CCHD’s new moral theologian?

Star rise, star fall…

According to the USCCB”s recent review and renewal pledge to reform the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, new structures will help assist CCHD in applying prohibitions on funding groups which act in conflict with Catholic social and moral teachings… A new staff position on CCHD mission and identity will be added, including an ongoing consulting relationship with a moral theologian, and a CCHD Review Board to advise the bishops and the CCHD…

NOTE: Recent reports say Nancy Pelosi, Girl Theologian, may well be available following November 2nd. 

HAPPY HOLLOWEEN…

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Same as it ever was? — USCCB “Review and Renewal of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development” betrays utter lack of reform

I’ve downloaded and read the CCHD “Review and Renewal of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development as Accepted and Affirmed by the USCCB Administrative Committee,” – promulgated on September 15, 2010 – and can only cry in absolute frustration, that nothing has changed. The new, improved CCHD is still all about funding Alinskyian organizing (organizing based on the organizational theories of the late, great Saul Alinsky)….which is still all about progressive politics…which is still all about killing babies.

Yes, CCHD grants will go to progressive organizations that are also concerned with decriminalizing undocumented immigrants, socializing medicine, and nationalizing public education, as it always has, but those are issues good men and women can disagree about. Good organizations, on the other hand, don’t support politicians and policies that kill babies. Since CCHD continues to fund organizations that support pro-abortion politicians and policies, nothing has changed.

There has been no reform of CCHD.

There has been no renewal of CCHD.

CCHD has intractably set its course. It was founded to fund Alinskyian organizing and it will, if this document of “review and renewal” is any indication, go down funding Alinskyian organizing.

The document’s Introduction, for instance, after a whole lot of pious rhetoric, lists 4 examples of “CCHD’s remarkable work.” Two of those examples are Alinskyian organizations: Communities Organized for Public Service (COPS), an affiliate of Saul Alinsky’s Industrial Areas Foundation network, and the Federation of Congregations United to Serve (FOCUS), an affiliate of PICO, a network founded in the IAF-style by an IAF-trained organizer. This is “CCHD’s remarkable work.”

Pro-life groups around the US, under the banner of Reform CCHD Now, have demonstrated that dozens of CCHD grantees have been directly engaged in activities that violate Church teachings. According to “Review and Renewal,” CCHD has withdrawn funding from only five of them. If this is the best CCHD can manage, despite overwhelming evidence against the others, CCHD assurances that it will be putting into place “stronger policies and clearer mechanisms to screen and monitor grants and groups” is very un-reassuring.

And while it has verbally distanced itself from groups that are also indirectly engaged in activities that violate Church teachings, the money pours from Catholics, who think their donations are “for the poor,” straight into progressive coffers. So while CCHD states it “will not fund groups that are members of coalitions which have as part of their organizational purpose or coalition agenda, positions or actions that contradict fundamental Catholic moral and social teaching,” it continues to fund the Alinskyian organizing networks and their affiliates. The two “model” grantees give us a very nice picture of how this plays.

Democrat pro-choice politician Henry Cisneros of San Antonio owed his successful mayoral bid directly to the IAF. “IAF’s most successful projects have been based in Texas, where Communities Organized for Public Service (COPS) in San Antonio helped elect Henry Cisneros as the city’s first Hispanic mayor.” [David Walls, “Power to the People: Thirty-five Years of Community Organizing,” The Workbook, summer 1994. Cisneros served as mayor of San Antonio from 1981 to 1987.]

As for the Federation of Congregations United to Serve, it recently became a partner with Public Allies Central Florida. Public Allies, whose founding advisory board included President Obama and whose Chicago chapter was run by Michelle Obama from 1993-1996, was one of the original AmeriCorps programs. Its mission is to “advance new leadership” and, in that capacity frequently has “partnered” with Planned Parenthood (e.g. Milwaukee and Pittsburgh). In fact, Public Allies’ national head of finance and administration is Tim Hosch, previously the Controller at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. What an interesting partner for a CCHD-funded organization.

Guilt by association? You betcha. These associations marry Alinskyian community organizations to the progressive policies and persons of the Democrat Party – and Alinskyian community organizations are the groups that receive the bulk of CCHD grants.

