[Magdalen] Images and words about Mary

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

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On Sat, Jan 30, 2016 at 4:15 PM, Ian Gomersall <ian.gomersall at gmail.com>
 wrote:

> I don't worry too much about the words and titles given to Mary - some find
> them helpful, others don't.


Very well put. Such appellations are opinions. That is just fine.  Let the
other have their opinions in peace. We don't have to believe them if we
don't wish to.

Mary, whatever she is, is obviously one to reckon with, judging from the
number of times (they are considerable) she has shown up to talk with
ordinary people.  I don't understand it at all, but something powerful
happened to Bernadette Soubirous, and something obviously happened to Juan
Diego, and there are many other witnesses.

Friends of mine traveled to Medjugorje just to be at that site, and they
brought me back a small crucifix which I wore for years.

When I was in the army stationed in Germany, I traveled to France to visit
with the parents of my sister-in-law who resided in Pau, a city not too far
from Lourdes, as it turns out.  They were passionately anti-religious, so a
comment of the father took me by surprise. After the usual criticism of the
religious sensationalism going on at Lourdes all the time, he commented,
"But, you know, it seems that at least every year a case of healing,
completely unexplainable comes from there." Like Tacitus' affirmation of
Jesus' existence*, this is a pretty strong affirmation that something major
is going on at Lourdes.

*Tacitus was no friend of Christians, so his affirmation is a powerful
witness.

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
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