What People Are Commenting
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Our Lady in the Fire & Systematic Doubt
Systematic Doubt & the Honest Man
The quote posted at this link to the article 'All Sodomites Died When Our Lord Was Born' is one of the most powerful I have seen regarding sodomy.
Could you please post a link to the entire sermon, if it is indeed available online, so your readers can benefit from reading the other miraculous prodigies that accompanied our Lord's Nativity?
Some people I have talked to about this have expressed doubt that this was ever said by a saint and posit that a careful internet search uncovers nothing in regard to solid sources to back up this quote. Do you have any response to claims that it may not be a genuine quote?
Thank you for your cultural contribution.
E.D.M.
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TIA responds:
Hello E.D.M.,
The source we have for that quote is indirect, although a very serious one: It is from the monthly magazine Catolicismo, under the responsibility of the Bishop of Campos, Brazil, and its editor was Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, who would never publish anything that is not objective. Thus, we are very secure that the quote is authentic. We do not have the original text of St. Bonaventure's sermon, which would be the direct source.
You ask whether we have an answer to those who deny the objectivity of this quote. Yes, we have. We divide our response into two parts:
- There are some people who have a mentality of systematic doubt. They have doubts about everything you say or write. This habit of doubting everything is not actually a concern for the truth, as it would appear at the first sight; it is an intellectual and moral vice. If you write something, they contest the source; if you offer the source, they contest the translation; if you offer a photocopy of the original in Latin, for example, they may stop complaining but they do not change their minds; at the first opportunity they recommence with their objections from the starting point.
This habit of doubting every affirmation is one of the intellectual vices deriving from Protestantism. It comes from that habit of contesting every interpretation of the Bible that is presented. Deep down, it is a manifestation of pride, which does not admit anything anyone else says or writes; they only admit their own opinion. We believe it is a curse that falls over those who reject the Catholic Church as the final arbiter for the interpretation of the Scriptures.
Among those who pay tribute to this mentality, it is frequent to find persons who live in Protestant countries. It is a by-product of Protestantism that often contaminates also non-Protestants. - Other people are the opportunists, who take advantage of this mentality to put in doubt whatever harms their purposes. So, homosexuals and pro-homo supporters will play this game, not because they are concerned to find the truth or because they have this vice and mentality, but rather because they want to protect their cause from a strong argument against it.
First, we explain to you, our honest reader, who these people are so that you will not be so impressed by them;
Second, we reaffirm that the quote we presented is already good, no matter what either category of objector says: It has in its favor the appearance of truth, it gives all the necessary data to find the source and was published by serious scholars who would never disseminate lies;
Third, we assure you that if the primary source of St. Bonaventure becomes accessible to us, we will look for this sermon and quote;
Fourth, we believe that the doubts of both categories 1 and 2 are not important enough to oblige us to launch an exhaustive search for this quote, as if we are the guilty party that needs to rush to prove its point, as your question seems to imply.
Cordially,
TIA correspondence desk
Posted August 27, 2015
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The opinions expressed in this section - What People Are Commenting - do not necessarily express those of TIA
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Here is something for your edification. Please, read the news report below.
S.G.
August 24, 2015 - The events took place at the El Goloso military base, located near the Spanish capital, seat of the nation’s armored infantry brigade “Guadarrama.” According to several Spanish news sites, including Infovaticana and Religión en Libertad, a fire broke out that was impossible to control, burning most of the surrounding vegetation.
Once the flames were extinguished, to the soldiers’ surprise, in the middle of the charred area, stood a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes – totally undamaged! What’s more, the soldiers were shocked to see that the grass near the statue had not been touched by the flames and that it was even still surrounded by vases filled with flowers, also intact, as if the flames had respected the space around the statue.
The fire took place on July 30, in the middle of the heat wave that had descended upon Spain. The soldiers could not explain why the statue had suffered no damage or why the flowers had not even been blackened or withered by the heat. The story quickly spread though social networks, some suspecting a fraud, but further investigations have dispelled all possible doubts. In the photographs, one can easily see that the ground is completely burnt, except near the statue.
Indeed, for the most part, the soldiers on the base did not know that there was a statue of the Virgin in their garden. However, some of them who had a special devotion to Mother Mary had recommended themselves to this representation of Our Lady of Lourdes. And, the statue had already participated in official ceremonies at the military base.
The local authorities’ investigation seems sufficient to clarify the natural aspects of the event. There are realities that human knowledge cannot understand but that faith explains. And human science and faith, working together, offer some explanation.
Still, this story reveals Our Lady’s special protection of this statue, however simple and unpretentious. And everyone can learn a lesson from this. Unexpected events may occur that set fire to a world full of threats and evils. In the near future, in the midst of disasters that we cannot even imagine, Our Lady – especially Our Lady of Lourdes – will go through them, fearless and untouched, with the symbols of the devotion of the faithful. And those who believe, even if they are a minority discredited by the atheist or unbelieving majority, will be recognized amid the tragedy as Heaven’s beloved children.
English original here.