St Catherine of Siena on the four principal torments of the damned

Saint Catherine of Siena
Virgin & Doctor of the Church 
Memorial April 29th

THE DIALOGUE OF ST CATHERINE OF SIENA

Dictated by her, while is a state of ecstasy, to her secretaries, and completed in the year of Our Lord 1370.


A TREATISE OF DISCRETION
   

22. Of the four principal torments of the damned, from which follow all the others; and particularly of the foulness of the Devil.
   


"My daughter, the tongue is not sufficient to narrate the pain of these poor souls. As there are three principal vices, namely: self-love, whence proceeds the second, that is love of reputation, whence proceeds the third, that is pride, with injustice and cruelty, and with other filthiness and iniquitous sins, that follow upon these.

"So I say to you, that in Hell, the souls have four principal torments, out of which proceed all the other torments. The first is, that they see themselves deprived of the vision of Me, which is such pain to them, that, were it possible, they would rather choose the fire, and the tortures and torments, and to see Me, than to be without the torments and not to see Me.

"This first pain revives in them, then, the second, the worm of Conscience, which gnaws unceasingly, seeing that the soul is deprived of Me, and of the conversation of the angels, through her sin, made worthy of the conversation and sight of the devils, which vision of the Devil is the third pain and redoubles to them their every toil.

"As the saints exult in the sight of Me, refreshing themselves with joyousness in the fruit of their toils borne for Me with such abundance of love, and displeasure of themselves, so does the sight of the Devil revive these wretched ones to torments, because in seeing him they know themselves more, that is to say, they know that, by their own sin, they have made themselves worthy of him. And so the worm of Conscience gnaws more and more, and the fire of this Conscience never ceases to burn. And the sight is more painful to them, because they see him in his own form, which is so horrible that the heart of man could not imagine it.

"And if you remember well, you know that I showed him to you in his own form for a little space of time, hardly a moment, and you chose (after you had returned to yourself) rather to walk on a road of fire, even until the Day of Judgment, than to see him again. With all this that you have seen, even you do not know well how horrible he is, because, by Divine justice, he appears more horrible to the soul that is deprived of Me, and more or less according to the gravity of her sin.

 St Catherine of Siena while receiving Stigamata

 
"The fourth torment that they have is the fire. This fire burns and does not consume, for the being of the soul cannot be consumed, because it is not a material thing that fire can consume. But I, by Divine justice, have permitted the fire to burn them with torments, so that it torments them, without consuming them, with the greatest pains in diverse ways according to the diversity of their sins, to some more, and to some less, according to the gravity of their fault.

"Out of these four torments issue all others, such as cold and heat and gnashing of the teeth and many others. Now because they did not amend themselves after the first reproof that they had of injustice and false judgment, neither in the second, which was that, in death, they would not hope in Me, nor grieve for the offense done to Me, but only for their own pain, have they thus so miserably received Eternal Punishment."
 

From non believer to a WONDER WORKER of JESUS CHRIST - Fr Jack Soulsby S.M

Fr Jack Soulsby S.M (now a member of the Society of Mary), a former (Civil Engineer and a non-believer) writes:

"Following 27 years of Love & Good Example from Parents, Family, Friends & Others, This is the passage that DRAMATICALLY changed MY LIFE back in 1958"

"Differing from all these (pagan & socialist attitudes), the Christian sees in a man & above all, in man's immortal soul, incomparably the most precious thing on earth, & the one for whose good all other things on earth living & inanimate are ordained.

Stamped with the image of the Godhead,
Redeemed by the precious blood of the Son of God,
Predestined to an eternal life of intimate union with God
Clothed with sanctifying grace which makes man a sharer in God's nature 

& heir to God's Kingdom the human soul gives to man a place of dignity in the created universe with which NOTHING material can compare. 

This dignity, which gives him a worth which is almost DIVINE,
belongs inseparably to every human individual
of both sexes and every age and every country and race.


As a natural attribute of his spiritual soul, man enjoys freedom of will,
which makes him master of his own actions,
and personally responsible for the attaining of his own end.


From man's NATURE & especially from his eternal destiny &
the freedom of his will, spring the great prerogatives which are inherent in human individual, giving him his dignity and essential independence, & forbidding that he be ever made a mere instrument for promoting another's good.

Man is a PERSON!*

He has RIGHTS (to his good name, to education, to marry, to private property, & so on... all independently of & prior to any legislation) & the DUTIES to respect similar rights in others
" **

_____________________________________

Fr Jack has been working full time in spiritual renewal & evangelisation in both Catholic & Ecumenical circles since 1980 and has ministered in 90 nations in the Americas, Europe , Africa , Asia , and the Pacific.

 He has:

held healing services for lepers in Sudan,

redeemed Sudanese slaves

ministered to Mozambican refugees in Malawi,

preached at open air crusades in Nigeria and Ghana,

conducted Life in the Spirit Seminar in Singapore

helped the orphans in Uganda

• taken groups of Australians to large ecumenical renewal conferences in USA, 
• led pilgrimages to Europe, the Holy Land and " In the footsteps of St.Paul",
• embarked on an " Aids safari " in Uganda,
• Liberian refugees in Sierra Leone,
• Sudanese war victims in Kenya, and to genocide victims in Rwanda,
• trained evangelists in a number of nations, and
• introduced or encouraged renewal in such nations as Namibia , Botswana , Ethiopia, Uganda , Marshall Islands , etc and
• most recently in Nepal , the Philippines, Malaysia , Pakistan , Belarus , and East Timor , some of these with Mrs Jan Heath.

FR. Jack's MINISTRY offers :

(a)Basic renewal in the Spirit for beginners
(b)Spiritual growth & helps to spread the good news of God's Love for the more mature
(c) Help on how to train would be evangelists and
(d)Rallies and Crusades to reach out to the lapsed and those not yet Christian

Given the choice , Fr.Jack has a preference to work with those who are physically and spiritually poor , displaced people , refugees , slaves , aids and war victims, and those who are " like sheep without a shepherd ."


Fr.Jack's greatest desire is, through Baptism in the spirit & gift clinics, to see the average person discover and use all their gifts , ministries and fruits of the Spirit , for the delight and glory of God, for their personal joy, and to have maximum effect on the people they love, their neighbourhood and nation.

You may consider sending donations directly to:

                                                                
Fr. Jack Soulsby
8 / 180 Butterfield St.
Herston 4006 AUSTRALIA

 Tel : +61 (7) 32522180
 Fax : +61 (7) 32522190
 E-Mail : pjsoulsby@pacific.net.au

http://frjacksoulsby.blogspot.com/

*  The most precious reality in the whole of existence! There are THREE of them in the Most Holy Trinity!!!!!!!

** "The Framework of a Christian State" (An introduction to Social Science) by Rev E Cahill S.J Publ: M.H.Gill & Son, Ltd. Dublin. 1932. p280

My Personal Testimony about Fr Jack Soulsby:

I have personally attended Fr Jack's (Life in the Spirit Seminar) on two occasions and I have experienced infilling of the Holy Spirit. He is gifted with the extra-ordinary gifts of Holy Spirit.

What does it mean to be filled with Holy Spirit ?

As per the sacred scripture, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). It is when we are filled with the Holy Spirit that we become powerful. Then we will have the grace to give witness to Jesus and lead others to him.

God “gives the Spirit without measure” (John 3:34). He gives the Spirit in the measure a person wants.

Prophet Isaiah reminds us: “The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth” (Is 11:2-4).

Prophet Ezekiel also reveals how we are going to be sanctified when the Holy Spirit is filled in us: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you” (Eze 36:25-27)

I strongly recommend everyone to invite Fr Jack Soulsby S.M to conduct a Life in the Spirit Seminar - anywhere across the GLOBE.

NorthEast corner of India - Where Catholic Charity Brings Converts in the Thousands

"......There are no villages where these Catholic Christian missionaries have not reached. They have slept in the tribal houses. They are eating with the tribals. And these tribals can walk into their houses anytime. When these people [Christian missionaries] reach out, I just have to accept, the tribals just want to be part of Christianity......."
 

Interview with Bishop George Palliparampil S.D.B of Miao, India by Mark Riedemann 

http://www.miaodiocese.org

MIAO, India: When George Palliparampil, today the bishop of Miao, started ministering in the northeast corner of India, his missionary work was illegal and he had to endure police interrogation.
Despite ongoing obstacles, Bishop Palliparampil's missionary home is the place where the Catholic Church has grown the most over the past 30 years, with more than 10,000 adult baptisms every year despite a ban on conversions. Today over 40% of the approximately 900,000 inhabitants of Arunachal Pradesh are Catholics and their number is growing rapidly.

