What? Francis Is Really The Devil's Man?

On June 26, 2017, The Tablet (The International Catholic News Weekly)  published an article by Daniele Palmer entitled VATICAN INVESTIGATES CATHOLIC GROUP AFTER EXORCISM CLAIM THAT FRANCIS IS DEVIL'S MAN.  This blogger is scared but not surprised.  Without hyperlink (which did not work) and further comment, the entire article is quoted below (with photograph of Mgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias) [1]:

On 2 June Herald's leader, Mgr. Clá Dias, unexpectedly resigned and reports emerged of a Vatican investigation into the group

The leader of a Brazilian traditionalist movement that was praised in the past two pontificates has resigned, and a video has subsequently emerged of the leader relaying bizarre claims by one of his priests regarding Pope Francis. Mgr João Scognamiglio Clá Dias, the founder and now ex-leader of the Heralds of the Gospel, can be seen in the video saying that the devil had told the Heralds priest that Francis was “my man”. Satan said Francis is “stupid” and does “everything I want”, Clá Dias says.

But speaking to The Tablet, Fr Angel Veiga, a Rome-based leader of the order, said the video has been “taken out of context”, and what was said in it does not equate to the position of the Heralds. They were simply relaying Satan’s message.

“It’s the Devil, no? The Devil is the father of lies,” Fr Veiga explained, adding that the video showed “a private, intimate conversation between our founder [Clá Dias] and various priests.” 

The video, first reported by respected Vatican journalist Andrea Tornielli, shows around 60 priests listening to Mgr Clá Dias relaying what the priest said to him. The things had been said - the priest believed by the devil - when the priest was carrying out an exorcism.

The Heralds of the Gospel were founded in 1998 and received pontifical approval in 2001 under John Paul II, making them the first private association of faithful to receive Vatican approval in the third millennium — an achievement which the group is keen to underline.

They are made up of 200 priests, 2,820 consecrated members and are present in 78 countries. Under Benedict XVI, two other societies grew out of the Heralds.

Although not widely known outside Brazil and some circles in Rome, the Heralds’ religious dress — a Medieval-looking dark brown tunic with a long, Gothic looking cross in the middle — has given them visibility in the Church.

However, on 2 June, their leader Mgr. Clá Dias unexpectedly resigned and reports emerged of a Vatican investigation into the group. A Heralds spokesman in Brazil confirmed the probe saying that it was a routine apostolic investigation which “can occur at any moment for any religious institution.”

It was in the days following Mgr Clá Dias’ resignation that the video emerged.

In it, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, the spiritual inspiration for the Heralds, is described as being in heaven “incentivising the death of the Pope” and saying that “the next Pope will be good.”

The devil is said to be seeking to “kill the man that God is calling” who, according to what is said in the video, is Cardinal Franc Rodé, the 82-year-old former leader of the congregation for religious. Cardinal Rodé has been a public critic of Francis.

Corrêa, whose secretary for 40 years was Clá Dias, was known in Brazil for his staunch and trenchant criticism of liberation theology, setting up Tradition, Family and Property (TFP), in 1960, to act as a bulwark against the influence of progressive politics and thought. Earlier this year Francis told a meeting of Religious superiors he is worried by “restorationist” orders that “offer security but instead give only rigidity”.

Under Benedict XVI, however, the Heralds were more in favour with Rome. In a book-length interview with Peter Seewald Benedict XVI praised the Heralds — the only religious movement he mentioned by name in the book — lauding them for being “full of enthusiasm for having recognised Christ the Son of God” and being key “in assisting with a great Catholic rebirth” in Brazil.

In Brazil, the Heralds are known for going into the country’s favelas after the Protestant evangelicals in an effort to reconvert those who chose to abandon Catholicism.

Fr Angel Veiga described the group as a “realisation of an ideal, the ideal to give oneself completely to the service and defence of the Holy Church.”

Mgr Clá Dias, he explained, envisaged a movement that would “give itself completely to the Holy Catholic Church,” that would act as a “truly Catholic institution, a truly religious institution, whose members would live as really consecrated to God.”

One of the main activities of the Heralds is to provide assistance to parish priests in areas where the number of faithful is witnessing a reduction. A division of the groups, called the “Knights of Mary,” can be called on to help strengthen the local Church’s presence in a way reminiscent of the practice of other movements, such as the Neocatechumenal Way.

They also run a programme that helps finance on-the-ground projects called the “Mercy Fund”. This fund is a part of a wider effort on behalf of the Heralds to have some kind of social presence within the Church by helping the poor, the homeless and youths — one of the group’s strongest demographics.

At the heart of the Herald’s spirituality, Fr Veiga stressed, is a calling “to perfection,” the perfection of “Christ [which is achieved] by following his evangelical advice of chastity, poverty, obedience.”

In his letter of resignation, Mgr Clá Dias stated that, despite having to step down as superior general of the group, he remains “the model and living guardian of this [perfect] charism transmitted by the Holy Spirit.”

When asked if they supported Francis’ papacy, Fr Veiga said that the Pope has “inherited a very difficult situation for the Church…he has inherited a lot of problems that don’t have an easy solution.”

He declined to comment on controversies surrounding Francis’ family life document, Amoris Laetitia, although another Herald priest, who was present during the interview, Fr Javier Benjumea, said they preferred to work directly with the “people of God.”

Additional reporting: Isabella Haberstock de Carvalho 

PICTURE: Mgr João Scognamiglio Clá Dias ©YouTube

[1]  http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/7367/0/vatican-investigates-catholic-group-after-exorcism-claim-that-francis-is-devil-s-man

Christ Is Missing From The Papal Cross!

"Pope Francis celebrates Mass on the feast of Corpus Christi June 18 outside Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran. (Credit: Tony Gentile/Reuters via CNS.)"

This blogger knows, to a degree, how to appreciate modern architecture and art, including modern sculptures, but he does not appreciate a crucifix that does not have the body of Christ on it, nor does he know how to appreciate Christ's body being transformed into something unrecognizable, and that was exactly what the head of the Catholic Church was carrying, a cross with plates of shiny metal, polished stainless steel perhaps?  The photograph above was attached to an article in the Crux  on June 25, 2017. [1]  The article has nothing to do with the missing body of Christ but has everything to do with "the Vatican’s first-ever Auditor General" [2] that is now missing from the position because he supposedly "resigned" when he probably had not even had the chance to delve deep into the assignment for which he was hired to perform.  The reason ought to be self-evident: the corruption within the Vatican cannot be removed by an audit of its financial statements; it can only transform from a state of ugliness to a state of shamefulness at the end of the papacy.

Perhaps the missing body of Christ from the Vicar of Christ's cross is a precursor to the end of an era of Catholicism's Christianity, a church without the Body of Christ and fittingly, also a church without a pope, a prediction by Saint Malachy [3], to be believed or not.


[1] https://cruxnow.com/analysis/2017/06/25/mysterious-exit-vatican-auditor-begs-question-reform-even-possible/
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201308/what-prophecy-st-malachy-27710

Destinations And Destiny

For purposes of this entry, destinations are less about places and more about states of mind.  One can choose where to go, when to go and how long to stay.  Together they form one's identity and ultimately one's destiny.  This, of course, is pure fantasy.

