belief in ghosts

https://uscatholic.org/articles/201310/paranormal-activity-do-catholics-believe-in-ghosts/

this is a good article that covers both the official & non-official teachings of the church.

i summarize this long article as follows:

>official teaching: "all forms of DIVINATION are to be REJECTED" including "recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead, or other practices falsely supposed to 'UNVEIL' the FUTURE" e.g. consulting palm readers, interpreting omens, an interest in clairvoyance -- "all conceal a desire for POWER over time, history, & in the last analysis, over human beings." & all "contradict the HONOR, RESPECT, & LOVING FEAR that we owe to God alone." -- Catechism of the Catholic Church

--"There is NO doctrinal or moral practice with respect to ghosts or apparitions." -- Lawrence Cunningham, Professor Emeritus of Theology, University of Notre Dame

--"Christianity believes that God may, & sometimes does, PERMIT a DEPARTED SOUL to appear in visible form to people on earth... Their purpose may be to teach, or want, or request some favor [from] the living." -- The modern Catholic dictionary

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a. ghosts = spirits of the dead (source: peter kreeft, philosophy professor at Boston college)

1. from purgatory -- "sad, wispy" (delicate, faint); need to learn many painful lessons about their past life on earth

2. from hell --  "malicious & deceptive"; likely the ones who respond to conjuring & seances 

3. from heaven -- "bright, happy" spirits of family & friends, esp spouses who appear unbidden, at God's will, not ours, with messages of HOPE & LOVE.

sum: "these ghosts return 'for the sake of the living, to tell us all is WELL."

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b. devil

apologia (term for poltergeist visitations in the 17-18th c) = "the disturbances universally ascribed to the actions of the devil... a diabolic visitation was suggestive of an unholy familiarly with witchcraft & sorcery." (source: fr. hubert thurson, sj -- UK 1930s)

-- "It was not a graceful presence. This was creepy." -- Fr. Lawrence Hennessey, Systematic Theology professor of St. Mary of the Lake / Mundelein Seminary

-- Fr. John Nicola (1960s) -- adviser to the movie The ExorcistI, author of Diabolical possessions & exorcisms experienced "manifestations" including the ink in his pen would suddenly drop to nothing

 

st joseph in our time

Re: Devotion to St. Joseph in the 21^st Century

Fr: Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC (2020). Consecration to St. Joseph: The wonders of our Spiritual Father. Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, pp. 4-5 (caps & parenthetical remarks mine).

 

“… Without exaggeration, the Church has done more to promote St. Joseph in the last 150 years than in the previous 1,800 years of Christianity! But why now? Why St. Joseph?

   “There are many reasons, but I believe there are two that are especially important.

   “FIRST, we need the SPIRITUAL FATHERHOOD of St. Joseph to help us PROTECT MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY. Marriage & the family have always been under attack, but in modern times, the threats have reached extraordinary heights. Many people no longer know what it means to be a MAN or a WOMAN, let alone what constitutes a MARRIAGE and a FAMILY. Many countries even claim to have redefined marriage and the family. There is a great CONFUSION on these matters, greater confusion than in any previous era of human history. The Servant of God Sr. Lucia dos Santos, the longest-lived visionary of the Fatima apparitions, knew the seriousness of the times and made a powerful statement about this issue. She wrote [before her death in 2005 to Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, then Archbishop of Bologna, Italy in response to his request for her prayers for the Pontifical Institute of Marriage and the Family that Pope John Paul II asked him to establish]:

 

          The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about

marriage and the family.

 

   “To combat & overcome Satan’s deceptions, the Church needs St. Joseph. His example & protection are the only way out of the confusing mess we are in. Who else can we turn to who can help us understand what marriage & the family are all about i9f not to the HEAD OF THE HOLY FAMILY and the TERROR OF DEMONS!

