Do You Fear that Souls are Slipping into Hell? ADOPT THEM!

by Susan Fox

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God, for God is love.” (1John 4:7)

“My brothers and sisters, saving souls through Jesus for the Glory of God and for the love of our neighbor is the most important work we can do in this world.” (Esmeralda Kiczek in The Adoption Movement: Saving Souls)

“If anyone out of pure love of God prays for another person as though he was praying for himself, his prayer shall enlighten the heavenly Jerusalem like the morning sun.” (St. Mechtilde)

Jacinta Marto's incorrupt face
15 years after her death in 1935

On the morning after her death on Feb. 20, 1920, they found 10-year-old Jacinta Marto with the tracks of bloody tears on her face.

She had wept for her dearly loved “poor sinners,” whom she feared would end up in hell, a frightening place she’d seen in a vision shared with her brother Francisco and cousin Lucia dos Santos. This was the first secret of the 1917 apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima, Portugal.

My human mother wouldn’t even let me watch “Chiller Theatre” when I was young lest I have nightmares. But our heavenly mother gave three young children a vision of hell that would change their lives forever.

“That vision only lasted for a moment, thanks to our good Heavenly Mother, who at the first apparition had promised to take us to Heaven. Without that, I think that we would have died of terror and fear," Sister Lucia said after describing the vision as an adult. Jacinta, the youngest, was only seven years old when she shared the vision with Francisco and Lucia.

Cousins: Jacinta Marto, Lucia dos Santos
 & Francisco Marto

Esmeralda Kiczek in her book,The Adoption Movement: Saving Souls, describes some of penances the children undertook afterwards for the conversions of sinners. Finding children poorer than themselves, the three cousins gave them their own lunch.

Jacinta would eat bitter acorns as a sacrifice. Lucia said to her,” Jacinta, don’t eat that; it is too bitter!” Her little cousin responded, “But it is because it is bitter that I am eating it, for the conversion of sinners.” They even gave up water to the sheep for the salvation of sinners on an afternoon when the three were desperately thirsty.

“I have a fire in my chest but it doesn’t burn me,” Jacinta said concerning her love for Our Lord, Our Lady and her neighbor.   

She predicted her own death, saying she would die alone in a hospital. She did -- after suffering through a painful surgery removing two ribs without general anesthesia. But she kept her eye on the ball: she planned that this suffering would convert many sinners.

Then when she asked for the last sacraments and the Holy Eucharist, telling the hospital chaplain she was dying that night, he didn’t believe her. So he effectively left her to die without the comfort of the Church because when he returned the next day she was already dead -- a little lamb who offered everything so that souls would be able to accompany her to heaven. No one goes to heaven alone. We would not be able to count the people Jacinta will take with her before the end of time.

What a joy to have author Esmeralda Kiczek with her little book, The Adoption Movement, remind us of the fire that Jesus so greatly desired to be enkindled in the world – the fire of love in which no one suffers the pains of hell because of the charity of their brothers and sisters.  “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but received the Spirit of adoption, through which we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:14-16)

The author recommends that we Christians adopt a person, pray for them and make little sacrifices on their behalf so that we can satisfy the dying thirst of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.  Both St. Theresa of Lisieux and Mother Teresa of Calcutta interpreted Christ’s cry for water on the cross to mean, “Bring Me souls!”

 

St. Theresa of Lisieux

“From that day, the cry of my dying Savior  -- “I thirst!” sounded incessantly in my heart, and kindled therein, a burning zeal hitherto unknown to me. My one desire was to give my Beloved to drink; I felt myself consumed with thirst for souls, and I longed at any cost to snatch sinners from the everlasting flames of hell,” wrote St. Theresa in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul.

About this time she heard of an impenitent murderer named Pranzini who was sentenced to death. Everyone feared he would be eternally lost. St. Theresa began to offer the infinite merits of Jesus Christ and the hidden treasures of Holy Church on Pranzini’s behalf, knowing that her own efforts were futile. And since this was to be her first “child,” she asked Jesus for a sign of repentance to reassure her of Pranzini’s salvation.