The 56-year-old bishop speaks of his experience:
 

 Bishop George with the tribals of Miao
 

Q: Your Excellency, we are talking about the northeastern corner of India, a very mountainous region with tribes, which up to 60 years ago were headhunters with a pagan culture. How many tribes are living in this area today?

Bishop Palliparampil: There are 26 major tribes, which can be divided into, I don't know, more than 120 sub-tribes and each of these sub-tribes have their own dialects and specific culture.

Q: Now these tribes were pagan?

Bishop Palliparampil: I would clarify the word pagan by saying they were people who did not have any organized religion. They worship the powers of nature. The word "animism" would be a good description for them. It's all about spirits, both good spirits and evil spirits. If anything good happens it is because a good spirit is there. If anything bad happens it is because an evil spirit is there and the evil spirit has to be propitiated. A propitiatory sacrifice has to be made in order to appease this evil spirit.

Q: Is there a concept of a god?

Bishop Palliparampil: Yes, for example the Tani believe in one common ancestor. I have made a study of their culture and it is very similar to what we read in the book of Genesis. They believe in one God. The sun and moon are the two eyes of God through which God sees us. The Abotani -- the first father -- had only two sons like Cain and Abel and so the story continues.

Q: So when Christianity arrived, there was an openness to it?

Bishop Palliparampil: There was and there is. In fact they realized that they are finding fulfillment in something, which they were holding on to partially. For the Tani groups they are finding that they are part of a world religion. The Tangsa find a completion of their stories. Or we have the famous Mishmi cross. There are some groups of Mishmis who tattoo a cross on their body but nobody knows anything about the origin of this tattoo.

Catholic Church in the land of the tribals

Q: The new acceptance of Christianity in this area was fraught with challenges. There were obstacles imposed not just by the pagan culture but also by restrictions enforced by the Indian government in which, up until very recently, Christians were not allowed to minister in the area of Arunachal Pradesh. When did you first enter Arunachal Pradesh?

Bishop Palliparampil: My first visit was to a village called Pappu nala where about 400 people gathered to celebrate Christmas. As we reached the area we found it surrounded by police and so we left. On the way, along with another priest, we were picked up and detained until 1:30 a.m.. They questioned us but, instead of frightening me at least, it gave me the determination that something must be done here as I found the people so eager for faith, to have Church services -- all that they were not able to have.

Q: Politicians didn't want Christians to enter, they didn't want Christians to evangelize and they would arrest and deport you. But what was the reaction of the people?

Bishop Palliparampil: They want somebody who loves them -- this is my experience. I found 100% acceptance and to make this story more believable, the moment the people in Pappu nala village heard that we were detained, 300 of them came to the police station with daggers, swords and torches and surrounded the whole station. They would not move until we were released. At around 11:30 p.m., the police officer asked us: "Please tell these people to go away. You will stay the night here and we will bring you to your place tomorrow." I insisted: "No, we did not call them" and the village chief said: "We will not leave this place." Finally at around 12:30 in the night, they got a truck from the army to take us back to Assam but the people still said: "We will not leave because we do not trust the government." As many of them as possible got into the truck and escorted us all the way back to the mission and only then they went back. This is the reaction of the people. I've been there all these years, at first transiting in and out and later, from 1992 on, staying there and I would say, I'm one of them.

Q: In fact now the government increasingly perceives the Church as that which protects the local culture. How is it that you are trying to protect the local culture and how are you succeeding in the face of globalization and secularization?

Bishop Palliparampil: Exactly. This is the first thing we have to keep in mind: the wrong understanding that some people have about culture. Some people think that culture means something very static -- an old style of dressing and living maybe in traditional huts. That alone is not culture. Culture is what makes a man; it is that which gives him his identity, his thinking pattern, his value system. By becoming a Christian or by living a Christian life in the modern globalized society, a tribal doesn't become less tribal.

 Bishop George with our Holy Father - Pope Benedict XVI

Q: In your diocese alone there are 70,000 Catholics and this number is growing rapidly. What would you say has been the greatest tool of evangelization, which has encouraged the growth of faith in Arunachal Pradesh?

Bishop Palliparampil: I think the greatest success, if I could call it that, was that the people felt that in the Church they find somebody who walks along with them. It is not somebody coming and giving them some plans or some projects and saying: "Do this and you will grow" or, "we are making funds available for you and you can do whatever you want to do with it" or "You pray like this and you will be saved … no." What they have seen is somebody who is involved in every aspect of their lives and they accept it.

