Scott L. Smith Jr.'s Blog, page 5

Catholic Parents Guide: "The Sports Fast" and Crazy Sundays

Are Sports and Extracurriculars Eclipsing God and Family Time? Try a Sport Fast ... 

I was recently asked to write an article on this subject, but the following submission was believed to be too radical for the magazine's readers.

What do you think?  

Does this sound familiar? 

It’s Sunday morning. Your kids had sporting events or extracurriculars all Friday evening and all day Saturday. You’re all exhausted. 

You also didn’t sleep well. Your belly is full of the toxic mixture of ballpark nacho cheese and McDonald’s McSpicy chicken sandwiches. 

Everybody is fixated on the next round of kid’s sports or extracurriculars Sunday afternoon. Everybody’s sleeping in Sunday morning, but wait … you’re forgetting something. 

Something big. 

What is it? Then, with a sickening feeling, you realize … It’s Sunday Mass you’re forgetting. You yell, “Everybody wake up! We forgot about church!” 

What ensues is basically a re-creation of that Home Alone scene: the mad frenzy to get to the airport after the alarm clock malfunction. Maybe you even realize you’ve forgotten a kid halfway to Mass. 

Hey, at least you honored the one-hour fast before Mass (since there was no time to push down that frozen waffle). 

Not exactly the day of rest that God intended, is it? Nobody has a holy or reverent experience in Mass in the midst of all that frenzy. It’s not that sports and extracurriculars are bad, but what happens when you have too much of a good thing?

What do you do? What can you do? 

The Compromise between Sports, Extracurriculars, and Family Life: What are we compromising?

There are ways to cobble together a compromise between the mad rush of children’s extracurriculars, family life, and the most important part of family life, church attendance. Regardless of the method, the long-term success of these time management strategies will likely require heroic virtue on your part as parents. But perhaps there is an easier way, provided by He whose “yoke is easy,” and whose “burden is light.”

We could talk about strategies and hacks to make it all work, to do “all the things,” but I don’t want to talk about that. Lots of other people talk about that. I want to encourage you not to compromise, which just happens to be the greatest parenting hack of them all.

If you’re considering pulling your kids out of sports and extracurriculars because it’s destroying your family life and eclipsing your church life, I want to encourage you. It seems like everybody is telling you to get your kids involved in as much as possible. If you don’t, your kids will be “mal-adjusted”: lacking in social skills, life experiences, and teamwork skills. Right? These are all good things, if the foundation is strong, if all these skills are built on the solid foundation of Christ. Otherwise, it will all just disappear into the sand.  

If you’re considering a “sports fast” – pausing, reducing, or even ending your kids’ participation in sports and extracurriculars – you’re not the only one. You’re not the only one thinking it, but you might be the first to actually do something about it. And you might help lead others to make this choice for their families.  

I want to encourage you to be bold: “to put out into the deep,” as St. Pope John Paul II so often encouraged us.[1]

The problem is real. A 2013 Protestant study of 16 declining congregations in the US and Canada named children’s sport activities as the primary reason for declining Sunday church attendance.[2] 

As the time of Christendom recedes further and further into our past, even the simplest choices we make for God and for a holy family will take on a radical character. That is, as society supports Christianity less and less, just getting our kids to church may require a seemingly extreme action on our part.   

THE SPORTS FAST: Should you just take your kids out of sports and extracurriculars? 

What’s a “sports fast”? A sports fast is opting out of the fast life of fast sports (or extracurriculars). The fast could be hitting pause on sports for a year or a season. The fast could be reducing or limiting kids to just one sport or extracurricular. It could also be ending your kids’ participation in sports and extracurriculars altogether. 

A slow, strategic approach may be better than going cold turkey, because your kids may need time to adjust and for their relationships to reconfigure. But, if by some miracle, your kids give you an opening – like “I want to spend more time at church” or “I’m just happier at church” – take it and don’t look back. 

These are viable and extremely effective ways to bring peace to your family life, but they’re not for everybody. I get it. Some people may even be horrified that such a thing would even be suggested. Might as well deprive my child of oxygen, right? 

If you are considering this option for your family, do not feel ashamed. You may be judged harshly by your peers for taking your kids out of sports, especially if you kids are really talented. “You’re letting the whole team down!” Do not make this decision lightly. Pray about it with your spouse. 

In the end, though, will you regret making a bold choice for Christ for your family? Even if you’re wrong, your priorities are right. This is what your kids will remember you for—it won’t be for doing what everybody else did. As G. K. Chesterton said, “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.”

What about Church-based extracurriculars? Don’t have any at your church? Start some! 

This is the option my wife and I chose for our family. My kids may not be involved in sports, but they have plenty of extracurriculars, all centered on church. My daughters and I have daddy-daughter dates to the Missionaries of Charity food kitchen. My wife and I have church date nights, after brought a “Supper & Substance” program to our parish. My boys and I started a father-son altar server program. Total game-changer! My boys weren’t very well-behaved in the pew, but they’re angels on the altar. We have also started more church family picnics and activities at church, trying to make church our second home or “third place.” 

SIDENOTE: What's a "Third Place"?   What’s a “third place”? This is actually an idea from the evil empire, Starbucks [for more on the evil-ness of Starbucks]. Starbucks’ corporate vision to become people’s “third place” after their home and office. The third place is where you go for community, to hang out, when not at home or work. The Church should be every family's "Third Place" ... or even "Second Place".

>> Back to starting church extracurriculars ...

This could be an extremely healthy option for all of your family. There are a lot of benefits to this option, even if the perceived negatives are scary: the judgment of peers, a competitive disadvantage for your kids, etc. The benefits: More family meals; less fast food. More leisure time, more time for academics, less rush. But the biggest advantage is more time for Jesus – the highest-quality quality time. 

Wait! Won't my Kids be Disadvantaged Without the Team-building Skills of Sports?

Any disadvantage your kids receive for not participating in sports should be heavily outweighed by the advantages of putting God first. Nevertheless, secular research points in this direction, too. According to psychologists and economists, the main factors that determine a child’s future success are doing chores, who your kids hang around, parental involvement and affection, and enthusiasm for learning—not the amount of sports and extracurriculars that a kid is involved in.[3]  

Another example, this one was covered in Freakonomics: 

The Chicago school system, the third largest school system in the country, allowed parents to enter a school-choice lottery. So what happened to the kids whose parents won the lottery and were allowed to move their kids to a better-performing school?  Statistically, the kids who won the lottery did no better than the kids who lost. The factor that determined future success in life was not winning the lottery, but entering the lottery. 

Just being the kind of parents and kids who cared enough to make a big, decisive choice for their education was the greatest factor in their later success. So, be bold in choosing Christ as a family.  

Other families are having the same experience as you. They may be just waiting for someone else to take the lead – to do what everybody else is thinking. Your courage could have a huge evangelizing impact. 

As mentioned earlier, as we move from Christendom to Apostolic Mission,  simple choices will take on a radical character. That is, as society supports Christianity less and less, just getting our kids to church may require a seemingly extreme action on our part.   

Don’t be afraid to “put out into the deep!”

Footnotes: Sports Fast, Family Life vs. Sports[1] Duc In Altum! St. John Paul II encouraged us to “put out into the deep” multiple times, including at 2005 World Day of Prayer for Vocations and in Novo Millennio Ineunte.
[2] Steve McMullin, Review of Religious Research, Vol. 55, No. 1 (March 2013), pp. 43-59 (17 pages)
[3] Mansfield, Becky, “Harvard Study Proves Kids With Chores Became Independent Successful Adults,” March 18, 2021, LINK
[4]  Levitt, S. D., & Dubner, S. J., Freakonomics (2006), Harper Trophy: "The Economist’s Guide to Parenting"

Why did the Demons Fall? Why did Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, specifically, Fall? The Virgin Mary's Role in Exorcisms

Why did the demons fall? We have all wondered about this at some point. If the angels could fall ...? And so on. 

The fall of the angels occurred before the events of the Bible, of Genesis, so we don't have a narrative about this from Scripture. Revelation 12 and some other passages refer back to the fall of the angels, but there's not a lot of detail. 

So what happened? How do we know? What information can we even trust on this subject? 

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Heads up! Before reading about angels and demons, it's always good to ask for St. Michael the Archangel's protection. Let us pray, Oremus ...

So, if you want to know about the Fall of the Angels, what resources can you trust? 

There are some ancient Jewish texts that provide some background, but this is dangerous territory. What you study might study you back. 

For my safety and yours, I rely on exorcist priests and the saints for my information. There are some amazing exorcist priests you can listen to, including Fathers Chad Ripperger, Vincent Lampert, and Carlos Martins. Listening to them, plus a healthy diet of the Sacraments, should keep you safe in this subject. 

I have also authored a book on this subject, available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats. The narrator for the audiobook is particularly good. His name is Alan Turton; he's a retired BBC announcer; and his voice is captivating.  

So ...   

Why Did the Angels Fall?

All the demons fell because of Christ. 

Fr. Chad Ripperger has said that the devil confirmed to him what St. Louis-Marie de Montfort said (more on de Montfort's statements in a moment). That is, every single demon fell in relationship to Christ, but under a specific aspect. 

Take the example of the demon Isis. Who is the demon Isis? Here's a video of Fr. Ripperger discussing this demon:

The demon Isis, according to Ripperger, fell under the aspect of Christ's Mercy. Isis fell because he would not accept Christ's Mercy for men. 

Whenever an exorcist encounters Isis in an possession, therefore, there's a conspicuous amount of cruelty. The level of cruelty is far greater.  

Why? Because cruelty is the inversion of Christ's Mercy. 

Like Isis, all demons fell because of a specific aspect of Christ. Except one. 

Why Did the Devil -- Lucifer, Satan, and Beelzebub -- Fall? 

First off, Lucifer, Satan, and Beelzebub are all personalities within the devil. This is discussed in depth in this article I have written:

All the demons fell because of Christ, but one fell for the Blessed Mother. This originally comes from St. Louis-Marie de Montfort.  

Fr. Ripperger said that the devil confirmed what St. Louis-Marie de Montfort said. That is, every single demon fell in relationship to Christ, but under a specific aspect. The devil fell for Christ under the aspect of the Virgin Mary. 

The devil fell for the Blessed Mother. 

The Blessed Virgin Mary is beautiful. It's understandable why someone would "fall" for her. But this is a whole different kind of "fall."

Fr. Ripperger says that Beelzebub told him the following: 

[Beelzebub] would not accept that there would be a woman who would outstrip him in Grace so much so that her grace would outstrip all intelligent creatures combined. He said I always knew, once I saw her, I would be second best. 

Beelzebub was struck by the Blessed Mother's beauty:

Once I saw her, she was so beautiful ... Just the sheer, sheer beauty. 

But there's more ... 

What is it, Specifically, about the Blessed Virgin Mary that Horrifies the Demons?

Fr. Ripperger said, "One time a demon just looked at me and said her power is in her humility."

