The Garden of Eden: Location of the Very First Eucharistic Celebration Within History? Part II of II
Published by Stephen Michael Leininger in Stephen Michael Leininger · Tuesday 27 Dec 2022
Tags: eternity, firstborn, of, creation, Ascension, last, supper, back, side, of, God
Tags: eternity, firstborn, of, creation, Ascension, last, supper, back, side, of, God
The Garden of Eden: What is it; Is it Still There?
Part II of II
The Glory, Face, and Back Side of God
The last paragraph in Part One reads: It is Catholic Doctrine that all grace comes to man through the dwelling of the Holy Spirit (the Breath) within the human spiritual soul of the Incarnate Christ. After all, creation is an expression of the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the glory of God.[1] Since this is so, is that glory evident in our parents while still in the state of Original Justice?
The First Born, the Face of God, and the Back Side of God must be understood in the context of eternity — more specifically, the eternal whole. St. Hildegard helps us to understand eternity.
She wrote:
When God said, ‘Let it be done!’ things were enclosed at once within their forms, just as the divine providence had seen them in an incorporeal way before time was [had been incorporeal, but is now corporeal — i.e., physical, but not mortal. Created Glorious at the fiat — SML]. Just as everything in front of a mirror shines within that mirror, all the works of the holy Godhead shine within it in a timeless way.[2]
When we combine the three quotes below, we gain a deeper understanding of Jesus as, the first born of all creation (Col. 1:15), the Face of God, and Back Side of God. They are:
1). “Thanks to the hypostatic union, a human nature has been raised to such a height as to make it capable of sharing in the whole work [SML] of Redemption and Sanctification. Christ’s human nature, body and [spiritual] soul … has acquired unparalleled fitness to be in the hands of God the instrument of every spiritual marvel;”[3]3). “Each of the actions of [Jesus’] human nature is to be attributed to His Person. But His Person is the Person of God — therefore, each and every action of His human nature had an infinite value because it was done by the Person of God.”[6]
The Eternal Now of God is impossible for any finite person to comprehend — to even a miniscule degree. As was said in Part One, not even the angels can comprehend the Trinity. Consequently, Trinitarian acts that would seem impossible, would not be such for God. I believe a good case has been made in this blog-series to support the following hypotheses: When God said let it be, All Creation was enclosed in its substantial form — including the Glorious, but not yet mortal, body of Christ.
As Paul tells us, “Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me” (Heb. 10:5). Is the body, mentioned in the above passage, referring to the body received at the Father’s fiat (Gen. 1:3, 6; Ps. 33:9), or was it the mortal body born in Bethlehem[7]? To help answer that question, let’s elaborate further on Col. 1:15.
[In Col. 1:15,] St Paul … begins the doctrinal part of the epistle; he continues it down to 2:7. Christ is the ‘image of the invisible God’. ‘Image’ (εἰκών), says St Thomas (op. cit.) connotes three qualities at the same time: (a) it must have a likeness with the original prototype, (b) it must be derived from the prototype, (c) it must belong to the same species as the prototype.[8]
Applying the meaning of prototype to the creation of Adam, we must answer a new question before we can answer the previous question. Was Adam the prototype of Jesus or vice versa? If Jesus is the First-born of all creation through whom all that was made was made, then Jesus must have been the prototype of Adam. Therefore, all three qualities described above by St. Thomas must be met.
The following is another reason to conclude that Jesus is the prototype of all humanity.[9]
From a vision she received from God, Venerable Maria of Agreda wrote the following:
Adam in regard to the body was so like unto Christ that scarcely any difference existed. According to the soul, Adam was similar to Christ. From Adam God formed Eve so similar to the Blessed Virgin, that she was like unto her in personal appearance and in figure. God looked upon these two images of the great Originals [i.e., Jesus (formed from Mary’s DNA) and Mary] with the highest pleasure and benevolence, and on account of the Originals He heaped many blessings upon them, as if He wanted to entertain Himself with them and their descendants until the time should arrive for forming Christ and Mary.[10]
The above quote suggests one of three possible ways by which Adam was made.
1). He was made from the geological dust of the earth;2). He was made from a stem cell (also dust of the earth) taken from a humanoid (animal) body — a means suggested (but not promoted) as acceptable by Pope St. JP II; or,3). He was made from a stem cell taken from a rib in Jesus’ Glorious human body; a body existing at the foundation of the world.
The latter way is similar to the way in which Eve was created from Adam’s rib (Yes. Genesis accurately described her creation. See “The Creation of Eve.”
Reading Genesis 2:21-22, Francesco Callea and Michelle Callea, both researchers at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, marveled at the analogy between sleep and anesthesia (as would be necessary for bone marrow transplant). Also, of interest to them, the origin of the two humans involved in this episode (Adam and Eve) are not comparable.
In an article published in the American Journal Hematology, they wrote:
In the first book of the Bible, God fashions a woman from one of Adam's ribs: “while Adam was sleeping, … [he] took one of the ribs… and the rib taken from man… made a woman” (Genesis 2:21–22). Were stem cells present at this ancient origin point, in Adam's rib?
The recent discovery of stem cells in bone marrow and their therapeutic application in stem cells regenerative medicine would support the hypothesis that the development of science represents a quite predictable phenomenon proceeding from the potency of Adam's rib. Likewise, the biomedical research appears to represent a continuous discovery of historical and prehistorical milestones. …
The rib, in particular, represents an anatomic type of long bone with a wide, spongious component rich in hematopoietic bone marrow, containing multipotent, pluripotent, and unipotent stem cells [AlisonMR, IslamS, “Attributes of adult stem cells.” J Pathol 2009; 217: 144–160.]. … Carefully reading Genesis 2 [Holy Bible, King James version, Genesis (2:7, 2:21–22)], one is impressed by the fact that man and woman originated via two different modalities: Man “from the dust of the ground, [God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7); Woman “from the ribhe had taken out of the man [Adam]” while he was sleeping (Genesis 2:21–22).*
The analogy between Adam's sleep and anaesthesia (as in surgical procedures, for bone marrow transplantation) is striking. Also striking, is that the two events—the origin of man and of woman—are not comparable [i.e., two separate events involving two separate modalities — SML]. Adam's origin is not discussed at present, as nowadays, it seems to belong to the sphere of divinity and as such is inaccessible to scientific knowledge, whereas woman's origin is a suitable subject for science.
The recent discovery (or rediscovery) of stem cells in bone marrow and their application in regenerative medicine would seem to support the hypothesis that the development of science could be predicted from the story of Adam's rib. Surprisingly, the progress of science, in turn, may lead us to look again into the narrative of our evolutionary ancestry.[11]
*Let us look at a few more facts about this event through our scientific glasses. Why did God make Eve from a rib? God does not do anything just for the heck of it. He didn’t say to his Son: Hey Son, throw a dart at that drawing of a human skeleton and whichever bone you hit, we’ll use that one to make Eve. God knew some very important facts relative to creating a helpmate to Adam. In Scripture, God points to the science he knew and would use to accomplish his objective. God wanted all mankind to descend from a single set of DNA. Why? So that we could be one truly genetic (Covenant of Salt) family.[11-A] He wanted Eve, together with Adam, to be a family in the image and likeness of God.The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in an eternal covenant relationship that is both Love and fruitfulness.[11-B] From the very beginning, man was meant to be in a Covenant of Salt (one-flesh) family dwelling in the Garden of Eden. Man was destined to also be in a Covenant of Salt relationship with God through a union with the incarnate Son of God. If this were not the case, he could have simply made Eve from geological dust or stone, as he may have done with Adam (cf. Mt. 3:9, Lk. 3:8).This is where the rib becomes significant. While all bones can repair themselves, ribs are the only bones that can regenerate themselves.[11-C] God designed man perfectly. So, it would follow that if he took a rib from Adam’s perfectly designed body, he should put it back via regeneration, thus restoring his body to its original perfect design.Bones, in general, are some of the most dynamic organs in the body. They constantly change to help the body.[11-D] This fact will become more pertinent later. Ribs are one of the very few bones that continue to make red marrow, which means the rib continues to make blood cells in adults (Adam, incidentally, was an adult). Remember what it says in Scripture: our life is in the blood (Gen. 9:4; Lev 17:11-14; Deut. 12:23).
The rib is one of the most prolific producers of stem cells, which would be absolutely necessary if God’s intention was to make from Adam’s body (Adam declared Eve to be bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh) a fully developed female body. Therefore, God also knew about, and reveals to us in an applied sciences way, the science of stem cells.[11-E] Stem cells are cells that are capable of differentiating, i.e., becoming other types of cells. For example, a stem cell can become (turn into) a brain cell, a nerve cell, a heart cell, and so on.
Before going any further, we need to offer some background on man’s exposure to God’s glory — what is God’s face? Let us answer the first part of that question. I believe the Face of God and the Back Side of God refer to the incarnate Son of God. St. Augustine goes so far as to identify this as a common interpretation.
He writes:
The Catholic Church Only is the Place from Whence the Back Parts of God are Seen. Not unfitly is it commonly understood to be prefigured from the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, that His ‘back parts’ are to be taken to be His flesh, in which He was born of the Virgin, and died, and rose again; whether they are called back parts on account of the posteriority of mortality, or because it was almost in the end of the world, that is, at a late period, that He deigned to take it: but that His “face” was that form of God, in which “He ‘thought it not robbery to be equal with God.’”[12]
I wish to put forth what I believe is a plausible explanation for the various appearances in Scripture of the glorious Back Side — the Face of God (the Second Person of the Trinity in both His Humanity and Divinity) — to other humans. My view also seems to be the same view St. Augustine of Hippo holds.[13]
God is in eternal act, not limited by space or time. After the Ascension, Jesus’ glorified body and spiritual soul fully participated in the Trinitarian Dialogue, which is not confined to space or time. What are the ramifications of that for the Baptized?
