Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00 Since this is the house of God and the gate of heaven. Whenever we're present in the Catholic church, we should keep a revelent silence. If we have to talk, we can go outside or downstairs. We should always preserve a Reverend silence. And the second thing for people that aren't familiar with it, just to note on communion, because communion is a visible statement before God and man that the person presents himself for community is a Catholic in a state of grace. In other words, he's someone that's in union with the Pope, confesses all the things that the church teaches and he's in a state of grace. He's not aware of any moral sentences. Last confession, he's making a statement before God. Men, we comes up for community, so it's intellectually not honest. If a person is a Catholic come up, you can just stay in your pews and pray for those that are receiving communion.
Speaker 0 00:44 There's a special ceremony here. St Thomas teaches it. The modern greats we get at a sacrament is proportion of disposition that with which we receive it after our first Holy community. If we're not safe, it's not because of some defect in our Lord. It's because of our disposition. And in this particular right, our disposition is it take off for cause. He kneel down before the Lord and then priest actually gives you personal benediction with the host and as he's bringing you, don't say anything. You just close your eyes and tip your head back a little bit and stick your tongue partway up. I won't miss and what the priest is saying, let me, let me do the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Preserve yourself under life everlasting. Amen. I can see the amen. It's the whole reason you're trying to pray that you have the holiest totally community have ever had and you get a blessing and a community the same time and the prayers of the church affect what they signify.
Speaker 0 01:32 So those are the couple of differences that we keep silence and we receive community kneeling for the Catholics that do receive. All right. Before we opened the parish mission. I've chatted with a few people and I thought it might be a good idea to make sure that everyone here has a really clear idea of just what a parish mission is. So what is a parish mission? What's the point here? What are we trying to accomplish? Well, that's by reading from the 1913 Catholic encyclopedia. And in this as throughout the whole mission, the co, the different quotes, I'm gonna just edit and cut and paste for the time. Parish missions are special exertions of the apostolic activity of the church. Men should instruct Catholics more fully in the truths of their religion, convert sinners, Rouse the torpid indifferent lift the good to still higher plane of gross spiritual effort.
Speaker 0 02:28 Such missions usually consist of a systematic that course, a preaching and instruction extended over a stated number of days performed by authorized missionaries. That great doctor, the church, Saint Alphonsus, the Gore, he States that quote, there's nothing that is better adapted than missions or retreats to enlighten the minds of men, to purify corrupt hearts and to lead all to the exercises of a truly Christian life. Close quote, parish missions are for the lady. What are for clergy and religious communities. In fact, they're an adaptation to the needs and capacity of the faithful of the spiritual exercises, long traditional, the church there were made use of, especially during the ages of faith when people were in the habit of going to monasteries to devote themselves for a certain period of time to that renewal and the spirit of their mind, which st Paul the apostle recommended Ephesians four 23 and 24 weeks says and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man who according to God, has created a justice and holiness of truth and times like the present.
Speaker 0 03:34 This is written a little over a hundred years ago. In times like the present and in social conditions of modern life a hundred years ago, the ordinary care of souls hardly suffice is to protect souls against the deadly influences of constant friction with a materialistic world and against the all pervading atmosphere of sensuality and worldliness. This is a hundred years ago. Passing lies face to face with such extraordinary spiritual parallels. Catholics in the 20th century need the extraordinary Secor and protection which are furnished only by the mission. It is no exaggeration to say that an ordinary course of divine Providence, a mission is the greatest grace that God can confer on any parish close quotes. It's no exaggeration to say that in the ordinary course of divine province, a mission is the greatest Gracie God can confer on any parish. There's another way to prove from actual experience what a great grace, oppression mission is to same thing. Whenever you preach a mission, I'd be willing to bet good money that during this past week, a lot of you had more disagreements and more unpleasant encounters than usual. A lot of you're stressed out suffering from some kind of malaise. I know that there's people here that have been sick. There's probably plenty that think the whole idea of a mission is sort of annoying or off putting maybe even irritating, like a waste of time. You're planning not to come, et cetera, et cetera. Now, who do you suppose is behind all of that?
Speaker 0 04:59 The times that we're in, the times are going in. It'd be a real good idea to know, haha. To ward off attacks. Of course. First you have to recognize attacks. We'll talk a little bit about spiritual warfare and how to handle that sort of thing towards the end of the mission. And by the way, I see right now, you're in the middle of a very impressive remodeling here. And so the typical temptation or tack like that we see in the gospel when st Mary Magdalen came with that jar of alabaster alabaster jar that was full of spike Nord in broken, poured it out on the Lord's foot. And what did you say that money could have been spent on the poor? He started to worry about it. If you're going to remodel, do something beautiful for God. If we have these beautiful things like a beautiful church like this, I had forgotten how beautiful it was till I got here.
Speaker 0 05:45 We have, and that's because our ancestors knew that it was important to do beautiful things for God. And one of the sad parts of our day and age is it looks like we're building 1970 stub bus depots for most of our churches. You have something beautiful here. You have to do something very, very fitting. Pull a cork up. It's for God. And that beauty is for the poor to do something beautiful for God. Okay? That's just parenthetical cause I'm looking around. It's great. The simple fact is though that every one of you needs to make every effort to come to every minute of the mission. Already know this stuff. It's for you. Our lady has prepared particular graces for each one of you and you don't want to miss out on those. We're going to need everything we can get and the times wound and the times we're going into and remember, it's no exaggeration to see that an ordinary course of divine Providence, a parish mission is the greatest grace that God can confer on any parish.
