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Unexplainable Miracles in Catholicism                                                                                        85






           Miracles In Catholicism                       Jesus around the time of his crucifixion when it nine on her head evoking the crown of thorns,
                                                         was either wiped across his face or placed over wounds to her hands, and marks across her back
              No One Can Explain                         it before his resurrection.                      as if from flogging. Neumann also had visions
                                                                Catholic media alleges there is no paint and went into trances. The marks on her body,
                                                         on the piece of silk, and the image of Jesus on 45 in all, were still present when she died in
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                                                         the veil supposedly matches the face on the 1962.
                                                         Shroud of  Turin, which some consider
                                                         confirmation of the miraculous nature of both Neumann had also stopped eating food in 1922
        The Shroud Of Turin                              items.                                           and gave up most water from 1926 onward;

                                                                                                          instead, she claimed to require Holy
        The Shroud of  Turin is supposedly the burial    Miracles Of Levitation                           Communion on a daily basis to survive. In 1927,
        cloth of Jesus Christ, imprinted with his face.                                                   she underwent 15 days of observation ordered
        Centuries have passed since the Shroud was                                                        by an archbishop to corroborate her claims. A
                                                         Ordained as a priest in 1628 and seen as an
        discovered and the Church sought to confirm it   eccentric, Guiseppe Desa of Cupertino allegedly  group of four nuns trained as nurses, psychiatrist
        once held Jesus. Residing in the Cathedral of St.                                                 Dr. Ewald, and physician Dr. Seidl kept track of
                                                         levitated for the first time in 1630 during a
        John the Baptist in Italy, the Shroud has
                                                         procession for St. Francis of Assisi. After his  everything she ingested as well as weight
        undergone carbon dating, textile examinations,                                                    measurements and found that Neumann did
                                                         inaugural flight, Desa began uncontrollably
        identification of the material staining the cloth,                                                indeed appear to subsist on her daily Eucharist.
                                                         levitating during Mass or while attempting to
        and multiple other fields of scientific testing. As  perform other actions. He also had visions and      A study published in 2006 determined
        of 2018, scientists assert the unlikelihood that                                                  that compresses allegedly soaked in Neumann's
                                                         gained the attention of the Catholic Church,
        the Shroud of  Turin ever held Jesus, while
                                                         which led to an inquisition.                     blood during a stigmata occurrence were
        Catholic media claims it is real.                                                                 legitimate, based on DNA matching with blood
                                                                The Church found nothing satanic about
               In July 2009, the site Catholic Culture                                                    samples from Neumann's niece, though this did
                                                         Desa's floating exploits and recognized him as
        claimed the phrase "king of the Jews" found on   St. Joseph in 1767, more than 100 years after his  not confirm the cause of Neumann's wounds.
        the Shroud proves its authenticity. Jewish                                                        Several factors - including the diagnosis of
                                                         death. Several other individuals canonized as
        scientist Barrie Schwortz - who served on the
                                                         saints supposedly levitated during their lives -  hysteria from Neumann's doctor - led to a study
        1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project - told the                                                  in 2008 that diagnosed the alleged mystic with a
                                                         St. Padre Pio, St. Francis, and St.  Teresa of
        Catholic News Agency in 2015 that "the only                                                       form of dissociative disorder. []
                                                         Avila, to name a few.
        way [the image could be produced] is by some            Desa was said to have a learning
        interaction between cloth and body... it can’t be
                                                         disability in his early years; Father Dwight
        projected."
                                                         Longnecker wrote about Desa, saying, "Even if
               The same research panel released
                                                         he had never levitated, he flew. He was raised up
        findings in 1979 arguing the liquid on the
                                                         because that's the gospel principle: God raises
        Shroud was not blood. In addition, carbon dating  up the lowly." Others who believe St. Joseph
        of the cloth provided a timeline between 1260
                                                         truly did hover above the ground point to
        and 1390 CE; Jesus is thought to have died
                                                         research that the Casimir effect allows two
        between 29 and 36 CE. A study published in July
                                                         objects placed close together to create a small
        2018 sought to re-create the body position
                                                         force of energy, leading to a reverse attraction
        needed to mark the fabric as it exists and found  that can look like levitation.
        it was impossible. How the Shroud came to be is
        still not clear.
                                                         The Prophecies Of St. Malachy

        The Star Of Bethlehem
                                                         Born in 1094 in Ireland, St. Malachy was
                                                         Archbishop     of   Armagh.     He    received
        The Star of Bethlehem, which led the magi to
                                                         canonization as a saint from Pope Clement III in
        the newborn Christ in the Bible, is a miracle to
                                                         1190 - a first for an Irish person. During his life,
        all sects of Christianity - not just Catholicism.
                                                         St. Malachy revealed multiple prophecies about
        Debate remains concerning the exact source of    the identity of future popes. According to his
        the star, though. Some believe God created and
                                                         visions, Benedict XVI is the next-to-last pope
        sent the star to guide the wise men to the manger
                                                         before the world ends, as determined via titles
        where Mary gave birth, while others think it's
                                                         St. Malachy provided. For example, De Labore
        nothing more than a symbolic representation of
                                                         Solis translates to "eclipse" or "labor of the
        hope. Certain biblical theories suggest the star  Sun," and scholars believe that fits Pope John
        was an angel, whereas science hypothesizes it
                                                         Paul II in part because his birth coincided with
        could have been a supernova or rare alignment
                                                         an eclipse.
        of planets.
                                                                Some believe the books and writings
               Astronomer Mark R. Kidger wrote The
                                                         outlining the visions of St. Malachy were altered
        Star of Bethlehem:  An  Astronomer's  View,      when first published in 1559, and then again in
        where he laid out his theory that it was an
                                                         1969 and 1973. Many others - including
        exceedingly bright nova star. He dates the nova's
                                                         religious scholars - think the prophecies are
        appearance to March in the year 5 BCE.
                                                         outright false. Regardless, the conclaves
        Astronomer Frank J. Tipler also believes the star
                                                         responsible for choosing new popes often still
        was a nova. According to Hayden Planetarium      read St. Malachy's prophecies.
        lecturer Joe Rao, Jesus Christ is thought to have
        been born sometime after 4 BCE, and the star
                                                         Therese Neumann's Stigmata
        appeared between 7 and 2 BCE.
                                                         Therese Neumann was a supposed mystic,
        The Holy Face Of Manoppello
                                                         healer, and stigmatic who lived in Germany
                                                         from 1898 until her death in 1962. She
        The Holy Face of Manoppello refers to a piece
                                                         experienced nervous shock, hysterical bouts of
        of sea silk - considered impossible to paint on -
                                                         blindness and paralysis, and digestive problems
        bearing the face of Jesus Christ. Also known as  after an accident during a fire in 1918. In 1926,
        the  Veil of  Veronica, the piece residing in
                                                         stigmata supposedly appeared on her body in
        Manoppello, Italy, allegedly took on the face of
                                                         multiple places over several weeks, including
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