Tuesday, February 13, 2024

The Incredible Final Journey of Father Mike

 


Dr. John Lerma, in his book Into the Light: Real Life Stories About Angelic Visits, Visions of the Afterlife, and Other Pre-Death Experiences, recounts his interactions with an elderly priest he identifies only as “Fr. Mike.” It is a fascinating story for all of us, particularly as we enter the season of Lent with penance and reparation on our minds.

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Fr. Mike was a Catholic priest dying of severe neck and head cancer at M.D. Anderson Medical Center in Houston. He was missing an eye from the cancer and suffering intense pain, yet he refused any pain medication. Dr. Lerma, his attending physician, recalled Fr. Mike instructing him on the Catholic group Opus Dei's beliefs about pain and suffering. Fr. Mike felt his suffering would help countless souls worldwide, including other hospice patients. Though it went against his medical training, Dr. Lerma honored Fr. Mike's desire to feel his pain raw and unmodified.

 Despite describing his pain as unbearable, Fr. Mike maintained a joyful spirit, insisting he felt only love for God. He spoke of seeing angels dressed in white and said they were working on projects to spread optimism globally. Fr. Mike believed focusing too much on negative news darkens the soul and “puts us in a position to develop fear and judgment of others.” He also talked frequently about unconditional love and said random acts of kindness could stop wars and change the world. He cautioned that technology without God could destroy humanity but could also be a great good if controlled by people who were close to Christ. He saw prayer, knowledge, self-sacrifice, love, and joy as the keys to life.

 When Fr. Mike slipped into a coma, Dr. Lerma described him as glowing with incredible peace despite a racing heartbeat and labored breathing. On the day of his death a few days later, an ominous storm raged over the region, with the worst of it, it seemed, right over the hospital. When Dr. Lerma arrived in the hospice wing after being paged about Fr. Mike's passing, the lights were flickering on and off, yet there was “an incredible sense of peace in the midst of the chaos.” The nurse and secretary said they saw a bright light shine from Fr. Mike's room, making them think that the overhead lights were coming back on. But the most incredible event that happened, and which was witnessed by all, was that each time the lights pulsed, feathers fluttered down from the ceiling like snowflakes, vanishing as soon as they landed. Attending nurses also said they saw a glowing orb exit the priest’s body, circle the bed, and fly away. Moments later, the lights came back on.

 When Dr. Lerma went into the priest’s room, Fr. Mike still wore a striking smile, his palms were open, and he seemed downright blissful in death. Later, the dean of the Catholic university where Fr. Mike was once the president, reported similar electrical disturbances and falling feathers at their offices right around the time those things were happening at the hospital. The dean noted Fr. Mike had collected feathers from around the world throughout his life and kept them in a jar in his office. After the disturbances were over, the dean went to the priest’s office and discovered that the jar of feathers was empty.


Sunday, February 4, 2024

Homilies and the Heavenly Hosts

 

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Ángel lamparero, Benito de Hita y Castillo.jpg

It has long been a practice of many priests in the Church to call on their guardian angel for assistance before preaching or giving a sermon. St. Francis de Sales would greet the guardian angels of all those at Mass so that they might help him to preach in a way that would inspire the faithful to holiness and conversion. Dominican preachers were also known to begin their sermons by silently praying to the guardian angels of their listeners, seeking their intercession so that their words would have a real impact.

In an interview in which he discussed his belief in the need to revive the practice of private devotions, particularly devotion to the angels, Fr. Basil Cole, OP, Professor Emeritus at the Dominican House of Studies, recalled an interesting personal experience that drew on the traditions of his predecessors.

During a parish mission, Father Cole prayed to the angels of his congregants before delivering his prepared homily. To his surprise, the sermon he delivered deviated considerably from his original outline. However, the impact was profound. Penitents lined up for the sacrament of reconciliation afterward, attributing their presence to the sermon they heard. “I'm here,” said one person after another, “because of that sermon.”

Since that experience, Father Cole has consistently sought the assistance of the angels before teaching or preaching. He is certain that it improves the effectiveness of his ministry.

So, if you find yourself particularly inspired by the next homily you hear, it could be partly the doing of your guardian angel.

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Beware of "Spirit Guides" . . .

 


. . . they may not be who they say they are.

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"The Catholic Church has long taught that each of us has a guardian angel to guide us throughout our lives on our way to God's Kingdom. In a demonic inversion of the sacred, some occultists posit that you have a personal spirit or a spirit guide."

In his latest blog post on The Exorcist Diary, Msgr. Stephen Rossetti reminds us to be ever vigilant of deceptive spirits, and to never try to communicate with our guardian angel via New Age or occult practices.

Read the whole post here.


Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Angels and Exorcisms

 

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons


It's comforting to reflect on how the angels are always with us in all our needs and circumstances. In his latest blog post, Msgr. Stephen Rossetti tells us how comforting and beneficial it is to him and his deliverance team to have angelic defenders present at exorcisms. 

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Exorcist Diary #237: Angelic Powers in an Exorcism


One of our afflicted persons has been particularly violent in sessions and needs strong restraints. At one point, he managed to break free and started to swing his arms wildly. The exorcist was justly alarmed and prayed aloud: "I ask the holy angels to restraint this man until we can secure him!" Immediately, his arms dropped to his side and remained motionless until he was restrained again. After being restrained, he again began to thrash, but was safely secured.

A particularly gifted individual told us that we have at least one angel from the angelic ranks of Powers at each of our exorcism sessions . . .
Read the entire post here.

Monday, February 6, 2023

Help For Financial Curses


Demons will try to take everything from you ... including your money. In this fascinating blog post repeated below, exorcist Msgr. Stephen Rossetti shares wisdom and warnings about the demonic and financial curses.

