Today is the Feast of St. James
From Universalis: Today:
"He was the brother of St John and, like him, a fisherman. He was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration and one of those who slept through most of the Agony in the Garden. He was the first of the apostles to be martyred, being beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I to please the Jewish opponents of Christianity. He was buried in Jerusalem, and nothing more is known about him until the ninth century.
At this time we learn of a tradition that the relics of St James were brought to Spain some time after his martyrdom, (perhaps early, perhaps as late as 830), and his shrine at Compostela in Galicia grew in importance until it became the greatest pilgrimage centre in western Europe. In every country there are churches of St James and known, well-trodden pilgrim routes. In Paris, the Tour St Jacques marks the start of the route and the Rue St Jacques points straight towards Compostela. In England, pilgrim routes lead from all parts of the country to the major ports that were used on the pilgrimage. This network of routes is a vital witness to the fact that the Middle Ages were not the static stay-at-home time that we often think them to be: everyone must have known someone, or known someone who knew someone, who had made the pilgrimage. The scallop-shell, the emblem of St James, has become the emblem of pilgrims generally.
In 1987 the pilgrimage routes to Compostela have been designated by the Council of Europe as historical cultural routes of international importance; and the Confraternity of St James is working to restore and upgrade the refuges on a route which is still in active pilgrim use today."
Friday, July 25, 2003
A Journalist Reports What He Saw
in viewing the bodies of Saddam's sons. From washingtonpost.com: Reuters Sees Touched Up Bodies of Saddam Sons:
"Uday still wore his beard. A hole in the top of his skull was left untouched. U.S. officials said they had no evidence to support suggestions that he had shot himself to avoid capture.
A faint smell of disinfectant hung in the air.
Journalists were shown a metal orthopedic plate that officials said they had removed from Uday's left leg and were told that its serial number matched that of a disc that was inserted in his limb after a failed 1996 assassination attempt.
U.S. officials have declined to reveal how they have had access to the former ruling family's medical records.
They said both men had died from multiple gunshot wounds and blast injuries in the northern city of Mosul. Two other people also died. Those bodies were not shown. U.S. officials say one of them was probably Qusay's teenage son, Mustapha.
DNA tests were also being carried out but because previous samples of Uday and Qusay's DNA were not available, U.S. officials said this test would not conclusively identify the bodies. Washington says it has Saddam's DNA.
The officials said the bodies would be refrigerated to slow decomposition but their fate thereafter remains unknown. Muslim tradition demands that they be buried as soon as possible.
A spokesman for the U.S.-led administration said no one had so far come forward to claim the bodies of the fugitives for burial. He said: 'If any of their family members want to come forward, we'd be delighted to speak to them.' "
in viewing the bodies of Saddam's sons. From washingtonpost.com: Reuters Sees Touched Up Bodies of Saddam Sons:
"Uday still wore his beard. A hole in the top of his skull was left untouched. U.S. officials said they had no evidence to support suggestions that he had shot himself to avoid capture.
A faint smell of disinfectant hung in the air.
Journalists were shown a metal orthopedic plate that officials said they had removed from Uday's left leg and were told that its serial number matched that of a disc that was inserted in his limb after a failed 1996 assassination attempt.
U.S. officials have declined to reveal how they have had access to the former ruling family's medical records.
They said both men had died from multiple gunshot wounds and blast injuries in the northern city of Mosul. Two other people also died. Those bodies were not shown. U.S. officials say one of them was probably Qusay's teenage son, Mustapha.
DNA tests were also being carried out but because previous samples of Uday and Qusay's DNA were not available, U.S. officials said this test would not conclusively identify the bodies. Washington says it has Saddam's DNA.
The officials said the bodies would be refrigerated to slow decomposition but their fate thereafter remains unknown. Muslim tradition demands that they be buried as soon as possible.
A spokesman for the U.S.-led administration said no one had so far come forward to claim the bodies of the fugitives for burial. He said: 'If any of their family members want to come forward, we'd be delighted to speak to them.' "
Thursday, July 24, 2003
Forger of So-Called James Ossurary Arrested
From TheStar.com - Dealer accused of forging 'James Ossuary':
"Police have arrested an Israeli antiquities dealer suspected of creating two forgeries that shook the religious and archeological world, including a burial box purported to be that of Jesus's brother James.
