THE SHOULDER WOUND OF JESUS
St. Bernard asked our Lord which was His greatest unrecorded suffering and Our Lord answered:
"I had on My Shoulder, while I bore My Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grievous Wound, which was more painful than the others and which is not recorded by men. Honor this Wound with thy devotion and I will grant thee whatsoever thou dost ask through Its virtue and merit. And in regard to all those who shall venerate this Wound, I will remit to them all their venial sins and will no longer remember their mortal sins."
Recent scientific examiners of the Shroud of Turin reported that there are marks and blood spots which show that the person in the shroud carried the Patibulum, the crossbar of the cross on his shoulders. The Patibulum was thought to weigh about 75 pounds and that weight on the shoulders alone was capable of inflicting shoulder wounds in a fall as described by Saint Bernard.
Pope Eugenius III, at the earnest request of St. Bernard, has granted three thousand years Indulgence to all who with a contrite heart, recite the Lord's Prayer and Hail Mary 3 times, in honor of the Wound on the Shoulder of Our Blessed Redeemer.
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed."
(1Peter 2:24)
The Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Christ:
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, 1090-1153
"Most loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I, a miserable sinner, salute and worship
the most Sacred Wound of Thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear Thy heavy Cross
which so tore Thy flesh and laid bare Thy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish
greater than any other wound of Thy Most Blessed Body. I adore Thee, O Jesus
most sorrowful; I praise and glorify Thee, and give Thee thanks for this most
sacred and painful Wound, beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain, and by the
crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive
me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the
Way of Thy Cross. Amen."
PRAYER FOR GOOD FRIDAY.
Lord Jesus Christ, Lamb of God, Savior of the World, God Most High Who Seek the Lost Children of Adam and Eve, You saw and found us up on that Cross, and we look up and saw You. Thank You for Your Sacrifice, You saved us from the power of death and sin.
Now Lord, cure our pains and achings, bring us into full healing. We wish to remain under Your Cross and shower in Your Most Precious Blood, so that we will become Yours. Keep us safe and worthy until the time that we will approach Your glorious throne as King, and invite us into Your Kingdom, together with Your family. AMEN.
⚡๐ฅ⚡SPIRITUAL BATTLE⚡๐ฅ⚡
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PERSONAL SPIRITUAL WARFARE:
(For the Deliverance of Yourself or Place from Evil Spirits)
* Consult with your parish priest first
Reminders:
1) Use the following prayers when you believe an evil spirit is...
- harassing you,
- tempting you gravely,
- making you feel fear by letting itself be felt,
- giving you pain or sickness,
- causing bad thoughts in your mind,
- attacking you in your sleep, etc.
2) They can also be used for places when you sense their presence.
3) Be prepared. As much as possible..
- be in the state of grace, like always going to confession,
- have holy water,
- wear a scapular,
- wear a St. Benedict's medal
These items must be used with faith ("God and Mother Mary are watching over me; I am theirs") and not with superstition.
4) Pray all prayers with the heart.
5) Do not be afraid; know who you belong to. The evil spirits are afraid of Catholics who know their identity as children of God.
6) Before praying the prayers, place yourself in God's presence and sense his nearness.
STEP 1: PRAYER FOR PROTECTION
Jesus Crucified, cover me, my family, my relatives, and friends, and all our possessions with your Precious Blood. (Recite three times.)
STEP 2: PRAYER FOR ARMOR
I put on God's armor to resist the devil's tactics. I stand my ground with truth buckled around my waist and integrity for a breastplate. I carry the shield of faith to put out the burning arrows of the evil one. I accept salvation of God to be my helmet and receive the Word of God from the Spirit to use as a sword.
STEP 3: PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE:
(Pray this prayer with a commanding voice. If you have holy water, sprinkle while praying this prayer).
In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, through His tremendous power as God and through His most powerful and salvific name. I rebuke, repudiate, bind, and cast out all spirits not of the Holy Spirit. I command you in the name of Jesus, to depart now from (state name of person or place) and go immediately and directly to the foot of the Cross and never to return.)