The Blessed Virgin Mary has perfect power over the demons, Ripperger said, because of her perfect humility. She is the handmaid of the Lord. 

Beelzebub was talking above to Fr. Ripperger about the Virgin Mary's interior beauty. At a certain point, Fr. Ripperger decided to dig deeper into this statement. What about the Virgin Mary's beauty? 

Important Note: Exorcist priests, like Fr. Ripperger, are not just being curious. In all these questions, Fr. Ripperger isn't just asking demons about the mysteries of the universe, treating them like oracles. That would be extremely dangerous and insanely stupid. There is always a point to these questions, to their interrogations. What is that point? To find the demons' weaknesses, to attack them, to dislodge them. It is extremely useful in an exorcism to know what a demon hates, what hurts and terrifies them. This will become the most powerful tool of the exorcist.  

So, Fr. Ripperger asked Beelzebub, "That's a broad statement. What about her beauty?" 

Beelzebub answered, "It was the purity of [her beauty]." 

Fr. Ripperger again responds "That's pretty broad, too. What about the purity?"

Beelzebub answered, "It was the purity of her love." 

Fr. Ripperger again responds "Again, that's a broad statement. What was it?"

Beelzebub finally answered, "It was that when she sacrificed herself, she never once counted the personal cost." 

"To Give and Not to Count the Cost"

Now think about that, we're always counting. Always counting. This isn't necessarily an evil, we want to build up our treasure in Heaven. We want to sacrifice for others, for our spouses and our children, at our cost.  

But the Virgin Mary never counted the cost. "A sword pierced her heart, as well" and she never counted the cost. 

Like the prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola, "to give and not to count the cost."

This, Fr. Ripperger tells us, is one of the reasons why God's love for [Our Lady] is different than it is for anybody else. God loves all of us, obviously. But there's a specific reason why God's love for the Virgin Mary is different. 

Fr. Ripperger said Beelzebub revealed a little bit more about God's love for Mary, later in the exorcism session: 

It wasn't just that the fact she didn't count the personal cost. It was the perpetuity of her sacrifice. Through her whole life she sacrificed herself over and over and over again to God without ever once taking herself into the equation of the sacrifice ... so the reason she's different from everybody else is because all human beings count the personal costs. That means we're different that means we're different from her. 

But why would Mary's sacrifices, again and again, so haunt, so anger a fallen angel? 

[The angels] only got one opportunity to sacrifice, where [Mary] did it over and over and over again. [Beelzebub] said his anger with God was over the fact that he only got one shot, and she got all these opportunities to sacrifice herself. 

How does Fr. Ripperger respond? The exorcist says "Well, you couldn't even do it once!" And this obviously infuriated the demon.

Our Personal Spirituality: "Do Whatever He Tells You"

Fr. Ripperger tells us that the demon Beelzebub is inadvertently giving us great advice on how to build our spiritual lives: Start sacrificing and stop counting the personal costs. 

As Mary, herself, said at the Wedding at Cana, "Do whatever He tells you." Do whatever God asks of you. 

What Really Infuriates the Devil? The Virgin Mary as the Mirror of God  

In the particular exorcism where Fr. Ripperger was confronting Beelzebub, there was a particular title of the Virgin Mary at the heart of the matter. Beelzebub had a big beef with calling Mary by this particular title.  

Our Lady, Mirror of Justice -- or, in Latin, Speculum Iustitiae.

This is a title of the Virgin Mary found in the Litany of Loreto. The meaning of this title, according to Fr. Ripperger, is that the Blessed Mother is the mirror of God, Who is Justice itself.

Fr. Ripperger suddenly understood. He said to Beelzebub, "What you really saw in her was Him, wasn't it?" That Mary is this perfect reflection of God the Father, specifically. 

Beelzebub responded in the affirmative: "That's why I wanted to be God, because I wanted that beauty for myself."

Fr. Ripperger later beat out of Beelzebub: "It really boils down the twofold sacrifice that is in God the Father: the eternal willingness to sacrifice His Son." And the second component, "that God is willing to suffer the diminution of His extrinsic glory in this life through our sins, so that out of that he can bring us to a greater good." And this happens every time we sin, so, like the Virgin Mary, there is a perpetuity of God's sacrifices. They are ongoing. 

Beelzebub said "That's the beauty I wanted." 

What Happens When the Blessed Mother Shows Up in an Exorcism?

Most exorcist priests, if they don't already have a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother, will develop a deep love and affection for Our Lady. 

Fr. Ripperger has said this is because the Blessed Mother is often involved in exorcisms. That she often is a great help to the exorcist priest. According to him: 

If our lady shows up, one of two things is going to happen. First, there's going to be a significant shift in the possession, which means the demon's going to be much weaker. Something's going to come out ... It's going to speed things up significantly or they're just going to be gone. In about 70 percent of the cases that I've had, it's Our Lady that shows up that ultimately liberates [the possessed person]. 

Mind you, this is not unique to Catholic exorcisms. The Blessed Mother shows up in Protestant deliverance ministry, too, much to the confusion of the Protestants, especially the anti-Catholic ones. But more on this to come ...  

The Look in a Demon's Face When He's About to Get His Butt Kicked  

Fr. Ripperger talks about that moment when the Blessed Virgin Mary intercedes during an exorcism:

There's a specific look that demons get right before they're about to get kicked out. There's a very distinctive look that they have. It's panic, fear, etc. Then the person who's possessed will see all of a sudden. Our Lady will just appear. The abyss will open up. They feel the demon getting ripped out. [The demon] goes down. They feel it being ripped down and then they close. Part of that, I think, is because God wants to confirm to them that you're liberated. [The demon's] gone.

How beautiful and amazing is that? 

Talk about a mother who kicks butt! The Blessed Mother just shows up and pulls the plug. Whoosh. The demon gets sucked down the drain. 

What does the Blessed Mother do during the exorcism? What does she say? Why does the demon just get sucked down back to Hell?   

Fr. Ripperger explains this, as well: 

Our Lady just disappears. She literally doesn't have to say a thing. Only in one case did she actually tell the demon, "It's time." That's it. 

Wow. 

No one speaks softer but carries a bigger stick that the Blessed Mother.

The Changed the Overtakes Somebody Liberated from a Demon 

The exorcist priest doesn't typically she the Blessed Mother. They just see the changed expression on the possessed person's face:  

You see there's a countenance shift in the person's face. So the demon's manifested [in the face] and all of a sudden they'll shift. There's just like this lightness to them. A kind of a Brilliance about their face. You'll see this especially with women. When they're possessed their features are much more angular and when they're liberated, all of a sudden, they become much more feminine, much softer, much rounder. Whereas the guys look more apportioned, more normal. So you see that shift and realize, okay, [the demon's] gone. 

Summary: Take the Blessed Mother with You into Spiritual BattleI hope this article was beneficial to you. This is the first article where I've frequently quoted the words of demons. Wow. But I hope this works against them and their purpose. And makes straight their crooked paths. 

Let me know what you think! Comment below and pray your Rosary daily!

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Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub as the Broken Image of the Trinity: The Devil Admits to a Split Personality during Exorcism

Have you been listening to Fr. Chad Ripperger? He is the founder of the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, called the Doloran Fathers, located primarily in the Archdiocese of Denver, Colorado. 

More to the point, he's also a very experienced exorcist priest and frequent subject of interviews. Amazing interviews. 

Fr. Ripperger was recently interviewed by Chris Stefanick and described some of his experiences exorcising the devil, himself, as well as Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub. 

Fr. Ripperger shared a number of items that have been revealed to him through exorcisms. He also said there are a number of items that he has not yet received permission from his Archbishop to reveal publicly. It was all fascinating.

You need -- everybody needs -- to hear what he said. 

Read below for the highlights ...    

Table of Contents

Heads up! Before reading about angels and demons, it's always good to ask for St. Michael the Archangel's protection. Let us pray, Oremus ...

So, if you want to know about angels and demons, what resources can you trust? 

There are some ancient Jewish texts that provide some background, but this is dangerous territory. What you study might study you back. 

For my safety and yours, I rely on exorcist priests and the saints for my information. There are some amazing exorcist priests you can listen to, including Fathers Chad Ripperger, Vincent Lampert, and Carlos Martins. Listening to them, plus a healthy diet of the Sacraments, should keep you safe in this subject. 

I have also authored a book on this subject, available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats. The narrator for the audiobook is particularly good. His name is Alan Turton; he's a retired BBC announcer; and his voice is captivating.  

Fr. Chad Ripperger's Descriptions of the Devil, Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub 

Fr. Ripperger has dealt with all of these guys: the devil, Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub. He describes how they all manifest in unique ways. 

How do Beelzebub and Lucifer manifest? Here is what Fr. Ripperger says:

The interesting thing, though, is that they manifest very differently ... When you get to Beelzebub he manifests in a very distinctive way in every case I've ever had him. Lucifer, on the other hand, will never manifest the same way in any case I've ever seen him, and I've seen him in about four or five cases. 

How does Satan, the Father of Lies, manifest? 

I've dealt with Satan he always manifests the same way ... there's kind of a severity and it's actually somewhat nondescript. He's the Father of Lies, so the way you primarily discern him is he just lies [about] everything. Even when it would go better for him, he's still gonna lie. He's that wed to lying.

There is something in the nature, or at least the personality, of Satan that cannot stop lying.

This is not foreign to human nature. As St. Paul says, "For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate" (Romans 7:15).

Of course, Satan does not hate lies. This brings up an important point ...

Can we really trust what Satan, the Father of Lies, says during an exorcism?

See below ...

Fr. Chad Ripperger's Full Interview with Chris StefanikThis entire series of interviews is full of great insights. This is just Part 5! 


Can We Really Trust What Satan, the Father of Lies, says during an Exorcism?  

Important Note: Exorcist priests, like Fr. Ripperger, are not just being curious. In all these questions, Fr. Ripperger isn't just asking demons about the mysteries of the universe, treating them like oracles. That would be extremely dangerous and insanely stupid. There is always a point to these questions, to their interrogations. What is that point? To find the demons' weaknesses, to attack them, to dislodge them. It is extremely useful in an exorcism to know what a demon hates, what hurts and terrifies them. This will become the most powerful tool of the exorcist.  

This bit of background also answers the question: Can we trust what Satan says during an exorcism? Similarly, can we trust intel received in an interrogation?   
The information that the exorcists extract from demons is extracted. It's taken against the demons' wills. It is then used against them. 
This information is also often filtered through divine inspiration. It's often the Holy Spirit that leads the exorcists to this information. 
Because of this, it is trustworthy. But context is definitely important.  
Back to Fr. Ripperger's experiences ...
The Devil, Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub -- Are These All the Same Person?

The Gospels actually tell us that Beelzebub and Satan are the same person. Fr. Ripperger explains:

Beelzebub which is also another name for Satan. They're actually three ... We actually see that in scripture because they tell Christ, "we think you're casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub." Then [Jesus] just turns and says, "how can Satan cast out Satan?"

