxity of virtue and spirit, and the perfection of his nature did not shine forth as it should. It appears to me that the effect of this remissness in Lucifer, is similar to that which is caused in the soul by a deliberate venial sin. I do not say that he sinned mortally, nor even venially at that time, since he fulfilled the precept of God; but this fulfillment was remiss and imperfect, springing more from a sense of overwhelming compulsion, than from a loving willingness to obey. Thus he put himself in danger of falling.

God gave them an intelligence of the propriety and equity, of the justice and reasonableness of such a position. For the acceptation of the merits foreseen of this Mangod was exhibited to them as the source of the grace which they now possessed and of the glory which they were to obtain.

In the second place, the angels were informed that God was to create a human nature and reasoning creatures lower than themselves, in order that they too should love, fear and reverence God, as their Author and eternal Good. They were informed that these were to stand in high favor, and that the second Person of the blessed Trinity was to become incarnate and assume their nature, raising it to the hypostatic union and to divine Personality; that therefore they were to acknowledge Him as their Head, not only as God, but as God and man, adoring Him and reverencing Him as God-man. Moreover, these same angels were to be his inferiors in dignity and grace and were to be his servants. God gave them an intelligence of the propriety and equity, of the justice and reasonableness of such a position. For the acceptation of the merits foreseen of this Mangod was exhibited to them as the source of the grace which they now possessed and of the glory which they were to obtain. They understood also that they themselves had been, and all the rest of the creatures should be created for his glory, and that He was to be their Head. All those that were capable of knowing and enjoying God, were to be the people of the Son of God, to know and reverence Him as their Chief. These commands were at once given to the angels.

So great was the blindness which envy and pride could cause in an angel, and so pernicious was the infection that the contagion of sin spread among innumerable other angels.

To this command all the obedient and holy angels submitted themselves and they gave their full assent and acknowledgment with an humble and loving subjection of the will. But Lucifer, full of envy and pride, resisted and induced his followers to resist likewise, as they in reality did, preferring to follow him and disobey the divine command. This wicked prince persuaded them, that he would be their chief and that he would set up a government independent and separate from Christ. So great was the blindness which envy and pride could cause in an angel, and so pernicious was the infection that the contagion of sin spread among innumerable other angels.

When it was revealed to the angels that they would have to obey the incarnate Word, another, a third precept was given them, namely, that they were to admit as a superior conjointly with Him, a Woman, in whose womb the Only begotten of the Father was to assume flesh and that this Woman was to be the Queen and Mistress of all the creatures.

Then happened that great battle in heaven, which St. John describes (Apoc. 12). For the obedient and holy angels, filled with an ardent desire of hastening the glory of the Most High and the honor of the incarnate Word, to resist and contradict the dragon, and the permission was granted. But also another mystery was concealed in all this: When it was revealed to the angels that they would have to obey the incarnate Word, another, a third precept was given them, namely, that they were to admit as a superior conjointly with Him, a Woman, in whose womb the Only begotten of the Father was to assume flesh and that this Woman was to be the Queen and Mistress of all the creatures. The good angels by obeying this command of the Lord, with still increasing and more alert humility, freely subjected themselves, praising the power and the mysteries of the Most High. Lucifer, however, and his confederates, rose to a higher pitch of pride and boastful insolence. In disorderly fury he aspired to be himself the head of all the human race and of the angelic orders, and if there was to be a hypostatic union, he demanded that it be consummated in him.

The decree constituting him inferior to the Mother of the Incarnate Word, our Mistress, he opposed with horrible blasphemies. Turning against the Author of these great wonders in unbridled indignation and calling upon the other angels, he exhorted them, saying: "Unjust are these commands and injury is done to my greatness; this human nature which Thou, Lord, lookest upon with so much love and which thou favorest so highly, I will persecute and destroy. To this end I will direct all my power and all my aspirations. And this Woman, Mother of the Word, I will hurl from the position in which Thou hast proposed to place Her, and at my hands, the plan, which Thou settest up, shall come to naught."

"This Woman whom thou refusest to honor, shall crush thy head and by Her shalt thou be vanquished and annihilated (Gen. 3, 15). And if, through thy pride, death enters into the world (Wis. 2, 24), life and salvation of mortals shall enter through the humility of this Woman.

