Here I would like to mention that on this subject I questioned Vicka,
one of the visionaries in Medjugorje, who also told me that those who go
to Hell -- and she has seen Hell -- are solely those who decide to go there.
It isn't God who puts someone in Hell -- on the contrary, He is the Savior,
He begs the souls to welcome His mercy. The sin against the Holy Spirit
that Jesus speaks of, which cannot be forgiven, is the absolute refusal
of mercy, and this in full awareness, full conscience. Pope John Paul II
explains this very well in his encyclical on mercy. Here too, we can do
so much with prayer for souls in danger of being lost.
Maria, would you happen to have a story illustrating this?
One day, I was on a train and in my compartment there was a man who didn't stop speaking evil of the Church, of priests, even of God. I said to him: "Listen, you don't have the right to say all that, it's not good." He was furious at me. Afterwards, I arrived at my station, I got down from the train, and said to God: "Lord, do not let this soul be lost." Years later; the soul of this man came to visit me; he told me that he had come very close to Hell, but he was saved simply by this prayer I had said at that moment!
Yes, it's extraordinary to see that just one thought, one impulse of the heart, a simple prayer for someone can prevent them from falling into Hell. It is pride which leads to Hell. Hell is to stubbornly say "NO" against God. Our prayers can elicit an act of humility in the dying, a single instant of humility, however small, which can help them to avoid Hell.
But Maria, it is incredible, all the same! How can one actually say "NO" to God at the moment of death, when one sees him?
For example, a man once told me that he did not want to go to Heaven. Why? Because God accepts injustice. I said to him that it was men, not God...He said: "I hope that I do not meet God after my death, or I will kill him with an axe." He had a deep hatred of God. God grants man free will; he wishes each one to have his free choice.
God gives to everyone during his earthly life, and at the hour of his death, sufficient grace for conversion, even after a life spent in darkness. If one asks for forgiveness, sincerely, of course one can be saved.
Jesus said that it was difficult for a rich person to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Have you seen such cases?
Yes! But if they do good works, works of charity, if they practice love, they can get there, just like the poor.
Maria, do you still have visits these days from souls in Purgatory?
Yes, two or three times a week.
Really! What do you think of the practices of spiritism, for example, calling up the spirits of the departed, Ouija-boards, ect.?
It is not good. It is always evil. It is the devil who makes the table move. It is so important to say this again and again! People really need to hear this because, nowadays, more than ever, these absurd practices are increasing dangerously!
What is the difference between what you are living with the souls of the departed, and the practices of spiritism?
We are not suppose to summon up the souls -- I don't try to get them to come. In spiritism people try to call them forth.
This distinction is quite clear, and we must take it very seriously. If people were only to believe one thing I have said, I would like it to be this: those who engage in spiritism (moving tables, and other practices of that kind) think that they are summoning up the souls of the dead. In reality, if there is some response to their call, it is always and without exception Satan and his angels who are answering. People who practice spiritism (diviners, witches, etc.) are doing something very dangerous for themselves and for those who come to them for advice. They are up to their necks in lies. It is forbidden, strictly forbidden, to call up the dead. As for me, I have never done so, I do not do so, and I never will do so. When something appears to me, God alone permits it.
Of course, Satan can imitate everything that comes from God, and he does. He can imitate the voice and the appearance of the dead, but every manifestation of any kind always comes from the Evil One. Do not forget that Satan can even heal, but such healings never last.
Maria Simma to sister Emmanuel