Some folks will believe anything! Visions on the 13th of every month, huh? Guess you have to have something to look forward to when you live in a convent your whole life.
Yet another saint….I think there is one for every name I have ever heard.

As long as this is about saints:
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY to everyone!

Yes, on the 13th of May, June, July, August, September, October.
On the 13th of October, 1917 70,000 people watched the three visionaries kneel in from of an holm oak in the pouring rain and mud. A while later one of the children pointed to the sky. The sun came out, began to spin and move about, throwing colors all over. Then it flew toward the earth. People screamed. Then it returned to its normal behavior of shining in the sky. They looked around, and all the mud was gone, all their clothes were dry.
How could 70,003 witnesses be wrong?
Lucia was 14 when this happened, and did not enter the convent until she was 20.

christian sister:
People have seen pictures of Jesus (and Elvis) in condensation on windows, in toast, in dirt, clouds, etc. folks can “see” anything with the right mind set.
How can 70,003 witnesses be wrong? Easy…mass hysteria can generate through crowds who are open to “seeing” anything someone points out.
You had pouring rain? then sun? Light reflecting off the moisture can make many “visions”.

I’m not Catholic, but I agree with Christian Sister, this is not quite as ridiculous as some would say. The weird event with the sun, I’ve heard, can be explained scientifically, but then, how the three children knew it would (the Virgin Mary had supposedly told them to bring the crowd to prove they were telling the truth about the visions, if I recall correctly) is somewhat harder to place.
Also—and again, this is me speaking as a non-Catholic—I can’t help but wonder why the Vatican keeps waiving the five-year requirement, since the whole point is supposed to be to make sure that saints aren’t elevated based on popularity. Which is not to say that John Paul, Mother Teresa or Sister Lucia don’t deserve to be saints, mind you, but it does seem to miss the point of the regulation.
God bless.

PS goggle Our Lady of Lourdes, and read all about St. Bernadette, it’s so beautiful. There is also an article under “Lourdes Spring Water”, it goes: Since the 1st healing of Catherine Latapie on March 1st 1858 as many as 2,500 unexplained healings have been recorded after using the water of the spring that St. Bernadette started after talking to the Virgin Mary. Many feel that the true miracle of Lourdes is above all, the presence and goodness of God expressed in this “limited bodily Proof of the unlimited bodily Proof of the unlimited grace offered to all” (R. Laurentin).

Ok, if the sun leapt toward earth why didn’t anyone else see it? If the sun does that people over half the world would be real aware of it. This is a clear case of mass hypnosis or bad food or a lot of people wanting to spread a story someone made up or a tale made up from whole cloth. It is not about the sun jumping around.

Henrietta,
Read some about Bernadette on google. Quite a story.
nnmns:
I agree, if indeed the sun was falling towards earth, I think some other folks besides the folks by that tree would have reported it somewhere else besides in France.

Strikes me a fairly simple test of that water could be arranged. Say three randomized groups of people with medical problems are given water. One is given the real thing and told it’s real. One is given other water and told it’s the spring water. Another is given water and told nothing about it. I’d suggest also a group given no water but, depending on how long the test goes on, we know what would eventually happen to them.
Then wait and look for unusual remissions. If the spring water really works it should be bottled and sent everywhere. Tests could be done to see if it could be thinned down or to see if just a drop or two works. If this stuff is miraculous it should not be hoarded. These spring-keepers have a duty to the rest of us.

I’m a great cynic when it comes down to it, I question just about everything and take everything with a grain of salt, however, I truly believe that if God exists, which I do believe, then anything is possible. I think there is something to the story of Fatima and so I suppose in time we’ll see Lucia canonized. To most people it’s not a big deal anyway, but to Catholics, it probably means a great deal. I don’t know if we’ll ever really know the truth as to what happened, but to Lucia, her cousins and the thousands of other witnesses, it was a very real. In some ways, I’m very envious of faith like that. While I’m a believer, I’m also quite cynical. Oh, I said that already.

Saints, hmm, well I just don’t get it. I understand the academic, historical and even theological aspects. But the emotional facet of all this escapes me.
So
Happy Lupercalia Day. Go hug your dog (or “god” for all of us dyslexics) and howl at the waxing moon! I toast you with “the hair of the dog”!

Nnmns, the problem with your planned experiment is, the point of a miracle is different from the point of a medicine—it’s not supposed to be some impersonal force that either does or doesn’t improve health, but rather, just a tool God can decide to use. And GOD IS SMARTER THAN YOU. He’s even smarter than me, if you can believe it. May He bless you.

Its funny to see people get all bent out of shape about spiritual/supernatural happenings. Saying something can’t possibly happen because it can’t be proven with science is saying we know everything there is to know about science and/or god, which is pure hubris.

“Saying something can’t possibly happen because it can’t be proven with science is saying we know everything there is to know about science and/or god, which is pure hubris.”
If you are referring to the simple proof the sun didn’t leap around because no one outside that tiny area saw it, that’s a very convincing proof that the sun did not physically move in a significant unusual way. It’s not a proof that something didn’t happen within the minds of a group, perhaps a large group of people. So we might proceed by asking what could have caused people to think the sun jumped around, or what could have caused a story to be promulgated that a bunch of people thought the sun jumped around.
I’m no expert on group psychoses and what could cause them. I mentioned a few things that jumped to my mind. And I have no idea how possible it is that a few people just made the whole thing up, perhaps out of some natural phenomenon that did happen.
What I am sure of is that the sun did not jump around in 1917 or in any other historical time when people were keeping records. And I’m also the RCC makes a LOT of money because of some people’s belief it did happen.

Come to think of it, what else does Benny have to do then decide who is good enough to be a “saint?” I find it interesting that women can be saints, and can be prayed to for help, but can’t be priests. Maybe because “Mother Mary” is considered a saint for giving birth to Jesus, the RCC had to allow other women to be given sainthood, even though they didn’t give birth to a Holy Son.

I really wish the Catholic Church would do away entirely with this tradition of naming people saints, based on their behavior and performance during this life. It’s just not Biblical. Biblically-speaking, anyone who puts his faith and trust in Jesus Christ is a saint. It’s based on our “new birth” in Christ, and what He does for us, not what we do for Him. The New Testament calls all Christians “saints” about 63 times—all based on a new life in Christ.
Let’s not change that definition with unscriptural tradition, no matter how well-intended.

In response to Mark above, just because the Bible doesn’t specifically say it, doesn’t mean one can’t do it. The Bible is not a complete record of what Jesus or his disciples did and said. Surely you would know that, Mark, if you know your Bible as well as I think you do. Read the last verse from the gospel of John. That states it about as clear as one can…even for you sola scriptura evangelicals.

No-Name poster:
The Bible is a book that has lots of fun stories, supposedly the history of a religion, written to promote that religion. It really shouldn’t be used to justify anything, even though it is. Making saints is just another way to promote a religion…giving the believers yet someont else to “pray” to for assistance or money or a boyfriend or whatever.