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We all need a Semana Santa, right now to see the miracle...

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Both videos are breathtaking--Celia always has these marvelous and beautiful surprise documentary for the special holidays 💗🗓💐💐💐!! Great story...The Semana Santa is clearly many things, one of which is the obvious great love of the families and community for the participants in their show of strength and, I would guess, appreciation for life.

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Mary, just a note to thank you for your enthusiasm. That's the lifeblood. I've always wondered whether people who don't "do" enthusiasm, who never express in an actual excited way, feel that they are the good guys. How do you put emoji into comment? That is beyond me....Thank you again Mary!

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Kind words! (my old laptop does not seem to know from emojis, I think I must have written that on the IPad or phone...) Between your substack and one superbunny's bursting onto the literary scene, I am so blessed :)

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GOD ALREADY WON. HE is RISEN.

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Alleluia!

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Thank you very much and I am very glad that you were able to see this especially at a time in your life - not much worse then worrying about the health of one's child - that it could evoke feelings of the presence of God and the hope and joy when all pray together. I am a life long Catholic but it was in my 20's that I became aware of the more mystical side of my faith - which I am touched by in the processions and pageantry. That somewhat got brushed aside in the modern stress on social justice. As Jonathan Pageau stresses (he is an Orthodox Icon carver) worship must have our attention first, or social justice will go sideways - illustrated by Judas' concern about the cost of the oil the woman used to anoint Jesus.

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That's fascinating. I plan to listen to him more.

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A recent video Pageau did mentioning this aspect of Judas is this one on "Weaponized Compassion" and touched on the locked churches during Covid." My own church was only closed 3 months (still not sure even that should have happened) and we have been with any restrictions (masks, sanitizer, distancing) since April 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGUQSg5MwYU

You may also like these - Pageau has so many videos its hard to pick. This one is Encountering God through stories which you may like as a writer - for the next time you cant sleep:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pyYT8AFR-4&t=0s

Another older one which almost predicts covid - Pentecost for the Zombie Apocalypse:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXOdlIXDsr8

Catholics and Orthodox share much in common and it is a real shame we have not managed to reunite but perhaps for God's purpose. Pageau also has some videos with Bishop Barron whom I also enjoy.

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When I looked up Pageau (because I love what you wrote about him), I found thesymbolicworld.com where he interviews Paul Kingsnorth, another substack author I adore! More and more I find we are a tight-knit community both online and in person. I moved away from a church community that is all about social justice gone sideways. In just a few words, you've helped me to see what was wrong there and why!

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I am very grateful to https://reverentcatholicmass.com/ for helping me locate places to attend Holy Mass when I travel. I has protected my soul from the shock I would experience at parishes where some innovation was incorporated into Her Liturgy. It's been 3-for-3 correct so far! It will be helpful for you to fine a parish community near you.

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Yes! Pageau led me to Kingsnorth's Substack - one of my favorite. One of Pageau's videos which he talks about the Judas / social justice in this recent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGUQSg5MwYU

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I haven't watched the video but I'm just amazed at how ridiculous the US medical prices are for surgeries, drugs and in Spain your son's three cost nothing out of pocket! The Taiwanese system used to only prescribe herbal supplements and rarely pharma drugs. Pharma's huge prices are why. Now the WHO wants to totally take over our lives in the US (and probably the rest of the world) by 2024 to sign away U.S. sovereignty and citizen health privacy. There is a petition for this that you can find online if you choose.

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Gorgeous! Dazzling! Theater evolved from religious ceremonials such as these. Thank you for sharing. This is what it means to be human - what the evil predator globalists want to destroy.

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Thanks for this Celia. I had no religious training of any kind, including atheism, growing up. However, I have observed that many of the bravest warriors in this fight are devoutly religious. The traditions you allude to are representative of how some religious principles have raised the level of conduct of many people. The Epoch Times did a superb 3-book series on The Spector of Communism. They state their thesis right away: Communism is not an alternative social or economic theory, rather it is the work of the Devil to separate man from the Devine.

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“Ok, I’ll tell you: The cost was $0.00.)”

No, it wasn’t. It was just paid by someone else.

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More accurately, the 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚 was $0.00. The cost was plenty, and as you say, paid by someone else.

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Thank you. I actually feel bad about it. He had student insurance. And will soon be a citizen...but I personally owe a debt to the government of Spain I can never repay, except maybe by writing about this incredible nation and its people. Another reason to anguish.

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Oh, Celia! ❤️ Perhaps a bit pedantic I was; I realize that people use those words interchangeably, but they do represent different things.

Understanding the financial and human cost of all things enables us to better appreciate the price we pay -- for anything. After years of hearing how certain goods should be "free" (such as healthcare), I developed a little joke. Using "money" as the catch-all for labor, capital, material, and human input (such as the equipment, expertise, and care of those doctors & nurses), I'll sometimes quip, "It costs a lot of money to pay for the 'free' stuff."

