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HEAVEN
top3(Q): What is Heaven?
(A): Heaven is the state of everlasting life in which we see God face to face, are made like unto Him in glory, and enjoy eternal happiness (taken from Baltimore Catechism). Heaven is open to all who die in a state of grace--not in mortal sin. (see Sins).(Q): How do we know that there is a heaven?
(A): The Bible tells us many wonderful things about Heaven. Heaven is the goal of all human existence. God created us so to be with Him for all eternity. Our sins can prevent us from going to heaven. If we seek God's mercy and our hearts ache in sorrow over our sins, we can still attain heaven.Jesus speaks of heaven when in Lk. 23:43 he says; "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." Just as Jesus promises the good thief he also promises us paradise.
Another strong verse indicating the existence of heaven is 1 Cor. 2:9 "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
1023 Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God forever, for they "see him as he is," face to face:
By virtue of our apostolic authority, we define the following: According to the general disposition of God, the souls of all the saints and other faithful who died after receiving Christ's holy Baptism (provided they were not in need of purification when they died, or, if they then did need or will need some purification, when they have been purified after death,) already before they take up their bodies again and before the general judgment - and this since the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into heaven - have been, are and will be in heaven, in the heavenly Kingdom and celestial paradise with Christ, joined to the company of the holy angels. Since the Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen and do see the divine essence with an intuitive vision, and even face to face, without the mediation of any creature.
1024 This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity - this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed - is called "heaven." Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness.
1025 To live in heaven is "to be with Christ." The elect live "in Christ," but they retain, or rather find, their true identity, their own name. For life is to be with Christ; where Christ is, there is life, there is the kingdom.
1029 In the glory of heaven the blessed continue joyfully to fulfill God's will in relation to other men and to all creation. Already they reign with Christ; with him "they shall reign for ever and ever."
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(1 Cor 2:9) - But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."
(Matt 5:3) - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
(John 14:2) - "In My Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
(Peter 5:4) - And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
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St. John Bosco (1815-1888), known for his gifts of visions and prophecies, was once taken up in a vision of heaven. He described the place he saw as not like our earth with the changes of the seasons; rather, it appeared to have a constant climate, "mild and suitable for every tree and plant." Don Bosco (as he is also called) then saw a mysterious lake filled with the blood of the martyrs and of Jesus Christ. This lake guarded the Holy Mountain, the Catholic Church. To the east of the lake, a huge valley was seen. In the midst of heaven were countless angels, singing with beautiful melodic voices (Michael Freze, S.F.O, Voices, Visions & Apparitions).
(NOTE: The following excerpts are from apparitions in Medjugorje. The Catholic Church has not officially approved these apparitions. Taken from The Visions of the Children by Janice T. Connell, St. Martin Press)
Vicka describes Heaven - Heaven is a vast place; it is "unlimited" (infinite). The people are very happy people. They were dressed, in pink, gray, and yellow robes. They are so happy. You can see it on their faces. It is a kingdom of love, joy, and of peace. God made every child of His to live in that kingdom. It is sin that keeps us out.
There are no words to describe Heaven. You just have to experience it. Heaven is a reward for those who stay faithful to God until the end. When our body dies, nothing changes for us except that we no longer have a body. We are exactly the same person, except the physical body is gone. Also, we no longer have free will. We must now face in God's light, all the results of our free choices, which we made while we had a body. We now can see, she says, the results of our choices until the end of time. We can't remedy anything now. We are totally dependent upon God's mercy and the love and kindness of those still on earth to repair and restore any harm we have done to any person, place, or thing on earth.
Mirjana - Heaven was like a video unfolding before my eyes. I saw happy healthy people, both men and woman. The grass was of a beauty I can't describe. The flowers were so beautiful I can't describe them.
Blessed Mother to Mirjana on Heaven - (Mirjana) She told me many people on earth today do not believe heaven exists. She said God has chosen us six visionaries to be instruments of His love and mercy. I have personally seen heaven. It exists! I've seen it! Those who stay faithful to God to the end will see heaven as a reward for their faithfulness
HELL
top3
(Q): What is Hell and does Hell Exist?
(A): Hell is a state to which the wicked are condemned, and in which they are deprived of the sight of God for all eternity, and are in dreadful torments (Baltimore Catechism). Yes, Hell exists; we have the Bible to prove that Hell exists.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
1033 We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: "He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren. To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell."
