I'm not kidding, and (with a few vocal dissenters excepted) I'm pretty sure I'm not crazy. Especially because 1) the Princess and I, and then the Princess, non-believer Athlete and I were together when the latest episode occurred, and we all heard, smelled, and felt the same thing; and 2) the studiously non-believing/denying Beloved freaked when I told him what happened, because he had several similar experiences shortly before he left, but chose to believe it was his imagination.
I know, I know, as Cathlolics we aren't supposed to believe in this stuff at all, or if we do, we must be cognizant that it's probably Satan and his minions tormenting us, but I've just seen and experienced too much to completely discount or discredit it. I am not afraid of anything/one here, just sorry and praying for these wayward souls to find their way home to where they belong. Pretty sure it's not here.
Sadly, none of the priests nearby have the time or the inclination to come bless the house much less lead us in an Enthronement of the Sacred Heart ceremony, so I'm going to have to bide my time and lure my Nigerian priest buddy here from far too close to where his boss lives. After my first encounter in 2004, he blessed each room of the house as we processed through all 4 floors and prayed the Rosary. It was quiet for awhile, until now - three episodes in the past 10 days or so.
I hesitate to divulge what's gone on, not because it's scary (it's really not that bad, just hackle-raising when it happens) but, well, I don't want to scandalize, alienate, or otherwise sport with the intelligence of non-believers.
Vote at the sidebar...I'll have to think about posting more about it though. In the meantime, please pray for what/whomever is hanging out here, and for our guardian angels to see to our family's spiritual protection.
Wait and see
3 days ago
10 comments:
Nothing forbids a Catholic from believing in hauntings (though you are right in believing that it is often a trick of the devil). I lived in a haunted house for three years as a child and have blessed more houses with strange stuff going on than I can count. My suggestion is to pray the St. Michael prayer, use lots of holy water and blessed salt, and try to ignore most things.
Oh yes, and post the stories!
I voted "Yes, but only because..." because I can't say that I'm a "true" believer. Let's just say that my mind is open to the idea that anything is possible.
Several friends and various family members joke about our haunted houses, but mostly the joking is to keep us from thinking too seriously about it (if that makes sense). Weird things happen. Usually there is an explanation but not always.
I hope this doesn't show up 3 times. The computer is arguing with me!
A reluctant yes. Simply because my mother who was not "into" this sort of stuff had had experiences as a youth. She NEVER once told her brothers or sisters or certainly parents about the few episodes she had, she was afraid of being made fun of. When she as in her teens she was certainly not asleep, she'd awoken in the a.m. and was reading a magazine. The door was open and she glanced up and could see into the bathroom across the hall. There was an apparition of a man in his trousers and undershirt, shaving. He turned to look at her, as if sensing she were there, turned and disappeared.
She said she was stunned but not frightened.
The second had her really spooked, and she did feel the devil was involved or evil at any rate. Again when she was in her teens, it was just around dusk, and she was looking out the front window at the house opposite. This house was occupied by a family that was "no good" the husband a wife beater type, one of the sons was a drunken lout. All of a sudden the front door opened, and there appeared to be hundreds of "stick figure" apparitions running out of this house.
She was cold and shaken to the core with this experience.
However, she never saw any other apparitions like this ever again.
She was not one for the occult, didn't dabble at all and was quite a prayful woman, for a number years off and on, an almost daily Mass goer.
She did not like to talk to others about such things. I didn't know til I was an adult she'd had these experience.
There was one other thing: she could "sense" things that were off.
Case in point there was a portrait (inexpensive, cheap frame, glass cover) of the Sacred Heart of the Sacred Heart that was in the girl's bedroom of the farmhouse she was born in. When my grandmother passed and they divvied up the property, mom was given possesion of it. She'd told me that she always felt uncomfortable in its presence for some reason, she didnt' know why. Afterwards, because the frame was in poor condition, she decided to have it reframed...well, behind the cardboard and pasteboard backing that had been there since the day it was put together in the factory, on the backside fo the pasteboard was PART of an old theatre poster -- from the early 1930s -- a graphic of a man killing someone -- gruesome...
Also a Jesuit priest I knew, who was my high school teacher, had some sort of paranormal experience, though I don't remember the details. Also just once. He was a GOOD Jezzie, of the old school, and not one for nonsense.
So yes, I suppose such things do happen and the person isn't fabricating (though I'm sure some people make stuff up just for attention) but with my experience from my mother and this priest, I know it happens to people who wouldn't make this kind of stuff up.
I just have no idea what to make of it. To be sure some can be the work of the devil, but what to make of people like my mom who somehow all her life sensed that rather wicked posterboard behind.
She was stunned (ditto me!) when we saw that back. Now I'm quite sure it was random paste board the factory got from any place to use as a gap filler to hold the picture in place securely - but it was stunning all the same...and the picture of the Sacred Heart itself was quite sold and nothing could be seen through it.
Karen
PS I'd love to hear what is happening.
Please post the stories!
I believe in evil spirits, and have one room in my house where every once in a while an evil spirit comes to visit. The room gets constantly doused with holy water--and there is now a blessed Saint Benedict crucifix there--if Satan wants to come around for a visit--he's going to be very, very uncomfortable. Why evil spirits are attracted to one house or another--or in my case--one room--who knows--but like Father Erik says its best to just ignore them--after you sprinkle the holy water and blessed salt!
re Enthronement of the Sacred Heart: you don't necessarily need a priest to do the enthronement. In our archdiocese, there is an apostolate called Men of the Sacred Heart, and they travel throughout the area leading families (and businesses) in the enthronement ritual. Give me a couple days and I'll get you details since I'm unable to find it on the internet.
Seven kinds of ghosts, according to the Catholic church: http://www.saint-mike.org/spcdc/library/7ghosts.asp
You might be dealing with a purgatoried soul that would benefit from prayer. You can bless your own house (I know I have done mine several times!) and of course the St. Michael prayer is reliable. I sent my guardian angel once to retrieve the ghost of a little girl that haunted a number of homes in my neighborhood to bring her back to her mother. I figured, if I were her mother, I'd want the little girl brought home.
I lived in a haunted house as a kid. I didn't like it one bit.
Unfortunately I believe the 'visitors' had been invited by someone in our family.
That person is out of my life-but I still say the Prayer of St Michael most days.
I agree with Fr Eric-loads of prayer, holy water and blessed salt.
God bless Kit.
Post the stories - please
I believe that such things can happen.
Don't be scared. Get holy water and blessed oil for every room. Things will settle down.
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