This proud boast so aroused the indignation of the Lord that in order to humble it, He spoke to Lucifer: "This Woman whom thou refusest to honor, shall crush thy head and by Her shalt thou be vanquished and annihilated (Gen. 3, 15). And if, through thy pride, death enters into the world (Wis. 2, 24), life and salvation of mortals shall enter through the humility of this Woman. Those that are of the nature and likeness of that Man and Woman, shall enjoy the gifts and the crowns, which thou and thy followers have lost." To all this the dragon, filled with indignation against whatever he understood of the divine will and decrees, answered only with pride and by threatening destruction to the whole human race. The good angels saw the just indignation of the Most High against Lucifer and his apostates and they combated them with the arms of the understanding, reason and truth.

The Almighty at this conjuncture worked another wonderful mystery. Having given to all the angels a sufficiently clear intelligence of the hypostatic Union, He showed them the image of the most holy Virgin by means of an imaginary vision (I speak here according to our way of understanding such things). They were shown the perfection of the human nature in the revelation of an image representing a most perfect Woman, in whom the almighty arm of the Most High would work more wonderfully than in all the rest of the creatures. For therein He was to deposit the graces and gifts of his right hand in a higher and more eminent manner. This sign or vision of the Queen of heaven and of the Mother of the incarnate Word was made known and manifest to all the angels, good and bad. The good ones at the sign of it broke forth in admiration and in canticles of praise and from that time on began to defend the honor of the God incarnate and of his holy Mother, being armed with ardent zeal and with the invincible shield of that vision. The dragon and his allies on the contrary conceived implacable hatred and fury against Christ and his most holy Mother. Then happened all that which is described in the twelfth chapter of the Apocalypse, which I will explain, as far as it has been given me.

The literal version of that chapter of the Apocalypse is as follows:

1. "And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars:
2. And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered.
3. And there was seen another sign in heaven; and behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns; and on his head seven diadems.
4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth and the dragon stood before the woman, who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son.
5. And she brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod; and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne.
6. And the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her a thousand two hundred and sixty days.
7. And there was a great battle in heaven; Michael and his angels fought with the dragon and the dragon fought and his angels.
8. And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9. And the dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and satan, who seduceth the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10. And I heard a loud voice saying: Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ; because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them before our God day and night.
11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of the testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.
12. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you that dwell therein. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil is come down unto you, having a great wrath and knowing that he hath but a short time.
13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman, who brought forth the man-child:
14. And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman, water as if it were a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the river.
16. And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed the river, which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17. And the dragon was angry against the woman and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
18. And he stood upon the sands of the sea."

Book 1, Chapter 3 CREATION OF THE ANGELS AND THE FALL OF LUCIFER

Mystical city of God : life of the Virgin Mother of God, manifested to sister Mary of Jesus

https://archive.org/details/mysticalcityofgo01dejauoft

THE MYSTICAL

CITY OF GOD

THE DIVINE HISTORY

AND LIFE OF THE

VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD

VOLUME I

THE CONCEPTION

Chapter VII, Par.83

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Prayers For Holy Souls

PURGATORY - MYSTERY OF JUSTICE HEAVEN OR HELL, ONE OF THE TWO WE MUST CHOOSE BY OUR LIVES. 

THIS IS BECAUSE "THE UNJUST" - SUCH EITHER BY TRANSGRESSION OR THROUGH UNSATISFIED JUSTICE - "SHALL NOT POSSESS THE KINGDOM OF GOD"(1 COR. VI.9). 

THE INEFABLE MERCY OF GOD, IN CONSIDERATION OF THE MERITS OF JESUS CHRIST, CREATED IN THE NEXT WORLD, 

A PLACE OF PURIFICATION FOR THOSE WHO AT THE TIME OF THEIR DEATH, 

ARE NOT ENTIRELY PURE. 

THIS PLACE IS CALLED PURGATORY AND THE TIME SPENT THERE IS CALLED A PERIOD OF PURGATION.

 
Between Heaven, "the place of refreshment, light and peace." and Hell the abode of eternal torment, there is, till the day of general judgement, a middle state, called Purgatory, for those Souls that depart this life justified, but still in need of final purification. In this place of punishment and purification, of justice and mercy, dwell the Souls that have venial sins to expiate, or temporal punishment to undergo, or both. The doctrine of the Catholic Church concerning Purgatory is expressed in the following two sentences:

1) There is, in the next World, a temporary place for the atonement of such venial sins, and temporal punishments of sin, as man is found guilty of as he departs from this World.

