Imagine

Imagine a place you’ve never seen before, a place you might not have believed was real.  A place covered in a mist so thick that you cannot see your hands or your feet, yet, it’s solid and real.  Imagine a place of great suffering, filled with the cries of longing, moaning, and groaning, but a place of incredible joy!  Imagine a place where, before you entered,  you had seen the Face of God, and now, your longing for God causes such great pain, you fear your heart will break.  Imagine a place where the pain is so great, you know that if the skin was burned off your body, leaving only raw nerves exposed to the air, you would feel less pain.  Imagine a place where a fire burns so coldly that the pain caused to your body by a hot flame would be a welcome respite.

The time for merit is over when we die.  We know that God is a God of great Mercy.  What we often forget is that God is a God of Justice, too.  Justice must be met by each of us in our judgment.  One of the gifts of God’s Mercy, in the expiation of our sins, is Purgatory.  Purgatory is a place of final cleansing for our souls, so that one day, when we have paid our debt to our merciful and loving God, we will meet Him face to face, never again fearing Hell, but knowing that we are safe and in Paradise.  satan is no longer a threat to our immortal souls.  We rejoice!

The souls in Purgatory cannot help themselves.  They are completely dependent on the mercy of God and on our prayers and sacrifices on their behalf.  Masses said for the souls bring them great relief.  The Mass can also shorten the time of the souls in Purgatory, and it can bring about their release.  The souls have no recourse except to stay in Purgatory until their debt is paid or to depend on us, the living, for relief and release. 

While in Purgatory the souls can pray for their loved ones (which are all people) on earth.  They can pray for their intentions.  They cannot pray for themselves.  The souls become wonderful intercessors while they are cleansed of their sins in Purgatory, and they do so with great joy!  They are saved.  They know this, but they also know that they must make up for what evil they did on earth.  (Sin is evil.)

Their pain is nearly unbearable, but the pain must be borne by the souls who were not purified on earth.  The souls rejoice because they have been saved from hell.  They know that because of God’s love for all, they are in Purgatory.  They know that the pain they feel is great, but it will lead to great joy when they see God in His Glory!

The souls also pray for those who intercede for them on earth.  They do this with great joy, in spite of their great pain.  The souls in Purgatory can be your intercessors while they are there.  When they reach heaven, they do not forget you.  They continue to pray and intercede for you.  In heaven, they are more powerful than they were on earth.  Ask the souls for help.  Trust them. They will do their best for you.  They will love you with incredible love because you helped them.

The souls in Purgatory are so dear to me.  They have helped me.  They have prayed for me.  They have brought about great spiritual healing for me.  Pray for them daily.  They can only love now.  They are full of love, but they suffer in ways greater than we can imagine, and they do so with great love and joy. 

Help them. 
Have masses said for them.
Offer your masses for them.
Pray the St. Gertrude prayer daily.  It is said to release 1,000 souls each time it is prayed.  Yes, there are a lot of souls in Purgatory!

Eternal Father,
I offer you the Most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus,
in union with all the Masses offered today,
for the Holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the Universal Church,
those within my own home and within my family.
Amen.

Pray a rosary, daily, for the souls.
Offer a fast up for them.
Give up that candy bar for the souls.
Give up that immoral TV show for the souls.

Continue to pray for your loved ones who have gone before you.  They might not be out of Purgatory yet. 

As Our Lady says, “Pray, Pray, Pray.”

The Souls will love you for it.  One day, if you aren’t ready to enter heaven yet, and you aren’t hell bound, then you will find yourself in the mist of purgatory suffering willingly for your sins.  Joy will fill your heart!  You will welcome any help you can get from the souls on earth.  Pray now!  You will have intercessors in heaven to help you reach Paradise! They will greet you at the door of heaven, and join you at the Throne of God when you behold His face.  

As St. Paul says,
“Pray without ceasing.”
Remember the Souls when you do!

Easter is Over. So, what's Changed?

The joy of Easter is passed.

Life is back to normal.

We have to go to work.

We have to make sure the kids get to school on time.

The dishes still need to be washed.

The laundry needs to be finished.

The towels still need to be folded.

We watch the news.

Isis is still wreaking havoc in the middle east.

The militants are declaring war on all Christians.

The "Nation of the Cross" is attacked again and again.

Men, women and children are beheaded for love of Jesus.

Inflation has increased.

The price of gas is going up again.

The price of food is going up again.

We still have to pay the rent.

We still have to pay the mortgage.