(Then pray this prayer to the Holy Spirit, asking for assistance and His infilling)
O Most Holy Spirit, enter into the empty spaces left by these spirits and fill (state name of person or place) with your presence, love, and protection. Please do not allow these spirits to return.
STEP 4: PRAYER TO THE ANGELS
(Make a personal prayer to the angels to stand guard and remain around the person or place just delivered to seal them from future demonic influences.)
STEP 5: PRAYER FOR CLEANSING
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray that the cleansing power of the Precious Blood of your Son come upon us right now. Purify us and wash us clean with the Blood of Jesus from the top of our head down to the very soles of our feet. Let this Blood penetrate the very marrow of our bones to cleanse us from the entanglement from whatever spirit we have come in contact with during the course of our intercession. Anoint us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and refresh our body, soul, and spirit.
And may the sign of your Holy Cross drive away all evil spirits from us. (Make the sign of the Cross) In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
STEP 6: PRAYER OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
(Make a personal prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God.)
Supplements:
1) If right afterwards there seems to be some form of retaliation from the evil spirits like sickness, pains, and depression, use the Prayer of Deliverance, but instead of saying "all spirits not of the Holy Spirit," say "spirit of retaliation and all accompanying spirits," then finish with the cleansing prayer.
2) Before going to bed, make the sign of the cross on your forehead using holy water.
3) Use Holy Water frequently in your room and, if possible, sprinkle exorcised salt (rock salt blessed by a priest) around the corners and entrances of your room.
4) Have a devotion to Mother Mary,
- speak to Her from the heart,
- pray the Rosary,
- learn more about Her and
- practice Her virtues,
- make novenas to Her.
She is the mortal enemy of the demons and the devil, and they fear her.
5) Speak frequently to your guardian angel and always ask him to guard and guide you. He will speak usually through your thoughts and your heart.
- From the book: EXORCISM: Encounters with the Paranormal and the Occult. (2006) Revised edition
By: Fr. Jose Francisco C. Syquia
Director, Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism
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DIVINE MERCY: MOST TERRIFYING TO LUCIFER
St. Joseph has been invoked as "terror of demons" and it is true. I have prayed his litany many times during exorcisms and the devil, particularly Lucifer would react to it in horror and pain. But recently I discovered the most terrifying of all to the chief of hell - THE DIVINE MERCY prayers. It happened that during an exorcism against Lucifer (whom we have been casting for many weeks) the day before the feast of the Divine Mercy, while holding the Blessed Sacrament in front of the energumen, I said a prayer from the chaplet of the Divine Mercy:"For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and of the whole world". No sooner than I finished the prayer the chief of hell started to scream in pain to the toppest of his voice. It was so loud that my voice was swallowed by his. To hear the prayer (the truth) was an unbearable torture to him. It was too much to know that mercy is only given to man and not to him and his apostate angels. And for the first time in many weeks, I saw him suffered very greatly.
During the encounter, the energumen changed colors. She turned to gray from reddish. In some sessions, she turned pale green.
At the end of the prayers, the energumen complained of an indescribable pain at the center of the palm of her hands. I asked one member of our team to rub it with exorcised water. Then using an exorcised oil, I traced a cross on her palms and asked her to hold my Benedict medal.
Soon after, she complained of another pain. This time at the center of her feet. And it immediately dawned on me that the sorrowful passion of Jesus and the nails that pierced his hands and feet indeed cause great suffering to the chief of the fallen angels. (During exorcisms, the pains of the devil are manifested through their victims.)
I took my stole and wrapped one tip of it on her hands and the other tip on her feet. The pain subsided and we prayed the Cleansing Prayer.