Speaker 0 06:42 Okay, so how should we approach a mission in order to maximize the grace we receive? What sort of dispositions should we bring to a mission that we just heard parish missions after the lady. What retreats are for the clergy and the religious? We have to go under Canon law and retreat every year. It's understood that the whole parish can't just typically pack up and go to some traditional monastery somewhere, and you have to be busy about many things in the world, but it's hard to make a serious commitment that's understood. It does take a real commitment to come every night, but you should make that commitment. Mission is dedicated to our lady, and she's going to reward even the smallest efforts to enter in the spirit of the mission. So how do we enter into it? Insofar as it's possible you're living in the world yet to be busy, but try to retreat from social type obligations, entered yourself, consider the topics, be proposed. Ask our lady to help you gain all the graces possible. There are miracles of grace, literally miracles, grace associated with reflecting on the kind of plating, the message of Fatima. I've seen reprobates and that's the very worst kind of sinner and I personally will repre beings that have converted because of this message.
Speaker 0 07:53 There's unbelievable graces attached to that. These miracles at grace of conversion are there for you to, in order to get these graces, you have to mold a things over. You have to enter into yourself. As we heard st Paul talked about an enter in and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Okay, you have to enter in from all eternity. God has set aside specific grace for a lady to give at this mission, but you have to do your parts to think on it, reflect on them next few days during this time, grace, actually during the mission, I asked you not to read up on Fatima after the mission. You can and you should read up on it, but Romans 10 17 inspired it and word of God says faith comes from hearing and so what's being proposed to you? Want it to reflect on that and then you can take that F and reflections later on.
Speaker 0 08:37 And I hope you do read up and at the end of the mission I'll have reading list of suggested things on this and other spiritual topics anyway, but what you want to do is that's what you want to enter and you want to have this spirit like a retreat where you're thinking about the things proposed to you. Okay. So that means also you want to keep the TV off, reduce your time on the internet, electronic devices, unless you absolutely have to be on, but you can do it. It's if you listen to music limited to chant polyphony or Baroque, I'm serious. It's lent cause the next few days are meant to be like a retreat, a spiritual time, a time for spiritual growth. And so you want to do things that won't interfere with that. A few practical considerations before we start during the week, conferences will be followed by exposition.
Speaker 0 09:18 He thought of putting the Bolton, the stations of the cross, but it'll be, it'll be exposition today as well. And during the expositional exposable as a sacrament and then I'll go back and hear confessions till they're done. I'll stay till they're done. I don't care how long that takes and then we'll have benediction at the end of that. So you're free to stay and pray as long as you want. Go to confession, what have you. I'll also be here. I'll be here for the morning confessions and I'll just sit through the whole time he's in mass. I'll be back in fashion because during the week while I'm here, fuzz graciously OD. We all take care of all the confessions during that time and I want to just say something like that. Don't worry about telling me anything in confession. I'm not actually sitting the confessional waiting for you to tell me how great you are.
Speaker 0 09:55 I've got to go to confession too and that's not the object of the exercise. I spent almost my entire priesthood in big cities and almost nine years in the very worst part of the hood in very serious gang infested part of the city. I've been a confessor for a big city jail. So I'm only speaking slightly tongue in cheek where this is the messenger Bluelight special. If you tell me something I haven't heard before, I'll do the pendants for you. You can't, you won't be able to come up with anything. I am not going to be worried and I don't know your voice. You can get rid of it and get out. I'm outta here. I don't know who you are. You're good to go. So it's your opportunity. If there's something that's really been bothering you, get rid of it like that. Okay. And I'm happy to help.
Speaker 0 10:36 And you could tell me the worst things. The world we could go shoot pool later on cause just goes away. It has absolutely no effect. So don't worry about that. I don't care on the nights to, don't tell yourself all he's going to be here to it. I don't care if we're here all night cause I get, I get grace. It's in the mission by taking care of you. That's how it works for me. That's what it's what I'm in it for is I get those graces by helping you. Okay. After the last confession, or it might well have been action repose. Most pleasant Sachen. Okay. Our lady is holding out grace to each and everyone here. So let's say three on Mary's asking our lady right now, really from the bottom of hearts to remove any obstacles that we might have to keep, keep ourselves from opening up completely to her and accepting with all our hearts, all the she has to give us. So we're going to start by saying three hail Mary's right now. <inaudible> the sir. Now Maryann grace. Let's start <inaudible> <inaudible> let's start <inaudible> <inaudible>
Speaker 1 12:04 <inaudible>
Speaker 0 12:17 because it's not just a sermon about the first conference of the mission. I'll preach a little longer than you might be used to. A next conference is until tomorrow night. So please ponder the themes that are proposed today. Some of you are going to be familiar with with much of what I'm going to say, but some of the themes are new. Just to let you know today I will use coded language, but tomorrow since it's a mission, I will not use euphemisms. So throughout the mission of edited and cut and paste the quotes so you know if the kids come, I won't use euphemism to when I talk about San Francisco behavior for example. Okay, so let's get started. Fatima. Message for our times I've been Maria Prisma in the father and son. Holy ghost. Amen. In our last public interview, sister Lucy up to father Augusta twenties he's the vice postulator for the case that bless the Francisco, blessed Jacinta quo. Father, the most Holy Virgin is very sad because no one has paid any attention to her message. Neither the good nor the bad, the good continue on their way, but without giving any importance to her message the bad, not seeing the punishment of God actually falling upon them, continue their life of sin without even caring about the message. But believe me, father, God will chastise the world and this will be in a terrible manner.
Speaker 1 13:48 Close quote,
Speaker 0 13:51 most totally version is very sad because no one has paid any attention to her message. Neither good nor bad.
Speaker 0 14:05 Now, one of the more common prejudices or the modern intellectual elites is a dogmatic rejection of even the possibility that something like a miracle could take place. Ernest Vernon, he's the 19th century French infidel and biblical critic has perhaps the best summary of this attitude. I quote, no miracle has ever taken place under conditions which science can accept. Experience shows that without exception, the miracles occur only in times and only in countries in which miracles are believed in and only in the presence of persons who are disposed to believe in them. Close quote. So there we have an elegant summary, one of the most typical prejudices of our modern intellectual elites. No miracle has ever taken place under conditions which science can subset experience shows that without exception, miracles occur only at times and only in countries in which miracles are believed in, in only in the presence of persons who are disposed to believe in them.
Speaker 0 15:12 So today we're going to consider a miracle, which completely defies those sort of claims America, which took place under conditions which science can't accept American, which took place in the presence of persons not disposed to believe in it. But before we consider that miracle, we're going to back up and briefly considered answers to several questions. First, what exactly is a miracle? Second, what sort of evidence is required to determine whether or not a miracle has occurred? And third, what's the point of a miracle? What do we suppose to take away from it? So first, what exactly is a miracle? What's a miracle? We'll ask that question just by quoting from a standard theology manual. America was an occurrence outside the course of nature, perceptible the census and explicable only as a direct act of God himself. A miracle is obviously a clear proof of the divine origin of the doctrine who support in which it is.
Speaker 0 16:15 Rod, the only question to be decided in connection with miracles is whether in a given case a miracle has occurred or not. Close quote. Okay, so miracle is an occurrence outside the course of nature, which we could perceive with our senses who action only be explained as a direct act of God himself. Oh, that then the next question rises. So how do we go about determining in a given case whether or not a miracle has occurred? The 1913 Catholic encyclopedia explains quote a miracle. Like any natural event is known either from personal observation or from the testimony of others. That makes perfect sense, since a miracle can be perceived with our senses. So again, a miracle like any natural event is known either from personal observation, from the testimony of others, the general governing, the acceptance of testimony apply to miracles as to other facts of history.
Speaker 0 17:09 If we have certain evidence for the fact we're bound to accept it, the evidence for miracles as for historical facts and general depends on the knowledge and the veracity, the narrators, the extraordinary nature of the miracle requires more complete and accurate investigation. Such testimony, we are not free to reject otherwise. He must deny all his history whatsoever. We have normal rational warrant for rejecting miracles. Then for rejecting accounts of solar eclipses, close quilts. So miracle like any natural event is known either from personal observation or from the testimony of others. If we have certain evidence for the fact we're bound accepted, we have no more rational warrant for rejecting miracles than for rejecting the cost of solar eclipses. So here's the point, a miracle. Any miracle is at its most fundamental level, simply historical fact. In other words, at the most fundamental level, belief in the reality of a particular miracle has exactly the same basis as our belief in the other historical facts, for example, that we believe there was a battle of Alamo or that Dwight Eisenhower was the president of the United States.
Speaker 0 18:20 It's important to keep in mind that even though a miracle is an act of God recognizable and astonishing act of God, that doesn't take faith as such, to recognize a miracle after all, the Pharisees and the Sadducees could all recognize the miracle of our Lord raising Lazarus from the dead, but even plot to kill him again. They could see it as a historical fact, but that certainly didn't mean that they had faith. So a miracle like any historical event is known either from personal observation, from the testimony of others. It can be perceived with the senses and the general rules governing the acceptance of testimony apply to miracles as to other facts of history. So given all that, then what are the general rules for deciding questions of history such as miracles? Questions of history, historical statements, historical claims are determined on the basis of evidence.
Speaker 0 19:15 When we want to determine the raw liability, the truth of historical claim, we look at the evidence. For example, are there witnesses? Other documents? Are there artifacts? Artifacts are things like tapes, monuments, footprints, gravestones. Are they consistent? Are they reliable? That's essential to understand historical statements. Historical claims, questions of history are determined on the basis of evidence. We want to determine the truth of a historical claim. We look at the evidence, we ask other witnesses, other documents. Are there artifacts? Bloodstains films, footprints? Are they consistent? Are they reliable? That is in fact how the church herself approaches the question of miracles. Before the church proclaims authenticity of a miracle. Traditionally there's a very rigorous investigation along these very lines suffer example, if a reliable consistent witnesses testify to a particular event. For example, eye witnesses that did describe a healing at Lourdes. If reliable documentation testified that event, for example, medical records, documentation descriptions of the person before and after the healing. If there are artifacts that support and corroborate the descriptions of this particular event, for example, photographs and x-rays and the person before and after miraculous healing, that it's the height of arrogance and a clear demonstration of a profound level of blindness to deny the reality of such a miracle. In point of fact, this would be the deliberate rejection of the known truth. That's a very, very serious intellectual sin. It's actually one of the sins against the Holy ghost.