I can quote the police officer that detained us in 1980. He said very clearly: "There are no villages where these Christian missionaries have not reached. They have slept in the tribal houses. They are eating with the tribals. And these tribals can walk into their houses anytime. Their [tribal] children go to their schools all over India and people who are sick, they have them taken for treatment -- not just in the northeastern hospitals but as far as Chennai, Apollo and Velur, and not for conversion but so that people will get well and purely on humanitarian grounds. When these people [Christian missionaries] reach out, I just have to accept, the tribals just want to be part of Christianity." And this is what really is happening. It's not an imposed kind of conversion as some people try to imply. It is just acceptance......

Divine Retreat Ministry - the powerful healing and loving presence of Jesus Christ

The Holy Father Pope John Paul II has given the urgent call for New Evangelization in the Church. "I see the dawning of a New Missionary Age. The urgency of the New Evangelization demands that the Religious today…stay in the very vanguard of preaching." Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Chapter of the Mary Martha Province of the Vincentian Congregation in India decided that the Potta-Divine Retreat ministry, India, would be the response of the Vincentian Congregation to this call of the Pope.

Why you must attend a good retreat?

1) In the retreat,
the people are led to a total self-surrender, that results in an intimate union with Jesus in the Holy Spirit, as experienced in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist

2) After you totally surrender, without any slightest doubt, then, through the experience of the Sacrament of Confession, the retreatants are 

• convicted of their sin by the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:8),
• forgiven of their sin by the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:8),
• forgiven of their sins in the power of the same Holy Spirit through the ministry of the Church (Jn 20:22-23), and
• given a share in the victory of Jesus over sin (Jn 16:11)

Does Jesus really enter into your life ?
Yes, Jesus is Alive and Active. Jesus is so great that he has time for each and every one of you.

******Jesus has promised******

"He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him" (Jn 6:56). In this intimacy, the love of God is "poured into their hearts through the Holy Spirit" (Rom 5:5). The heart melting under this overwhelming outpouring of love, opens up in turn to love and forgive everyone

For current retreat schedules

POWER 2011 in Divine, (July 24th - 29th)

DRC is back with the highlight of the year: The 6th International Youth Conference - POWER 2011. The very best of International preachers and Gospel bands will be here in Divine to lead us into an awesome experience with the Lord. Be there to experience a totally different atmosphere of prayer. There will be a Couples Retreat and Children's Retreat as well held simultaneously. Don't miss it!

Date: July 24th - July 29th, 2011

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Retreats in the USA (April 1st - April 10th)

The Divine team led by Fr. Augustine Vallooran VC will be conducting retreats in Dallas (http://www.dallasdivineretreat.us/Content/Welcome.html), Los Angeles and Virginia (www.divinemercyva.org), USA from the 1st of April to the 10th of April, 2011. Be there and experience the love and mercy of our Lord.

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Retreats in Canada, (March 8th - 20th)

Jesus calls you to experience His love and mercy. Fr. Michael Payyapilly VC and Fr. Joby Kachappilly VC will be conducting retreats in Canada in the month of March. They will be joined by the singing couple of Divine - Glen and Teresa La'Rive.

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Preaching risen Christ to our Muslim brothers and sisters
Retreats in the UAE, (March 18th - March 31st)

Fr. Augustine Vallooran VC will be conducting retreats in the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Sharjah from the 18th of March till the 31st of March, 2011. Come and experience the powerful presence of Jesus during these retreats.

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This intense experience of love heals all wounds and soothes all the strains in family relationships. The bond of marriage is renewed as a Sacrament of grace incorporated into the spousal relationship between Christ and the Church.

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The Charism of healing is exercised in the context of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Healing is understood not in the narrow sense of bodily well-being, but as the love of God flowing into all the brokenness of man to make him whole. The leadership given by the priests in preaching and the exercise of the Sacraments manifests the importance of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. All the charisms of the lay leaders such as counselling, preaching, service and so on, are harmoniously blended and channelized through the Sacramental authority of the priests.

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The retreat ends with the renewal of the Sacramental vows of Baptism and a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit as experienced in the Sacrament of Confirmation. This all-transforming experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the fulfilment of the promise of Jesus. "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth"(Acts 1:8). This empowering of the Holy Spirit is accepted as a special grace to withstand the temptations of the evil one and to defend and spread the faith by word and action confessing Jesus Christ as the only Saviour of Mankind.

