The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 392

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller
pope-francis2-300x187

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 19 December 2021 to 29 December 2021.

Angelus

General Audiences

Homilies

Letters

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “This is the lesson of #Christmas: humility is the great condition for faith, for the spiritual life and for holiness. May the Lord grant it to us as a gift.” @Pontifex, 23 December 2021
  • “Let us allow ourselves to be evangelized by the humility of #Christmas, of the manger, of the poverty and simplicity with which the Son of God entered the world. Let us allow ourselves to be evangelized by the humility of the Child Jesus.” @Pontifex, 23 December 2021
  • “Dear sister or brother, if as in Bethlehem, the darkness of night overwhelms you, if the hurt you carry inside cries out ”You are worthless“, tonight God responds and tells you: “I love you just as you are. I became little for you. Trust me and open your heart to me”. #Christmas” @Pontifex, 24 December 2021
  • “For it to be truly #Christmas, let us not forget this: God comes to be with us and asks us to take care of our brothers and sisters, especially the poorest, the weakest, the most fragile, whom the pandemic risks marginalising even more.” @Pontifex, 24 December 2021
  • “Tonight a light has been lit, a kindly light, reminding us that in our littleness, we are beloved sons and daughters, children of the light. Let us rejoice together, for no one will ever put out this light, the light of Jesus, who tonight shines brightly in our world. #Christmas” @Pontifex, 24 December 2021
  • “The Word became flesh in order to dialogue with us. God does not desire to carry on a monologue, but a dialogue. By the coming of Jesus, the Person of the Word made flesh, into our world, God showed us the way of encounter and dialogue. https://vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/urbi/documents/papa-francesco_20211225_urbi-et-orbi-natale.html…” @Pontifex, 25 December 2021
  • “This is what we should ask Jesus for at #Christmas: the grace of littleness. “Lord, teach us to love littleness. Help us to understand that littleness is the way to authentic greatness”.” @Pontifex, 25 December 2021
  • “Jesus is born close to the forgotten ones on the peripheries. He comes to ennoble the excluded and He is first revealed to them: not to educated and important people, but to the shepherds, to poor working people. #Christmas” @Pontifex, 25 December 2021
  • “As the message of the birth of the Saviour, the source of true peace, resounds in the whole world, we continue to witness a great number of conflicts, crises and disagreements. Let us implore God to stir up in the hearts of everyone a yearning for reconciliation and fraternity.” @Pontifex, 25 December 2021
  • “Christ “dwells” in your marriage and he is always waiting for you to open your hearts to him, so that he can sustain you, by the power of his love. Our human love is weak; it needs the strength of Jesus’ faithful love. #LetterToMarriedCouples” @Pontifex, 26 December 2021
  • “Dear married couples throughout the world! In this “Amoris Laetitia Family” Year, I am writing to express my deep affection and closeness to you at this very special time. #LetterToMarriedCouples Letter” @Pontifex, 26 December 2021
  • “Please, each day, let us pray a little bit together to ask God for the gift of peace. And let us all commit ourselves – parents children, Church, society – to sustain, defend and safeguard the family! #HolyFamily” @Pontifex, 26 December 2021
  • “Let us embrace Jesus in the little ones of today, love Him in the least of our brothers and sisters, serve Him in the poor. They are most like Jesus who was born poor. It is in them that He wants to be honoured. #ChristmasSeason” @Pontifex, 27 December 2021
  • “The new Herods of our time devour the innocence of our children under the oppression of illegal slave labour, prostitution, exploitation, wars and forced emigration. Let us #PrayTogether today for these children and defend them. #HolyInnocents” @Pontifex, 28 December 2021
  • “Saint Joseph, you who have experienced the suffering of those who must flee to save the lives of their loved ones, protect all those who flee because of war, hatred, hunger. Guide their steps and open the hearts of those who can help them. Let us #PrayTogether #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 29 December 2021

Papal Instagram

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Book Review – ‘Introduction to the Spiritual Life’ by Brant Pitre
Book Review

Book Review – ‘Introduction to the Spiritual Life’ by Brant Pitre

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

Introduction to the Spiritual Life: Walking the Path of Prayer with Jesus

As a fan of all of Brant Pitre’s books, his online efforts, and his work with others—I was intrigued that he had taken up this subject. I had wondered how he would provide an introduction to a topic so much has been written on.

