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DISPLAYS IN THE SKY CONTINUE TO ENTHRALL AS VIEWERS STRUGGLE TO DISCERN THEM
God uses nature to communicate and that has
been the thrust of e-mails -- hundreds -- about unusual recent displays in
the sky.
Christ said that there would be signs in the sky -- the stars, the moon -- and so we look for signs in the twinkling of night lights that seem for many to be just such a sign (or, as we asked before, is it just the planet Venus?).
Can the Lord "imbue" certain heavenly objects? Can He cause them to radiate likenesses? Can He form their light into "signs"? Are there spiritual inflections in objects that are usually in the sole domain of the astronomer?
God can do anything, of course, but it may be less obvious to those who wear the "scales" of the world and do not have the "eyes to see"!
Or perhaps not. We'll hand it over for your discernment.
But it is worth a look, in times as tumultuous as ours.
We are at a time of expectation." The question is what to expect. Is there any meaning in a huge dark halo around the sun as it appears here (between the spires of a cathedral in Mexico)? Or a blue moon?
Are there images in this nebula?
"I saw the article on the solar halo," wrote a viewer from Nevada. "Very impressive! On May 25, 2007, at approximately 12:00 p.m., I also saw a solar halo above my house. This is not the first solar halo I have seen and I hope it is not the last one. I stare in amazement of God's 'mini-miracles'! I feel these are 'signs of God' to remind us that a higher power does exist."
God
is nature and nature is wondrous -- regular or not. As
per Venus: many were those who felt that there is an unusual aspect to its
bright appearance -- which should intensify up to July.
"I have studied many books about prophecies and it is very curious that someone mentioned that it looks like a bright Cross in the sky," noted a viewer named Juan Soundy of Spring, Texas. "Many people are feeling something, something big that is to come. We need to be prepared; there is no doubt that God is giving us great signs in the sky. I have been having the intuition that [a] warning is close at hand and we need to be prepared in soul and in a state of grace with God. I remember in the diary of Sister Faustina about a bright Cross in the sky which everyone will see!"
We present it, as a Catholic news website, for your discernment, at this time when there is no other outlet.
"I am writing this note to tell you that my husband George and I have been seeing this in the sky for a few years," writes Betty MacKinnon. "It can be seen before any other star comes out and is the brightest one in the sky. Some nights it takes the form of a Cross. We often said, ' I wonder if anyone else can see this,' but no one else seem to mention it. I was wondering if this is the same thing you are seeing."
Is there anything unusual about Venus -- besides its magnitude of brightness, which might cause certain things to be seen?
"When I saw the article yesterday containing the sister's observation [see previous story], I knew exactly what she was talking about," said Amy Dickas of Omaha, Nebraska, referring to a nun who is also from the Midwest and asserts that it is not Venus she is seeing.
"I had noticed the star for several days and had pointed it out to my husband. There is definitely something different about it. When I take time to stare at it, it does seem to begin shooting beams as if in the form of a Cross. I find it interesting that so many have noticed it as well."
"I live in Kansas City and noticed Venus showing brighter during the winter last year, especially while driving to and from prayer group with a friend," said another view named Gina. "I could not help but think of Jesus as I looked at the star – He is the Light of the World. I would tell my friend, 'I call that my Jesus star. Each time I look at it, I think of Jesus.' I think she thought I was a little strange, and sure: it’s child-like. But isn't that how He want us to come to Him?"
Said viewer Patti O'Neal of Phoenix, Arizona: "We saw this beautiful star one evening (here in Arizona we see it to the northwest just beside the moon). I was with my four-year-old old niece and four-year-old granddaughter (Terese and Mia) and we were reciting the child's poem, Star light, Star bright. After a few minutes, Terese stopped and stared at the star and didn't move for a minute, then started playing again. We were talking and playing and she casually mentioned: 'Didn't you see Papa Joseph holding the Baby Jesus up there?' I asked 'Where?' and she pointed toward the star. She said 'Yeah, he was holding his arms out like this -- holding baby Jesus out.' I never associated it with the star until I read your article!"
The mouths of babes (and eyes).
Some felt there has been a "good vibe" from Venus -- or whatever they see. Of course, it is an area of caution. There are also those who might start to see UFOs -- and this is dangerous. But signs like Venus can be signs indeed. It was a display of Halley's comet in the first century that hung over Jerusalem like a sword -- presaging a great war against the Jews and what amounted to a holocaust (during which the Temple was destroyed).