Speaker 0 20:49 Now, one common exception I've heard many times probably because I'm trained as a scientist, is that miracles are not scientific. Miracles are not scientific, whatever that means. Now, someone pointed out years ago, science has added absolutely nothing to our knowledge that makes a miracle any more astonishing or any less believable than it would've been in olden days. For example, since the days of Adam, everybody knows that if you drop a rock, it falls to the ground. If by miracle is the stone started hovering in the air, even though science has given a name gravity to the law, which describes how the law of the stone falls, and even though scientists could do sophisticated calculations on the rate at which the stone should fall, still the miracle of the hovering rock would be the slightest bit more astonishing nowadays than it would have been back in the olden days.
Speaker 0 21:39 In fact, I was talking to some Catholics from the Ciro Malabar, right? That's one of the Eastern rights of the Catholics where we're Latin, right? I assume everybody here is, but maybe there's some Greek Catholics. Let's talk to some Catholics and the serum Albo, right? Different Carola, India and they describe how one of the miracles, the deposit st Thomas who converted their answers Pasa st Thomas did it converted their ancestors, so there's a group of Hindus splashing themselves with waters. They washed himself and st Thomas asked them if they are their Holy men could make water steer in the air and they laughed and said, of course not. So he scooped up some water and just tossed it into there, which is where it stayed and that got their undivided attention. Anyhow, the point here is science has made absolutely nothing to our knowledge that makes a miracle like that.
Speaker 0 22:20 Any more stylish and S less believable than it would have been back in the olden days. Everybody knows if water's hovering in air. That's a pretty amazing thing. Okay. We also need to keep in mind there's absolutely no difference between the trust we place in scientists to accurately report their observations and the trust we placed and I witnessed it to historical events to reliably report their observations. In either case, whether we're dealing with an absolutely unique historical event, we're dealing with repeatable experimental results in the lab. Now drug case, we're dealing with human testimony, so we judge the claims and miracles just like any other historical question on the basis of evidence or the witnesses or documents that artifacts, things like gravestones, bloody colonize, sculptures. Are they consistent? Are they reliable? Okay, so now we've considered what a miracle is and how we assess it. We'll pose one last and important question. Why does God perform miracles? What's the point?
Speaker 2 23:23 <inaudible>
Speaker 0 23:25 every miracle and the first place is for the glory of God the good amen, but there are also secondary reasons for a miracle. For example, sometime God performs a miracle as a witness to the true holiness of one of his special friends. We think of so many miracles of pottery peel. Sometimes he performs a miracle to confirm a doctrine of faith and morals. We take a miracles like the bleeding hosts that we see occasionally, and sometimes he performs a miracle to confirm the truth of a divine mission. These actually sent somebody out with a message. All that. By way of introduction today, we're going to consider a miracle which completely defies the arrogant claims the no America has ever taken place under conditions which science can accept that without exception, miracles occur only at times and only countries in which people, miracles are believed in, in all in the presence of people are disposed to believe in them.
Speaker 0 24:17 Now that we're all actually familiar with this miracle, there are two good reasons to take a closer look. First, because we have family, friends and acquaintances who aren't leading authentic Catholic life, perhaps we never had the prices, gift of faith in the first place they might not have. And since it doesn't take faith as such, to recognize a miracle if we can make a good case to these friends or relatives that this particular miracle is historical fact that has a potential to open a door to an authentic faith, that really happens. So that's the first reason. The second reason is because this miracle in itself has a profound meaning and it confirms the truth of a message of the utmost importance for each one of us here thought most important. So let's turn to the question the miracle. We're going to look at it. We're going to consider it from the point of view as a historical event.
Speaker 0 25:07 We're talking about the miracle of the stun at FATTOM October, 1319 70 and again, we're going to consider it from the point of view as a historical event. At the time of the miracle, Portugal was ruled by Freemasons for months. Oh, secular. Now this was the attic Catholic liberal daily newspaper of Lisbon had been regularly mocking the events and fat and using both cartoons and articles reporting on the July apparition, mocking terms. That's the one where they got the message to paper reported, quote the children and toned a funeral chant, mid epileptic gestures and fell and ecstasy. Close quote, according to the paper, the real reason for all the commotion up at Fatima was the clergy. We're hoping to make a pile of money by locating a new source of mineral water up there. Just like at Lords. Another Portuguese newspaper reported on events of August 13th in an article entitled quote, fanaticism in action. The miracle miracle. He put that in quotes. The miracle of Fatima close quote. So that's the title of it. Fanaticism and action, the miracle of fat. In this article, speaking of the fanaticism up in Fatima, doctor speaks of quote, the urgent need to combat this evil, which continues to extend its dark tentacles to squeeze in a fixate all Portuguese society clothes, quilt, and all this blasphemous nonsense was actually welcomed by the readers because at that time Lisbon was so dominated by atheists. The 1915 had actually been proclaimed with atheist country capital of the world.
