Michael Rose: Heroes, Holiness & Mystical Phenomena

(Click the image to see the whole photo)

I was very excited to read this excellent article by Michael Rose and immediately wanted to blog about it. It's not often that I get a chance to blog about a television show I love and plug Michael Rose, a man whose work I admire and whose opinion I respect.

First, I will briefly mention my love for NBC's Heroes. It's a show about superheroes. It's a lot like watching a well-done comic book on television. It's not perfect, and it has a bit of violence and graphic gore (the main villain this season steals people's powers by cutting open people's heads and eating their brains, though we never see the actual eating part), but it's a great show.

Here's Wikipedia's description: Heroes

The show tells the story of several people who "thought they were like everyone else... until they woke with incredible abilities" such as telepathy, time travel and flight. These people soon realize they have a role in preventing a catastrophe and saving mankind. The series follows the writing style of American comics with short, multi-episode story arcs that build upon a larger, more encompassing arc.

Here's the official NBC page for the show: Heroes

If you haven't seen the show, you can watch the whole season online. You can watch later episodes by clicking where it says "choose an episode". (Don't be put off by the "God is a cockroach" line in the pilot.) Click here to watch: Heroes (Full Episodes)

Now for Michael Rose's article...

Here's a section from what Mr. Rose wrote:

Recently, NBC wrapped up its first season of an interesting television series called Heroes . For those who haven’t seen it --and you should see it--the show centers around a group of people who discover they have special abilities beyond the ordinary, including superhuman powers like telepathy, time travel, flight, invisibility, the ability to walk through walls, to heal, and to paint the future, among others. These “superheroes,” one by one, come to realize that they each have a particular role to play in preventing a catastrophe and “saving the world.” It is science fiction, to be sure. But this concept is not without precedence in the real world throughout history. The Catholic Church has had its own “heroes” – like the Cure d’Ars, Padre Pio, Joseph of Cupertino and Mother Teresa of Calcutta--who were, at least through parts of their lives, blessed with “supernatural powers.” The Church calls them “mystical phenomena,” and those saints who have wielded these inexplicable powers understood their role in advancing the kingdom of God.

Though the modern world is fascinated by the idea of men and women possessing unique superhuman powers, as evidenced by the huge success of Heroes and movies like Spiderman and Unbreakable , the modern world has little room to accommodate the idea of mystical phenomena, especially in connection with religious concepts like evil and holiness, blessings and curses. Even in a time when belief in UFOs, Elvis sightings, and animated gnomes is on the increase, most people remain highly skeptical of any claims of mystical phenomena in the lives of the saints. They believe these claims are in the realm of myth, even though numerous examples of mystical phenomenon have been studied and examined by modern scientific methods.

It is instructive to note that the Catholic Church has always approached claims of mystical phenomena with a healthy dose of skepticism. By design, Church officials throughout history have not accepted at face value any phenomenon which purports to be from God. The Church carefully weighs all the circumstances, evidence and personalities of those connected with the phenomenon to determine whether or not there is any possibility of either a natural explanation or a psychological explanation such as hysteria, schizophrenia, or some other form of insanity. The Church also attempts to determine whether or not there is the possibility of fraud or demonic activity, both of which are not uncommon.

If, after all, the facts and evidence of a particular mystical phenomenon lend themselves to God’s supernatural intervention, then the Church will accept a particular phenomenon as having no other explanation than the supernatural. In many cases, especially with phenomena that are specifically connected with manifestations of holiness, the Church waits until after the person dies to determine that the phenomena associated with them were truly manifestations of their heroic virtue and holiness. Then and only then will the Church confirm that a particular phenomenon, even when witnessed by hundreds of people, was truly from God.

The article then discusses mystical phenomena, namely: levitation, Eucharistic fasts, smelling sin, the odor of sanctity, and bilocation.

Here's the whole article: Heroes, Holiness & Mystical Phenomena

Books by Michael Rose:

The Renovation Manipulation: The Church Counter-Renovation Handbook

In Tiers of Glory: The Organic Development of Catholic Church Architecture Through the Ages

Ugly As Sin: Why They Changed Our Churches from Sacred Places to Meeting Spaces and How We Can Change Them Back Again

Goodbye! Good Men: How Catholic Seminaries Turned Away Two Generations of Vocations From the Priesthood

Are 'gay' priests the problem? (Reprint) : An article from: Catholic Insight

Priest: Portraits of Ten Good Men Serving the Church Today

Benedict XVI: The Man Who Was Ratzinger

There are some great books available that discuss mystical phenomena.

This one is excellent: Spiritual Theology, by Fr. Jordan Aumann, O.P.

What is even more excellent is that this book is available online: Spiritual Theology, by Fr. Jordan Aumann, O.P.

Here's a description of the book:

In Spiritual Theology Father Jordan Aumann dispels the common misconception that ascetical and mystical theology is for the select few. He reminds us that "the real purpose of the study of the spiritual life is not to produce scholars but to form holy Christians." Basing much of his work on St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John of the Cross, and St. Teresa, Father Aumann proves that Christian perfection consists especially in charity, a charity richly rewarded in spiritual graces.

He presents the most complete and systematic treatment of spiritual theology since Vatican II. Comprehensive in scope, it meets the needs of seminarians, professors of spiritual theology, spiritual directors, and retreat masters. This classic will also appeal to the educated reader seeking a richer and fuller spiritual life.

Here is another great book: The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology by Rt. Rev. Adolphe Tanquerey SS.D.D

Here's a description of the book:

The Spiritual Life is undoubtedly the finest, most comprehensive and best respected one volume treatise on the spiritual life ever written. Clear, thorough, easy to read, orthodox, authoritative, beautifully organized, logically developed, lively and practical, the book covers the whole field of spirituality. Based on Sacred Scripture, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, especially St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as other great Saints and spiritual writers of all ages. Impr. 771 pgs

The works of Rev. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. are also excellent. You can order them here: TAN Books: Rev. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange Collection

Here are some great books that detail the miracles and mystical phenomena in the Church and in the lives of the saints:

Forty Dreams Of St. John Bosco (From St. John Bosco's Biographical Memoirs) by St. John Bosco

Mysteries Marvels and Miracles In the Lives of the Saints by Joan Carroll Cruz

Eucharistic Miracles And Eucharistic Phenomenon in the Lives of the Saints by Joan Carroll Cruz

The Incorruptibles (A study of Incorruption in the Bodies of Various Saints) by Joan Carroll Cruz

Miraculous Images of Our Lord by Joan Carroll Cruz

Angels And Devils by Joan Carroll Cruz

Saints Who Raised the Dead (True Stories of 400 Resurrection Miracles) by Rev. Albert J. Hebert

Any thoughts? Book or web page recommendations are also welcome!

Comments

[Sal]

Here's an interesting site for Michael Rose:

http://gtf.org/beaker/pictures/2007/2007_05_New_Orleans/slides/IMG_3106.html

(A modernist church post-Katrina)

[Steveg]

You can also read 'The Spiritual Life' from archive.org, in a variety of formats. DjVu is best, but it is unfortunately from microfilm. Not as good as a book, but a good way to see if you'd want to invest in this wonderful title.

http://www.archive.org/details/MN41530ucmf_5

You would need to install the following to view DjVu files.

http://downloads.lizardtech.com/files/win/DJVUCNTL_61_EN.EXE

http://www.archive.org has a variety of old OOP Catholic titles for download. (Like the complete 'Catena aurea : commentary on the four Gospels, collected out of the works of the Fathers' by St Thomas Aquinas)