10/25
I used my favorite, personal kind of curse words, but it didn't do a bit a good. Not a bit. I think they're kind of impressed that I'm ninety two and still have my mind. I am blessed to be as old as I am and I have certain things I want to do and I get to do them. My minister came yesterday and brought lilies and my sunday school class brought roses, and I'm getting a lot of petting. I have a bed that, so help me goodness, almost talks.
Let me get a drink of water right quick. I rode into Griffin on the Nancy Hanks from Atlanta, and I had a trunk and everything. The Nancy Hanks was very important because people who lived in Atlanta went on the train to go shopping and stuff that people do now in cars. Lila Penn, a friend from the church met me and took me to her home. We had met because while living in Gainsville I had been active in the youth program and she was in charge of the district youth program and she recommended me as director of the youth program and member of the church. It was a very small town and we had a fairly good membership but I was the first one to be employed other than the minister and janitor. Mr Marvin Maxwell was the minister at the time.
Mr Maxwell was young and very interested in the youth and I remember one experience: we had money to help people who needed things like clothes. One boy, a little boy, came down to the preacher and wanted to speak to him because he didn't have any shoes. They had just spent the money on other things but Mr. Maxwell went across the street and got him some shoes. Not too long the little boy went off and brought his brother who also needed some shoes and off they went, Mr. Maxwell holding his hand.
They were even talking then about the fact that the church could not grow because of limited parking space, and that the space they had then could not add on for things they wanted and it was a while of dreaming about what they could do to help they're youth. I knew the membership and they knew me, and that was a joy.
The church had a choir director and organist . One of the interesting things that happened was that one of the first sundays I was there Mr. Maxwell told them I went to Florida and told them that my name was Margaret Swetnam and how to pronounce and spell it and so forth. He also told me that whenever there was a meeting I should be there, whatever it was, and if anyone asked me to do anything I may do it.
The whole Griffin football team came to our meetings because the head boy was a member and he brought the whole team to the meetings and a lot of the girls in town it seemed too. We had wiener roasts because that's what they like to do. We would take our weiners and walk about a mile out and then walk back. We went to stone mountain and Indian Springs and a lot of different things. We were very active group.
There was another member of the team, the janitor, I mentioned her, and she had two sons, her husband was dead, and she was putting the sons through college. She was also a member, and was very brazen about sitting at my seat and calling the membership to tell them what she had that week to offer for sale. We called her Gillie. Mr. Melton, the editor of the Griffon Daily News then, came up to me and said you do the best you can with her. She sold like personal kinds of things. She also lived in an apartment house and in this house was a meeting house for the women's club, and she was a member of the club and she also cleaned it. She did a lot to take care of her boys. A lot of people didn't get along with her but she did a lot of good. The Dr. and Ms. Wilson had two daughters getting married and she did the party for them.
I stayed with Lila until I could get a place to live. I lived with Ms. Lunley on 75th street and took lunch at Ward's hotel, which was really a boarding house. Across the street from the church, a double street, behind Lynn's clothing was a little stable, there on main street behind the men's clothing store. There were no signal lights up town, there was only one blinker light out past where chick-fil-a is now.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Lucia dos Santos
However, when journalists sought out Lucia after the Vatican refused to release the Third Secret in 1960, they found it had become increasingly difficult to see her. She was forbidden not only to reveal the Secret but also to speak about the the apparitions at all. She could not, from 1960 forward, receive any visitors except close relatives.
Even her confessor of many years, Father Aparicio, who had been in Brazil for over twenty years, was not permitted to see her when he visited Portugal. He stated: "I have not been able to speak with Sister Lúcia because the Archbishop could not give the permission to meet her. The conditions of isolation in which she finds herself have been imposed by the Holy See. Consequently, no one may speak with her without a license from Rome."
More than forty years later, Lúcia remained under the imposition of silence. Only Pope John Paul II or Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) could grant the permission necessary for her to speak openly or to be visited.
On November 15, 1966 Pope Paul VI revised the Code of Canon Law, striking down canons 1399 and 2318, which among other things had prohibited and penalized the publication of any material concerning any apparitions (approved or not) without beforehand obtaining a bishop’s imprimatur. After the revision, therefore, anyone in the Church was permitted to publish freely on Marian apparitions, including those at Fatima. Yet Sister Lucia was still forbidden to reveal the Fatima Secret. She remained under an order of silence until her death in February 2005, unable to speak freely about Fatima without special permission from the Vatican.
Even her confessor of many years, Father Aparicio, who had been in Brazil for over twenty years, was not permitted to see her when he visited Portugal. He stated: "I have not been able to speak with Sister Lúcia because the Archbishop could not give the permission to meet her. The conditions of isolation in which she finds herself have been imposed by the Holy See. Consequently, no one may speak with her without a license from Rome."
More than forty years later, Lúcia remained under the imposition of silence. Only Pope John Paul II or Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) could grant the permission necessary for her to speak openly or to be visited.