Fr. Ripperger goes on to say that it's not just Satan and Beelzebub. This one demon has even more names:

So [Jesus] is revealing to us that these are actually the same guy. The Fathers of Church all say they're the same guy. They also say that Lucifer is the same guy, so Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub -- all the same guy." 

So the Devil, Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub -- these are "all the same guy," according to Fr. Ripperger. 

The Mystery of the Devil's Various Names

But how can all these identities exist within the same person? And why? That's the mystery: 

I had known two things from my research and studies. One is that exorcists say [Satan, Beelzebub, and Lucifer] manifest differently, and so they actually thought they were different demons. But the Fathers of the Church are very clear, "oh, no, no, he's the same guy." So how does this work? 

With the help of the Holy Spirit, however, Fr. Ripperger was able to beat out of the devil an answer to this riddle.    

Here's his description of how this admission took place:

Basically, the way it came out ... At a certain point during the session, God commanded him to tell me something. And out of the blue, [Beelzebub] just looks at me, and he says I'm the inversion of the Holy Ghost. And then boom, he checks out, and I couldn't get him back to the surface. I'm like what does that even mean? 

The devil then agrees that Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Satan are all the same guy, just three expressions of the same person.

But Fr. Ripperger is still at a loss for what this means. That's to be expected, of course, when your information is being tainted by evil. Riddles lead to more riddles, mysteries to deeper mysteries ... like a J. J. Abrams movie. 

The Inversion of the Trinity? The Unholy Trinity?

But Our Lady helped Fr. Ripperger sort it all out:    

So I started asking Our Lady of Sorrows, "What am I seeing?" And then it just clicked. I think she gave me the grace. So in the next session, I refer to [Beelzebub] him as the Third Personality of Satan. All of a sudden, boom. He just stopped. He was stunned. It was kind of one of those Hollywood-couldn't-produce kind of expressions. Yeah, he was stunned. Fearful. Okay, now the gloves are coming off. You know, the whole bit. This changed the whole complexion of things. 

This led to the answer to all the riddles. The truth at the bottom of all the confusion of personalities: 

And I said, "Was the trifurcation of your personality the punishment for wanting to be God?" And he wouldn't answer ... later he said, "Yes, it was." ... Basically, God split [the devil's] personality as a punishment." 

Let's break this down ...

The devil originally presented his punishment, true to form, in the most absurdly arrogant of ways. Beelzebub described himself as the "inversion of the Holy Spirit." 

So the various personalities of the devil would have us believe that they are the dark version of the Holy Trinity, i.e. the unholy trinity. 

This is not so. Reality is infinitely more pitiful than this distortion. God broke the devil into three pieces. The devil is a trinity only in the most superficial understanding of the term.   

Ironic that the most iconic movie about split personalities, The Three Faces of Eve (1957) starring Joanne Woodward, would be named for an acquaintance of the devil ... but I digress 
The Three Personalities of the Devil: The Three Faces of Eve?

The remaining pieces of the puzzle then fell into place. Fr. Ripperger then asked, "Is Lucifer the second personality of Satan, the inversion of Christ, who is light from light, because Lucifer means 'light bearer.' He said 'Yes.'" 

And again. Fr. Ripperger asked if the First Personality of Satan is an inversion of God, the Father:

Satan is the inversion of the First Personality, because Satan is called 'the father of lies'? His inversion of father? 

Is this all a new discovery? Actually, no. 

Fr. Ripperger then explains that this knowledge is actually not new. "There [were] actually cases in the past. It was just not a piece of knowledge that was passed on. It's in the literature, but you'd have to dig for it."

So, let's recap and summarize ...

Summary: The Three Personalities of the Devil

As punishment, the Devil's personality was split into three:

Satan, the Father of Lies, is the inversion of God the Father;Lucifer, the "light-bearer," is the inversion of God the Son, Who is the "Light of the World;" andBeelzebub, "lord of the flies," is the inversion of God the Holy Spirit, Who is often depicted as winged or a dove.  

I doubt that the king of chaos and disorder wants us to know how well God ordered these inversions, much less how small the devil became. This smallness is seen in the difference between Beelzebub's flies and the Holy Spirit dove.

Maybe it's best for us not to think about any of this. 

But I think the devil had sort of infected our language with confusion through the confusion of his various names and personalities. And now is a good moment in history to remove confusion from our nouns and pronouns.

Why did the Devil -- Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub -- Fall? Stay tuned ... 
I wrote an article on this that will post next week.

Also, you might be interested in learning that the serpent of Eden that tempted Adam and Eve was not actually a serpent:


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Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub as the Broken Image of the Trinity: The Devil Admits during Exorcism a Split Personality

Have you been listening to Fr. Chad Ripperger? He is the founder of the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, called the Doloran Fathers, located primarily in the Archdiocese of Denver, Colorado. 

More to the point, he's also a very experienced exorcist priest and frequent subject of interviews. Amazing interviews. 

Fr. Ripperger was recently interviewed by Chris Stefanick and described some of his exorcising the devil, himself, as well as Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub. 

Fr. Ripperger shared a number of items that have been revealed to him through exorcisms. He also There are a number of items that he has not yet received permission from his Archbishop to reveal publicly. It was all fascinating.

You need -- everybody needs -- to hear what he said. 

Read below for the highlights ...    

Table of Contents

Heads up! Before reading about angels and demons, it's always good to ask for St. Michael the Archangel's protection. Let us pray, Oremus ...

So, if you want to know about angels and demons, what resources can you trust? 

There are some ancient Jewish texts that provide some background, but this is dangerous territory. What you study might study you back. 

For my safety and yours, I rely on exorcist priests and the saints for my information. There are some amazing exorcist priests you can listen to, including Fathers Chad Ripperger, Vincent Lampert, and Carlos Martins. Listening to them, plus a healthy diet of the Sacraments, should keep you safe in this subject. 

I have also authored a book on this subject, available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats. The narrator for the audiobook is particularly good. His name is Alan Turton; he's a retired BBC announcer; and his voice is captivating.  

Fr. Chad Ripperger's Descriptions of the Devil, Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub 

Fr. Ripperger has dealt with all of these guys: the devil, Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub. He describes how they all manifest in unique ways. 

How do Beelzebub and Lucifer manifest? Here is what Fr. Ripperger says:

The interesting thing, though, is that they manifest very differently ... When you get to Beelzebub he manifests in a very distinctive way in every case I've ever had him. Lucifer, on the other hand, will never manifest the same way in any case I've ever seen him, and I've seen him in about four or five cases. 

How does Satan, the Father of Lies, manifest? 

I've dealt with Satan he always manifests the same way ... there's kind of a severity and it's actually somewhat nondescript. He's the Father of Lies, so the way you primarily discern him is he just lies [about] everything. Even when it would go better for him, he's still gonna lie. He's that wed to lying.

There is something in the nature, or at least the personality, of Satan that cannot stop lying.

This is not foreign to human nature. As St. Paul says, "For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate" (Romans 7:15).

Of course, Satan does not hate lies. This brings up an important point ...

Fr. Chad Ripperger's Full Interview with Chris StefanikThis entire series of interviews is full of great insights. This is just Part 5! 


Can We Really Trust What Satan, the Father of Lies, says during an Exorcism?  

Important Note: Exorcist priests, like Fr. Ripperger, are not just being curious. In all these questions, Fr. Ripperger isn't just asking demons about the mysteries of the universe, treating them like oracles. That would be extremely dangerous and insanely stupid. There is always a point to these questions, to their interrogations. What is that point? To find the demons' weaknesses, to attack them, to dislodge them. It is extremely useful in an exorcism to know what a demon hates, what hurts and terrifies them. This will become the most powerful tool of the exorcist.  

This bit of background also answers the question: Can we trust what Satan says during an exorcism? Similarly, can we trust intel received in an interrogation?   
The information that the exorcists extract from demons is extracted. It's taken against the demons' wills. It is then used against them. 
This information is also often filtered through divine inspiration. It's often the Holy Spirit that leads the exorcists to this information. 
Because of this, it is trustworthy. But context is definitely important.  
Back to Fr. Ripperger's experiences ...
The Devil, Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub -- Are These All the Same Person?

The Gospels actually tell us that Beelzebub and Satan are the same person. Fr. Ripperger explains:

Beelzebub which is also another name for Satan. They're actually three ... We actually see that in scripture because they tell Christ, "we think you're casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub." Then [Jesus] just turns and says, "how can Satan cast out Satan?"

Fr. Ripperger goes on to say that it's not just Satan and Beelzebub. This one demon has even more names:

So [Jesus] is revealing to us that these are actually the same guy. The Fathers of Church all say they're the same guy. They also say that Lucifer is the same guy, so Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub -- all the same guy." 

So the Devil, Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub -- these are "all the same guy," according to Fr. Ripperger. 

The Mystery of the Devil's Various Names

But how can all these identities exist within the same person? And why? That's the mystery: 

I had known two things from my research and studies. One is that exorcists say [Satan, Beelzebub, and Lucifer] manifest differently, and so they actually thought they were different demons. But the Fathers of the Church are very clear, "oh, no, no, he's the same guy." So how does this work? 

With the help of the Holy Spirit, however, Fr. Ripperger was able to beat out of the devil an answer to this riddle.    

Here's his description of how this admission took place:

Basically, the way it came out ... At a certain point during the session, God commanded him to tell me something. And out of the blue, [Beelzebub] just looks at me, and he says I'm the inversion of the Holy Ghost. And then boom, he checks out, and I couldn't get him back to the surface. I'm like what does that even mean? 

The devil then agrees that Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Satan are all the same guy, just three expressions of the same person.

But Fr. Ripperger is still at a loss for what this means. That's to be expected, of course, when your information is being tainted by evil. Riddles lead to more riddles, mysteries to deeper mysteries ... like a J. J. Abrams movie. 

The Inversion of the Trinity? The Unholy Trinity?

But Our Lady helped Fr. Ripperger sort it all out:    

So I started asking Our Lady of Sorrows, "What am I seeing?" And then it just clicked. I think she gave me the grace. So in the next session, I refer to [Beelzebub] him as the Third Personality of Satan. All of a sudden, boom. He just stopped. He was stunned. It was kind of one of those Hollywood-couldn't-produce kind of expressions. Yeah, he was stunned. Fearful. Okay, now the gloves are coming off. You know, the whole bit. This changed the whole complexion of things. 

This led to the answer to all the riddles. The truth at the bottom of all the confusion of personalities: 

And I said, "Was the trifurcation of your personality the punishment for wanting to be God?" And he wouldn't answer ... later he said, "Yes, it was." ... Basically, God split [the devil's] personality as a punishment." 

Let's break this down ...

The devil originally presented his punishment, true to form, in the most absurdly arrogant of ways. Beelzebub described himself as the "inversion of the Holy Spirit." 