We need to buy clothes

We need to change the bedding.

 The list grows longer and longer.

What's changed?

If you have thought of someone you didn't like, kindly, 

you have changed.

If you gave some money to the man begging in the street,

even if you thought he would buy drugs with it,

you did not judge.

You changed.

If you volunteered at a homeless shelter, and it wasn't a holiday,

You have changed.

If you said a prayer for those who have declared themselves our enemy,

that they my be converted and blessed with the love of Jesus,

You have changed.

If you prayed for the souls in Purgatory,

You have changed.

If you prayed for the Holy Father, for his health, strength and courage,

You have changed.

If you prayed for your pastor, and offered your help at church,

You have changed.

If you have begun to go to confession, monthly, weekly,

You have changed.

If you chose not to gossip,

You have changed.

If you gave to those in need,

You have changed.

If you make sure your children attend religious education classes,

whether they choose to or not,

You have changed.

If you were kind to that crazy woman at church,

You have changed.

If you smiled when you could have frowned,

You have changed.

If you have praised and adored God, even once more than you have in the past,

You have changed.

If you accept the suffering, joyfully carrying your cross,

You have changed.

The list grows longer.

God is acting in your heart and soul.

Be open.

Be accepting.

Love God above all else.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Keep these commandments.

God is love!

God loves YOU!

Praise be to God!

This is what has changed.

God has come into your life.

"Do not abandon yourselves to despair.

We are the Easter people, and hallelujah is our song."

Saint John Paul II

Happy Easter!

May the Peace of the Risen Lord be with You Always!

Holy Saturday

"Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,
our sufferings that he endured,
while we thought of him as stricken,
as one smitten by God and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for our sins;
upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,
by his stripes we were healed.
We had all gone astray like sheep,
each following his own way;
but the LORD laid upon him
the guilt of us all."

Isaiah 52: 13-53

Good Friday: The Physical Death of Jesus

"On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ."

The article is a pdf which can be downloaded to your computer to be read at a later date, if need be.

 

This article was written by::

William D. Edwards MD, Wesley J. Gabel, Floyd E. Hosmer, MS. AMI

and published in JAMA, March 21, 1986, Vol 255, #11

The article is very long, but it is well worth the read.  If you have a tender stomach, I warn you, it is very graphic.  However, this article reminds us how painful the death of Jesus was. 

Jesus died  a death of excruciating pain.

The pictures are medically accurate.

They show the placement of the nails on His body.

They show the marks of His scourging.

The marks of the spear that pierced His side. 

The article describes the death of Jesus and the great pain associated with the crucifixion.

I highly recommend you take you time and read the article in its completion.  

Then, you will begin to appreciate, even more, how much our God loved us to die this terrible death.

Here are a few notes about the death of Jesus.

The word "crucifixtion" was excrutiating.

It comes from the latin word, 

excrutiatus or out of the cross.

Death by crucifixtion was begun in Persia, but it was perfected by the Romans.

This type of death for a prisoner was a death of shame for the family.

Death on the cross was designed to be painful and slow.

No one wanted to die this type of death.

Each prisoner carried his own cross, usually the top beam.

Most prisoners suffered a severe beating before crucifixion.

Jesus was no exception to this.

His beating was severe.  He suffered trauma to His body, and a significant loss of blood.

 He also carried His cross.

Because of loss of blood and dehydration, it was more difficult for Him to carry His cross.

The soldiers believed that He might die before they reached the site of crucifixtion.

When He was crucified, the nails were nailed into His hands and Feet,

not in way to eliminate suffering, but in a way to increase the pain.

 

The small stand on the cross was not there to relieve the suffering, but to increase them time and amount of pain.

During a crucifixion, the person crucified was in constant motion.

Functions of the body, began to fail.

Fluid collected in the lungs and around the lungs and heart making breathing more difficult.

The crucified had to move or suffocate.

When the Romans wanted to hasten death for the crucified,

they broke the legs of the prisoner and death happened in minutes.

That was the mercy of the Romans.

The death of Jesus took, approximately, 6 hours. 

Pilate was surprised because most deaths on the cross took days.

Physical problems compounded as the crucified came closer to death.

One possible explanation for the death of Jesus is that His Heart,

literally,

ruptured for love of us.

His legs were never broken.

Prophesy as fullfilled by this.

A spear pierced His side.

 

 The last of His Blood and water was given.

Jesus gave all when He died.

There was nothing left.

Click Here to read the medical report on the death of Jesus.

