Prayer, Sister Agnes, and Mr. Morrison: A True Story

"Repentance opens heaven." — ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

"I'm dying, Sister," Mr. Morrison said in a low, gruff voice. "I don't know what you could do to help me."
Sister Agnes looked at the old man sitting up in bed and somehow his face was familiar! "Well, I really would like to pray for you," she answered. "It's never too late to say a prayer."
As their conversation progressed, Mr. Morrison admitted, "I don't know if God wants to hear about me. I've done a lot of bad things in my life."
"No matter what you have done," the nun assured him, "God will forgive you. You just need to ask him with a sincere heart. And after you've died, I'll continue to pray for you."
The idea of prayers for the dead startled him. "After I've died? Why would you pray for me after I'm dead? What good is that?"

"There's always hope!" Sister Agnes insisted. "Are you Catholic?"

"No," the man said, "I never really spent much time in any church."
Sister Agnes explained, "Catholics believe that if you ask God to forgive your sins before you die, you'll eventually get to heaven. And we believe that by praying for people we can help them even after they have died. It's from the Old Testament."
The man said nothing more and, after he had gently closed his eyes, Sister Agnes quietly left his room.
When Sister Agnes returned a few days later, Mr. Morrison's face seemed even paler than before, and he labored for every breath. Even so, he struggled to sit up in bed as soon as she entered the room. "One of the nurses said you wanted to see me," the nun said.
"I'd like to know more about what it means to be a Catholic," the man responded.
Sister Agnes smiled. "What did I say the other day that interested you?" she asked.
"Sister," he began, "for longer than I can remember, the people around me have only seemed to care about how much money they could make off me. Now you're telling me that people will care enough about me to pray for me even after I'm gone! I like the sound of that!"

In the days that followed, Sister Agnes met with the man regularly to teach him all that she could about the Catholic faith. After that, Mr. Morrison was baptized.
A few weeks later, in early June 1979, Mr. Morrison died. Hundreds came to mourn his passing. They remembered what a famous actor he was. But Sister Agnes could only remember how appreciative Marion Morrison (also known as John Wayne) had been. How grateful he had been to know that someone cared enough to pray for him, both now and in the days to come.
So it is with the "Church Suffering" that we act as "intercessors."
http://susantassone.com/