I was not surprised to find how well his knowledge of the Old Testament and Jewish practices enlightened this book. This is an exciting meld of the discussion of the spiritual life and how to advance in it—mixed in with looking at the development of prayer for the Jewish people. We are given a list of well-selected quotes at the start of a chapter and sometimes also before a significant section in that chapter. For me, there was a lot to highlight and think about.

I especially liked the scriptural exegesis with the source of practices and various etymologies. I find them helpful in seeing past what we have accepted and become immune to when we need to be shaken up and remember what a tremendous gift prayer is – to converse with our very maker.

Most of this book concentrates on the Purgative Way, the first part of the spiritual life. There is a discussion regarding the Illuminative Way and the Unitive Way. Still, this book can be beneficial for beginners and those who want to go deeper into the spiritual life.

I also really liked the various tables showing comparisons in scripture and the parallels that are often intended, but many of us miss. In this regard, his later chapter on “Lectio Divina and Jacob’s Ladder” is phenomenal. I was thinking of these comparisons while at Mass, and not in a distracting way.

There are four sections:
– Prayer
– The Spiritual Path
– Vices and Virtues
– Making Progress

I found, for myself, “Vices and Virtues” to be especially helpful with the distinctions made. Some things I had lumped together or not understood became clarified for me.

This is a book that I will return to. I also bought the Audible version, which I have not yet listened to.

Michael Lofton, who hosts the Reason & Theology podcast, interviewed Brant Pitre regarding this book. Introduction to the Spiritual Life – Dr. Brant Pitre – Reason and Theology

Reason & Theology is a podcast I had only started listening to over the last year, and it has quickly become one of my favorites.

1 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 391

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller
pope-francis2-300x187

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 8 December 2021 to 22 December 2021.

Angelus

General Audiences

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Each of life’s stages is a time to believe, hope and love.” @Pontifex, 17 December 2021
  • “Let us look into the eyes of the discarded people we meet, let us be provoked by the faces of children, the children of desperate migrants. Let us allow ourselves to be moved by their suffering in order to react to our indifference. #MigrantsDay” @Pontifex, 18 December 2021
  • “The first act of charity we can do for our neighbour is to offer a serene and smiling face. It is to bring them the joy of Jesus, as Mary did with Elizabeth. #GospelOfTheDay” @Pontifex, 19 December 2021
  • “I express my closeness to the population of the Philippines, struck by a strong typhoon that has caused many deaths and destroyed so many homes. May the “Santo Niño” bring consolation and hope to the families of those most affected. #PrayTogether” @Pontifex, 19 December 2021
  • “The #Christmas tree is a symbol of rebirth, God’s gift by which He is united forever to humanity. He gives us His life. The lights on the fir tree recall the light of Jesus, the light of love that continues to shine in the world’s nights.” @Pontifex, 20 December 2021
  • “The Season of #Advent is meant for us to stop and ask ourselves how to prepare for #Christmas. We are so busy with all the preparations, with gifts and things that pass. But let us ask ourselves what we should do for Jesus and for others!” @Pontifex, 21 December 2021
  • “Let’s choose a concrete commitment, however small, that’s adapted to our situation in life, and let’s continue to do it to prepare ourselves for #Christmas: call a person who is alone, visit that elderly or ill person, do something to serve a poor person, someone in need. #Advent” @Pontifex, 21 December 2021
  • “Jesus is the name and the face of the love of God who came to dwell among us. I hope that each of you might have the desire of seeking Him and the joy of finding Him this #Christmas.” @Pontifex, 22 December 2021
  • “There are many local Churches, religious congregations and Catholic organizations who are ready to welcome and accompany migrants toward a fruitful integration. All that is needed is an open door!” @Pontifex, 22 December 2021

Papal Instagram

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Suffering from the Church
Theology

Suffering from the Church

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

“It’s to feel the contemporary situation at the ultimate level. I think that the Church is the only thing that is going to make the terrible world we are coming to endurable; the only thing that makes the Church endurable is that it is somehow the body of Christ and that on this we are fed. It seems to be a fact that you have to suffer as much from the Church as for it but if you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.” Flannery O’Connor (Habit of Being)

Just to emphasize:

“It seems to be a fact that you have to suffer as much from the Church as for it but if you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.”

Gee, I wonder why I am thinking about suffering from the Church. Still, this puts this into contextual reality. I will focus on gratitude to God.

Earlier today I read this from Brant Pitre.

“In fact, the word “patience” (Latin patientia) comes from the same root as “suffer” (Latin pati).”