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Exorcist Diary #226: Financially Cursed


A man's cry for help to us caught my eye. He said:

"I own my own business. Large amounts of money come through but

I can never keep any of it. If it looks like I will have a little profit from a job,

something unexpected will ALWAYS pop up and take it, like a vehicle breaking

down, even though there was absolutely nothing wrong with it before. Recently a

customer wanted to pay their final payment with a credit card. I have three

different credit card systems, each under different companies, but the day I went

to collect the payment none of them would work...."


These were just a few of his examples. He had many more!

Read the entire post here.



Thursday, September 22, 2022

An Exorcism in 1907

 


From Catholic Exchange:

"They carry enormous weights that two men could hardly lift (the girls are about sixteen years old). They understand Latin while in their fits, and they even speak it sometimes. They reveal the secret sins of the school children, etc. Sometimes they are lifted off the ground in spite of the sisters holding them. A few days before, while the sisters were holding Germana, she shouted, “I am on fire!” The sisters withdrew and saw the girl’s dress ablaze. Another time, her bed began to burn also, although there was no fire nearby. And so on . . ."

Read the entire article at Catholic Exchange >>

Sunday, August 7, 2022

St.Michael, Prince of Angels

 


From Mary's Blog:

"During the summer just past, I was rudely awoken one night by a strong stench of burning. The air around my bed seemed heavy and thick with particles of scorched earth. In my sleepiness, I thought that someone had left a pot of earth-encrusted potatoes on the boil too long and that their muddy skins were now burning. But as I tried to move from bed, the smell of earth-on-fire came at me with a violent power that pushed me backwards and I wondered how I could even raise my voice to cry out that something was on fire. Then the ferocity of the stench struck me as not being of a natural origin and I realized that it was a variety of demonic attack and my soul shrieked, HOLY MICHAEL, PRAY FOR ME . . ."

Read more at Mary's Blog >>

Thursday, August 4, 2022

An Angel in Chattanooga?

 

Photo by Fabrizio Rinaldi (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

"Was it . . . an angel?

One of the most incredible accounts I’ve heard involved a Christian chemist named Vincent Tan Ban Soon, who emigrated from Singapore. He was working in a laboratory late the night of March 25, 1993, this in Tennessee, and about 1:30 a.m., as he readied to leave, he happened to look out the door and spot a man standing next to his car, on the passenger side.

It was a tough part of town, known for its crime . . ."


Read more at SpiritDaily.com>>

Monday, October 21, 2019

St. John Henry Newman and the Angels



Newly canonized Cardinal John Henry Newman had an extraordinary devotion to the holy angels. In Sermon Notes he wrote:

“Many wonderful things in this world, but an angel more wonderful than all. If a creature so wonderful, what the Creator?”

In 1853, he wrote a beautiful poem to his guardian angel. Please take a minute to read it, with a prayerful attitude if possible. Your angel will be glad you did.


“Guardian Angel”

MY oldest friend, mine from the hour
When first I drew my breath;
My faithful friend, that shall be mine,
Unfailing, till my death;

No beating heart in holy prayer,
No faith, inform’d aright,
Gave me to Joseph’s tutelage,
Or Michael’s conquering might.

Nor patron Saint, nor Mary’s love,
The dearest and the best,
Has known my being, as thou hast known,
And blest, as thou hast blest.

Thou wast my sponsor at the font;
And thou, each budding year,
Didst whisper elements of truth
Into my childish ear.

And when, ere boyhood yet was gone,
My rebel spirit fell,
Ah! thou didst see, and shudder too,
Yet bear each deed of Hell.

And then in turn, when judgments came,
And scared me back again,
Thy quick soft breath was near to soothe
And hallow every pain.

Oh! who of all thy toils and cares
Can tell the tale complete,
To place me under Mary’s smile,
And Peter’s royal feet!

And thou wilt hang about my bed,
When life is ebbing low;
Of doubt, impatience, and of gloom,
The jealous sleepless foe.

Mine, when I stand before the Judge;
And mine, if spared to stay
Within the golden furnace, till
My sin is burn’d away.

And mine, O Brother of my soul,
When my release shall come;
Thy gentle arms shall lift me then,
Thy wings shall waft me home.

(The Oratory, 1853).


Saturday, February 9, 2019

St. Apollonia (check out the pincers!)


Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0 

St. Apollonia

The Martyrology reads: "At Alexandria the holy virgin Apollonia—under the Emperor Decius (249-251) her teeth were beaten out; then the executioners built and lit a funeral pyre, and threatened to burn her alive unless she would repeat their blasphemies. After some reflection she suddenly tore herself loose from her tormentors and threw herself into the flames. The fire of the Holy Spirit that glowed within her was more intense than the burning pyre. Her executioners were astounded to see a weak woman willingly embracing death with such determination before they were ready to carry out their threats."

The saint was already well on in years. An account of St. Apollonia's martyrdom was written by Bishop Dionysius of Alexandria (died 265), a contemporary. She is honored as the patroness against toothache.

Apollonia, it might seem, committed suicide. Her act was used by the ancients as proof that it is permitted to escape dishonor or persecution through voluntary death. But the most authoritative moralists, including Saint Augustine, declare that even in such cases suicide is not permitted, and seek to justify Apollonia's heroic act by assuming that she acted according to a special mandate from God; without such a divine injunction no one is allowed to follow her example. The saints are not to be imitated on every point.
— Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Dentists, tooth disease, toothache.

Symbols: Deaconess holding a set of pincers which often holds a tooth; gilded tooth; pincers grabbing a tooth; pincers; tooth and a palm branch; tooth; woman wearing a golden tooth on a chain.

Things to Do:
  • Pray to St. Apollonia for a courageous and holy death. The elderly especially may beseech her to strengthen their faith as they weaken and approach death.