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read:
Because “human nature was assumed, not absorbed,” in the mysterious union of the Incarnation, the Church was led over the course of centuries to confess the full reality of Christ’s human [spiritual/rational] soul, with its operations of intellect and will, and of his human body. In parallel fashion, she had to recall on each occasion that Christ’s human nature belongs, as his own, to the divine person of the Son of God, who assumed it. Everything that Christ is and does in this nature derives from “one of the Trinity.” The Son of God therefore communicates to his humanity his own personal mode of existence in the Trinity. In his soul as in his body, Christ thus expresses humanly the divine ways of the Trinity (John 14:9–10): (516; 626).[14]
In John we read,
As thou hast sent [expressed] Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for them do I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me, and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me. I in them, and Thou in Me; that they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that Thou hast loved them, as Thou hast also loved Me (Jn 18:18–19, 21, 23).
Cardinal Bl. John Henry Neuman paraphrased Jesus’ words to Mary Magdalene when she attempted to touch Him after his Resurrection. He wrote:
When I am ascended, then the change will be completed [that time at which the humanity of Jesus would participate in the Trinitarian dialogue]. To pass hence to the Father in My bodily presence, is to descend from the Father to you in spirit. When I am thus changed, when I am thus present to you, more really present than now, though invisibly, then you may touch Me. …
When I am ascended, thou shalt see nothing, thou shalt have everything. Thou shalt sit down under My shadow with great delight, and My fruit shall be sweet to thy taste. Thou shalt have Me whole and entire. I will be near thee, I will be in thee [emphasis SML]; I will come into thy heart a whole Saviour, a whole Christ—in all My fullness as God and man—in the awful virtue of that Body and Blood, which has been taken into the Divine Person of the Word, and is indivisible from it [even into eternity — SML], and has atoned for the sins of the world [Blessed John Henry Neuman, Lectures on Justification, (London: Aeterna Press, 2015), pp 216-219].[15]
The eternal and unceasing intellectual begetting of the Son by he Father would, of necessity (see the doctrine of Concomitance[16]), include the begetting of His humanity. I don’t see how this post-Ascension Trinitarian begetting could occur outside of eternity, but I can’t say with certainty that it doesn’t. God’s actions are not bound by anything — including visible appearance, e.g., the veil of bread and wine, of the Eucharist on altars all over the world at every second of the day. Not restricted by space or time. After our resurrection, the just will be in Him. Furthermore, He and the Father will be in us (Jn. 17:21; 1 Jn. 4:13).
The Human Body is Made to Radiate the Glory of God
There is reason to believe that all human beings existing in a state of Original Justice would radiate glory through the human body — a body designed by God to mediate the Glory of God.
Hildegard tells us:
[O]f all the strengths of God’s creation, Man’s is most profound, made in a wondrous way with great glory from the dust of the earth and so entangled with the strengths of the rest of creation that he can never be separated from them.[17]
She also wrote,
In place of his [Adam’s] luminous [SML] garment, Adam was given a sheepskin [a clear reference to the mortal flesh of fallen man], and God substituted for Paradise [the Garden of Eden] a place of exile.[18]
I have written numerous science-oriented articles showing that God designed the human body to mediate God’s glory. It does not radiate Divine Light itself, but Divine light is mediated into the world via the body. This fact is true of any living organism (although mediated to a lessor intensity in non-rational organisms) that contains DNA, structured molecules of water, electrons, etc. All such organisms can be used as an instrument of the Holy Spirit’s power.
It is scientifically indisputable that the human body generates electromagnetic energy (created physical light). The body functions via static and moving electrons (which inevitably produce electricity and, therefore, light). It is electrons in motion that make electromagnetic radiation. Dr. Robert Becker wrote an entire book on the subject. It is appropriately titled: The Body Electric: Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life.
A twenty-minute video of the body-electric phenomenon is available for viewing. Follow the link contained in the following endnote[19] to view the video. The video shows one way (but not the only way) the body generates and uses electromagnetic energy instrumentally. It also shows how the energy of sound waves will also generate electrical activity in our cells. While the video primarily deals with nerve cells, it doesn’t specifically discuss the extent of organic use of electricity biologically generated by ions, biological water, and light—especially light in the infrared light spectrum.
Speaking of biological water, Dr. Gerald Pollack, professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington, has developed a new theory of water that has been described as revolutionary. He has discovered a fourth phase of water consisting of exclusion zones (EZ zones) bounded by water molecules uniquely structured via the natural incorporation of hydronium ions (H3O+). This state has also been called the Gel State or Glassy State of Water.
According to Pollack, these hydration shells coat every solid cellular surface in the body. Outside the tight confines of the cell, structured water can project from a nucleating surface by distances up to a full meter. However, it takes millions of layers of these molecules to create that depth of layering.[20] Within the small spaces of the cell itself, the hydration shell will reach about one hundred layers.[20A]
The discovery of structured water is revolutionizing our understanding of how the body functions. One of those discoveries is the profound interaction between structured bio-living water and photons of light generated by every cell within our body. It seems that when God teaches us about Living Water and the light of Truth, he wasn’t only referring to the spiritual.
I’m sure we are all familiar with the phrase, “dead in the water.” It’s a cliché used to describe a complete lack of movement, whether on, in, or off the water. By understanding the behaviors of this bio-living water, we can begin to see water as really “alive” and “moving.” Nobel Laureate Albert Szent-Gyorgyi characterizes life as “water dancing [SML] to the tune of macromolecules.”[21] Another researcher characterizes this watery dance, as it was referred to by Szent-Gyorgyi, as a sort of quantum “jazz” which is both always being improvised in response to its environment and is also coherent beyond our wildest imaginings. Our body is a liquid crystalline (liquid stone) organism which is, in fact, quantum coherent.[22]
According to biologist Vladimir Voeikov, there are increasing amounts of scientific evidence indicating that biological water, working together with the solid surfaces of, and within, the cell (e.g., proteins, DNA, and cell membranes), determine the organization of living organisms at all levels.[23]
In fact, because of this new understanding, we now can suggest how the Holy Spirit uses structured bio-living water instrumentally to stop the decaying process of a deceased organism. This process should occur naturally (in fallen man), including some deceased saints. Instead, these saints are kept (miraculously) fully or partially incorrupt, even though they are dead.[24] It also suggests the possibility of the instrumentality of water molecules in cleansing the physical bodies of those who are receiving the Sacrament of Baptism — regardless of their age.
As previously stated, Dr. Gerald Pollard has discovered a fourth state of water. The other three being liquid, gaseous, and solid. He also explains how every one of the biological surfaces within every cell of our body uses electromagnetically generated light together with dynamically structured biological water, to generate an unceasing net electrical charge.[25] Using environmental infrared radiation, this same process could be utilized to convert water into electricity. The process has the potential to generate enough electricity to power our homes at little or no cost.
The heart alone generates powerful electromagnetic and magnetic fields that extend three feet outside the human body.[26] By comparison, the brain’s magnetic field can only be detected about three inches away.[27] The heart’s electrical field is sixty times greater in amplitude (visualize it as the height of a wave on the ocean) than is the brain’s.[28]
There is further evidence to indicate the bodies of Adam and Eve, before the fall, mediated the glory of God as would be manifested via their luminous bodies. It is an indisputable scientific fact that our bodies generate light in multiple wavelengths. Much of it is in the invisible to ultra-weak wavelength range. That is true for both post– and pre– fallen man. Research has shown that our salt of DNA emits quantum coherent photons.[29] Furthermore, DNA itself spontaneously oscillates coherently.[30]
From the scientific work of Szent Gyorgyi, Herbert Frolich (both Nobel prize winners), and Fritz Albert Popp, we know that nucleated cells, through the physical and vibratory configuration of its DNA, can pick up, store, and broadcast information vital for the self-organization of biological systems. Their studies on biologically generated light and electromagnetic intercellular bio-communication, demonstrate that cells communicate with one another, coherently, by exchange of photon quanta [discreet bundles of photonic energy].[31]
This is also confirmed by Dr. Werner R. Loewenstein’s research. He describes how vast amounts of information necessary to make a living organism’s hardware (e.g., DNA, RNA, and proteins) ordered, ultimately come from photons (i.e., light).[32][33][34]
There are several examples available which demonstrate that Divine Light will produce a palpable impact on any living organism — including man. Let’s look at some examples from the mystics about the luminous bodies of Adam and Eve, as well as Jesus’ body at his Nativity — all of which can claim a scientific basis for the bodily mediations of Glory.