With that in mind, consider CCHD’s new “commitments,” detailed in “Review and Renewal.” Many of them involve plastering statements of intention here and there (“Add introductory statement on CCHD mission foundations and identity on all forms, applications, materials,” “Revise CCHD Grant Agreement to more clearly state prohibited activities,” “…add more specific language to the CCHD Grant Agreement,” “…revise and refine the CCHD Grant Agreement for greater clarity”) that will mean absolutely NOTHING unless there is a fundamental restructuring of the collection.

Similarly, creating “a new position to focus on promoting, safeguarding and monitoring the Catholic identity of CCHD and compliance with CCHD requirements” will accomplish NOTHING if the person who fills that position thinks – as CCHD has argued for 40 years – that Alinskyian community organizing and its political shenanigans are perfectly compliant with CCHD requirements.

It’s all doublespeak unless there’s a change of direction – a metanoia – a conversion. Doing what CCHD has always done will produce what CCHD has always produced.

Stop trying to “Share the Good News of CCHD” (could “Review and Renewal” have crafted a more offensive statement?) and start sharing the good news of Jesus. Stop trying to “empower the poor” and help them, instead. Stop worrying about the bad PR (“CCHD will develop more timely, consistent and effective ways to monitor and respond to coverage of CCHD in both new and traditional media”) and worry instead about bad programs. For heaven’s sake, don’t try to persuade us that “enlarge[ing] the range of grant amounts ($25,000 – $75,000)” to organizations whose progressive fellowships – that’s “dead babies” when you come out of the bureaucratic and into the real world – is positive.

Way toward the end of “Review and Renewal,” there’s a little item that “CCHD will seek appropriate ways to integrate its activities to protect the life and dignity of those who are poor or suffering from economic injustice into the broader USCCB “life and dignity” priority…The connection between family (broken families, absent fathers, domestic violence, unwed pregnancies, etc.) and economic (joblessness, low wages, discrimination, globalization, etc.) aspects of poverty should be an area of continuing focus for CCHD.” It’s the best part of this sorry 15-page document.

However, one would like to know why, in the one spot in the US where this very connection was attempted – the Archdiocese of Chicago – the CCHD director was “let go.”

For 40 years, the Catholic bishops and the Catholic community in the United States have been duped. They have been unwitting partners in a serious and sustained commitment to manipulate low-income people and poor communities into supporting a progressive agenda that has included dead babies. That isn’t how we serve the poor – and it doesn’t make their lives better.

But it does insure that the reviewed and renewed CCHD is pretty much the same creature as it’s always been.

Stephanie Block is a member of the Catholic Media Coalition and the editor of the New Mexico-based Los Pequenos newspaper.

Info: http://www.usccb.org/cchd/

America The Beautiful…

Surprise win!: Kentucky teen crowned Ms. World  in China…. 

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Vision leads woman to paint 1991 portrait of… 911 terrorist attack

In this Oct. 14, 2010 photo, “Saving Freedom” a 1991 painting by Mary Jane Jordan is seen in Roseburg, Ore.. Caryl Jordan Baum, 67, the daughter of Mary Jane Jordan, believes it prophetically depicted the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. She hopes to have the painting, which she said her mother painted after having a vision, made into a postage stamp that commemorates the 10th anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

(AP Photo/The News-Review, Michael Sullivan)

ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) – Ghostly figures run across the roof of a skyscraper, smoke and flames reflected in the building’s window panes, contrasting with the brilliant blue sky.

The people, who have no faces or color, clamor on top of each other in their haste to get away from a man brandishing a knife. A large American flag stands in the midst of the pale figures, the red and white stripes smudging together as if the flag was drenched in a heavy rain.

The scene is from a watercolor called “Saving Freedom” painted by Roseburg resident Caryl Jordan Baum’s late mother Mary Jane Jordan in 1991.

Jordan Baum, 67, believes it prophetically depicted the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. She hopes to have the painting, which she said her mother painted after having a vision, made into a postage stamp that commemorates the 10th anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Jordan Baum plans to submit an application to the U.S. Postal Service soon and believes the painting’s significance makes a strong case for it being put on a stamp.

Prints of the painting have been sold to people all over the country, with former President George W. Bush being the most famous owner, she said.

Jordan Baum sent a print of the painting in a frame with tiny American flags bordering it to the president around Veteran’s Day in 2001. She got a call shortly after from his staff saying they received the painting and planned to present it to the president.

“They were thrilled. They were getting chills,” Jordan Baum said.

