God

"The Shroud is a reality that concerns everyone. The Shroud image that Turin has preserved for almost five centuries testifies to pain and death, but also to resurrection and eternal life."

"(About the radiocarbon dating) All the sindonologists in the world, and there are hundreds of them, had contested that absurd verdict. Only those who had conducted the analyses persisted in defending it, obviously together with those who denied its authenticity, people who have a preconceived rejection of the Shroud, out of partisanship. Among the Sindonologists there are many scientists, including non-Catholics, who had judged the angle of the sample to be unrepresentative of the entire shroud due to the manipulations it had undergone, in addition to all the other vicissitudes experienced by the relic. Among the various studies conducted on the subject, that of chemist Raymond Rogers stands out, demonstrating that the corner had actually been mended."

"Not long ago the head of what should be a strictly scientific department in one of the major universities commented on the odd (and ominous) phenomenon that persons who can claim to be scientists on the basis of the technical training that won them the degree of Ph.D. are now found certifying the authenticity of the painted rag that is called the "Turin Shroud" or adducing "scientific" arguments to support hoaxes about the "paranormal" or an antiquated religiosity. "You can hire a scientist [sic]," he said, "to prove anything." He did not adduce himself as proof of his generalization, but he did boast of his cleverness in confining his own research to areas in which the results would not perturb the Establishment or any vociferous gang of shyster-led fanatics. If such is indeed the status of science and scholarship in our darkling age, Send not to ask for whom the bell tolls."

"Christ gives us the relics of saints as health-giving springs through which flow blessings and healing. This should not be doubted. For if at God’s word water gushed from hard rock in the wilderness-yes, and from an ass’s jawbone when Samson was thirsty -why should it seem incredible that healing medicine should distill from the relics of saints"

"We must conclude, contrary to much research by art scholars, that the image of Christ, which is so individual, must have its model. Due to its highly asymmetrical structure, the model is the Shroud, or the Shroud together with the Holy Face of Manoppello."

"The examination of a fabric is extremely problematic from the point of view of contamination, because a fabric is entirely exposed to the environment in which it is found. For a bone or a piece of wood, it is possible to sample an internal part, but this is not possible in the case of a cloth."

"Just pay and the research will be done. And you can even find someone to publish it. It is undeniable that behind some of these studies there are groups that want to make people believe that the Shroud is a historical fake. One example among many: there is a fine documentary called La notte della Sindone (The Night of the Shroud). Well, this documentary was never broadcast by Rai because it contains a statement that perhaps some people do not like. This statement is represented by a letter on the letterhead of the Curia of Turin, which Cardinal Anastasio Ballestrero, then custodian of the Shroud, sent to his scientific advisor, engineer Luigi Gonella, in which he firmly stated that in the matter of carbon-14 dating (later refuted by several subsequent studies, ed.), there had been the hand of Freemasonry, which wanted at all costs to prove that the Shroud was medieval. In short, there is annoyance towards a "real Shroud on the part of those who want to deny not only Christ but also his Resurrection"."

"Nunzio Galantino. As quoted in Mons. Nunzio Galantino e mons. Bruno Forte davanti alla Sindone, Sindone.org (May 21, 2015)"

"Visiting the Shroud is an opportunity to encounter the face of Christ and the many faces of suffering."

"Both artefacts (the Shroud and the Holy Face of Manoppello) are true miracles that challenge scholars, as they appear to have been created by light, but with two different effects: in the case of the Shroud, as if it had been exposed to a photographic negative, and in the case of the Holy Face, as if it had been exposed to a positive. [...] The Shroud highlights both the human and divine nature of Christ, thanks to the bloodstains and the negative image. [...] Only with faith, then, is it possible to explain this energy within a dead body. This is why the two artefacts challenge reason, demonstrating the limits of science."

"We are made of flesh and bones, we need to experience, to touch, to see, to feel. Christianity is not spirituality, it is mysticism. Mysticism means experiencing, touching. The Shroud is a bit like the Sacraments, a kind of Sacrament. The Sacraments are a sign of an experience, of an encounter with Christ. And so it is with the Shroud. First of all, the Shroud immediately takes you back, with its image, with its reality, to two thousand years ago; and then it introduces you to that experience of resurrection and encounter with the Risen One: the Risen One who is present. Only you need to feel this presence, to touch it, and the Shroud introduces you to this experience."

"The Shroud and the Holy Face of Manoppello are a challenge to human reason."

"Verlaine, the maudit poet, but with a strong religious torment that ended up prevailing, speaking of the love for Mary: «all other loves are orders». With similar words, he wanted to underline that "free" character of Marian devotion that the Church has always safeguarded. Over 20 centuries, only a few dogmas have been proclaimed about her di lei: which among other things, we know, are at the service and shelter of her di lei Son di lei, well before her di lei. Only to these defined truths does the Catholic owe homage. Everything else, regarding Mary, is left to the free sensitivity and initiative of the believer."

"Unlike Marian devotion, scripture provided no unequivocal justification for mandatory clerical celibacy; many of Jesus’s apostle had been married men, including Peter, the rock whom the Church was built. In the 1980s, Marian piety came under vehement attack by European feminist theologians, such as Catherina Halkes and Uta Ranke-Heinemann. They argued that Marian piety provided the means by which celibate priests sublimated their sexuality into a sexually safe relationship with a virgin mother, untainted by original sin; the hostility caused by this sublimation was then projected onto real women, who could never realize the unattainable feminine ideal represented by Mary. The Church's exaltation of Mary did not speak to the dignity of women, but rather served as a counterpoint to real women, who in Church teachings remained the daughters of the sexual temptress Eve."

"In the Shroud we recognise the grace that manifests itself in the wounds of those who experience suffering."

"The suffering face of the Shroud does not seek our eyes but our hearts, inviting each of us to look within ourselves with truth, to awaken our hearts and consciences to the injustices of this world, in the face of which we cannot remain silent."

"Luigi Ciotti. As quoted in L'amore che salva, la pastorale sanitaria a convegno davanti alla Sindone, Acistampa.com (May 25, 2015)"

"The pilgrimage to the Shroud is therefore a privileged encounter with the God of history, saviour and hope for all mankind."

"It shows an image that could only have been produced photographically."

"Sara: So, it looks like our historians have made a discovery. J. R. R. Tolkien: According to this map, the blood of Christ is hidden right smack in the middle of no-man's land. Rip: Great, right at the center of the bloodiest battle in human history. Stein: Even if we were to make it through the terrain unscathed, there's still the issue of the blood's precise location. Nate: That's the good news. Just as the Spear acted as a divining rod for its pieces, it glows when it's close to Jesus' blood. Stein: But one cannot simply walk into the middle of a war zone."

"Charlotte: Haven't you got any vol-au-vents? Vicar: This is not an hors d'œuvre; this is the body of Christ. Charlotte: Er, I think I'll wait for the main course then, thanks!"

"Devereaux: If you was my daughter, I'd tar the living shit outta you. Ruth Langmore: And if I was your daughter, I'd slit my throat first."

"Vicar: Hello, there. Dennis: Hello, my old chappie. Dennis Cooper. Table for four, please! Charlotte: Yes, please. Not too near the band."

"Sunday morning at churchSt John: Haven't you read your King James Bible? Dennis: Of course, of course. Nearly finished it, but don't tell me what happens in the end!"

"Communion Vicar: Blood of Christ. St John: No, no, no. I'm driving."

""The Blood of Jesus Christ His Son Cleanseth Us from All Sins." - Inscription"

"The Gospel that we preach is the power of God unto salvation; and the first principle of that Gospel is, as I have already said, faith in God, and faith in Jesus Christ His Son our Savior. We must believe that he is the character he is represented to be in the holy Scriptures. Believe that he told the truth when he said to his disciples, "Go ye forth and preach the Gospel to every creature; he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned." We must believe that this same Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world, that is for the original sin, not the actual individual transgressions of the people; not but that the blood of Christ will cleanse from all sin, all who are disposed to act their part by repentance, and faith in his name. But the original sin was atoned for by the death of Christ, although its effects we still see in the diseases, tempers and every species of wickedness with which the human family is afflicted."

