It’s the first of the month so you will not be surprised to see the monthly indulgence calendar post but before we get to that I want to tell you an interesting Exorcised Salt story from Halloween yesterday.
It’s been a while since I’ve been around to give out candy on Halloween but this year I had the day off and had time so I decided to do so, but with a twist.
As you might have noticed Exorcists and Exorcisms have been big online lately. Several priests who do them (each Catholic diocese is supposed to have an official Exorcist and if one isn’t appointed the Bishop would be considered the chief one). have been online.
What you might not know is that in addition to actual exorcisms of people there is exorcism of objects and places. For example when a priest blesses a house it is a minor exorcism. (My own parish priest always does this in broad daylight, never at night as he puts it: “Why give the enemy home field advan salt, oil and water is exorcised (video playlist here) by a professional exorcist. What you might not know is that I had salt and water exorcised there and keep it in the house.
I bring this up because a while back an exorcist I think it was Fr. Dan, told a story about a woman who rented an office in a building full of new age stuff that got her nervous who was advised to mix some exorcised salt into the paint that was being used to redo her office. She suddenly noticed that other people renting in the building who used to visit suddenly didn’t enter the office not even to have cookies that she made, oh they’d poke their head through the door and say “Hi” but for some reason wouldn’t come in.
You might also know that several exorcists & at least one former Satanist turned Catholic evangelist have talked about the real nasty & even murderous stuff that goes down on Halloween ( I suspect it’s no coincidence that the reformation began on the day) and this got me thinking so I decided on an experement.
Before I visited my father’s grave around noon (He would have been 105 yesterday) I took some of the exorcised salt and sprinkled a line from one corner of my property to the other covering both the walkway and the steps on the side and another coving the back gate. I didn’t use enough so that you had a visible white line but enough so that you would have to pass the salt to go up the walkway.
When I got home from mass about 15 min before trick or treating started I put on the outside light to show that we were giving out candy, but I went two steps further.
- I put the candy outside on the lighted porch so it could be seen
- I put a chair out there and rather than waiting inside sat there reading some Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo)
In short I made sure that there was no question that this house was giving out candy and I waited. As expected kids and parents came to the door. Some parents waited at the walkway but that isn’t unusual so I thought nothing of it.
What WAS interesting was when a group of loud, rowdy and profane teens hit the house across the street. Normally those kids would have headed to my house next but inexplicitly they completely bypassed my property despite me and the candy being there.
Later on there was a pair of teenage girls who came by and it was even odder, they were on the same side of the street and not only walked by the house but seemed not to notice the property existed looking straight ahead until they passed.
I shot a video telling the story last night:
For the rest of the night that was the pattern, every now and then some people would just bypass the house. Invariably those people would be teen above the age of reason (and thus capable of mortal sin and/or inviting a demon in which Mortal sin can do).
I found it very….interesting. Feel free to make of it what you will.
Also be aware that for the next eight days starting with today there is a special Plenary indulgence offered annually for anyone Catholic who visits any cemetery and prays for the dead. This act normally gives a partial indulgence but during the Octave of All Saints day (including all souls day on the 2nd) this indulgence is Plenary under the usual conditions.
- Communion on the day of the indulgence
- Confession within 20 days before or after the indulged event (one confession covers all indulgences during that period)
- Prayers offered for the monthly intentions of the Pope
For the indulgence to be plenary you must have no attachment to sin.
So take advantage of those indulgences either for yourself or someone who has died, be aware you CAN’T obtain an indulgence for a living person other than yourself.
Anyways here is this month’s indulgence calendar:
