Purgatory: Divine Mercy. Marino Restrepo
Joseph Mary of the Five Wounds F.M.R
Spiritual Father of Marino Restrepo
PRESENTATION
I believe in the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
We repeat this formula often. It forms part of the profession of faith that we have received, which guides us as we walk on this earth and opens us up to eternal blessedness. It is faith, a gift of God, which opens up to us, the way of hope and leads us to the eternal life of which, the Lord, the Son of God, the Son of Man speaks to us; He for whom everything was created, the first-born of humanity.
Living the joy of our faith, we walk without pausing, desirous of attaining the fullness of life. And while we walk, we must nourish ourselves to continue walking and to quicken our step, in order to enter the divine nuptial banquet to which we have been invited.
We nourish ourselves with the Word. We nourish ourselves with fraternal celebration in the faith; with the living bread, with the joy of intimacy; when we experience the closeness of the affection of our Father, who loves us and awaits us; when we know and feel that He forgives us; when He receives us despite our limitations and sins. It is in humble and confident prayer, whilst in dialogue with the One who loves us, that we are nourished and have the certainty that His merciful love purifies, cleanses, and clothes us with a radiant garment to enter into the fullness of endless joy.
We are also nourished by putting our precious gift of reason to work. This gives us arguments, reflection and the growing dynamism of spiritual, mental, psychic, emotional and corporal progress; all of which spells personal growth in the plan that God has for us, His children, in the permanent seeking of love, of the perfect, of the holy, with the vehement desire to be like HIM, to be ‘Saints’.
Precisely in this period of growth, of seeking, of dialogue, and of experiences, we receive Marino Restrepo’s work, based on the wonderful patrimony of the Church, Mother and Teacher, who accompanies us on our pilgrimage. Here she encourages and protects us, on our path to reach the fullness of truth. In this period and for our nourishment and rational-spiritual growth, we receive the offer of Purgatory, of the state of certain hope for those who are at the door of the celebration of the ‘Wedding Banquet’. A state of preparation that ensures the prize: Eternal Life, Joyful Blessedness, Eternal Salvation.
Purgatory is a state that duly prepares us for the enjoyment of praise forever, in perfect union with God, with HIM, who is for each one: ‘My God’, ‘My Love’, ‘My All.’ The Beloved who does not fail, who forgives me, who purifies me because He loves me and because He wants me to shine with His own light, as a true son or daughter of His love.
We are referring to the work compiled on Purgatory of a brother who feels called to share his experience of faith and love with all his brethren. This work can be for all readers an instrument that nourishes their spirit while walking as pilgrims towards eternal life. It tells us what the Church has done for humanity; of the reality of the believers walking towards the fullness of love to which we are called: eternal union with love itself.
Our hope is that on receiving this nourishment with humility, we thank God the Father and love our Mother ‘The Church’ evermore. In her wisdom, she has kept for us, in the course of the years, the message of truth which we now relish in this simple work compiled of sure doctrine, taken from the source of truth: the living tradition of the Church, faithful to God and to man.
This message should be read with humility, love and a spirit of prayer. Thus it will serve as a very good preparation to grow in the love of God and the fulfillment of His divine law, which is love.
Thank you and a blessing for all.
+ Jose de Jesus Quintero Diaz
Child of God, Servant of the Children of God,
Apostolic Vicar, Bishop of Leticia (Amazonas)
INTRODUCTION
The Catholic Church teaches us that the existence of Purgatory is so real that she has decreed it Dogma. This means that to consider oneself a Catholic and to profess the faith in obedience to the Church, one must believe this Dogma, otherwise we apostatise from our Catholic faith. It is simply that strict. We can say with certainty that any person who professes the Catholic faith, but denies the existence of Purgatory, whether he be laity, or a religious, ceases to be a Catholic.
Today it is very common to find both priests and laymen who deny the existence of Purgatory with ease, and in some cases, even reject it from the pulpit. It is very important for us, as Catholics to understand the fundamental truths of our faith, otherwise the countless erroneous theologies propagated today, including those found within the Catholic Church, could rob us of the foundations of our religion.
This book does not pretend to give a theological teaching. It is, on the contrary, an opportunity to review the information, written in simple language by a laymen. Who, without formation in Theology or Religious Sciences, wishes to share his personal experience of Jesus Christ; the truths revealed to the Catholic Church, perfectly documented in the Deposit of the Faith and the catalogue of testimonies from the Saints, meticulously compiled in our Sacred History. It is a duty of every Catholic to constantly observe the endless proposals that the world makes to us through human science, modern ideologies and philosophies that appear to be attractive alternatives.
In 15 years of missionary life around the world, I have frequently met Catholics who do not know, or understand the foundations of their faith. Moreover I observed many dioceses lacking a strong catechesis centered on building communities, which focus on the Sacred Tradition and Holy Doctrine of the Church. As a result, there is a huge amount of ignorance about what we must profess as Catholics, and what we are called to preach and defend with our lives.
Understanding the reality of Purgatory is vital for our spiritual growth. If we take an individual who has no knowledge of his ancestry – a person who is unaware of his father’s identity, and compare him with someone who knows, and has a relationship with his father; he, by comparison, lacks the many necessary tools to strengthen his emotional integrity, his interior equilibrium. This applies equally to a Catholic who is not well versed in Doctrine or who, although knowing it, does not believe the truths that have been revealed to him through it. He professes his faith as he wishes which, in other words, means that he is ignorant of his faith; he lacks basic knowledge of his religious roots, and therefore, he has little religious integrity to nourish him for his spiritual edification.
The above picture is very common among modern Catholics. My intention in writing this book, therefore, is to give the ordinary reader access to information that, although not new, seems to have been widely overlooked. The ignorance of the modern-day Catholic’s faith, is not limited to Purgatory; he is also ignorant of the vast majority of truths revealed to the Church.
A Catholic student of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, said to me: ‘It seems to be fashionable to deny the existence of Purgatory’. She was very worried and asked me anxiously: ‘What can we do? When I hear a priest or a nun or a monk speak in such a way, I would like the earth to swallow them, to prevent them from causing further harm, but I know that this is not the way to solve things. What should we do? What happened to them? Who made such fools of them?’
The first chapters of this book are dedicated to presenting the official documentation of the Church, which certifies the existence of Purgatory. You will find the Councils that declare it and the mystical experiences of many Saints, whom God allowed to witness Purgatory in a very profound way, so that they may testify are testimonies of its existence. These faithful testimonies are given for the glory of God and the edification of his Church.
“Purgatory, necessary purification for the encounter with God”
Saint John Paul II
RECOMMENDATION
I ask the ordinary reader not to become too concerned about the classical and ancient language found in the Canons and Councils of the Church, quoted here in the first chapter.