Episode 61 with Roy Varghese
In today’s show I will discuss with Roy Varghese his book, Contact: 50 Verified Encounters with the Virgin Mary.
Roy has written 24 books on the interface of science, philosophy, and religion. One of his books, Cosmos, Bios, and Theos, included contributions from 24 Nobel prize winning scientists.
The Queen Mother in Jewish History
One concept of the Queen Mother is from the Old Testament regarding King David and his wife, Bethsheba, the mother of Solomon. When David was King, Bethsheba would bow in the presence of the King to David. However, when Solomon was King, he would bow in the presence of the Queen Mother. When looking at things it is important to remember Jesus was a Jew.
Our Lady of Guadalupe 1531
Many know the story, and the enduring evidence of a supernatural phenomenon is the preservation of the tilma, the cloak that Juan Diego wore, and that was imprinted with the image of Our Lady.
It was made of cactus fiber and should have deteriorated after 20 years; yet it remains intact nearly 500 years later.
The pigments are not of human origin and cannot be explained. The image of Our Lady indicates she is not a god, she is pregnant, and the stars align as they would have been that day in 1531.
Many scientists have analyzed the image. It has been shown that in her eyes are images of the bishop and associates present when Juan Diego opened the tilma. The communists tried to blow it up 100 years ago, but the tilma was unscathed.
Our Lady of Lourdes 1858
The enduring evidence is the spring that opened up and has miraculous healing powers. Many of the healing cures have been studied and verified.
Bernadette Soubirous, the visionary, was an uneducated peasant. The beautiful lady told her that she was, “the Immaculate Conception,” now a dogma of the Church.
A Jewish gentleman, Franz Werfel, and his family were trying to escape Nazi Germany and ended up in Lourdes. He asked what was going on one evening and was told of the history; he told Our Lord that he would spread knowledge of the events if his family escaped to safety. His best selling novel, The Song of Bernadette, was eventually made into a movie.
Our Lady of Good Help 1859
This is the first Marian apparition to be approved in the United States.
Our Lady appeared to Adele Brise, a Belgian immigrant, and told her to pray for the conversion of sinners and to teach the children the basics of the Faith, such as the Sign of the Cross and how to approach the Sacraments.
There was a miracle regarding a terrible fire that swept through Wisconsin in 1871 that took over 2500 lives. It was called the Peshtigo Fire. Amazingly, the chapel was unscathed and is detailed in the book.
Roy's book is available through Amazon.