2) The faithful can, by prayer and good works, especially by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, assist the Souls suffering in Purgatory.

 

My Experiences With The Poor Souls

Visits from the suffering Souls in Purgatory

Visits from the Holy Souls in Purgatory –The life of the Austrian Mystic, Maria Simma (1915-2004)

In 1940 came the first visit from a Holy Soul (a departed soul from Purgatory)  –Maria was age 25. The holy soul--a man-- appeared to her in a vision one night. He was pacing back and forth in her bedroom at the foot of her bed.  Confused, she called out to him and said “Who are you?” but she received no reply.  Then she hopped out of bed and tried to grasp him saying “How did you get in here? Go away”, he gave no response and as she reached out to touch him he disappeared. However, as soon as she got back into bed he reappeared, pacing back and forth once again. She wondered how is it that she could readily see this man, but not speak to or touch him. She thought to herself, “Well, so long as he does not come near me” and she remained watching him and after awhile he disappeared and she remained awake pondering the meaning of what happened.

The next day she immediately went to see her parish priest, Fr. Alfons Matt, to tell him all that had happened. After I explained everything to him he said “it could be a poor soul from Purgatory.  If such a thing should ever happen again, do not say “Who are you?” but say “What is it that you need from me?”     

The next night the man suddenly appeared again, once again pacing back and forth. This time Maria immediately asked “What is it that you need from me?” The man suddenly stopped, turned towards her and replied “Please have three holy Masses said for my intentions and then I will be delivered.”  And then he immediately disappeared and Maria said “It was then that I knew that he was a poor soul.” The next day she once again told her parish priest, Fr. Alfons Matt,  what had happened and the three requested masses were said.  The good priest also told her to always seek to do whatever she can to help the souls that might come to her.

Soon more souls from purgatory would come asking for her prayers and sacrifices, and thus began a lifetime apostolate for the holy souls.  Over the next few years, only 2 or 3 poor souls came to her each year, but as time went on, more and more were coming to her seeking her assistance through prayers and sacrifices.

From the onset however it must be noted that Maria never sought visits from the souls in purgatory—she never called upon them or “channeled” them in any way. They always came to her without any seeking on her part.  In fact the holy souls have told her that it is God in His great mercy who gives them permission to come to her to obtain sacrifices and prayers that their time in purgatory might be lessened. 

In fact, during an interview by Sr. Emmanuel she was asked the following:

-What is the difference between what you are living with the souls of the departed, and the practices of spiritism (by mediums/psychics etc):?

"We are not supposed to summon up the souls - I don't try to get them to come. In spiritism, people try to call them forth. This distinction is quite clear, and we must take it very seriously. If  people were only to believe one thing I have said, I would like it to be this: those who engage in spiritism (calling forth the dead, moving tables and other practices of that kind) think that they are summoning up the souls of the dead. In reality, if there is some response to their call, it is always and without exception Satan and his angels who are answering. People who practice spiritism (diviners, witches, mediums, etc.) are doing something very dangerous for themselves and for those who come to them for advice. They are up to their necks in lies. It is forbidden, strictly forbidden, to call up the dead. As for me, I have never done so, l do not do so, and I never will do so."

Some important things that the holy souls have taught her over the years:

The holy souls have repeatedly told her that the greatest help for them that they can obtain from those here on earth is the offering of holy Mass. Next to the Mass, the holy Rosary and the Stations of the Cross are very beneficial to them.  Any sacrifice we make--even the smallest ones-- offered specifically for them have a great value in the eyes of God, and greatly lessen their sufferings and time in purgatory.  The poor souls have told her that even the smallest prayer or sacrifice is like giving a cool glass of water to a parched sojourner travelling in the driest desert.  

They normally appear to her in their normal clothes, that is, the ones that they most often wore during their lifetime, and they often have the appearance of one earnestly begging and desiring help.  Sometimes they appear somewhat distraught but this presumably is to elicit compassion on the part of Maria.  They normally appear to her looking as they did in the prime of their life, however children and teenagers always appear as they did right before their deaths.  And while there are indeed some children in purgatory, their Purgatory is normally not very long or painful, since during their lifetimes they often could not have committed any grave sin since they did not attain much understanding or discernment, and are therefore not accountable to the extent that an adult is.