A change in direction changes the destination.  This change can be willed at any moment in time except that the ability to will a change may be impaired at birth or at a later point in life.  With respect to the former, it may be speculated that God had taken away the burden of choice; and in regards of the latter, it may be speculated that God had granted an exceptional intellect and ability to choose but one had deliberately made the wrong choice, consciously or unconsciously, resulting in the person not being able to choose for an extended period or ever again for having abused such a rare gift.  The circumstances leading to the loss of one's ability to choose are unique to the individual. Discussing them is beyond the scope of this entry.

Those who are not so gifted, who might not have made the right choices at first, but who are alive and well, can later pivot ever so slightly in direction and the change course of life's journey, but many (if not most) people do not, because they are set in their ways of thinking and doing things, even though where they are at mentally and physically may not be entirely ideal and their God-given potential may not have been reached, or because they may have been so corrupted by the forces of evil, each to a unique degree, that they believe what they are thinking and doing are right and therefore they keep thinking and doing whatever that they think and do, even though the things they think of and do serve Satan but not God.

Then there are those who are on the right path from the beginning, who have chosen correctly, who lead exemplary lives, whose center is God, whose focus is Heaven.

The next category comprises of those who do not know where they want to go in life and those who want to go everywhere.  In both cases, they are without a real destination.  For those who want to go everywhere, the destinations change ever so whimsically, those that are in their minds and those that are on their bucket lists.  As the years propel those in this category forward, they advance ever so reluctantly, or obliviously, without meaningful ambition and defined goals, as if they had surrendered their will and reason to the winds of time, being blown mindlessly and freely in whichever direction Mother Nature calls for, like wheat in a field swaying to unpredictable gusts of wind. [1]

Even one who is without real directions and destinations, never mind the length of stay, has chosen.  Everybody has an after-life destiny that is clear, fixed and eternal, unlike destinations in life that can be changed and skipped, or vague.  Perhaps it is better not to have directions and destinations in life than going the wrong way and ending up in Hell.  Perhaps life was intended to be lived simply, not to be lived with a purpose, complete with goals and accomplishments, honors, awards, recognition and compensation, or perhaps not.

Who is the judge that says life cannot be "wasted"?  How can a life be wasted when experiencing existence in the flesh is the central purpose in life that is a gift from God?  Perhaps life can never be wasted; it can only be corrupted.  Is not what the Garden of Eden was created for, to let man live without any worry or care, but simply to enjoy God's gift of life in the flesh?  Of course, man was too greedy to be satisfied with what he has been given; he always wants to apply himself, to improve, to advance, but neither his improvements nor his advancements have been proven to be good, not in the sense that they provide more and better modern conveniences and health care in each successive generation, but in the sense that they have not led to contentment in the heart of man and peace on earth in a supposedly civilized world.

Conversely, can those who do not apply themselves, who sit back and observe the changes to a supposedly civilized (yet cruel) world be likened to the one-talent servant in The Parable of the Talents [2] who buried the talent he was given and did nothing with it?  Perhaps, but this blogger is not entirely convinced that the parable was told by Christ because the servant who buried the talent at least did not do anything that could have risked its value being reduced or if "talent" did not mean coins that could be invested or placed in a bank to earn interest but meant a person's skill set, the one-talent servant did not abuse it, whereas the other two multi-talented servants who doubled their talents (coins) might have gambled or cheated others in one way or another, or that they had employed their skills productively, but their work might not have been for causes that were entirely pure and holy, for they were sinners after all, and no sinner is at all times pure and holy.  One cannot divorce accomplishments, no matter how laudable, from their motives and the means by which they are achieved.

Despite the issues surrounding The Parable of Talents, it is nonetheless practical, asking people not to be lazy, not to be wasteful of God gifts and not to be a burden to society, but practicality has nothing to do with this entry (as with the rest of the posts in this blog); rather, it is a waste of time and resources, putting down empty thoughts that belong to a dream, but even a dream deserves a conclusion.

Perhaps life ought to have just two paths and only one direction.  The direction is to Heaven to which destinations chosen and destiny merge as one.  The two paths are (a) having the sense to have chosen the correct destination from the beginning (or to change to the correct one later in life), and (b) waiting until one is being called and in the meantime, letting the winds of time lay out the landscape ahead that will direct the innocuous but floundering soul that is attached to the earthly body back to Heaven.



[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed4gmlj0Cds, a video of  a "windy summer day in a wheat field, [U]ppsala, [S]weden."
[2] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/25, 14-30.

Disagreeing With Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI

This blogger admires Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI's intelligence, breadth of knowledge, analytical and writing skills.  Disagreeing with Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI is therefore not smart or wise.  Since neither wisdom nor smartness is part of this blogger's make up, he will go ahead.

An article entitled Pope Emeritus Benedict breaks silence: speaks of ‘deep crisis’ facing Church post-Vatican II  on lifesitenews.com  dated over a year ago on March 16, 2016 is quoted below in its entirety [1]:

On March 16, speaking publicly on a rare occasion, Pope Benedict XVI gave an interview (English translation) to Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian Bishops' Conference, in which he spoke of a “two-sided deep crisis” the Church is facing in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. The report has already hit Germany courtesy of Vaticanist Guiseppe Nardi, of the German Catholic news website Katholisches.info.

Pope Benedict reminds us of the formerly indispensable Catholic conviction of the possibility of the loss of eternal salvation, or that people go to hell:

The missionaries of the 16th century were convinced that the unbaptized person is lost forever. After the [Second Vatican] Council, this conviction was definitely abandoned. The result was a two-sided, deep crisis. Without this attentiveness to the salvation, the Faith loses its foundation.

He also speaks of a “profound evolution of Dogma” with respect to the Dogma that there is no salvation outside the Church. This purported change of dogma has led, in the pope's eyes, to a loss of the missionary zeal in the Church – “any motivation for a future missionary commitment was removed.”

Pope Benedict asks the piercing question that arose after this palpable change of attitude of the Church: “Why should you try to convince the people to accept the Christian faith when they can be saved even without it?”

As to the other consequences of this new attitude in the Church, Catholics themselves, in Benedict's eyes, are less attached to their Faith: If there are those who can save their souls with other means, “why should the Christian be bound to the necessity of the Christian Faith and its morality?” asked the pope. And he concludes: “But if Faith and Salvation are not any more interdependent, even Faith becomes less motivating.”

Pope Benedict also refutes both the idea of the “anonymous Christian” as developed by Karl Rahner, as well as the indifferentist idea that all religions are equally valuable and helpful to attain eternal life.

“Even less acceptable is the solution proposed by the pluralistic theories of religion, for which all religions, each in its own way, would be ways of salvation and, in this sense, must be considered equivalent  in their effects,” he said. In this context, he also touches upon the exploratory  ideas of the now-deceased Jesuit Cardinal, Henri de Lubac, about Christ's putatively “vicarious substitutions” which have to be now again “further reflected upon.”

With regard to man's relation to technology and to love, Pope Benedict reminds us of the importance of human affection, saying that man still yearns in his heart “that the Good Samaritan come to his aid.”