 

   “SECOND, the entire world needs to be RE-EVANGELIZED, including the vast majority of baptized Christians. Saint Joseph was the FIRST MISSIONARY. Today, he desires again TO BRING JESUS TO THE NATIONS. Many nations & cultures that were previously Christian have fallen away from their Christian roots & are on a path of self-destruction. Countries once established on Judeo-Christian principles have become overrun by ideologies & organizations that seek to strip society of all that is SACRED. Without a major turnover, civilization itself I going to SELF-DESTRUCT.

   “In an apostolic exhortation on St. Joseph in 1989, St. John Paul II reminded us of the necessity of invoking St. Joseph in the work of re-evangelizing the world. He wrote:

 

 

          This patronage must be invoked as ever necessary for the Church, not only as a

defense against all dangers, but also, & indeed primarily, as an impetus for her

renewed commitment to EVANGELIZATION in the world & to RE-

EVANGELIZATION in those lands & nations where religion & the Christian life

were formerly flourishing & we now put to a hard rest.

 

   “Now is the time to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph! God is telling his Church that, in order to defend marriage & the family, elevate morals, recover lost ground, & win souls for Jesus Christ, we need to bring ST. Joseph onto the BATTLEFIELD….”

 

 

 

st augustine (aug 28)

Source: SVD Mission Philippines, Inc.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/849413028449725/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=4386527054738287

ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Nov.13, 354 - Aug. 28, 430), Bishop, Founder of the a religious order, one of the greatest saints of the Church

Feastday: August 28

This famous son of St. Monica was born in Africa and spent many years of his life in wicked living and in false beliefs. Though he was one of the most intelligent men who ever lived and though he had been brought up a Christian, his sins of impurity and his pride darkened his mind so much, that he could not see or understand the Divine Truth anymore. Through the prayers of his holy mother and the marvelous preaching of St. Ambrose, Augustine finally became convinced that Christianity was the one true religion. Yet he did not become a Christian then, because he thought he could never live a pure life. One day, however, he heard about two men who had suddenly been converted on reading the life of St. Antony, and he felt terrible ashamed of himself. "What are we doing?" he cried to his friend Alipius. "Unlearned people are taking Heaven by force, while we, with all our knowledge, are so cowardly that we keep rolling around in the mud of our sins!"

Full of bitter sorrow, Augustine flung himself out into the garden and cried out to God, "How long more, O Lord? Why does not this hour put an end to my sins?" Just then he heard a child singing, "Take up and read!" Thinking that God intended him to hear those words, he picked up the book of the Letters of St. Paul, and read the first passage his gaze fell on. It was just what Augustine needed, for in it, St. Paul says to put away all impurity and to live in imitation of Jesus. That did it! From then on, Augustine began a new life.

He was baptized, became a priest, a bishop, a famous Catholic writer, Founder of religious priests, and one of the greatest saints that ever lived. He became very devout and charitable, too. On the wall of his room he had the following sentence written in large letters: "Here we do not speak evil of anyone." St. Augustine overcame strong heresies, practiced great poverty and supported the poor, preached very often and prayed with great fervor right up until his death. "Too late have I loved You!" he once cried to God, but with his holy life he certainly made up for the sins he committed before his conversion.

=============================================================

reflection:

>Augustine had IQ but lacked EQ :-)

>I felt guilty with the quote written in his room "Here we do not speak evil of anyone." :-) yesterday and today, i've been messaging two colleagues about other colleagues! :-) but, I also recently called the attention of tita b who told me "but, it's the truth" in regard to discussion of a 3rd party.

==================================

daily act of consecration to st joseph by fr dan calloway

Re: Daily Act of Consecration to St. Joseph

Fr: Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC (2020). Consecration to St. Joseph: The wonders of our Spiritual Father. Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, pp. 239-240 (caps mine).

 

Saint Joseph, spouse of Mary, virginal father of Jesus, and my SPIRITUAL FATHER, I consecrate myself entirely to you. I lovingly embrace your FATHERHOOD and take refuge under your PATERNAL CLOAK. Help me to pray and be virtuous today. Instruct me in the wisdom of the saints, PROTECT me from the snares of the enemy, and keep me from sinning. Should I take my last breath today, be by my side, and take me to heaven to be with Jesus and Mary. Amen.

prayer to st joseph for a soul in purgatory

Re: Prayer to St. Joseph for a Soul in Purgatory

Fr: Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC (2020). Consecration to St. Joseph: The wonders of our Spiritual Father. Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, p. 246 (caps mine).

