"MIRACULOUS PHOTOS" > Page 1, 2
 Elk Transmission Mediation Group |
Weeping
Icon at Bethlehem Mary Appears on Egyptian TV The Bleeding Host The Incorruptible Body of St. Bernadette Do you believe? > Page 1, 2 What Do You Think?
The Bethlehem Church of the Nativity was erected over the site where
many of the faithful believe Jesus was born over 2,000 years ago. Hanging in the
church is a painting of an
adult Jesus that some claim is shedding red tears. First noticed by a
60-year-old woman who cleans the church every morning, the miraculous tears have
subsequently been seen by scores of pilgrims to the revered site. The cleaning
woman, Sadika Hamdan, told reporters, "A light came from the column, and
the picture of the Messiah Jesus, peace be upon him, began to cry. It was
beautiful, beautiful. He opened and closed his eye and later tears fell, red
tears. At first, I was very frightened, and I wondered why Jesus was speaking
out to me, a Muslim. But I went and got the brothers, and they saw it too, and
we realized it was a miracle." Other pilgrims reported that the icon winked
at them.
Appearances
of Mary
In 1968, while American TV has filled with images from the Vietnam
War and the Chicago riots during the Democratic convention, Egyptian TV was broadcasting
live
television of what many believed was the Virgin Mary appearing atop a Coptic
church. The church had been constructed in Zeitun to commemorate the area where
Mary and Joseph had fled from Herod. Since April of 1968, visitors to the site
had seen the glowing apparition of a woman above the church at night. The image
was captured by Egyptian TV cameras. It was reported that Egyptian President
Abdul Nasser, an avowed Marxist, had personally witnessed the miracle. The
apparition was said to last from just a few minutes to as long as nine hours. Mary
again appeared in Egypt last year. For several nights in a row, witnesses
claimed, the Blessed Mother appeared at St. Mark's church in the little town of
Assiut.
Appearances
of Mary
In the Catholic faith, during the sacrament of Communion during the Mass, the Eucharist,
or wafer, and wine used in the ceremony are said to represent the body and blood
of Christ. During a mass in 1991 at a church in Betania, Venezuela, a more
literal phenomenon allegedly took place. Father Otty Ossa, chaplain of the
Betania site, where several apparitions of Mary reportedly took place, was
saying Mass in the open air chapel next to the grotto, when the host began to
bleed in his hands after the consecration. "I broke the Host into four
parts," Fr. Otty said. "When I looked down at the plate I could not
believe my eyes. I saw a red stain forming on the Host and from it a red
substance was beginning to emanate similar to the way blood spurts out in a
puncture." The event was videotaped, photographed and subject to intense
evaluation by the local church officials.
The
Body of Bernadette
The body of St.
Bernadette does not decay, according to the faithful who believe in the
miracle of "the incorruptibles" - several saints whose bodies lie
virtually unchanged since the day they died. Bernadette was born in Lourdes,
France in 1844. As a young girl she was witness to appearances of the Blessed
Mother. She later joined the Sisters of Charity of Nevers and lived in the
convent until her death in 1879. Since her death, her body was exhumed three
times and each time was seen to be perfectly preserved. The last time it was
exhumed, in 1925, there was a slight discoloration on the body, so a light wax
covering was made for her face and hands - and the body was never reburied. It
remains on display in the Chapel of the Convent of St.
Gildard at Nevers. Several
other saints belong to this group of incorruptibles and whose bodies are on
display for public view, including St. John Vianney, St. Catharine Laboure, St.
Vincent DePaul, St. Francis Xavier, St. Clair of Assisi and a few others.
> Poll: Do you believe
miracles still occur?
Share your thoughts about miracles
at the Paranormal Phenomena
Forum.
Have You Had a |
Previous Features