He continues: “In the harshness of the world of technology – in which feelings do not count anymore – the hope for a saving love grows, a love which would be given freely and generously.”

Benedict also reminds his audience that: “The Church is not self-made, it was created by God and is continuously formed by Him. This finds expression in the Sacraments, above all in that of Baptism: I enter into the Church not by a bureaucratic act, but with the help of this Sacrament.” Benedict also insists that, always, “we need Grace and forgiveness.”

Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI made a good point.  Whenever he makes one, it is always logical and well-supported by history, theology and philosophy.  He pointed to a change in the Catholic Church dogma and asked the question: "'Why should you try to convince the people to accept the Christian faith when they can be saved even without it?'"

The fact that people can be saved without the Catholic Church and without man-made rules that the Catholic Church runs on is inherent the words of Christ on the cross when He said to the penitent thief: "'Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'" [2]  There was no Catholic Church, no Vatican and no pope at the time, and there were no church rules set by men of Christian faith for man.  Moreover, these words of Christ were said before Christ resurrected, before He was believed by all His own disciples that He truly arose from the dead.  Thus, it can be concluded that salvation can be possible without "Christian" faith forced upon by one group upon another, without the Catholic Church, but that it cannot be possible without having faith in Christ as the Son of God.

Walking back on his earlier words bemoaning the changes (made by man) that had taken place within the Catholic Church, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI said that "'[t]he Church is not self-made, it was created by God and is continuously formed by Him. This finds expression in the Sacraments, above all in that of Baptism: I enter into the Church not by a bureaucratic act, but with the help of this Sacrament.'" Indeed, the original Church was not self-made but was created by God (that was Christ Himself, the Son God had made), but Benedict XVI was partially blind to reality when he said the Church (built by man) "is continuously formed by [God]."

On the contrary, the Church is continuously being formed by Satan, and that is why San Francesco d'Assisi was asked to rebuild the Church: "[w]hile praying at the Church of San Damiano, Francis of Assisi heard Christ speak to him from a crucifix, saying, 'Francis, rebuild my church, which you can see is falling into ruin.'  Francis though[t] that Jesus was speaking to him of the physical structure of the little church, and so he started to rebuild it, stone by stone.  But, gradually, Francis realized that Jesus meant that Francis was to rebuild not a physical structure, but the Church, the living stones of God’s temple." [3]  That was before all the sex abuse scandals came to light.

Benedict XVI was overstating his case when he said that the Church "finds expression in the Sacraments, above all in that of Baptism."  The penitent thief was (presumably) never baptized (he was probably too busy being a professional thief to take time off to go see John the Baptist down by the Jordan River), never ate the body of Christ and drank the blood of Christ at the Last Supper but Christ had nonetheless told him that he would be with Him in Heaven.

There are not enough penitent thieves in the Vatican that have been designated to enter Heaven.  Everything that is wrong with the Catholic Church can be blamed on those who had run it had lacked and now running it lack the required holiness, which is not to be confused with and cannot be substituted by intelligence and intellectual dishonesty.  If pure intellect is the only prerequisite for holding the keys to the Catholic Church, then Satan ought to have them, for its intellect is far superior to man's.

Benedict XVI ought to be smart enough to know, even if he is not willing to acknowledge, that it is holiness and unconditional love in a person that God is looking for, for the two most important commandments are to love God and neighbor [4], not necessarily to be baptized, to go to Mass and receive the Eucharist, consisting of the Body and Blood of Christ and on that note, the Blood of Christ, which is an integral part of the Body of Christ and embodied in the Sacraments ("Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the sick, Marriage, Holy orders" [5]), is rarely shared by the priest with those at Mass.  It borders on being hypocritical, for Benedict XVI to elevate the importance of the Sacraments but never bothered to ask the consubstantiated Blood of Christ be offered to and shared with attendees at Mass when he was pope.

Further to the two most important commandants, the first one requiring man to love God means that man must have unconditional faith in God at all times and the second one requiring man to love neighbor means that man must express unconditional (non-judgmental and unselfish) love for the whole of mankind at all times.  It is not about what man (popes included) thinks what ought to be right or wrong -- it is about faith, love and holiness in the purest sense.

On this rare occasion on March 16, 2016, it is the opinion of this blogger that Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI's misdirected intellect had overpowered his God-given senses, demonstrating his loyalty to the Catholic Church, which was on its face admirable, however blind and misplaced it was, since the Catholic Church is no longer what God had intended -- a place that can truly be called Heaven on earth.



[1] https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-emeritus-benedict-says-church-is-now-facing-a-two-sided-deep-crisis
[2] http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/23 at 43.
[3] http://graceofpreaching.blogspot.com/2015/10/rebuild-my-church.html
[4] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22 at 36-40.
[5] http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-7-catholic-sacraments-definition-history-quiz.html

The Real Blood Of Christ

It is central to the Catholic Mass that the wine in the chalice is the blood of Christ after consecration, and that this blood is being shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. [1]  The transubstantiated wine that is the blood of Christ probably has the same properties as the wine prior to consecration, but this entry is not about the transubstantiated wine that is the blood of Christ but rather the actual blood of Christ.

One place to start is the Shroud of Turin.  The first and last paragraphs from a document online entitled Blood on the Shroud of Turin: An Immunological Review  are quoted below [2]:

The Shroud of Turin is an approximately 14 feet by 3.5 feet linen cloth that bears the image of a man that has been beaten, scourged, and crucified.  Here, the scientific evidence for the presence of human blood on the Shroud is evaluated, with particular emphasis on the methodology used to support various conclusions, including blood typing and species classification.  The data are specifically considered within the context of immunology as many of the experimental techniques used to study the bloodstains on the Shroud utilize products of the immune system as experimental tools in their design. Moreover, the bloodstains themselves represent cellular and fluid components of a once functioning immune system and provide clues to their origin.

. . . 

In summary, the preponderance of current scientific evidence indicates that: (i) there is blood on the Shroud of Turin; (ii) the blood is of primate, i.e. human origin; and (iii) the blood type is most likely AB as determined by forward typing methods, specifically mixed agglutination and immunohistochemistry techniques.  Expression of the Rh factor (AB positive or AB negative) remains to be determined.

Between these paragraphs is a technical discussion that this blogger does not understand in the least, nor does he pretend to fully understand the conclusions drawn.  They are quoted only for the purpose in presenting the high likelihood that the blood type of Christ is AB.

From another article online entitled iT TAkeS ALL TYPeS TO SAVE LiVeS are quoted the first two paragraphs (in part) [3]:

As an AB blood donor, you have a unique opportunity to enhance your generous “gift of life”. People with AB Negative (.6% of the population) and AB Positive (3.4%) are potential universal plasma donors. . . .

In addition to being the most rare blood type, AB Plasma is universal and can be used for all patients regardless of their blood type. Plasma is used to treat clotting disorders, burn, and shock victims. . . .

The same article cited above also provides information regarding compatible blood types, quoted below in part:

AB- can receive AB-, B-, A-, O-

AB+ can receive AB+, AB-, B+, B-, A+,  A-,  O+,  O-

From the information on AB blood plasma and AB blood type, this blogger concludes definitively, where the first article cited did not, that Christ's blood type is AB positive.