From: Introduction to the Spiritual Life (p. 192)

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Aquinas on Peace
Saints

Aquinas on Peace

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

From Aquinas’ Commentary on Romans regarding verse 2:10.

204. Second, he shows this in regard to the good: first, he repeats the two things mentioned above, namely, glory and honor, but the third, namely, peace, he mentions instead of immortality, which includes peace among many other things.

For a man’s peace cannot be complete as long as he fears he might lose the good things he has; rather, one has true peace of heart when he has everything he desires and no fear of losing them: my people will abide in a peaceful habitation (Isa 32:18).

I read this earlier this week and it has stuck with me. It made me realize that true peace can only be found in the love of God. This can never be taken from you. Everything else is changeable and it can fail us or we can lose those good things we have. God is unchangeable and in whom we can place all our trust without disappointment. At least if we truly trust even when we cannot understand.

Realizing this is one thing. Living it is another.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Retreading Homilies
HumorLiturgy

Retreading Homilies

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

I was reading a post from a priest concerned that his homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent was exploring similar themes from 3 years ago.

I do not think priests need to worry about retreading homilies.

First off, if most people are like me, five minutes after we hear a homily we have forgotten it. Priests have the charism of forgetting what people said in the confessional and the laity can do the same with homilies – even a well-crafted one.

Secondly, those in the pew are much like a river where you can never step into the same place. Often something that passes you by one day strikes you on another.

“If you look at a thing 999 times, you are perfectly safe; if you look at it for the 1000th time, you are in danger of seeing it for the first time.” G.K. Chesterton (The Napoleon of Notting Hill)

As to my first point, even if made in jest, there is a reality to it. Still not being able to recall the details of a homily is not the same as not hearing it. I have often been frustrated in reading books and finding that so many of the details have now escaped me. At least this was true until I realized that this was not the same thing as this being a waste of time. There is much that we internalize and process that we are unaware of. We are not made of the stuff of constant epiphanies. It takes time and reprocessing what we know into how we live.

Now as to bad homilies, by all means, retire those.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 390

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller
pope-francis2-300x187

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 6 December 2021 to 15 December 2021.

Angelus

General Audiences

Letters

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “We’re all called to contribute courageously and decisively to respect everyone’s basic rights, especially of those who are ‘invisible’: the hungry and thirsty, the naked, the sick, strangers or prisoners, those living on the margins or are discarded from society. #HumanRightsDay” @Pontifex, 10 December 2021
  • “God never tires of waiting for us. When we turn away, He comes to look for us; when we fall, He picks us up; when we return to Him after losing our way, He waits for us with open arms. His love is always gives us the courage to start anew.” @Pontifex, 11 December 2021
  • “Today I would like to extend my best wishes to Caritas Internationalis on its 70th anniversary. May you continue to witness to and incarnate the love of the Church for the poor and the most vulnerable all over the world! @iamcaritas” @Pontifex, 12 December 2021
  • ““What should we do?” (Lk. 3:10). With this question, the #GospelOfTheDay reminds us that life has a task for us. Life is a gift that the Lord grants us, saying to us: discover who you are, and work hard to make the dream that is your life come true!” @Pontifex, 12 December 2021
  • “Let us #PrayTogether for dear Ukraine, so that the tensions be resolved through dialogue, not with weapons. I am saddened that this year more weapons were produced than last year. Weapons are not the way. May this year’s celebration of the Lord’s Birth bring peace to Ukraine.” @Pontifex, 12 December 2021
  • “Life is a time for making decisive, eternal choices. Trivial choices lead to a trivial life; great choices to a life of greatness. In fact, we become what we choose. If we choose God, we grow daily in his love, and if we choose to love others, we find true happiness.” @Pontifex, 13 December 2021
  • “#Advent invites us to prepare ourselves for Christmas, welcoming Jesus without fear. If we open wide the doors of our life, everything takes on a new light and our family, work, suffering, health, friendship, become opportunities to discover His consoling presence.” @Pontifex, 14 December 2021
  • “As we draw near to #Christmas, let us learn from Saint Joseph how to cultivate spaces for silence in which another Word can emerge, that of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 15 December 2021
  • “In the past few hours there has been a devastating explosion in #Haiti in which many people, including children, lost their lives. I am close to the families of the victims, as well as the injured. Let us #PrayTogether for these our brothers and sisters who are so sorely tried.” @Pontifex, 15 December 2021

Papal Instagram

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 389

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller
pope-francis2-300x187

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 20 November 2021 to 8 December 2021.