Examples are:
1). “When God created Adam, divine radiance surrounded the clay substance [i.e., DNA combined with structured bio–living water] of which he was formed.”[35]2). “Before Adam and Eve had transgressed against the divine commandment, they had been shining with splendor like the sun and that light formed their clothing [the radiated light must have been fairly intense to serve as clothing]. After the transgression against the divine commandment they were no longer shining like they had been before. ... It [creation] too lost its equilibrium and fell into unrest.”[36]3). “Although his person [Adam] was more like to flesh than to spirit, yet he was dazzlingly white [Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, The Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations: as recorded in the Journals of Clemens Brentano, arranged and edited by Carl E Schmoger CSSR, Vol 1 of 4, pp. 6-8].”[37]4). “[Adam and Eve] were like two unspeakably noble and beautiful children, perfectly luminous, and clothed with beams of light as with a veil. From Adam’s mouth I saw issuing a broad stream of glittering light, and upon his forehead an expression of great majesty. Around his mouth played a sunbeam, but there was none around Eve’s. I saw Adam’s heart very much the same as in the men of the present day, but his breast was surrounded by rays of light [SML]. In the middle of his heart, I saw a sparkling halo of glory. In it was a tiny figure as if holding something in its hand. I think it symbolized the Third Person [the Holy Spirit] of the Godhead [Ibid, vol. 1, pp. 6-8].”[38]
Christ as the Messenger of Yahweh in the Old Testament [39]
N. L. Geisler tells us:The Messenger of Yahweh Is Yahweh
The term “Yahweh” (Lord) is used exclusively of God in the Old Testament. Indeed, God Himself proclaimed:“This is what the Lord says — he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited — he says, ‘I am the Lord [Yahweh], and there is no other’” (Isa. 45:18).God calls this title His “Name,” saying, “I am the Lord [Yahweh]. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them” (Ex. 6:2–3).The Messenger of the Lord Is Yahweh
This was made clear when He appeared to Moses, for “There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush” (Ex. 3:2). He is called “the Lord” [Yahweh] in verse 8, and He gives His Name as “I am who I am” in verse 14.Elsewhere in the Old Testament, the Messenger of the Lord is called God; one of the messengers (angels) who appeared to Abraham was called Yahweh (“the Lord”) in Genesis 18:1. When the other two angels left to go to Sodom, it says, “Abraham remained standing before the Lord [Yahweh]” (Gen. 18:22). Likewise, the “angel of the Lord” who appeared to Manoah’s wife (Judg. 13:3) accepted and answered Manoah’s prayer, which he “prayed to the Lord [Yahweh]: ‘O Lord, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born’ (Judg. 13:8).” In fact, when asked, He gave his name as “Wonderful” (Judg. 13:18 nkjv cf. Isa. 9:6).The Angel of the Lord Is a Different Person Than the Lord
On occasion in the Old Testament, the Angel of the Lord, who is the Lord, spoke with another person who is called “the Lord” (Yahweh). For example, Zechariah recorded, “Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?’ So, the Lord [Yahweh] spoke … to the angel” (Zech. 1:12–13). The same kind of conversation took place between the Father and the Son in Psalm 110:1, where David wrote, “The Lord [Yahweh] says to my Lord [adonai]: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” (Jesus verified this understanding of the text in Matthew 22:42–45.) In Psalm 45, the Father speaks to the Son, saying, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom” (Ps. 45:6; cf. Heb. 1:8).The Angel of the Lord Is Christ [with a glorified/spiritualized body]
That the Angel of the Lord is the second person of the Trinity is derived from two main lines of evidence.First, the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament serves the same role as does Christ in the New Testament: The Father is the one who plans and sends the Redeemer, the Son is the one who is the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts and applies redemption to those who are redeemed. In fact, all three members of the Godhead are found in one passage in the Old Testament. Isaiah wrote,“I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord [the Father], the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. He said, ‘Surely they are my people, sons who will not be false to me’; and so he became their Savior. In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence [the Son] saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit [the Spirit]” (Isa. 63:7–10).Second, once the Son (Christ) came in permanent incarnate form (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 4:2) [i.e., he became mortal; became sin[40] (2 Cor. 5:21), juxtaposed with the Angel of the Lord who is Christ prior to taking on mortality/sin], never again does the Angel of the Lord appear, though an angel appears from time to time (cf. Acts 12:7ff.). No angel that commands or accepts worship or claims to be God ever appears again.Other references to the Angel of the Lord, though sometimes with different names, confirm the same conclusions. For example, the Angel of the Lord (Christ) appeared to Joshua to confirm that He was the real leader of Israel:“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant’” (Josh. 5:13–14)?[41]
The Glorious Nativity of Jesus
This section about the Nativity of Jesus may seem off-topic, but it is not. It contributes to our understanding of Eden and the Garden within. It conveys to us the presence of a perfect and complete Covenant of Salt between God and Man; a perfect one-flesh relationship of fruitful Love in the Glory of God.
In movies, virtually every depiction of the Nativity of Jesus, i.e., his human birth, is portrayed in the same manner as it occurs in every other birth in which the person born is the offspring of a fallen/disordered rational human being. It pains me to see this inaccurate portrayal of the historical reality of the Messiah’s birth.
The birth of Jesus informs us of the body’s ability to manifest the Glory of God — a purpose for which God specifically designed the body. In other words, the Glory of God is part of St. John Paul II’s Language of the Body. St. Bridget of Sweden (among others) was granted a vision of the Nativity. Remember, Jesus was fully human and, at birth, possessed a mortal body.
She writes:
The Virgin, kneeling with great reverence, placed herself in prayer, with her back to the crib, her face eastward, raised to Heaven. She stood with uplifted hands, and eyes fixed on Heaven, rapt as it were, in an ecstasy of contemplation, inebriated with the divine sweetness. And while she thus stood in prayer, I beheld her Child move in her womb, and at once in a moment, and in the twinkling of an eye, she brought forth her Son, from whom such ineffable light and splendor radiated, that the sun could not be compared to it; nor did the torch which the old man had set, in any manner give light, because that divine splendor had totally annihilated the material [i.e., physical fire, moving electrons interfacing with combustible materials] splendor of the torch …. I immediately beheld that glorious Babe lying naked and most pure on the ground, His flesh most clean from all filth or impurity.”[42][43]
Similarly, during a vision of the Nativity received by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, God informed her that all mankind, prior to the fall, were intended to be born the same way as Jesus was in Bethlehem.[44][45]
There are five mystics, of which I am aware, who have received similar visions. I have written a great about the biological sciences which supports the validity of this phenomenon. In an article titled, “Incorruptible Saints: The Hows and Whys of the Holy Spirit's Power,” examples of how Divine Light produces functional changes to human DNA are provided.[46]
Physical Light Versus Divine Light
The study of the electromagnetic field of the heart and brain is taking on an ever-increasing significance for the bio-scientific community. Much importance is attached to this field of study. The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) Institute Berlin has built a structure specifically designed to shield its interior from all background electromagnetic fields from the earth. This building is the size of an entire city block. The shielding quality of this building enables researchers to obtain data uncorrupted by the influence of any other extrinsic electromagnetic fields. Owing to this unique capability, the American National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) joined forces with PTB to test a newly designed optical magnetic field sensor designed to measure the pico-tesla range of the electromagnetic field, especially the field specific to the heart.[47]
Divine light does not create physical heat. The burning bush in Exodus 3:2 was not consumed by the flame. Heat capable of consuming a combustible material can only be generated by “created” light/energy existing within created time. “Heat energy is the result of the movement of tiny particles called atoms [around which electrons spin, creating quanta of energy/heat], molecules or ions in solids, liquids and gases.”[48] These are all sequential events within a time-dependent process. Divine Light is not subject to sequences.
The contact between two objects of differing levels of heat, causes energy transference, which results in the transference of heat to the colder of the two. Photons are discreet bundles of energy (heat) traveling in a sine wave pattern. A sine wave is the path of something traveling in a roller coaster–type pattern. In a sine wave path, an object will transverse one peak, then one valley, and so forth for a period of time. In eternity, there is no passage of time. There can be no sine waves. Let’s apply that to the spiritual realm. Since a sine wave can only exist in time, it cannot be Divine Light because Divine Light is not material and is outside of time and space.
So, how does the above translate into a deeper understanding of certain miraculous events involving the human heart? The heart is the most powerful generator of electromagnetic energy in the body. Let's look at some consequences of that fact.
According to Glenn Dallaire:
St. [Gemma] Galgani experienced an increasingly intense burning beginning in the center of her heart and then radiating outward. She describes the sensation as a hot poker penetrating her; so intense she needed ice to cool it. This pain and burning was not merely spiritual, but also physical [SML]. The skin in the area of the heart was actually burned. When Venerable Father Germanus Ruoppolo C.P. placed a thermometer on the skin, the mercury immediately ascended to the upper limit of the gauge.
