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I think about the Padre Pio shrine from time to time. One thing that bothers me about it is I don’t see how an object made by man can have any supernatural power. That would seem to argue against anything to be gained by visiting the shrine.
But here’s the other hand. If God wants to endow an object with supernatural power, it is completely within his power to do so. Remember the story from the bible:
And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well." And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?"
She touched his garment, not him.
Posted by The Vorlon at April 18, 2006 8:45 PMIn Jewish folk lore of the time, it was believed that when the Messiah came, He would be so powerful that people could be healed by just touching the tassels on his garments. Since every Rabbi believed that he just might become the Messiah, they made a point in wearing big long tassels. If someone was healed by touching the tassles, everyone would know that He was the Messiah. Not only was the woman healed, she also validated that Jesus was the Messiah. FWIW
Posted by: Ned Swift at April 19, 2006 8:15 AM