She recently learned the painting will be part of the president’s archives, soon to be housed on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She had written a letter inquiring what happened to the painting and received an answer last month from the former president.

“It makes a fine addition to the collection,” states the letter signed by Bush. “Thanks again to you and Mrs. Mary Jane Jordan for sharing it with me.”

Jordan Baum found the painting while looking through a stash of her mother’s artwork in her garage shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. Immediately struck by the way it eerily foretold the terrorist attacks, she rushed over to her mother’s nursing home to show her the painting and find out more about it. That’s when Jordan explained the vision to her daughter.

“She saw the whole thing before,” Jordan Baum said. “She had a vision, and she didn’t know what it was. It scared her so she put (the painting) away.”

Jordan Baum also noted how the painting contrasted with her mother’s other watercolors, which mostly depicted colorful landscapes and flowers.

“They were beautiful scenes, and they were nothing like this,” she said, gesturing to a print of the painting identical to the one in the Bush archives.

After the painting was displayed at Linus Oakes retirement village in Roseburg, where Jordan lived with her husband, Irving, for 14 years, many people requested prints, Jordan Baum said.

Per her mother’s request, all proceeds from prints and cards depicting the painting went to charity. People who saw the painting also frequently remarked that it would make a striking stamp.

“I want to keep her legacy alive,” Jordan Baum said. “If this becomes a postage stamp, it would be such an honor.”

Jordan died at 87 in 2002, but not before finding out that President Bush received her painting, Jordan Baum said.

“It made her very happy,” she said. “At least she lived long enough to know.”

Bush sent Jordan Baum a condolence letter following her mother’s death.

Jordan was a prolific painter, Jordan Baum said. She taught art at a high school in Costa Mesa, Calif., before she and her husband retired to Roseburg in the late ’80s.

Staff at Linus Oakes still fondly remember the woman who taught art classes to other residents and displayed her artwork there. Linus Oakes Activities Director Becky Brigham said Jordan was very patriotic and she remembers seeing the woman frequently decked out in stars and stripes.

It was her mother’s patriotism that made her choose out “Saving Freedom” out of 10 other possible titles as the name of her piece, Jordan Baum said.

“Many people, they’re just blow away by the meaning of this painting,” she said. “It shows that the terrorist is not winning. The patriotic Americans are carrying the flag and they’re saving freedom.”

END OF POST/SOURCE-KVAL CBS NEWS

Faith Advisory: Detroit Archbishop Vigneron issues warning on American Catholic Council, asks organizers to cancel…

 

Stating that the movement called American Catholic Council  distorts the true Spirit of Vatican II and causes alienation and estrangement of the faithful from the Church, Archbishop Vigneron of Detroit, Michigan, issued the following advisory:

 

Archdiocese of Detroit Statement on the American Catholic Council

Issued: October 12, 2010

Contact: Joe Kohn, infodesk@aod.org / (313) 237-5943

The Archdiocese of Detroit has been contacted by concerned members of the faithful about a movement called the American Catholic Council. Self-described as “bringing together a network of individuals, organizations, and communities to consider the state and future of our Church,” they have planned a national gathering in Detroit for the weekend of Pentecost 2011. The American Catholic Council movement and its national gathering are not conducted under the auspices of the Detroit archdiocese, the universal Roman Catholic Church, or any entity or organization affiliated with the archdiocese or the universal Roman Catholic Church.

Although their stated purpose is to “respond to the Spirit of Vatican II by summoning the Baptized together to demonstrate our re-commitment and the documents issued by the American Catholic Council offer some valid aspirations for the Church, in fact, the goals proposed are largely in opposition to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and the Holy Spirit, which inspired the Council.

The archdiocese wishes to commend and embrace all true efforts at Church renewal – the American Church Council’s agenda is not such an effort. Some of the advertised speakers and groups organizing the effort espouse positions which are clearly contrary to Catholic faith, leading to alienation and estrangement from the Church. The Archdiocese of Detroit cautions any Catholic against participating in the American Catholic Council local listening sessions and national gathering in June 2011. Catholic parishes, schools, and institutions are not to host any meetings, gatherings, or “listening sessions” associated with the planning of the June 2011 American Catholic Council. Priests, deacons, and ecclesial lay ministers will want to avoid lending support to such a misguided effort. On behalf of the archdiocese, Archbishop Vigneron has asked the organizers to cancel their plans for this national gathering that distorts the true Spirit of Vatican II. He asks us all to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we may embrace authentic development of faith and morals, and shun efforts which threaten unity.