 

Saint Joseph, reigning in heaven with Jesus and Mary, intercede for the souls in purgatory. Today, in particular, I ask you to turn your gaze to the soul who is most forgotten in purgatory. This would longs to see the face of God, O good father. Ask the Holy Trinity to take this soul to the glory of heaven today. Remember me, St. Joseph, when I die. I beg you to be prompt in delivering me from purgatory so that I can see you. Jesus, and Mary face to face. Amen.

 

prayer to st joseph for the salvation fo a soul

 Re: Prayer to St. Joseph for the Salvation of a Soul

Fr: Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC (2020). Consecration to St. Joseph: The wonders of our Spiritual Father. Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, p. 246 (caps mine).

 

O wonderful St. Joseph, I earnestly recommend to your care the salvation of ________. Jesus shed his blood for this person; let not he precious blood of our Savior have been shed in vain. Deliver _________ from the snares of the devil, heal _________ from the poison of the world, and, I beg you, do not stop INTERCEDING for _________ until the gates of heaven are opened to their soul. Bring your spouse to place _________ under her maternal mantle. While this soul lives on earth, grant [him/her] CONVERSION, LOVE of Jesus, Mary, and the Catholic Church, and a return to full participation in the Sacraments. Where else can I turn but to you, my spiritual father? In you I have confidence. In you I have hope. Hear my prayer, my spiritual father, and take away my fears. God will listen to you. Ask him for me for the sake of the love you have for all of us. Amen.

 

prayer to st joseph the worker (st pius x)

Re: Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker by St. Pope Pius X

Fr: Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC (2020). Consecration to St. Joseph: The wonders of our Spiritual Father. Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, p. 241 (caps mine).

O glorious St. Joseph, model of all who labor, obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance in expiation for my numberless sins; preferring DEVOTION TO DUTY to my inclinations; to WORK WITH JOY and GRATITUDE, regarding it as an honor to develop and employ by work the gifts which I have received from God; to work with ORDER, PEACE, PATIENCE, and MODERATION, without ever recoiling before weariness and difficulties; to work, especially, with a PURE INTENTION and DETACHED from myself, ever having DEATH before my eyes and the account which I must give for TIME LOST, for TALENTS UNUSED, for GOOD OMITTED, and for VAIN SATISFACTION in success, so fatal to the work of God. Amen.

 

consecration to st joseph by fr dan calloway, MIC (2020)

 Re: Act of Consecration to St. Joseph

Fr: Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC (2020). Consecration to St. Joseph: The wonders of our Spiritual Father. Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, p. 237 (caps mine).

 

I, ____________, a child of God, take you, St. Joseph, to be my SPIRITUAL FATHER. I am confident that Jesus and Mary have led me to you; to know you, to love you, and to be totally consecrated to you.

   Therefore, having come to know and love you, I CONSECRATE myself ENTIRELY to you, St. Joseph. I want you in my life; I need you in my life. Take me as your SPIRITUAL CHILD, O great St. Joseph! I desire to hold nothing back from your PROTECTIVE FATHERHOOD.
   As the HUSBAND of Mary, you provided for my spiritual mother. Thank you for always being FAITHFUL to her. Thank you for LOVING her and giving your entire life for her sacrifice.

   As the virginal FATHER of Jesus, you cared for my Lord and protected him from evil men. Thank you for guarding the life of my Savior. Thanks to you, Jesus was able to shed his blood for me on the Cross. Thanks to you, St. Joseph, I have hope of everlasting life in heaven.

   As my spiritual father, I know that you will guide and protect me, too. Please instruct me in the ways of PRAYER, VIRTUE, and HOLINESS. I want to be LIKE YOU, St. Joseph. I want to be PURE, HUMBLE, LOVING, and MERCIFUL.