1034 Jesus often speaks of "Gehenna," of "the unquenchable fire" reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they will gather all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire," and that he will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!"
1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire." The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.
1036 The affirmations of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church on the subject of hell are a call to the responsibility incumbent upon man to make use of his freedom in view of his eternal destiny. They are at the same time an urgent call to conversion: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few." Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is completed, we may merit to enter with him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed, and not, like the wicked and slothful servants, be ordered to depart into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness where "men will weep and gnash their teeth."
1037 God predestines no one to go to hell for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want "any to perish, but all to come to repentance": Father, accept this offering from your whole family. Grant us your peace in this life, save us from final damnation, and count us among those you have chosen.
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(Luke 13:24-27):
(Jesus) "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying "Lord, open the door for us." He will say to you in reply, "I do not know where you are from." And you will say, "We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets." Then he will say to you, "I do not know where you are from. Depart form me, all you evildoers!" And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out."(Matthew 25:40-41):
(Jesus) "And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'"(Matthew 22:13-14)
(Jesus) "Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.' Many are invited, but few are chosen."(Mark 9:43)
(Jesus) "If you hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire."(Matthew 13:41-42)
(Jesus) "The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."(Matthew 13:49-50)
(Jesus) "Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."(John 5:28-29)
(Jesus) "Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation."(Revelation 21:9)
"But as for cowards, the unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death."(2 Thessalonians 1:6-9)
"For it is surely just on God's part to repay with afflictions those who are afflicting you, and to grant rest along with us to you who are undergoing afflictions, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his mighty angels, in blazing fire, inflicting punishment on those who do not acknowledge God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power…"Top of Section on Hell
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FATIMA - On July 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary opened her hands over the three children, and the light streaming from them seemed to penetrate the earth; the three children beheld a vision of Hell. Lucia cried out in terror, calling upon Our Lady. "We could see a vast sea of fire," she revealed many years later. Lucia described the vision:
"Plunged in the flames were demons and lost souls, as if they were red-hot coals, transparent and black or bronze-colored, in human form, which floated about in the conflagration, borne by the flames which issued from them, with clouds of smoke falling on all sides as sparks fall in a great conflagration without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of sorrow and despair that horrified us and caused us to tremble with fear. The devils could be distinguished by horrible and loathsome forms of animals, frightful and unknown, but transparent like black coals that have turned red-hot." Full of fear, the children raised their eyes beseechingly to Our Lady, who said to them with unspeakable sadness and tenderness: "You have seen Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. In order to save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If people do what I ask, many souls will be saved and there will be peace."
Little Jacinta, in particular, was powerfully struck by Our Lady's revelations on the poor sinners who are condemned to Hell for all eternity. She would exclaim, "Oh, Hell! Hell! I am so sorry for the souls who go there!" And thus motivated, she prayed and made sacrifices continually.
Our Lady said at Fatima, "Many souls go to Hell because there is no one to pray and make sacrifices for them." (Raised from the Dead, by Fr. Albert J. Hebert, S.M. TAN Publishing 1986)
Apparitions of the Damned
St. Antonius (1389-1459), archbishop of Florence, relates in his writings a terrible fact which, about the middle of the fifteenth century, spread fright over the whole north of Italy. A young man of good stock, who, at the age of 16 or 17, had the misfortune of concealing a mortal sin in Confession, and, in that state, of receiving Communion, had put off from week to week and month to month, the painful disclosures of his sacrileges.
Tortured by remorse, instead of discovering with simplicity his misfortune, he sought to gain quiet by great penances, but to no purpose. Unable to bear the strain any longer, he entered a monastery. The young man thought to himself, I will tell all, and expiate my frightful sins. Unhappily, he was welcomed as a holy young man by his superiors, who knew him by reputation, and his shame again got the better of him. Accordingly, he deferred his confession of this sin to a later period; and a year, two years, three years passed in this deplorable state; he never dared to reveal his misfortune. Finally, sickness seemed to him to afford an easy means of doing it. "Now is the time," he said to himself; "I am going to tell all; I will make a general confession before I die." But this time, instead of frankly and fairly declaring his faults, he twisted them so artfully that his confessor was unable to understand him. He hoped to come back again the next day, but an attack of delirium came on and the unfortunate man died.
The community, who was ignorant of the frightful reality, was full of veneration for the deceased. His body was borne with a certain degree of solemnity into the church of the monastery, and lay exposed in the choir until the next morning when the funeral was to be celebrated.