GREGORIAN MASSES WHAT ARE THEY by Susan Tassone

THE MASS HEALS!
We hear stories of people who have been healed in body and we are in awe! We seldom consider how much Jesus does to heal souls suffering on earth and more so the souls suffering in purgatory. A place where none of us have seen and to which many of us could go. We need to start acting on what Our Lady and the Saints are telling us!
Our Lady of Medjugorje says, "Most souls go to Purgatory, many go to Hell, and only a few go directly to Heaven." She also states that we gain "new intercessors" when we pray for the holy souls in purgatory. They become our nearest, sincerest and dearest friends here on earth and in Heaven.
Christ told Saint Faustina, recently canonized, "All these souls are greatly loved by Me. "They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only know the torments they suffer..." We do not stop to think about the physical and spiritual healing through the Eucharist. Today, many are discovering how the Eucharist for the deceased also heals the living as they come into deeper relationship with Jesus. Dr. Kenneth McCall has over 1000 cases of emotional or physical healing occurring with clients by offering a Mass for their deceased loved ones! The Mass Heals!
In another early message from Our Lady in Medjugorje, she states, "if we get to church early, and if we spend 10-15 minutes with our Lord instead of leaving quickly like you do, there would be more miracles in your life and fewer sick people among you." The power of prayer is grabbing the headlines. 'The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the highest act of reparation, the highest form of prayer. St. John Chrysostom says, "Christ is the victim that gives solace to the dead."
So what are we doing for our dear deceased loved ones? Who do you miss the most? Who do you wish you could have done more for in this life? Who hurt you? Who has helped you the most spiritually or temporally? Have a Mass offered for them! "The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Perpetual Sacrifice, is the greatest of all suffrages for the holy souls" (From the Council of Trent). And have Masses offered for yourselves as well! St. Anselm tells us that those which we bear or have offered during life are more profitable that those said for us after death.
A great avenue to have our Masses offered is through the Missions. Priests in mission territories need our Mass stipends to obtain bread and wine for the Eucharist to offer the Holy Mass in third world countries. Can we help them? Can we help Christ to continue His mission on and beyond this earth. And when we do help we are also being merciful to ourselves! Many parish Mass Intention Books are filled years ahead. We have an opportunity to help our deceased loved ones and our missionaries throughout the world! Francis Cardinal George of Chicago tells us that we are moving from.lubilee to Mission. Now is the time to act! Like the Little Flower we can become missionaries in our own hometown.
In Rome, there is a church called the Church of the Suffering Souls. (Parrocchia Sacro Cuore in Prati-Lungotevere Prati 12-Roma.) 1 highly recommend you visit this church when you are in Rome. It is a cab ride from the Vatican. In this church there is a small museum with relics. prayer books, and table tops that were touched and seared by the holy souls that were allowed to leave purgatory and return to their family or fellow religious and beg them for :Masses and prayers.This picture is the mark left by the deceased Fr. Panzini, former Ahhot Olivertano of Mantua, on November 1, 1731. This is his left hand impressed on the table which Mother Isabella used for her work (it is very clear and bears the sign of a cross cut deeply into the wood;) What are these burn marks? They are NOT the physical fire we know on earth. It is a "burning" desire and longing for God which far surpasses the heat of any earthly fire. And so we rightly speak of the cleansing flames. But they are flames of love. It is an interior burning or "thirst" for God They saw the face of God! And they are unable to he with Him!
If you were visited by someone you had known in life who begged you to be mindful of what had happened to them and what may be in store for you would you not act! Here is how we can act NOW!
We can arrange to have Gregorian Masses offered for our deceased loved ones anytime of the year. Pope John Paul II has not forgotten the holy souls! During the Jubilee Year he said that praying for the Holy Souls is "the most outstanding act of supernatural charity we can do...." We can push the holy souls over the wall into Heaven with our Masses, Holy Hours, Stations of the Cross, indulgences and rosaries.
So what are Gregorian Masses? The name derives from Pope St. Gregory the Great who was first to popularize this pious practice. St. Gregory relates in his Dialogues how, when he had finished the series of thirty Masses for a departed Monk, the monk appeared to tell he had thus gained entry into glory on completion of the Gregorian Masses. The hallowed tradition has been declared "a pious and reasonable belief of the faithful" on the authority of the Sacred Roman Congregation on Indulgences. The Gregorian Masses can be offered only for ONE DECEASED SOUL. Not a couple or family. PUT THEM IN YOUR WILLS!
As you will appreciate, few priests by reason of their work are free and able to offer the 30 consecutive Masses of the Gregorian series without interruption. Hence, it requires extra time to arrange to have the Gregorian Masses scheduled as this cannot he done usually in a place where there are only a few priests. That is why they are usually offered through the "Missions." The customary offering for the uninterrupted series of 30 daily consecutive Masses is $120 through the following:
And remember to have Masses offered for yourself, special occasions, during the Holidays. It is a refreshing surprise to give someone the gift of prayer!
A best selling book by Susan Tassone, (over 32,000 sold in less than a year) THE WAY OF THE CROSS FOR' THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY, carries a BIG indulgence for the Holy Souls. Pope John Paul II has repeatedly urged Catholics all over the world to pray the Stations of the Cross and to offer prayers for the holy souls trapped in the penitential fires of Purgatory. This is s great gift for your children. We must teach the children to remember our dead. Also RCIA candidates, prison ministries, nursing homes, CCD classes, those making their first Holy Communion, and they make great stocking stuffers for the holiday. Leave them in Adoration Chapels. Put them in your Christmas cards! The Stations book will even fit a regular envelope. The postage is 57 cents! Or include the St. Gertrude Prayer in your Christmas cards. Every prayer counts!
In the words of St. Leonard of Port Maurice, "If a ray of Heavenly light could be drawn aside the veil from your eyes, you would see these suffering souls hovering around each station with upraised arms imploring you, 'Have pity on me, have pity on me! In pity for us make the Way of the Cross for me, your father, your mother, your friend.' " The Pope is asking for our help ... what will we say?
Another highly recommended book newly released by Susan Tassone is, PRAYING IN THE PRESENCE OF OUR LORD FOR THE HOLY SOULS. It is the most comprehensive collection of the most powerful prayers of the Catholic Church for the Holy Souls in Purgatory ever compiled! These ancient and modern prayers are rich, beautiful, and effective. Pray them during Eucharistic Adoration, before and after Mass, in front of the Blessed Sacrament, in prayer groups, or during private meditation. To order contact: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Co., 1-800-348-2440.
Added note, received an email from Susan Tassone she is very excited as Father Benedict Groeschel (of EWNT) purchased 500 copies of PRAYING IN THE PRESENCE OF OUR LORD FOR THE HOLY SOULS to comfort the families and friends of the victims of the terrorist attacks. This is quite an honor and say's a lot about Susan's new book.
Susan Tassone had the privilege of 2 private audiences with Pope John Paul II where he bestowed his apostolic blessings on Susan's work for the holy souls and her books.
Our "mission" as Catholics has just begun. We are ushering in a new springtime. Pope John Paul II emphasized that the laity will be "missionaries" because contemporary man hears witnesses more easily than teachers. He exclaims, "You will be able to set the world on fire! The hour of the laity has struck!"
If you would like to write Medjugorje USA email:info@medjugorjeusa.org

Medjugorje Scientific Investigations - The Facts By Daniel Klimek

http://ministryvalues.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1011&Itemid=214
Below are just some paragraphs from the article...to read the entire article click on the link above.


The spiritual significance of the apparitions in Medjugorje is of course monumental and, in many ways, self-evident. However, few people may know how much Medjugorje means on a scientific and academic level, especially in regard to the study of mysticism and supernatural phenomena. Medjugorje’s implications, largely due to the timely significance of the apparitions, constitute a breakthrough for the study of mystical experience...............................

Moreover, Dr. Luigi Frigerio, another member of the Italian team, explained that the results combined with neurological testing, which determined that the visionaries were not only awake but hyper-awake during their ecstasies, presented a paradox that “cannot be explained naturally, and thus can be only preternatural or supernatural.” Interestingly, even Dr. Stopar reached the same conclusion years earlier, admitting: “I had the impression of coming into contact with a supernatural reality at Medjugorje.”..................

 Randall Sullivan relates the story of Dr. Marco Margnelli, an eminent Italian neurophysiologist and an ardent atheist who came to Medjugorje in the summer of 1988 determined to expose the apparitions as a fraud. Margnelli had a well-known history of doubting the validity of Christian mysticism and supernatural phenomena, perhaps most notoriously conveyed in his skepticism toward the stigmata of the Franciscan friar Padre Pio, arguably the twentieth century’s most prominent mystic. An expert in altered states of consciousness, Margnelli conducted an array of medical tests on the Medjugorje visionaries in which he had to conclude that during their daily apparitions the seers did, in fact, enter into “a genuine state of ecstasy” and adding, “we were certainly in the presence of an extraordinary phenomenon.” Dr. Margnelli’s observations have ranged from conducting medical investigations on the seers to personally witnessing miraculous healings and strange occurrences which, admittedly, left him bewildered and deeply shaken. Sullivan relates a sequence of events to which Dr. Margnelli had been a witness at Medjugorje:

“from the ‘synchronous movements’ of the visionaries [during apparitions] to the apparently miraculous healing of a woman with leukemia. What had affected him most deeply were the birds: During the late afternoon, they would gather in the trees outside the rectory where the seers shared their apparitions, chirping and cooing and calling by the hundreds, at times deafeningly loud, until ‘they suddenly and simultaneously all go silent as soon as the apparition begins.’ This ‘absolute silence of the birds’ haunted him, the doctor admitted.”

Thus, a “few weeks after returning to Milan, Dr. Margnelli became a practicing Catholic.”

The spiritual significance of the apparitions in Medjugorje is of course monumental and, in many ways, self-evident. However, few people may know how much Medjugorje means on a scientific and academic level, especially in regard to the study of mysticism and supernatural phenomena. Medjugorje’s implications, largely due to the timely significance of the apparitions, constitute a breakthrough for the study of mystical experience. In Medjugorje, the findings of contemporary doctors and scientists, based on knowledge of medical investigations not available to previous visionary and apparitional encounters, do offer significant insights concerning the possible mechanisms and probabilities of past mystical experiences. Whether one chooses to believe in the spiritual content behind the phenomenon—that the Virgin Mary is appearing—does, however, still constitute (and require) an act of faith. But since so much evidence is offered for the possibility, excluding all other alternative scientific explanations, then the visionaries’ claims must be given a fair chance. Not to do so could easily constitute an inverse reflection of dogmatic fundamentalism (in rationalist thought) over the findings of objective scientific and medical studies. The mentality of presumptuous skepticism has been prominent among many modern and postmodern thinkers denying the reported mystical experiences of late-medieval and early-modern Christians. However, the inclusion of modern science and technology in investigating contemporary mystical phenomena no longer makes such unexamined presuppositions universally agreeable, undermining their rash and unscientific conclusions.