Android phones offer a wonderful app called PicSpeed wallpapers featuring pictures from the turn of the 20th century, I’d say mostly in the first two decades of the 1900’s.
The black-and-white photos are mostly of buildings and some people, both young and old. The youngest in the photos could be five, taken probably in 1915. So if the youngster is still alive, he’d be 97 years of age.
Which gives the impression that most, if not all, of those in the wallpaper old photos are dead.
As I like looking at the 1900’s photos over and over, I find myself praying “Eternal rest grant unto them, Oh Lord; may they rest in peace, amen” each time I come across one with any person in it, wondering where he or she is at the moment: Heaven, hell, or Purgatory?
This being my way of encouraging such ejaculatory prayers for our departed, known or unknown to us, let us continue with our series on the interview of mystic Maria Simma (died 2004) by Nicky Eltz. Maria, a holy Catholic woman, spent most of her life interacting with souls from Purgatory seeking favors to hasten their deliverance towards Heaven.
We start where we left off in this section, culled from the question-and-answer article of Eltz, whose book “Get Us Out of Here” is not available in local bookstores, but could now be digitally purchased via Amazon.com.
Q. Other than people whom you personally knew while they were alive, have souls come to you whom you recognized as well known people?
A. Famous people have been delivered because their relatives came to me for help in this area. For instance, Marshal Hermann Goring of Nazi infamy appeared to me because his family had come to me for assistance.
He is now is Heaven. God loved and still loves him and we may never judge. Then others too.
Once a man came to me where I immediately knew that he was important by the way he held himself and by his clothes, although I could not tell from where he came or when he had lived.
When I asked what it was that he needed from me, he told me and then added: ‘I am Pope Paul.’ I first hesitated, thinking this must be a satanic trick.
‘No, you’re not’ I said. ‘I knew Pope Paul and you’re not Pope Paul.’ (Then he answered back) ‘I am Pope Paul IV, not Pope Paul VI.’
He’d been in Purgatory since the mid 16th century because during his pontificate he could have done a lot more than he did.
I also believe he had ordered the Jews of Rome into ghettos which certainly was not in God’s plan for him to do. But in his case, of course, it was not his descendants who came to me to ask about him (laughter).
Q: So here we have a renowned Nazi who spent far less time in Purgatory than did a pope. Some would then say it’s better to be a Nazi than a priest, bishop or even pope.
A: Goodness, no! This difference in the amount of reparation needed, occurred because the pope had been given much more of the truth about God than Hermann Goring had.
And then Fr. Matt told me that Goring had been duped into that horrid situation with relatively few protective weapons at his disposal.
God’s equally infinite love and justice then balanced these differences out; and not both these men are in Heaven with Him, but certainly not in the same level…
Q: I am thinking of Pres. Kennedy who, as you know, was very much loved by many Americans and Irish, not to mention millions of others around the entire world.
A: Oh never mind doing that.
Q: What do you mean by that?
A: Oh, he was in Heaven very soon after the assassination. A poor sould had told me this even though, here too, no family member of this has ever come to seem me about him later.
Q: Wonderful! So, may I ask about his brother Robert F. Kennedy who was also assassinated a few years later?
A: Of course, you may. If I remember correctly, he died with a rosary in his hands and that will certainly mean that Our Lady was with him and so he’s fine, I’m sure. Also I’ve been told that his last words were: Is anyone hurt?
This certainly tells us even more about the love in his soul, but, yes, you may write down his name for me later.
(To be continued)