A few moments before the time fixed for the ceremony, one of the brothers, sent to toll the bell, saw before him, all of a sudden, the deceased, encompassed by chains that seemed aglow with fire, while something blazing appeared all over his person. Frightened, the poor brother fell on his knees, with his eyes riveted on the terrifying apparition. Then the damned soul said to him: "Do not pray for me, I am in here for all eternity." And he related the sad story of his false shame and sacrileges. Thereupon, he vanished, leaving in the church a disgusting odor, which spread all over the monastery, as if to prove the truth of all the brother had just seen and heard. Notified at once, the superiors had the corpse taken away, deeming it unworthy of ecclesiastical burial (from Hell, by Fr. F.X. Schouppe. S.J.)
St. Frances of Rome
She was allowed a vision of Hell. It was so horrendous, she could not speak of it without sobbing uncontrollably. The vision of Hell and its horror, the excruciating agony of its tenants, tormented her more than any suffering she had endured on earth. (Visions of Heaven Hell and Purgatory, by Bob and Penny Lord)
St. Teresa of Avila
When praying one day, St Teresa found herself in the middle of Hell. She wrote that the entrance resembled a very long straight alley, like a very low oven, dark and narrow. The ground was covered with what looked like very filthy, muddy water. A nauseatingly foul stench attacked her senses from the water that was stirred up by the many vile reptiles slithering through it. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she spotted on one side of the pathway, a cavity in the wall. The horrible, frightening sight before her, was as nothing compared to what she felt there. She writes that she felt a fire in her soul and the most unbearable bodily pains she had ever known, including the excruciating spasms resulting from the shrinking of her limb. The physical and spiritual torment caused by the devil could not compare with the agony she experienced in her soul: "a sense of being constrained, a stifling, an anguish so keen, a sorrow so abandoned and afflicted" she could not describe it adequately. She said that it seemed as if "her soul was cutting itself to pieces." (Visions of Heaven Hell and Purgatory, by Bob and Penny Lord)
(NOTE: The following excerpts are from apparitions in Medjugorje. The Catholic Church has not officially approved these apparitions. Taken from The Visions of the Children by Janice T. Connell, St. Martin Press)
Vicka describes Hell - Satan is real. He watches day and night. He hates God and really hates us. He wants to snatch us away from God and keep us in his power for all eternity. He (Satan) can't touch us unless we let him. The suffering in hell is horrible. The people there are not free, they are constrained. They must do Satan's bidding for all eternity.
So many fall into Satan's snares by ignorance. He is the father of lies. He always promises people everything so they will break God's Commandments "just a little bit." Then Satan is in charge. God's Commandments are God's walls of safety for souls on earth. When we voluntarily kick in the walls of safety God has provided for us, we allow Satan to rush in and take over our lives.Vicka says that the Eucharist is armor against Satan. Also Vicka said that the Blessed Mother has told her how valuable wearing blessed objects like medals and crosses is to give protection from Satan.
People turn away from God by the choices they make. In this way they choose to enter the fire of hell where they burn away all connection to God. That's why they can never get back to God. It takes God's mercy to get back to Him. In hell, they no longer have access to God's mercy. They (people) become one with hell even while they have their body. At death they go on as they were when they had a body.. We are either for God and with God and in God, or we are victims of Satan. We choose to be one with him.
Question to VICKA: - Who would choose hell?:
Vicka's Response: Those who have made themselves, their earthly appetites, god. Look at all the suffering on earth. Father turns against son, daughter against mother. Brothers and sisters have grudges against each other. The divorce rate is high everywhere, unborn babies are killed, old people are afforded no respect, children don't obey parents. These conditions show that many people all over the world are already living in hell even on earth. The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom or love. Those who are without love, who live without God, are already in hell.Top of Section on Hell
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PURGATORY
top1Stories of Purgatory
Catholic Catechism
Bible Verses(Q): What exactly is the function of Purgatory?
(A): Purgatory is the state in which those suffer for a time who die guilty of venial sins, or without having satisfied for the punishment due to their sins (see Sins),.(Q): I have been told that Purgatory is a recent invention of the Catholic Church, is this true?