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Related Articles

• Non-Catholics influenced Vatican II liberalization of Catholic church, new Penn study says (eurekalert.org)

Obama’s Amnesia Express — ‘This election is not about what we’ve done.’

…And two years into it we know why.

As Americans wait on the president to finally decide on what his “pay grade” actually is as president, (Hint: providing the country with a workable job prescription for the ills of 10.2 unemployment might be a start), he warns his followers in Madison, Wisconsin, last week that the “other side” is counting on amnesia come November 2. All this while asking that we forget about what he’s done. Which is… well, you fill in the blank_____________.

Outside of the dreamy-eyed devo-ite organizers protrayed below, is anyone actually still buying into the “game of change” thing?

Welcome to the world of selective amnesia…

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CCHD Update — Hundreds of parishioners petition bishop to withdraw support for 2010 Catholic Campaign for Human Development

Image via Wikipedia

 

Here’s your backdrop headline to the stories below:

ACORN Is Very Much Alive; Funding Ban Dies This Week…

There’s a New Catholic Citizens Statement on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

According to the report:

It appears that there are still questionable grantees; and, in fact, there has been strong criticism of the participation of members of the staff of the CCHD at the national offices of the USCCB and their membership in various controversial organizations and coalitions that work in opposition to the teachings of the Catholic Church, promoting abortion and gay “marriage.” A full report [See the full report here] of the organizations receiving grants that are not in conformity with the teachings of the Church was sent to all of the bishops in the United States by REFORM CCHD NOW.

Bishops are scheduled to debate reform of the troubled program in November.

Catholic Citizens report:

All members of the USCCB have been asked to respond to a document – “The Review and Renewal of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.” Although it has gone through five successive drafts, there is still no agreement among the bishops. Supporters of the CCHD are fearful that the bishops may call for sweeping changes at their November meeting, and are asking their allies to contact the bishops and express their satisfaction with the document, thereby halting any attempt at reform.

Meanwhile, hundreds of parishioners from the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, are already urging  Bishop Loverde to withdraw his support of CCHD through a prayerful petitioning effort. I received this tonight…

Dear Editor,

Most devote Catholics would never knowingly support pro-abortion groups.

Yet on November 21st, many Catholics throughout the Arlington Diocese will unwittingly donate to organizations that promote abortion, homosexual marriage, and contraception.

That is because, despite the extensive publicity regarding CCHD’s funding of questionable groups, Bishop Paul S. Loverde of the Diocese of Arlington plans to go forward with the collection next month for CCHD.

Most people already know that CCHD gave millions of dollars to ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) before news of ACORN’s scandalous activities made national headlines. However, many people are not aware that CCHD continues to fund dozens of similar groups that promote abortion, contraception, homosexual marriage and other activities that are in direct conflict with Church teachings.

Hundreds of parishioners have already urged Bishop Loverde to withdraw his support of CCHD by signing the Prayerful Petition found at http://www.NoMoreCCHD.com We remain hopeful that Bishop Loverde will join other American bishops who have already withdrawn their support for CCHD.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey E. Knight

466 Long Mountain Road
Washington, VA 22747
(540)675-1440

The petition simply states:

We the undersigned parishioners of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, respectfully urge Bishop Paul S. Loverde to withdraw support for the 2010 National Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) and, in lieu thereof, sponsor a collection for the more worthy needs and programs of our diocese.

I personally find this portion of the petition statement attractive, much needed, and worthy of exploration by the Bishop’s conference next month: 

[...in lieu thereof, (CCHD Collection)...] sponsor a collection for the more worthy needs and programs of our diocese.

That’s the ticket.

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The Orate Fratres Blog Supports the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage and Abp. Nienstedt standing in defense of that teaching

Nienstedt

The American Papist has begun a drive in support of besieged Archbishop Nienstedt, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This from Catholic Vote:

Archbishop John Nienstedt refused to allow the Holy Mass turn into a political protest. A group of 25 activists who are opposed to the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage wore rainbow sashes at a Mass celebrated by the Archbishop.
 
Not only did these protesters attend Mass wearing these sashes, but they tried to receive Communion despite publicly denouncing Church teaching. The protest organizer told the media: “We were making a statement during the Eucharist.”
 
