Posted on 04/15/2008 11:26:25 AM PDT by marshmallow
ORLANDO, Fla. -- An unexplained image in a hospital prayer garden window moved some people to tears and drew groups of people to a hallway before vanishing, according to witnesses.
A crowd inside the Florida Hospital Medical Complex in Orlando snapped photos of the image apparently showing the profile of Jesus Christ crying.
"There was just a whole bunch of people putting their cell phones to the window, so I went over there and I saw a glow," witness Joel Cruzada said. "When you are standing there and there is a flurry of people talking about it, you are like, 'Wow, I'm actually here.'"
Cruzada, who was one of several viewers to send an e-mail about the image to Local6.com, said his ex-wife was recently diagnosed with stage-3 cancer.
"This was just a sign for me to not worry about what is going on in my life and that everything else is under control," Cruzada said. "It was an enlightening experience."
Another Local 6 viewer, Lorna, said she saw the image and noticed that a chaplain was snapping photos and videotaping it.
"I brought some people from my (hospital) unit and they saw it," Lorna said.
A viewer said the image caused "a commotion" in the hallway near the prayer garden.
The hospital is calling it an unexplained image.
An official said as long as the image makes people feel good, that is all that matters, Local 6's Charnel Wright said.
Witnesses said after a few hours, the image vanished.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this developing story.
“Really? Who?”
Those who say it was used by God to give people comfort.
Your definition of “to venerate” is rather more expansive than mine.
“Wrong. It was created by Jesus, to ensure visible leadership of His Church. Matt 16:18.”
Nuh Huh. The Rock in that passage, Jesus is referring to Himself.
Amen. It will be wonderful to known of all these things someday, won't it?
“Amen. It will be wonderful to known of all these things someday, won’t it?”
Yeah, but bearing false witness against a Christian is already one of them noted.
>>Your definition of “to venerate” is rather more expansive than mine.<<
Expansive?
I would say it is very narrow.
It’s what the poster wants it to be and nothing else.
Sez WHO?
YOU???????
BWAHAHAHAHahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
Are you, then, the infallible interpreter of Scripture? Hmmmm?
Are you "Pope demshateGod"?
Where'd YOU get the authority to lecture me (or anybody else) on the meaning of Scripture?
Oh, yes: The Humpty Dumpty school of thought. “A word means precisely what I say it means, neither more nor less.”
“And, since by your own admission your interpretation is fallible”
I have admitted no such thing. I just read Proverbs 1 where God says the simple will be made wise and I’m thankful God made His word available to me.
In the late ‘90s, Mary was supposed to be on the window of a Clearwater, FL, office building. (Guess visions show up in Florida like tornadoes show up in trailer parks.) My friend and I, on a business trip, decided to go check ‘er out.
Apparently, the local businesses weren’t too happy about it ‘cause there was a huge sign on the street, “NO VIRGIN MARY PARKING”.
“These folks were called ‘iconoclasts’.”
The original iconoclasts didn't completely die off. They eventually joined with leftover Arians and became Muslims.
sitetest
Sounds like no one can know then...
Matt. 11:25-27
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
John 8:31-32
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Knowing is important to God...
I just read Proverbs 1
Do you fancy that verse to apply only to you?
Wow ... if you do ... that's truly
astonishing
Meher Baba?
“If only he had written it down somewhere where people could read about His plan instead of just guessing!”
Ugh! Wanting to hyperventilate in laughter and glee! If God had said we should have a pope I vote for you.
Only buying a particular Marque of vehicle?
While I concur, that people who are shallowly grounded in their faith are at risk of worshipping a thing instead of the idea, an image of God instead of Himself, is it wrong to use those images as a gathering point, or a means to focus on the one they do worship: God?
The Crucifix on the wall, the Icon in the cathedral, the picture of Christ (artist's conception) in the chapel? A daily reminder of whom we serve, who cares for us. Is that evil?
The flip side is that nature abhors a vacumn, that without images of God, as best as we can portray Him, other images will supplant His presence in our lives, and then the real danger of idolatry creeps in.
It is then that God is gradually edged from the collective conciousness and replaced by other images, out of sight, out of mind.
And that is what has happened in our schools, workplaces, and public squares.
Not the Baby Jesus (statue thereof) in the manger at Christmas, but Santa Claus, the Grinch, trees, and such, if even that.
Even 'Christ' is replaced with "X-", certainly no way to treat someone on the celebratory day of their birth.
While worshipping a statue of God as God is bogus, still the statue serves as a reminder of the being we worship. In its absence, someone will put another image, and then the real cultural problems begin.
At least with images of God, our children will ask out of curiosity "Who is that?" and we will again be reminded of our responsibility to teach and guide them in His path.
Keep in mind that many of those building shrines to idols do not share the Judeo-Christian beliefs, and others who are the most severe at eliminating images (graven or otherwise) have no qualms about flying planes into buildings full of people.
In this case, though, the hospital administration will doubtless shoo away the curious, after all, all that traffic is bad for business, and the fleeting nature of the phenomenon is enough to convince me it was as many reminders of his Godhead are--transient, just a reminder, not a return--yet.
If this event serves Him, and is of Him, I will trust that.
After all, God knows what He is doing.
If not, then at least attention has been called to His existence, and if only one man was comforted in his moment of need, and it serves God's purpose that that be, then so be it. Who am I to argue?
God Bless, FRiend.
I'm pointing out that Random Internet Dude #1 is a bit hypocritical in lecturing Random Internet Dude #2 on the meaning of Scripture, when they both have the same authority to read and interpret.
When RID1 presumes to lecture RID2, to say definitively that RID2 is wrong, RID1 is claiming to interpret infallibly.
I agree that Knowing is important to God, and believe that to be one reason why God founded a visible, concrete, institutional church. He did so so that RID1, RID2 ... RIDn would have a "court of appeals" to resolve their disputes.
Exd 32:4,5 And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw [it], he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow [is] a feast to the LORD.
LOL
I looked it up to make sure I was right and it seems Webster’s is more expansive than yours too.
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