(A): No, this is not true. We have proof from the early Christians and from the Bible that purgatory does exist. There are many references of prayers for the dead in the Catacombs. The references are found on the walls in the form of graffiti written above the graves of the early Christians. Why would there be prayers for the dead if they were already in Heaven? If the deceased were some where other than Heaven or Hell, then they would need prayers. Also, there is no evidence in early writing that there was a struggle with this belief, it was accepted and well known. To this day Orthodox Jews still pray for the souls of their dead friends and relatives. So the notion of Purgatory is far from being an invention of the Catholic faith, it goes back way before Christ.According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven."
In Purgatory all remaining love of self is transformed into love of God. As Rev. 21-27 states that nothing defiled can enter heaven. Prayers from those still living on earth can help free those who are in Purgatory who are unable to pray for themselves. The Bible shows the following:
(Mt. 12-32) - "And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either in this age or in the age to come." (Some sins can be forgiven after death-where? Purgatory)
(1 Cor 3:13,15) - "Each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. (15) If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." (The fire is the purification of Purgatory).
(1 Peter 3:19-20) - "...in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water." (After Jesus' death he went and preached to the spirits in prison that were disobedient. Now, these prisoners were not in Heaven or Hell, where were they? These spirits are in a waiting place being purified for their disobedience, the place is called Purgatory.)
(2 Maccabees, 12-46) - "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins."
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The Catechism of the Catholic Church
1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:
As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.
1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin." From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:
Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.
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St. Perpetua (d.203) of Carthage once stated that she had a vision of her deceased brother Dinocrates in purgatory while she was imprisoned during the persecutions of Emperor Severus. To Perpetua, purgatory appeared to be like an arid desert. Her brother was only in purgatory for a short time, since his sin was not great. He did have an ulcer on his face and was tormented by thirst. Perpetua, moved by compassion, prayed for his release. In a vision three days later, she saw her brother with an angelic face, drinking water from a golden cup in a beautiful garden. This vision convinced Perpetua that Dinocrates had finally reached his heavenly home. (Michael Freze, S.F.O. Voices, Visions, and Apparitions)
St. Frances of Rome (1384-1440), foundress of the Oblates, was the recipient of a number of detailed visions of purgatory. She described this place as consisting of several levels, each one worse than the others. In the first (or upper) level, a temporary abode exists for souls that suffer only a little, except the pain of loss, and eagerly await the moment of their entry into heaven. This first region appeared like an immense dungeon of ice; the coldness of this place was harsh and extreme. The second region was like a huge caldron of boiling oil and pitch. Finally, the third and lowest region resembled molten gold or silver. Here, the environment was like a huge fiery furnace but not quite as dark or hot as hell. Immense flames shot forth for the purification of its victims. In this, the lowest of regions, people who were guilty of mortal sin resided. (Michael Freze, S.F.O. Voices, Visions, and Apparitions)
St. Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419), born at Valencia, Spain, was a Dominican preacher blessed with the mystical gifts of visions and apparitions: visions of Christ, St. Dominic, St. Francis, etc. It is believed that after his sister died, she appeared to Vincent from a spot in purgatory. This woman had to expiate her sins for which she did not make satisfaction during the course of her earthly life. Vincent claimed to see her surrounded in flames, undergoing considerable torment and suffering. It is claimed that after Vincent said thirty Masses for his sister, she appeared to him again surrounded by angels and soaring to heaven. (Michael Freze, S.F.O. Voices, Visions, and Apparitions)
St. Stanislaus Kostka (1550-1568), a Dominican from Poland, was in the middle of saying the Rosary when a poor soul from purgatory appeared to him in a vision. This female told Stanislaus that the sufferings of earth are nothing compared to those in purgatory. To prove her point, she asked Stanislaus to put out his hand. Suddenly, a drop of sweat form the visitor fell upon his skin. Stanislaus screamed with agony, as the liquid burned a hole in his hand. The departed soul claimed that this was only a portion of the pain she continuously felt in the depths of purgatory. Moved with compassion, Stanislaus continued to offer his prayers and penances on behalf of the poor souls in their state of purification. (Michael Freze, S.F.O. Voices, Visions, and Apparitions)
(NOTE: The following excerpts are from apparitions in Medjugorje. The Catholic Church has not officially approved these apparitions. Taken from The Visions of the Children by Janice T. Connell, St. Martin Press)
Vicka describes Purgatory - After the journey to purgatory, she was so horrified by the plight of the abandoned souls there that she pleaded with the Blessed Mother, who brought her there, to allow her to help them, for the Blessed Mother told her they cannot help themselves. They are totally dependent upon the prayers and penance of the people of earth to be freed from the place or purgation--and go to Heaven.