This type of manifestation of the Spirit’s dwelling in the [inner, spiritual] heart was experienced by St. Padre Pio (his skin temperature, especially during Mass, was over 120 degrees, the upper limit of the thermometer), and also St. Paul of the Cross. Galgani said that while this burning caused great pain to her body, she did not desire that excruciating pain to stop because of the sweetness it produced [similar to the experiences of St. John the Evangelist at the Last Supper and St. Gertrude] in the very depths of her [spiritual] soul. The palpitations of her physical [SML] heart during this phenomenon were so great, her chair and bed would shake, even though she herself remained quite calm. Like Phillip Neri, St. Gemma’s heart was also expanded. So much so that three of her ribs were broken at almost right angles. When her body was exhumed, physicians found that decomposition of the body had begun … except for the heart. It was found incorrupt, full of blood, fresh, healthy, and flexible.”[49]
Let’s look at another example. According to The Catholic Encyclopedia:
Phillip Neri “kept the longest vigils and received the most abundant consolations. In this catacomb, a few days before Pentecost in 1544, the well-known miracle of his heart took place. Bacci describes it thus: ‘While he was with the greatest earnestness asking of the Holy [Spirit] His gifts, there appeared to him a globe of fire, which entered into his mouth[50] [symbolizing his scriptural mouth, the body – SML] and lodged in his breast; and thereupon he was suddenly surprised with such a fire of love, that, unable to bear it, he threw himself on the ground, and, like one trying to cool himself, bared his breast to temper in some measure the flame which he felt .... all his body began to shake with a violent tremour; and putting his hand to his bosom, he felt by the side of his heart, a swelling about as big as a man's fist ... The cause of this swelling was discovered by the doctors who examined his body after death. The saint's heart had been dilated [expanded – SML] under the sudden impulse of love, and in order that it might have sufficient room to move, two ribs had been broken, and curved in the form of an arch. From the time of the miracle till his death, his heart would palpitate (beat-SML) violently whenever he performed any spiritual action [emphasis SML].”[51]
The above miracles are examples of the Glory of God manifesting physically through the instrumentality of the human body. The mouth / body inhales the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the spiritual soul (inner heart).[52]
Therefore, we can assume the physical changes occurring in St. Gemma Galgani and Padre Pio’s hearts were not a direct manifestation of the Glory of the Holy Spirit. Instead, they were consequences of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling within the spirit (the inner heart (the upper powers of the spiritual soul), which compels the lower powers of the spiritual soul (the soul) to produce the necessary changes in the body. This is necessary so that the language of the body accurately expresses the overflow of the spiritual heart. In the following sub-section, we will discuss several other biblical examples of the Holy Spirit’s instrumental use of the human body.[53]
More on the Beating Heart of Man, Including Jesus
A new Eucharistic miracle has very recently taken place in Guadalajara, Mexico. This miracle is pertinent to the topic of this blog. There is a live video of the miracle which occurred in a chapel where the Stations of the Cross were being said. The miracle happened on July 24, 2022. During this alleged miracle, the sacramental veil of bread and wine is lifted, revealing the beating heart of Jesus in the Eucharist — the heart of flesh as it is described in Scripture (Ez. 11:19, 36:26). The fact that two separate smartphone cameras simultaneously captured the event reduces the likelihood of photographic trickery.
This event is not be the first time that a miracle of this type has occurred. Like in Guadalajara, a similar miracle at Betania included myocardial (heart muscle) cells that were discovered to be beating. At Betania in Venezuela, there are two types of miracles that involved the same miraculous host: A) 1991 and B) 1998.
The 1998 miracle involving the very same 1991 miraculous host. In the 1998 miracle, the 1991 host, when exposed for viewing, appeared to be on fire while simultaneously pulsating in the manner of a heart. The pulsations lasted for about 30 seconds, then returned to its previously miraculous state (i.e., the sacramental veil was still lifted, but the heart tissue no longer pulsated). The 1998 video of the pulsating heart begins by showing the Mass being said before opening the door to the Holy Tabernacle in the Shrine, thus exposing the miraculous Host.
In both Betania and in Mexico, the pulsating hosts generated a visible electromagnetic field. The difference between the two is this: the beating heart in Betania radiated a range of fiery hues within the generated electromagnetic field. Perhaps this is because the host at Betania contained Jesus’ blood. It is important to note that blood also generates electromagnetic radiation.[53-A] The EMR field generated in Mexico was more monochromatic.
The above contributes to our understanding of the significance of the Garden of Eden. Covenants of Salt are the Big Picture of Scripture, i.e., God’s plan for pre- and post-fallen man. However, it is the Sacred Heart of Jesus through which this plan, this Covenant of Salt, is actually accomplished. The Covenant of Salt is the name given to the state in which we are in a Nuptial Union with God — through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. Remember the words of Jesus on the Cross: “It is accomplished [aka completed, finished] (John 19:30; exact wording varies per translation).The Burning Bush; Moses’ Radiating Face
In the 3rd Chapter of Exodus, we read how Moses climbed Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God — the dwelling place of God in creation. More specifically, God dwelled in the burning bush, which was located on the top of Mt. Horeb. Reaching the top, Moses came upon the glory of God, radiating through a burning bush that was not consumed. I believe the bush was nothing more than a multitude of cells containing the salt of DNA and structured bio-living water. The bush was mediating the glory of God through its salt of DNA and cellular water. The bush was not the source of that glory; it was only mediating and manifesting it.
The key to understanding this phenomenon is this: the bush was not consumed by heat. This lack of heat could only occur in the presence of Divine Glory. If heat were to be present around the bush, it would clearly indicate a time-dependent physical phenomenon — not a Divine Glory-based phenomenon. It was not a direct encounter with God’s Glory; it was Glory mediated through biological life. Thus, an argument could be made (and St. Augustine makes such an argument[54]) that the burning bush was merely a masked (think sacramental veil) presence of the Glorified Body of Jesus Christ.
After Israel’s exodus from Egypt, they traveled to Sinai and camped in the surrounding wilderness. In the 33rd chapter of Exodus, Moses pleads with God not to abandon the people because of their great sin of creating a golden idol. After doing so, he asks God to show him His glory. God decides to grant his request and explains how he will accomplish it (v. 18-23). The entire 34th chapter details the following day and, among other things, the encounter Moses had with the back side of God’s glory, i.e., his face of glory — not mediated through the bush, but directly when the Lord descended in a cloud (v. 5).
After the encounter, when Moses came down from the mountain, his face shone with light from the glory he had encountered. It was a great shock to the people who saw it. After Moses had spoken to the people, he put a veil over his face to hide this phenomenon. They did so because it caused the people to fear (v. 29-35). You may be asking; since the veil would have also contained DNA, why didn’t it also show the effects of the glory of God?
Since Moses, at that time, possessed a fallen human nature, the glory radiating from him would have likely been that of Glory mediated through a mortal body. A biological phenomenon known as Delayed Luminescence[55][56] would help explain the phenomenon of Moses’ luminescent face.
Is Eden the Heavenly Jerusalem? Is the Heavenly Jerusalem the Re-opened Eden and its Garden?
There are at least two credible mystics who claim to have received visions of Enoch and Elijah residing in the same Garden of Eden formerly inhabited by Adam and Eve before the fall. Blessed Anna Catherine Emmerich relates a mystical vision in which she saw Elijah, who was taken up to paradise in a fiery chariot to prepare for the day of Antichrist. A time during which he and Enoch (the two witnesses promised in Revelations) would battle Satan, but would also be killed.
Emmerich writes:
Last night I journeyed… to a region of incredible beauty… Numbers of animals sported around apparently harmless… From this paradise I mounted still higher, as if through the clouds, and at last, came to the summit of the mountain, where I saw wonders… A manly, holy, shining figure sitting cross-legged in eastern fashion, and writing with a reed on a large roll of parchment… I saw standing a single chariot with four low wheels… The man who sits at the table will come in due time. His chariot remains as a perpetual memorial. He mounted up there in it and men, to their astonishment, will behold him coming again in the same. I returned by a narrow descending path and saw the Mountain of the Prophets, on which everything seemed even more flourishing than usual. There were two figures occupied under the tent … Paradise is not far from this mountain. Once before I saw that Elijah lived in a garden near Paradise. [56-A]
St. Hildegard of Bingen (a Doctor of the Church) had this to say:
“Enoch and Elias are in paradise, where they have no need of corporal food; and, in like manner, a soul rapt in the contemplation of God has no necessity whilst in that state of those things of which mortals make use (Quaartio XXIX. ad Vibertum Gemblacensem. ).” The terrestrial paradise was not created for pure spirits, but for man composed of soul and body; consequently, it is provided with whatever is requisite not only for his sustenance but also for his safeguard against sickness and death, by virtue of the state of original justice in which he was first created. The creatures of this magnificent abode, its animals and plants, belong to a higher order, as much elevated above those of earth as the body of Adam before his sin was superior to his fallen posterity. And as the body of Adam was a real body of flesh and blood, not pure spirit, so, too, paradise is not a celestial or purely spiritual region, but a material place connected with human nature and with the earth itself. This relation between the earth and paradise is clearly indicated in the Holy Scriptures. The manna in the desert revealed to the children of the Old Law the food prepared for man during his earthly pilgrimage. St. Hildegarde says on this subject in her Scivias Lib. I., vision II: — “When Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise, a wall of light was raised around it, and the Divine Power effaced from it all marks of their sin. It was fortified, as it were, by this great light so that no enemy could reach it.[56-B]
Quoting St. Justin Martyr, Mark Mallet writes:
…we understand that a period of one thousand years is indicated in symbolic language [of the Day of the Lord]… A man among us named John, one of Christ’s Apostles, received and foretold that the followers of Christ would dwell in Jerusalem [emphasis SML] for a thousand years, and that afterwards [i.e., after dwelling in Jerusalem for a thousand years] the universal and, in short, everlasting resurrection and judgment would take place [St. Justin Martyr, “Dialogue with Trypho,” The Fathers of the Church, Christian Heritage].[57]
Quoting Tertullian, Mark Mallet writes:
Quoting St. John Paul II, Mallet shows us the fuller meaning of the Lord’s Prayer. He writes:
According to Scott Hahn:
First comes love, then comes marriage: This is what has been unveiled in the Book of Revelation: the union of heaven and earth, consummated in the Holy Eucharist. The first word of the book suggests as much. The term apokalypsis, usually translated as “revelation,” literally means “unveiling.” In John's time, Jews commonly used apokalypsis to describe part of their week-long wedding festivities. The apokalypsis was the lifting of the veil of a virgin bride, which took place immediately before the marriage was consummated in sexual union.[62][63]
This marital unveiling is what happened in Eden and, as Revelations reveals, is what will happen again when the Garden of Eden re-opens to those who wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb — who partake of the wedding banquet of the Lamb (19:9, 17).