Speaker 0 26:39 So in order to set the mirror, Colin's property's torical context, we need to the extremely hostile, deeply free Masonic cultural environment of the press and the leads in Portugal, 1917 characterized by a mocking disbelief in anything, in everything having to do with Catholicism, including a complete rejection of even the possibility of miracles. How many witnesses were present at the miracle? Dr Almeida, Garrett, a physician estimated the number of spectators at over 100,000 Avalina Dow Miata. Now he's the editor in chief of Oh secular. So that's the anticlerical newspaper, which had been marking events in previous months. Went there himself, and he States quote on October 13th according to the calculations of completely unbiased people, some 50,000 people gathered at the mortar FADIMA close quote. Now, his estimate by the Freemason is considered to be a minimum figure, which is why the majority of historians estimate there are probably somewhere around 70,000 witnesses in the crop.
Speaker 0 27:36 Why were roughly 70,000 witnesses gathered in a muddy field standing in the rain and Fatima on October 13 because for three months since July 13th three small children who can neither read nor write, we'll see it though it's not toast now. She was 10 years old and UConn cousins, Francisco motto just sent the motto. Francisco at the time was nine and just Sinte was seven. They had been predicted that our lady would perform a great miracle, and October 13 a miracle had been publicly announced three months in advance as to the precise date, time and place. There is literally nothing like this in the entire history of the world. And that's saying something. This is literally literally an unparalleled historical event. The precise date, time and place of a public miracle had been announced three months in advance by illiterate peasant children from a tiny village in the Hills of Portugal.
Speaker 0 28:39 That's why 70,000 witnesses were present, who were the witnesses, men from all social classes and all cultural levels, the undecided but curious. The faithful. There were confident of seen America, scientists, skeptics, unbelievers, even fanatics looking for cha chance to amuse themselves and pour scorn on the believers. All were gathered there side by side, and Fatima one Portuguese historian notes quo at the moment of the great miracle, their presence, some of the most illustrious men of letters in arts and sciences and almost all were unbelievers coming out of simple curiosity led by the prediction of Sears clothes. This is all still what's an absolutely unparalleled historical event. You have thousands upon thousands of hostile witnesses. What do the witnesses see? Although we could cite testimonies for hours, literally for the sake of time, we'll glance at a few testimonies of eyewitnesses. One historian notes the witnesses of the advent were indeed innumerable.
Speaker 0 29:41 Their testimonies agreed and we are flooded. The documents they have left us closed. Cool. So I'm just cutting and splicing quotes, putting it together from different eyewitnesses so you get an idea of what happened. Although the rain had been steadily pelting down all morning, it's suddenly stopped and justice. Suddenly the sky cleared. This abrupt chain of weather took all the why witnesses by surprise. It was a day of heavy and continuous rain, but a few moments before that miracle, it stopped raining. Suddenly all the clouds disappeared without the slightest breeze and the sun was shining in a clear sky. There are also changes of color and atmosphere. Look first at the nearest object and then extend my glass further field. As far as the horizon, I saw that everything had assumed an amethyst color objects around me. The sky and the atmosphere were the same color in Oak Creek.
Speaker 0 30:30 Cast a shadow nearby of this color on the ground. Sir. As soon I heard a peasant near me shout out and tons of amazement. Look, that lady is all yellow and in fact everything both neared far change, taking on the color of old yellow down us. People looked as it was, they were suffering to Janice and I recall a sensation of amusement and seen him look so ugly and unattractive. My own hand was the same color close quilt, so the miracle starts with a rain suddenly stopped and the sky clearing. Then the sunlight goes to different colors of the rainbow through a description of what happened. Next, we'll turn to Avellino Dell on the Ida. Nobody can accuse this guy being a favorable witness. As we said, he's the chief editor of of secular, the free Masonic newspaper, the daily in Lisbon who traveled to Fatima in order to report on the events.
Speaker 0 31:19 This account is taken from his article in the free Masonic newspaper quo and then we witnessed a unique spectacle, an incredible spectacle, unbelievable. If you did not witness it from the road where the characters were crowded together were hundreds of persons that stayed for want of sufficient courage to advance across the muddy ground. We saw the huge crowd turned towards the sun, which appeared at it, seen it clear the crowds. It resembled a disk of silver and it was possible to stare at it without the least discomfort. It did not burn the eyes. It did not blind. We would say that it produced an eclipse that a tremendous cry rang out the crowd dare his desk. We heard your shop. Miracle, miracle, Marvel, Marvel. The attitude of the people takes us back to biblical times, dumbfounded with their heads and covered. They kind of belated the blue sky before their dazzled eyes.
Speaker 0 32:12 The sun trembled. It made strange and abrupt movements outside of all cosmic laws and according to the typical expression of the peasants, the sun danced close quote, although he was attacked violently by his colleagues and anticlerical press. 15 days later he renewed his testimony and this time he published a dozen photographs of the mantic static crowd and I want to point out when you see the pictures of the people look it up, that's the Freemason. If you've looked at pictures of during the miracle and he prayed repeats as a refrain through his whole article I saw, I saw, I saw, I saw he can close. Miracle is the people shout, shouted. Natural phenomenon is expert say for the moment. That does not concern me. I'm only affirming what I saw. The rest is a matter for science and the church closed quotes. By the way, if you study those photographs, nearly everyone is staring at the sun and almost none are shading their eyes and you can see from the shadows, but there's a few of them, but you'll see all those people and they're just staring right at it.