Oded Golan also is suspected in connection with a shoebox-sized tablet inscribed with forged instructions for caring for the Jewish Temple.
Golan appeared in a Jerusalem court today, one day after police arrested him at his home in Tel Aviv on suspicion of forging and dealing in fake antiquities.
In court, police unveiled forgery equipment they said was found in Golan's home, including stencils, stones and partially completed forgeries. The dealer was being detained by police.
Golan last year told a French collector about the two disputed artifacts, which raised questions from the start. After exhaustive studies, the Israel Antiquities Authority declared last month that they were forgeries.
The burial box, or ossuary, bore the inscription, 'James, the brother of Jesus,' leading to speculation that it referred to the brother of Jesus of Nazareth."
From TheStar.com - Dealer accused of forging 'James Ossuary':
"Police have arrested an Israeli antiquities dealer suspected of creating two forgeries that shook the religious and archeological world, including a burial box purported to be that of Jesus's brother James.
Oded Golan also is suspected in connection with a shoebox-sized tablet inscribed with forged instructions for caring for the Jewish Temple.
Golan appeared in a Jerusalem court today, one day after police arrested him at his home in Tel Aviv on suspicion of forging and dealing in fake antiquities.
In court, police unveiled forgery equipment they said was found in Golan's home, including stencils, stones and partially completed forgeries. The dealer was being detained by police.
Golan last year told a French collector about the two disputed artifacts, which raised questions from the start. After exhaustive studies, the Israel Antiquities Authority declared last month that they were forgeries.
The burial box, or ossuary, bore the inscription, 'James, the brother of Jesus,' leading to speculation that it referred to the brother of Jesus of Nazareth."
A New Bishop Sheen Site
A visitor to my Fulton Sheen site wrote to tell me that he has a site up that includes audio:
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
A visitor to my Fulton Sheen site wrote to tell me that he has a site up that includes audio:
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
Prayers Requested from a Reader of this Blog
My sister, Mary, had her toe removed a year ago due to diabetes. It has never healed. The doctor is going to do another surgery in two weeks to try and help. A bone is laying the wrong way. If it doesn't work she will have to have her foot removed. I am asking for prayers that the surgery is successful and that she is healed from diabetes. If it isn't God's will then I ask God to give her the strength to accept her cross. Maybe God will cure her before the surgery. Miracles do happen.
Thanks
Barb
My sister, Mary, had her toe removed a year ago due to diabetes. It has never healed. The doctor is going to do another surgery in two weeks to try and help. A bone is laying the wrong way. If it doesn't work she will have to have her foot removed. I am asking for prayers that the surgery is successful and that she is healed from diabetes. If it isn't God's will then I ask God to give her the strength to accept her cross. Maybe God will cure her before the surgery. Miracles do happen.
Thanks
Barb
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
Mel Gibson's Upcoming "Passion" Movie
As most no doubt already know, Mel Gibson's "The Passion" an account of the death of Jesus is based on the "Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ" by a woman who will be beatified this Fall by Pope John Paul II. The book is online and I offer both the link and an excerpt below:
DOLOROUS PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST:
"This scene was rendered the more frightful to me by the sight of demons, who were invisible to others, and I saw large bodies of evil spirits under the forms of toads, serpents, sharp-clawed dragons, and venomous insects, urging these wicked men to still greater cruelty, and perfectly darkening the air. They crept into the mouths and into the hearts of the assistants, sat upon their shoulders, filled their minds with wicked images, and incited them to revile and insult our Lord with still greater brutality. Weeping angels, however, stood around Jesus, and the sight of their tears consoled me not a little, and they were accompanied by little angels of glory, whose heads alone I saw. There were likewise angels of pity and angels of consolation among them; the latter frequently approached the Blessed Virgin and the rest of the pious persons who were assembled there, and whispered words of comfort which enabled them to bear up with firmness.