His conclusion is not based on science but on faith.  Having AB+ blood type, Christ is a universal donor of blood plasma and a universal receiver of blood types.  In other words, having AB+ blood type, Christ is able to absorb the blood of all sinners and purify it, and having AB+ blood plasma, Christ is able to give the "'gift of life'" to all sinners regardless of blood type.

The next article below is more specific as to the differences between blood type and blood plasma, part of which is quoted below [4]:

Blood performs very important functions in the body. The main functions are listed below:

• Supply of oxygen (which is bound to haemoglobin in the red blood cells) and other important nutrients to tissues.

• Removal of carbon dioxide and other waste products away from the tissues.

• Circulation of white blood cells important for immunological functions.

• Clotting at sites of injuries or cuts.

• Regulation of temperature and pH of the body.

Plasma is the fluid component of blood and thus performs all the same functions. It specifically helps in:

• Maintaining the electrolytes and fluid balance of the blood.

• Serves as the protein reserve for the body.

• Aids in clotting.

• Immune functions.

• Transport of carbon dioxide, essential nutrients (organic, inorganic components and plasma proteins), hormones (bound to plasma proteins), waste (urea, uric acid and creatinine) and other substances (example drugs and alcohol) to and from the tissues.

Beyond the blood type of AB that Christ has, there is another identifier--the genetic configuration.  The article below, including title and author, is quoted in its entirety without hyperlink (italics  and emphasis in bold original) [5]:

Lacrymations of the blood in the Pouilles at Alberobello (Italy)
Examination of DNA delivers extraordinary results

Images of the Madonna and Jesus shed blood and the scientists say:
"AN EXTRAORDINARY AND AMAZING PHENOMENON"


By Renzo Allegri

Every now and then one reads in the news that some Image of the Madonna is weeping. Sometimes these tears are blood and the news are then much more impressive. The skeptics smile; the ecclesiastical authorities evaluate the event with great prudence, with good reason, and they avoid making definite judgments; science does not get involved, and if it does, it is at the level practiced by amateurs. Then, as time passes, the event becomes less interesting, fades from memory, and is soon forgotten. Only in very rare cases is the event of such importance that it is acknowledged as true and real and is then certified as authentic and of a supernatural origin. An example is the research that was carried out on the "Weeping Madonna of Syracuse." [It was declared authentic and of supernatural origin.]

We will now tell you of a recent similar event, still unknown, which reveals itself to be truly astounding because the first judgment released came from science, science at the highest level, a judgment that opens viewpoints to amazing hypotheses.

The event involves two Sacred Icons that shed tears of blood on two separate occasions. The two Icons belong to Padre Pietro Maria Chiriatti, 59 years old, a priest since 1990, founder of a small Congregation called "The Missionnaries of Our Lady of the Quarry," who lives in a modest dwelling in Alberobello, Puglia, Italy. Padre Pietro tells us:

"It was on the 3 of May 2003, around 6 in the evening, I had gone to my room totake some medication when I noticed that the Icon which represents the Madonnawith Child, hanging above my prayer kneeler, had spots on its face. Because Ihave poor eyesight I touched the Image and felt that it was wet. I called myfellow members (Confreres) and all of us could see that she was shedding tears."


The phenomenon lasted thirty minutes and was witnessed by other persons whom Padre Pietro had immediately called. This event was recorded on video tape. Padre Pietro wiped the blood with a handkerchief and sent it to a laboratory to be tested.

Approximately one year later, on the 27 May 2004, the phenomenon repeated itself on another Icon of Padre Pietro that represents the Face of Jesus as it appears on the Shroud of Turin. This time it was more than a weeping Icon, it was a bloody sweat. The Face of Jesus was striped by seven streaks of blood that trickled down from the forehead, along the cheeks, over the beard, and running over the picture frame of the Icon. Padre Pietro, frightened, called out to all who were in the house to come and see; he then telephoned the police, the parish priest and the doctor. This phenomenon lasted for one and a half hours and was witnessed by about 50 persons.

Once again, Padre Pietro collected some of the blood and sent the sample to the same laboratory where he had previously sent the blood that had appeared on the Face of the Virgin. And it was here, in this scientific laboratory, where the extraordinary characteristics of these related events became known. It must be made very clear that this laboratory is one of the most prestigious in Europe. It is the Genetics Forensic Laboratory of the University of Bologna, equipped with the most modern sophisticated equipment with a team of researchers, doctors and biologists University Professors. This laboratory specializes in everything related to DNA. It works with Secret Services and Police of many nations and is in contact with other similar laboratories of other countries...    


This laboratory has Scientific Authority, therefore a verdict released by this laboratory is of indisputable [unquestionable] value.

After carrying out all the tests, the laboratory researchers sent Padre Pietro an official document stating, in resume, "the blood is human blood, of group AB, male, and was found to be identical in  the two samples tested, the blood from the tears from the Icon of the Virgin and the blood that appeared of the Face of Jesus are the same." But there is more, the document continues from its evaluations to something that seems really incredible: "the configuration of the genetic features found in the Y chromosome does not correspond to any of the configurations present in the world wide data bank where the data of 22,000 male subjects from 187 different populations is kept."

And further on we read: "This blood is so rare that it must be considered as almost unique. By calculation, the statistical probability of finding, in the course of millennia, a typology of the same blood type, is almost nil, the mathematical probability of this happening is in the order of 1 in 200 billion possible cases." [In other words 1 on 200,000,000,000.]


What does all this mean? In the first place, the data obtained excludes in an absolute manner any case of fraud, deception or deceit: there is no one in the world who could be in a position to produce blood with similar characteristics. On the other hand, because we are dealing with a unique type of blood, the data indicates that it belongs to only one single Person and to no other person in all of humanity's history. Therefore it comes from a Man who has no ancestor and no descendant [offsprings].  Therefore it becomes quite clear and if we go to the Gospels and see what is written there about Jesus, [we learn there that He was] a Man unlike all others (unique) with these characteristics. While on this subject, it is quite significant that the blood which appeared on the Image of the Virgin is identical to the blood which appeared on the Face of the Image of Jesus. We could say from these results that we possibly could have for the first time ever the scientific data concerning the physical Person of Jesus: the DNA of Jesus, God Incarnated in a Body that is and will remain unique.

It is still too early to arrive at a final conclusion, but the verdict from science is, for all purposes, precise, public and without ambiguity. The scholars [researchers] who released this information did it in a cold [controlled], mathematical, but very clear language. They have specifically affirmed that they found themselves in front of something unique. And they are the ones, accustomed to scientific precision, to show with wonder, the extraordinary nature of these results. In a private letter to Padre Pietro, one of the researchers wrote: "these are results to stun with amazement even a statue." And again: "faced with the results of these analyses is incredible to me, and that is not saying much to say this, I could not even succeed in hiding my tears." And another one told him: "This is real human blood, but it seems to really come from another world."

The ecclesiastical authorities are naturally aware of these facts and are presently investigating and evaluating them. Their prudence [caution] will be tremendous, and with good reason, for it is right that it should be so. But the scientific results lead one to think that we are perhaps faced with a supernatural Sign of exceptional importance.