Speaker 0 33:11 Okay? Anyway, that's a remarkable testimony in itself. The most terrifying aspect of the miracle took place. Immediately after the dance, the sun, the sun suddenly seemed to plunge towards earth quote. Then suddenly one heard a clamor, a cry of anguish breaking from all the people. The sun whirling wildly seemed all at once to loose itself in the firmament and blood red plunged towards earth, threatened to crushes with its huge and fiery weight. The sensation during those moments was truly terrible. It seemed like a wheel of fire was going to fall on the people close quilt quote. Everyone within an area of 32 miles thought it was the end of the world. One witness was later. A contractor in California was about 10 miles away from Fatima at the time he was 12 years old. He was hurting sheet. He said, I don't remember to this day. What happened to the sheet while I can remember is that this fireball came down upon the earth
Speaker 3 34:13 and I knew, I said, bought to be burnt alive, and I ran. I ran, I ran and I ran.
Speaker 1 34:25 <inaudible>
Speaker 0 34:28 all I can remember is my fear.
Speaker 1 34:29 <inaudible>
Speaker 0 34:32 I've often waked up at night running from the fire. Cool. We thought it was the end of the world, the fire, the sun was on top of us at the time the fire was coming on as there were shouts, parents were throwing themselves, protecting all over their children. People shouting their sins out loud and confessing, crying for mercy. They fell their knees in the mud. The water confessed their sins and call for mercy. What happened if I went back into the sky? Close quotes, these are all quotes from eye witnesses. I witness as you thought they were going to be burnt to death with fire, falling from the heavens, terrified parents and stickily throwing themselves over their children, protected people, screaming out their SIDS and crying for mercy eye witnesses who thought it was the end of the world.
Speaker 0 35:32 All these people who for the most part were soaked to the bone remains discover they were and so was the ground quote. This enormous multiuse drenched cred rained unceasingly since Dawn, but although this may appear a credible after the great miracle, everyone felt comfortable and found his garments quite dry. A subject of general wonder, my suit dried in instant. The woman would one would least expect it. Our clothes were totally dry, close quotes to those who might claim that the miracle was a product of massive Steria or mass hypnosis at the scene. God himself had prearranged to rebuttal perfectly credible witnesses who were very far from Fatima saw the miracle of the sun. For example, the whole village of Albury town. It's about 12 miles from Fatma saw the miracle. The son, father NASCIO Renco recalls quo. I was only nine years old at this time and I went to the local village school.
Speaker 0 36:24 At about midday. We were surprised by the shouts and cries of some men and women who were passing this tree. The teacher, a good pious woman was the first run into the road with the children. After outside the people was shoddy. Weeping, pointing to the sun was the great miracle which one could see distinctly from the top of the Hill where my village was situated. Objects around us turned all the colors of the rainbow. I feel capable of describing what I saw and felt. I looked fixedly at the sun, which seemed pale and did not hurt the eyes looking like a ball of snow revolving upon itself. It suddenly seemed to come down in a zigzag, menacing the earth. Terrified. I ran and hid myself among the people who were weeping and expecting the end of the world. At any moment, at least 70,000 witnesses, braving the rain and mud. Suddenly sky clears, descent, shoots out the clothes and rainbow the worlds and spins and dances then seems to break free and hurdles towards earth. People convinced they're about to break burn alive, fall to their knees in the mud and water. Confessor scenes cry for mercy in the sun and retreats being everyone. Dry clothes on dry count at least 70,000 witnesses, thousands of them, not believers.
Speaker 0 37:44 Final rough, some moral miracles. The conversions of many people quote the captain of the regimented soldiers on the mountain that day with orders to revamp the gathering in cloud was converted instantly, so hundreds of other unbelievers. There was an unbeliever there who had spent the morning mocking the simpletons who had gone off to Fatima just to see an ordinary girl. He now seemed paralyzed his eyes fixed on the sun. He began to tremble from head to foot and lifting up his arms fell to his knees in the mud, crying out to God. Our lady, our lady close quote,
Speaker 0 38:20 I remember that a miracle like any natural event is known either from personal observation, the testimony to others, the general rules for accepting testimony, part of miracles as to other facts of history, the evidence for miracles as for historical facts, general depends on the knowledge and veracity of the narrators. Such testimony were not free to reject otherwise. We must deny all history whatsoever if we have certain evidence for the fact we're bond accepted, we have no more rational warrant for rejecting murals than from rejecting accounts of solar eclipses. So what have we seen? We've seen only a snippet of testimonies from the witnesses of the miracle, the sun, some of who were radical anti-Catholic, some of whom were believers, all of whom were there in response and unprecedented prediction that a miracle would occur on that day in that place. At that very time, the believers were there in anticipation of seeing a miracle. They peace in anticlerical press were there, smirks firmly locked in place with great expectations of dealing with crushing blow to all these Catholic morons. There are cots published before the miracle mocking the predictions I read you accepts from two of them. There are photographs of the crowd, their testimonies written, taped and filmed from massive numbers. The 77,000 witnesses. There are distant witnesses who could not possibly be accused of being under the influence of some sort of group hypnosis. Their suggestion, the conclusion is obvious. The miracle of his son is a historical fat,
Speaker 4 39:53 pure, plain and simple.