"Frank: Mam, can I go now and make the Collection? I want to go to the Lyric to see James Cagney. Grandma Sheehan: You can't make the Collection until you've had a proper First Communion breakfast at my house. Mam. Will you look at him? The manners of a pig. He eats like a Presbyterian. Is it a millionaire you think I am? An American? Is there any more tea in the pot, Mam? - Aye. - I could do with a cup. You all right, Frankie? - What's the matter, Frankie? What's wrong with that child? [Frank runs out tp the backyard and vomits] Look what he did! He's thrown up the body and blood of Jesus. What am I to do? I have God in me backyard! I'm taking you to the priest. That was a dreadful thing you did in my backyard."

"Caleb: "Drink of this, for it is my blood." You know, I always loved the story of the Last Supper. The body and blood of Christ becoming rich, red wine. I recall, as a boy, though, I couldn't help but think: what would happen if you were at the Last Supper, and you ordered the white? A nice oaky Chardonnay or White Zin. I mean, would he make that out of his lymph or some-all? Never did bring it up. Suppose there was a reason why I never spent too long in one parish. Just looking for answers. Just looking for the Lord in the wrong damn places. Then you showed me the light."

"[Teacher is putting pieces of newspaper on the boys tongues] Teacher: And what do I have here, Clohessy? Clohessy: Pieces of the Limerick Leader, sir! Teacher: No! The body and blood of Christ. If you don't pay anymore attention, it'll be the last rites. You'll be getting, not your holy communion. Irish is the language of Patriots. And English of traitors and informers. But Latin, ah boys, Latin. That the holy martyrs spoke before expiring in the foaming mouths of ravenous lions. Yes, it's Latin that gains the entrance to heaven itself. But there are boys in this class, who will never know sanctifying grace. And why? Because of greed. Those greedy little blackguards are talking even now, about the money they'll get from the collection. They'll go from house to house in their little suits like beggars. And will they take any of that money and send it to the the poor black babies in Africa as they should? Oh, no. It's off to the cinema the first communion boys will go, to wallow in the disgusting filth spewed across the world by the devil's henchman... in Hollywood. Isn't that right McCourt? McCourt: 'tis sir. Teacher: Don't speak you! Can't you see that God is on your tongue? Where is God, boys? Class: On his tongue, sir."

"There is not a man or woman, who violates the covenants made with their God, that will not be required to pay the debt. The blood of Christ will never wipe that out, your own blood must atone for it; and the judgments of the Almighty will come, sooner or later, and every man and woman will have to atone for breaking their covenants. To what degree? Will they have to go to hell? They are in hell enough now. I do not wish them in a greater hell, when their consciences condemn them all the time. Let compassion reign in our bosoms. Try to comprehend how weak we are, how we are organized, how the spirit and the flesh are continually at war."

"Peter: Come on, you're worryin' about nothin'. Lois: Oh? Remember when you got drunk off the communion wine at church? [cutaway to a priest giving a sermon at church] Priest: And so the Lord God smote poor Job with festering boils all over his body... God: [sitting in one of the pews] Aw, man, I hate it when he tells this story. Priest:...yet, miraculously, Job was still able to maintain his dignity. Peter: [He is seen drinking lots of communion wine, he coughs] Woah, is that really the blood of Christ? Priest: Yes. Peter: Man, that guy must've been wasted 24 hours a day, eh? [cut back to the kitchen] Lois: And then there was that time at the ice cream store... [cutaway to the family at an ice cream store] Peter: Aw, butter rum's my favorite! [licks and passes out immediately] [cut back to the kitchen] Brian: And remember you had an Irish coffee the day we went to see Philadelphia? [cutaway to a movie theater. Everyone is sobbing, except for Peter who stares blankly, then claps his hands] Peter: I got it. That's the guy from Big. Tom Hanks! That's it, aw, funny guy, Tom Hanks! Everything he says is a stitch! Hanks: [on screen] I have AIDS. [Peter laughing]"