          Sourced from http://www.pdtsigns.com/icons.html
          See original text in italian at medjugorie bolzano.it 


The reader has a choice to believe or not.  This blogger believes and does not consider the above to be proofs but affirmations.



[1] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/26 at 26-28.
[2] https://www.shroud.com/pdfs/kearse.pdf
[3] http://thebloodconnection.org/about-blood/blood-education/blood-types/ab-positive/
[4] http://www.diffen.com/difference/Blood_vs_Plasma
[5] http://www.jnsr.be/uk_lacrymations.htm

Pope Prays For Victims In _______ (fill in the blank)

In chronological order below, starting December, 2016 (an arbitrary date that was selected), are a select number of articles that this blogger was able to find online.  Because Bergoglio had made a point to let the world know that he had prayed for victims of terrorism, articles were written to report just that.  (In many posts, Bergoglio had been misspelled as Bergolio -- this blogger wants to thank the handful of the readers of his blog for their patience, for tolerating his repeated mistake, that not being the only one.) The list of articles that follow is not intended to be exhaustive; it merely serves as an introduction to this entry.

12/11/2016 - Cairo.  Vatican Radio: Pope Francis prays for victims of terrorist attacks. [1]

02/19/2017 - DR Congo and Pakistan.  Vatican Radio: Pope prays for victims of violence in DR Congo and Pakistan. [2]

02/19/2017 -  Iraq and Pakistan.  Catholic News Agency: Pope prays for victims of terrorist attacks in Iraq and Pakistan. [3]  This article shares the same date as the one above, except that Iraq is included.  (As an aside, the article begins with a photograph of the pope, who looked liked he had an itchy nose or he was sad or pretending to pray but not prayerfully supplicating.  The caption under the photograph is noteworthy, quoting it: "Pope Francis prays with journalists on the papal flight en route to South Korea. Aug. 14, 2014."  Is using a photograph that is approximately 2½ years ago that has no bearing upon the Feb. 19, 2017, article, by a "Catholic" new agency no less, respectable journalism or misleading journalism?)

05/23/2017 - Manchester.  CNS News: Pope, English church leaders offer prayers after Manchester Arena attack. [4]

06/04/2017 - London.  Vatican Radio: Pope Francis: prayers for victims of London terror attacks. [5]

06/09/2017 - Tehran.  Catholic News Agency: Pope Francis prays for victims of deadly Tehran attacks. [6]

There are also many other incidents of terrorist attacks that Bergoglio never mentioned, some of which were fairly recent that took place in Southeast Asia, as reported in a NPR.org  article dated June 11, 2017, entitled How Big A Threat Is Extremism In Southeast Asia? [7]  One does not need to guess how big it is since a running total of the number of terrorism and fatalities around the world in 2017 is available online.  As of June 11, 2017, the website is showing "565 attacks, 3,873 fatalities" [8], [9].

Is it appropriate for a supposedly Catholic pope and a representative of Christ to selectively dramatize his prayer for some victims and not for others, only after considering the count of victims per incident, after seeing if there is death or just injury and after weighing the political impact and factoring in his personal (discriminating) preferences? Given the number of terrorist incidents that had not been mentioned, is it appropriate to ask how truly universal is the Catholic church and how uniting are those who are ensconced within it?

It seems like whenever the Catholic Church wants to give the appearance of universality, it resorts to expediency and lumps people and victims into groups even though each person is individually crafted by God and is known by a name.  Even Satan cares more about every single soul that God has clothed in the flesh than the Catholic Church since it works tirelessly to present to each one a unique path to Hell.

It takes a pope who burns with faith, prays devoutly and loves genuinely and who is blessed by God to speak stirringly to the heart of man, deep down where it is "wired" to God's goodness, to help slow the spread of terrorism that has been unleashed by Satan's powerful minions on earth.  It is a waste of time for a fake politician pope to condemn selective acts of terrorism, as if those that had not been condemned were implicitly sanctioned, and to pray symbolically for selected victims, as if those that had not received the pope's prayers and blessings deserved to be forgotten.

This is a sick world and in it, there is a sick Catholic Church.


[1] http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/12/11/pope_francis_prays_for_victims_of_terrorist_attacks/1278279
[2] http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/19/pope_prays_for_victims_of_violence_in_dr_congo_and_pakistan/1293587
[3] http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-prays-for-victims-of-terrorist-attacks-in-iraq-and-pakistan-91862/
[4] http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/pope-prays-for-victims-of-barbaric-attack-in-manchester.cfm
[5] http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/04/pope_francis_prayers_for_victims_of_london_terror_attacks/1316873
[6] http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-prays-for-victims-of-deadly-tahran-attacks-33610/
[7] http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/06/11/530949383/how-big-a-threat-is-extremism-in-southeast-asia?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news
[8] https://storymaps.esri.com/stories/terrorist-attacks/?year=2017
[9] The numbers in quotation changed (were lowered) after they were quoted during the draft on June 12, 2017.  They were re-quoted right before posting on June 13, 2017.  These figures are assumed to be somewhat reliable.

NOTE--June 14, 2017: This entry inspired a comment, quoted below with hyperlinks and a referral to Anonymous' own blog (something about hair loss and estrogen) omitted:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Pope Prays For Victims In _______ (fill in the bla...":

É evidenciado: Contra fatos negativo existem motivos!

Posted by Anonymous to Place de la Paix at June 14, 2017 at 7:03 AM

Thank you, Anonymous, for your participation.

Where Is The Vatican's Welcoming Mat For The Libyan Refugees?

Sunday Express  reported on June 10, 2017, that "more than 900 migrants set off from Libya to reach Europe in just 24 hours." [1]  The title of the article is Nearly 1,000 migrants leave Libya bound for Europe in just 24 hours… but where is the EU? [2]  It could have easily been Nearly 1,000 migrants leave Libya bound for Europe in just 24 hours… but where is Bergoglio and his symbolic welcoming party?

The article reported further that [3]:

Thousands of crossings are expected in the coming months with estimates for the numbers reaching Italy hitting 500,000 for 2017.

Some experts believe crossings could hit more than 6,000 per day, while the EU is attempting to stop crossings, keeping people in Libya where rape, torture and murder are daily occurrences and a black slave market is active for Arab families.

The article also has a slideshow of "[d]esperate men, women and children from across Africa and the Middle East" being rescued under the caption Migrants Rescued in the Mediterranean, dated January 3, 2017. [4]  Further down is another slideshow dated October 7, 2016, with the caption Migrants go to extreme lengths to cross borders showing "[d]esperate migrants fleeing Syria and surrounding places ...trying to sneak across borders in incredible ways" [5] that are devoid of human dignity.

Juxtaposing incongruously with the gut-wrenching photographs of desperate migrants (at least on this blogger's laptop) is an advertisement for what looks like a 2017 Maserati Levante S Q4, fetching a base price of US$84,250, and "[offering] zesty Italian performance backed with an expressively designed exterior—kind of like an automotive Monica Bellucci....The Levante goes on sale this fall." [6]

One can be fairly sure that the migrants and refugees who reach Italy later this year will not be picked up in a 2017 Maserati Levante SUV, nor will the pope likely arrange for a number of desperate and homeless migrants and refugees at his doorstep to be housed in the Vatican.  His mercy and compassion seem to extend mostly to those far away from him and outside the of the sovereign of the Vatican City State and the jurisdiction of the Holy See.

