BOOK: "Look what happened while you were sleeping"

[StephenB]

This may or may not be the correct forum…

I was given this book to read a few days ago - it comes from Caritas - Birmingham, is written by “A friend of Medjugorje” and takes on some very fundamental issues - keeping the Sabbath, the problem with churches and the US government, etc…

While there is simplicity to the writing, there is, for me, still an uneasy sense about it. I have no problem with being hyper-vigilante in defending the faith and the assualt on Christianity in today’s world - but I am wondering if others have read and have opinions about it.

It is a 500 page tome, and I’ve managed the first 200, but can’t shake the small quiet voice…(it isn’t something I’m abloe to put my finger on…maybe I’ve been so desensitized by popular media that what looks right is wrong, and what looks wrong is actually right.

Anybody???

 

[baltobetsy]

Perhaps you should not invest the time in reading the final 300 pages. Medjugorje is an unapproved apparition, and there is no guarantee that the people who are devoted to it are right about their points of view.

You’d do much better to spend your time reading the works of the saints - how about *Introduction To the Devout Life *or the *Imitation of Christ *or the Story of a Soul?

Betsy

 

[StephenB]

Perhaps you should not invest the time in reading the final 300 pages. Medjugorje is an unapproved apparition, and there is no guarantee that the people who are devoted to it are right about their points of view.

You’d do much better to spend your time reading the works of the saints - how about *Introduction To the Devout Life *or the *Imitation of Christ *or the Story of a Soul?

Betsy

Thank you Betsy -

These are three excellent titles of which I am familiar -

Please do not take this as being argumentative

The fact of the matter is no Catholic is required to give credence to any apparation site, as a matter of faith, approved or otherwise. This person who gave me the book is devout, but may need some leading - before I atttempted to do this I thought it best to get some background from people who know specifics.

While the book does quote from the “messages” it is NOT strictly a plug for Medjugorje. (I have two first hand accounts of people I worked with who suffered from chronic pain issues who claim/visibly demonstrate healing after a visit.)

After posting the question, I did look up Caritas of Birmingham and found sites split 50/50 for and against - I was wondering if anyone had specific knowledge of the writing, or background of Terry Colafrancesco, who runs the place and is presumably the author. Since, like EWTN, it is not under canonical oversight, the local diocese remains silent regard to outright support or denunciation.

Thanks again~

 

[Kathy_DeWine]

Stephen, I had the same sense that something wasn’t right (i.e., in accord with Catholic teaching) about the voice and assumptions. I read far less than you did. Because of my apprehension after reading blurbs and the intro, a few passages, I invited my husband to just open at random and read the passage he opened to. It was a strangely fundamentalist Protestant thing about that number 666. I took my turn and opened to the concern with keeping the Sabbath holy as a way of faithfulness and witness. A few other passages … well, it is not something I would buy or recommend, or even continue reading myself were it not part of a conversation / exchange between myself and the person who gave it to me. But I would question its basic premise, which sounds more like Talk Radio / Religious Right / nationalism / vigilantiism than Catholicism or Gospel …

 

[StephenB]

Thank you Kathy - I gave it back to the lady who shared it, with my list of misgivings…Moved on to better things - I appreciate the feedback though! :tiphat: