WHEN THE PRIEST GAVE THE NUN ABSOLUTION, A BLAZING STREAM OF OUR LORD'S BLOOD POURED OUT ON HER SOUL

I am preparing to go to confession soon and I was touched by an account from the life of St Magdalen de Pazzi who was a Florentine Carmelite nun. While St Magdelen lived a hidden life in her convent in Florence, the ways of grace were revealed to her in spectacular visions. Once she had a vision of one of the other nuns who had just confessed her sins and as the priest pronounced absolution over her, a blazing stream of Our Lord's Blood poured over the soul of the nun. St Magdalen could not help herself from calling out, "Let this stream flow also over me, O Lord!"

St Magdalen lived from 1566 to 1607, but perhaps the same mystical phenomenon happens every time you or I worthily confess our sins; perhaps a flaming spurt of Our Lord's Blood is poured onto our souls.

St Magdalen offered the Precious Blood fifty times a day for the souls in Purgatory and it was shown to her the great many souls she had released when she prayed in like fashion, "O Eternal Father, I offer Thee, through the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Precious Blood of Thy Son for the relief of the suffering souls in Purgatory." We may not be granted such a vista of souls being liberated from Purgatorial flames, but we may trust that our prayers for them do release them.

Magdelen's feast day is celebrated on May 25th.