Angelus

Homilies

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “The way of peace, which reconciles conflicts and regenerates fraternity, is marked by dialogue. We ought to help one another to believe in the patient and unassuming power of dialogue. I is not an easy road, but there is no other way to achieve reconciliation. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 2 December 2021
  • “The Beatitudes are the perennial charter of Christianity, the compass that indicates the routes that Christians must take in the voyage of life. When they are lived out, the Gospel becomes youthful and fills society with fresh hope. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 2 December 2021
  • “We are brothers and sisters, loved by a single Father. We need to work together to build a future worthy of humanity, to overcome divisions and work for unity. We need to welcome and integrate one another, and to walk together as brothers and sisters, all of us! #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 2 December 2021
  • “Like the blind men in the #GospelOfTheDay, we are like wayfarers immersed in darkness. The first thing to do is go to Jesus: He alone is the true light that illumines every person, the one who gives abundant light and love., who alone frees the heart from evil. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 3 December 2021
  • “It is the Lord Jesus whom we meet in the faces of our marginalized and discarded brothers and sisters, in the migrant who is despised, rejected, put in a cage, but also in the migrant journeying toward hope, toward a better human life. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 3 December 2021
  • “Dear brothers and sister with #disabilities, the Pope and the Church are near you in a special way, with affection and tenderness. All of us together are Church because Jesus chose to be our friend. Message” @Pontifex, 3 December 2021
  • “We need enlightened Christians, who with consoling gestures and words, kindle the light of hope amid the darkness, who sow the seeds of the Gospel in the parched fields of everyday life and bring warmth to the wastelands of suffering and poverty. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 3 December 2021
  • “The Holy Spirit desires that Orthodox and Catholics humbly and respectfully draw near to one another again. He invites us not to grow resigned to past divisions and to cultivate together the field of the Kingdom with patience, perseverance and concrete gestures. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 3 December 2021
  • “Our Church is mother, and a mother always gathers her children tenderly. Let us put our trust in this Mother Church who gathers all of us and who patiently, tenderly and courageously leads us forward on our journey in the Lord. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 3 December 2021
  • “We, as the Church, are asked to be yeast that leavens patiently in hiding within the dough of the world, thanks to the Holy Spirit. The secret of the Kingdom of God is found in the little things, things that are often unseen and don’t make noise. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 4 December 2021
  • “This is the attitude of a true apostle: to go confidently forward, preferring the uncertainty of unexpected situations rather than force of habit. This courage is born from confident trust in God’s greatness who loves to work through our lowliness. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 4 December 2021
  • “Today, the Spirit is calling us to heal humanity’s wounds with the oil of love. May we, Catholics and Orthodox together, develop forms of cooperation in charity to serve the men and women of our time and to bring them the consolation of the Gospel. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 4 December 2021
  • “Let us implore the Spirit of communion to spur us to follow his lead and to help us base communion not on calculations, strategies and expedience, but on the one model to which we must look: the Most Holy Trinity. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 4 December 2021
  • “This country can be called the memory of Europe and I am happy to visit it. From this cradle of civilization, may there ever continue to resound a message that lifts our gaze both on high and towards others. #ApostolicJourney #Greece Speech” @Pontifex, 4 December 2021
  • “I would like to encourage a communitarian vision on the issue of migration, that attention be paid to those in greatest need, so that, in proportion to each country’s means, they will be welcomed, protected, promoted and integrated, in respect for their human rights and dignity.” @Pontifex, 4 December 2021
  • “Migrant sisters and brothers, I am here on Lesvos to say I am near you, to look into your eyes full of fear and expectancy, eyes that have seen violence and poverty, eyes streaked by too many tears. Magration is a humanitarian crisis that concerns everyone. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 5 December 2021
  • “The future will be prosperous only if it is reconciled with those who are the weakest. When we reject the poor, we reject peace. History teaches us that narrow self-interest and nationalism lead to disastrous consequences. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 5 December 2021
  • “Let’s look at the faces of the children. They challenge and ask us: “What kind of world do you want to give us?” Let’s not hastily turn away from the shocking pictures of their tiny bodies lying lifeless on the beaches. Let’s stop this shipwreck of civilization. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 5 December 2021
  • “I beg all of you, let’ss stop this shipwreck of civilization! Speech” @Pontifex, 5 December 2021
  • “In our lives, there will always be times when we get the impression that we are in a desert. Yet it is precisely there that the Lord makes his presence felt with words of closeness, compassion and tenderness: “Do not fear, for I am with you” (Is 41:10). #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 5 December 2021
  • “Let us ask for the grace to believe that with God things really do change, that he will banish our fears, heal our wounds, turn our arid places into springs of water. Let us ask for the grace of that hope, that revives our faith and rekindles our charity. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 5 December 2021
  • “In Greek, there is an illuminating saying: o fílos ine állos eaftós, “a friend is another self”. Yes, other people are the path to discovering ourselves. Good decisions are always about others, not just about ourselves. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 6 December 2021
  • “I thank you most heartily for the welcome I received in Cyprus and Greece. Thanks to everyone who collaborated in this #ApostolicJourney! Efcharistó! I will carry you in my memory and in my prayers.” @Pontifex, 6 December 2021
  • “In this Season of #Advent, let us ask the Lord, through the fatherly intercession of Saint Joseph, to remain always like sentinels in the night, attentive to see the light of Christ in our poorest brothers and sisters.” @Pontifex, 7 December 2021
  • “In her humility, Mary she knows she receives everything from God. Therefore, free from herself, she is completely turned toward God and others. #MaryImmaculate does not look on herself. This is true humility: not looking on oneself, but looking toward God and others.” @Pontifex, 8 December 2021