Hahn tells us:
Pope John Paul II has called the Mass ‘heaven on earth [the Garden of Eden?],’ explaining that ‘the liturgy we celebrate on earth is a mysterious participation in the heavenly liturgy.’[64]
And:
Yet I insist that we do go to heaven when we go to Mass, and this is true of every Mass we attend, regardless of the quality of the music or the fervor of the preaching.[65][66] … If we want to make sense of the Apocalypse, we have to learn to read it with a sacramental imagination. … in the Book of Revelation …, [we] discover that the golden thread of liturgy is what holds together the apocalyptic pearls of John's vision.[67]
The following is a list of passages in Revelations revealing liturgical prayers and actions of the Heavenly Mass:[68]
- Sunday Worship (1:10);- A high Priest (1:13);- An altar — but not a pulpit (8:3-4; 11:1; 14:18);- Priests, presbyteroi (4:4; 11:15; 14:3; 19:4);- Priestly Vestments (1:13; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9; 15:6; 19:13-14);- Consecrated Celibacy (14:4);- Lamp Stands, or Menorah [symbolizing the tree of life] (1:12; 2:5);- Penitence (chapters 2 and 3);- Incense (5:8; 8:3-5);- The Book, or Scroll (5:1);- The Eucharistic Host (2:17);- Chalices [to hold the blood of the Lamb] (15:7; chapter 16; 21:9);- The Sign of the Cross — the tau (7:3; 14:1; 22:4);- The Gloria (1:3-4);- The Alleluia (19:1, 3,4,6);- Lift up your hearts (11:12);- The Holy, Holy, Holy (4:8);- The Amen (19:4; 22:21);- The “Lamb of God” (5:6 and throughout);- The prominence of the Virgin Mary (12:1-6, 13-17);- The intercession of the angels and saints (5:8; 6:9-10; 8:3-4);- Devotion to St. Michael, archangel (12:7);- Antiphonal chant (4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:10-12; 18:1-8);- Readings from Scripture (chapters 2-3; 5; 8:2-11);- The priesthood of the faithful (1:6; 20:6);- Catholicity or universality (7:9);- Silent contemplation (8:1); and,- The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (19:9, 17).[69]
The Church Fathers have found an explicit connection between the Mass and the Book of Revelations.[70]
According to Hahn:
Jerusalem wasn't so much a city with a [Old Covenant] Temple as a [New Covenant] Temple [Eden] with a city [Garden] built around it. More than a place of worship, the Temple stood, for pious Jews, as a scale model of all creation. Just as the universe was made to be God’s sanctuary, with Adam serving as priest, so the Temple was to restore this order, with the priests of Israel ministering before the Holy of Holies.[71] …
According to ancient Jewish beliefs, the worship in Jerusalem's Temple mirrored the worship of the angels in heaven. The levitical priesthood, the covenant liturgy, the sacrifices served as shadowy representations of heavenly models. Still, the Book of Revelation was up to something different, something more. Whereas Israel prayed in imitation of the angels, the Church of the Apocalypse worshiped together with the angels (see 19:10).[72]
Three Reasons to Believe Jesus’ Glorious Body is the Tree of Life — the Eucharist
There are three main reasons why it is plausible to hold that the eternal Garden of Eden in Genesis was the perfect Temple, i.e., THE dwelling place of the Son of God in creation.
- The first reason comes as a result of a deeper understanding of Jesus being described as the First-born of all of creation, which we covered in Part One.
- The second main reason comes as a result of deeper dive into the Last Supper (covered in the following section).
- The third main reason comes from the ramifications of our exegesis of the Ascension of Jesus to the Father. It is covered in the second main section below.
The Last Supper: Jesus holds Himself in His Hands
The Last Supper presents us with the ability to examine the fulfillment of the eternal Covenant of Salt in greater detail. This examination will help us understand mysteries discussed in the OT. Specifically, the Tree of Life, the burning bush, and the visit of the Angel of God to Abraham. Within time, Jesus’s body at the Last Supper was mortal; still subject to the limitations of his substantial accidents, still subject to the same suffering and death as all mortal humans.[73]
Aquinas and Hugh St. Victor both assert:
1). It was Jesus in his mortal and passable body that confected the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the Last Supper.
2). It was, at the same time, Jesus’ glorified and impassable body that was consumed by himself and his Apostles.[74]
This event occurred within the confines of created time. In time, it would seem impossible to be mortal and also hold in your hands that same mortal body to be eaten by other mortals. If the Apostle were eating his mortal body, it would have violated the dimensive restrictions inherent in philosophical accidents of a still-mortal body. Furthermore, because his body was still mortal, it would have killed the very one who was giving it to the Apostles to eat and drink. This fact would have made Luke 22:15 (I have desired to eat this Passover with you) impossible. Remember, at the Last Supper, Jesus was still fully human in all its mortal respects, except sin.
According to Aquinas:
I answer that, Hugh of Saint Victor (Innocent III, De Sacr. Alt. Myst. iv), maintained, that before the Passion, Christ assumed at various times the four properties of a glorified body —namely, subtlety in His birth, when He came forth from the closed womb of the Virgin; agility, when He walked dryshod upon the sea; clarity, in the Transfiguration; and impassibility at the Last Supper, when He gave His body to the disciples to be eaten. And according to this He gave His body in an impassible and immortal condition to His disciples.
But whatever may be the case touching the other qualities, concerning which we have already stated what should be held (III:28:2 ad 3; III:45:2), nevertheless the above opinion regarding impassibility is inadmissible. For it is manifest that the same body of Christ which was then seen by the disciples in its own species, was received by them under the sacramental species. But as seen in its own species it was not impassible; nay more, it was ready for the Passion. Therefore, neither was Christ's body impassible when given under the sacramental species.
Yet there was present in the sacrament, in an impassible manner, that which was passible of itself; just as that was there invisibly which of itself was visible. For as sight requires that the body seen be in contact with the adjacent medium of sight, so does passion require contact of the suffering body with the active agents. But Christ's body, according as it is under the sacrament, as stated above (Article 1, Reply to Objection 2; III:76:5), is not compared with its surroundings through the intermediary of its own dimensions, whereby bodies touch each other, but through the dimensions of the bread and wine; consequently, it is those species which are acted upon and are seen, but not Christ's own body.[75]
Based on Aquinas’ thoughts, we can accurately conclude that the glorified human body, blood, spiritual soul, and Divinity of Jesus is in the whole of eternity — including Eden while Adam was still there. His glorious and transcendent humanity was present at the same time as his mortal body was present at the Last Supper. This should not come as a surprise to Catholics. After all, it is Dogma that the Glorified humanity of Jesus is truly present on every altar at every Mass offered at every minute of every day; in every place in the world; simultaneously at every moment of time: past, present, and future.
How was Jesus able to hold in his own mortal hands the body, blood, soul, and Divinity veiled by bread and wine at the Last Supper? The Jesus existing in time at the Last Supper was the mortal High Priest who consecrated the sacred species of bread and wine into the Resurrected, Glorified, Ascended, and Transcendent High Priest. Current priests are the mortal priests who, as a result of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, are in Persona Christi of the eternal and transcendent High Priest when they celebrate the Mass. Jesus is the archetypical Person of Christ — one Person with two natures. Thus, no instrumentality is needed — no priestly celebrant except THE High Priest.
So, we can now explain the seeming dilemma of the Last Supper. So, how Jesus was able to hold, in his mortal hands, his own body, blood, soul, and Divinity veiled by bread and wine at the Last Supper? The Jesus existing within time at the Last Supper was the mortal High Priest. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, it was Jesus who consecrated the sacred species of bread and wine, becoming the Resurrected, Glorified, Ascended, and Transcendent Jesus.
Current priests are the mortal priests who, as a result of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, are in Persona Christi of the eternal and transcendent High Priest when they celebrate the Mass. Jesus is the Person of Christ. Thus, at the Last Supper, no instrumentality was needed.
The Resurrection and Ascension to the Father
Before his resurrection, Jesus was mortal. A couple of Scripture passages help us to understand the self-imposed limitations of the mortal body that Jesus chose to receive.
1. The Church was born when the heart of Jesus on the Cross was pierced, causing blood and water to flow out (CCC, n. 766), it was on the Cross that we were married to the Bridegroom via the Eucharist.[76] In created time, when the Last Supper was taking place, the mortal Jesus had not yet died on the Cross. The Church had not yet been born.2. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn. 12:24). It is the baptized who are the fruit of that seed that fell to the ground and died. At the time of the Transfiguration, Jesus had not yet died. The Church had not yet been born. As the Dead Sea in Ezekiel’s dream of the NC Temple (Ez. 47:1-12) shows us, without the Eucharist, we are dead through sin; incapable of bearing fruit through the Sacraments of the Church.3. Jesus tells the Apostles, “But I tell you the truth: it is expedient to you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (Jn. 16:7).Jesus is telling us: The gifting to us of the Holy Spirit has a prerequisite. i.e., the Ascension of Jesus’ glorified body to the Father after the Resurrection. Specifically, his human body, hypostatically and inseparably united to the Second Person of the Trinity — the Son of God, must ascend to the Father. Thus, becoming an eternal partaker in the eternal and unceasing Trinitarian Dialogue.