The holy souls have also told her that there are many, many degrees in purgatory, and that the lower parts of purgatory are the most difficult and the most purifying, and this is where those with grave (severe) sins go--that is,  grave sins that have not been forgiven in the sacrament of Confession. As each soul makes reparation for his/her sins that they have committed against God and there fellow man, they are slowly purified and therefore they slowly make progress to the higher levels of purgatory. The souls that appear to Maria are almost always souls that are residing in the higher levels of purgatory.  Essentially, the more repentant and sorrowful one is for the sins committed against God and neighbor during ones lifetime, the quicker one progresses from the lower to the higher degrees of purgatory.

The greatest complaint from the souls in Purgatory- Abandonment by their loved ones

According to Maria, the greatest "complaint" of the souls in Purgatory is how they are almost completely forgotton by their family and loved ones--that rightly complain that they receive no spiritual help from those they themselves helped so much during life! How few prayers are ever offered up for them--even at their funerals! Yet prayer is precisely what they need the most! All the beautiful memorials, celebrations, tattoo's etc done and given in their honor, while they may be good intentioned, in reality do nothing for them and in no way help to relieve them of their suffering/purification. 

Existence of Purgatory

The Church from the time of the apostles has believed in a state of purgation (cleansing), and that after death where the dead could not help themselves yet could be helped by prayers of those on earth. the Old Testament and Jewish tradition of the century before Christ held that it was "a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins." (2 Macabees, 12,46).

Reason demands belief in the existence of purgatory. If a man dies with some slight stain on his soul, a sin of impatience, or an idle word, is he fit to enter heaven? God's sanctity forbids it: "There shall not enter into it anything defiled." (Apoc. 21:27). But must such a soul be consigned to hell? God's mercy and justice forbid it.

Therefore reason concludes the existence of a middle and temporay state of expiation, where the souls is cleansed from all the stain of sin before it can be admitted into the perfect holiness and bliss of heaven. "Amen, I say to thee, thou will not come out from it until thou hast paid the last penny" (Matt. 5:26).

New Testament passages supporting purgatory : Matt:25-26; 12:32-36, Luke 12:58-59.


What we can do

1. In every prayer you say, every Mass you hear, every Communion you receive, every good work you perform have the express intention of imploring God to grant you a holy and happy death and no purgatory.

2. Always wish to do God's will. When you do or seek anything that is not God's will you are sure to suffer.
Say, therefore, fervently each time you recite the Our Father: thy will be done.

3. Accept all sufferings, sorrows, pains and disapointments in life, be they great or small as coming from God. Bear them calmly and patiently for love of Him and in penance for your sins. Offer your sacrifices for the Holy Souls.

4. Christ's life and actions are so many lessons for us to imitate.
The greatest act in his life was His Passion. As He had a Passion so each one of us has a Passion. Our Passion consists in the sufferings and labours of every day. Therefore let us do our work, accept its disappointments and hardships and bear our pains in union with the Passion of Christ.

5. Forgive all injuries and offences for in proportion as we forgive others God forgives us.

6. Avoid mortal sins, deliberate venial sins and break off bad habits. Above all avoid sins against charity and chastity in thought, word and deed for these sins are the reason why many souls are detained in Purgatory for long years.

7. If afraid of doing much do many little things, acts of kindness and charity, give alms, cultivate regularity, method, punctuality in the performance of duty; don't grumble or complain when things are not as you please; don't censure and complain of others; never refuse to do a favour to others when it is possible.
These and such little acts are a splendid penance.

8. Do all in your power for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Pray for them constantly, get others to do so, offer Masses for the Holy Souls , say the Rosary, do the Way of the Cross, assist in Mass. Do all this for their intentions the Holy Souls will repay you most generously.

9. There is no more powerful way of obtaining from God a most holy and happy death by weekly confession, daily Mass and daily Communion.

10. A daily visit to the blessed Sacrament - it need only be three or four minutes - is an easy way of obtaining the same grace. Kneeling in the presence of Jesus with eyes fixed on the Tabernacle, sure that He is looking at us, let us for a few minutes repeat some little prayer like these: My Jesus mercy. My Jesus have pity on me a sinner. My Jesus I love you. My Jesus give me a happy death. Anyone and everyone are welcome to stay in the Adoration chapel.


Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Prayer to Saint Michael

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.


