FEAST OF THE PORTIUNCULA

 The Portiuncula Indulgence is a grace

not to be missed!

Prepare yourself -- and encourage

others to do the same.

From vespers on August 1st 

Until sundown on August 2nd

THE PORTIUNCULA INDULGENCE

The Portiuncula Indulgence is the first plenary indulgence ever granted in the Roman Catholic Church. One who gains the Portiuncula Indulgence is freed from all temporal punishments and becomes as pure as after Baptism.

St. Francis of Assisi persuaded Pope Honorius III to grant a plenary indulgence to all who visit the Portiuncula (Little Portion) on the 2nd day of August and confess their sins. This indulgence has been extended to all Catholic churches throughout the world.

To obtain the Plenary Indulgence of 

The Forgiveness of Assisi 

(For oneself or for a departed soul):

1) Sacramental Confession 

(8 days before or after);

2) Participation in the Holy Mass
And Eucharist 

(August 2nd);

3) Recitation of The Apostles Creed, 
Our Father, 

And a prayer for the Pope’s Intentions 

(After Mass).

https://www.ourladyoftheangelsregion.org/Portiuncula_Feast_and_Indulgence.pdf

Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli

click to enlarge

Since the mid-17th century, the Portiuncula (Little Portion) has been enshrined within the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Our Lady of the Angels) in Assisi.

click to enlarge

The Portiuncula Indulgence is a grace not to be missed -- not only for you but for the many suffering souls in Purgatory. The Portiuncula Indulgence can be obtained by any member of the faithful.

Spread the word!

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TEMPTATIONS OF THE DEVIL

Dictated by St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) during a state of ecstasy while in dialog with God the Father.

 

Of the use of temptations, and how every soul in her (his) extremity sees her (his) final place either of pain or of glory, before she (he) is separated from the body.

 

“The Devil, dearest daughter, is the instrument of My Justice to torment the souls who have miserably offended Me. And I have set him in this life to tempt and molest My creatures, not for My creatures to be conquered, but that they may conquer, proving their virtue, and receive from Me the glory of victory. And no one should fear any battle or temptation of the Devil that may come to him, because I have made My creatures strong, and have given them strength of will, fortified in the Blood of My Son, which will, neither Devil nor creature can move, because it is yours, given by Me. You therefore, with free arbitration, can hold it or leave it, according as you please.

 

It is an arm, which, if you place it in the hands of the Devil, straightway becomes a knife, with which he strikes you and slays you. But if man do not give this knife of his will into the hands of the Devil, that is, if he do not consent to his temptations and molestations, he will never be injured by the guilt of sin in any temptation, but will even be fortified by it, when the eye of his intellect is opened to see My love which allowed him to be tempted, so as to arrive at virtue, by being proved. For one does not arrive at virtue except through knowledge of self, and knowledge of Me, which knowledge is more perfectly acquired in the time of temptation, because then man knows himself to be nothing, being unable to lift off himself the pains and vexations which he would flee; and he knows Me in his will, which is fortified by My goodness, so that it does not yield to these thoughts. And he has seen that My love permits these temptations, for the devil is weak, and by himself can do nothing, unless I allow him. And I let him tempt, through love, and not through hatred, that you may conquer, and not that you may be conquered, and that you may come to a perfect knowledge of yourself, and of Me, and that virtue may be proved, for it is not proved except by its contrary.

 

You see, then, that he is my Minister to torture the damned in Hell, and in this life, to exercise and prove virtue in the soul. Not that it is the intention of the Devil to prove virtue in you (for he has not love), but rather to deprive you of it, and this he cannot do, if you do not wish it. Now you see, then, how great is the foolishness of men in making themselves feeble, when I have made them strong, and in putting themselves into the hands of the Devil. Wherefore, know, that at the moment of death, they, having passed their life under the lordship of the Devil (not that they were forced to do so, for as I told you they cannot be forced, but they voluntarily put themselves into his hands), and, arriving at the extremity of their death under this perverse lordship, they await no other judgment than that of their own conscience, and desperately, despairingly, come to eternal damnation. Wherefore Hell, through their hate, surges up to them in the extremity of death, and before they get there, they take hold of it, by means of their lord the Devil.

 

As the righteous, who have lived in charity and died in love, if they have lived perfectly in virtue, illuminated with the light of faith, with perfect hope in the Blood of the Lamb, when the extremity of death comes, see the good which I have prepared for them, and embrace it with the arms of love, holding fast with pressure of love to Me, the Supreme and Eternal Good. And so they taste eternal life before they have left the mortal body, that is, before the soul be separated from the body. Others who have passed their lives, and have arrived at the last extremity of death with an ordinary charity (not in that great perfection), embrace My mercy with the same light of faith and hope that had those perfect ones, but, in them, it is imperfect, for, because they were imperfect, they constrained My mercy, counting My mercy greater than their sins. The wicked sinners do the contrary, for, seeing, with desperation, their destination, they embrace it with hatred, as I told you. So that neither the one nor the other waits for judgment, but, in departing this life, they receive every one their place, as I have told you, and they taste it and possess it before they depart from the body, at the extremity of death -- the damned with hatred and with despair, and the perfect ones with love and the light of faith and with the hope of the Blood. And the imperfect arrive at the place of Purgatory, with mercy and the same faith.”

 

The Dialog of St. Catherine of Siena

A Treatise of Discretion (pp. 47-48)

 

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PURGATORY, HUMAN HAUNTINGS & VISITATIONS

“…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)

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“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);

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

http://catholicdeliverance.blogspot.com/2011/07/august-2nd-feast-of-portiuncula.html
 

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