SAINT PADRE PIO AND BILOCATION

SAINT PADRE PIO AND BILOCATION

Bilocation

                

Bilocation can be defined as the simultaneous presence of a person in two different places. Numerous witnesses connected to the Christian religious tradition have reported events of bilocation, which have been attributed to many Saints. Padre Pio had this charisma and had been seen by eyewitnesses in different places at the same time. Here are several testimonials.

Mrs. Maria, one of Padre Pio’s spiritual daughters, said that one evening her brother was praying when suddenly he fell asleep. He was immediately awoken by a slap on his right check. He realised that the hand which hit him was covered with a half glove. He suddenly thought of Padre Pio. The next day he asked Padre Pio if he had slapped him. Padre Pio answered; “this is the way to cast away sleeping while praying?” With a slap Padre Pio had “awakened” the attention of the praying man.

One day, a former Italian Army Officer entered the sacristy and watching Padre Pio said; “Yes, here he is! I am not wrong!” He approached Padre Pio, and kneeling in front of him crying, he said; “Padre, thank you for saving me from death.” Afterwards, the man told the people present there, “I was a Captain of the Infantry and one day on the battlefield in a terrible hour of battle, not far from me I saw a friar who said; ‘Sir, go away from that place!’ I went towards him and as soon as I moved, a grenade burst in the place where I was before and opened a chasm. I turned around in order to find the friar, but he was not there anymore.” Padre Pio, who was bilocating, had saved his life.

Father Alberto, who met Padre Pio in 1917, stated “I saw Padre Pio standing in front of the window, looking at the mountain. He was speaking to himself. I approached him in order to kiss his hand, but he did not notice my presence and I noticed that his hand was rigid. At that time, I heard that he was clearly giving absolution and pardon to someone. After a while, Padre Pio shook like awakening from a nap. He looked at me and said; ‘you are here. I did not realize it!’ After some days, a telegram from Turin was delivered. Someone was thanking the superior of the convent for having sent Padre Pio to Turin to assist a dying person. I realized that the man was dying in the same moment Padre Pio was blessing him in San Giovanni Rotondo. Obviously, the superior of the convent had not sent Padre Pio to Turin, but he had bilocated there.”

In 1946, an American family went from Philadelphia to Saint Giovanni Rotondo in order to thank Padre Pio. In fact, their son, a bombardier plane pilot (during World War II), had been saved by Padre Pio in the sky over the Pacific Ocean. The son explained; “the airplane was flying near the airport on the island where it was going to land after it had loaded its bombs. However, the airplane was struck by a Japanese attack plane. The aircraft exploded before the rest of the crew had the chance to parachute. Only I succeeded in going out of the airplane. I don’t know how I did it. I tried to open the parachute, but I didn’t succeed. I would have smashed to the ground if I had not received a friar’s help who had appeared in midair. He had a white beard. He took me in his arms and put me sweetly at the entrance of the base. You can imagine the astonishment inspired by my story. Nobody could believe it, but given my presence there, they had no choice. I recognized the friar who saved my life some days later while on home leave, I saw the monk in one of my mother’s pictures. She told me she had asked Padre Pio to look after me.”

A woman was at her daughter’s home in Bologna. She had a tumor in her arm. So she agreed with her daughter to go for surgery. The surgeon told her to be patient and to wait some days before establishing a date for the surgery. In the meanwhile, her son-in-law sent a telegram to Padre Pio asking him to pray for his mother-in-law. At the moment when the telegram reached Padre Pio, the woman, who was in the dinning room alone, saw a capuchin friar enter through the door. “I am Padre Pio of Pietrelcina,”he said. Then, after asking her what the doctor had said and encouraging her to trust in Our Blessed Mother, he made the sign of the Cross on her arm and went out of the room. At that point, the woman called for the maid, her daughter and son-in-law. She asked them why they allowed Padre Pio to enter without announcing him. They responded that they had not seen Padre Pio and furthermore, they had not opened the door to anyone. The next day, the surgeon did a medical check-up on the woman in preparation for surgery; however, he could not find any tumor.

Padre Pio visited the Bishop who had ordained him on the 10 August 1910 in the Cathedral of Benevento. It happened before the Bishop’s death. Padre Pio bilocated there in order to give the Bishop his spiritual support.

Even Blessed don Orione spoke about padre Pio’s bilocation. He said: “I was in Saint Peter’s Church in Rome in order to attend the celebration of Saint Teresa’s beatification. There also was Father Pio, despite the fact that he was in his convent at the same time. I saw him. He was smiling and coming towards me through the crowd, but when I was not far from him, he disappeared.

In 1951, Father Pio celebrated Holy Mass for a convent of nuns in Czechoslovakia. After Mass, the nuns went to the sacristy to offer Father Pio coffee in order to thank him for his unexpected visit, but they did not find the holy man in the sacristy. Thus the nuns realised that Father Pio had bilocated there.

In 1956, Padre Pio served Holy Mass for Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary in his Budapest prison. Someone who had news of the imprisonment had asked Father Pio directly: “Father Pio you have served the Mass to the Cardinal of Hungary, so you have spoken to him! So you have been in jail with him and you have seen him!” - Father Pio answered: “Of course, if I had spoken to him I have also seen him”. He was bilocating.

Mother Speranza, who founded the order of the Handmaids of the Merciful Love, said she had seen Padre Pio every day for one year in Rome. He had bilocated there. We know that padre Pio had never been to Rome, except once in 1917, in order to take his sister to a convent she had decided to enter..

An Italian General of the Army, called Cadorna, felt in such condition of depression after the defeat of Caporetto, that he was contemplating suicide. One evening he went to his room and he commanded his orderly not to allow anybody to come in. He took his gun from a drawer and pointed the gun at his head, but suddenly he heard a voice: “Oh General, why do you want to do such stupid thing?” The voice and the presence of the Friar helped the general change his mind. He wondered how it was possible that a Friar had entered his room.  He asked for explanations from his orderly but he answered he had seen nobody going into his room. Some years later, the General read in a newspaper of a Friar that worked miracles in the Gargano area. He secretly went there but he was astonished when father Pio said to him: “Hello General, you ran a great risk that evening, didn’t you?”

Father Agostino wrote: “A Nun, in Florence, told me after the communion Padre Pio had appeared to her to comfort her and to bless her. So I wanted to ask to Padre Pio.                I told him: "Do you do some trips to Florence from time to time? " "A nun has told this to me."  "Yes, I do, Father" He humbly said me.  It was clear Padre Pio had gone to Florence in bilocation

The last bilocation of Padre Pio occurred the afternoon before the day of his death. Padre Pio has gone to greet in Genova (Italy) the brother Umile who was wounded.  Around 16.30, in September 22nd , in 1968 Sister Ludovica goes to father Umile to bring him a cup of tea. The religious feels a strong perfume of flowers that floods the whole environment. Since she doesn't know the origin of the perfume she looks at the monk for an explanation.  Father Umile with naturalness and spontaneity says: "Padre Pio has come to greet me and he has given to me his last goodbye."  The following day the news of the death of Padre Pio spreads around the World.

