From the archives:
Pamphlet On Purgatorial 'Secrets' Came To Light Under Unusual Circumstance
(Part II)
Sometimes, you get a strong notion that the supernatural wants you to do something. That seems to be the case with a little booklet, "The Secrets of Purgatory," that we wrote about in Part I (this is an archived story). Since then we've received a barrage of requests for this revelation, which focuses on aspects of the afterlife [see original story]. Because it was out of print, we had to first xerox it, but it is now available [click here].
It's a little 46-page revelation and we still can't even tell how it came about. It does have an imprimatur (from the former cardinal of Chicago), and brims with strong spiritual advice. But there is no explanation about who received the revelation, nor the circumstances. It seems like a legitimate supernatural revelation, and now we find that it came into our hands under what may be miraculous circumstances. We were handed it recently in Vienna by a pilgrim named Jari Dube of Golden Valley, Minnesota, whose aunt had given her the out-of-print booklet 10 or 12 years ago. Jari, a Catholic businesswoman, now writes:
"I'm the person who showed you the little booklet 'Secrets of Purgatory' in the Vienna airport and asked if it was the same one you referred to in one of your talks. I have a most amazing story that you might enjoy.
"The only reason I happened to bring the booklet along to
[the alleged apparition site of] Medjugorge was the week before I left, my aunt called to see if I still had a little purgatory booklet she gave me long ago. (She gave me the title and said it was blue.) Not an unusual request since she's given me a lot to read over the years. I knew which one she meant since recently I came across it in my bookshelf. I found it, set it aside, then
decided to pack it in my carry-on since it was probably good reading material and also lightweight.
"When I saw your article on it I called my aunt so she could go on-line and read it. I reminded her of her phone call to me before I left for Medjugorge and that this article was about the booklet she asked me to look for. She was very surprised. She said she absolutely did NOT call me before the trip and had long ago forgotten
about that booklet.
"I did not dream up that phone call -- and it WAS my aunt who called me. My memory of that conversation is so vivid. She still stands by her story that the call was never made, yet we talked. I was pretty blown away all day yesterday -- went over that phone conversation a hundred times. I guess I was supposed to bring that booklet and it was supposed to get into your hands because someone out there somewhere needed to hear some
of those words. The Lord works in mysterious (and very creative) ways!" concludes Jari, who says her aunt has always been extremely devout.
Obviously, we have no way of telling if this was supernatural. People do forget. But Jari is an intelligent, observant woman, and so we submit it for your consideration. However it all came to be, we have always felt a strong mission to assist purgatorial souls, and though shorter, there are parallels between this revelation and another known as the Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory, available in our bookstore. Among other things, the alleged revelation issues a warning on pride; distinguishes true holiness from false piety; and confirms that while at the lowest levels of purgatory there are even flames in purgatory, it is a place of hope.
There are so many levels! There are
dungeons. There are dark, fiery places. There are misty, gray areas. There are
tunnels. There are basements. There are meadows. There are hovels. There are
"apartments." There are quaint and lovely -- if lonely -- cottages. There are
deserts. It depends on what level. At the top, it looks much like Heaven (but
without the direct Presence).
"How good God is to permit souls to wipe away such stains in purgatory," it says. "Purgatory is therefore a temporary suffering. The souls suffer because of time lost. They long inexplicably for God, for purity, for correction; but they are all happy because they know they are in a place of improvement where there is no reason to despair. There, suffering is a hope, a trust, an aspiration, a conversion."
[resources: The Secrets of Purgatory, An Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory, and New: Saint Faustina for the souls]
[resources: Retreat, Michael Brown in St-Louis-southern-Illinois, April 23 and Michael Brown will be at the Holiday Inn at Cherry Hill, New Jersey May 21; detail soon]
[Note: Spirit Daily pilgrimage announced for Guadalupe]
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