Although the pope is a Jesuit, he will never be like Father Frans van der Lugt, "a Dutch Jesuit," "who had spent decades in Syria, [who] was executed in April 2014 by a masked gunman at the Jesuit residence in the Old City [of Homs]." [7]  The April 14, 2017, LA Times  article continued to report the following [8]:

The elderly priest, known as Father Francs and just three days shy of his 76th birthday, had refused to leave the rebel-occupied neighborhood, staying behind to help remaining residents, many of them elderly Christians who faced starvation. He bicycled about the zone, providing food and other aid to those stranded inside.

Van der Lugt, also known as Father Francis, was buried in the garden of the Jesuit residence where he spent the last years of his life. His grave has become a kind of pilgrimage site, a testament to the legacy of a priest who sought to build bridges between Syria’s diverse communities.

“To Father Francis, we were all the same, Muslim, Christian, Jewish — we are all humans,” noted Father Magdi Seif, the current Jesuit superior in Syria, who spoke Friday at the Jesuit residence in Homs alongside the grave of the slain Dutch cleric. “Every day we see more and more people returning to the Old City, more shops open, more children playing in the streets. This is what Father Francis would have wanted.”

This pope, a very different "Francis," a hypocrite "Francis," would rather talk in the safety of his plush surroundings than to risk his life to serve his flock and the lost sheep and be the shepherd that smell like sheep that he preached about in the past.  If he opens his door and all the doors of the world's Catholic monasteries to house the continuing flood of migrants and refugees into Italy and the rest of Europe, then this blogger promises not to label him a hypocrite anymore.


[1] http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/815523/migrant-crisis-Libya-Mediterranean-europe-boats
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] http://www.caranddriver.com/maserati/levante
[7] http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-syria-homs-christians-20170414-story.html, at the end of the article.
[8] Ibid.

Vatican's "One Minute For Peace" Initiative Meets Reality

Vatican Radio  published an article entitled Aleppo bishop: '1 Minute for Peace initiative important for Syria'  on June 8, 2017.  How important it is for Syria is probably not as important as the title of the article would lead a reader to believe, even though "Bishop Antoine Audo [of Aleppo, Syria] says it is important and he expresses his admiration for Pope Francis, whom he said, 'uses little things to not forget peace and to say that everybody is able to build peace in the world'". [1]

Chaldean Catholic Bishop Antoine Audo
http://www.gulf-times.com/story/484825/Two-thirds-of-Christians-have-left-Syria-Aleppo-b

Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo continued to say, quoted from the article above [2]:

“I admire this initiative: it helps us a lot. But at the same time as bishop living in Aleppo and Syria I have to say we are very tired about the perspective of peace; we wait, we wait, we wait, and at the same time our families and young people are leaving to emigrate and this is a very big sadness for us” he says.

The bishop says the situation, in particular of Christians in Syria, who are a small minority is difficult, but “we continue to stay rooted in the faith and in the truth and after that, we will see.”

Audo speaks of the current situation in Syria's largest city, which in over six years of violence has become the biggest symbol of the damage wrought by the Syrian war.  He says that since Christmas there have not been bombings as the fighting is now continuing outside the city.

He says they can hear the bombing but generally the situation is more peaceful, the situation less stressful than a few months ago.

“But without regular water, without electricity, and the big problem is the economic situation; there are no jobs and 80% of the people are without a job” he says.

As Pope Francis points out, Audo says, “Work is dignity”:  “we have lost our dignity; everybody has become poor and asking for food aid to live”.

He also said that a big problem today is the obligation for young people to enroll in the military service, so you have so many young people who are very afraid of being forced to fight and they flee.

“This means the war is not finished yet” he says.

Regarding the current fear of terrorist attacks and the idea that situations of conflict, marginalization and exclusion provide fertile soil for radicalization, Bishop Audo says he believes that most of those attracted to extremist militancy are Sunnite youths, without any hope.

“If we look at the psychological level I think they are experiencing a big humiliation before the West generally; the powerful West is dominating, is leading politically with its provocative culture of ‘teaching’ others; ‘the West is bringing human rights, civilization.’ And on the other hand, according to the point of view both of educated and of simple people, they are experiencing a big humiliation” he says.

This, Audo says, is a big fault of the western world because “I think the West has lost faith in God and in Christ so it is not able to have the sensitivity to respect the other; everything is power, everything is finance, everything is strategies and there is no future for these politics.”

This blogger does not wish to raise the possibility of an implication where there is none.  However, solely  from his (and no one else's) perspective, he reads into the concluding words of Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, Syria, in the final paragraph of the article that the "West" that "has lost faith in God and in Christ" includes the Vatican and those running it, paying only lip-service to God and prayer, and only on occasion, and only for a brief moment.

Why does the voice of God seem to speak only through those who suffer and not those who are powerful, political and proud?

This blogger's heart goes out to all those whose dignity as human beings has been humiliated by the self-righteous ones who are always at the ready to teach everybody else a lesson when they do not even know how ignorant and incomplete they themselves are for God gives to all, each with qualities that are missing in others.  This blogger prays that in their suffering of "big humiliation" that their souls will one day rise and ascend, following the paths of the most humble people humanity has come to know, Christ, the Son of God and the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.  He also prays that mercy be given to those "Sunnite youths" who under duress have no where to turn, certainly not toward the Catholic Church for it is not there for them, but to be radicalized in order to survive, and survive with an ever so small a morsel of human dignity.


[1] http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/08/aleppo_bishop_says_1_minute_for_peace_important_for_syria/1317780
[2] Ibid.

What Does A One-Minute Prayer For Peace Sound Like?

Vatican Radio  reported on June 6, 2017, that "Pope Francis has appealed for prayers and international participation in the 'One Minute for Peace' initiative to be held Thursday, 8 June, at 1:00 PM Rome time." [1]

The remainder of the article, entitled Pope Francis appeals for ‘One Minute for Peace’ initiative  is quoted below [2]:

He said the initiative represents “a short moment of prayer on the recurrence of the meeting in the Vatican between me, the late Israeli President Peres, and the Palestinian President Abbas”.

Their encounter took place in the Vatican Gardens on 8 June 2014, during which the three men prayed together for peace.

The Holy Father said, “In our days, there is a great need to pray – Christians, Jews, and Muslims – for peace.”

His appeal came at the conclusion of his Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square.

In anticipation of this "short moment of prayer" for peace, one might wonder what it could sound like.  The minute prayer, taken literally, could sound like Chopin's Minute Waltz, also taken literally.  On You Tube is a version of the quick, one-minute waltz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQcaQozGjH4.  It was actually completed ahead of time at 0:56.82 +/- seconds. [3]  At the end of the video, an applause can be heard.  This blogger wonders if an applause could be heard all over Heaven as soon as Bergolio completes his one-minute prayer for peace.  Adding an additional tinge of sarcasm, this blogger cannot wait till Bergolio invents the "one-minute rosary" and to see what that would sound like.