The Passion of Christ is the final humiliation and defeat of Lucifer and his minions. According to the Fathers of the Church, after the creation of the angels, they were put to a test. It was revealed to them that God would become flesh in Jesus (Incarnation) through the Blessed Virgin Mary (Theotokos). This God becoming flesh would then be crucified and that they - the angels - would worship him hanging on the cross. Together with the Divine Motherhood of Mary, to worship a God hanging on the cross was too much for him to accept (pride). Thus, Lucifer and a third of the angels ("third of the stars") stage a rebellion against God and they were hurled down to the earth (Rev. 12:4).
"For the sake of his sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and of the whole world." Amen.
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A PASTORAL APPROACH TO INFESTED HOUSES:
(For Exorcising Locations from Demonic Infestations)
▪Background
Ancient Christian tradition held that places, objects and animals were exorcised and blessed.
Exorcism would be done to drive away any evil entity that was attached to the place and then the blessing follows. The victory that was gain by Christ over evil was made effective and applied to a particular locale.
Today, the tendency is to focus solely on the blessing aspect. Although this is usually effective to drive away any evil influence, for example, in the blessing of a new home, when one is dealing with more powerful and tenacious fallen angels that have attached to the place, blessings do not suffice to drive them away.
We therefore see that some "haunted" houses remain infested after repeated blessings. Especially difficult are houses that were used for occult and satanic activities or places where alot of violence or sin occurred.
What must be remembered when dealing with "haunted" houses is this:
The early Christians used exorcism in order to bring true peace in their homes. They never exhibited any signs of adoration nor appeasement to inhabiting spirits like food offering and the like.
They knew very well who these spirits were that were causing trouble. Consequently, they also never reserved any place in their homes where spirits could dwell in. There was no such thing as "mutual coexistence," a term many may here alot when dealing with infestations.
Hence, the reason Christians throughout the centuries have always prayed exorcism prayers over their homes is the very obvious fact that they have known how evil spirits operate, deceive and do everything possible to gain entry into the home.
Today, more then ever, with all the sin and violence around us, we need to realize the importance of living lives pleasing to the Lord, where family prayer and holiness are a priority and the use of sacramentals within the home is an ordinary custom.
To conclude, here is an account from the life of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, the greatest mystical visionary of the Church regarding "haunted" locales. Here she speaks about a house being "haunted" due to its being built over pagan graves emit an evil influence within the vicinity.
She relates that one time when she came close to such a burial place, she "saw a black, ugly-looking vapor, like the smoke of smoldering rags, creeping over the ground." She continued, "A strange obscurity hung over the spot, and somber figures, enveloped in darkness, moved here and there, and, at last, disappeared underground.
She tells us "when houses are built over such places, a curse issues from the pagan bones resting beneath them, if their occupants do not lead lives sanctified by the benediction of the Church and so counteract its baneful effects."
Another important point that she made is "if (the occupants of the home) should happen to use superstitious means condemned by the Church to rid themselves of the curse, they enter, though without knowing it, perhaps, into communication with the powers of darkness, which then acquire fresh strength."
▪Practical Considerations
1) When moving into a new house that had already been resided in, it may be wise to check who the previous occupants were.
2) If there is some reservation regarding the atmosphere of the new house, ask the priest to use the prayers of deliverance first before the actual blessing.
It is not standard procedure for the Catholic priest to pray deliverance prayers in a house blessing hence you would need to request it from him.
3) The new house must be blessed as soon as possible, followed by the consecration of the entire family to the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
4) It is recommended the priest bless extra holy water and exorcised salt for the family use. Sprinkle holy water regularly around the house (Once a Week) and make use of it before retiring for the night. Make the sign of the cross on the forehead with it.
5) Make sure the home has a number of blessed objects like cucifixes on the door of every room and the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus/Immaculate Heart of Mary at the front part of the house. This manifests that the house belongs to God.
6) Daily family prayers are essential to bring about an atmosphere of peace and blessing in the home. The Family Rosary is strongly recommended.
7) In an old house, where there are positive signs of malevolent and harmful paranormal occurence, a house exorcism or deliverance is sought. But if the paranormal manifestations are not harmful, proper procedures for identifying the entities involved should be done, since one may be dealing with souls.