When Jesus ascended — body, soul, and Divinity — to the Father, His glorified body, together with his human spiritual soul, entered into the eternal Trinitarian Dialogue between the Three Persons of the Trinity. Thus, we come to the key point needed to understand the significance of Jesus’ Ascension. The Son of God, to this very day, is eternally unceasingly begotten in both his Divine and his human natures. Without this, the Holy Spirit could not be sent to us!!!
Remember, the doctrine of concomitance informs us that the Word of God and the humanity of Jesus Christ can never be separated.[77] What does that mean? When we are united to Jesus’ Mystical Body via Baptism and the Eucharist (the Bride and the Bridegroom in an eternal nuptial one-flesh union on the Wood of the Cross at Mass) — we, too, become unceasingly begotten by the Father as an integral part of this Dialogue.
As such, the entire Person of the Son of God, which includes his Ascended glorified physical (but not mortal) body and soul, can be anywhere, at any time, and in any shape or manner of appearance, including, a bush; a Person walking in a Garden, the face of God talking to Adam; a piece of something looking like bread veiling his body, blood, soul, and Divinity (his glorified and transcendent body in the Eucharist at the Last Supper), a cup of wine (his blood at the Last Supper); a cleft in the rock (in which Moses hid – Ex. 33:22); a pillar of cloud (Ex. 33:9-10); perhaps even — an apple from the Tree of Life in the center of the Garden of Eden, etc. Was the fruit of the Tree of Life the first Eucharist??? Hmmm.
Let’s see what Archbishop Fulton Sheen adds to the discussion:
St. Thomas has found a happy phrase to express this [hypostatic] union by calling the human nature the “conjoined instrument of Divinity.” … To apply this to Christ: [the] Godhead is united with manhood in one Person, more intimately than brain and hand are united in one organism, manhood is the “hand” of Godhead and does the works of God, just as the human hand does the works of human genius [cf. Anscar Vonier, O.S.B., The Personality of Christ, p. 70 ff.]. Thanks to the hypostatic union, a human nature has been raised to such a height as to make it capable of sharing in the whole work of Redemption and Sanctification. … There is an old Latin axiom, which [states]: Actiones sunt suppositorum. Actions belong to the person — not to the nature [SML].[78]
Taking into account everything that has been discussed, is it plausible to believe that the Garden of Eden is the destination for those who survive to the Day of the Lord? It is my belief that, at that time, we are destined to resume our pre-fallen earthly existence where it was interrupted when Adam and Eve sinned.
On July 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary foretold that, after certain severe chastisements leading to Purification, her Immaculate Heart would triumph and a period of peace would be granted to the world. Not some ordinary peace, but an extraordinary peace. Cardinal Ciappi was the Theologian of the Pontifical Household to five popes. His view of Fatima should clearly be seen as authoritative. He wrote: “…a miracle was promised at Fatima. And that miracle will be an era of peace, which has never really been granted before to the world…” [“5 Saturdays, 1 Salvation,” Joseph Pronechan, National Catholic Register, Oct 9, 2005].[79] A resumption of the Perfect Covenant of Salt that existed in the Garden of Eden.
Vince Sagala, a man who suffered through his own mini-judgement/illumination of conscience, narrates his vision of what awaits the faithful who say yes to God:
Later, God would show me the victory of God’s Holy Church and His people in the world, preserved and renewed by the Spirit of Almighty God through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, after all that was unholy had been removed [SML].As I stood outside on a dirt path, I saw a group of about fifty to a hundred people walking in the same direction away from me, as if going somewhere. I sensed their great reverence for the Church and the Sacraments. God was their first love, far and above all else, and their love for one another was without barriers. They were smiling and laughing as they talked and interacted with one another. The adults appeared to be in their late twenties to early thirties, and were accompanied by a few children running around, just being kids. The sky was extremely clear with no pollution, the clearest I’d ever seen it. Various plants were scattered to my far left and right, and the path disappeared into distant rolling hills covered in grass. All of creation, the sky and the land, was renewed with divine life. The peace of God, which lies beyond all human understanding and fulfills human longing, had been poured out upon the Earth.I was seeing a future world where there is no sickness or pain, where life is much simpler and people live much longer than they do now. I noticed that people’s skin radiated in a way foreign to what we know now. Everyone looked beautiful, healthier, and more luminous because of God’s presence within them. There was no sign of makeup, hair spray, or revealing clothes. People walked around comfortably in loosely fitting pants and tunics, which were light in color, different from any styles of today. Nothing looked modern, and yet everything looked new.I distinctly remember one man at the tail end of the group. He turned to look back at me and smiled warmly, as though inviting me to hurry up and join them. He had a beard and semi-long hair. He resembled Jesus, but in the vision, I was not made to know who he was. Only when the vision ended did I realize that the man was Jesus guiding and shepherding His people into a new age of peace [SML].[80]
Are there others who have had visions of this Era of Peace foretold by Mary? Let’s list a few:
- Messages to Pedro Regis: “I want to make you saints for the glory of the reign of God. Open your hearts! Very soon the world will be transformed into a new world, without hate or violence. The world will be a new garden [of Eden] and all will live happily. (October 8, 1988).”[81] You may remember from Part One, throughout St. Catherine of Siena’s book, The Dialogue, she quotes God repeatedly, referring to the Church as a Garden.[82]
- I want you to be a part of the Lord’s victorious army. The Lord has reserved a great Grace for His own. He will transform humanity into a new garden [of Eden]. When all this happens the world will abound with goods and man will lack nothing. It will be a time when the fruits of trees will be multiplied and there will be two crops per year. Hunger will no longer exist for humanity. (June 3, 2000) … Those who remain faithful until the end will be called blessed by the Father.”[83]
- Mark Mallet: [The Era of Peace] will be when, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Bride of Christ is restored to the original state of harmony with the Divine Will that Adam once enjoyed in Eden. [see: https://www.markmallett.com/blog/the-single-will/] “This is our great hope and our invocation, ‘Your Kingdom come!’—a Kingdom of peace, justice and serenity, which will re-establish the original harmony of creation [St. Pope John Paul II, General Audience, November 6th, 2002, Zenit].” In a word, it will be when the Church resembles her spouse, Jesus Christ, who in the hypostatic union of His divine and human nature, restored or “resurrected,” [cf. https://www.markmallett.com/blog/the-resurrection-of-the-church/] as it were, the union of the Divine and human will through the reparation and redemptive act of His suffering, death, and resurrection.[88]
- From The Teaching of the Catholic Church: If before that final end there is to be a period [i.e., the Era of Peace — SML], more or less prolonged, of triumphant sanctity, such a result will be brought about not by the apparition of the person of Christ in Majesty but by the operation of those powers of sanctification which are now at work, the Holy [Spirit] and the Sacraments of the Church [The Tree of Life and the Fountain of Living Water in the center of the Garden of Eden].[89]
- John Haffert: [who is] one of the world’s most respected and prolific promoters of the message of Fatima, wrote in The Great Event:
The conversion of the world is sure to come. The world will become His by our conversion and His intervention. … The Triumph will be a conversion event that will be so powerful and universal that all will be compelled to praise God for the magnificent works He has done in His creature, Mary … It will be a historical event of such magnitude that it will make all former moments of glory seem like shadows … (48-49).[90]
To close out Part Two of this blog series, let’s read what Sr. Natalia of Hungary wrote.
- Sr. Natalia of Hungary: A 20th-century nun whose messages bear a nihil obstat and an imprimatur, Sr. Natalia was given revelations from Jesus and Mary which read:
The end of sin is close, but not the end of the world. Soon no more souls will be lost. My words will be fulfilled, and there will only be one flock and one Shepherd. (Jn. 10:16) Pray, so that before the holy peace, and the great mercy for the world arrives, sinners may be converted and accept my mercy, amending their lives. … [The Virgin Mary revealed:] The age of world peace is not delayed. The Heavenly Father only wants to give time to those who are able to be converted and find refuge with God…” The Savior showed me that unceasing love, happiness and divine joy will signify [the] future clean world. I saw the blessing of God abundantly poured out upon the earth. Jesus then explained to me: “…the arrival of the era of paradise, when mankind will live as without sin. There will be a new world and a new era. It will be the era when humanity will recover what it lost in paradise [the Garden of Eden]. When my Immaculate Mother steps on the neck of the serpent…”[91]
Link to Part One: https://www.stossbooks.com/blog/index.php?11-15-2022----the-garden-of-eden--location-of-the-very-first-eucharistic-celebration-within-history-
Updated: 05/21/2023
ENDNOTES:
[1]. Francois-Xavier Durrwell, Holy Spirit of God, trans Sr. Benedict Davies, (Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2006), 179-180.
[2]. Hildegard of Bingen. Hildegard of Bingen's Book of Divine Works: With Letters and Songs (Kindle Locations 579-581). Inner Traditions/Bear & Company. Kindle Edition.
[3]. Fulton J. Sheen, The Mystical Body of Christ (p. 24). Ave Maria Press. Kindle Edition.
[4]. Fulton J. Sheen, The Mystical Body of Christ (p. 24).
[5]. Commenting on this passage, Sheen writes, “Since Christ’s Personality [one Person, two natures] was not limited to a human nature, it was in a certain sense a symbol of the human race; it was possible for Christ to incorporate under His Divine Personality all the human beings that would ever be. This potentiality becomes an actuality in the Church or the Mystical Body which is the ‘filling up’ of the possibility of the Incarnation.”