   Now that I AM YOURS and YOU ARE MINE, I promise never to forget you. I know that you will never forget me, and this gives me boundless joy! I am LOVED by St. Joseph! I BELONG to St. Joseph!

   Praise to the Holy Trinity who has blessed you and raised you to be the greatest saint after MAry. Praise to the Virgin who loves you and wants souls to love you. Praise to you, St. Joseph, my father, my guardian, and my all! Amen.

prayer to the sleeping st joseph

 "O St Joseph, you are a man greatly favored by the Most High. The angel of the Lord appeared to you in DREAMS, while you SLEPT, to warn you and guide you as you CARED for the Holy Family. You were both silent and strong, a loyal and courageous PROTECTOR. Dear St Joseph, as you rest in the Lord, confident of his absolute power and goodness, look upon me. Please take my need into your heart, DREAM of it, and present it to your Son. Help me then, good St Joseph, to hear the voice of God, to arise, and ACT with love. I praise and thank God with joy. St Joseph, I love you. Amen." (Fr D. Calloway, MIC, 2020, p. 202.)

https://www.bookmartplus.com/products/Fontanini-Sleeping-St-Joseph-Statue/423182805

the spiritual diseases and the cures for our modern times

Source: Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC (2020). Consecration to St. Joseph:  The wonders of our spiritual father. Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, pp. 223-224 (headings & caps mine).

A. Diagnosis:

"The number one sin among men today is impurity. It is a SPIRITUAL PLAGUE destroying the minds and hearts of men on a global scale... (which) involves

1. pornograpy,

2. immoral actions with oneself,

3. homosexual acts and lifestyles,

4. pedophilia,

5. cohabitation,

6. contraception, and

7. abortion.

These sins leave men powerless and spiritually impotent (p. 223).

"... At the end of the 19th century, Satan unleashed a SPIRITUAL DELUGE of filth, immodesty, and impurity on the world.

B. Treatment

Pope Leo XIII desired to fight it and forged together two of the greater SPIRITUAL WEAPONS the Church has in her arsenal:

1. the rosary and

2. St. Joseph.

This prophetic pope requested that the following prayer to St. Joseph be prayed at the end of the rosary in the month of October:

    To you, O Blessed Joseph...." (p. 224).

san jose, kilabot ng mga demonyo

"It is a great blessing for souls to be under the PROTECTION of the saint whose name makes demons tremble and flee." 

-- Blessed Bartolo Longo, former ordained Satanist who returned to the faith of his youth (Italian) after experiencing psychospiritual disorders & became a Dominican Third Order and spread the rosary in Pompeii & built the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary

Source: Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC (2000). Consecration to St. Joseph: The wonders of our spiritual father. Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, p. 220. 

when did st joseph die & why

Tanong: Kelan namatay si San Kose at bakit? 

Sagot: we do not have records but he must have died prior to jesus' public ministry because (1) "God exercised great mercy toward St. Joseph in sparing him from being a witness to the Crucifixion of his Son and the piercing of his wife's Heart. Saint Joseph had already done his suffering" c/o daily sacrifices for 30 years to fulfill his mission to "die to self every day in order to get Jesus and Mary to Calvary so that they could make their sacrifice" (p. 212). (2) God did not want to confuse people when Jesus used the word "Father" to refer to his Heavenly Father, so as a faithful servant, he willingly stepped aside after he finished his role in the drama of our salvation though he would have willingly stayed to accompany his wife & son to the cross to fulfill his mission. In contrast, "Mary's presence at the Cross was absolutely necessary. She had to be there in order to GIVE BIRTH TO THE CHURCH." (p. 214) (source: Fr Donald Calloway, MIC 2020).

providentially, on this very day, anne sanggalan posted this: st joseph, patron of a happy death!!!

apparitions of st joseph

 Re: Apparitions of St. Joseph

Fr: Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC (2020). Consecration to St. Joseph: The wonders of our Spiritual Father. Stockbridge, NA: Marian Press, pp. 191-199. (supplemented by en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marian_apparitions)

 

1.    1660 June 07 in Cotignac, (southern) France to a Gaspar Ricard (shepherd): “I am Joseph, Lift this rock and you shall drink.” The miraculous spring has become a source of healing and a place of pilgrimage. As a result, King Louis XIV consecrated France to St. Joseph on March 19, 1661. The locals built a shrine that was ruined during the French Revolution but restored in 1978 and is now operated by Benedictine nuns (pp. 192-193).

 

2.    1879 August 21 in Knock, Ireland. “The Virgin Mary appeared to 15 people…. popularly known as the apparition of Our Lady of Knock, but St. Joseph and St. John the Apostle were also present. No words or messages were given by Our Lady or the other heavenly visitors. The apparition occurred in the pouring rain and lasted for many hours. According to the sworn testimony of those who witnessed the apparitions, St. Joseph wore white, was barefoot, and had his hands folded in prayer with his head slightly bent toward Mary as if honoring her great dignity as the Mother of God. It’s a mysterious and intriguing apparition, but one that is fully approved by the Church” (p. 195).

 3.    1917 October 13 in Fatima, Portugal to Lucia, Francisco, & Jacinta. “… during the last of the six Marian apparitions given to the three visionaries, St. Joseph made an appearance as well. Similar to Knock, the skies were pouring rain… when St. Joseph made his appearance… It was shortly before the Miracle of the Sun took place (witnessed by more than 70,000 people) that St. Joseph appeared, holding the Christ Child, and together they blessed the world. All three visionaries of Fatima testified that St. Joseph and the Christ Child simultaneously blessed the world” (p. 195).

 

4.    1931-1938 in Vilnius, Poland to St. Faustina Kowalska. “In the Divine Mercy apparitions… St. Joseph frequently appeared… and reassured her of his protection over her important mission of making God’s mercy known and trusted. Similar to St. Therese, Faustina, too, prayed to St. Joseph every day and wrote about her experiences in her Diary” (p. 194).

 

5.    1956-1959 in Ohio, USA to Sr. Mildred Mary Neuzil (aka Sr. Mary Ephrem, died in 2000). “These apparitions are known as the apparitions of ‘Our Lady of America’ [approved by the Church only for private, not public devotion]…. St. Joseph instructed (her) that God wants St. Joseph to be honored on the First Wednesday of every month, especially by the recitation of the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary and the reception of Holy Communion” (p. 196). From the Blessed Mother on March 11, 1958: “My holy spouse has an important part to play in bringing peace to the world” (p. 196). From St. Joseph on March 18, 1958: “… I bring to souls the PURITY of my life and the OBEDIENCE that crowned it. All FATHERHOOD is blessed in me whom the Eternal Father chose as his representative on earth…. My SPRIRITUAL FATHERHOOD extends to all God’s children, and together with my Virgin Spouse I watch over them with great love and solicitude. Fathers must come to me… to learn obedience to authority: to the Church always, as the mouthpiece of God, to the laws of the country in which they live, insofar as these do not go against God and their neighbor. Mine was perfect obedience to the Divine Will, as it was shown and make known to me by the Jewish law and religion…. Let fathers also imitate my great PURITY of life and the deep RESPECT I held for my Immaculate Spouse…. Never willfully doing anything that would cause scandal among God’s people. Fatherhood is from God, and it must take once again its rightful place among men (p. 197)…. So the HEAD OF THE FAMILY must be loved, obeyed, and respected and in return be a true father and protector to those under his care” (p. 198).

 

6.    1968 April 2 (after about 10 months after the 6-Day War between Israel & the Arab coalition of Jordan, Syria, & Egypt) till 2-3 years in Zeitoun in Cairo, Egypt to thousands of inhabitants, including Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Government Officials. “In 1968, there were a series of apparitions of Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph in Zeitoun, a suburb of Cairo, Egypt. The town of Zeitoun is believed to have been one of the places the Holy Family visited during their sojourn in Egypt centuries earlier…. As at Knock, there were no words spoken and no messages given. The apparitions took place above and around a Coptic church, and were approved by the local Coptic ecclesiastical authorities” (p. 196).