On November 15, 1966 Pope Paul VI revised the Code of Canon Law, striking down canons 1399 and 2318, which among other things had prohibited and penalized the publication of any material concerning any apparitions (approved or not) without beforehand obtaining a bishop’s imprimatur. After the revision, therefore, anyone in the Church was permitted to publish freely on Marian apparitions, including those at Fatima. Yet Sister Lucia was still forbidden to reveal the Fatima Secret. She remained under an order of silence until her death in February 2005, unable to speak freely about Fatima without special permission from the Vatican.
The Miracle of the Sun
According to many witness statements, after a downfall of rain, the clouds broke and the sun appeared as an opaque, spinning disk in the sky. It was said to be significantly less bright than normal, and cast multicolored lights across the landscape, the shadows on the landscape, the people, and the surrounding clouds. The sun was then reported to have careened towards the earth in a zigzag pattern, frightening some of those present who thought it meant the end of the world. Witnesses reported that the ground and their previously wet clothes became completely dry.
Estimates of the number of witnesses range from 30,000-40,000 by Avelino de Almeida, writing for the Portuguese newspaper O Século, to 100,000, estimated by Dr. Joseph Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra, both of whom were present that day.
"As if like a bolt from the blue, the clouds were wrenched apart, and the sun at its zenith appeared in all its splendor. It began to revolve vertiginously on its axis, like the most magnificent firewheel that could be imagined, taking on all the colors of the rainbow and sending forth multi-colored flashes of light, producing the most astounding effect. This sublime and incomparable spectacle, which was repeated three distinct times, lasted for about ten minutes. The immense multitude, overcome by the evidence of such a tremendous prodigy, threw themselves on their knees." ― Dr. Formigão, a professor at the seminary at Santarem, and a priest.
Estimates of the number of witnesses range from 30,000-40,000 by Avelino de Almeida, writing for the Portuguese newspaper O Século, to 100,000, estimated by Dr. Joseph Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra, both of whom were present that day.
"As if like a bolt from the blue, the clouds were wrenched apart, and the sun at its zenith appeared in all its splendor. It began to revolve vertiginously on its axis, like the most magnificent firewheel that could be imagined, taking on all the colors of the rainbow and sending forth multi-colored flashes of light, producing the most astounding effect. This sublime and incomparable spectacle, which was repeated three distinct times, lasted for about ten minutes. The immense multitude, overcome by the evidence of such a tremendous prodigy, threw themselves on their knees." ― Dr. Formigão, a professor at the seminary at Santarem, and a priest.
Criteria for evaluating apparitions
The steps in the investigation are mandated as follows: An initial evaluation of the facts of the alleged event, based on both positive and negative criteria:
Positive Criteria
1. moral certainty (the certainty required to act morally in a situation of doubt) or at least great probability as to the existence of a private revelation at the end of a serious investigation into the case
2. evaluation of the personal qualities of the person in question (mental balance, honesty, moral life, sincerity, obedience to Church authority, willingness to practice faith in the normal way, etc.)
3. evaluation of the content of the revelations themselves (that they do not disagree with faith and morals of the Church, freedom from theological errors)
4. the revelation results in healthy devotion and spiritual fruits in people's lives (greater prayer, greater conversion of heart, works of charity that result, etc.)
Negative Criteria
1. glaring errors in regard to the facts
2. doctrinal errors attributed to God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or to the Holy Spirit in how they appear
3. any pursuit of financial gain in relation to the alleged event
4. gravely immoral acts committed by the person or those associated with the person at the time of the event
5. psychological disorders or tendencies on the part of the person or persons associated
After this initial investigation, if the occurrence meets the criteria, positive and negative, an initial cautionary permission can be granted that basically states: "for the moment, there is nothing opposed to it." This permits public participation in the devotion in regard to the alleged apparition.
Ultimately, a final judgment and determination needs to be given, giving approval or condemnation of the event.
Positive Criteria
1. moral certainty (the certainty required to act morally in a situation of doubt) or at least great probability as to the existence of a private revelation at the end of a serious investigation into the case
2. evaluation of the personal qualities of the person in question (mental balance, honesty, moral life, sincerity, obedience to Church authority, willingness to practice faith in the normal way, etc.)
3. evaluation of the content of the revelations themselves (that they do not disagree with faith and morals of the Church, freedom from theological errors)
4. the revelation results in healthy devotion and spiritual fruits in people's lives (greater prayer, greater conversion of heart, works of charity that result, etc.)
Negative Criteria
1. glaring errors in regard to the facts
2. doctrinal errors attributed to God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or to the Holy Spirit in how they appear
3. any pursuit of financial gain in relation to the alleged event
4. gravely immoral acts committed by the person or those associated with the person at the time of the event
5. psychological disorders or tendencies on the part of the person or persons associated
After this initial investigation, if the occurrence meets the criteria, positive and negative, an initial cautionary permission can be granted that basically states: "for the moment, there is nothing opposed to it." This permits public participation in the devotion in regard to the alleged apparition.
Ultimately, a final judgment and determination needs to be given, giving approval or condemnation of the event.
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