The day after his execution, Theresa opened the newspapers: Pranzini had mounted the scaffold without confessing his sins when all at once he turned around, seized the crucifix and kissed the wounds of Christ three times.

“I had obtained the sign I asked for, and to me it was especially sweet. Was it not when I saw the Precious Blood flowing from the Wounds of Jesus that the thirst for souls first took possession of me? I wished to give them to drink of the Blood of the Immaculate Lamb that it might wash away their stains, and the lips of ‘my first born’ had been pressed to these Divine Wounds. What a wonderful answer,” St. Theresa wrote.

Our Lord told St. Faustina, “I thirst. I thirst for the salvation of souls. Help me, my daughter, to save souls. Join your sufferings to My Passion and offer them to the heavenly Father for sinners.” (Diary of St. Faustina 1032)

Now we are in an age where atheists troll the Internet accusing Christians of worshiping a murderous god who sends people to eternal torture and punishment. I always say, “What god are you talking about? Mine suffered cruel torment and death to prevent you from going to hell!”

The atheists got it backwards. God sends no one to hell. People choose it. The Adoption Movement is about saving people from their own choices. God is a Gentleman. If you do not want Him, He lets you alone. Ergo, hell. Hell is the absence of God.

A priest friend of mine was given the opportunity by God to pull one of those poor sinners out of hell and drag him into heaven. The soul went kicking and screaming and fought viciously to return to hell. Finally, the priest gave up and let him return. Hell is a choice.

I first realized the power of this form of intercessory prayer when I went through a retreat on  The Healing of Families: How to Pray Effectively for Those Stubborn Personal and Familial Problems  taught by Fr. Yozefu-B Ssemakula.   Whole families can suffer mental and health problems or inordinate temptations because an ancestor gave the evil one permission to join the family. Fr. Joe (as we called Fr. Yozefu-B) showed us how to take satan out of our lives by simply removing his permission to be there.

But Father Joe assured us the removal of the curse only affected those who were closely related by blood. Well, this frustrated me beyond belief because I passionately wanted to help absolute strangers as well as close relatives.

So I was driving to the doctor one day, and I saw a lonely looking young man with his skateboard on the street corner. And I passionately turned to God, and asked Him how I could pray for this young man. And God said, “Isn’t he your brother?”

“Yes! That is the answer!” I immediately adopted the young man as my brother! And then when I pray the prayer Fr. Joe taught us, sending the evil one to the foot of the cross, he leaves my brother alone too!

So here was my proof. I saw another young man cleaning vegetables at Whole Foods, and he had an unhappy expression on his face. With deep passion, I adopted him silently in my heart, and begged God to give him a better job and a wife who would be faithful to him for life. (He looked like he needed one, but couldn’t afford one.)

The young man looked up and asked me if he could help me. And I modestly said, “Well, I was looking for some potted basil.” And then he was off! He went all over the store looking for potted basil in a manner I would never expect from a complete stranger working in a grocery store. There wasn’t any. But that was okay because I was able to say to him. “I’ll buy the packaged basil instead. And God bless you!” The whole encounter, while quite ordinary, made us both happy – he in an effort to serve, and me in praying for him.  

“The Adoption Movement involves the spiritual adoption of anyone who touches your heart as your brother or sister,” Mrs. Kiczek said. Founder of The End of Abortion Movement, she and her family spearheaded two successful pro-life Twitter Storms using the hashtag #PraytoEndAbortion. “All you have to do is pray the adoption prayer (see below) and solemnly promise Our Lord Jesus Christ to pray and make sacrifices for your new spiritually adopted brothers or sisters for the rest of your life.”

Don’t be deterred from this apostolate because you fear suffering. Mrs Kiczek gives several simple examples of what you can offer up, including headaches and pains -- emotional, spiritual and physical.

One can also give up dessert or just take a smaller portion. Smile when you want to frown, kneel when you want to sit, and love when you don’t feel like it.

 

St. Faustina Kowalska

I like the story of St. Faustina’s fasts. Her confessor forbade her from her usual penances because she was ill. So she was taking stiches on her embroidery and she asked Jesus to give her one soul for each stich. She reminded Him she was unable to do any more strenuous penance for the time being.