Papal Instagram

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Book Review: Behold it is I – Scripture, Tradition, and Science on the Real Presence
Book Review

Book Review: Behold it is I – Scripture, Tradition, and Science on the Real Presence

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

Christ is really present in the Holy Eucharist! And therefore, the Holy Eucharist is the greatest gift in this world. But many have lost faith in Christ’s presence at every Mass. This compelling book provides the most convincing proofs for the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist from Scripture, Tradition, and scientific investigations of Eucharistic miracles. Accompanied by Church Fathers Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons and Cyril of Jerusalem, Fr. George Elliott leads the reader to an encounter with our Lord like a first century Christian. Dr. Stacy Transacos analyzes the popular Eucharistic miracles reported in Bolsena and Lanciano, Italy, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a twenty-first-century chemist’s objectivity. Together, Fr. Elliott and Dr. Trasancos lead you from the burning faith of the saints to the light of the Gospels, to modern science, and right back to the Word. With well researched details and thought provoking questions at the end of each chapter, this book will convict and empower you to evangelize to the world that the Holy Eucharist is not a symbol but truly flesh, bone, hands, and feet. “Behold,” Christ said, “It is I.”

Behold It is I by Stacy Trasancos Ph.D and Father George Elliott is more than just another summation of evidence on the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist. The third part of this book also looks at some of the evidence from the perspective of science by looking at miracles and discussing some specific Eucharistic miracles.

In “Part 1: What Does the Bible Say?” They look at the Old Testament, The Institution Narratives, The Gospel of John, and then scripture related to after the crucifixion.

In Part 2, they go into four of some of the earlier Church Father’s is separate chapters.

I liked the focused way they presented all three parts of this book. I especially appreciated when going into texts; they were not just proof-texting from limited sections but more extended sections. For example, when discussing Chapter 6 of John, they have you read the whole chapter as presented in the book to see the entire context before diving in. There is a lot of attention to detail here in giving the information.

I found the Review/Summary at the end of each chapter especially useful. Helpful to memorize the information and use it as a resource.

The review/summary includes:
– Key Ideas
– Good Facts to Memorize
– Effective Questions to Ask When Discussing the Real Presence

Each section is also extensively footnoted.

If this book only contained the first two chapters, it would have been worth buying.

The main reason I had bought this book was that I had read Stacy Trasancos other books and knew I wanted to see her perspective regarding the science of Eucharistic miracles. Her background includes being a research chemist for DuPont. She is a convert from atheism and holds a doctorate in chemistry and a master’s degree in dogmatic science.

The chapter on “Miracles and Transubstantiation” is an excellent primer on the subject that makes careful distinctions as it enters the realm of theology, philosophy, and science. There is so much to think about here as she answers some anticipated questions and some less so—a great introduction to the subject of miracles in general.

The following chapters cover:
– Eucharistic miracle that occurred in Bolsena, Italy, in 1263
– The more recent Buenos Aires series of Eucharistic miracles in the 1990s.
– The Lanciano Report of the Eucharistic miracle occurred in the eighth century.

This section is a fascinating look at the scientific evidence for these fairly well-known cases. However, Stacy Trasancos is cautious about what the science can confirm regarding previous investigations.