"Robert Thorn: Yes, Father? Father Brennan: We haven't much time. You must listen to what I have to say. Robert Thorn: All right. What is it? Father Brennan: You must accept Christ as your saviour. You must accept him now. Robert Thorn: Forgive me, Father, but I understand that you have a matter of some urgent personal business? Father Brennan: You must take communion. Drink the blood of Christ and eat his flesh. Only if he is within you can you defeat the son of the devil. Robert Thorn: I see. Father Brennan: He's killed once, he'll kill again. He'll kill until everything that's yours is his. Robert Thorn: Father, would you mind... Father Brennan: Only through Christ can you fight him. Accept the Lord Jesus. Drink his blood. I've locked the door, Mr. Thorn. Secretary: Yes? Robert Thorn: Would you send for a security guard? Father Brennan: I beg you, Mr. Thorn. Listen to what I have to say. Secretary: Ambassador Thorn? Father Brennan: I was at the hospital, Mr. Thorn, the night your son was born. I witnessed the birth. Secretary: Sir? Father Brennan: I beg you. Robert Thorn: [into the intercom] All right. Stand by. [to Father Brennan] What do you want? Father Brennan: To save you, Mr. Thorn. So Christ will forgive me. Robert Thorn: What do you know about my son? Father Brennan: Everything. Robert Thorn: And what is that? Father Brennan: I saw its mother. Robert Thorn: You saw my wife. Father Brennan: I saw its mother. Robert Thorn: You're referring to my wife! Father Brennan: Its mother, Mr. Thorn. Robert Thorn: If this is blackmail, then come out and say it! What are you trying to say? Father Brennan: His mother was a ja- [security guards burst into the office] Security Guard: Everything all right, sir? Secretary: You sounded strange. The door was locked. Robert Thorn: I want this gentleman escorted out of here. Security Guard: Ok, let's go. Father Brennan: Accept Christ each day. Drink his blood."

"As Cain was a wanderer and an outcast, not to be killed by anyone but marked with the sign of fear on his forehead, so the Jews ... against whom the voice of the blood of Christ cries out ... although they are not to be killed they must always be dispersed as wanderers upon the face of the earth."

"The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! "Father, the atheists?" Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace."

"You cannot undo your acts. If you have depraved another's will, and injured another's soul, it may be in the grace of God that hereafter you will be personally accepted, and the consequence of your guilt inwardly done away; but your penitence cannot undo the evil you have done. The forgiveness of God — the blood of Christ itself — does not undo the past."

"Now it is the blood of Jesus which saves, and it is the same blood which cleanses and sanctifies; and as we had to come lo Jesus to be plunged into the fountain, so we have to abide in Jesus by fellowship, to grow up into Christlikeness."

"What in our lives could be more important than receiving the Body and Blood of Christ each week? Recall how, for many of us who participated in team sports or band, we had to practice before the next game or concert. Well, by going to Mass every week, we become better Christians and most certainly have a better understanding of Jesus’ “game plan” for each and every one of us, as well as for the human family. As in sports, if you continue to miss practice, you become less and less an effective member of the team. While Mass is much more than practice, I hope you get the point."

"The blood of Christ can cleanse away all sin. But we must "plead guilty" before God can declare us innocent."

"On the national level, the Eucharist becomes for us the way to true unity: as was asserted by the Fathers of the Special Synod for Africa, we try to make clear how much the Blood of Christ by itself can realize the unity of the nation that has more than 50 ethnic peoples, ready to oppose each other and enter battle especially when they are manipulated by politicians for electoral reasons."

"Thomas Guthrie, The Way to Life: Sermons (1862), P. 273 (The Christian's Triumph)."

"As the blood of Christ is the fountain of all merit, so the Spirit is the fountain of all spiritual life; and until He quickens us, imparts the principle of divine life to our souls, we can put forth no vital act of faith to lay hold upon Jesus Christ."

"Sin! Sin! Thou art a hateful and horrible thing, that abominable thing which God hates. And what wonder? Thou hast insulted His holy majesty; thou hast bereaved Him of beloved children; thou hast crucified the Son of His infinite love; thou hast vexed His gracious Spirit; thou hast defied His power; thou hast despised His grace; and in the body and blood of Jesus, as if that were a common thing, thou hast trodden under foot His matchless mercy. Surely, brethren, the wonder of wonders is, that sin is not that abominable thing which we also hate."