So the various personalities of the devil would have us believe that they are the dark version of the Holy Trinity, i.e. the unholy trinity. 

This is not so. Reality is infinitely more pitiful than this distortion. God broke the devil into three pieces. The devil is a trinity only in the most superficial understanding of the term.   

Ironic that the most iconic movie about split personalities, The Three Faces of Eve (1957) starring Joanne Woodward, would be named for an acquaintance of the devil ... but I digress 
The Three Personalities of the Devil: The Three Faces of Eve?

The remaining pieces of the puzzle then fell into place. Fr. Ripperger then asked, "Is Lucifer the second personality of Satan, the inversion of Christ, who is light from light, because Lucifer means 'light bearer.' He said 'Yes.'" 

And again. Fr. Ripperger asked if the First Personality of Satan is an inversion of God, the Father:

Satan is the inversion of the First Personality, because Satan is called 'the father of lies'? His inversion of father? 

Is this all a new discovery? Actually, no. 

Fr. Ripperger then explains that this knowledge is actually not new. "There [were] actually cases in the past. It was just not a piece of knowledge that was passed on. It's in the literature, but you'd have to dig for it."

So, let's recap and summarize ...

Summary: The Three Personalities of the Devil

As punishment, the Devil's personality was split into three:

Satan, the Father of Lies, is the inversion of God the Father;Lucifer, the "light-bearer," is the inversion of God the Son, Who is the "Light of the World;" andBeelzebub, "lord of the flies," is the inversion of God the Holy Spirit, Who is often depicted as winged or a dove.  

I doubt that the king of chaos and disorder wants us to know how well God ordered these inversions, much less how small the devil became. This smallness is seen in the difference between Beelzebub's flies and the Holy Spirit dove.

Maybe it's best for us not to think about any of this. 

But I think the devil had sort of infected our language with confusion through the confusion of his various names and personalities. And now is a good moment in history to remove confusion from our nouns and pronouns.

Why did the Devil -- Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub -- Fall? Stay tuned ... 
I wrote an article on this that will post next week.

Also, you might be interested in learning that the serpent of Eden that tempted Adam and Eve was not actually a serpent:


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Why is St. Joseph the Terror of Demons? The Cloak of Joseph, The Concealer of the Holy Family

Have you ever wondered why St. Joseph is the Terror of Demons? Interestingly, this question is related to this next question, too: 

Have you ever wondered about the timing of Lent?

Lent, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is a time during which “the Church unites herself … to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.”[1] Jesus was “driven by the spirit into the desert.”[2] This happened immediately after His Baptism in the Jordan by St. John the Baptist. 

Why? Why then?

This is a very rich series of events. There is a lot going on beneath the surface. Why would Jesus need to confront Satan right now, right after His Baptism? Why not sooner or later? 

Why did this epic confrontation between Jesus and the devil happen at the start of Jesus’ public ministry? 

And why did Jesus’ public ministry begin in His 30th year?

Want to watch this article instead of reading it? Here's a talk I recently gave about what was special about Jesus' 30th year:

So why did Jesus’ public ministry begin in His 30th year? Why then? 
Perhaps the reason seems self-evident. Jesus tells us in the Parable of the Strong Man that “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.”[3] At the start of his public ministry, Jesus goes into the desert and binds the strong man. That’s definitely a good tactic. But why not sooner? Why now, in Jesus’ 30th year?

Because something else happened in Jesus’ 30th year. Something very important.

Here's a hint: What high feast or solemnity is always celebrated (as far as I can tell) during Lent? Whose feast day is like a little oasis in the desert of Lent? 

What is Special About Jesus' 30th Year?

Jesus' began His public ministry in His 30th year. But why start then? Why not 18? or 21? Or, if He knew His public ministry would ultimately end in crucifixion, why not wait until His 40th year?

Because something else happened in Jesus’ 30th year. A triggering event. 

What was Jesus' trigger to begin His public ministry? The Blessed Mother urges Jesus to turn water into wine at the Wedding at Cana. This ultimately becomes the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. 

But why was the Blessed Virgin Mary urging Jesus in the first place? Why now? And why did Jesus allow Himself to be urged on?

Because somebody very important to Jesus died when He was 30. 

His Dad. St. Joseph.

I remember when my dad died. Suddenly, my vocation and my life was in my hands. Everything was now my decision. You may have experienced something similar in your life. Jesus did, too. 

St. Joseph was also of the House of David, the rightful king of Israel. When St. Joseph died, the earthly crown of St. Joseph passed to Jesus, as well. 

This is what shifted. This is why Jesus began his public ministry when He did. 

When Did St. Joseph Die?   

Many saints and mystics believe that St. Joseph died in Jesus’ 30th year. 

Here is the following account from the revelations of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich:

As the time drew near for Jesus to begin His mission of teaching, I saw Him ever more solitary and meditative; and toward the same time, the thirtieth year of Jesus, Joseph began to decline. I saw Jesus and Mary often with him … When Joseph was dying, Mary sat at the head of his bed, holding him in her arms. Jesus stood just below her near Joseph's breast. The whole room was brilliant with light and full of angels. After his death, his hands were crossed on his breast, he was wrapped from head to foot in a white winding sheet, laid in a narrow casket, and placed in a very beautiful tomb, the gift of a good man. Only a few men followed the coffin with Jesus and Mary; but I saw it accompanied by angels and environed with light. Joseph’s remains were afterward removed by the Christians to Bethlehem, and interred. I think I can still see him lying there incorrupt.[4]

You can see why St. Joseph is the patron saint of a happy death. Who could ask for a more beautiful death?

Stefano Erardi, The Death of Saint Joseph, oil on panel, date unknown. The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery, LINK

Until his death, St. Joseph hid his Son from Satan. When Joseph died, the hidden years ended. It was time for Jesus to confront Satan.

What does "The Hidden Years" of Jesus Mean? The Real Meaning of "The Hidden Years" 

That term, the “hidden years” of Christ—we think of it as those years of Christ’s life being “hidden” from us. 

No, in those years, Jesus was “hidden” from Satan. This is one of the reasons the Church calls St. Joseph by the title, “Terror of Demons.” Joseph hid Jesus in those years, giving Jesus time to “increase in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”[5] St. Joseph’s name means “increase,” by the way—that’s no coincidence.

But how? 

How did St. Joseph hide Jesus from Satan?

Terror of Demons, Concealer of Christ: How did St. Joseph hide Jesus from Satan?

St. Joseph is Terror of Demons because he is the Concealer of Christ. But how did St. Joseph conceal Jesus from Satan?

In his Homilies on Luke, Origen provides an answer to this question citing St. Ignatius of Antioch: 

I found an elegant statement in the letter of a martyr—I mean Ignatius … He stated, "Mary's virginity escaped the notice of the ruler of this age." 

Who is "The Ruler of This Age"? That, of course, is Satan.

But why did Mary’s virginity escape Satan’s notice? Origen answers this, as well: 

It escaped [Satan’s] notice because of Joseph, and because of their wedding, and because Mary was thought to have a husband. If she had not been betrothed or not had (as people thought) a husband, her virginity could never have been concealed from the ‘ruler of this age.’ Immediately, a silent thought would have occurred to the devil: ‘How can this woman, who has not slept with a man, be pregnant? This conception must be divine. It must be something more sublime than human nature.’ But the Savior had so arranged his plan that the devil did not know that he had taken on a body. When he was conceived, he escaped the devil's notice. Later he commanded his disciples ‘not to make him known.’

This is also confirmed by the Catechism. See CCC paragraph 498.[7]

But wait! The devil knew Jesus was Jesus when tempting him in the desert. Right?

Yes, BUT Satan didn’t know Jesus was the Son of God, just the son of Mary and Joseph

Origen also addresses this: 

When the Savior was tempted by the devil himself, he never admitted that he was the Son of God. He merely said, "It is not right for me to adore you or to turn these stones into loaves of bread or to throw myself down from a high place."

And “Son of God” is the title of King David and the Messiah; it doesn’t necessarily mean the Son is divine. 

Even St. Paul says, if the rulers of this world had known who Jesus really was they would not have crucified him. See 1 Corinthians 2:6-8:

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a SECRET and HIDDEN wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

You see, Satan is his arrogance would have never believed that God so humbled himself as to be born as a human.  

But Satan would have realized all of this, if he knew about the Virginal conception. There is something uniquely divine about the Virgin Birth. Ever heard of another Virgin Birth? They are pretty rare!

If Satan had known about the Virgin Birth, if St. Joseph had not concealed the virginal conception, Satan would have been on high alert.  

But Mary and Jesus were kept SECRET and HIDDEN. They were concealed by Joseph.

“Keep it secret, keep it safe.”

That’s why Joseph is the Terror of Demons, because he duped the Devil himself. Through Joseph’s YES, mother and child were kept safe

St. Joseph is and always has been Jesus’ secret weapon. 

How to Hide Your Families From Satan with St. Joseph's Help

St. Joseph kept the Holy Family hidden from the devil during all those "Hidden Years."

As Pope Leo XIII states in Quamquam Pluries:[8]

As the Blessed Joseph ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt it about with his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ.

Inside his cloak, St. Joseph made the Holy Family invisible to Satan

Let him now do this to OUR FAMILES, OUR ENTIRE CHURCH!

Wouldn’t it be nice if St. Joseph could do the same thing for our families? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could hide our children from Satan until such time that they are able to withstand Satan’s temptations?

We can!

We can entrust our families to St. Joseph, just like God entrusted the Holy Family to Joseph. Now is the time to consecrate your families to St. Joseph.

How? Consecrate your families to St. Joseph. Fr. Donald Calloway and I have written a book and created a calendar specifically for this purpose. 

That's why Fr. Donald Calloway and I wrote the Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families:

The Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families is 33 days of family prayer which begins 33 days before every feast of St. Joseph.

So St. Joseph can protect all families -- as he protected the Holy Family -- in this last great battle between Heaven and Hell over the family. 

Footnotes on St. Joseph, Terror of Demons

[1] CCC 540

[2] Mark 1:12 NAB

[3] Mark 3:27; cf. Matthew 12:29, Luke 11:21–22

[4] The Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations: From the Visions of the Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich as recorded in the journals of Clemens Brentano, “31. Death of St. Joseph. Jesus and Mary in Capharnaum,” p. 330-331, available online here.

[5] Luke 2:52 RSVCE

[6] If my calculations are correct, the earliest possible date for Easter Sunday is March 22, so it is possible for the Solemnity of the Annunciation to occur after Easter Sunday, but it is not possible for the Solemnity of St. Joseph to occur after Easter. It is possible, however, for the Solemnity of St. Joseph to fall during the Triduum and such on Holy Thursday, at the latest.

[7] Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 498: 

People are sometimes troubled by the silence of St. Mark's Gospel and the New Testament Epistles about Jesus' virginal conception. Some might wonder if we were merely dealing with legends or theological constructs not claiming to be history. To this we must respond: Faith in the virginal conception of Jesus met with the lively opposition, mockery or incomprehension of non-believers, Jews and pagans alike; so it could hardly have been motivated by pagan mythology or by some adaptation to the ideas of the age. The meaning of this event is accessible only to faith, which understands in it the "connection of these mysteries with one another" in the totality of Christ's mysteries, from his Incarnation to his Passover. St. Ignatius of Antioch already bears witness to this connection: "Mary's virginity and giving birth, and even the Lord's death escaped the notice of the prince of this world: these three mysteries worthy of proclamation were accomplished in God's silence."

[8] Pope Leo XIII, Quamquam Pluries, encyclical letter on St. Joseph, August 15, 1889

Gandalf, the Resurrection, and the Glorified Body: Lord of the Rings, Easter, and Catholics Flocking to Confession

I've heard from multiple priests that they have been noticing a sizable uptick in Confessions. This has been particularly noticeable this past Lent and Advent. 

I just heard from priest-friend of mine from deep in the heart of the California badlands. He heard almost 400 confessions between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. He estimates a total of nearly 2,000 confessions between all the priests of his parish. 

Wow. Talk about Signs of Life!

My (anonymous) priest-friend is letting me share his homily from Easter Sunday with you. He also referenced my articles on Lord of the Rings and the Bible, particularly Gandalf and the Resurrection. Enjoy!

Read more on the Theology of The Lord of the Rings! Here's a book I wrote on the Christian symbolism in The Lord of the Rings, available now in paperback, ebook, and audiobook:
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From an Easter Sunday homily, April 9, 2023    

Last night at the Easter Vigil Mass, to my pleasant surprise, my father, who’s not Catholic by the way, appeared at the Mass (he is risen!). By the time I went to bed, it was past 1am. I only slept about 3 hours because I had to wake up very early to concelebrate with our pastor at the 5am Easter Sunday Mass. The Easter Vigil Mass was such a glorious event that it left resounding in my heart the beautiful refrain of: “The Lord is Risen!” 

After Mass, I went to help with the 6:30am Confessions, naively convinced that the line would be significantly shorter due to having heard a Holy Week’s worth of Confessions[1]—the line was short, initially. But my heart’s resounding refrain, “The Lord is Risen!” would soon turn into “Lord have Mercy!” due to the massively long line. With the exception of one bathroom break, I was in the box, virtually, from 6:30am until my 10am Mass. 

Long lines or not, “The Lord is Risen!” This is the war cry for our current Eucharistic Revival, but ... 

We cannot have a Eucharistic Revival without a Confession Revival ...

Literature can help us to better understand the risen Lord 

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy novel The Lord of the Rings, there’s a scene where one of the members of the Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf the Grey, tries to protect everyone from the frightening demonic-looking beast called the Balrog. 

The Fellowship runs away. Eventually they reach the narrow bridge of Khazad-dum and then a showdown goes down between Gandalf and the Balrog. Gandalf stops, turns around to confront the Balrog, and says, “Go back to the shadow.” The Balrog, with a massive flaming sword, strikes at Gandalf but to no avail.

Gandalf in a loud voice then says, “You shall not pass.”

As the Balrog attempts to strike again, the bridge collapses, along with the Balrog. Thinking the battle has been won, Gandalf walks away but then suddenly the Balrog’s fiery whip grabs Gandalf’s heel and attempts to pull him down. Gandalf loses his footing and hangs for dear life at the edge of the bridge.

Gandalf and Genesis 3:15, the Protoevangelium

That Gandalf’s heel was struck is highly significant. This refers to that event in Genesis 3:15 in which God said to the ancient Serpent, Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head.” (Genesis 3:15 RSV). 

Notice the masculine pronoun “he.” “He” refers to the Holy One, Jesus Christ, whose heel will forever (the final forever being Jesus’ Second Coming) bruise, that is, crush the head of the ancient Serpent. 

Gandalf the Grey, like a sacrificial lamb, freely lets himself fall into the abyss in order to protect the Fellowship.

Gandalf the Grey dies and rises unto his newfound identity as Gandalf the White. 

Eventually the Fellowship encounters a mysterious man dressed in white whose clothes radiate an unearthly, brilliant white light. The sheer brightness and whiteness of the light so blinds the eyes of Aragorn, Legolas the Elf, and Gimli the Dwarf, that they can’t see who this mysterious man is—it is Gandalf.

Gandalf symbolizes the Risen Christ. 

Catholic theologian Scott Smith explains all these connections between Gandalf's Resurrection and the Resurrection of Jesus: 

Gandalf casts down the power of evil, just as Christ defeated Satan’s power over death on the Cross Gandalf is a sacrificial lamb, just as Christ is the Lamb of God Gandalf wields a sword, just as Christ wields the Sword of the Spirit Gandalf and Christ both begin their descent into the depths from a CrossGandalf’s victory over evil results in his death, just like Christ Gandalf descends into the abyss, just as Christ descended into hell Gandalf descends to “hell” first through fire and then through cold, similar to Dante’s depictionThe days of Gandalf’s descent and ascent are numbered like Christ’s descent into hell, 10 versus 3Both Gandalf and Christ have an AscensionBoth Gandalf and Christ’s friends don’t recognize him after the ResurrectionBoth Gandalf and Christ are adorned in blinding white clothesYou can read more here, as well: 

Science can also help us to better understand the risen Christ: the Shroud of Turin Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J. was recently interviewed by Catholic author Chris Stefanick. In the interview, Fr. Spitzer speaks about the nature of the unearthly, brilliant light (“vacuum ultraviolet radiation”) that emanated from Christ’s body on the Shroud of Turin:[2]

If you do the ultraviolet radio radiation hypothesis, it would be six to eight billion Watts. That’s like . . . half a million, 500, 000 searchlights worth of light energy, proceeding from every point in that body for 140 billionth of a second . . . . in order to get a 140 billionth pulse, you’d have to use an ARF Excimer Laser and if you use that laser it would have to exceed all the ultraviolet laser radiation capacity we have in every laboratory of the world today and it still could not produce that image. That’s how powerful that image is.

The glorious Light that emanated from the Body of Christ recalls St. Pope John Paul II’s glorious masterpiece: the Theology of the Body,[3] a theological light for our dark times. 
I recently gave a three part Lecture Series to our parish’s family night. In the final talk, I mentioned the invaluable work done by the sexual integrity scientist Dr. Joe Malone.[4]
Dr. Malone's insights on the cerebral chemistry of love, specifically, the nexus between Vasopressin (Commitment Hormone) and Oxytocin (Bonding Hormone), are fascinating, to say the least. I’ve been sending him some of my homilies in which I speak about his research. 
I give glory to Jesus through Mary and am happy that he concurs with my understanding of his research. 
Back to the Bonding System ...
Man:Vasopressin develops in a man’s brain over a period of several months, even longer, and is formed when a man has non-sexual interactions with the woman (i.e., his girlfriend/fiancé). It blows up once premarital sex occurs. If Vasopressin is absent, the other bonding system (Oxytocin) will not be activated. Once a man has premarital sex, at that point he is NOT commitment-capable, he is NOT bondable, biochemically speaking, though he still remains free.
Woman:On the side of the woman, the sad and scary thing about her bonding system post-premarital sex, a system which is simpler than a man’s as she only needs dopamine and oxytocin to bond with a man, is that it will be activated. This is where the whole love is blind cliché comes into play. Although a woman may be biochemically blind, she still remains free to believe and act on that blindness or not.
Holy Eucharist & The Glorified BodyThe recent USCCB’s doctrinal note, quoting Pope Benedict XVI, observes that our body has an “inbuilt order,” a “grammar” that “sets forth ends and criteria for its wise use, not its reckless exploitation.”[5]
The weapon to put an end to today’s violent war against the body is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, “really, truly, and substantially” (CCC 1373) present in the Most Holy Eucharist.[6]
Sadly, we live in an age obsessed with bodily beauty, with looking good instead of being good. No wonder our civilization is in a crisis. To look good for all eternity, be good! Holy Communion beautifies our bodies, not with worldly beauty but Heavenly Beauty.
Regarding the question about the age of our glorified body, St. Augustine speculates that our glorified body will physically look like when we were about 30 years old because Christ died around 30 years old, 33 to be exact.[7] 
The reason for this, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, O.P., is that 30 years old is the peak age before the body begins to decline in physical maturity and perfection on account of aging.[8]
St. Thomas Aquinas, O.P. speaks about the four properties of the glorified body from Summa Theologiae (ST) Supplement Q. 82-85: [9]Impassibility – Immune to all suffering, pain, tears, and death.Subtlety – Spiritualized body.Agility – The capacity to move with great facility and rapidity.Clarity – The body will literally shine with beauty and radiance, and this “brightness” will be brighter the greater the degree of sanctifying grace in a soul at death. St. Teresa of Avila who saw glorified bodies says, “If I had spent many years trying to depict how to imagine something so beautiful I couldn’t have, nor would I have known how to: it surpasses everything imaginable on earth, even in just its whiteness and splendor.” [10]This is the indescribable bodily glory that awaits us after Jesus’ 2nd Coming and the General Judgment. Onward to Heaven! Let me leave you with the heavenly words of Ven. Archbishop Fulton Sheen

The reason I want to go to heaven is because I want to be with love. There’ll be many surprises there. People we never expected to see and a number of people absent whom we thought would be there. Finally, there will be one great surprise, the greatest of all—that you and I are there. I will see you in heaven![11]

Footnotes: Long Confession Lines, Gandalf & the Resurrection

[1] I counted the # of penitents whose Confessions I heard from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday: 381 fish in total. If you do the math, using this # as a general total average per priest and multiplying it times 5 priests in total who heard Confessions all throughout Holy Week, then the total # of penitents during Holy Week comes out to be 1,905. That’s a lot of fish that swam through our Confessionals during Holy Week. 

[2] Augustine Institute – Catholic Church Explained. “The TRUTH About the Shroud of Turin w/Fr. Robert Spitzer | Chris Stefanick Show.” Apr 5, 2023 (~18:32 – 19:40)

[3] cf. https://www.crisismagazine.com/opinion/theology-of-the-body-vs-body-mutilations

[4] https://www.drjoemalone.com/meet-dr-joe

[5] Pope Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (2009), no. 48. Quoted in “Doctrinal Note on the Moral Limits to Technological Manipulation of the Human Body,” Pages 1-2.

[6] cf. Baltimore Catechism, Lesson 26, no. 343. “Q&A On the Eucharist”

[7]  St. Augustine, City of God (Waxkeep Publishing, 03-30-2013), ch. 22, pg. 752.