The "superstitions" of the ancients may soon seem less superstitious.
"I've been following the article about the brilliant 'star' (or planet)," commented Carol Todd of Pennsylvania. "When it first appeared I thought it was a plane coming in for a landing at the Pittsburgh International Airport, but when it proved 'stationary,' I was truly intrigued.
"I too thought it reminded me of the Star of Bethlehem. It is positively brilliant with shafts of light appearing from time-to-time. Regardless of whether it's Venus, or a star, cluster of stars, or some other object, it is truly an anomaly and a remarkable 'sign.' I do believe it is a prodigy of some kind -- heralding an event, or events that are about to take place. I felt awed viewing it, and a sense of peace -- a sign that God is with us."
"It absolutely is different than it usually is," insisted another e-mailer. "I'm not an expert but I am a sky watcher. We see it as a lighted Cross and it is a sign; we know this."
"I was absolutely amazed to read your story in Spirit Daily today," said another Pennsylvanian. "I have noticed a change in the star, Regulus, during the last two weeks. It has become increasingly brighter each night. It is in the same area as the moon and Venus tonight (5/21/07). While this is probably just my imagination, there is more. When I read your story, and one person commented on how it looks like a Cross in the sky, I was reminded of a lecture I once heard on the Book of Revelation:
"A Jewish historian by the name of Josephus saw a star that looked like a sword (same shape as a Cross?) in the sky, before the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.
"I did some quick research tonight, and it is possible that the star Josephus saw was an alignment of Regulus and Venus. It was a sign of the impending chastisement, a warning."
"I do not know whether or not this is linked but my son took a picture of the sun at one in the afternoon and the picture is weird because while the white is the sun, the middle is a purple circle, and next to the picture of the sun is a little dot. This was also taken by cell phone camera. Wondering what this all means. We were on our way to a shrine where the Virgin Mary is said to be appearing. Was this our sign that this it is real?"
Or the quirk of a camera?
Too many quirks, of late.
Did anyone else notice the moon Wednesday night May 23?" asks Kathleen Moore in Westland, Michigan. "It was a half moon and gave off a shadow that looked like a Cross with the moon being the heart, on and off it looked like a red streak along side of it. I did not take a picture, but it was like something I have never seen before. It appeared to look like a Cross with the moon a beating heart."
"Early in May, as the full moon was rising, there was a halo around it," writes Janet Meyer from La Crosse, Wisconsin. "This wasn't just any ordinary halo. It was huge. When the moon started to rise, before it actually appeared, the halo completely surrounded a couple of trees (and that was just at the beginning of it!). Even more extraordinary, there was a dark ring around the halo. In the halo itself it was like dancing colors. It made me think of aurora borealis within a moon halo. I had just been concluding an e-mail to a friend when I looked out the window at the beginning of the moonrise. I couldn't believe how breathtaking it was. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Said Lou Pena of Centreville, Virginia: "Yep, I’ve seen it for several weeks. It’s Venus. I see it every year. Very beautiful and bright. Look at it with a small telescope and you should see a crescent. Depending on the relative positions, alternately you may see a disk."
Others pointed out that Venus, in its aspect as the Morning Star, was known to the early Romans as iubar, meaning "hairy." The image appeared to be that of light scattered in all directions. To some, it seemed like a lion's mane.
"I was in Medjugorje on May 22 at about 5:00 a.m." wrote another viewer, Roonie Flaherty, from California. "My husband and I saw the bright big star moving toward the Cross Mountain. And on May 21 when Ivan [one of the six seers] has the apparition at the 'blue cross,' my and I saw the star moving above."
Referring to another such report from Medjugorje, yet one more reader noted that "Venus is definitely in the western evening sky now and just Saturday was about a finger's width from the crescent moon.
"The planet is very bright and can appear
irregular due to the phases we see (like the moon we see the bright side
reflected). Although it would not sparkle as a star, the sheer brightness
and cloud movement could give the sense of flickering. Last week the
planet Mercury could be seen right below Venus -- a tiny reddish light.
"I'm no astronomer, but I like to look at the sky and have learned a bit.
If there is another object brighter than Venus in the sky right now
(other than the moon), it is not visible from Ohio!
"The star in the south east sky recently seen from Medjugorie may be
Arcturus. it is the brightest star in the east right now at twilight."
So, it is Acturus.
Or is it?
[resources: Tower of Light]
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