Meditation in the Garden

Public Domain - Wikimedia Commons

Lord, I see You at a distance,
covered in sweat, blood and tears,
clinging to a rock for support.

My Lord, Jesus,  may I approach?

May I serve You in Your hour of need?
May I worship and adore You in Your broken state?
Broken for love of me?
May I give you strength?

I dare not approach You, for I am not worthy.
Only with Your consent do I walk towards You.

Your body is drenched in blood.
Your Body is weakened for love of me,
and the worst is yet to come.

Lord, May I draw near, if only for a moment?
I do not wish to add to your sorrow.
Forgive me.  I am a sinner.

How can you bear this pain?
I see Your eyes.  Sorrowful, Weeping for love of me.
How can Love extend His arm drawing me closer to Him?

I grasp Your Hands.
I smell the blood, the sweat. I see the sorrowful tears flowing from Your eyes. 
I feel Your love as You pull me into Your Sacred Heart.

Your pain is great.  
Your eyes are filed with Love.

I cling to You. 
You are my strength. 
I am not Your strength.
You are my comfort. 
I am not yours.


My Child,

  In my weakness My Father will be glorified.  My Father, Who is Love, begat Me.  I AM the Son of Love, and the Father and I are one.  Our Spirit is poured out on the earth.  Our Spirit inspires and comforts.  Our Spirit, the Holy Spirit,  is Love. 

In my weakness, God brings glory to the world.  In my weakness is strength.  In My weakness is Love poured forth for humanity as the balm of salvation. 

I AM here for you.  In My pain, you do give me comfort.  You are here.  You are waiting.  You are watching.  That is my comfort, a gift from your love.

Enter My Sacred Heart in prayer.  Yes, I AM in agony, and I feel your love.  Tonight is My night of weakness, but it is, also, a night of love and victory.  Death will soon be overcome.  Sin has not the strength to defeat Me. Sin cannot win. 

Touch My Heart. Feel My Heart beat.  My heart beats for Love of you. Do not be afraid.  I AM with you always.  I only ask for your love.   Follow in My Footsteps.  Carry your cross as I will carry mine to the place of the skull.  There I will die for love of you.  My heart will explode with love, and My soul will leave My Body.  Do not be sad.  I give you My Love.  I will open the Gates of Heaven.  I will bring you Salvation.  Death is not to be feared.  I overcome death and sin on the cross.  Pray. 

Now, My time has come.  The soldiers draw near.  Evil is at hand.  Pray and be vigilant.  I accept that which is to come.  It is the Will of My Father.  I will give My all for the love of mankind.  Stay close to the tabernacle tonight.  In prayer there is strength.  I AM your God.  I love you.  Fear not.  I AM with you always. 

Now, it begins.

Well, Yesterday was a Test of My Christianity...

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

Matthew 6:34

Jesus knew from experience that what He said was true.

I'm sure He would get frustrated with His Apostles when He heard them arguing about who was the greatest among them.

I'm sure He was disappointed when He saw Judas taking from their money and keeping it for himself.

I'm sure He would be sad when He knew that the lepers He had just cured would not return to say Thank You.

I'm sure He would look at a person, and know that they would choose wrongly and leave without accepting His Word as the Word of God.

He knew they didn't understand.

He heard the jeers on the cross.

He felt the blows on His back.

He saw satan prompting these men to hurt and kill Him.

Jesus knew that with the dawn of each day, He and all the others would face new and difficult challenges.

Today was My day.

My credit card was hacked.

I know that Jesus did not have this problem, but there were thieves and robbers who would threaten them.

The thieves used my credit card to buy some expensive cameras, a drone, and, to their credit, they made a donation to a charity.

I think I'm still a bit angry about this violation.

Is there sin in this anger or is it justified anger?

That will be a question for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

 

I know I need to let the anger go.

With the anger blocking my way to God, I cannot forgive.

I need to forgive the thieves.

Jesus forgave a thief on the cross.

Will the emotion leave when I do forgive or have I already forgiven?

I've prayed for the thieves.

I've asked God to forgive them.

I have said, "I forgive them."

I know I'll get my money back.

I've lost nothing materially.

What I've lost is my peace and balance.

Lord,

Bless them and forgive me.

Thank you for using this experience to teach me to forgive.

I pray for their conversion.

I pray for my conversion.

Lord, we praise You and bless You!

We thank You for Your goodness to us.

Yes, I'll take this cross and carry it.

Thank You.

 

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 

Matthew 16: 24