Padre Placido Bux of Saint Marco in Lamis said: "In 1957, I was brought to the Hospital of San Severo for a serious hepatic problem. During the night I could see Padre Pio near my bed. He spoke to me and he reassured me about my healing. Then Padre Pio desappeared throught the window by putting his hand on the glass of the window. The morning after Padre Placido felt better and he woke up and he went to the window. He recognized the print of Padre Pio's hand on the glass so he realized it was not a dream. This news was spread within the Hospital in few time and also in the town. A lot of people went into the room in order to check the window by themselves and despite the glass had been cleaned with water a lot of time, the print was still there. The priest of the Church of San Severo, Padre Alberto, decided to go first to the Hospital in order to pay a visit to Padre Placito and then to Saint Giovanni Rotondo to meet with Padre Pio. As soon as Padre Alberto was in the corridor of the Convent he saw Padre Pio in front of him and before Padre Alberto could say anything Padre Pio asked for news about Padre Placido's health condition. Then Padre Alberto said: "Father, everyone believes you have been in hospital last night to pay a visit to Padre Placido and you have left the print of your hand on the glass of the window..." Padre Pio said: "Do you have any doubt?"

Where does the Church of England really stand on gay marriage?

Where does the Church of England really stand on gay marriage?

I contain multitudes, you know

Where does the Church of England really stand on gay marriage? That’s a tricky one, but let me try to simplify things by presenting two snapshots of Anglican opinion.
The conservative point of view is that allowing gay weddings would “alter the intrinsic nature of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, as enshrined in human institutions throughout history”. The Coalition must drop its “deeply unwise” plans.
And, in contrast, a more open-minded approach: “The Church is scratching its head and trying to work out where it is on all that, and what to think about it.”
The first statement comes from Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Church’s submission to the Government this month.
And the second comes from Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking to Christian teenagers this week.
Hmm. The Catholic saint Padre Pio was said to have the gift of bilocation, of being in two places at once. Padre Rowan, in contrast, has the gift of biposition, of holding two contradictory opinions at once.
This gift descends on the Archbishop at moments of crisis. Another example: whether, when the C of E ordains women bishops, they should have the same jurisdiction as male ones. “Yes but no,” quoth the Primate of All England. Like his fellow poet Walt Whitman, he reserves the right to contradict himself: “I am large, I contain multitudes.”
Note, however, that this applies only when Dr Williams is confronted by an issue relating to the Church – i.e., one on which he is expected to show leadership. On questions that are none of his business, he knows exactly where he stands.
Thus the Prime Minister was wrong to refuse to sign up to the European Union’s fiscal compact. Britain was “without credibility as a negotiating partner, as it opposed measures which were intended to achieve broad policy goals which are fully in line with UK national interest”.
As he approaches retirement, Dr Williams has been goading this mildest of Tory-led governments with increasing ferocity. Why?
I have a theory. The young Rowan laid some of the foundations of an Anglican theology of same-sex marriage. He is still privately favourable to the idea. The gay lobby knows this. That’s why it will never forgive him for snatching a mitre from his celibate homosexual friend, Dr Jeffrey John, in the interests of a quiet life.
Given Dr Williams’s socialist views, the accusations of hypocrisy from the Left hurt. But nothing stings as much as being outflanked on gay marriage by a Tory Prime Minister who says he supports the innovation because he’s a Conservative.
That’s the sort of rhetorical sleight of hand that Padre Rowan has employed for decades. I bet he would love to say he supports gay marriage because he’s a Christian. But he can’t: the C of E would descend into civil war.
Should we feel sorry for Dr Williams? No. He wanted this job. He thought he had the necessary political skills. On discovering that he hadn’t, he chose to alternate between High Table waffle and theatrical agonising that, at its worst, resembles nothing so much as a parody of Gethsemane.
He is retiring early, but not early enough. I have no idea who will succeed him, or how the controversies over gay weddings and women bishops will be resolved. But I suspect it will be a very long time before the Church of England allows another hand-wringing intellectual to take the helm.

Pope Benedict XVI's homily for the Feast Day of St Pter and Saint Paul

 

FULL TEXT OF THE HOMILY:

Your Eminences,

Brother Bishops and Priests,

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are gathered around the altar for our solemn celebration of Saints Peter and Paul, the principal Patrons of the Church of Rome. Present with us today are the Metropolitan Archbishops appointed during the past year, who have just received the Pallium, and to them I extend a particular and affectionate greeting. Also present is an eminent Delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, sent by His Holiness Bartholomaios I, and I welcome them with fraternal and heartfelt gratitude. In an ecumenical spirit, I am also pleased to greet and to thank the Choir of Westminster Abbey, who are providing the music for this liturgy alongside the Cappella Sistina. I also greet the Ambassadors and civil Authorities present. I am grateful to all of you for your presence and your prayers.

In front of Saint Peter’s Basilica, as is well known, there are two imposing statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, easily recognizable by their respective attributes: the keys in the hand of Peter and the sword held by Paul. Likewise, at the main entrance to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, there are depictions of scenes from the life and the martyrdom of these two pillars of the Church. Christian tradition has always considered Saint Peter and Saint Paul to be inseparable: indeed, together, they represent the whole Gospel of Christ. In Rome, their bond as brothers in the faith came to acquire a particular significance. Indeed, the Christian community of this City considered them a kind of counterbalance to the mythical Romulus and Remus, the two brothers held to be the founders of Rome. A further parallel comes to mind, still on the theme of brothers: whereas the first biblical pair of brothers demonstrate the effects of sin, as Cain kills Abel, yet Peter and Paul, much as they differ from one another in human terms and notwithstanding the conflicts that arose in their relationship, illustrate a new way of being brothers, lived according to the Gospel, an authentic way made possible by the grace of Christ’s Gospel working within them. Only by following Jesus does one arrive at this new brotherhood: this is the first and fundamental message that today’s solemnity presents to each one of us, the importance of which is mirrored in the pursuit of full communion, so earnestly desired by the ecumenical Patriarch and the Bishop of Rome, as indeed by all Christians.

