“…every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory…” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1472)
Even when someone dies in a state of grace, there is usually “spiritual baggage” (venial sins… selfishness, stubbornness… abusiveness). Every trace of sin must be eliminated; every imperfection in the soul must be corrected.
“I did not know that even the smallest transgressions will have to be accounted for.” _ St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul, #36
According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire [itself] will test the quality of each one’s work. (Fire both destroys and purifies.) If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.
(1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
“For Catholics, there is no such thing as a lingering or wandering soul who has not cut the bonds of this earthly life.” _ Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer, exorcist
There are places (usually houses) where people have heard things -- like faint voices, moans, sobs, sighs… footsteps or knocking -- when no one is there. There are places where things have moved -- like finding personal items where they have not been placed or doors opening and closing… And there are places where people have seen shadows (and shadow men)…
Places like these could (but not always) be haunted by disembodied human souls -- purgatorial souls. These human souls are working out their spiritual baggage… and need our help to be released. Some are allowed by God to communicate with the living.
Wanting to be generous to this suffering soul, Padre Pio exclaimed, “You will be in Paradise tomorrow morning, when I will celebrate Holy Mass.” The poor soul cried out, “Cruel!” Then he wept and disappeared.
With pain and regret, Padre Pio later confessed, “…In fact, I would have been able to immediately send that soul to Heaven, but I condemned him to remain another night in the flames of Purgatory.”
It is true. Some poor souls do their Purgatory on earth. Although some are dark, and are in the lower levels of Purgatory, they are not demonic! They are disembodied human souls working out their spiritual baggage...
These “human hauntings” are never destructive; they pose no harm to the living. And when purgatorial souls subtly make themselves known, they are usually asking for prayers (and Masses), blessings and sacrifices… Sometimes a house blessing by a priest -- along with prayers for the purgatorial souls -- is enough to release them and clear a house.
“Those who engage in spiritism 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 (fallen) angels who are answering. People who practice spiritism are doing something very dangerous for themselves and for those who come to them for advice. (They are opening themselves and others to the demonic.) They are up to their necks in lies. It is forbidden, strictly forbidden, to call up (conjure) the dead. (This is necromancy.) As for me, I have never done so, I do not do so, and I never will do so. When something appears to me, God alone permits it.”
_ Maria Simma of Austria
Only with God’s consent may the dead in Purgatory (the poor souls) visit the living on earth. When these poor souls appear to the living, they usually look as they did during life -- but with expressions of suffering… They always present themselves in a way that evokes compassion -- not fear. Sometimes they speak… and then they disappear.
Even when someone dies in a state of grace, there is usually “spiritual baggage” (venial sins… selfishness, stubbornness… abusiveness). Every trace of sin must be eliminated; every imperfection in the soul must be corrected.
“I did not know that even the smallest transgressions will have to be accounted for.” _ St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul, #36
According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire [itself] will test the quality of each one’s work. (Fire both destroys and purifies.) If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.
(1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
~ * * * ~
“For Catholics, there is no such thing as a lingering or wandering soul who has not cut the bonds of this earthly life.” _ Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer, exorcist
THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF HAUNTINGS:
1) Demonic hauntings are infestations
(http://catholicdeliverance.blogspot.com/2013/08/demonic-infestation.html);
(http://catholicdeliverance.blogspot.com/2013/08/demonic-infestation.html);
2) Human hauntings are purgatorial.
HUMAN HAUNTINGS
There are places (usually houses) where people have heard things -- like faint voices, moans, sobs, sighs… footsteps or knocking -- when no one is there. There are places where things have moved -- like finding personal items where they have not been placed or doors opening and closing… And there are places where people have seen shadows (and shadow men)…
Places like these could (but not always) be haunted by disembodied human souls -- purgatorial souls. These human souls are working out their spiritual baggage… and need our help to be released. Some are allowed by God to communicate with the living.
St. Padre Pio once told the story of a little friar doing some cleaning (and making some noise) during the night, in the shadow of the Tabernacle lamp. When asked who he was, the young monk answered, “I am a brother of yours that made the novitiate here. I was ordered to clean the altar during the year of the novitiate. Unfortunately many times I didn’t reverence Jesus while passing in front of the altar, thus causing the Holy Sacrament that was preserved in the tabernacle to be disrespected. For this serious carelessness, I am still in Purgatory. Now, God, with His endless goodness, sent me here so that you may quicken the time I will enjoy Paradise. Take care of me.”
Wanting to be generous to this suffering soul, Padre Pio exclaimed, “You will be in Paradise tomorrow morning, when I will celebrate Holy Mass.” The poor soul cried out, “Cruel!” Then he wept and disappeared.
With pain and regret, Padre Pio later confessed, “…In fact, I would have been able to immediately send that soul to Heaven, but I condemned him to remain another night in the flames of Purgatory.”
~ * * * ~
It is true. Some poor souls do their Purgatory on earth. Although some are dark, and are in the lower levels of Purgatory, they are not demonic! They are disembodied human souls working out their spiritual baggage...
These “human hauntings” are never destructive; they pose no harm to the living. And when purgatorial souls subtly make themselves known, they are usually asking for prayers (and Masses), blessings and sacrifices… Sometimes a house blessing by a priest -- along with prayers for the purgatorial souls -- is enough to release them and clear a house.
WARNING!
“Those who engage in spiritism 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 (fallen) angels who are answering. People who practice spiritism are doing something very dangerous for themselves and for those who come to them for advice. (They are opening themselves and others to the demonic.) They are up to their necks in lies. It is forbidden, strictly forbidden, to call up (conjure) the dead. (This is necromancy.) As for me, I have never done so, I do not do so, and I never will do so. When something appears to me, God alone permits it.”
_ Maria Simma of Austria
~ * * * ~
VISITATIONS FROM PURGATORY
Only with God’s consent may the dead in Purgatory (the poor souls) visit the living on earth. When these poor souls appear to the living, they usually look as they did during life -- but with expressions of suffering… They always present themselves in a way that evokes compassion -- not fear. Sometimes they speak… and then they disappear.
About five years ago when I lived on the east side, my neighbor was a 90-year-old woman in very good health. We became good friends…
The Our Lady Help of Christians chapel was across the street and my neighbor often saw me going to daily Mass. One day after Mass, she was waiting at her door, calling for me. I ran over to her and saw that she was troubled. Then she sat me down and told me what had happened to her the night before.
She woke up during the night and saw her late husband standing in the doorway. (He had been dead for over 25 years!) He walked over to her bed and laid down beside her. Then he got up, walked towards the doorway, and disappeared.
I found this interesting because she was an Evangelical Lutheran -- and the Lutheran Church does not believe in Purgatory. (According to Martin Luther: “Of Purgatory there is no mention in Holy Scripture; it is a lie of the devil, in order that the papists may have some market days and snares for catching money…”) But God knew that I lived next door, and that I could explain what had happened.
I explained that her husband was in Purgatory, and that God had allowed him to visit her to ask for her prayers, that he may be released from his purification and enter Heaven. Then I was inspired to tell her to close her eyes and ask Jesus if I had told her the truth. She did as I asked, opened her eyes and said, “Yes. It is true.” (Jesus had spoken to her.)
~ * * * ~
Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great
(To Release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory)
“Eternal Father, I offer You the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with all the Masses being said throughout the world today for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, those in the Universal Church, in my home and within my family. Amen.”
THE PORTIUNCULA INDULGENCE
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