Purgatory is an endless space of ashy color. It was quite dark. I could feel people strangling and suffering there. The Blessed Mother told us we should be praying for the souls stranded in purgatory. She said only our prayers and sacrifices can release them from that place.
Question to Vicka: - Do you know for certain whether our loved ones who have passed away here our prayers:
Vicka's Response: Of course. And many of our family members who have died desperately need our prayers. The Blessed Mother says we must pray courageously for them so that they might go to heaven. They are powerless to help themselves.Mirjana describes Purgatory
I saw one place. Many people were there. They were suffering immensely. There was much physical suffering. I could see people shivering, thrashing, and writhing in pain. I saw this place only for a short time. I didn't personally experience the temperature. The Blessed Mother was with me. She explained to me that she wanted me to see purgatory. She said so many people on earth today do not even know about purgatory. Since nothing can live in the sight of God but pure love, God's justice cleanses. That is why we have purgatory.Blessed Mother to Mirjana on Purgatory - (Mirjana) She said so many people who die are quite abandoned by their loved ones. They cannot help themselves in purgatory. They are totally dependent on the prayers and sacrifices of the generous people on earth who remember them. Our Blessed Mother hopes her own children will help the souls in purgatory by prayer and fasting and various penances for the poor souls to make restitution for them.
Question to Mirjana: Mirjana, why do people of the earth have to make restitution for people who have died?
Mirjana's Response: Because those who have died no longer have free will as they had on earth. They no longer have a body. It's no longer possible for them to make up for the things that they did when they had their body that hurt and harmed themselves and others. On July 24, 1982 the Blessed Mother said: "We go to heaven in full conscious of the separation of the body and soul". It is false to teach people that we are reborn many times and that we pass to different bodies. One is born only once. The body, drawn from the earth, decomposes after death. It never comes back to life again. Man receives a transfigured body. Whoever has done very much evil during his life can go straight to heaven if he confesses, is (truly) sorry for what he has done, and receives Communion at the end of his life.Question to Mirjana:Mirjana, how do the prayers of those who are sill on earth and the penances help those who have died?
Mirjana's Response: The Blessed Mother explained that the prayers and the penance of those on the earth soften hearts of stone, melt hearts of stone. When the hearts of stone of God's children are melted, great love is possible even on this earth.Question to Mirjana: Mirjana, is it true or do you know whether the poor souls in purgatory can see us on the earth?
Mirjana's Response: They can see their loved ones during those moments when we pray for them by name.
(NOTE: The Amazing Secret of the Souls in Purgatory - An interview with Maria Simma - By Sister Emmanuel of Medjugorje)
Who is Maria Simma? Maria is a simple country woman who, since her childhood, has prayed a great deal for the souls in Purgatory. When she was twenty-five, she was favored with a very particular charism in the Church, very rare too, the charism of being visited by the souls in Purgatory. She is a fervent Catholic and has a great humility. She is very much encouraged in her tasks by her parish priest and her bishop. In spite of the quite extraordinary character of her charism, she lives in real poverty.
Question to Maria: Maria, do the souls in Purgatory have, nevertheless, joy and hope in the midst of their suffering?
Maria's Response: Yes. No soul would want to come back from Purgatory to the earth. They have knowledge that is infinitely beyond ours. They just could not decide to return to the darkness of the earth.
Question to Maria: Maria, can you tell us now if it is God who sends a soul into Purgatory, or if the soul itself decides to go there?
Maria's Response: It is the soul itself that wants to go to Purgatory, in order to be pure before going to Heaven
Question to Maria: Maria, why does one go to Purgatory? What are the sins which most lead to Purgatory?
Maria's Response: Sins against charity, against the love of one's neighbor, hardness of heart, hostility, slandering, and calumny--all these things.
Question to Maria:Maria, do the souls in Purgatory rebel when faced with their suffering?
Maria's Response: No! They want to purify themselves; they understand that it is necessary.
Question to Maria: Maria, are there many priests in Purgatory?
Maria's Response: Yes, there are many. They didn't promote respect for the Eucharist. So faith overall suffers. They are often in Purgatory for having neglected prayer--which has diminished their faith. But there are also many who have gone straight to Heaven!