Save a Soul from Hell in Three Seconds

Everytime you pray the prayer below, you will save a person from going to eternal damnation. You can save sixty souls from Hell in time it takes to boil a three-minute egg.

Incredible, but true. Such is the power of the names of Jesus and Mary. Such is the power of love.

Many souls go to Hell because no one prays for them. Here is the prayer:

"Jesus, Mary I love you, save souls, save the consecrated."

After saving them from Hell we can now actively help them to go to Heaven. Here is another means of giving them succour:

Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great

A Prayer which would release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it is said.

Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great the following prayer would release 1,000 souls from purgatory each time it is said.

"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."


Prayer for Aborted Infants

Dear little infant Jesus, in honor of Thy Holy Birth, and through the Holy Mother, I pray that the innocents who will this day be murdered may find refuge and eternal glory before the throne of our Heavenly Father.

Recite the Apostles Creed.

That all who were born this day may reach everlasting life through Jesus Christ, Mary, Joseph.

One Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.


Holy Water

In the Home

Take an empty bottle to the parish church, fill it with Holy Water and bring it back home for the spiritual and temporal protection of the family. It should not be tucked away in a remote corner but be made available to all.

Holy Water is a sacramental that helps us to be sorry for sin. Because of the blessing attached to it, Holy Church strongly urges its use upon Her children, especially when dangers threaten such as fire, storms, sickness and other calamities. Every home should always have a supply of Holy Water in it.


Disposes Us to Sorrow for Sin

Keep your soul beautifully pure in God's sight by making the Sign of the Cross reverently while saying:

"By this Holy Water and by Thy Precious Blood wash away all my sins, O Lord."

*this doesn't replace confession.


The Holy Souls Long For It

Only in Purgatory can one understand ardently the poor souls long for Holy Water. If we desire to make a host of intercessors for ourselves, let us try to realize now some of their yearnings and never forget them at the Holy Water font.

When sprinkling Holy Water for your departed loved ones, your friends, etc., do not forget the priests, especially those of your own parish, who have served you so faithfully and brought you closer to God, through the sacraments and holy masses, etc. In gratitude, you should give them sprinklings of Holy Water several times daily and have masses offered up for the repose of their souls.

Sprinkle a few drops of Holy Water and pray fervently:

"O God, in your Mercy multiply these drops into as many drops of Holy Water as there are Souls in Purgatory, and allow them not to feel the pains of Purgatory, as long as the moisture of Holy Water is present."

You are encourage to install Holy Water fonts in your Homes and give everyone an opportunity to bless themselves. Whenever the faithful make the Sign of the Cross devoutly with Holy Water and pray "in the Name of the Father..." they gain a partial indulgence.

The Libera Me

Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death in that awful day:
When the heavens and the earth shall be moved.
When you shall come to judge the world by fire.

Dread and trembling have laid hold on me, and I fear exceedingly because of the judgement and the wrath to come.

When the heavens and the earth shall be shaken.
On that day, that day of wrath of sore distress and all wretchedness, that great and exceeding bitter day,
When You shall come to judge the world by fire,

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.

Psalm 130 - De Profundis

Out of the depths have I called You, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice;
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.

If You, Lord, were to note what is done amiss,
O Lord, who could stand?

For there is forgiveness with You;
therefore You Shall be feared.

I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for Him;
in His word is my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning.
more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, wait for the Lord,
for with the Lord there is mercy;

With him there is plenteous redemption,
and He shall redeem Israel from all their sins.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a “purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven,” which is experienced by those “who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified” (CCC 1030). It notes that “this final purification of the elect . . . is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (CCC 1031).

The purification is necessary because, as Scripture teaches, nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal sins forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically venial sins and the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven.

What Happens in Purgatory?

When we die, we undergo what is called the particular, or individual, judgment. Scripture says that “it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). We are judged instantly and receive our reward, for good or ill. We know at once what our final destiny will be. At the end of time, when Jesus returns, there will come the general judgment to which the Bible refers, for example, in Matthew 25:31-32: “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” In this general judgment all our sins will be publicly revealed (Luke 12:2–5).

Augustine said in The City of God that “temporary punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by others after death, by others both now and then; but all of them before that last and strictest judgment” (21:13). It is between the particular and general judgments, then, that the soul is purified of the remaining consequences of sin: “I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper” (Luke 12:59).

https://www.catholic.com/tract/purgatory

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