Speaker 0 39:56 If after he considering evidence, someone still wouldn't believe the miracle scent actually happened, it's perfectly reasonable to ask him on what basis did he believe the battle of the Alamo happened. They're short 70 witnesses to that. There's an even easier question just to ask him what his birthday is and ask him on what basis does he believe that to be true because there certainly weren't 70,000 witnesses to that either. The miracle of the son and the prophecy that miracle three months in advance are verifiable historical fats and it's obvious that both the precise fulfillment of that prophecy as to the date, time and place as well. The advanced. The miracle itself can only be explained by direct acts of God himself.
Speaker 0 40:42 Let's make sure we realize how utterly amazing this is by pausing for a moment to put this event into its proper historical context. If we stand back a little and consider the entire history of the world to put the miracle as sun in context, we can see that we have five roughly comparable events, five similar miracles of absolutely incredible magnitude. There's the parting of the red sea by Moses. There's the stopping the sun and the moon, the sky by the prophet Joshua. There's the moving of the sun backwards in the sky. 10 full hours by the prophet Isaiah. There's totally clips in the sun during full moon, which is impossible. It took place at the crucifixion of our Lord
Speaker 4 41:25 and there's the miracle, the sun by our lady
Speaker 0 41:31 in the whole history of the world. There's only these miracles for those miracles are fond. The Holy Bible. Three in the old Testament, one in the new Testament, and out of those miracles, there's only one that was predicted beforehand, three months beforehand, and we still have some very old people that were alive in 1917
Speaker 1 41:52 that's Fatima. It's completely incredible.
Speaker 0 41:56 The entire history of the world, the miracle his son is an absolutely unique and unparalleled event.
Speaker 1 42:04 It's absolutely unique. She let that sink in a unique
Speaker 0 42:11 event in history. We're being told something important here. Now let's stop and ask one last very important
Speaker 1 42:20 question. Why did God perform that miracle?
Speaker 0 42:30 Now, obviously it confirms the truth that our lady was appearing to the children and had a message. So the miracle points to her message to the children, but the miracle itself wasn't some random event. God never act without a purpose. God never acts without a purpose. The miracle itself has a meaning. It's meant to tell us something. So what does the miracle me in itself? Well, in this case, the apocalyptic overtones are obvious. That's not reading Amenia to the miracle. After the fact, as we've just heard, the witnesses themselves were convinced called this the year nearly unanimous reaction to witnesses was that they were seeing the end of the world to see apocalyptic imagery in this miracle is also consistent with the tradition of the church. In that regard, a few statements by the great doctor, the church, Saint Alphonsus LA glory are well worth pondering. Saint Alphonsus here is writing. The signs appear in the heavens before judgment day and he's summarizing the teaching of fathers in regards to one line in the gospel. The powers of heaven shall be moved. I read from Saint Alphonsus another sign of the end of the world will be and the powers of heaven shall be moved. Some understand this to mean tremors in unusual movements which will occur in the heavens.
Speaker 0 43:59 That is the firmness of the heavens will seem to be lacking as it will tremble before the Lord comes to judge the world. Close quote end quote, the coming of the judge will be proceeded by fire. Fire will descend from heaven, will burn earth and all things upon their, their earth, defiled by sin must be purified by fire. Close quote Santa Francis, LA Corey tremors and unusual movements and heavens, the firmness to the heavens will seem to be lacking. I see will tremble, fire will descend from heaven. I don't know what that sounds like to you, but to me that sounds like the miracle his son. But since God never acts without a purpose, it's very fruitful to meditate on this amazing event. People are concerned with the message of our lady to the children and they should be, and we're going to spend time on that during this mission.
Speaker 0 44:52 But the miracle itself has a meaning. It's meant to tell us something. So what does it mean in itself? We'll use the scriptures as a basis for reflection who couldn't it quickly consider two aspects of these miracle. We're going to base ourselves on scripture from the second chapter of second Peter. So we're going to look at Saint Peter's second epistle in the second chapter, starting at verse five and I'm slightly bridging it. Cool. God spared not the original world, bringing the flood on the world of the ungodly and reducing the cities of the sodomites into the <inaudible>, into ashes and deliver just lot a press by injustice, lewd conversation of the wicked close quote, inspired, inerrant word of God. So in this scripture, Saint Peter speaks of God's judgment at the time of Noah and the time of Sodom and Gomorrah. So what does any of that have to do with the miracle?
Speaker 0 45:43 His son will answer that by concede two aspects of the miracle. First aspect, the parting of the clouds and the sun shooting out all the colors, the rain bolts, you have the rain pouring the clouds and close the rainbow. My personal opinion is that the downpour which suddenly seized thought immediately by declaring of the sky and the sun, then shooting out various colors. All that's meant to remind us of the great flood and rainbow. The rainbow is a visible reminder on the one hand that even if we don't understand, as long as we're faithful, like knowing his family, then even if the whole world beat SWAT up in a flood, God is merciful and will take care of us. So that's on the one hand. And on the other hand, rainbow is also a sign of what happens to men if they're evil and faithless and disobeyed God.
