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...according to the, messages to Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska
of the Most Blessed Sacrament (1905 - 1938) | |
"I feel certain that my mission will not come to an end
upon my death but will begin... I will draw aside for you the veils of heaven to convince you of God's goodness" (St. Maria Faustina, Diary 281)
Heaven
"Incomprehensible is the happiness in which the soul will be immersed"
After Holy communion, I was carried in spirit before throne of God .. There I saw the heavenly powers which incessantly praise God. Beyond the throne I saw a brightness inaccessible to creatures, and there only the Incarnate Word enters as , Mediator. (Diary 85)
Today I was in heaven in spirit, and I was it's inconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God. I saw how great is happiness in God, which spreads to all creatures, making them happy; and then all the glory and praise which springs from this happiness returns to its source; and they enter into the depths of God, contemplating the inner life of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, whom they will never comprehend or fathom. This source of happiness is unchanging in it's essence, but is always new, gushing forth happiness for all creatures. Now I understand Saint Paul, who said, "Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, or has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared, for those who love him", (Diary 777). " The sight of this great majesty of God, which I came to understand more profoundly and which is worshiped by the heavenly spirits according to their degree of grace and the hierarchies into which they are divided, did not cause my soul to be stricken with terror or fear; no, no, not at all! My. soul was filled with peace and love, and the more I came to know the greatness of God, the more joyful I became that He is as He is. And I rejoice immensely in His greatness and am delighted that I am so little because, since I am little, He carries me in His arms and holds. me close to His heart. (Diary 779) O my God, how I pity those people who do not believe in eternal life; how I pray for them that a ray of mercy would envelop them too, and that God would clasp them to His fatherly bosom. (Diary 780) I learned in the Heart of Jesus that in heaven itself there is a heaven to which not all, but only chosen souls, have access. Incomprehensible is the happiness in which the soul will be immersed. 0 my God, oh, that I could describe this, even in some little degree. Souls are penetrated by His divinity and pass from brightness to brightness, an unchangeable light, but never monotonous, always new though never changing. 0 Holy Trinity, make yourself known to souls! (Diary 592) A vivid presence suddenly swept over me and I was caught up in spirit befor the majesty of God. I saw how the Angels and the Saints of the Lord give glory to God. 'The glory of God is so great that I dare not try to describe it, because I would not be able to do so, and souls might think that what I have written is alLthere is. All that has Come forth. from God returns to Him in the same way and gives Him perfect glory. (Diary 1604)
Hell
"Most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a hell."
Today I was led by an Angel to the chasms of hell. ~ It is a place of great torture; how awesomely large Iand extensive it is! The kinds of torture I saw:
These are the tortures suffered by all the dammed together, but that is not the end of the sufferings. There arc special tortures destined for particular souls. These are the torments of the senses: Each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings, related to the manner in which it has sinned. There arc caverns and pits of torture where one form of agony differs from another. I would have died at the very sight of these tortures if the omnipotence of God had not supported me.
Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. Saint Michael the Archangel I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like. I, Sister Faustina, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence. I cannot speak about it now; but I have received a command from God to leave it in writing. The devils were full of hatred for me, but they had to obey me at the command of God . What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I saw. But I noticed one thing: that most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that 11 there is a hell. When I came to, I could hardly recover from the fright. How terribly souls suffer there! Consequently, I pray even more fervently for the conversion of sinners. I incessantly plead God's mercy upon them. 0 my Jesus I would rather be in agony until the end of the world, amidst the greatest suffering, than offend You by the least of sin.. (Diary 741)
Purgatory
"My mercy does not want this, but my justicedemands it."
The next night, I saw my Guardian Angel, who ordered me to follow him.
In a moment I was in a misty place full of fire in which there was a great crowd of suffering souls. They were praying fervently, but to no avail, for themselves; only we can come to their aid. The fIames, which were burning them did not touch me at all. My Guardian Angel did not leave Me for an instant. I asked these souls what their greatest suffering was. They answered me in one voice for that their greatest torment was longing for God. I saw our Lady visiting the souls.in Purgatory. The souls call her "The Star of the Sea". She brings them refreshment. I wanted to talk with them some more, but my Guardian Angel beckoned me to leave. We went out of that prison of suffering. [I heard an interior voice] which said, My mercy does not want this, but my justice demands it. Since that time, I am in closer communion with the suffering souls. (Diary 20) Once I was summoned to the judgement seat of God. I stood alone before the Lord. Jesus appeared such as we know him during his passion. After a moment, His wounds disappeared except . for five, those in his hands, His feet and His side. Suddenly, I saw the complete condition of my soul as God sees it. I could clearly see all that is displeasing to God. I did not know that even the smallest transgressions will have to be accounted for. What a moment! Who can describe it? To stand before the Thrice-Holy God! Jesus asked me, Who are you? I answered, "I am your servant Lord." You are guilty of one day of fire in purgatory. I wanted to throw myself immediately into flames of purgatory, but Jesus stopped me and said, Which do you prefer, suffer now for one day in purgatory or for a short while on earth? I replied, "Jesus, I want to suffer in purgatory, and I want to suffer the greatest pains on earth, even if it were to the end of the world." Jesus said, One [of the two] is enough; you will go back to earth, and there you will suffer much, but not for long; you will accomplish My will . and My desires, and a faithful servant of Mine will help you to do this Now, rest your head on My bosom, on. My heart, and draw from it strength and power for these sufferings, because you will find neither relief nor help nor comfort anywhere else. Know that you will have much, much to suffer, but don't let this frighten you; I am with you. (Diary.36) One evening; one of the deceased sisters who had already visited me a few times, appeared to me. The first time I had seen her, she had been in great suffering, and then gradually these sufferings had diminished; this time she was radiant with happiness, and she told me she was already in Heaven… And further as a sign that she only now was in Heaven, God would bless our house. Then she came closer to me, embraced me sincerely and said, "I must. Go now" I understood how closely the three stages of a soul's life are bound together; that is to say, life on earth, in purgatory and in heaven [the Communion of Saints]. (Diary 594) After Vespers today, there was a procession to the cemetery. I could not go, because I was on duty at the gate. But that did not stop me at all from praying for ther souls. As the procession was returning from the cemetery to the chapel, my soul felt the presence of many souls. I understood the great justice of God, how each one had to payoff the debt to the last cent. (Diary 1375) Postscript One day, I saw two roads. One was broad, covered with sand and flowers, full of joy, music and all sorts of pleasures. People walked along it, dancing and enjoying themselves. They reached the end without realizing it. And at the end of the road there was a horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls fell blindly into it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number was so great that it was impossible to count them. And I saw the other road, or rather, a path, for it was narrow and strewn with thorns and rocks; and the people who walked along it had tears in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering befell them. Some fell down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went on. At the end of the road there was a magnificent garden filled with all sorts of happiness, and all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they forgot all their sufferings. (Diary 153) | |
Heaven, Hell & Purgatory