8) It would be appropriate for the priest not only to exorcise the house but pray over the persons residing there in order to remove any preternatural attachments that may be the cause of the infestations or may have ensued because of it.
9) If the resident spirits are particurly obstinate, repeated house deliverances in the home may be needed to dislodge these spirits. But one must remember that when delivering places which are not immediately set free, one can be sure that because of the prayers, the area of demonic influence has gotten smaller.
10) If one would be staying in a strange new place, for example, one would have an overnight stay in a beach resort, a small vial of holy water is good to take around, especially if one is a psychic and, therefore more open to manifestations that can sometimes be evil. Francis Mcnutt said, "People afflicted by evil spirits seem to leave something behind in places they have visited."
▪Detecting Infesting Spirits
1) When dealing with obstinate infesting spirits, it would help to establish where their precise location within the house (like a particular room, corner, furniture, etc.)
This is so that prayers of deliverance may be directed to the exact spot of their infestation. This would aid in the placing of the appropriate sacramentals within the vicinity.
2) To assist the priest in locating particular areas of infestations in the home, the fanily should prepare beforehand a list of precise spot(s) where the paranormal manifestation(s) occurred.
3) In the more difficult home infestations, it would help to bring along a person who is "sensitive" through the charismatic gifts.
4) One must remember that the interaction of a spiritual entity in the visible world, may produce some form of electromagnetic disturbance which affects the nearby vicinity.
The spirit in a sense uses the surrounding environment to manifest itself. There may, therefore, be denser air pressure in the location where the spirit is, as well as a drop in tempetature. These phenomena may be detected by other means such as animals and other gadgets used by parapsychologists.
With regard to the use of animals, Fr. Amorth said, "Animals are sensitive. They usually fix their eyes on one point; they stay there and they run off. They are afraid of whatever they are looking at or feeling. Animals are very interesting regarding their behavior. I get alot from them."
5) On the other hand, with regard to the parapsychological equipment that can detect significant changes in the atmosphere, the two more common ones used are the
• Electromagnetic Field Meter and
• Thermal Scanner
6) Know the preferences of the evil entities within the home. It is recommended that exorcised salt is sprinkled around the corners of these places; exorcised salt lasts longer in the area than holy water.
a. They prefer areas that are smelly or dirty like toilets, garbage area, and the like.
b. They prefer darkly lit rooms and corners.
c. They have preferrence for damp and unoccupied areas of the house such as bodegas, unoccupied rooms, and basements.
d. They prefer rooms that have no blessed objects around.
e. They prefer rooms where there are innocent children. They also choose rooms where the adults have some form of spiritual "opening."
7) Infesting spirits have a certain expertise in things that are electrical. According to Fr. Heron, OSB, "quite often there will be inexplicable interference with electrical equipment." Examples are: they may cause computers to malfunction or cause lightings in the house to act up.
They also have a penchant for causing drainage systems in the house to become blocked. When these occur, use deliverance prayers on the said objects.
▪Banishing Infesting Spirits
1) It is important that all the probable causes that may have contributed to the infestation are properly dealt with. For example, all occult paraphernalia like Ouija boards must be disposed of; all habitual grave sin stopped; if there are signs of curses against the home, they must be cut, etc.
2) Begin the rite with prayers to the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength.
3) Call upon the assistance of Mama Mary, the saints and angels.
4) Say the Prayer for Protection with conviction.
5) Prayers of deliverance and exorcism are prayed in each rooms of the house.
6) While prayers are being said, sprinkle the surroundings with holy water.
7) The rite for each room concludes by calling upon thr Holy Spirit and the warrior angels to reside and protect the newly delivered location.
8) Before leaving, place exorcised salt on all corners, windowsills and doorway of the rooms.
9) The use of blessed incense is optional. It is used after the exorcised salt has been sprinkled.
10) After the rooms have been cleansed, the blessing of the house follows.
11) End the blessing with a thankgiving prayer to God.
12) Consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary then concludes the rite.
13) For houses with major infestation, a Mass may be celebrated in the location after the Consecration to Jesus and Mary. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a very effective means to drive away evil entities within a location.
14) For houses with major infestation, it is also recommended that the family place a mixture of holy water, exorcised salt, and oil every evening on the windowsill and door thresholds while praying the Our Father.
▪Infested Objects
1) One must never accept objects from any occult practitioners. According to Fr. Adolf Rodewyk SJ, "magical devices do not have integral power; they are effective only because they have, in a manner of speaking, been dedicated to the devil, giving him the opportunity to link his own powers with this condition.
2) Dealing with infested objects:
• They must be sprinkled with holy water and then
•Burned while the Our Father is being prayed.
Aftetwards, the ashes are thrown in outdoor running water like in a sewage system.
(Never dispose of the ashes in your home, they tend to clog drainage.)
3) If the curse is mild, one may simply sprinkle the object with holy water to remove the curse.
4) Do not forget to wash one's hands with holy water after handling such objects.
By: Fr. Jose Francisco C. Syquia
Director, Archdiocese of Manila,
Office of Exorcism
From the Book: EXORCISM: Encounters with the Paranormal and the Occult. Revised Ed. (2013)
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WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CATHOLIC DELIVERANCE & EXORCISM:
By Rev. Fr. Adam Blai, Exorcist
Deliverance and exorcism are two different forms of spiritual intervention. Deliverance is a broad term that can mean being freed from any problem of a spiritual nature or cause. Here it will be defined as deprecatory prayer (a request) offered with the hope that God will free a person from a spiritual affliction.
Over the last fifty years or so, most deliverance work was done by Protestant denominations, and the books on deliverance over that time were from those perspectives. One erroneous idea that comes out of this tradition is that anything commanded to a demon by a baptized Christian in the name of Jesus will be obeyed immediately. This is a magical-thinking approach as it doesn’t take into account the free will of the person in relationship with that demon.
We cannot foist our choices onto other adults; they have their own free will. In some Protestant books on deliverance, one is encouraged to speak directly to, and command, the demons. This is imprecatory prayer, a direct command. It is critical to understand that imprecatory prayer directly commands a demon, which is a tacit acceptance to a personal battle with that demon, while deprecatory prayer asks God to act against the demon.
The Catholic Church has understood that the full authority to command demons was given to the Twelve Apostles, therefore a priest needs Apostolic authority given to him by a bishop before he engages in a battle with a demon. Of course a bishop, cardinal, or pope can do an exorcism at any time.
It is easy to become distracted by the drama of deliverance and exorcism and lose sight of the fact that the source of demonic problems is a relationship with sin, and usually involves the First Commandment. It is often the case that, over time, emotional wounds lead to sin, which becomes habitual. The person grows in the wrong direction, like a tree that is bound and canted to the side as a sapling.
The deception of the demon is to hide in these wounded feelings and distorted sense of self, seeming integral and necessary while fomenting more harm. People affected by demons must begin their healing by letting go of their own sins through repentance and of the sins of others through forgiveness.
The cycle of repentance and forgiveness is bolstered by reaffirming one’s loyalty to God, such as with the recitation of the Apostles’ Creed, the renewal of baptismal promises, and participation in the sacraments. God works with the person where they are and they are usually given as much insight into their own wounds and sinfulness as they can handle at the time. It is like training that tree to now grow in a new way: change too fast and the tree breaks.
A common challenge in deliverance and exorcism ministry is discerning whether a case is possession or severe oppression. Just below full possession, a person may manifest to some degree contorting, growling, reacting somewhat negatively to sacramentals, and hints of other indications of possession. However, in cases of full possession we see the demon taking over the body completely: supernatural strength, occult knowledge, knowledge of all languages, and detecting the holy.
It is important to understand the difference between an exorcism and a solemn exorcism. An exorcism is an imprecatory prayer (a command), such as the exorcism in the Sacrament of Baptism. A solemn exorcism is a liturgical imprecatory ritual provided by the Church for treating demonically possessed people.
Trouble arises when well-intentioned people presume to be able to perform something resembling a solemn exorcism to aid in cases of demonic oppression or possession. Liturgical prayer is reserved to clergy, and the Church limits imprecatory prayers against demons to priests with authority from their bishops.
In 1890 Pope Leo XIII added the “Exorcism Against Satan and the Fallen Angels” as an appendix to the solemn exorcism. The Leonine (or “minor”) exorcism is effective in resolving demonic infestation cases. It has also been used, with permission from the ordinary, as a diagnostic test of possession in cases that are not yet clear. Not just any manifestation in response to the Leonine exorcism is sufficient evidence of possession; one or more of the traditional signs must still be documented.
At no time should the public use this prayer as a way to test for possession; it must only be used by a priest with permission from his bishop. There have been cases of lay people becoming possessed as a result of using the minor exorcism over a possessed person.
The Church provides deliverance from oppression cases, even just under full possession, primarily through reception of the sacraments and spiritual direction. The affected person contributes greatly to their liberation through fully embracing spiritual guidance, confession, forgiveness, prayer, penance, and the Mass.
When a person starts to exhibit demonic manifestations, the case should be referred to the bishop’s office. Even though the case may not rise to the level of full possession, the bishop’s office or appointed personnel can oversee the spiritual direction and monitoring of the case.
In the instructions to the priest in the Roman Ritual, the priest is warned to not too readily believe that a person is possessed and to consider whether they are suffering from mental illness. The Church requires that an investigation be made to ensure that the symptoms cannot be explained by mental or medical illness and that at least some of the four signs of possession are also present.
Adam Blai is an expert on religious demonology and exorcism for the Pittsburgh Diocese. He has been an auxiliary member of the International Association of Exorcists in Rome for a number of years. Blai is the author of Hauntings, Possessions, and Exorcisms, a field guide to defense against the demonic.
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LAY PRAYER AGAINST SPIRITS OF RETALIATION ๐๐ผ
Lord Jesus Christ, in your love and mercy, pour Thy Precious Blood over (I)your servant N.so that no demon,disembodied spirit, or evil power may retaliate against me(him/her). O Blessed Mother of God, Most Immaculate Virgin Mary, our mother and queen, surround me(him/her)with thy mantle, blocking any retaliating spirits from having any authority over me(him/her). St. Joseph, protector of the Holy Family and God’s Holy Church, Terror of Demons, protectusfrom the attacking enemy. St. Michael, our defender, surround us with thy shield, and with your flaming sword punish severely the wicked spirits, so that no spirit may take revenge on us. My Holy Guardian Angel (Holy Guardian Angel of N.)defend this your ward. Queen of Heaven, St. Joseph,and St. Michael, send down the legions of angels under your command to fight off any degenerate spirits that would seek to harm us. All you saints of heaven, impede any retaliating spirit from influencing us. Lord, Thou art the Just Judge, the avenger of the wicked, the Advocate of the Just, we beg in Thy mercy, that all we ask of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Michael, and all the holy angels and the saints of heaven in our behalf (and in behalf of your servant N.), be also granted to all our loved ones, those who pray for us and their loved ones, that for Thy Glory's sake, we may enjoy Thy perfect protection. Amen.Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism (AMOE)Philippine Association of Catholic Exorcists
http://www.amoe.ph/
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This Serenity Prayer is considered a request to God asking for peace and calmness in anything that life has to offer. The prayer requests for courage and strength to change what man is capable of changing and to accept with humility the things he cannot change.
Therefore, when we find ourselves in difficult situations that we cannot fathom or move away from, at home, places of work, in Church, in the neighborhood or country, the Serenity Prayer is very powerful in pacifying the turbulence in the heart, soul and mind.
PRAYER TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY O Mary, Virgin most powerful and Mother of mercy, Queen of Heaven and Refuge o...