The Archbishop of Saint Paul-Minneapolis would not allow the protestors to “make a statement” while receiving the Holy Eucharist. Archbishop Nienstedt refused to offer Communion to these activists who had already publicly announced their dis-unity.
 
These protesters told the media that their protest was spurred because Archbishop Nienstedt sent out DVDs which explained the Church’s position on marriage to 400,000 Catholics in Minnesota. The Archbishop has been under attack for defending the Church’s position on marriage since the DVDs were mailed out (at no expense to the Church) in late September.
 
Show your support and thank Archbishop John Nienstedt for refusing to allow the Holy Eucharist be used in a political protest.  Thank this courageous bishop for standing strong for marriage as a union of a man and a woman.

Go here to say: “I support Archbishop Nienstedt!”

END OF POST

Angels and Demons: Facts, NOT Fiction by Fr. John Corapi

Image via Wikipedia

Angels and Demons: Facts, NOT Fiction

 By Fr. John Corapi

An excerpt from the book, “Ever Ancient Ever New” by Father John Corapi

There have been a number of television shows, movies and various articles on the subject of angels and the demonic in recent years. Most of this material is pure fiction, yet the part that is not fiction is an acknowledgment that they both exist.

As part of the Church’s catechesis on creation it is necessary to speak of both the angels and the devil, Satan, or the demonic. “The Apostles’ Creed professes that God is the ‘Creator of heaven and earth.’ The Nicene Creed makes it explicit that this profession includes ‘all that is, seen and unseen” (Catechism #325).

The profession of faith of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) affirms that God from the beginning of time made at once (simul) out of nothing both orders of creatures, the spiritual and the corporeal, that is, the angelic and the earthly, and then (deinde) the human creature who as it were shares in both orders, being composed of spirit and body.” (#327)

The Catechism clearly asserts that “the existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls ‘angels’ is a truth of the faith” (#328), the witness of Scripture being as unanimous as tradition. In other words, there is no question about it: the angels are real, not the figment of someone’s medieval imagination. It is a truth of the faith. This quite simply means that for a Catholic, one must accept this as part of God’s revelation. One may not understand it, but one must accept it on faith, and then seek the understanding that faith can ultimately bring. Although, it being understood, that we’ll never understand in this life God and all his mighty works perfectly. We would have o be God to understand him perfectly.

The angels are creatures, pure spiritual beings whose mission or office is to be messengers and servants of God (#329). “As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, [with the exception of the Mother of God] as the splendor of their glory bears witness.” (#330)

The Lord Jesus Christ is the author, center, and end of all creation including the angelic world. They are “his angels.” As the Catechism teaches, “they belong to him because they were created through and for him…They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of his saving plan.” (#331)

The existence and activity of the angels is more than obvious in both the Old and New Testaments. To say, by the way, that they are mere “literary figures” in Scripture in the name of so-called biblical scholarship is an affront to and an attack upon true scholarship. All Scripture has to be read as a totality, in the light of tradition, and applying the analogy of faith. When this is done it is clear that the Church’s teaching s constant in that angels are really beings, not mere literary devices. They have played a key role in salvation history.

…[E]ach and every person benefits from the ministry of the angels. The Church has long taught that we have a “guardian angel” to guide and protect us through life. “From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their (the angels’) watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.” Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.

The existence and malevolent activity of the devil or Satan and the fallen angels or demons is likewise a teaching of the church that must be accepted by all. “The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing.” (#391)

Through the misuse of the gifts of intellect and free will the devil (Lucifer) and those who went his way chose irrevocably to reject God and his reign. Their choice is irrevocable because of their higher nature. Men get a second chance, and many more than that, but the angels clearly saw what they were doing. Hence, “There is no repentance for the angels after their fall, just as there is no repentance for men after death.” (#393)

Christ came to cast out the evil one and his works of lying and death and did so through the humble obedience which led him always to accept the Father’s will, even unto the death of the cross. The essence of the diabolic is that pride and arrogance which leads to disobedience. This leads to fracturing and division. Stepping outside of the truth who is God himself results in this division.

Those who are most powerful in christ through his Church, which is called to fight against “the liar and father of lies, the murderer from the beginning” (cf.. Jn 8:2f) (the devil), are those who are most humbly obedient to God’s authority working through the church. The devil can do nothing when he comes up against those who obey most humbly Christ’s church and her teachings. On the other hand, he is most powerful and untiringly active working through those who imagine themselves to be above the Church’s teaching authority. Humility leads to obedience, which leads to life. Pride leads to disobedience, which leads to death. This is the lesson of the book of Genesis. It is the lesson of the cross.