"Much of what you see in the Catholic Church today doesn't come from God's Word, it comes from that cult-like, pagan religion. Now you say, "Pastor, how can you say such a thing? That is such an indictment of the Catholic Church. After all the Catholic Church talks about God and the Bible and Jesus and the Blood of Christ and Salvation."Isn't that the genius of Satan? If you want to counterfeit a dollar bill, you don't do it with purple paper and red ink, you're not going to fool anybody with that. But if you want to counterfeit money, what you do is make it look closely related to the real thing as possible.And that's what Satan does with counterfeit religion. He uses, he steals, he appropriates all of the symbols of true biblical Christianity, and he changes it just enough in order to cause people to miss eternal life."

"Wherever a saint has dwelt, wherever a martyr has given his blood for the blood of Christ, There is holy ground, and the sanctity shall not depart from it Though armies trample over it, though sightseers come with guide-books looking over it; From where the western seas gnaw at the coast of Iona, To the death in the desert, the prayer in forgotten places by the broken Imperial column, From such ground springs that which forever renews the earth Though it is forever denied."

"If you have nothing of the spirit of prayer, nothing of the love of the brotherhood, nothing of mortifying the spirit of the world, nothing of growth in grace, of cordial, habitual, persevering obedience to the Divine commands, how can it be that you have been brought nigh by the blood of Christ?"

"Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven to earth come down, Fix in us thy humble dwelling, All thy faithful mercies crown; Jesu, thou art all compassion, Pure unbounded love thou art, Visit us with thy salvation, Enter every trembling heart."

"George Hodgson: One summer when I was seven, my parents sent me to live with two aunts in Oxfordshire. I did not want to go. The elderly have that effect on children. But they loved me. And I grew to love them. They were papists I came to find. Devout. Each Sunday they would leave me with a housemaid while they attended a Catholic Mass. I was frightened for them. I had been told they were doing some great, unforgivable thing. Then one morning, they took me with them. I was shaking. The service was not the howling spectacle of sin I had imagined, but was beautiful. The singing sounded delivered by angels themselves. When it came time for the Eucharist, I found myself moved to step forward. My aunts were surprised, but pleased, I could see. I took the wafer on my tongue. Drank from the chalice. I felt clean. With the body and blood of Christ within me I felt forgiven of every poor weak or selfish thing within my soul. It was a perfect moment in a whole imperfect life. The next week when it came time to dress, I, I pretended to be ill. They knew I was pretending. To this day, I don't know why I did it. They never asked me to join them again. We never spoke of it. It was the last and only time I stepped into a papist church. But tonight when I close my eyes I'm there. If I were a braver man, I would kill Mr. Hickey. Though it would mean my death, too. But I am hungry. I am hungry and I want to live."

"Of course the avaricious man of our day, be he landlord, merchant, industrialist, does not adore sacks of coins or bundles of banknotes in some little chapel and upon some little altar. He does not kneel before these spoils of other men, nor does he address prayers or canticles to them amidst odorous clouds of incense. But he proclaims that money is the only good, and he yields it all his soul. A cult sincere, without hypocrisy, never growing weary, never forsworn. Whenever he says, in the debasement of his heart and his speech, that he loves money for the delights it can purchase, he lies or he terribly deceives himself, this very assertion being belied at the very moment he utters it by every one of his acts, by the infinite toil and pains to which he gladly condemns himself in order to acquire or conserve that money which is but the visible figure of the Blood of Christ circulating throughout all His members."

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. The only fitting return that we can make to Him is to give blood for blood; and, as we are redeemed by the blood of Christ, gladly to lay down our lives for our Redeemer. What saint has ever won his crown without first contending for it? Righteous Abel is murdered. Abraham is in danger of losing his wife. And, as I must not enlarge my book unduly, seek for yourself: you will find that all holy men have suffered adversity. Solomon alone lived in luxury and perhaps it was for this reason that he fell. For whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."