One of the problems is that so many accounts of these miracles have been inaccurate, and the evidence does not fully support conclusions drawn. Some pieces of evidence point to these cases being miraculous, but it is not the slam dunk popularly presented. Moreover, there are aspects to these stories that are either mistaken or open to other interpretations. What I found especially interesting is how vital the chain of evidence is regarding contamination.

Perhaps for future Eucharistic miracles there could be a protocol for a congregation or celebrant to follow if someone sees a Host bleed or become tissue or the wine becomes physiological blood. At that point, the Vatican should convene a team of scientists and doctors to write a plan detailing how to collect and store the sample, where to send the samples for the same testing each time, who to include in the analysis, and how to report the results compared to a bank of data.

We need a “CSI: Eucharistic Miracle” (CSI being Communion Scene Investigation)

One of the questions I have heard people often ask is why don’t we use scientific evidence of Eucharistic Miracles more to make our case to non-Catholics? If we do so, we need to strongman our case and present only factual data to make our case. These Eucharistic miracles can be used to make a cumulative case in conjunction with scripture and the Church Fathers. I have learned a lot from Jimmy Akin regarding applying critical thinking skills to subjects. So I admire Stacy Trasancos for doing the same and only going as far as the current evidence supports.

One final note. If you like ebooks, I recommend you buy the ebook directly from Tan Books Behold It is I. Since their ebooks do not have Digital Rights Management, I copied extensively from the book into my notes.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 388

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller
pope-francis2-300x187

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 17 November 2021 to 1 December 2021.

Angelus

Apostolic Letter

General Audiences

Messages

Papal Tweets

  • “Let us not to forget to thank God. If we are bearers of gratitude, the world itself will become better, even if only a little bit, but that is enough to transmit a bit of hope. Everything is united and connected, and each one can do their part wherever they are. #Thanksgiving” @Pontifex, 25 November 2021
  • “The prayer of adoration is the prayer that makes us recognize God as the beginning and the end of all of History. And this prayer is the living flame of the Spirit that gives strength to witness and to mission.” @Pontifex, 26 November 2021
  • “Let us be fearless amid the messy situations all around us, because that is where the Lord is, in our midst; God continues to perform his miracle of bringing forth good fruit (Jn 15:5). Christian joy is born precisely of this certainty.” @Pontifex, 27 November 2021
  • “I thank all those who are committed to alleviating their suffering. Let us remember migrants, their suffering and #PrayTogether.” @Pontifex, 28 November 2021
  • “I feel sorrow thinking about those who died crossing the English Channel, those on the borders of Belarus, many of whom are children, those who drown in the Mediterranean, those who are repatriated to North Africa and forced into servitude.” @Pontifex, 28 November 2021
  • “Even during these days so many migrants are exposed to very serious dangers, and so many lose their lives at our borders!” @Pontifex, 28 November 2021
  • “In the #GospelOfTheDay, Jesus exhorts us to be vigilant: not to allow our hearts to become lazy. We cannot be ”sleepy Christians“ without spiritual fervor, with our intensity in prayer, without passion for the Gospel.” @Pontifex, 28 November 2021
  • “Our life becomes beautiful when we wait for a dear one or someone important. May this #Advent help us transform our hope into the certainty that He whom we await loves us and will never abandon us.” @Pontifex, 28 November 2021
  • “Service makes our talents bear fruit and gives meaning to our lives. Those who do not live to serve, serve for little in this life.” @Pontifex, 29 November 2021
  • “Let us #PrayTogether for catechists, called to announce the Word of God: that they may be courageous and creative witnesses through the power of the Holy Spirit. #PrayerIntention” @Pontifex, 30 November 2021
  • “Today is World #AIDS day. Let us #PrayTogether for the many people who are affected by this syndrome. In some areas of the world, access to the necessary treatment is not available for many of them. Let us commit ourselves to guarantee fair and effective health care.” @Pontifex, 1 December 2021
  • “It’s often difficult to move from the logic of falling in love to the logic of mature love. To love is not the pretension that life should correspond to our imagination. Rather, it means to choose in complete freedom to take responsibility for life as it comes.” @Pontifex, 1 December 2021
  • “Tomorrow I will go to Cyprus and Greece to visit the dear populations of these countries rich in history, spirituality and civilization. It will be a journey to the sources of apostolic faith and fraternity among Christians of various confessions. Accompany me with your prayer!” @Pontifex, 1 December 2021

Papal Instagram

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Newer Posts
Older Posts