The executioners soon pulled off our Lord’s cloak, the belt to which the ropes were fastened, and his own belt, when they found it was impossible to drag the woollen garment which his Mother had woven for him over his head, on account of the crown of thorns; they tore off this most painful crown, thus reopening every wound, and seizing the garment, tore it mercilessly over his bleeding and wounded head. Our dear Lord and Saviour then stood before his cruel enemies, stripped of all save the short scapular which was on his shoulders, and the linen which girded his loins. His scapular was of wool; the wool had stuck to the wounds, and indescribable was the agony of pain he suffered when they pulled it roughly off. He shook like the aspen as he stood before them, for he was so weakened from suffering and loss of blood that he could not support himself for more than a few moments; he was covered with open wounds, and his shoulders and back were torn to the bone by the dreadful scourging he had endured. He was about to fall when the executioners, fearing that he might die, and thus deprive them of the barbarous pleasure of crucifying him, led him to a large stone and placed him roughly down upon it, but no sooner was he seated than they aggravated his sufferings by putting the crown of thorns again upon his head. They then offered him some vinegar and gall, from which, however, he turned away in silence. The executioners did not allow him to rest long, but bade him rise and place himself on the cross that they might nail him to it. Then seizing his right arm they dragged it to the hole prepared for the nail, and having tied it tightly down with a cord, one of them knelt upon his sacred chest, a second held his hand flat,and a third taking a long thick nail, pressed it on the open palm of that adorable hand, which had ever been open to bestow blessings and favours on the ungrateful Jews, and with a great iron hammer drove it through the flesh, and far into the wood of the cross. Our Lord uttered one deep but suppressed groan, and his blood gushed forth andsprinkled the arms of the archers. I counted the blows of the hammer, but my extreme grief made me forget their number. The nails were very large, the heads about the size of a crown piece, and the thickness that of a man’s thumb, while the points came through at the back of the cross. The Blessed Virgin stood motionless; from time to time you might distinguish her plaintive moans; she appeared as if almost fainting from grief, and Magdalen was quite beside herself. When the executioners had nailed the right hand of our Lord, they perceived that his left hand did not reach the hole they had bored to receive the nail, therefore they tied ropes to his left arm, and having steadied their feet against the cross, pulled the left hand violently until it reached the place prepared for it. This dreadful process caused our Lord indescribable agony, his breast heaved, and his legs were quite contracted. They again knelt upon him, tied down his arms, and drove the second nail into his left hand; his blood flowed afresh, and his feeble groans were once more heard between the blows of the hammer, but nothing could move the hard-hearted executioners to the slightest pity. The arms of Jesus, thus unnaturally stretched out, no longer covered the arms of the cross, which were sloped; there was a wide space between them and his armpits. Each additional torture and insult inflicted on our Lord caused a fresh pang in the heart of his Blessed Mother; she became white as a corpse, but as the Pharisees endeavoured to increase her pain by insulting words and gestures, the disciples led her to a group of pious women who were standing a little farther off."
As most no doubt already know, Mel Gibson's "The Passion" an account of the death of Jesus is based on the "Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ" by a woman who will be beatified this Fall by Pope John Paul II. The book is online and I offer both the link and an excerpt below:
DOLOROUS PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST:
"This scene was rendered the more frightful to me by the sight of demons, who were invisible to others, and I saw large bodies of evil spirits under the forms of toads, serpents, sharp-clawed dragons, and venomous insects, urging these wicked men to still greater cruelty, and perfectly darkening the air. They crept into the mouths and into the hearts of the assistants, sat upon their shoulders, filled their minds with wicked images, and incited them to revile and insult our Lord with still greater brutality. Weeping angels, however, stood around Jesus, and the sight of their tears consoled me not a little, and they were accompanied by little angels of glory, whose heads alone I saw. There were likewise angels of pity and angels of consolation among them; the latter frequently approached the Blessed Virgin and the rest of the pious persons who were assembled there, and whispered words of comfort which enabled them to bear up with firmness.