With the angels of the Lord we humbly and obediently praise and give thanks to the Father through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit for all that God’s creative and redemptive power has wrought.

Ghosts: I’ve had a cataleptic somnambulism, you probably have too — The Seven Kinds of Ghosts

 

Click Image For Story.

EDITOR:

To bury the dead is a corporal act of mercy. It’s also a spiritual act of mercy to pray for the souls of the dead; those we know and love, as well as those forgotten souls who have no one to pray for them. The object of such prayer, of course, is not to contact the dead, but instead to pray for their entrance into the eternal beatitude of God—Heaven.

Before my wife’s Grandmother passed away, her husband had died. And she use to tell us that following her husband’s death, he appeared to her and comforted her in the living room of their home…

It shouldn’t have surprised me then, that on the night that my wife’s grandmother died in the hospital, I was awakened by the passing presence of a spirit through the bedroom my wife and I slept in that night. We were in my wife’s Grandparents bedroom:

I sat straight up in the bed, and thought to myself, ‘Oh, no, she’s died…’ And the phone rang in the dark moments later.

The hospital confirmed what I already knew…

This account of mine, as you’ll learn within the following article, is a ‘common experience many have of which can be described in technical jargon as a cataleptic somnambulism. a sensed or visual phantasmic perception. And I have no doubt that many who’ll read this post have had the same, or similar visitation experiences. Or perhaps, knows someone who has. 

While such visitations appear true, without forgetting that (if authentic) they are a gift of God for the grieving, and call to prayer, there still remains the reality of powerful forces of an evil nature at the level of spirits. It’s not a good thing to be messing around with spiritism, in fact, it can be outright dangerous to both body and soul.

As the Halloween season approaches, I’ve decided to share this great article as both a spiritual warfare aid and call to remember the dead in your prayers. God is spirit, and we must worship in spirit and truth, and if you’re praying properly you yourself can be a great aid to both those you love and so too those wandering forgotten souls who have none to pray for them. Note: The most powerful prayer on behalf of souls on earth is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. So, I encourage you this upcoming All Souls Day , November 2nd, 2010, to visit any Catholic Church for the purpose of helping souls attain Heaven… Links for personal prayers will be found at the end of the page following the article… jme

Seven Kinds of Ghosts (Revised)
by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

I. What the Bible Says about Ghosts

A. Seeking out Ghosts

We begin this discussion with an examination of some of the Scripture verses that give us clues on this subject.

Scripture does not have much to say about this and certainly God has made it clear that this is an area we are not to seek out:

*Lev. 19:31 tells us to not turn to mediums or to seek out spiritists.

*Lev. 20:6, 27 equates the seeking out of mediums with prostitution (doing so is an act of infidelity to God that is not just adultery, but involves a prurient interest in the occult things equating it with prostitution — a medium also is “hired” which is also an image of prostitution).

*Deut. 18:10-11 Gives a whole list of prohibitions involving the occult and spirit world.

Whatever Ghosts are or are not, it is clear that we are not to seek them out in any way.

B. What do We Know About Ghosts?

1. Composition of Ghosts

*What are ghosts composed of? Well, we have a little hint of that in Luke 24:39 where the Resurrected Jesus is mistaken for a ghost. Jesus says “a ghost does not have flesh and bones”.

Thus we can know that whatever ghosts are, they are spiritual beings without flesh and bones.

2. Ghostly Visitations during Sleep

*Is there an example of a ghostly visitation during sleep? Job 4:15 “A spirit glided by my face and the hair on my body stood on end”

This “spirit” was most probably an angel, but it does give us a clue of the human experience of meeting a spiritual entity and that such entities can and do come to us in that vulnerable time of twilight and dreams. This account is very close to the common experience many have of which can be described in technical jargon as a cataleptic somnambulism with a sensed or visual phantasmic perception.

Also in 2 Maccabees 15:12-16 is a passage about a dream (vision) of the Jewish leader Maccabeus. In this dream the ghosts of the high priest Onias and the great prophet Jeremiah appeared to him and encouraged him concerning the battle to come.

Maccabeus told this dream to his men which encourage his men greatly. Maccabeus and his men afterward defeated blasphemous Nicanor and his men who thought to destroy the Jewish people.

