2 Nobyembre,2024 Sabado
No to Divorce!!!
Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez
No to SOGIE bill
PM for any hospital discharge problem
Happy Birthday Rosita Belmonte-Jose more birthdays to come
Happy Birthday Jo Ephraim Lopez more birthdays to come
Deepest sympathy to the family of Jocelyn “Jo” Lising-Abelgas
Demons disguised as ghosts’
By J.Lo
“When devil manifests himself and you have not discerned it, you’d believe it’s ghost…but you wouldn’t think that it’s actually demon moving or lurking in your place,” chief exorcist of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila Fr. Jose Francisco Syquia warned against mistaking demons and other diabolical forces as ghosts believed to be awaiting closure before moving on to afterlife.
Catholics should be able to “discern” so they can differentiate ghosts from demons, according to Syquia.
“If we don’t have any discernment, you’d always think that these are simply ghosts…you would then try to communicate with them by consulting psychic or spiritualist,” he stressed.
Talking to these demons that disguise as ghosts or souls of departed loved ones face-to-face would “open up doorway where they can enter your life,” said Syquia.
He also said these forces of evil could influence decisions by living such as what to do with inheritance left behind by the dead.
He noted God banned conjuring spirits as written in the Bible, particularly Old Testament.
However, Syquia said God “allows soul to communicate with living” for two reasons.
“First of all, for consolation of the living…for example, in death anniversary of your father and suddenly you start to smell his perfume, that can occur…the Lord can allow that in order to console person left behind,” he explained.
God would also allow souls to make their presence felt by their living loved ones “to seek for prayers so we do not forget them,” he added.
He said souls would appear “not usually through full-blown apparitions but in dreams. It comes in many ways.”
Syquia also debunked superstition among Filipinos that souls remain on earth until the ninth or 40th day after their death.
He explained the belief, he described as “symbolism,” could have been inspired by events in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead until his ascension to heaven on 40th day.
“It is important to remember that in these 40 days, we remember in a very special way our loved ones who died by offering prayers, sacrifices and masses,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Santos emphasized importance of praying for the dead, especially on All Souls’ Day.
“Prayer is powerful act of love and remembrance…through prayers, we offer our intentions to God, asking for His mercy and grace…we pray for their souls that they may find rest and peace in the presence of our Lord,” he said in statement.
ISKUP! 