The executioners soon pulled off our Lord’s cloak, the belt to which the ropes were fastened, and his own belt, when they found it was impossible to drag the woollen garment which his Mother had woven for him over his head, on account of the crown of thorns; they tore off this most painful crown, thus reopening every wound, and seizing the garment, tore it mercilessly over his bleeding and wounded head. Our dear Lord and Saviour then stood before his cruel enemies, stripped of all save the short scapular which was on his shoulders, and the linen which girded his loins. His scapular was of wool; the wool had stuck to the wounds, and indescribable was the agony of pain he suffered when they pulled it roughly off. He shook like the aspen as he stood before them, for he was so weakened from suffering and loss of blood that he could not support himself for more than a few moments; he was covered with open wounds, and his shoulders and back were torn to the bone by the dreadful scourging he had endured. He was about to fall when the executioners, fearing that he might die, and thus deprive them of the barbarous pleasure of crucifying him, led him to a large stone and placed him roughly down upon it, but no sooner was he seated than they aggravated his sufferings by putting the crown of thorns again upon his head. They then offered him some vinegar and gall, from which, however, he turned away in silence. The executioners did not allow him to rest long, but bade him rise and place himself on the cross that they might nail him to it. Then seizing his right arm they dragged it to the hole prepared for the nail, and having tied it tightly down with a cord, one of them knelt upon his sacred chest, a second held his hand flat,and a third taking a long thick nail, pressed it on the open palm of that adorable hand, which had ever been open to bestow blessings and favours on the ungrateful Jews, and with a great iron hammer drove it through the flesh, and far into the wood of the cross. Our Lord uttered one deep but suppressed groan, and his blood gushed forth andsprinkled the arms of the archers. I counted the blows of the hammer, but my extreme grief made me forget their number. The nails were very large, the heads about the size of a crown piece, and the thickness that of a man’s thumb, while the points came through at the back of the cross. The Blessed Virgin stood motionless; from time to time you might distinguish her plaintive moans; she appeared as if almost fainting from grief, and Magdalen was quite beside herself. When the executioners had nailed the right hand of our Lord, they perceived that his left hand did not reach the hole they had bored to receive the nail, therefore they tied ropes to his left arm, and having steadied their feet against the cross, pulled the left hand violently until it reached the place prepared for it. This dreadful process caused our Lord indescribable agony, his breast heaved, and his legs were quite contracted. They again knelt upon him, tied down his arms, and drove the second nail into his left hand; his blood flowed afresh, and his feeble groans were once more heard between the blows of the hammer, but nothing could move the hard-hearted executioners to the slightest pity. The arms of Jesus, thus unnaturally stretched out, no longer covered the arms of the cross, which were sloped; there was a wide space between them and his armpits. Each additional torture and insult inflicted on our Lord caused a fresh pang in the heart of his Blessed Mother; she became white as a corpse, but as the Pharisees endeavoured to increase her pain by insulting words and gestures, the disciples led her to a group of pious women who were standing a little farther off."
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
Back Home Again in Indiana
We returned around 9:30 last night from a busy week on the road, where we visited relatives, the grave of Martin Luther King Jr., the CNN center, Centenial park, the Bronson Speedway, the Holy Greek Orthodox Monastery of Panagia Vlahernon, the Shrine of Mary Queen of the Universe, City Lights at Universal, Old Town, Disney's Wide World of Sports, Tropicana Field, Treasure Island, and a few other sites that I'm sure I'm forgetting about. We ate at Sonny's Real Pit Barbeque, Carrabas, Sweet Tomatoes, Bahama Breeze, Sloppy Joes, and the various hotels we stayed in. I spoke with a campus minister at UF, a noted female Catholic evangelist, a professor of Theology at St. Leo's University, several Catholic publishers, a Jewish convert to Christianity, a woman claiming to receive messages from Our Lady (Jesus too but she seems less impressed with him), Tammy Faye Baker, and Kathy Lee Gifford. We sat in a lot of traffic. I had forgotten how bad it is to drive from point A to point B in Florida with tons of tourists on the road and other challenged drivers.
We returned around 9:30 last night from a busy week on the road, where we visited relatives, the grave of Martin Luther King Jr., the CNN center, Centenial park, the Bronson Speedway, the Holy Greek Orthodox Monastery of Panagia Vlahernon, the Shrine of Mary Queen of the Universe, City Lights at Universal, Old Town, Disney's Wide World of Sports, Tropicana Field, Treasure Island, and a few other sites that I'm sure I'm forgetting about. We ate at Sonny's Real Pit Barbeque, Carrabas, Sweet Tomatoes, Bahama Breeze, Sloppy Joes, and the various hotels we stayed in. I spoke with a campus minister at UF, a noted female Catholic evangelist, a professor of Theology at St. Leo's University, several Catholic publishers, a Jewish convert to Christianity, a woman claiming to receive messages from Our Lady (Jesus too but she seems less impressed with him), Tammy Faye Baker, and Kathy Lee Gifford. We sat in a lot of traffic. I had forgotten how bad it is to drive from point A to point B in Florida with tons of tourists on the road and other challenged drivers.
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