3. Human spirits in Ghostly Form?

*Can a human being’s spirit be transported? We know from accounts of Padre Pio that bi-location is possible, but those are yet unverified — But what about in Scripture. Well, there are a couple of verses that indicate this. One is in Rev. 21:10 (17:3) where John was “carried away in the spirit”. But the most direct notion of this is in 2 Corinthians 12:2 “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know — God knows.”

From this we know it is possible for man’s spirit to be apart from even his living body at God’s discretion. In the occult world this is called Astral Projection.

*Can a person’s body be transported spiritually? Acts 8:39, after Philip was miraculously running up along the chariot of the Ethiopian, and after Philip baptized him, Philip then disappeared. “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again…”

This episode appears to be a bodily transport in the spirit, but I suppose it could also be a corporeal bi-location too. Who knows?

4. Other examples of ghostly visitations

*1 Samuel 28 The Witch of Endor. In this story Saul goes to a medium asking her to contact the dead Samuel. She apparently succeeds and Saul talks with Samuel and Samuel prophecies. The Scripture specifically states that “Samuel said”. There is no indication at all that this was a demonic impostor.

*Sirach 46:20. Again Samuel prophecies from the grave.

*The Transfiguration Matt 17:2 Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus to Peter, James, and John

*The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31 In verse 25 Abraham says that there is a great chasm between him and the Rich Man that cannot be crossed. This is not talking about a chasm between the earth and hell; it is a chasm between Abraham’s bosom (which, in principle can be likened to heaven), and that of hell. Those in hell cannot come to the place of the saved, and the saved cannot reach down with compassion to those who are lost. It is in the next request from the Rich Man that we have a possible clue. The Rich Man wants Lazarus to go to his brothers to warn them of hell. Abraham says that there is no point in doing so. v.31 “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead”.

This passage implies the possibility of at least Lazarus being able to go to the living (it implies the Rich Man in hell cannot), but Abraham refuses the request not because it is impossible to do so, but because there is no point in doing so.

C. Conclusion *So what do we have?

1. We know that ghosts do not have flesh and bones. (Luke 24:39)
2. We know that the dead can communicate with the living. (1 Sam 28; Sirach 46:20)
3. We know that at least in some context allowed by God, the dead can be conjured in some fashion. (1 Sam 28)
4. We know that it is possible for the dead to appear on the earth (Matt 72; 1 Sam 28)
5. We know that is may be possible for the dead to not only appear on the earth, but appear to people and talk with them (Luke 16:27-31; 1 Sam 28)
6. We know that it is possible for the living to bi-locate (Rev. 17:3; 21:10; 2 Cor 12:2)
7. We know that it is possible for spirits to communicate in dreams and the person to have a bodily reaction to the visitation (Job 4:15)

II. Comments from Peter Kreeft

Now, let’s take a look at what Peter Kreeft says about this. He wrote at least two books that mention this subject, “Angels (and demons): What Do we Know About Them?” and “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven”. His comments stem from his study of Thomas Aquinas, Philosophy, and other Catholic saints and observers on this subject.

Kreeft makes mention that many very reputable people, such as C.S. Lewis, have reported seeing a “ghost” of their wives. There are many instances from reputable sources of experiences that do not have ANY flavor of the demonic.

Based upon these anecdotal accounts Kreeft and others talk about identifying three kinds of ghosts. I would add a fourth and a fifth category (from Kreeft’’s material that he talks about but doesn’t categorized) and a sixth and seventh type from my own thoughts and observations.

III. Seven Kinds of Ghosts

1. GHOSTS OF THE FIRST KIND: The first kind Kreeft calls the “sad ones” or “wispy ones”. These Ghosts seem to be working out some unfinished business of some sort, or suffering some purgatorial purification.

He says that these Ghosts would seem to be the ones who just barely made it into Purgatory, who feel little or no joy yet and who need to learn many painful lessons about their past lives on earth. God, in his compassion, may realize that to allow the person to get through Purgatory that it may be useful for them to learn some lessons on this earth.

2. GHOSTS OF THE SECOND KIND: A Second kind may be some of these purgatorial ghosts who might have been so material minded in their earthly life that they can’t detach themselves from these Material places or possessions. God may allow them to remain attached as they work out their need to “let go”.