[1] http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/07/pope_francis_appeals_for_%E2%80%98one_minute_for_peace%E2%80%99_initiative/1317386
[2] Ibid.
[3] There is another version clocked at 60.39 +/- seconds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbP9AfjYKOw)

A Chat With An Ex-Catholic

It was a neighborly chat with an ex-Catholic.  He gave all the reasons for not being a Catholic anymore, some of which this blogger agrees, among them, he thought that the Catholic Church was an institution that was fifty percent about money and power.  In this respect, he was more charitable than this blogger who thinks that the Catholic Church is mostly, eighty percent or more, about money and power.

He then took this blogger on a fact finding expedition, so to speak, giving all the reasons that an atheist would give, citing history, raising doubts about Jesus as both man and God.  Jesus, according to him, was a man, a Jewish man, who had a dark Arabic complexion.  It seemed like he was telling a story told on American television, probably by atheists.

To this blogger's dismay, he believed the atheist version of Jesus rather than the real Jesus in Whom this blogger believes.  Despite his knowledge of religion, which far exceeds this blogger's, this blogger was not swayed by his conclusions.  Slightly exasperated, this blogger said that he did not care what Jesus looked like because for him, Jesus was the Son of God, and asked if he believed in miracles.

He answered that many of the miracles were not miracles but they were made to look like miracles so that people would believe in the religion so that the religion could have power over them.  Then he said there had never been a miracle that gave a person without legs his legs.  Neither did this blogger know of any.  That was powerful evidence supporting his conclusion that miracles do not exist.  Still that did not sway this blogger's faith for he has experienced enough of them to know that they are real, that they are not fabrications or just merely coincidences.

Before starting on this entry, this blogger searched the Internet, found an article dated January 12, 2016, entitled When God Cured an Amputee: The Astonishing Miracle of Calanda  on churchpop.com.  The entirety of the article is quoted below without hyperlinks and paintings [1]:

There is an atheist website with a particularly provocative argument against God’s existence called “Why Won’t God Heal Amputees?“.

Their argument is pretty simple: Christians believe God sometimes heals people miraculously in response to prayer. But the types of things that are usually healed – cancer, a virus, an infection, etc – are hidden from view in a way that makes it difficult to confirm for sure that a true miracle has taken place. Something like the healing of an amputee (e.g. a miraculous replacement of their amputated limb) would be clearly miraculous, and yet never takes place. Thus, the atheist argument goes, we can be sure that God probably isn’t healing anyone, and so probably doesn’t exist.

But here’s the thing: there are credible, well-documented examples from the modern period of God miraculously curing amputees. Here is one of them.


A Terrible Accident


Miguel Juan Pellicer was born in the early 17th century to a Catholic family in the small agricultural community of Calanda, Spain. In 1637 when he was 20 years old, he was working on his uncle’s farm when a terrible accident occurred: he was riding a mule pulling a cart and accidentally fell off, and the cart ran over his right leg, breaking his tibia (also known as one’s shin – ouch!).

He received some treatment at a local hospital but soon decided to go to a special hospital in the city of Zaragoza dedicated to Our Lady of the Pillar. He, like many Catholics in Spain, had a strong devotion to her, and he hoped to benefit from her intercession.

Unfortunately, by the time he arrived, his leg was so gangrenous that it was black. The only option left was amputation. Two expert surgeons removed most of the lower half of his right leg from just below his knee. They cauterized the wound with fire.

Now, keep in mind that this was the mid-17th century, so there was no anesthesia. They gave him alcohol and other drugs to try to numb the pain, but Pellicer nonetheless experienced incredible pain. One witness later wrote: “In his torment the young man called upon the Virgin of the Pillar, unceasingly and with great fervor.” They then buried his amputated leg in the hospital’s cemetery, as was the custom.

A few months later, he was released with a wooden leg and crutch. Apparently, he was also able to get some sort of license for begging (I didn’t know that kind of thing even existed) at the Sanctuary of the Pillar. He was able to survive from begging and, since it’s a popular pilgrimage destination, was seen by thousands if not millions of people. He also got regular checkups with his doctor at the hospital.


Unflappable Faith


But he didn’t lose hope that God still might heal his leg, as impossible as it seemed. In an act of faith, every night he would request some oil from the sanctuary, rub it on his stub, and pray for the intercession of Our Lady.

After about two years, with the health of his leg seemingly stable, he finally decided to return home. He arrived in the midst of the 2nd week of Lent (sometime around March 11-14) in 1640. Unable to help on the farm, he took up begging again, and many people in the surrounding towns saw his stub leg.

Then, about two weeks later on March 29th, the miracle happened.

It was around 10 p.m. and he was ready to go bed. A soldier was temporarily staying in his family’s home and was sleeping in his bed, so Pellicer plopped down in an extra bed in his parent’s room instead. About an hour later, his mother walked in and saw two feet sticking out of the covers. Thinking the soldier had gone to sleep in the wrong room, she called her husband to resolve the misunderstanding.

But when her husband came and lifted the blanket, he was shocked at what he found: it was their son, and he had both of his legs!

They tried to wake him up right away, but he was in a deep sleep and it took a while. Once they finally were able to shake him awake, he explained that he had been having a vivid dream in which he was at the Sanctuary of the Pillar and was rubbing his stub with the oil as he used to do.

The three of them rejoiced, praised God, and thanked the Lady of the Pillar for her intercession!


The Church Investigates


News of the miracle spread like wildfire in the surrounding towns, and both government and ecclesiastical officials came to their house to see his healed leg for themselves. Three weeks later, Pellicer and his parents made a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of the Pillar to give thanks, and many people there who had known him with his stub leg were amazed to see him with both legs.

The story became such a sensation that the local archbishop conducted an extensive investigation of the miracle. When they dug up the box that he been buried with his amputated leg in the hospitals’ cemetery, it was apparently undisturbed – but empty. Regarding eye-witness testimony, there were obviously thousands of people who had clearly seen his stub leg before the miracle. So investigators asked two dozen of the most respected witnesses to testify in the court proceedings, including doctors who had treated him. No doubters of the miracle could be found.

A year later, the archbishop finally issued a judgement [sic]: the miracle was authentic.

Your move, atheists.

It did not take a reading of the above article for this blogger to foreclose any doubt about the authenticity of miracles. His belief in miracles is firmly fixed.  No ex-Catholic, no atheist can convince him otherwise.

This blogger prays that this man who knows so much about the history of religion and Catholicism would find his way back to the Catholic Church, no matter how corrupt the institution is, for the Catholic Church is more than the Vatican, more than those who run it--it is in the heart of man, a living, loving and self-sacrificing heart at its best.


[1] https://churchpop.com/2016/01/12/god-cured-amputee-the-astonishing-miracle-of-calanda/

Pentecost Sunday, 2017

The Second Reading at Mass on Pentecost Sunday, June 4, 2017, is quoted in part below:

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit. [1]

These words, especially the last sentence, can be made perfect, as they should be, in world that is at peace in which the manifestation by the Holy Spirit within each individual is a gift that is used to benefit others without self interest. However, reality reveals what should be is not what is, that self-serving interests come first even as others and the natural environment are being exploited.  In the process, the different workings that the Lord intends to be complimentary have been made incompatible by man, allowing conflicts to cement, leading to threats and counter-threats, to violence and cruelty and man away from God and toward the Devil.

The Devil rules the world and has its riches to give to those who will prostrate before it [2] but it is not without the One Who "will crush [the Serpent's] head." [3]  Fr. Babolin, "[t]he Italian exorcist said that 'as proof of this hatred' of the devil toward the Mother of God, 'while I was insistently invoking the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the devil answered me: "I can't stand That One (Mary) any more and neither can I stand you any more."'" [4]

If all the women in the world would behave like the Blessed Virgin Mary in raising their children like the Blessed Mother had raised Her Son, the Devil would have a lot less influence upon the world, but many women in the world are not following the footsteps of the Blessed Mother but are instead choosing to be like Eve, the proud woman who wanted equality who in doing so, revealed her to be a weak woman who failed to resist the Devil's temptation and rejected what God had created her to be, Adam's forever-young companion in the Garden of Eden.  That did not last, and both were kicked out of Heaven's garden and grew to become old and decrepit until their fated deaths.

Their deaths and the deaths of their descendants were eternal until the Son of God suffered and died Himself for the reparation of Original Sin, allowing souls the chance to experience eternal life which was intended for Adam and Eve in the first place.  This revised eternity unifies the different parts that make every individual unique under "one Spirit" [5] to once again become whole.  It is this wholeness that everyone ought to seek in eternity, that the Devil is working to prevent by sending many souls to Hell even as the Blessed Mother is praying fervently for the conversion of sinners.

The Devil probably has had many successes in collecting souls to populate Hell and is continuing to be successful.  The question is whether these souls that have chosen to reject God will cause gaps in the "whole" that Heaven is expecting to close by man's own collective conscience and will.  The likelihood is that man is weak like Eve, his proud first mother, and is unable to close those gaps by rejecting the Devil's temptations and unify under the one Holy Spirit.  This does not mean than Heaven will tolerate imperfection and exist with holes caused by man's sins when it is perfection in the "whole" and in wholesomeness that Heaven seeks: Heaven will not and is not about to compromise.  Replacements would be made, in much the same way as Christ was made to replace Adam, and the humble Virgin Mary was made to replace the proud Eve and the proud Lucifer, the fallen angel.

Accordingly, those who think by reading 1 Corinthians 12 that they are part of that "One Body" that Heaven is waiting for and are therefore indispensable and can do whatever that pleases them but not God ought to think again and know that they can and will be replaced.  This lesson of humility came too late for Lucifer, Eve and Adam but it is still early enough for those now gravitating toward Hell to learn from it and change direction.


[1] http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/1corinthians/12:3, at 4-7.
[2] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/4 at 8-9.
[3] http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/why-the-devil-hates-mary-especially-during-exorcisms-93682/
[4] Ibid.
[5] http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/1corinthians/12:3 at 13.

Acceptance, Not Hope

How many times can the word "hope" and its variation appear in a four-sentence paragraph?  Nine.

As quoted [1]:

"The expression 'God of hope' does not just mean that God is the object of our hope. He is, the one we hope to reach one day in eternal life. It also means that God is the One who has already given us hope, and even more makes us "happy in hope." Having happiness in the moments of hope, and not only hoping to be happy. And having  joy in hoping and not only hoping to be joyful today.” 

The words above are Bergolio's.  Rather than hope, and having joy in hoping, why not simply accept what one has and does not have?  Hope arises out of pride because one refuses to accept what is.  Lofty and unattainable hopes can cause disappointments; acceptance, on the other hand, stems from humility and leads to interior peace.

The word "hope" is the current theme coming out of the Vatican, replacing "mercy".  It mentions a "'God of hope.'" [2] This blogger is not a Bible scholar and has does not know when Christ had asked people to hope when the two most important commandments are to love God and neighbor [3], not to hope for this and that.

Moreover, it is unproductive for anyone to think about and unilaterally hope for eternal life.  Eternal life is the fruit of a partnership between God and man.  To the partnership, man needs to bring his humility, his faith and his love while God has already in place mercy, forgiveness and love waiting for man to join.

A previous post asserted that a prayer is not a hope.  This entry reiterates it.  If prayer were a hope, then the prayer of Christ would not be: "'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will'" (note Jesus' words of humility: "if it is possible") [4].  Instead, it would be prideful, and would probably sound more like this: "Father, I hope you will let this cup pass from me--just as I hope, not as you will."

To Bergolio's "'God of Hope'" Bergolio could possibly pray this prayer without any hint of humility: "I am so happy, now that I am hoping, because when I hope I get to tell you what I want done, not as you will.  Oh, and by the way, I also hope to reach eternal life."  This prayer is only one-sixth as good as the pope's words quoted at the beginning since there are only three words referencing "hope" in two sentences compared to nine in four.

It is hopeless for this blogger to hope to be as masterful as the pope and that is just one reason why he does not like to hope but simply leaves it up to God.


[1] http://www.romereports.com/2017/05/31/pope-be-happy-in-hoping-don-t-only-hope-to-be-happy
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22 at 34-40.
[4] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/26 at 39.

Another Day, Another Bombing

From Egypt, Al-bawaba EG  reported on May 31, 2017, that the "[t]errorist organization of the 'Islamic State' took responsibility for the explosion in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, killing over 80 people[, and that this] was reported by Al Maydeen television company based in Lebanon," quoted without hyperlinks. [1]

Even though this bombing by ISIL was not targeted at Christians, the pope nevertheless "'condemned the "'brutal"' act, offering his prayers for the victims and for peace in the country'" and "'expresse[d] his heartfelt condolences to all affected by this brutal act of violence,'" "'commend[ed] the souls of the deceased to the mercy of the Almighty, and assure[d] the people of Afghanistan of his continued prayers for peace.'" [2]

While it was good (and praiseworthy) that the pope expressed his condolences and commended the souls of those killed to the mercy of God even though they were probably not Christians in life, this blogger is not sure what good it does to condemn such killings after the fact when it is better to prevent such brutality from being carried out in the first place.  How many times does he have to condemn such acts for ISIL to listen and stop killing?

How about trying a different approach?  How about asking all the Catholics in the world to pray the rosary for peace, as the Blessed Virgin Mary had instructed time and again in Her many apparitions?  Does Bergolio not have faith in the words of the Blessed Mother?  Does he not believe that prayers would do any good?  Perhaps he does not, perhaps he knows that they would be ineffective against evil in the world, but this blogger believes differently, as does Sam Guzman, the editor of The Catholic Gentleman. [3]  This blogger also believes that 1.2 billion Catholics [3] praying the rosary is more effective against evil perpetrated against humanity than thousands.  Perhaps this pope ought to implore his flock to pray the rosary for peace every time he speaks, but then how can a pope who does not seem to believe in praying the rosary bring himself to do that?


[1] http://www.albawabaeg.com/92959
[2] http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-condemns-abhorrent-kabul-attack-47636/
[3] https://www.catholicgentleman.net/2016/12/5-reasons-pray-rosary-every-day-2017/
[4] http://www.romereports.com/2016/03/09/the-number-of-catholics-in-the-world-continues-to-rise