BIG C CATHOLICS

Former Vatican exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth, has died at the age of 91 . A priest of the diocese of Rome and a member of the Paulist Order, he performed more than 70,000 exorcisms over the past three decades. The outspoken servant of God shared his insights through books, interviews and presentations on the demonic and combating evil — gathered from his time as an exorcist. We have previously featured Fr. Amorth's wisdom in the following posts: Vatican's Chief Exorcist, Fr. Amorth, Reveals Secrets of Hell, Says the Devil is Behind ISIS Don’t Blame Hell on God. It was Satan’s Idea. An Exorcist Tells His Story: Fr. Gabriele Amorth on the Power of Satan Interview with an Exorcist: How the Devil Harms the Living And What We Can Do to Defend Ourselves Exorcism: Separating Fact from Fiction. 3 Exorcists Discuss This Rite of the Church Father Gabriele Amorth, a devoted priest, has passed into eternal life. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light

The Blessed Virgin Mary is venerated under this title following apparitions to three shepherd children, Lúcia, Jacinta and Francisco, in Portugal in 1917. The message of Fatima includes a call to conversion of heart, repentance from sin and a dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially through her immaculate heart. This optional memorial is new to the United States' liturgical calendar and occurs on May 13. The appearance of our Lady to the children at Fatima is an event of great consequence. Our Lady's warnings are those of a mother spoken out of love for her children. In these visitations, Mary urges humanity to reject sin and to pray unceasingly. Our Lady extolled the power of the daily Rosary for conversion and repentance. She told Lúcia, Jacinta and Francisco that many people go to Hell because they have no one to pray or make sacrifices on their behalf. She then showed the children a glimpse of Hell which Sr. Lúcia describes in her book, Memoirs : [Mary] open

Padre Pio was once asked what he thought about people who do not believe in Hell. His answer: "They’ll believe in Hell when they get there." Hell exists. The Devil is an active force, a living, spiritual being. Those who ignore Hell's reality do so at their own peril. Ultimately, it is our decision to sin or to love that determines where we spend eternity. God respects our free will, even if we chose damnation over Him.

In this fascinating DVD, What Every Catholic Needs to Know about Hell, you will consult Holy Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and some of the most influential voices in Catholic apologetics today, to discover the truth about this essential, but misunderstood, doctrine. Separating fact from fiction, this presentation answers questions about the existence and meaning of Hell. Since many today deny Hell's existence, it is worth remembering that during the apparitions of Fatima and the Divine Mercy, both Sister Lucy and St. Faustina witnessed Hell first hand and wrote of its horrors. Those who deny Hell's existence do so at their own peril. What Every Catholic Needs to Know about Hell is available through the EWTN Religious Catalogue and on Amazon .

The two most consequential apparitions in the twentieth century were the appearance of our Lady to the children at Fatima and that of our Lord to Saint Faustina. In these visitations, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ urge humanity to reject sin and to pray unceasingly. Our Lady extolled the power of the daily Rosary for conversion and repentance. Our Lord taught Sister Faustina the Divine Mercy Chaplet to call upon God's mercy – especially for sinners and those near death. God's message to us is unmistakable: Life is tenuous. The time for mercy and forgiveness is now. When Christ comes again, at the end of history, it will be as a just judge who separates the good from the wicked. The righteous will experience the Beatific Vision in Heaven. The lost will burn forever in the unquenchable fire that is Hell. Since many today deny Hell's existence, it is worth remembering that during these apparitions, both Sister Lucy and St. Faustina witnessed Hell first hand

Detail of  Inferno, from Michelangelo's The Last Judgement , Sistine Chapel  One frequently asked question is: "Why would an all-loving God create Hell, let alone, send souls there?" God did not make us to suffer. True, in the Garden of Eden, there did exist temptation, represented by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation, spurred on by Satan's lies. Having the freedom to love means having the freedom to reject love and the source of love, which is God. But evil, sin and Hell are Satan's doing not God's In answering the above question, we revisit an interview by the Italian blog  Stanze Vaticane , with the Vatican's Chief Exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth, in which he discussed his soon to be beatified mentor, Father Candido Amantini C.P., a Master Exorcist. Fr. Amantini was Rome's chief exorcist for thirty-six years — often seeing 60 to 80 people per day. As such, Fr. Amantini witnessed demonic posses

Father Gabriele Amorth In an interview for the Italian blog  Stanze Vaticane , the Vatican's Chief Exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth, answered questions about his soon to be beatified mentor, the persecution of Christians by ISIS, and why a loving God would allow the existence of Hell. (I have highlighted in red Fr. Amorth’s most profound observations about the devil and the nature of evil.) Father Amorth we are going through a time of violence and persecution against Christians by ISIS: Is the hand of the devil behind it? Ah, to be sure! Where there is evil there is always the devil. He always is, where there is evil, any evil, great or small, it is always at the suggestion of the devil. These people are manipulated by Satan  then ? ISIS, Sure, I am convinced of it. Where there are wars and destruction, behind these, there is always the devil laughing. God would never allow it. God wants only good things. And these people would also shoot the Pope without qualms... [