The story even reached Rome, and the bishop of Scranton was instructed in 1986 to investigate. Monsignor John Esseff, a priest and exorcist of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton, was sent. In a previous interview I had with Esseff on exorcism, he had mentioned the case to me. “Everyone thought the house was possessed, but it wasn’t,” he said.
Regardless of what may have happened previous to his visit, when Esseff arrived, he discerned that the former owners had never left. “There were two sisters that previously owned the home,” Esseff explained. “They never moved out after they died and were infesting the home as disembodied spirits. The sisters were still attached to the house.”
Instead of an exorcism, Esseff brought several Catholic sisters with him and prayed for the two former owners. He obtained their names from the deed to the house. The Smurls, who Esseff described as “fine people,” were Catholic, and joined in the prayers. “We did an enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and said a Mass,” he said.
“During the Mass, there was an icy chill–during the invocation of the spirits of the dead,” Esseff said. “When I said their names and asked them to go to God, the chill went through everyone, gradually moved up, and then left.”
The sisters were in purgatory, according to Esseff. “Souls in purgatory are in terrible torment but can remain attached to the things that they were attached to during their lives,” he said.
Esseff explained that many souls who are unprepared at their time of death are suffering this way. “They depend on our prayers which God, in his mercy, allows to help them.”
Into the Light
Fr. Gary Thomas is a parish priest and exorcist working in California. The Rite a book which was later made into a movie, chronicled his training as an exorcist. An important part of his job, according to him, is discernment as to what is causing a perceived spiritual disturbance. . “I have a prayer team I call it a discernment team and a prayer team.” He said. “Often times problems are found to stem from natural causes such as mental illness so they need to be screen carefully.” He pointed out that in some cases, there is nothing demonic, but a soul who has died could be in some way causing spiritual activity. “In some cases, there are souls that have died and still on earth that are afraid to go to the light,” he said. “They fear the judgment of God, and I will tell them to go to the light and trust in God’s mercy.’’ Purgatory, he said, is a place of God’s mercy.
Padre
Pio Visited
Pio Visited
Many Catholic
saints have received glimpses of purgatory. St.
Padre Pio was often visited by poor souls to request prayers. He once reported: “More souls of the dead from purgatory than of the living climb this
mountain to attend my Masses and seek my prayers.”
saints have received glimpses of purgatory. St.
Padre Pio was often visited by poor souls to request prayers. He once reported: “More souls of the dead from purgatory than of the living climb this
mountain to attend my Masses and seek my prayers.”
 |
| St. Padre Pio |
In May 1922, St. Padre Pio testified about one account to the Bishop of
Melfi along with 5 other friars. One of the five friars, Fra Alberto D’ Apolito
of San Giovanni Rotondo wrote it down.
St. Pio told them that a man in a black mantle appeared to him while he
was in his room in the convent. The
saint asked the man who he was. The stranger identified himself as Pietro Di
Mauro and said he had died in a fire, on September 18, 1908, in that very
convent which had then been a hospice for elderly. “I died in the flames, while I was sleeping
on my straw mattress, right in this room. I have come from purgatory. God
has granted me to come here and ask you to say Mass for me tomorrow morning.
Thanks to one Mass I will be able to enter into Paradise.”
A few days later, Father Paolino went to the office of the register of
deaths to confirm the story and found: “On September 18, 1908 in the fire of
the hospice, Pietro Di Mauro died.”
deaths to confirm the story and found: “On September 18, 1908 in the fire of
the hospice, Pietro Di Mauro died.”
We Need Each
Other
Other
In the newly released book Visions of
Purgatory: A Private Revelation translated from the original French version
that was published in 1996, a vivid revelation of purgatory is given. The author, under spiritual direction of a
priest, remains anonymous, seeking only to fulfill the mission to encourage the
faithful to pray for the poor souls in purgatory who are so often forgotten.
Purgatory: A Private Revelation translated from the original French version
that was published in 1996, a vivid revelation of purgatory is given. The author, under spiritual direction of a
priest, remains anonymous, seeking only to fulfill the mission to encourage the
faithful to pray for the poor souls in purgatory who are so often forgotten.
The author’s angel explained to him that as part of the body of Christ, the
souls in purgatory need our prayers and we also benefit from their prayers for
us. “Pray for them; they need your
suffrages, and they expect your faithfulness and gratitude. God wants it that way, because your prayers
for these blessed souls are an act of charity, a testimony of love which will
make you progress in this virtue of faith, which expands the horizons of your
charity and deepens your faith, which enriches and consolidates your hope.”
souls in purgatory need our prayers and we also benefit from their prayers for
us. “Pray for them; they need your
suffrages, and they expect your faithfulness and gratitude. God wants it that way, because your prayers
for these blessed souls are an act of charity, a testimony of love which will
make you progress in this virtue of faith, which expands the horizons of your
charity and deepens your faith, which enriches and consolidates your hope.”
He was told that there is no sin in purgatory, but only the remains which need
to be purified. Each soul has it’s own
particular experiences but the greatest punishment is to be deprived of the
beauty and holiness of God.
to be purified. Each soul has it’s own
particular experiences but the greatest punishment is to be deprived of the
beauty and holiness of God.
The visionary was informed that the fire of purgatory is so terrible that
by comparison, fire on earth is like a gentle ointment. It provokes an atrocious thirst referred to
Psalm 63: “My souls thirsts for thee: my
flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.”
by comparison, fire on earth is like a gentle ointment. It provokes an atrocious thirst referred to
Psalm 63: “My souls thirsts for thee: my
flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.”
The angel told him that the terrible punishment of purgatory is a heartrendering and ardent languishing of love in the soul. “Absolutely everything
for these souls—whether punishment or consolation—is a function of the
glorification of God, their one and only occupation. They would gladly stay for a thousand years
in purgatory if they could in this way increase the glory of God…. When they
pray for us, they only want our good which is always ordered to the glory of
God.”
His angel told him that in purgatory there is the light of God’s mercy and
the fire of his justice—both consoling and terrible. “Do you understand how
much you have to pray for the souls in purgatory? This is very much forgotten today…. Therefore,
you must write and awaken this concern for the souls in purgatory and you must
remind your brothers that the communion of saints is a reality with its demands
of charity.”
the fire of his justice—both consoling and terrible. “Do you understand how
much you have to pray for the souls in purgatory? This is very much forgotten today…. Therefore,
you must write and awaken this concern for the souls in purgatory and you must
remind your brothers that the communion of saints is a reality with its demands
of charity.”
Avoid It
The angel pleaded for prayers and penance for the souls in purgatory and
warned people to avoid it at all cost.
“Pray, do penance, sanctify yourself in silence and in the fulfillment
of the duties of your state, and offer everything for the holy souls…. Really, you don’t know what purgatory is
like; if you knew, you would work very seriously for your eternal salvation,
and you would try with your prayers to obtain the freedom of these souls who
are suffering so much.
warned people to avoid it at all cost.
“Pray, do penance, sanctify yourself in silence and in the fulfillment
of the duties of your state, and offer everything for the holy souls…. Really, you don’t know what purgatory is
like; if you knew, you would work very seriously for your eternal salvation,
and you would try with your prayers to obtain the freedom of these souls who
are suffering so much.
“The time that is given to you on earth should serve to prepare you for
your encounter with God. If you really
understood this, purgatory would not exist because souls would do all that was
possible to be ready for the moment of encounter.”
To achieve this, the angel told him to,
“surrender yourself totally to divine love. You have to let yourself be transformed by
love until you are converted into a perfect instrument of love…. Give yourself
in everything to the pure will of God…This is the perfection that is asked of
you, and you should work for one thing only: to glorify God who is love.”
your encounter with God. If you really
understood this, purgatory would not exist because souls would do all that was
possible to be ready for the moment of encounter.”
To achieve this, the angel told him to,
“surrender yourself totally to divine love. You have to let yourself be transformed by
love until you are converted into a perfect instrument of love…. Give yourself
in everything to the pure will of God…This is the perfection that is asked of
you, and you should work for one thing only: to glorify God who is love.”
He explained that for many souls, they are motivated to avoid purgatory out
of fear but instead should seek the love of God and desire his glory. “Understand
well what I am telling you now: The only
way to avoid purgatory is not to do everything to avoid it, but to do
everything to go to heaven. … Everything else is vanity.”
of fear but instead should seek the love of God and desire his glory. “Understand
well what I am telling you now: The only
way to avoid purgatory is not to do everything to avoid it, but to do
everything to go to heaven. … Everything else is vanity.”
~~~~~~~~
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