Cervantes

In the past week, the St. Peter’s Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in El Cajon, California was defaced overnight, with swastikas, an upside-down cross, and other messages spray-painted on the church’s doors and entryways.

It the St. Joseph cathedral in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the statue of Jesus Christ was also desecrated and spray-painted with the F-word.

At the Church of St. Agatha al Collegio in Caltanissetta, Sicily, Italy, the Holy Eucharist were torn and strewn on the floor while the relics of St Agatha were also desecrated, a replica of her incorruptible body partially undressed, with the limbs pulled.

At the cathedral in the Italian city of Spoleto, a gold and crystal casing holding drops of the blood of Saint Pope John Paul II was stolen from the from an altar dedicated to the Polish pope, who died in 2005 after a 27-year r ei gn.

In China and other countries, attacks on Christian churches, nay, Christians, are spreading.

Needless to say, Covid 19 has also clamped down religion worldwide. In the Philippines, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid 19 has approved 30 percent patronage for casinos and only 10 percent attendance in churches.

So should there be wonder that God’s justice is forthcoming and that God is making known to us via mystics dire prophecies as a likely consequence of moral intransigence?

Despite the seeming terrifying nature of the prophecies, many of which I have shared in this column, Jesus Christ admonishes us not to fear. This,He said through Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta (sorry for misspelling her surname in the past columns).

On Dec. 25, 1927, Jesus told Luisa: “If you knew what it means to be looked upon by Me, you would no longer fear anything,” and on Oct. 12, 1930 also said: “My daughter, do not fear; fear is the scourge of the poor nothing, in such a way that the nothing which is beaten by the whips of fear, feels itself lacking life and losing it.”

Then on June 6, 1935, Jesus also told Luisa: “You must know that I always love my children, my beloved creatures, I would turn Myself inside out so as not to see them struck; so much so, that in the gloomy times that are coming, I have placed them all in the hands of my Celestial Mother— to Her have I entrusted them, that She may keep them for Me under Her safe mantle. I will give Her all those whom She will want; even death will have no power over those who will be in the custody of my Mother.”

Luisa also wrote about what she saw on that day, thus: “Now, while He was saying this, my dear Jesus showed me, with facts, how the Sovereign Queen descended from Heaven with an unspeakable majesty, and a tenderness fully maternal; and She went around in the midst of creatures, throughout all nations, and She marked Her dear children and those who were not to be touched by the scourges. Whomever my Celestial Mother touched, the scourges had no power to touch those creatures. Sweet Jesus gave to His Mother the right to bring to safety whomever She pleased.”

NOW, I continue sharing excerpts from the historical publication Manuscript of Purgatory, a 19th century conversation between the then living SisterMaryoftheCrossandthedeceasedSisterMaryGabrielwhowastill then in Purgatory. The publication is important because it gives us some ideas of how it is in the afterlife.

Sister Mary of the Cross: Tell me what happens during the agony and after. Does the soul find itself in light or darkness? Under what form is the sentence pronounced?

Sister Mary Gabriel: “: ...When the soul leaves the body it is as if it were lost in or, if I may say so, surrounded by God. It finds itself in such a bewildering light that in the twinkling of an eye it sees its whole life spread out, and at this sight, it sees what it deserves, and this same light pronounces its sentence. The soul does not see God but is annihilated in His presence. If the soul is guilty as I was and, therefore, deserves to go to Purgatory, it is so crushed by the weight of the faults that still remain to be blotted out, that it hurls itself into Purgatory. It is only then that one understands God and His love for souls and what a terrible evil sin is in the eyes of the Divine Majesty. St. Michael is present when the soul leaves the body. I saw him only, and he is the only one that every soul sees. (Later) I also saw my Guardian Angel. From this you can understand why it is said, ‘St. Michael conducts souls to Purgatory’, for a soul is not taken, but he is there at the carrying out of each sentence. All that happens in this other world is a mystery for yours.” (To be continued)