I love to offer up St. Faustina’s stiches because I didn’t even have to do the embroidery! But you could also offer up St. Anthony’s sermons, or St. Paul’s incarceration. The saints have buried treasure in the Church in the form of their sufferings and good works. Use them!

Jacinta & Francisco Marto

Don’t miss out on the benefits of Jacinta’s sacrifices. Her humiliations did not end with her death!  In 1937, Pope Pius XI would not accept causes for canonization of minors because he thought they could not fully understand heroic virtue or practice it repeatedly.  For the next four decades, no sainthood processes for children were pursued. Finally, Jacinta was declared venerable after a general assembly of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints decided, "in some supernatural way, some children could be spiritual prodigies." And in 2000, she and Francisco – sister and brother -- were declared blessed.

Jacinta's body gave off the
aroma of flowers
 even three days after her death 

Her casket was opened in 1935 and 1951 and both times Jacinta’s face was found to be incorrupt. Jacinta is the youngest non-martyred child ever to be beatified. Jacinta witnessed the reality  of hell. As a result, her path of salvation lay in adopting other people and making sacrifices for them. “Remember this: whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his (own) soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:20)

But the greatest spiritual adoption of all time occurred at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, according to Mrs. Kiczek. Hanging from the cross in His last moments of life on this earth, Jesus addressed His Mother, and said, “This is your son,” referring to the Beloved Apostle John. In that moment, John stood in the place of all mankind. And to John, Jesus said, “This is your Mother.”

On Good Friday, Mary became the Mother of the Human Race. She embraced us all as her children, even the Roman Centurion who had just crucified her Son. Welcome Mary into your life as your mother, and this spiritual childhood will bear great fruit.

Blessed Jacinta attested to this. At the age of 10 just before her death, she counseled Lucia, “Soon I shall go to Heaven. You are to stay here to reveal that the Lord wants to establish throughout the world the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Tell everyone that Our Lord grants us all graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Tell them that they should all ask for peace from the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as God has placed it in Her hands. Oh, if I could only put in the heart of everyone in the world the fire that is burning in me and makes me love so much the Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary.”

Francisco, Lucia and Jacinta before the
Immaculate Heart of Mary

There is so much more in the book. 

Order The Adoption Movement  here. 

ADOPTION  PRAYER

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Come Holy Ghost, Creator Blest, And in our hearts take up Thy rest; Come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid To fill the hearts which Thou hast made,To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comfort Blest to Thee we cry, Thou heav'nly Gift of God most high; Thou fount of life and fire of love,  And sweet anointing from above, And sweet anointing from above.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host - by the Power of God thrust into hell, satan and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

My sweet Jesus, my God and my Savior, I solemnly adopt (Name of Adoptee(s)) as my spiritual brother/sister and promise to pray and make sacrifices for the rest of my life and into eternity for him/her and all my adopted brothers and sisters.

O Jesus, who has said, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you,” Behold I ask, I seek, and I knock for that faith that obtains all and for the healing, conversion, and salvation of all my adopted brothers and sisters.

In the name of Jesus, I cast out all evil spirits that are hindering the healing, conversion, and salvation of my adoptee(s) to go directly to the foot of the cross bound in Jesus’ hands without doing any harm to me or my family, to be sent by Him to the deepest recesses of hell. Never to come back, never to come back, never to come back.

 (Three times)

Oh! Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners, especially my adopted brothers and sisters. Amen.

Most merciful Jesus, you revealed to Saint Faustina that whoever calls upon your mercy on behalf of a poor sinner and said this prayer with a contrite heart and faith will be given the grace of his/her conversion. Behold I now pray with confidence in your mercy for my adoptee(s) “O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us I trust in You.”

Dear St. Joseph I ask you to please adopt me, my family, and my adoptee(s) as your sons and daughters forever.

Sweet Virgin Mary as you adopted the Beloved Disciple at the foot of the cross, I ask you to adopt me, my family, and my adoptee(s) as your beloved sons and daughters forever.

Divino Nino, raise your Holy Arms for us and bless us.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I love you, save souls.

Jesus, my God and my All, I trust in you and I will sing your praises forever and ever. Amen.