[8] St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae (ST), Supplement, q. 81, a. 1. Dr. Kevin Vost observes, “As a hopefully interesting aside, I decided to do a little Internet search for the phrase ‘peak age for athletic performance.’ Results on the first page included mention of the fact that though there are differences of a few years here and there depending on the sport, both endurance (as evidenced by the performance of marathon runners) and measured muscle mass peak at around age thirty!” See Ross Pomeroy, “This is When Athletes Hit Their Peak,” Real Clear Science, June 24, 2015, and John A. Batsis and Silvio Buscemi, “Sarcopenia, Sarcopenic Obesity and Insulin Resistance,” in Medical Complications of Type 2 Diabetes, ed. Colleen Croniger (Rijeka, Croatia: InTech, 2011), 236. 

The above quoted in: Kevin Vost, Psy. D., Aquinas on the Four Last Things: Everything You Need to Know About Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell (Manchester, New Hampshire: Sophia Institute Press, 2020), Ch. 17: What Our Bodies Will Be Like at the Resurrection: How old will we be when we arise?, Footnote 64. Dr. Vost also says the following: 

Thomas elaborates that we will arise without any defects, and human nature, as it is now, possesses a ‘twofold defect.’ Children possess a defect in that they have not yet attained their ultimate physical perfection, and the aged possess a defect in that they have declined from their ultimate perfection. Therefore, the perfected body of the resurrection will be of a youthful condition of ultimate perfection, the point at which growth has ended and decline has not yet occurred. Thomas notes as well that the aged are rightly revered, not on account of their bodies, but on account of the soul’s wisdom. Therefore, even when resurrected in youthful bodies, those who attained old age will still be revered ‘on account of the fulness of Divine wisdom which will be in them, but the defect of old age will not be in them.’ As for children, while their bodies do possess the greatest powers of growth, they have not yet attained the ultimate perfection found in youthful maturity, which is the age at which all will arise.

[9] Msgr. Stuart Swetland, “What Is A Glorified Body?”  cf. Stacy Trasancos, “What Was Christ’s Resurrected Body Made Of?” 04/29/2019 

[10] St. Teresa of Avila, The Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila: The Life of Teresa of Jesus, trans. E. Allison Peers (Garden City: Image Books, 1960), 260, Chapter 28.

[11] Fulton Sheen, Your Life Is Worth Living: 50 Lessons to Deepen Your Faith, Foreword by Bishop Robert Barron (New York: Image, 2019), Lesson 46: HEAVEN IS NOT SO FAR AWAY.

The Jewish Roots of Good Friday: The Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar & The Crucifixion of the Lambs

Have you read about how the Jews would crucify the Passover Lambs? It is one of the greatest mysteries of all time how the Jews did not realize what was happening when they crucified the Lamb of God, Himself.   
The Crucifixion of the Passover Lambs was highly ritualized and every step points to Jesus' crucifixion. 
They slaughtered the lambs inside the Temple. Hundreds of thousands of lambs! The skinning of the lambs in the Temple points in dramatic fashion to the Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar.
You need to read why ...  

Also, make sure to read Blessed Anne Emmerich's account of the Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar. I have included this excerpt from her writings at the end of the post. Beautiful, but sometimes hard to read, just like The Passion of the Christ, which was partly based on Emmerich's writings.  

The Slaughter of the Passover LambsThe Jews had to slaughter A LOT of lambs at Passover. The Jewish historian Josephus records that as many as 256,000 lambs were slaughtered at Passover during the time of Jesus. So many lambs! Wars of the Jews by Josephus, Book Six, Chapter 9, Section 3:

... found the number of sacrifices [in Jerusalem at Passover circa 4 BC] was two hundred and fifty-six thousand five hundred [256,500 lambs]; which, upon the allowance of no more than ten that feast together, amounts to two million seven hundred thousand and two hundred persons that were pure and holy was 256,500 lambs.

And where were all 256,000 lambs slaughtered? The Temple. 
This created a river of blood and water flowing from the side of the Temple, as from the side of Christ, but more on that in future articles.[1]
Not only that! 
St. Justin Martyr records that the manner of preparation of the Passover lambs resembled a CRUCIFIXION![2] The Jews crucified the Passover lambs and the Lamb of God, Himself. But again, but more on that in future articles, as well as Footnote #2 at the end of the article. 

The Communion Lines & The Altar Rail, Where the Lambs were SlainThe Jews would process into the Temple in communion lines, but the biggest, busiest communion lines you've ever seen. They were ten, maybe twenty, men abreast in lines that stretched forever. 
When the men reached the edge of the Court of the Priests, there was an Altar Rail where they would cut the lamb's throat and bleed it. Think about this! We are imaging the Passover Lambs when we kneel down to receive the Eucharist and stretch out our necks .
You can read all about the Jewish Roots of the Altar Rail here:

The Skinning of the Lambs at the PillarWe still have detailed descriptions of the Temple rituals surrounding the Passover Lambs. These come from the Mishnah. 
The Mishnah dates to the first centuries after Christ. It was the first major written collection of Jewish oral tradition. It was compiled after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, so the traditions of the Temple would not be forgotten. 
This is from Tractate Pesahim (Heb. פְּסָחִים; "paschal lambs"), Chapter Five, Mishnah Nine:[1]

How did one suspend and skin [the lamb]? There were iron hooks fixed into the walls and the posts on which [the carcasses] were suspended and skinned. Anyone who had no room to suspend and skin [his lamb could use] the smooth small sticks that were there. He would rest it on his shoulder and on someone else's shoulder and thus suspend it and skin it. Rabbi Eli'ezer says that when [Nisan] 14th fell on Shabbat [the owner of the lamb] would rest his hand on someone else's shoulder, who [in turn] would rest his hand on the shoulder [of the owner], and thus he would suspend it and skin it.

The Mishnah is describing what happens to the lamb after it has been slaughtered and its blood splashed on the side of the altar. The owner of the lamb would now have to suspend it in order to be able to skin it. 
The lamb was hung from a pillar and skinned or flayed ... you could even say scourged.
They scourged the Passover Lambs at the pillar just like they Scourged Jesus at the Pillar! Every single step of the crucifixion of Jesus, the Lamb of God, mirrors the ritual crucifixion of the Passover Lambs. 
The Flagellation of Christ by Peter Paul Rubens
But that's just the beginning ... 
The skinning took place in the slaughterhouse of the Temple, which was north of the altar. The Mishnah Tamid 3:5 gives us a little more insight into this:

The slaughterhouse was to the north of the altar. After it were eight miniature posts. These had slabs of cedarwood and had iron hooks fixed into them. Each of them had three sets and they would suspend it on them and skin it onto marble tables that were between the posts.

Read from Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich's visions of the Scourging of the Pillar, reproduced at the end of the article, to hear more about these "iron hooks."

Hanging the Lambs from the HooksEach post was fitted with three hooks. These were used to suspend the carcasses while they were skinned and dismembered. These iron hooks were either one on top of the other so as to accommodate animals of various sizes, or they were placed on three sides of the post so that more than one person could be at work.
That's 8 posts, each with 3 hooks. Not many lambs could be skinned at once, maybe only 24 lambs at one time. Note: 24 is a significant number for multiple reasons, being twice the number of the 12 tribes. 
Wait, What Happens When You Run Out of Hooks?Let's do some math ... 
I'm not the sharpest knife in the shed. It takes me at least half an hour to skin a deer. Even at half that time, 256,000 lambs is a lot of animals to be skinned when there are only 24 spots to hang them.   
So what happens when you run out of hooks? 
The pressure of numbers was obviously such that not everyone could find a hook from which to suspend their lamb. The Mishnah also describes an alternative for those who could not find a hook. 
Passover Lamb Suspended Between Two MenThe Temple provided "smooth small sticks" in this situation. That is, poles on which the animal could be suspended. These poles rested horizontally on the shoulders of two men. The Passover Lamb was then suspended between the two men, so it could be skinned.
Did you catch that? 
The Passover Lamb was suspended between two men. Does that sound familiar?
Crucifixion by Andrea Mantegna, Louvre, from Predella San Zeno Altarpiece Verona
When have we seen the Lamb suspended between two men, huh?  
This is why Jesus was crucified between two men. The Passover Lambs were hung, scourged, and crucified between two men. At every point of the Crucifixion, the ritual sacrifice of the Lamb of God mirrored the ritual sacrifice of the Passover Lamb, because Jesus is the perfect sacrifice for all time, the perfect Passover Lamb.    
The lamb was suspended head down, as well. Maybe St. Peter had this in mind when he asked to be crucified upside down. 
More Articles on the Jewish Roots of Holy Week:Jesus' Passion and Crucifixion is so rich in meaning. So much of it, though, is hidden from us if we don't understand the Jewish roots of it all. 
Every detail of the ritual slaughter -- that is, crucifixion -- of the lambs in the Temple in Jerusalem points to Jesus' crucifixion. So I've written a lot on this topic. 
Check out all the articles!
Did you know we image the Passover Lamb when we kneel at the altar rail and receive the Eucharist on the tongue?

Ever wondered why Jesus curses the fig tree on Holy Monday?

This explains why the nails and the spear were used to crucify Jesus ...  

And again, Golgotha and Mt. Calvary -- who's skull was it? What is the significance of where Jesus was crucified?

Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich's Vision of the Scourging of Jesus at the PillarYou will find even more connections to the Passover Lambs, Jesus, and the Scourging at the Pillar. Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich's descriptions of Jesus are very moving, a very fitting read for Holy Week, for sure.
This line alone: "Jesus trembled and shuddered before the pillar." Wow. What the Lord must have felt standing before the Pillar, then the Cross.
Also, try not to be moved when Jesus instructs the Blessed Mother to turn away. 

