by Monsignor Stephen RossettiThese days I increasingly hear about people, including some priests, who believe they are called to a ministry to "stuck souls." The idea is that there are souls who, upon their deaths, are stuck in this world. They are not able to move beyond to the next life due to some attachment. Thus, they need assistance.
This is simply not true and it is spiritually dangerous. The Church's teaching is very clear. Canon 1022 states: Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ:either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification or immediately, or immediate and everlasting damnation."
It is true that souls in purgatory have appeared to people, by God's providence, and asked for their prayers. It is important that all of us pray for deceased souls, especially our loved ones, including offering Masses for their repose. But these souls are not "stuck." They do not need our help in moving on to their judgment. Moreover, it is rare that a specific soul would appear to someone for prayers.
Those who believe they have a ministry to "stuck" souls typically claim to be in direct contact with these souls. They interact with these souls and communicate with them. They claim to assist them in letting go and moving on to the next life. So, these people believe they not only can interact with these souls, but also that they have a special charism to help them to pass on.
But this "ministry" actually opens the person to spiritual danger and they are likely vulnerable to some serious sins:
1. Spiritual Pride: Those who engage in this ministry believe they have a special spiritual gift. However, Satan's favorite sin is this sort of spiritual pride. He is most likely tempting them to believe falsely in having this gift. Similarly, we find it is VERY common that the possessed will be tempted to believe they have special spiritual gifts. Satan regularly tempts people to believe they have special spiritual gifts or divine revelations, but it is often, although not always, a delusion.
2. Disobedience. The Church's teaching and tradition are clear. The dead receive their definitive judgment at death. The deceased do not need our help in facing their judgment. It is immediate. It is God's direct just judgment.
3. Building a Relationship With Demons. It is more than likely that the spirits these people are interacting with are demons. Demons are masters as disguising themselves as "stuck" souls, angels, or other good spirits. They disguise their true identity until the person has established a strong bond with them, and thus they are increasingly led down the dark path.
We all should be diligent in praying for and offering Masses for the dead. Those who are in purgatory will greatly benefit from these prayers. If the souls we are praying for are not in purgatory, God will use the benefit of our prayers for a good which He will choose.
This dangerous error of helping "stuck" souls is much like those who try to convert demons (see Diary # 283). The Church is clear that this is not possible to convert the damned (Canon 272). Yet some claim they have a special charism from God to convert them. Thus they engage in a relationship with the demons who supposedly convert and go to heaven. But this, too, is a demonic ruse. Those involved are presumably also guilty of spiritual pride, disobedience, and connecting to demons. They, too, are very likely being led down the dark path.
I often tell people to "Stay in the Boat", that is, in the safe barque of Peter. Trust in the 2,000-year-old teachings of the Church. Those who have a "ministry" to "stuck" souls have stepped out of the boat, to their own grave spiritual danger. Those who believe they are converting demons have likewise stepped out of the boat.
God gives us wonderful aids in our journey to heaven. We are blessed by the great sacraments, the daily life of prayer, the aid of the saints and angels, the beautiful BVM, and of course, the source of our salvation: Jesus. I often read the lives of the great saints; they show us how to live the Christian life.
This blog was originally published on the Catholic Exorcism website and is reposted here with their kind permission.
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