In the passage from Saint Matthew’s Gospel that we have just heard, Peter makes his own confession of faith in Jesus, acknowledging him as Messiah and Son of God. He does so in the name of the other Apostles too. In reply, the Lord reveals to him the mission that he intends to assign to him, that of being the "rock", the visible foundation on which the entire spiritual edifice of the Church is built (cf. Mt 16:16-19). But in what sense is Peter the rock? How is he to exercise this prerogative, which naturally he did not receive for his own sake? The account given by the evangelist Matthew tells us first of all that the acknowledgment of Jesus’ identity made by Simon in the name of the Twelve did not come "through flesh and blood", that is, through his human capacities, but through a particular revelation from God the Father. By contrast, immediately afterwards, as Jesus foretells his passion, death and resurrection, Simon Peter reacts on the basis of "flesh and blood": he "began to rebuke him, saying, this shall never happen to you" (16:22). And Jesus in turn replied: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me ..." (16:23). The disciple who, through God’s gift, was able to become a solid rock, here shows himself for what he is in his human weakness: a stone along the path, a stone on which men can stumble – in Greek, skandalon. Here we see the tension that exists between the gift that comes from the Lord and human capacities; and in this scene between Jesus and Simon Peter we see anticipated in some sense the drama of the history of the papacy itself, characterized by the joint presence of these two elements: on the one hand, because of the light and the strength that come from on high, the papacy constitutes the foundation of the Church during its pilgrimage through history; on the other hand, across the centuries, human weakness is also evident, which can only be transformed through openness to God’s action.

And in today’s Gospel there emerges powerfully the clear promise made by Jesus: "the gates of the underworld", that is, the forces of evil, will not prevail, "non praevalebunt". One is reminded of the account of the call of the prophet Jeremiah, to whom the Lord said, when entrusting him with his mission: "Behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you!" (Jer 1:18-19). In truth, the promise that Jesus makes to Peter is even greater than those made to the prophets of old: they, indeed, were threatened only by human enemies, whereas Peter will have to be defended from the "gates of the underworld", from the destructive power of evil. Jeremiah receives a promise that affects him as a person and his prophetic ministry; Peter receives assurances concerning the future of the Church, the new community founded by Jesus Christ, which extends to all of history, far beyond the personal existence of Peter himself.

Let us move on now to the symbol of the keys, which we heard about in the Gospel. It echoes the oracle of the prophet Isaiah concerning the steward Eliakim, of whom it was said: "And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open" (Is 22:22). The key represents authority over the house of David. And in the Gospel there is another saying of Jesus addressed to the scribes and the Pharisees, whom the Lord reproaches for shutting off the kingdom of heaven from people (cf. Mt 23:13). This saying also helps us to understand the promise made to Peter: to him, inasmuch as he is the faithful steward of Christ’s message, it belongs to open the gate of the Kingdom of Heaven, and to judge whether to admit or to refuse (cf. Rev 3:7). Hence the two images – that of the keys and that of binding and loosing – express similar meanings which reinforce one another. The expression "binding and loosing" forms part of rabbinical language and refers on the one hand to doctrinal decisions, and on the other hand to disciplinary power, that is, the faculty to impose and to lift excommunication. The parallelism "on earth ... in the heavens" guarantees that Peter’s decisions in the exercise of this ecclesial function are valid in the eyes of God.

In Chapter 18 of Matthew’s Gospel, dedicated to the life of the ecclesial community, we find another saying of Jesus addressed to the disciples: "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Mt 18:18). Saint John, in his account of the appearance of the risen Christ in the midst of the Apostles on Easter evening, recounts these words of the Lord: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven: if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (Jn 20:22-23). In the light of these parallels, it appears clearly that the authority of loosing and binding consists in the power to remit sins. And this grace, which defuses the powers of chaos and evil, is at the heart of the Church’s ministry. The Church is not a community of the perfect, but a community of sinners, obliged to recognize their need for God’s love, their need to be purified through the Cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ sayings concerning the authority of Peter and the Apostles make it clear that God’s power is love, the love that shines forth from Calvary. Hence we can also understand why, in the Gospel account, Peter’s confession of faith is immediately followed by the first prediction of the Passion: through his death, Jesus conquered the powers of the underworld, with his blood he poured out over the world an immense flood of mercy, which cleanses the whole of humanity in its healing waters.

Dear brothers and sisters, as I mentioned at the beginning, the iconographic tradition represents Saint Paul with a sword, and we know that this was the instrument with which he was killed. Yet as we read the writings of the Apostle of the Gentiles, we discover that the image of the sword refers to his entire mission of evangelization. For example, when he felt death approaching, he wrote to Timothy: "I have fought the good fight" (2 Tim 4:7). This was certainly not the battle of a military commander but that of a herald of the Word of God, faithful to Christ and to his Church, to which he gave himself completely. And that is why the Lord gave him the crown of glory and placed him, together with Peter, as a pillar in the spiritual edifice of the Church.

Dear Metropolitan Archbishops, the Pallium that I have conferred on you will always remind you that you have been constituted in and for the great mystery of communion that is the Church, the spiritual edifice built upon Christ as the cornerstone, while in its earthly and historical dimension, it is built on the rock of Peter. Inspired by this conviction, we know that together we are all cooperators of the truth, which as we know is one and "symphonic", and requires from each of us and from our communities a constant commitment to conversion to the one Lord in the grace of the one Spirit. May the Holy Mother of God guide and accompany us always along the path of faith and charity. Queen of Apostles, pray for us! Amen.

One day this woman will be a saint

Two weeks ago a young Italian mother gave up her life for her unborn child in a stunning act of saintliness, says Paul Williams

By Paul Williams on Friday, 29 June 2012

 

 

Chiara Petrillo was a 28-year-old Italian mother who apparently refused life-saving cancer treatment that would have damaged or destroyed her baby. Her baby, Francesco, was born perfectly well. Chiara died.