And now came forward to meet Jesus the execu­tioners' servants with their whips, rods, and cords, which they threw down near the pillar. There were six of them, swarthy men all somewhat shorter than Jesus, with coarse, crisp hair, to whom nature had denied a beard other than a thin, short growth like stubble. Their loins were girded and the rest of their clothing consisted of a jacket of leather, or some other wretched stuff, open at the sides, and cover­ing the upper part of the body like a scapular. Their arms were naked, and their feet encased in tattered sandals. They were vile malefactors from the fron­tiers of Egypt who, as slaves and culprits, were here employed on buildings and canals. The most wicked, the most abject among them were always chosen for the punishment of criminals in the praetorium.
These barbarous men had often scourged poor offenders to death at this same pillar. There was something beastly, even devilish, in their appearance, and they were half-intoxicated. Although the Lord was offering no resistance whatever, yet they struck Him with their fists and ropes and with frantic rage dragged Him to the pillar, which stood alone and did not serve as a support to any part of the building. It was not very high, for a tall man with outstretched arms could reach the top, which was provided with an iron ring. Toward the middle of it on one side were other rings, or hooks. It is impossible to express the barbarity with which those furious hounds out­raged Jesus on that short walk to the pillar. They tore from Him Herod's mantle of derision, and almost threw the poor Saviour to the ground.
Jesus trembled and shuddered before the pillar.
With His own hands, swollen and bloody from the tight cords, and in tremulous haste, He laid aside His garments, while the executioners struck and abused Him. He prayed and implored so touchingly and, for one instant, turned His head toward His most afflicted Mother, who was standing with the holy women in a corner of one of the porches around the square, not far from the scourging place. Turn­ing to the pillar, as if to cover Himself by it, Jesus said: "Turn thine eyes from Me!" I know not whether He said these words vocally or mentally, but I saw how Mary took them, for at the same moment, I beheld her turning away and sinking into the arms of the holy women who surrounded her, closely veiled.
And now Jesus clasped the pillar in His arms. The executioners, with horrible imprecations and barbarous pulling, fastened His sacred, upraised hands, by means of a wooden peg, behind the iron ring on top. In thus doing, they so stretched His whole body, that His feet, tightly bound below at the base, scarcely touched the ground. There stood the Holy of Holies, divested of clothing, laden with untold anguish and ignominy, stretched upon the pillar of criminals, while two of the bloodhounds, with sanguinary rage, began to tear with their whips the sacred back from head to foot. The first rods, or scourges, that they used looked as if made of flexi­ble white wood, or they might have been bunches of ox sinews, or strips of hard, white leather.
Our Lord and Saviour, the Son of God, true God and true Man, quivered and writhed like a poor worm under the strokes of the criminals' rods. He cried in a suppressed voice, and a clear, sweet-sounding wailing, like a loving prayer under excru­ciating torture, formed a touching accompaniment to the hissing strokes of His tormentors. Now and then the cries of the populace and the Pharisees mingled with those pitiful, holy, blessed, plaintive tones like frightful peals of thunder from an angry storm cloud. Many voices cried out together: "Away with Him! Crucify Him!" for Pilate was still negoti­ating with the people. The uproar was so great that, when he wanted to utter a few words, silence had to be enforced by the flourish of a trumpet. At such moments could be heard the strokes of the rods, the moans of Jesus, the blasphemy of the executioners, and the bleating of the Paschal lambs, which were being washed in the pool near the sheep gate to the east. After this first purification, that they might not again soil themselves, their jaws were muzzled and they were carried by their owners along the clean road to the Temple. They were then driven around toward the western side, where they were subjected to another ceremonial washing. The help­less bleating of the lambs had in it something inde­scribably touching. They were the only sounds in unison with the Saviour's sighs.
The Jewish mob kept at some distance, about the breadth of a street, from the place of scourging. Roman soldiers were standing here and there, but chiefly around the guardhouse. All kinds of loungers were loitering near the pillar itself, some in silence, others with expressions of contempt. I saw many of them suddenly roused to sympathy, and at such moments it seemed as if a sudden ray of light shot from Jesus to them.

As Emmerich says, "the helpless bleating of the lambs ... were the only sounds in unison with the Saviour's sighs." What a hauntingly beautiful image. 
There is a profound connection between the preparation of the Passover Lambs and the Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar.  
Praying the Rosary with Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich's vision is a unique and wonderful experience. I published a book to do exactly this. Here's the link:
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Footnotes on the Scourging at the Pillar of the Passover Lambs:[1] In Hebrew: כֵּיצַד תּוֹלִין וּמַפְשִׁיטִין, אֻנְקְלָיוֹת שֶׁל בַּרְזֶל הָיוּ קְבוּעִים בַּכְּתָלִים וּבָעַמּוּדִים שֶׁבָּהֶן תּוֹלִין וּמַפְשִׁיטִין. וְכָל מִי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מָקוֹם לִתְלוֹת וּלְהַפְשִׁיט, מַקְלוֹת דַּקִּים חֲלָקִים הָיוּ שָׁם, וּמַנִּיחַ עַל כְּתֵפוֹ וְעַל כֶּתֶף חֲבֵרוֹ, וְתוֹלֶה וּמַפְשִׁיט. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר שֶׁחָל לִהְיוֹת בַּשַּׁבָּת, מַנִּיחַ יָדוֹ עַל כֶּתֶף חֲבֵרוֹ, וְיַד חֲבֵרוֹ עַל כְּתֵפוֹ, וְתוֹלֶה וּמַפְשִׁיט 

Mary as the New Ark of Noah & Good Friday: Did Noah Bring The Bones of Adam on the Ark?

You may have heard that the Virgin Mary is the New Ark of Moses, the New Ark of the Covenant. If you haven't, you can read more about that here and here. 

But did you know that Mary is also the New Ark of Noah? 

This is pretty easy to understand on one level. The Virgin Mary, as the mother of Jesus, is the mother of all the living, who are born again in Christ through Baptism. She is mother of all people, just like Eve was and should have been. 

All living things were protected from the Great Flood in the womb of Noah's Ark. Jesus, through Whom all things were created, was protected in the womb of Mary, the new Noah's Ark.

But there's more ... 

There's also the matter of the bones of Adam.

If you would like to read more about the Biblical connections to Mary, I have created an entire e-course and book on this! It's called What You Need to Know About Mary But Were Never Taught. Click below to enroll: 

What is the Connection Between the Bones of Adam, Noah's Ark, and the Virgin Mary?

Do you know where the bones of Adam ended up? Why Golgotha is named the "place of the skull"? You can read all about that here.    

Long story, short. The Israelites took care of the bones of the patriarchs. They carried the bones of Joseph and Jacob all through their wanderings in the wilderness. The wilderness generation committed every other kind of betrayal and sin possible, but they never lost the bones of Joseph and Jacob. Relics are important! 
So what happened to the bones of Adam? 
Jewish tradition holds that Adam was buried at Golgotha. That's why it's called Golgotha and Mount Calvary (Gk. for "skull") -- it was the resting place of Adam's skull. 
But how did Adam's bones get there? 
How Did Adam's Bones Get to Golgotha (Mount Calvary)There is an amazing tradition among the Jews at the time of Jesus.[1] Noah confided the skull of Adam to his son, Shem - remember Shem? I told you we would circle back to Shem. 
Shem, then, passed on the skull of Adam to Melchizedek, the priest of Salem. Salem became Jeru-Salem.  

There is strong support for this tradition among the Church Fathers, as well. Saints Cyprian of Carthage [2], Jerome [3], and Ambrose [4] all make reference to Adam being buried at Calvary.
Mosaic of Melchizedek, Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna
On What Did Noah Carry the Bones of Adam?If only Noah had built some kind of vessel ... 
Something to carry the relics of the Old World during the Great Flood ...  
Something that resembled a giant, floating coffin, maybe. If only ...
Oh, wait. He did!  

Let's think about this. If Noah passed on the skull of Adam to his son, it follows that the skull of Adam was carried inside the Ark of Noah.

Take this thought a step further. Who is the New Ark of Noah? This is Mary, who is also the New Ark of the Covenant. What did Mary, the New Ark, carry within her? Not just the skull of the New Adam, but the New Adam, himself.

For more on Mary as the New Ark, check out this article. There are just so many connections!
Here are some other notes on the Virgin Mary being the New Ark of Noah:The Ark of the Covenant was covered "inside and out" in purest gold; God instructed Noah to "cover [the Ark] inside and out with pitch" (Gen 6:14)God told Noah He would "bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life"; therefore, the Ark of Noah preserved "all flesh in which is the breath of life" within it (Gen 6:17). Similarly, Mary carried within her womb Jesus, "the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51).Both the Ark of the Covenant and Noah's Ark were measured in cubits
The Church of Holy Sepulchre contains within it two of the holiest sites in Christianity: (1) Calvary or Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified, and (2) the tomb (of Joseph) where Jesus was buried and, ultimately, resurrected. It contains within it four (some say five) Stations of the Cross. 

The two holy sites contained at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

There is a very special chapel beneath Calvary in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Can you guess what it's called?

This next part will blow your "Calvaria" ...

According to legend, at the Crucifixion, Jesus' blood ran down the Cross and through the rocks of Golgotha to fill the skull of Adam.
Yes, that's right ...
The Blood of the New Adam redeems the bones of the First Adam!
This is depicted in the artwork hanging in the Chapel of Adam:


In the Chapel of Adam, the Rock of Calvary appears cracked through a window on the altar wall. The crack is traditionally claimed to be caused by the earthquake that occurred when Jesus died on the cross. 

Here's an image of the cracked Rock of Calvary:


Is that not *literally* mind-blowing? 

Mary the New Ark Noah at the CrossAnd who was there with Jesus at the Cross? Who never left His side? In whose arms was the body and unbroken bones of the New Adam placed? 
The Blessed Mother. She is depicted as the Pieta, holding the body of the New Adam, Jesus, in her arms, just as she once held him alive in her womb, just as the Ark carried the deceased Adam within it:

Here is the most famous sculpture form of Mary as the Pieta, Michelangelo's Pieta, which is found in St. Peter's Basilica: 

More Articles on the Jewish Roots of Holy Week:Jesus' Passion and Crucifixion is so rich in meaning. So much of it, though, is hidden from us if we don't understand the Jewish roots of it all. 
Every detail of the ritual slaughter -- that is, crucifixion -- of the lambs in the Temple in Jerusalem points to Jesus' crucifixion. So I've written a lot on this topic. 
Check out all the articles!
Did you know we image the Passover Lamb when we kneel at the altar rail and receive the Eucharist on the tongue?

Ever wondered why Jesus curses the fig tree on Holy Monday?

This explains why the nails and the spear were used to crucify Jesus ...  

And again, Golgotha and Mt. Calvary -- who's skull was it? What is the significance of where Jesus was crucified?


Footnotes: Mary is the New Ark of Noah[1] The Syriac writers provide the following: 
"When Noah went out of the ark there was made a distribution of the bones of Adam; to Shem, his head was given, and the place in which he was buried is called "Karkaphta": where likewise Christ was crucified."(Bar Bahluli apud Castel. Lexic. Polyglot. col. 3466.)
This word signifies a skull, as Golgotha does: and so likewise the Arabic writers affirm that Shem said these words to Melchizedek:
"Noah commanded that thou shouldst take the body of Adam, and bury it in the middle of the earth; therefore let us go, I and thou, and bury it; wherefore Shem and Melchizedek went to take the body of Adam, and the angel of the Lord appeared to them and went before them, till they came to the place Calvary, where they buried him, as the angel of the Lord commanded them." (Elmacinus, p. 13. Patricides, p. 12. apud Hottinger. Smegma Oriental. l. 1. c. 8. p. 257.)

[2] St. Cyprian of Carthage says that it is a tradition of the ancients that Adam was buried in Calvary under the place where the cross of Christ was fixed (De Resurrectione Christi, p. 479).

[3] St. Jerome makes mention of it more than once, so Paula and Eustochium, in an epistle supposed to be dictated by him, or in which he was assisting, say in this city, meaning Jerusalem, "yea in this place, Adam is said to dwell, and to die; from whence the place where our Lord was crucified is called Calvary, because there the skull of the ancient man was buried" (Epistle Marcellae, fol. 42. L. Tom. I.). Also, in another place, Jerome himself says that he heard one disputing in the church and explaining (comment to Ephesians 5:14) of Adam buried in Calvary, where the Lord was crucified, and therefore was so called.

[4] St. Ambrose also takes note of it (Comment. in Luc. xx. 33). The place of the cross, says he, is either in the midst of the land, that it might be conspicuous to all, or over the grave of Adam, as the Hebrews dispute: others say that the hill itself was in the form of a man's skull, and therefore was so called; it was situated, as St. Jerome says (De locis Hebraicis, fol. 92. F.), on the north of Mount Zion, and is thought by some to be the same with the hill Gareb (Jeremiah 31:39).

What Does St. Joseph Say in the Bible? St. Joseph's One Word in Scripture -- Did You Know St. Joseph Was Actually Not Silent in the Bible?

St. Joseph never said a word in Scripture … right? 

Would it surprise you to learn that St. Joseph actually did say something in Scripture?

St. Joseph said one word, just one. Do you know what it was?

Have you done the Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald Calloway? It was so good that I wanted to consecrate my whole family to St. Joseph. 

That's why Fr. Donald Calloway and I wrote the Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families:

So St. Joseph can protect all families -- as he protected the Holy Family -- in this last great battle between Heaven and Hell over the family. 
Here's a talk I recently gave about consecrating your families to St. Joseph:

Now, about that one word from St. Joseph. You didn’t think I forgot about that, did you?
St. Joseph never said a single word in the Bible ... or did he?St. Joseph never says anything in the Gospels, not a single word! Or did he ... ? 
What did St. Joseph say in the Bible? St. Joseph was the foster-father of Jesus. To St. Joseph are accorded all the rights, privileges, and dignities of the earthly fatherhood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

One of St. Joseph's legal rights as foster-father is mentioned in the angel’s words to Joseph: 

Son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife … she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21 RSVCE)

Did you catch that? It was St. Joseph’s legal responsibility to name Jesus, a name above all names, a name which means “GOD saves.” 
The father had to provide the child’s name. 
So what was the one and only word accorded to St. Joseph in the Bible? 
“Jesus.”  
That's right. St. Joseph's one word in the Bible is "Jesus." God saves. If you had just one word to say to sum up your whole life, there could be no better word than "Jesus." 
That's just one of the many reasons St. Joseph is so awesome. 
St. Joseph & the Privilege of Naming JesusIsn't that amazing? St. Joseph was given the singular, legal privilege of naming the Savior of the World. A name that means "God saves." Jesus. 
There is a tenderness in St. Joseph's special privilege. It affirms the humanity of Jesus. Jesus had an earthly father who loved and cared for him, that bestowed on Jesus the Name that is above all names.

 St. Joseph's special privilege emphasizes his the importance of family and especially fatherhood. Jesus' Father in Heaven does not completely eclipse Jesus' earthly father. This could have easily happened, especially since St. Joseph is not Jesus' biological father. 
God chose to emphasize the role of a father in a child's life. God gave us in St. Joseph an example of fatherhood for all men to look to, not just Jesus.   
While Heaven provided the name "Jesus," St. Joseph was accorded the special honor of bestowing on Jesus His Holy Name. 
It's like St. Joseph was given the special honor of crowning Jesus with His Holy Name. St. Joseph was, after all, a king in the line and house of King David. 
St. Joseph Fulfills Isaiah's Prophecy at Isaiah 7:14: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him 'Immanuel.'"  This also fulfills Isaiah’s prophetic sign to King Ahaz at Isaiah 7:14: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him 'Immanuel.'" 
This is actually the next verse in Matthew from what we read above. After Matthew 1:21, we have the following:

[22] All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
[23] “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and his name shall be called Emman′u-el” 
(which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:22-23 RSVCE)

But wait ... why wasn't Jesus named Emmanuel?

Why is Jesus Named Jesus and Not Emmanuel?Was Isaiah's prophecy wrong? Was Jesus supposed to be named Emmanuel? 
Was Emmanuel actually the proper name that was to be given to Jesus? Or did Emmanuel describe who Jesus was? 
Here's the key. Joseph was told to name the baby Jesus. Isaiah's prophecy states that Jesus would be called Emmanuel, not named Emmanuel. See the difference?
"Emmanuel" is not prophesied to be Jesus' proper name. Instead, "Emmanuel" is a prophecy of Jesus' divine nature. God will be "with us." That is, God will live among us, as the God-man. "Emmanuel" is a prophecy of the Incarnation of God.
Being called "Emmanuel" is another hint from Isaiah that the Messiah will be the Incarnation of God, Himself. Emmanuel means "God with us." Our Savior will be both God and man. 

The Jews didn't know that the Messiah was going to be God. There were several hints. For example, Isaiah also describes the birth of the Messiah at Isaiah 9:6:

For to us a child is born,    to us a son is given;and the government will be upon his shoulder,    and his name will be called“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

The Messiah will be born as a child and called "Might God." That's a pretty big clue that Jesus is both God and man. But that's our privilege of hindsight and living after Pentecost. The Jews didn't have the clear knowledge of Jesus' divinity that we do.   
Learn More About St. JosephHere are links to more articles about the amazing, hidden life of St. Joseph: Was St. Joseph an Old Man or a Young Man? How Old was St. Joseph When He Married Mary? The Bible Tells Us St. Joseph's Exact AgeWhy Are Jesus' Genealogies in Matthew and Luke Different? Was St. Joseph Adopted, too? Spiritual Insights into Adoption3 Things To Do on St. Joseph's Feast Day According to St. Teresa of Avila, and Why St. Joseph is Special Among the SaintsPowerful Novena to St. Joseph for Work, Family, Job, Employment, to Sell HouseMary and Joseph's Wedding Ring: Santo Anello and Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich's VisionsSt. Joseph, Hammer of Communists: The Anti-Communist Origins of the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker    
 

What Does St. Joseph Say in the Bible? St. Joseph's One Word in Scripture

St. Joseph never said a word in Scripture … right? 

Would it surprise you to learn that St. Joseph actually did say something in Scripture?

St. Joseph said one word, just one. Do you know what it was?

Have you done the Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald Calloway? It was so good that I wanted to consecrate my whole family to St. Joseph. 

That's why Fr. Donald Calloway and I wrote the Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families:

So St. Joseph can protect all families -- as he protected the Holy Family -- in this last great battle between Heaven and Hell over the family. 
Here's a talk I recently gave about consecrating your families to St. Joseph:

Now, about that one word from St. Joseph. You didn’t think I forgot about that, did you?
St. Joseph never said a single word in the Bible ... or did he?St. Joseph never says anything in the Gospels, not a single word! Or did he ... ? 
What did St. Joseph say in the Bible? St. Joseph was the foster-father of Jesus. To St. Joseph are accorded all the rights, privileges, and dignities of the earthly fatherhood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

One of St. Joseph's legal rights as foster-father is mentioned in the angel’s words to Joseph: 

Son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife … she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21 RSVCE)

Did you catch that? It was St. Joseph’s legal responsibility to name Jesus, a name above all names, a name which means “GOD saves.” 
The father had to provide the child’s name. 
So what was the one and only word accorded to St. Joseph in the Bible? 
“Jesus.”  
That's right. St. Joseph's one word in the Bible is "Jesus." God saves. If you had just one word to say to sum up your whole life, there could be no better word than "Jesus." 
That's just one of the many reasons St. Joseph is so awesome. 
St. Joseph & the Privilege of Naming JesusIsn't that amazing? St. Joseph was given the singular, legal privilege of naming the Savior of the World. A name that means "God saves." Jesus. 
There is a tenderness in St. Joseph's special privilege. It affirms the humanity of Jesus. Jesus had an earthly father who loved and cared for him, that bestowed on Jesus the Name that is above all names.

 St. Joseph's special privilege emphasizes his the importance of family and especially fatherhood. Jesus' Father in Heaven does not completely eclipse Jesus' earthly father. This could have easily happened, especially since St. Joseph is not Jesus' biological father. 
God chose to emphasize the role of a father in a child's life. God gave us in St. Joseph an example of fatherhood for all men to look to, not just Jesus.   
While Heaven provided the name "Jesus," St. Joseph was accorded the special honor of bestowing on Jesus His Holy Name. 
It's like St. Joseph was given the special honor of crowning Jesus with His Holy Name. St. Joseph was, after all, a king in the line and house of King David. 
St. Joseph Fulfills Isaiah's Prophecy at Isaiah 7:14: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him 'Immanuel.'"  This also fulfills Isaiah’s prophetic sign to King Ahaz at Isaiah 7:14: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him 'Immanuel.'" 
This is actually the next verse in Matthew from what we read above. After Matthew 1:21, we have the following:

[22] All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
[23] “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and his name shall be called Emman′u-el” 
(which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:22-23 RSVCE)

But wait ... why wasn't Jesus named Emmanuel?

Why is Jesus Named Jesus and Not Emmanuel?Was Isaiah's prophecy wrong? Was Jesus supposed to be named Emmanuel? 
Was Emmanuel actually the proper name that was to be given to Jesus? Or did Emmanuel describe who Jesus was? 
Here's the key. Joseph was told to name the baby Jesus. Isaiah's prophecy states that Jesus would be called Emmanuel, not named Emmanuel. See the difference?
"Emmanuel" is not prophesied to be Jesus' proper name. Instead, "Emmanuel" is a prophecy of Jesus' divine nature. God will be "with us." That is, God will live among us, as the God-man. "Emmanuel" is a prophecy of the Incarnation of God.
Being called "Emmanuel" is another hint from Isaiah that the Messiah will be the Incarnation of God, Himself. Emmanuel means "God with us." Our Savior will be both God and man. 

The Jews didn't know that the Messiah was going to be God. There were several hints. For example, Isaiah also describes the birth of the Messiah at Isaiah 9:6:

For to us a child is born,    to us a son is given;and the government will be upon his shoulder,    and his name will be called“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

The Messiah will be born as a child and called "Might God." That's a pretty big clue that Jesus is both God and man. But that's our privilege of hindsight and living after Pentecost. The Jews didn't have the clear knowledge of Jesus' divinity that we do.   
Learn More About St. JosephHere are links to more articles about the amazing, hidden life of St. Joseph: Was St. Joseph an Old Man or a Young Man? How Old was St. Joseph When He Married Mary? The Bible Tells Us St. Joseph's Exact AgeWhy Are Jesus' Genealogies in Matthew and Luke Different? Was St. Joseph Adopted, too? Spiritual Insights into Adoption3 Things To Do on St. Joseph's Feast Day According to St. Teresa of Avila, and Why St. Joseph is Special Among the SaintsPowerful Novena to St. Joseph for Work, Family, Job, Employment, to Sell HouseMary and Joseph's Wedding Ring: Santo Anello and Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich's VisionsSt. Joseph, Hammer of Communists: The Anti-Communist Origins of the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker