Avoiding Purgatory: Control of the Tongue

Lord, help me

to use the gift of speech only for what is good

and to practice holy silence when I should.

"Why do such vile and useless words pour so easily from my mouth? The infinite beauty of Your works among man and Your creation and redemption should fill me in such a way as to drive me to speak of them always. Why would I think and speak about so much of what is broken when so much has been healed, restored, and made beautiful by You? Why would I spend time talking about the ills of others, of the Church, and of the world when I could spend time participating with You in the cure? Why would I give my tongue to the devil so that he can dip it in the excrement of criticism, negativity, intrigue, and pettiness when I could instead give it to building up the Church, reinforcing the good, to loving others, and to giving You Your just praise? Forgive me – heal me. May my tongue never utter a word unless it is to honor some good thing from You, to build the Kingdom, and to worship You my perfect King."

~ From Catholic Spiritual Direction by Anonymous ~

Catholic Spiritual Direction has also been added to the sidebar for easy future reference. It is an excellent resource for:

◦Questions and Answers about Spiritual Direction
◦Perspective on Spiritual Direction
◦Perspective on Prayer and other Matters Relating to Our Spiritual Growth
◦Book and Resource Reviews
◦Links to Resources for Further Spiritual Development

Marino Restrepo Testimony About Eucharist, Confession, Purgatory

In the midst of intense suffering, Marino Restrepo received the greatest gift from God. During an eight hour mystical experience, he was shown the disastrous state of his soul and given the grace of repentance and conversion. His powerful testimony can be a benefit to anyone who cares to listen and take the lessons he learned to heart.

"He enjoys a very strong support from the authorities of the Catholic Church at home and abroad. He will not do any thing without the consent of the church first."

"About Me: Marino Restrepo is a Catholic lay missionary from Colombia who travels the world sharing his testimony. Marino was born a Catholic but disregarded his faith at an early age and embraced all the self-seeking illusions of the world. He chose to experience a life of drugs, unhealthy relationships and New Age philosophies. His acting/musical career led him to Hollywood where he was a producer and musician. Marino thought he had it all until a visit home to Columbia in 1997 for Christmas. His sister encouraged him to pray a novena prayer to the baby Jesus. He accepted thinking it would give him an extra ounce of 'good luck'. Following the novena, Marino went on his way to visit his uncle. His visit was short-lived as Marino was kidnapped by guerrilla rebels of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and held captive in the jungle for six months. They told him they would kill him once they had received ransom for his kidnap. For 15 days he lay in a cave full of bats and infested with numerous insects and bugs. It was here, in his complete isolation and despair, that Marino had a mystical experience of God. His life changed forever.

"Five and a half months later, Marino was miraculously released from captivity after a miracle of God, and after his release he went back to his Catholic faith. Eighteen months later he became a full time missionary for the Catholic Church leaving all of his past, and his worldly possessions behind."

In the first video of the following three, Marino's testimony begins at 2:22 minutes, following a song. He gives POWERFUL and VALUABLE testimony!

3/11 videos: The other 8 videos of Marino Restrepo's testimony can be viewed here,

and his official website is here.

Catholic Priest Preaches About Purgatory

A good Catholic priest has written a thought provoking post about praying for faithful departed souls. God bless him for preaching what the Church teaches!

Father has also posted his Sunday homily for today--excellent food for thought.