Chiara’s funeral took place a few days ago in Rome. But Francesco was not her first baby. Her first, Maria, was found in the womb to be terribly disabled. Chiara and her husband Enrico refused repeated advice to abort Maria. The baby lived for 30 minutes, and was baptised, loved and mourned. Chiara and Enrico’s next baby, David, was found in the womb to have no legs. Further complications followed and once more he died soon after birth, cherished, loved and celebrated to the end. Then Chiara became pregnant with Francesco. Chiara was found in the fifth month to have cancer, but she would not accept any treatment that would harm her baby. Sometimes love is like that.
But in terms of Catholic moral theory Chiara was not obliged to refuse life-saving treatment.
If treatment is given with the intention of saving the life of a mother, where the completely unintended result may nevertheless be to kill her unborn baby, it is morally acceptable. This is utterly different from killing the baby in order to save the mother. In the latter case one actually intends to kill the baby in order that the mother should live. Catholic moral theory, based on Natural Law, holds that it is never, absolutely never, morally acceptable to kill an innocent person in order to help another. This is no matter who that other may be. That is non-negotiable. So if Chiara had undergone life-saving treatment and Francesco had unintentionally died in the womb, Chiara would not have been morally culpable. Of course, she would never have actually intended to kill her baby, even to save her own life. She would not have preferred that her baby die rather than she did herself, and accepted it as right under the circumstances, “the lesser of two evils”. But Chiara could have received treatment without at all intending to harm her baby. She could have done this without blame even if she knew that there was a good chance her baby would – barring a miracle – be killed as a result of the intervention.
So much for Catholic moral theory. And it seems to me in all of this it is correct and perfectly defensible. Yet it has to be admitted that other non-Catholic philosophers have found something distinctly iffy about this reasoning. And if it is felt to be iffy then perhaps the iffy-ness lies not in its logic but in its psychology. If a mother knows she is pregnant, and if she is so full of love that she loves her unborn baby to the maximum, then psychologically even though in receiving life-saving treatment she might not intend the baby’s death still, knowing that the baby may be harmed or may die as a result of that treatment, her love may not let her do it.
I stress that my point here is psychological, not philosophical. A mother may find she has so much love for her baby that although she would not be morally culpable if she underwent life-saving treatment which entailed the unintended death of her baby, nevertheless she would rather die herself than do so. That, we might say, is heroic love. It is love that goes the extra mile, love that most of us may not be up to. But some clearly are. And that makes Chiara heroic, showing forth the heroic virtue and example that we hope to find in saints.
Still, can we – I mean we in “the modern world” – really approve of what Chiara did? We might admire her. But perhaps deep down we think she was a bit unwise, maybe even foolish. Certainly it makes absolutely no sense from most secular points of view to approve of her actions. How can she kill herself to save the life of a foetus. The foetus is, after all, replaceable. Through her own survival she could have had many more babies. Francesco was not (yet) a lovable person. One cannot – or should not – love a foetus with a love that will willingly accept one’s own death in exchange for its survival. And, of course, death is the end, the final “beyond which nothing”. So it seems likely from a secular perspective that bringing about one’s own death for a replaceable “it” cannot ever be morally justified.
It seems to me that for a certain sort of Christian, too, Chiara probably made the wrong decision. She could have lived. She could have had more babies. She was clearly capable of having a healthy baby. She was also clearly a very lovely, loving and virtuous young lady. She could have remained, as the mother to her child and wife to her husband, and she could have done so many good works. For it is doing good that is the important thing for us, not dying.
No, it is only for a particular type of Christian that Chiara’s story is one of supremely inspiring triumph. That Christian is the one who has a non-negotiable trust in God and who has complete moral certainty, a Christian who knows what they need to do and who submits themselves to it. Such a Christian sees nothing intrinsically frightening in death. And it is the Christian who really accepts holiness as our calling, who needs and welcomes the heroic example that saints give us, and who recognises the actions of God in bringing forth saints for His Church, who will celebrate the story of Chiara, Enrico, Maria, David and Francesco.
We are almost overwhelmed in this story not by death but by life. When we watch Chiara talking about her decisions on YouTube what we see is bubbling joy. Of course, she would rather none of this had happened to her and her family. But in following the heroic way, the way of the saint, we can see in Chiara’s face and her smile (she was a Franciscan, incidentally) the presence of the Holy Spirit. We see the Spirit that with all the pain of our human situation also gives life, and gives joy, and brings abundant life and joy out of suffering.
Shortly before her death Chiara is reported to have said: “Perhaps deep down I don’t want healing; a happy husband and a peaceful child without his mother are a greater witness than a woman who has overcome an illness. A testimony that could save so many persons …” And she was buried in her wedding gown, on her way to her Divine Spouse but also, she said, on her way to her two lovely and so much loved earlier babies.
At a time when the Church is constantly under scrutiny and attack by its enemies and all too often by its friends as well, urging that the Church’s very survival depends on following some latest fad or fashion, Chiara Petrillo shows too that (in Tertullian’s famous saying) the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Christians. For she is a saint and a martyr, a witness. The survival of the Church lies not in fashionable accommodation. It lies in God.
Chiara Petrillo shows wonderfully well the way God brings forth for us the saints and martyrs that we need in our day. When young girls, often very young girls, use abortion as “emergency contraception” and when young women have been known to get pregnant and then abort the baby just to “check that everything is working properly”, Chiara Petrillo, who would literally die rather than hurt her baby-foetus, is a saint for our times.
Carissima Chiara, prega per noi.


Paul Williams is Emeritus Professor of Indian and Tibetan Philosophy at the University of Bristol and a lay member of the Dominican Order

Prayer for those contemplating suicide

Prayer for those contemplating suicide

---

Prayer to St. Raphael to Intercede for
Those Contemplating Suicide

Holy Archangel Raphael, appointed by God to guide, protect and heal, I entrust to you all people who at this moment are contemplating suicide. You guided young Tobias on his journey and protected him from the spirit of death which sought to destroy his life. I ask you to protect all people from the road that leads to physical and spiritual death, especially those in most danger of despair and suicide. Just as you led Tobias by the hand, lead them away from the sadness of addiction to peace and joy. O holy Raphael, whose name means, "God has healed", bring them the Lord's healing. Lord God, hear the prayer I make together with your faithful servant Raphael. Amen.

St. Raphael, pray for us!
St. Amabilis, pray for us!
St. Benedict Labre, pray for us!
St. Jude, pray for us!
St. Rita, pray for us!
St. Margaret of Cortona, pray for us!
St. Christina the Astonishing, pray for us!
St. Dymphna, pray for us!
St. Philomena, pray for us!
St. Giles, pray for us!
St. Joseph, pray for us!
All you holy saints and angels of God, pray for us!
Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Amen.

Running Scared ... Roy Orbison

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH-AafkQPEo

"Running Scared"
Single by Roy Orbison
B-side	"Love Hurts"
Released	March 1961
Format	45 RPM
Length	2:10
Label	Monument 438
Writer(s)	"Running Scared": Roy Orbison, Joe Melson "Love Hurts": Boudleaux Bryant
Producer	Fred Foster
Roy Orbison singles chronology
"I'm Hurtin'" (1960) "Running Scared" (1961) "Crying" (1961)

"Running Scared" is a 1961 American pop song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and sung by Orbison. An operatic rock ballad, the song was released as a 45rpm single by Monument Records in March 1961 and went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Running Scared" also reached #9 in the UK chart. The song was recorded as part of Roy's 1961 album "Cryin'" as the final track on the album.
Noted for being a song written without a chorus, the verse builds to a climax that, without vibrato, demonstrates the power of Orbison's clear, full voice. It is written in the bolero style; Orbison is credited with bringing this to the rock genre.
While "Running Scared" was an international hit, the B-side "Love Hurts" also picked up significant airplay in Australia. Consequently, chart figures for Australia show "Running Scared"/"Love Hurts" as a double A-side, both sides peaking at number five. This makes Orbison's recording of "Love Hurts" the first version to be a hit. "Love Hurts" later became better known in a version by rock band Nazareth, who had an international hit with it in 1975.