[6]. Fulton J. Sheen, The Mystical Body of Christ (p. 25).
[7]. From Modern Catholic Dictionary, “Bethlehem: Called Ephrathah to designate it as the birthplace of King David, it is one of the oldest towns in Palestine, twelve miles southeast of Jerusalem. In the center of the village, with its thirty thousand persons, is the Church of the Nativity, whose sanctuary is directly above the traditional cave where Christ was born. Two stairways lead to it from the basilica. The large cathedral doors have been blocked to prevent Moslem desecration. Built by Constantine in A.D. 330, the Church of the Nativity is one of the oldest Byzantine structures and one of the earliest Christian churches. In the underground cave in a large niche is the altar of the Nativity. Underneath the altar table is the silver star in the marble floor whose center opening reveals the original stone floor of the cave below. Around the opening are the words ‘Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary.’ Fifty-three lamps burn there day and night. In this grotto the Christmas Mass is celebrated every day, the faithful kneeling on the marble floor. (Etym. Hebrew beth lechem, house of bread or house of [the god] Lahm.).” [Rev. Fr. John Hardon, “Synagogue (biblical), “Modern Catholic Dictionary, (Doubleday, 1980), p. 63] Combine the above with the fact that a manger is a feeding trough used by animals, we see the deeper significance of the phrase, Jesus is the bread of Life.
[8]. D. J. Leahy, “The Epistle to the Colossians,” in A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, ed. Bernard Orchard and Edmund F. Sutcliffe (Toronto; New York; Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson, 1953), 1134.
[9]. cf. John Paul II, Audiences of Pope John Paul II (English) (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2014).
[10]. Venerable Maria of Agreda, City of God, Volume I, “The Conception,” (Washington, NJ: Blue Army), p. 127.
[11]. Callea, F. and Callea, M. (2011), “Adam's rib and the origin of stem cells.” Am. J. Hematol., 86: 529. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajh.22005.
[11-A]. cf. Pope Benedict IVX, Deus Caritas Est, Libreria Editrice Vaticana (Third Millennium Media L.L.C., The Faith Database L.L.C., 2008), n. 19.
[11-B]. Scott Hahn, A Father Who Keeps His Promises: God’s Covenant Love in Scripture, St Anthony Messenger Press, Servant Books, Kindle Edition, (2011-07-18), p. 29.
[11-C]. Dr. Georgia Purdom, “The Amazing Regenerating Rib,” Answers in Genesis, https://answersingenesis.org/human-body/the-amazing-regenerating-rib/; February 4, 2009 (accessed 04/15/2016).
[11-D]. Dr. Georgia Purdom, “The Amazing Regenerating Rib,” Answers in Genesis, https://answersingenesis.org/human-body/the-amazing-regenerating-rib/; February 4, 2009 (accessed 04/15/2016).
[12]. St. Augustin of Hippo, On The Holy Trinity, Book II, n. 228.
[13]. St. Augustine of Hippo, On The Holy Trinity, Book II, Chapters 9-17, nos. 215-228.
[14]. Catholic Church. (1997). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., p. 119). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana., n. 470.
[15]. Fulton J. Sheen, The Mystical Body of Christ. Ave Maria Press. Kindle Edition. (pp. 35-36).
[16]. cf. According to Fr. John Hardon, “The doctrine that explains why the whole Christ is present under each Eucharistic species. Christ is indivisible, so that his body cannot be separated from his blood, his human soul, his divine nature, and his divine personality. Consequently he is wholly present in the Eucharist. But only the substance of his body is the specific effect of the first consecration at Mass; his blood, soul, divinity, and personality become present by concomitance, i.e., by the inseparable connection that they have with his body. The Church also uses the term “substance” of Christ’s body because its accidents, though imperceptible, are also present by the same concomitance, not precisely because of the words of consecration. In the second consecration, the conversion terminates specifically in the presence of the substance of Christ’s blood. But again by concomitance his body and entire self become present as well. (Etym. Latin concomitantia, accompaniment.):” Hardon, John. Catholic Dictionary: An Abridged and Updated Edition of Modern Catholic Dictionary (p. 102). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
[17]. St. Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias, 98.
[18]. Hildegard of Bingen. Hildegard of Bingen’s Book of Divine Works: With Letters and Songs. Kindle Locations 657-658.
[20]. Dr. Gerald Pollack, The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor, (Seattle, WA: Ebner and Sons, 2013), Kindle Edition, pp. 15, 25, 40, 67.
[20A]. W. Drost-Hanson, “Vicinal Hydration of Biopolymers: Cell Biological Consequences,” eds. Gerald H. Pollack, Ivan L. Cameron, and Denys N. Wheatley, Water and the Cell (The Netherlands: Springer, 2006), 210-211.
[21]. Gerald H. Pollack; Ivan L. Cameron; Denys N. Wheatley, Water and the Cell (The Netherlands: Springer, 2006), viii.
[22]. Mae-Wan Ho et al., Water and the Cell, 220-221.
[23]. Vladimir L. Voeikov, “Biological Significance of Active Oxygen-Dependent Processes in Aqueous Systems,” Water and the Cell, ed. Gerald H. Pollack, Ivan L. Cameron, Denys N. Wheatly (The Netherlands: Springer, 2006), 286.
[25]. Gerald H. Pollack PhD, The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor, Ebner and Sons, 2013, Kindle Edition.
[26]. McCraty, Science of the Heart, Vol. 2, 36.
[27]. McCraty, Science of the Heart, Vol. 2, 36.
[28]. McCraty, Science of the Heart, Vol. 2, 36.
[29]. M. Rattemeyer, F. A. Popp, and W. Nagl, “Evidence of photon emission from DNA in living systems,” Naturwissenschaften 68, (1981) 572.
[30]. P. P. Garyaev, K. V. Grigoriev, and V. P. Poponin, “DNA solutions studied by Laser Correlation Spectroscopy: Experimental evidence for spontaneous temporal self-organization,” Bull. Lebedev Physics Institute, 12 (1992) no. 11-12, p. 23-30.
[31]. Kieth Scott-Mumby, MD., “Sing Away Your Cancer”, The Alternative Doctor, http://alternative-doctor.com/sing-away-your-cancer/: The Alternative Doctor.com, 2009, (accessed 10/19/2011).
[32]. Werner R. Loewenstein, The Touchstone of Life: Molecular Information, Cell Communication, and the Foundations of Life (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 54.
[33]. Werner R. Loewenstein. The Touchstone of Life: Molecular Information, Cell Communication, and the Foundations of Life (Kindle Locations 547-549). Kindle Edition.
[34]. Werner R. Loewenstein. The Touchstone of Life: Molecular Information, Cell Communication, and the Foundations of Life, Kindle Locations: 627-628; 786-787; 925-927; 1040; 1519-1520; 2357-2359; 2517-2520; and 3161-3162.
[35]. From [St. Hildegard of Bingen, quoted in an unpublished translation of Helmut Posch, Das wahre Weltbild nach Hildegard von Bingen (The Creation of the World According to Hildegard of Bingen) Deutsche Bibliothek (CIP – Einheitsaufnahme, Aufl. – A-4880 St. Georgen, 1998), translated by Gina O’Brien for the Kolbe Center for the Study of Creation (Mt. Jackson, VA: 2009), p. 31/55].
Hugh Owen, “Adam and Eve in the Writings of the Mystical Saints and Doctors of the Church,” The Kolbe Center for the Study of Creation, https://kolbecenter.org/adam-and-eve-writings-mystical-saints-doctors-church/#_ftnref30, accessed August 17, 2020.
[36]. Ibid., 40/55.
[37]. Ibid., 40/55.
[38]. Ibid., 40/55.
[39]. All of quotes in this section are taken from: Geisler, N. L. (2003). Systematic theology, volume two: God, creation (p. 597–601). Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers.
[40]. This does not mean that Jesus sinned!! Because Jesus did not sin, he was born in a state of Original Justice. Since the spiritual soul is the substantial form of his body, all of Jesus’ biological functions were completely subject to his free will. Consequently, Jesus could will that his body experience all of the consequences of Original Sin, but without having actually committed any sins.
[41]. Geisler, N. L. (2003). Systematic theology, volume two: God, creation (p. 597–601). Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers.
[42]. St. Bridget of Sweden. Revelations of St. Bridget: On the Life and Passion of Our Lord and the Life of His Blessed Mother. TAN Books. Kindle Edition. Locations 356-363.
[43]. cf. Fr. Matthew Macdonald, “On The Perpetual Virginity Of Mary And The Limits Of ‘The Chosen,’” Catholic Spiritual Direction, https://spiritualdirection.com/2021/12/20/on-the-perpetual-virginity-of-mary-and-the-limits-of-the-chosen, December 20, 2021 (accessed 12/23/2021).
[44]. Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, The Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations, as recorded in the Journals of Clemens Brentano, arranged and edited by Carl E Schmoger CSSR, Vol 1 of 4, p. 6-8.
[45]. Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, “The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” ed. Terry Jones, CatholicSaints.Info, https://catholicsaints.info/the-nativity-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-by-blessed-anne-catherine-emmerich/, accessed 07/29/2022.
[46]. Stephen Michael Leininger, “Incorruptible Saints: The Hows and Whys of the Holy Spirit's Power,” STOSSBooks, https://www.stossbooks.com/incorruptibility-of-saints--how-and-why.html#Incorrupt_Saints.