Speaker 0 46:28 The rainbow is the visible sign that God will never destroy the entire world with water again. And so this aspect of the miracles Metromont isn't God's judgment. That is Saint Peter said he speared out the original world when he bought the flood in on the world of the ungodly second aspect falling with the son, the father. The son is Metro minus the fire from the sky. The Saint Peter said reduced the cities in the side of mites and more rights to ashes the same time. It's also Metro remind of the fire from the sky. Both scripture and tradition tell us we'll destroy the world before our Lord comes to judge living in a dead. And so this aspect of the miracle is also meant to remind us of God's judgment. And as we've seen the witnesses themselves, we're convinced that the skin was falling. They thought they were seeing the end of the world. So the rain of the rain ball symbolize the punishment and flooded all this time and the falling of sun symbolize the fire from the sky to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. What's even more interesting is both those biblical judgments are intimately related. Well, what do you mean by that father? Both the judgment on the world during the time of Noah and the judgment and Sodom and Gomorrah intimately related. How does that work? It's easy to see. We can simply consult the ancient Jewish commentaries known as the mid rash. Now this will be edited, but in two different places. These ancient commentary stated, quote, the generation, the flood was not wiped up until they wrote marriage documents per perverse marriages.
Speaker 0 48:07 The generation of the flood is not wiped up till they wrote marriage documents for perverse marriages. In other words, the sins which provoked the great flood, the same sense which Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven. And I don't think you need me to tell you those are the same sins which we have gone all around us today. Not only approved, promoted, protected by our federal government, but by many other covenants throughout the world, including Italy in the past week isn't an industry. The sodomites have chosen the rainbow as a symbol for their movement. No, I preach for a hundred years for the great floods truck and as we know, almost no one paid any attention to his warning. The miracle. His son is a very, very clear warning from our lady to upcoming events, a wake up call with all for all those with eyes to see. But as it was the days of Noah, so it is an RJ, very few seem to be taking her warnings seriously either as we close in the hundredth anniversary of the miracle son, we should ask ourselves if anyone has paid any attention to our lady's warning.
Speaker 0 49:23 So we considered the meaning of the miracle itself. We've even briefly considered what a grave warning is in and of itself. We'll close with a brief consideration of it from the point of view of it being an unmistakable confirmation that our lady had been speaking to the children as an unbelievable, an unmistakable confirmation that our lady had indeed delivered a message to the children. God never acts that purpose, and so the miracle of his son America, as we've seen an unpredic precedent, the proportions, a miracle of literally biblical proportions is a sign that points to our court a spot towards a corresponding message on Preston proportion and that regard we'll close with a reflection from a famous mainstream Italian journalist, Antonio Sochi, in which he speaks of extraordinary character of the message. Cool Fatima has received on the part of the church, which in general is always very cautious concerning supernatural phenomenon, a recognition without equal in human history in which places is apparition and this message objectively above and beyond all the so called private revelations. All of the succeeding pulps have accredited the apparitions with official discourses, acts and pilgrimages, often invoking biblical comparisons. The third part of the secret for the entire 20th century had fed apocalyptic rumors was revealed by the Holy seat, was an official approbation that has no precedent in Christian history. In fact, all the previous apparitions contain a prophetic miss free Manatee had been made public informally without engaging authority,
Speaker 1 51:01 the church,
Speaker 0 51:04 but in the case of the third part of the secret of Fatima, the contrary is happened when after long dramatic deliberation, the public personally decided to publish the text of the certain secret. It was announced in the most Saul manner from the sanctuary of FADIMA before the Pope and the visionary by the Vatican secretary of state, who was even published on June 26 2000 the accompaniment of the theological commentary by the highest doctrinal 40 in the church next to the Pope Colonel Joseph Ratzinger prefect of the former Holy office who presented the text to the secret and his commentary and nothing less than a press conference televised worldwide. It is really impossible after all of this to continue to speak of a private revelation of the relative importance of the message. Exceptional words pronounced by John Paul. To see exactly the opposite quote the PO made by our ma Mary, our mother and Fatima is such that the whole world are told, church feels obligated to respond to the requests of our lady. The message opposes an obligation on the church.
Speaker 1 52:07 Close quote.
Speaker 0 52:10 It's really impossible after all this to continue to speak of a private revelation and of the relative importance, the message the PO made by and mother FATTOM is such, the whole church feels obligated to respond to requests of our lady. The message imposes an obligation on the church. God never acts thought a purpose, and so a miracle like this, a miracle. Absolutely. Unprecedent proportions points towards a corresponding message of unprecedented importance. The apocalyptic overtones, the miracle itself, point toward apocalyptic overtones. In the message in our last public interview, sister Wistia said, father, the most Holy Virgin is very sad because no one has paid any attention to her message.
Speaker 1 52:57 Neither good nor the bad.
Speaker 0 53:01 The good continue on that way, but without giving any importance to her message, the bad nuts seeing the punishment of God falling upon him, continue their life of sin, thought in curing up, caring about the message. But believe me, father, God will chastise the world and this will be in a terrible man. A miracle of unprecedented proportions points towards a message of unprecedented importance. The most Holy version is very sad because no one has paid any attention to a message. Neither the good nor the bad. Over the next few days, we'll meditate on that message and what it means for each one of us.
Speaker 1 53:43 <inaudible>.