• Jack Scott, a Canadian born rockabilly singer from the same era, also had a minor 1962 hit with "Running Scared."
• The song was covered by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on the album Kicking Against the Pricks and by Brokeback on the album Morse Code in the Modern Age: Across the Americas.
• John Peel, the famous British BBC Radio DJ who died in 2004, listed "Running Scared" by Roy Orbison as one of the songs to be played at his memorial service.

Today, 29th June: Feast Day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul

Today, 29th June: Feast Day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
 
Veneration of the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul, has its roots in the very foundations of the Church. They are the solid rock on which the Church is built. They are at the origin of her faith and will forever remain her protectors and her guides. To them Rome owes her true greatness, for it was under God's providential guidance that they were led to make the capital of the Empire, sanctified by their martyrdom, the center of the Christian world whence should radiate the preaching of the Gospel.
 
St. Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero, in A.D. 66 or 67. He was buried on the hill of the Vatican where recent excavations have revealed his tomb on the very site of the basilica of St. Peter's. St. Paul was beheaded in the via Ostia on the spot where now stands the basilica bearing his name. Down the centuries Christian people in their thousands have gone on pilgrimage to the tombs of these Apostles. In the second and third centuries the Roman Church already stood pre-eminent by reason of her apostolicity, the infallible truth of her teaching and her two great figures, Sts. Peter and Paul.
A plenary indulgence may be gained today by anyone who makes devout use of a religious article blessed by a bishop and who also recites any approved profession of faith (e.g. the Apostles Creed), as long as the usual conditions are satisfied.

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St. Peter



Peter's original name was Simon. Christ Himself gave him the name Cephas or Peter when they first met and later confirmed it. This name change was meant to show both Peter's rank as leader of the apostles and the outstanding trait of his character — Peter (in Hebrew Kephas) the Rock. Peter was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. Like his younger brother Andrew, he was a fisherman and dwelt at Capernaum. Peter's house often became the scene of miracles, since the Master would stay there whenever He was teaching in that locality. Together with his brothers John and Andrew, Peter belonged to the first of Jesus' disciples (John 1:40-50).
After the miraculous draught of fish on the Sea of Galilee, Peter received his definitive call and left wife, family, and occupation to take his place as leader of the Twelve. Thereafter we find him continually at Jesus' side, whether it be as spokesman of the apostolic college (John 6:68; Matt. 16:16), or as one specially favored (e.g., at the restoration to life of Jairus' daughter, at the transfiguration, during the agony in the garden). His sanguine temperament often led him into hasty, unpremeditated words and actions; his denial of Jesus during the passion was a salutary lesson. It accentuated a weakness in his character and made him humble.
After the ascension, Peter always took the leading role, exercising the office of chief shepherd that Christ had entrusted to him. He delivered the first sermon on Pentecost and received the first Gentiles into the Church (Cornelius; Acts 10:1). Paul went to Jerusalem "to see Peter." After his miraculous deliverance from prison (Easter, 42 A.D.), Peter "went to a different place," most probably to Rome. Details now become scanty; we hear of his presence at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1), and of his journey to Antioch (Gal. 2:11).
It is certain that Peter labored in Rome as an apostle, that he was the city's first bishop, and that he died there as a martyr, bound to a cross (67 A.D.). According to tradition he also was the first bishop of Antioch. He is the author of two letters, the first Christian encyclicals. His burial place is Christendom's most famous shrine, an edifice around whose dome are inscribed the words: Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam.
Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
 
Patron: Against frenzy; bakers; bridge builders; butchers; clock makers; cobblers; Exeter College Oxford; feet problems; fever; fishermen; harvesters; locksmiths; longevity; masons; net makers; papacy; Popes; ship builders; shipwrights; shoemakers; stone masons; Universal Church; watch makers; Poznan, Poland; Rome; Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi; Diocese of Las Vegas, Nevada; Diocese of Marquette, Michigan; Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island; Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
 
Symbols: Two keys saltire; pastoral staff and two large keys; inverted cross; inverted cross and two keys saltire; crowing cock; fish; two swords; patriarchal cross and two keys saltire; two keys and a scroll; sword.
Often portrayed as: Bald man, often with a fringe of hair on the sides and a tuft on top; book; keys; man crucified head downwards; man holding a key or keys; man robed as a pope and bearing keys and a double-barred cross.

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St. Paul


Paul, known as Saul (his Roman name) before his conversion, was born at Tarsus in the Roman province of Silicia about two or three years after the advent of the Redeemer. He was the son of Jewish parents who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, was reared according to the strict religious-nationalistic party of the Pharisees, and enjoyed the high distinction of Roman citizenship.
As a youth he went to Jerusalem to become immersed in the Law and had as a teacher the celebrated Gamaliel. He acquired skill as a tent-maker, a work he continued even as an apostle. At the time of Jesus' ministry he no longer was at Jerusalem; neither did he see the Lord during His earthly-life. Upon returning to the Holy City, Paul discovered a flourishing Christian community and at once became its bitter opponent. When Stephen impugned Law and temple, Paul was one of the first at his stoning; thereafter his fiery personality would lead the persecution. Breathing threats of slaughter against the disciples of Jesus, he was hurrying to Damascus when the grace of God effected his conversion (about the year 34 A.D.; see January 25, Conversion of St. Paul).
After receiving baptism and making some initial attempts at preaching, Paul withdrew into the Arabian desert (c. 34-37 A.D.), where he prepared himself for his future mission. During this retreat he was favored with special revelations, Christ appearing to him personally. Upon his return to Damascus he began to preach but was forced to leave when the Jews sought to kill him. Then he went to Jerusalem "to see Peter." Barnabas introduced him to the Christian community, but the hatred of the Jews again obliged him to take secret flight. The following years (38-42 A.D.) he spent at Tarsus until Barnabas brought him to the newly founded Christian community at Antioch, where both worked a year for the cause of Christ; in the year 44 he made another journey to Jerusalem with the money collected for that famine stricken community.
The first major missionary journey (45-48) began upon his return as he and Barnabas brought the Gospel to Cyprus and Asia Minor (Acts 13-14). The Council of Jerusalem occasioned Paul's reappearance in Jerusalem (50). Spurred on by the decisions of the Council, he began the second missionary journey (51-53), traveling through Asia Minor and then crossing over to Europe and founding churches at Philippi, Thessalonia (his favorite), Berea, Athens, Corinth. He remained almost two years at Corinth, establishing a very flourishing and important community. In 54 he returned to Jerusalem for the fourth time.
Paul's third missionary journey (54-58) took him to Ephesus, where he labored three years with good success; after visiting his European communities, he returned to Jerusalem for a fifth time (Pentecost, 58). There he was seized by the Jews and accused of condemning the Law. After being held as a prisoner for two years at Caesarea, he appealed to Caesar and was sent by sea to Rome (60 A.D.). Shipwrecked and delayed on the island of Malta, he arrived at Rome in the spring of 61 and passed the next two years in easy confinement before being released. The last years of the saint's life were devoted to missionary excursions, probably including Spain, and to revisiting his first foundations. In 66 he returned to Rome, was taken prisoner, and beheaded a year later. His fourteen letters are a precious legacy; they afford a deep insight into a great soul.
 
Patron: Against snakes; authors; Cursillo movement; evangelists; hailstorms; hospital public relations; journalists; lay people; missionary bishops; musicians; poisonous snakes; public relations personnel; public relations work; publishers; reporters; rope braiders; rope makers; saddlemakers; saddlers; snake bites; tent makers; writers; Malta; Rome; Poznan, Poland; newspaper editorial staff, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Diocese of Covington, Kentucky; Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama; Diocese of Las Vegas, Nevada; Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island; Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Symbols: Book and sword, three fountains; two swords; scourge; serpent and a fire; armour of God; twelve scrolls with names of his Epistles; Phoenix; palm tree; shield of faith; sword; book.
Often portrayed as: Thin-faced elderly man with a high forehead, receding hairline and long pointed beard; man holding a sword and a book; man with 3 springs of water nearby;

Reflections on Bob Dylan

Reflections on Bob Dylan

(AFP Photo/Eric Wishart)

by Eric Wishart

My journey with Dylan began in the late 1960s, when I first heard this unique, haunting voice on the radio singing an equally unique, haunting song, 'Mr. Tambourine Man.'

Living in Glasgow I was a keen golfer and, aged 15, won a junior competition at my golf club. I received a two pound gift voucher, and the idea was that you bought your own prize and then had it presented back to you at the annual club dinner.

Everybody else had purchased putters or golf balls or golf umbrellas at the professional's shop. But when it was my turn to receive my prize, there were a lot of disapproving looks when I received the one I had chosen.....Bob Dylan's 'Greatest Hits', not what you were expected to do at the club.

I became obsessed with Dylan - the voice, the writing, the visions of American and of relationships, the iconic album covers, his capacity to change, the mystique. Few artists have redefined themselves so many times. The transition from the biting social comment of 'Who killed Davey Moore,' a stinging indictment of boxing, to the surreal, dark poetry of 'Visions of Johanna' in barely four years.

“Who killed Davey Moore, why and what's the reason for?” had become “the ghost of electricity howls in the bones of her face,” and he was still only 24.

There was the disappearance after a mysterious motor cycle accident, and the low-key rebirth with 'John Wesley Harding', and then his first artistic decline with the unloved 'Self Portrait' and the return to form in the mid-70s with 'Blood on the Tracks'.

(AFP Photo/Marina Helli)

During these early years I discovered a world of unreleased recordings, which I would buy behind the counter as bootlegs at Virgin Records when it was still an alternative shop. And then I delved even further into the world of the undiscovered Dylan, via collectors who would send me reel-to-reel tapes of obscure recordings from parties at his friends’ houses, early radio appearances, his first peformances at the Gaslight Cafe in Greenwich Village, and the mysterious Basement Tapes, a journey into the old, weird America, as Greil Marcus called it.

In these days Dylan wasn't touring, and it was not until 1974, eight years after a disgruntled fan had shouted 'Judas' at him during a concert in England, that he finally returned to the road.

As the tour criss-crossed the United States, the only way of hearing the concerts was from the reel-to-reel tapes my friends sent me.

I bought tapes and an unpublished book from AJ Weberman, who notoriously used to go through Dylan's garbage at his house in MacDougal Street in New York to find clues about him. I built up a collection of books, kept all my old copies of 'Rolling Stone’, which has chronicled Dylan from the early days, and I still have a pile of yellowed clippings from the 'Melody Maker' and 'New Musical Express.'

I finally saw Dylan – four nights in a row – in 1978 at Earl's Court in London, and I’ve probably seen him 30 times since then.

Perhaps the best concert I attended was a run of three shows at the Grand Rex in Paris in 1990. Silhouetted by the spotlight, he sang 'Visions of Johanna', and for a few moments he recaptured the Bob Dylan of 1966, when he changed popular music forever.

(AFP Photo/Ollivia Harris)

Through Dylan I discovered Rimbaud, William Blake, Ezra Pound and TS Eliot, Woody Guthrie, the old lost field recordings in Harry Smith’s ‘Anthology of American Folk Music’, and some basic lessons in life, of not being afraid to change and of doing what you believe to be right regardless of what other people may be saying or doing.  

In the 1970s I wrote a music column for my newspaper in Scotland, and met many of those who knew him or had met him – Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen, his former manager Albert Grossman, Johnny Cash, Carlos Santana, Donovan, the musicians from Kokomo who had played on the 'Desire' sessions, the photographer Elliot Landy who shot the 'Nashville Skyline' cover, and one Sunday afternoon in Glasgow, Allen Ginsberg after he gave a poetry recital at Glasgow University. They had recorded Blake's 'Songs of Innocence and Experience' together and I asked Ginsberg if they were going to release the recordings.

“Bob said no,” Ginsberg told me. “Keep them for your friends, make them happy.”

They seemed to genuinely like him, said he was funny, could stand up in front of 20,000 people quite happily but couldn’t handle being thrown into a room full of people all eager to have their Bob Dylan moment.

The closest I came to him was in 2000 when I was invited to the presentation of the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm, and he walked past within a few feet. I didn't snap a photo or shout out “thanks for everything Bob.” 

Best to let my Bob Dylan moment just come and go.

I suppose my appreciation of him has evolved over the years. Back then it was the voice and the poetry and the music and yes, the mystique. In the early 1970s, few people really talked about Bob Dylan, my friends were more interested in Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

In the old days a Dylan concert was a rare commodity, but he has been touring almost non-stop for more than two decades, and has attracted an army of followers who trek from concert to concert, rushing to the front of the stage as the lights go out and blocking the view for everybody behind. If you read the reviews of the concerts they post on fan sites, you would get the feeling that they think they have almost developed a relationship with the man on the stage. A book industry has sprung up around Dylan too, with corny titles that draw from his works - 'Wicked messenger', 'Revolution in the air', 'A Simple Twist of Fate', 'Like a Complete Unknown' – reverential volumes about the least reverential of artists.

(AFP Photo/Frederic Brown)

My appreciation of Dylan has matured too over the years. Now I just wonder at where his innate perception of the human condition comes from.

His songs often articulate your own feelings in an uncanny way, a gift that few other writers possess.

In one of his later songs, 'Trying To Get to Heaven,' he sings: “When you think you've lost everything, you find out you can always lose a little more,” which always makes me think about getting older, and the tragedies that can befall you when you least expect them.

I took it for granted back then, but how did a 21 year old write “you just kinda wasted my precious time, but don't think twice it's alright.”

One day, just before I was packing up my belongings in France for a move to Hong Kong, I took all of my Dylan collection out and arranged it on a tall bookcase.

It formed a pyramid – along the bottom the vinyl LPS, above them the reel-to-reel tapes, then the VHS concert tapes and the cassette tapes, then the CDs and DVDs, and then, on top of them all, an iPod.

I stood back, and looked, and thought: that's my life. 

Or as Dylan once said, “My life in a stolen moment.”

Icons, Icon Painters, and Praying With Sacred Icons:

Icons, Icon Painters, and Praying With Sacred Icons:

by Deacon Paul O. Iacono

A few issues have come up in discussing some basic terms with people. I would like to be clear on how I have come to understand these words because it may affect how we view our “ministry” to be painters of sacred icons and or sacred images.
From my understanding, the word icon in English, Greek, and Latin, is the word for image. In our usage as sacred artists, it refers to a sacred image of Our Lord, Our Blessed Mother, angels, or specific saints. The purpose of a  sacred icon is that, as a piece of sacred art, it  focuses an individual in prayer.  A sacred icon is a specific type of sacred art. It is created following certain traditions – tradition with a small “t” and a large “T.”
Many sacred icons are presented with a simplicity of style, the use of color, the types of colors used, the use of symbols, etc. A sacred icon is different from a sacred image, in that the sole purpose of the sacred icon is that it is to be used as a focal point for personal or communal prayer.
A sacred image, however, may have been commissioned by a patron for personal prayer, but it may also have been commissioned for the pure enjoyment of its beauty. In the case of Renaissance sacred art, the Roman Catholic Church became the patron of many pieces of sacred art in order to affect the communal prayer of the faithful who came to the small churches and the great basilicas for Holy Mass.
With a sacred image (such as a religious image painted by Michelangelo or Leonardo) you have the artist’s personal imagination heavily influencing and entering into the creation of the beauty of the image, possibly even manipulating and combining Scriptural passages for the purpose of the story the artist would like to tell. Yet, even though I have just made that statement, the truth of the matter is that it is not always so clear cut. We do have icons, such as the famous Nativity icon of the birth of Christ, in which you have numerous Scriptural passages – conveying different events – being used to convey a catechetical sequence surrounding the birth of Our Lord – and all of this is done on the same icon panel!
In a sacred icon, the imagination of the artist is present, yet, it is supposed to be subordinate to his/her faith’s perception of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition (how the early Church viewed their beliefs and expressed them within their specific cultural tradition). So, if a sacred artist is painting a sacred icon, he or she is aware of the theological, aesthetic, and semantic rules that have been developed and followed through the centuries. These rules – “the Canon of Iconography” – are affected by cultural area and religious Sacred Tradition.
For example, a Coptic sacred icon (see image below), by a painter of the Egyptian Coptic Church will express the image of Christ and a saint (in the icon below an abbot of the Coptic Christian Church) somewhat differently than a Greek or Russian Orthodox painter; and yet, there is nothing wrong with this, as long as the painter is not fomenting apostasy or heresy.





All of that being said, sacred images, for example, by Renaissance painters, can certainly be used to focus an individual in their personal prayer, as do the beautiful stained glass windows of the great Gothic cathedrals. Care must be taken, however, in selecting appropriate images for use in personal prayer. It is my perception that the type of image a soul uses in personal prayer – sacred icons (from the Eastern Rite) or sacred images (from the Western Rite) – is a matter of personal preference and certainly does not  indicate that one type is better or “more truthful” than another. Eastern and Western sacred artists are both working off of their own perceptions and spirituality; there are disagreements with this, but we must always remain charitable with each other.
Within the last twenty years there have been many Western sacred artists that have rediscovered the beauty of painting sacred icons, and are trying to be sensitive to the Eastern Rites’ traditions,  as they bring it back into the consciousness of the Roman Catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox Churches, thankfully, never lost appreciation for their tradition.
I will post Parts Two and Three on this same theme in the upcoming days. Be sure to look for them on-line or in the archives. Thanks.
Copyright © 2012 Deacon Paul O. Iacono All Rights Reserved
The image of Christ and the Abbot – a panel depicting a monk with Christ. It was excavated in the early 20th century from a monastery in Egypt and is located in the Bawit room at the Louvre. Thanks to: Photo by Clio 20, CC attribution share-alike 3.0. I believe the icon dates to about the 7th century.

Five ways to lose the argument with atheists

Richard Dawkins  ...  atheist par excellence

Next time you find yourself sucked into a debate with secularists be careful not to make these five classic mistakes, says Peter D Williams

 

 

Don’t stop to think what Pope Benedict might say if he were in your position (Photo: PA)