[47]. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, “Magnetic field measurements of the human heart at room temperature.,” ScienceDaily.com, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091211131520.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign+Feedfetcher: ScienceDaily, L.L.C., December 26, 2009 (accessed 12-26-2009).
[48]. “Heat energy is the result of the movement of tiny particles called atoms [around which electrons spin, creating quanta of energy/heat], molecules or ions in solids, liquids and gases. Heat energy can be transferred from one object to another. The transfer or flow due to the difference in temperature between the two objects is called heat. … Radiation [as in electromagnetic radiation] is a method of heat transfer that does not require particles to carry the heat energy. Instead, heat is transferred in infrared waves (part of the electromagnetic spectrum). Heat waves radiate out from hot objects in all directions, travelling at the speed of light, until they hit another object. When this happens, the heat energy carried by the waves can be either absorbed or reflected.” Science Learning Hub, “Heat Energy,” The University of Waikato, https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/750-heat-energy, (accessed 12/07/2022.
[49]. Glenn Dallaire, “St Gemma Galgani.” Glen Dallaire. http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/2008/11/heart-on-fire-with-love-of-god-st-gemma.html, January 21, 2013 (accessed 11/05/2017).
[50]. Stephen Michael Leininger, “Mouth,” STOSSBooks, https://www.stossbooks.com/mouth.html#Mouth, (accessed 01/25/2021).
[51]. Ritchie, Charles Sebastian. “St. Philip Romolo Neri.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911), http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12018b.htm. Nov. 5, 2017 (accessed Dec. 6, 2017).
[52]. Stephen Michael Leininger, STOSSBooks, https://www.stossbooks.com/spiritual-soul.html#SpiritualSoul, (accessed 01/25/2021).
[53]. cf. 1). “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23); 2). “He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (Jn 7:38-39); 3). “[O]ut of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt. 12:34); and 4). Jesus tells St. Faustina, “I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates [overflows] them to other souls.” [Kowalska, Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, n. 1074. Used with permission of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary]
[53-A]. L.V. Beloussov;V.L. Voeikov;V.S. Martynyuk. Biophotonics and Coherent Systems in Biology (Kindle Locations 284-308; 1352-1355; 1406). Kindle Edition. Cited by authors: V.I. S'oeikov. R.R. Astaramov. I:.V. Bouravleva, C.N. Novikov, and N.D. Vilenskaya, Biophoton research in blood reseals its holistic properties, India, J. Exp. Biol. 43,473-482,(2001).
[54]. cf. St. Augustin of Hippo, On The Holy Trinity, Book II, nos. 217-228.
[55]. cf. L.V. Beloussov;V.L. Voeikov;V.S. Martynyuk. Biophotonics and Coherent Systems in Biology (Kindle Locations 863-866). Kindle Edition.
[56]. Delayed luminescence (DL) is the re-emission of ultraweak intensity light with delay time of milliseconds to minutes from all living organisms and cells on being stimulated with light. Where does DL in living systems come from? When solid-state systems are excited by light, ‘excitons’ are generated which propagate within the system, some of which then decay radiatively back to the ground state over long time scales. A similar phenomenon occurs in the living system stimulated by light. The excitation is delocalized over the whole system, and cannot be assigned to specific ‘chromophores’, or specific molecular species that are excited. As distinct from stimulated emission from chromophores, DL from living cells and organisms typically covers a broad spectrum of frequencies, indicating the collective excitation of many coupled modes; all of which remarkably, decay hyperbolically back to the ‘ground’ according to the same hyperbolic decay equation (Musumeci et al., 1992) [Gerald H. Pollack;Ivan L. Cameron;Denys N. Wheatley. Water and the Cell (p. 228). Kindle Edition].
[56-A]. Anne Catherine Emmerich, The Life And Revelations Of Anne Catherine Emmerich Complete, Volume 1 of 2, https://archive.org/details/TheLifeAndRevelationsOfAnneCatherineEmmerichComplete, vol. I, pp. 556-567.
[56-B]. Anne Catherine Emmerich, The Life And Revelations Of Anne Catherine Emmerich Complete, Volume 1 of 2, https://archive.org/details/TheLifeAndRevelationsOfAnneCatherineEmmerichComplete, pp 155-156.
[57]. Mark Mallet, “Scripture — The Thousand Years,” Countdown to the Kingdom, https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/scripture-the-thousand-years/, accessed 11/25/2022.
[58]. Cited by Mallet: Tertullian (155–240 A.D.), Nicene Church Father; Adversus Marcion, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Henrickson Publishers, 1995, Vol. 3, pp. 342-343.
[59]. Mark Mallet, “Scripture — The Thousand Years,” Countdown to the Kingdom, https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/scripture-the-thousand-years/, accessed 11/25/2022.
[60]. Cited by Mallet: St. Pope John Paul II, General Audience, November 6th, 2002, Zenit.
[61]. Mark Mallet, “Scripture — The Thousand Years,” Countdown to the Kingdom, https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/scripture-the-thousand-years/.
[62]. Hahn, Scott. The Lamb's Supper (p. 123). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
[63]. See also Dr. Brant Pitri’s books, Jesus the Bridegroom and Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist.
[64]. Scott Hahn, The Lamb's Supper (p. 1), The Crown Publishing Group, Kindle Edition.
[65]. Hahn, The Lamb's Supper (p. 3).
[66]. For those Traditionalists who judge the Novus Ordo Mass as being inferior, remember this previous sentence.
[67]. Hahn, The Lamb's Supper (pp. 116-117).
[68]. Full list from: Hahn, The Lamb's Supper (pp. 118).
[69]. Full list from: Hahn, The Lamb's Supper (pp. 118).
[70]. Scott Hahn, The Lamb's Supper (p. 64).
[71]. Scott Hahn, The Lamb's Supper (p. 66).
[72]. Scott Hahn, The Lamb's Supper (p. 67).
[73]. The Summa Theologiæ of St. Thomas Aquinas, Second and Revised Edition, 1920, trans Fathers of the English Dominican Province, Online Edition, Copyright 2017 by Kevin Knight, III, q. 81, [I answer that], a. 1-3, https://www.newadvent.org/summa/4081.htm, (Accessed 07/12/2022).
[74]. The Summa Theologiæ of St. Thomas Aquinas, Second and Revised Edition, 1920, Literally translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province, Online Edition, Copyright 2017 by Kevin Knight,III, q. 81, [I answer that], a. 1-3, https://www.newadvent.org/summa/4081.htm, (Accessed 07/12/2022).
[75]. Ibid.
[76]. Brant James Pitre PhD. Jesus the Bridegroom (pp. 138-139). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
[77]. Catholic Culture, “Concomitance,” Trinity Communications, https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=32692, 2021, (accessed 8/15/2021).
[78]. Fulton J. Sheen, The Mystical Body of Christ (pp. 24-25), Ave Maria Press. Kindle Edition.
[79]. Countdown to the Kingdom, “The Era of Peace: Snippets from Many Private Revelations,” Countdown to the Kingdom, https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/the-era-of-peace-snippets-from-many-private-revelations/, Accessed 7/27/2022.
[80]. Watkins, Christine. The Warning: Testimonies and Prophecies of the Illumination of Conscience (pp. 78-79). Queen of Peace Media. Kindle Edition.
[81]. Countdown to the Kingdom, “Pedro Regis on Era of Peace,” https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/pedro-regis-on-the-era-of-peace/, Accessed 7/27/2022.
[82]. Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue of the Seraphic Virgin Catherine of Siena, trans. Algar Thorold (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1896), 69, 283, 297, 310.
[83]. Countdown to the Kingdom, “Pedro Regis on Era of Peace,” https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/pedro-regis-on-the-era-of-peace/, Accessed 7/27/2022.
[84]. Cited by Countdown to the Kingdom: Tertullian (155–240 A.D.), Nicene Church Father; Adversus Marcion, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Henrickson Publishers, 1995, Vol. 3, pp. 342-343).
[85]. Countdown to the Kingdom, “Scripture – The Mystery of the Kingdom of God,” Countdown to the Kingdom, https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/scripture-the-mystery-of-the-kingdom-of-god/, Accessed 7/27/2022.
[86]. Cited by Countdown to the Kingdom: St. Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Ch. 81, The Fathers of the Church, Christian Heritage.
[87]. Countdown to the Kingdom, “Scripture – The Mystery of the Kingdom of God,” Countdown to the Kingdom, https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/scripture-the-mystery-of-the-kingdom-of-god/, Accessed 7/27/2022.
[88]. Countdown to the Kingdom, “Scripture – The Mystery of the Kingdom of God,” Countdown to the Kingdom, https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/scripture-the-mystery-of-the-kingdom-of-god/, Accessed 7/27/2022.
[89]. The Teaching of the Catholic Church: A Summary of Catholic Doctrine, London Burns Oates & Washbourne, 1952; arranged and edited by Canon George D. Smith (this section written by Abbot Anscar Vonier), p. 1140.
[90]. Countdown to the Kingdom, “The Era of Peace: Snippets from Many Private Revelations,” Countdown to the Kingdom, https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/the-era-of-peace-snippets-from-many-private-revelations/, Accessed 7/27/2022.
[91]. Countdown to the Kingdom, “The Era of Peace: Snippets from Many Private Revelations,” Countdown to the Kingdom, https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/the-era-of-peace-snippets-from-many-private-revelations/, Accessed 7/27/2022.