3. GHOSTS OF THE THIRD KIND: A third type might be those who don’t yet realize they are dead. Again, in God’s compassion, I can see why He would allow a spirit to linger for a short while so that they may realize their fate before leaving this world completely. In both the “second kind” and “third kind” God could, of course, force the person to let go of the material place or to come on through the “gate” and not linger. But a compassionate Father can also allow for a “little” tolerance to help the person to adjust.

4. GHOSTS OF A FOURTH KIND: A Fourth type are the malicious and deceptive spirits. These are the one who probably appear at séances and the like and are most likely from hell. And most likely are demons disguised as dead loved ones and not the human persons themselves.

5. GHOSTS OF A FIFTH KIND: A Fifth type are the bright, happy spirits of dead friends and family who appear unbidden at God’s will, not ours, with messages of hope and love. They seem to come from heaven. These type may come to a loved one to say goodbye or to comfort them after a funeral, for example. Or these type may come to a relative or friend in “great” need. God may allow these dead relatives to come to the bedside of a loved one just before death. This would be an act of compassion to comfort the person as they pass from this life to the next. There are very trustworthy empirical and psychological evidence for these phenomena.

6. GHOSTS OF A SIXTH KIND: (updated: 9/4/08) A sixth type involves the ghost performing a certain scene repetitively. For example, a ghost of this type may go from the top of the stairs to the bottom and then disappear. This may happen over and over again. It never changes. The Ghost never interacts with anyone, and we cannot interact with it. It never changes facial expression nor does it ever acknowledge anything around it.

There are many theories to explain this phenomenon, but no real explanations. A popular notion is the concept of a “Residual Ghost”, which I originally posited in 1999. Since that time, after a more careful study of physics changed my position on this. The notion of a Residual Ghost is well expressed recently by Jason Hawes of the Atlantic Paranormal Society: that “A residual haunting is like having an impression made in time. The entity may seem to be lost in a time warp. The spirit really isn’t even there, only the energy is.” The Glossary on their website gives a more formal definition:

Psychic imprint of a scene which is repeatedly played out, where the witness of such phenomenon essentially is peering into the past. The ghostly participants of these time-displacements often seem unaware of their living observers.

There are significant problems with this theory. The physics of matter and energy makes this theory nearly impossible. Cody Polston, Founder and President of the Southwest Ghost Hunter’s Association, gives a very good and succinct scientific explanation of why the Residual Haunting is implausible in his article, Residual hauntings, a flawed hypothesis.

Ockham’s razor (“All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best”) advises us to avoid complex explanations. The theory of Residual Ghosts creates all sorts of problems that must be resolved before it can be plausible. A more plausible and simpler explanation is that “residual ghosts” are actually demonic in origin.

We know from cases throughout the history of the Church that one of Satan’s tactics is to instill an unhealthy curiosity into things concerning the paranormal. To experience a “residual ghost” usually creates an interest and curiosity on the part of the experiencer in the paranormal. Sometimes the experiencer will further explore contact with the spirit world or other dangerous explorations into the paranormal. God warns us of the danger to our soul by trying to contact the dead. Our Lord calls these activities an abomination (Deut. 18:9-12). Satan would love to inspire such curiosity and to lure a person into his sandbox.

7. GHOSTS OF THE SEVENTH KIND: Some “apparent” ghostly apparitions or effects may be the bi-location of the living…the Astral projections of living people. This can be postulated from scriptural evidence (Rev. 17:3; 21:10; and 2 Cor 12:2), and from verified reports of bi-location of people like Padre Pio.

IV. What should our demeanor be toward “any” ghostly event?

READ THE REST FROM THE SOURCE: St. Michael’s Scriptorium & Library

Catholic Online: Prayers

A Prayer for a Deceased Woman A Prayer for a Lately Deceased Person A Prayer for Deliverance from an Unproven Death A Prayer For The Dead A Prayer for the Dying and a Special Soul A Prayer for the Forgotten Dead A Prayer in a Country Cemetery A Prayer In A Country Cemetery Daily Acceptance Of Death Plenary Indulgence at the Hour of Death

Prayer for a Happy Death Prayer for a Happy Death #1 Prayer for Acceptance of Death Prayer for the Dead Prayer for the Dead # 2 Prayer for the Dead # 3 Prayer for the Dying #1 Prayer for the Dying #2 Prayer for the Sick near Death To Our Lord for a Happy Death

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