It is not an uncommon situation. You are reading an interesting article online about some matter of recent religious controversy, but upon reaching the end of the piece you meet the comments area, and try to resist the temptation to scroll further down the page. How many times have you perused such sections before finding yourself infuriated by the base anti-Catholic bigotry you find there?
Still worse, how often have you found your time irretrievably wasted, as you are sucked into futile disputation with secularist trolls who, in the famous words of Churchill, “can’t change their minds, and won’t change the subject”? Like glancing at a car-crash, however, the curiosity can be too great to resist, and you begin to read on…
This experience is hardly atypical for the average Catholic reading online, but it has even become unsurprising to experience similar situations when having a drink in the pub, or while at an otherwise genteel dinner party. Where we are called to defend and expound our Faith in these situations however, we must do so in a constructive way that raises the standard and tone of discussion.
It is regrettable, then, that experience shows us how often Catholics fail to do this effectively. As an illustrative remedy for some of the more common mistakes in this endeavour, here are five brief tips on how not to argue with atheists.
1) Cynically assume the worst in people. Before speaking, or touching that keyboard, imagine your opponent to be an irredeemable ogre, whatever they may have said. Don’t charitably assume they are simply misinformed, or look for the good motivations they may have in arguing as they do. At a false accusation of “homophobia”, don’t try to understand the positive impetus behind this error (genuine concern about abuse and hatred), and refrain from showing how the Church teaches compassion and care for those who experience same-sex attraction – you may help to defuse anger rather than fuel it!
2) Argue as a means of venting emotion. When someone says or writes something shocking or offensive to Catholic piety, our natural reaction is to get angry. Indulge that. Try to forget any Christian goal of defending or expounding the Faith. That will only get in the way of fun. Instead, be determined to show how stupid your opponent is, and punish their ignorance and prejudice with counter-abuse. To be scrupulously gentle and reverent at all times is just far too hard. Of course it could be that, even if someone does not remember your arguments, they may remember what a model of virtue and decency you were in arguing, which might be a good witness that may help them later on – but such considerations should not get in the way of a good bout of rock throwing.
3) Don’t call out bad behaviour, mirror it! If someone is unnecessarily rude or vulgar, feel justified in returning like with like. That “turn the other cheek” stuff is far too high a standard. Simply pointing out your interlocutor’s unkindness (and how it hinders discussion) would be too laborious. And sticking to the substantive arguments that have been produced? What are you,
a robot? Think of our Lord’s response to the liars who accused Him, and the guard who hit Him, in front of the Sanhedrin. What was His answer to calumny and abuse? Well, we all know how that worked out.
It might be that following His example would accentuate the irrational meanness of the person you are engaging with (to themselves and anyone around watching your discourse) and even shame them into changing their behaviour. Don’t worry about all that, though.
4) Adopt the martyr complex. Few things are as convincing as arguing with someone who thinks your ideas will lead inexorably to a new totalitarian regime, or who believe themselves to be “persecuted”. Does this come across as hysterical, and make that person look silly? Of course not. So don’t forget to break out the comparisons with Hitler or Stalin, and be sure to moan about how hard done by Christians are (especially with comparison to Muslims). This is bound to win you lots of sympathy, and isn’t at all clichéd. Not even a bit. No.
5) For heaven’s sake, don’t Pray. Surely an obvious point. Praying before you interact with people, and asking God to give you the words He would have you say, and the sharp but loving mindset He would have you adopt, is just a massive spoiler. So, indeed, is praying for your opponent, that their minds and hearts might be opened, and that your conversation with them might be helpful. Prayer is lethal to good squabbling – so cut it out!
In reality, tailoring our words and our tone to the highest common denominator of human sentiment may not convince the people with whom we are immediately interacting, but may at least begin to win the hearts and minds of any bystanders who are watching. Focusing on how we can best practise the spiritual works of mercy (especially instructing the uninformed, counselling the doubtful, and bearing wrongs patiently) in our arguments with atheists will help us minister to our opponents in the most effective way. In doing so, and in witnessing to the truth of our Faith, humbly, gently and respectfully, we may truly witness to the virtue, as well as the rationality, of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Peter D Williams is a Catholic apologist and speaker for Catholic Voices

A pilgrim's day at Lourdes

A pilgrim's day at Lourdes

 

Every day, thousands of Marian devotees from all over the world gather at Lourdes in France, where a 14-year-old girl named Bernadette had a series of visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858. 

 

Growing up in a Catholic school, I was familiar with Bernadette's story, and last April, I had the chance to visit Lourdes on a Marian pilgrimage with 15 other Filipinos.

 

At the grotto of Massabielle, we lined up to touch the cold walls and taste a drop of water from a spring believed to be miraculous. Flowers, letters, jewelry and other ex-voto (offerings) items are left by grateful pilgrims who believe their faith has healed them. Pilgrims say the rosary daily at the Grotto, which is transmitted on radio, TV and the Internet. 

 

Pilgrims gather at the grotto of Massabielle.

Next to the Grotto, water from the spring flows from several taps, where pilgrims fill their containers to drink and bring back home. "Wash your face, drink this water, and pray God to purify your heart," reads an inscription above the taps.

 

Pilgrims line up to fill their containers with spring water from the grotto.

Although not required, many pilgrims also go to the Baths in the building past the Grotto. Constructed in 1955, there are 17 baths where men, women and children are immersed in 12-degree-Celsius water. Some of us fell in line for the baths, while others decided to explore the area. We had a whole day to go around Lourdes, and apart from several churches to visit, there was plenty to see and do.

 

A statue of Saint Bernadette at the Lourdes Sanctuary.

"Go, tell the priests to come here in procession and to build a chapel here," the Lady told Bernadette in one of the apparitions. We visited the Crypt, which was the first chapel to be built in response to the Lady's request. Construction began in 1862, and the Crypt was opened in 1866. 

 

On the rock above the grotto, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was built between 1866 and 1872. Below is the Rosary Basilica with two large mosaic panels above the main doors. Fronting the Basilica is the 130-meter Rosary Square, where pilgrims of all nations gather every night and say the rosary in their native languages. At one point, we were allowed to lead the prayers in Filipino. 

 

Every night, pilgrims of all nations say the rosary in different languages.

Apart from the chapels, pilgrims can visit the Museum of the Miraculously Cured, where there are display panels and showcases on miracles relating to Lourdes. There is also the Museum of Precious Objects, where vestments, relics and 19th and 20th century liturgical art are kept.

 

Way of the Cross

 

One unusual experience at Lourdes is walking the Way of the Cross on the Espelugues Hill. Cast iron representations of the 15 stations stand along a steep 1,500-meter pathway. As we made our way up the hill, we saw squirrels hopping from branch to branch. The path ends behind the Upper Basilica, in a zigzag path that leads down to the Baths.

 

Cast iron representations of the 15 stations stand along a steep 1,500-meter pathway.

There is also a Way of the Cross in the Underground Basilica of St. Pius X. Consecrated in 1958, the basilica was designed by architect Pierre Vago in the form of an upturned ship. Fifty-two "Gemmail" stained glass images decorate the basilica, representing the 15 Stations of the Cross, the story of the Apparitions of Our Lady to St. Bernadette, and the 15 Mysteries of the Rosary. It was a bright, sunny afternoon, but in the basilica everything was cold and dark.
 

The Underground Basilica was designed by architect Pierre Vago in the form of an upturned ship.

In the meadow across the river is the Church of St. Bernadette, the Adoration Chapel, and the Way of the Cross Low Stations, which was constructed in consideration of disabled pilgrims. 

 

Around Lourdes, all the streets are clearly marked with wheelchair lanes, as many of the pilgrims who come to Lourdes are sick and disabled. 

 

Every day, the Blessed Sacrament Procession is conducted in the six usual languages of the Sanctuary. The sick and disabled pilgrims are at the front, in blue covered wheelchairs pushed by volunteer scouts and guides.

 

Lourdes is always full of people, and at certain times of the year, the scene resembles a fiesta. Groups of pilgrims wear costumes, while some have cheers which they shout at the top of their lungs. Adding to the merry atmosphere, the area is surrounded by shops selling religious items, like rosaries, storybooks about St. Bernadette, and candles.

 

The bestsellers were containers of all sizes. From tiny vials to jugs that could hold gallons, almost every Lourdes pilgrim will end up buying something to keep the spring water in. For years, the water has been believed to heal the sick. But it is important to keep in mind, said pilgrim chaplain Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, that apparitions are a reminder for the faithful, and it is the message, not the miracle, that matters most