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The grace of these seven Sacraments instituted by Christ as signs of salvation and entrusted to the Church, is experienced afresh in the action of the Holy Spirit for the renewal of Christian commitment.

I will not remember your sins - Isaiah 43:25 - The Word of Jesus touches people from all directions

The more I called them, the more they went from me (Hosea 11:1)

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me (Hosea 11:1).The entire Bible is replete with hearty calls made by the loving Father. The God of Heaven continues beckoning to his children till they attain heaven their inalienable right. The fasting season of Lent reminds Christians to live a life of compassion with their gaze firmly fixed towards heaven.

In the life of St. Alphonsa, the dear saint of India, there was a simple but interesting experience. One Sunday morning, as usual, a batch of students came to Alphonsa to seek her prayers. The students were stupefied to find the gloriously bright face of the Rev. Sister without its usual luster as if she was in some kind of deep mourning or lamentation. Later they found out the reason for her sadness. The Mother of the Convent had strictly warned the Sister to lie quietly in her bed because of her fragile condition. But when the Mother left, the church bell rang indicating the Holy Mass was about to start.
 

In her deep piety to the Eucharistic Lord, the Sister forgot for a moment the caution given to her by her Superior. Alphonsa got up from her bed and went close to the windows and stood there turning her ear in the direction of the Church. It was then she recollected the restriction of her Superior. Alphonsa burst into tears and cried with a loud voice. Then she begged forgiveness from her Superior. 

Here, we see the stamp of love that was etched in the spirit of the first Indian Saint. Even a slight mistake resulted in great pain. That pain led her to tears and a confession of her guilt. It is this kind of soulful repentance that kept Alphonsa on the path of sainthood.

MUCH PAIN FOR SMALL LAPSES PURIFIES
Purification is the style of the fasting season. The hope of eternity of any Christian should lead him to the adventure of self purification. The traditional teaching of the Holy Church regarding the Purgatory poses many questions for people. But to the faithful who walk with the Word this gives highly satisfying knowledge and insights.
 

A husband and wife had a tiff in the morning. The wife was so unhappy with the querulous husband that she wished secretly in her mind that it would be better if he did not come home! But in the evening the husband did return home with a smile on his lips and presents for everyone in the family, including the wife. In this unprecedented exhibition of love, the wifes heart melted and the disturbing memories of the past disappeared like mist in the bright sun. Now she regrets her ill-wish, her malevolence, against the husband. Oh, my God! How could I wish ill for my husband who has been so good! She weeps bitterly for her malevolence. It is this bitter pain that devours her that will sanctify her.
 

At the recognition of Gods love for him, the soul of the sinner aches. The deeper the recognition, the intenser will be the pain of sanctification. The prayer of St. Augustine, O God, how long it took me to recognize you! has this burning pain stamped on his soul. 

I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph 3:18-19).  

The fasting and abstinence during this Lenten season teach us to continue in the ways of the love of God, absorbing the possibilities of sanctification that have been thrown open before us through the Word.

CONFESSION THE ACT OF GIVING OUT
Christ justifies all those who publicly own up their sins and the circumstances leading to them. 

Their repentance gives him immense joy and satisfaction. When somebody opens up and owns up his iniquities, nothing is left hidden, or secretive, in him. The spirituality of openness has the backing of an entire human life.
 

The members of the early Church were entitled to the status of saints just because of their willingness to open up. When these early members assembled for sharing their material possessions, they also owned up their iniquities in the public. The entire group prayed for them and offered penances. When the gathering was dispersed, the members accosted one another as saints.
 

Those who were sanctified by confession had the conviction that they were pure and holy and they were saints. In one very famous case, I saw a brother who was imprisoned finding peace and solace in the Word and the Sacraments as his iniquities were made public. The one who has been justly punished for his iniquity can dedicate his pain for the salvation of his soul. But the one who is unjustly punished in spite of his innocence can dedicate his pain for the sanctification of the family and the community.
 

When the charges, right or wrong, against others become the subject matter of heated arguments in or around our homes, let the prayer of Job instill some caution and premonition in us, God, you are watching me even without giving the respite to swallow my saliva!
 

The philosophy behind Jesus letting the woman caught in adultery go free leans on the theory of sanctification through public knowledge. Let us once again get acquainted with the confessionals with intensified spiritual interest. There, in the secret of the confessional, our iniquities are owned up and our souls unburdened.

QUICK START BEFORE A BID
Let us remember Zacchaeus perching on the branches of the sycamore and Adam trying to hide his shame with the fig leaves. Jesus calls Zacchaeus down from the twigs and boughs of sin. God releases Adam from the embarrassment of seeking shelter behind the fig leaves.
 

Jesus transforms lifes banes into blessings and sins into solaces. The adventure of fasting and abstinence consists of accompanying Jesus, relinquishing distracting thoughts about family prestige, luxurious life and even over-anxiety about ones health. The journey with Jesus begins in the narrow path of pains and privations.
 

From today, let there be the intensity of Zacchaeus repentance and Jesus love in our journey. Let the pilgrimages during the Lent be to Golgotha itself.

CONCLUSION
I will not remember your sins. Accuse me, let us go to trial; set forth your case, so that you may be proved right (Is 43:25-26).
 

Jesus Christ is the only God who reminds people that the chairperson of the celebrations in heaven is the repentant sinner. The target of the Word is the soul of the sinner. The Word of Jesus touches people from all directions.
 

He continues to influence people through timely warnings, through messages of compassion and empathy, through the resonating echoes of the message for repentance and lamentation.

Let this season of abstinence be the harbinger of our entry into the love feast of Christ.

Medjugorje - Fr James Manjackal - driving out the evil spirit

"Taking my Crucifix and Rosary I started praying for her and commanded the evil spirit to go."

 

In a retreat preached at Medjugorje, Bosnia, one day in an afternoon a lot of people were standing outside the hall just for a laying on of hands and prayer. 

As I was doing it, a woman came towards me very furiously with loud shouts of abusive words, with her fists to strike me and standing near me she started spitting on my face. The people in the queue took hold of her. 

She was so strong and violent that seven or eight strong people could not control her. She said, "You, bloody Indian priest why do you come to destroy us and send us away?. Haven't you any shame to come here to work even without knowing our language and culture". 

With loud laughter of scoff, she said, "O I know that you are very poor and are starving in India, that is why you have come here...". She was screaming at times, she tried to remove all her cloths. She was expressing all the characteristics of an evil spirit as it is explained in Mark 5: 1-10. 

Fr. Slavko, the spiritual director of the Marian Centre at Medjugorje came to my rescue!. He wiped the spittle from my face with his towel and washed my face with fresh water. Taking my Crucifix and Rosary I started praying for her and commanded the evil spirit to go. Suddenly she fell flat on the ground with her tongue out, with the whole face becoming blue and went on spitting and speaking abusive words. Although she was from England, she refused to speak English, but started speaking in Italian which I did not know. The devil defrauds always!. 

Because Fr. Slavko knew several languages he was very helpful to me to conduct the prayer of exorcism which lasted for several hours. In our prayer we decided to fast and to do sacrifices. Much prayer, faith and fasting are required to heal such cases (Mt 17: 20).

After, the evil spirit had gone out of her, I counselled her along with her husband. Both of them were homeopathic doctors from England but their medical practices were mixed with esoteric devices which have their origins in Hinduism and in Buddhism. 

They are practices with complete reliance on powers of nature which is mixed with evil powers. 

- As told by Fr James Manjackal M.S.F.S

Ibrahim Hussain from Saudi Arabia becomes a Catholic

"It is through Fr. James Manjackal that I heard that Jesus Christ is God"

Personal Testimony of Ibrahim Hussain a former Muslim from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia who is now a baptized Catholic.

(Photo) Fr James Manjakal, preaching in Fatima, Portugal, Dec 2010

As a Muslim from my mother's womb it was hard to believe in Jesus. I could see Him as a messenger or a prophet but not as God! 

In his powerful preaching I had the wonderful experience of the Spirit coming upon me and taking away my old self. 

Fr James prayed over me and I felt the Holy Spirit coming upon me

Due to financial crisis I had lot of depressions. Ever since my youth my mind was filled with guilt. When Fr. James told that Jesus came to this world to take away the sins and sickness of mankind, I was thrilled of this message. I accepted Jesus as my God in life. I felt the Holy Spirit coming upon me as Fr. James laid his hands over me and prayed. I was totally healed of Angina pectoris of the heart, of my athsma and my blood pressure. 

I have no words to express my joy and peace in Jesus. Now I spread this message of Christ to my fellow-Muslims. I wish and pray that the whole Muslim world may come to believe in Jesus and find their salvation. Now it is no longer I who live but Jesus lives in me (Gal 2: 20). 

More Testimonies of muslim converts to Christianity

http://christtotheworld.blogspot.com/search/label/Convert%20from%20Islam%20to%20Catholic

Fr James Manjackal's personal testimony and encounter with Jesus Christ

http://christtotheworld.blogspot.com/2011/02/personal-tesimony-fr-james-holy-spirit.html

Official Kashmiri translation of Bible Completed - work of a Hindu Convert

We praise & thank God for Predhuman K Joseph Dhar, fearless soldier of Christ in Jammu & Kashmir, India, who has lived despite all odds and much persecution, and worked with the Bible Society, to complete Kashmiri translation on the Bible recently.

The books of the Old and New Testaments, along with eight volumes of apocrypha, were officially presented at Guntur, in Andhra Pradesh. The initiative is a collaborative effort between the Diocese of Jammu-Srinagar and the Bible Society of India.
 

The official Kashmiri translation of the Bible has been completed and officially presented. The work was carried out by Predhuman K Joseph Dhar, and was published officially by the Bible Society of India at Guntur, in Andhra Pradesh, in a ceremony Feb. 19, 2011 to coincide with celebrations of the bicentenary of its existence.

 

The drafting of a translation of a Bible in Kashmiri was launched in 1994 in collaboration with the Diocese of Jammu-Srinagar, on the initiative of the late Kunnunkal Hippolytus a scholar, and the bishop of the diocese, Father Jim Borts, a Mill Hill missionary who has been in service in Kashmir since 1963. The present translation is made up of all the books of the Old and New Testaments, as well as eight apocryphal books. Predhuman K. Joseph Dhar, a noted scholar, journalist, writer and educator, is a convert to Catholicism, and belongs to a very old and conservative family of the Shavite Brahminical order.

Interest in Jesus - Mill Hill Missionary School

The author talked to AsiaNews about his journey of faith. "Along with my brothers I studied in missionary school in Mill Hill. In their simplicity, I saw the beauty of the Christian faith, and this feeling has reawakened my interest in Christianity. When I entered the ninth class, I began to visit the church in secret, for fear that my parents would find out. He was stunned to see that Christians venerated the Cross, and the man who was on it. I wondered why he was put to death in that way, and why he had not been able to save himself. And people who were his followers? Of course they must be cowards".

Italian nun Sr Priscilla helps in seeking Jesus

His research continued in the following years, helped by an Italian nun, Sister Priscilla. "I found myself transfixed as if by magic, by the words of Jesus Christ, which seemed written especially for me. Reading the Sermon on the Mount I entered into a new world. "

The passage from the Gospel opened his eyes: "Suddenly I realized why Jesus died on the Cross: God loved man so much that he generously offered his only Son for the redemption of all who believe in Him." Then came university, at Lucknow, and his encounter with the Confessions of St. Augustine, and the life and works of St. John of the Cross. "I became very emotional reading his 'dark night'." 

Lord Jesus commands to make testimony explicit 

Meanwhile, faith was slowly burning into his soul so much so that he could no longer keep his interest in Christianity secret. "I was subjected to the worst accusations. But I endured this harsh treatment with the love that endures and tolerates all with patience. " In 1984 something extraordinary happened: "As I was saying the Rosary after the usual prayers in the small hours, I saw a light as I said, in clear language that my Lord wanted my testimony to be explicit, and that He would help me ". 

Baptism into Catholic Faith and Persecution 

Predhuman was baptized April 21, 1984. A group of Pandit religious, friends of his father subjected him to a kind of trial. He explained his reasons with sweetness and simplicity. But this choice had resulted in the complete break from his family. "My father and my mother disinherited me officially. They threw me out of the house, my brothers and my whole clan abandoned me. Only my wife and my three children stayed by my side". And his witness continues, as a journalist in defence of Christianity, and now with the translation of the Bible into his own language.

Source: http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Kashmiri-translation-of-Bible-completed,-the-work-of-a-convert-20892.html

Heavenly Father's Love Letter

My Beloved Child,

 You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is - Will you be my child? John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32


Love,

Your Dad.