You've told an amazing story here. I wish your son a complete recovery. May God bless him and you.

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You were not pedantic at all. It was important and I appreciate it. You got me thinking and a piece will emerge from this...

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Thank you, Celia. I'll look forward to that piece as I do all your content.

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Christos Anesti! Alleluia! WE love you Celia Farber, health and happiness to you and yours. Let us NEVER forget, this is the world of satan, and we must continually renounce the works of this fallen angel. He forever prowls out the believers, he forever uses the fallen, the unwary, and the easily deceived to terraform this planet into his dominion, where he can walk freely amongst the streets, and he shall do this with many lies clothed in truth. Hyper vigilance people!

The history of the Christian/Catholic/Orthodox Church that was solidified by those early believers, St. Paul, and all of the joyful martyr good news spreaders, is absolutely beautiful in EVERY way. These believers lived through the age of the Roman Candle, we have not been vigilant enough in spreading the real history of our faith. In the first 100 years after our LORD and SAVIOR gave us new life, by fulfilling all of the prophecies written centuries prior, the Christian population of the Roman Empire was .00015%. Take a second and let that sink in. JESUS showed us miracles during his short time in flesh, but the miracle of CHRISTIANITY surviving, not just thriving would make all of the other miracles pale in comparison. We have become luke warm, and have forgotten the zealous fervent belief of these early Christians, when the Roman Candles lit the streets, they did not fear. For what they knew, and what we have forgotten is the ONLY subject of matter to focus attention on is JESUS, and bringing others too CHRIST JESUS. At any and all cost, with joy! Never let ANYTHING deter you from spreading the GOOD NEWS. The Catholic Church does not live in a building or the Vatican, never has, it lives in the hearts of those willing to die spreading the GOOD NEWS. We have all been brainwashed to feel compassion for that which does not deserve compassion. There is NO other religion! Peter who loved JESUS more than we can imagine, denounced JESUS 3 times, let us not continue that history. JESUS is the only way, Christianity is the only religion. Being Christian is bravery in the face of persecution, and we will all be persecuted, embrace it with joy, for that is what our LORD asks of us. in the name of JESUS we act and pray.

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This is a magnificent thread. Thank you dear Russel Gregory. We love YOU too. Thank God you are here. I think the advantage of my stumbling writings is that it can open up these questions more than at forums where everybody is already a fully fluent Catholic or other kind of Christian. I believe in not being ashamed of what we do not know. I have the BEST readers. I mean, participants. This place is blessed and I give thanks for it but but enough. My prayers of thanks for every person here and the time all the souls take to express their (your) unique perspectives is a gift like a dark sky with bright stars.

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yes, I live here, in a small village about 65 kms away from Granada, but I bet you haven't realised still that every town and village has this going on, sometimes many of them concurrently, and each and every procession is completely different, with different artworks or icons or whatever one would call these things. I took a few fotos this year, as usual, which are on google fotos. https://photos.app.goo.gl/9JnaALwKDdjC1FUAA Thursday night, silent and dark, https://photos.app.goo.gl/w9edpkBXFn9DrL377 Friday night, de lamentos, https://photos.app.goo.gl/JHaUnoR4pCCEFKPB6 Sunday morning and part two https://photos.app.goo.gl/74Ye4ajpuE8cnmCa6

I missed all the other ones, as I am not so free to rush out of my house so many times. But there is one Thursday, two on Friday, two on Saturday, and one in two parts on Sunday.

And this village is pretty tiny. And so many people have to co-ordinate. It is pretty amazing. The Spanish people are special, that's for sure. I love them deeply. They all got vaxxed though, and you will see, they all wore masks, even though they are now, the Monday after finally not compulsory. And they haven't been compulsory outdoors for weeks. I wish they were a little more assertive and rebellious

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All the best for your son's recovery.

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Thank you Daniel! It was in 2017, and thanks to God, he is healed, apart from the fact the lower leg still needs rehabilitation, which is ongoing.

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Amazingly inspiring!

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Who are the "brotherhoods of Spain"? And what do the tall pointed hats represent? Thank you for posting this celebration.

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I added a post script, but I expect you pose a truly vast and deep question that we will never really be able to answer.

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I tried Wikipedia but they also keep saying the "brotherhoods" without definition. A mystery indeed.

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Celia and friends,

I am going to try and connect something prophetically with the "theme" of these processions though the streets, and maybe you will see something you will be encouraged by. Which is: sometimes the common people are more honestly spiritual in their simple dedication, than the hierarchy of these institutional "religious" leaders in their ivory towers. It was that way on Palm Sunday, April 10th, in the year 32 AD. The common people greeted Jesus with praise and Hosannas as he rode into Jerusalem fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 and the religious leaders were angry about it.

Jesus answered them and said: If these simple people were silent the stones would cry out! If these leaders would have known "in this, thy Day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid form thine eyes." (Luke 19: 38-44) Why was this Day (Palm Sunday, April 10th, 32 A.D. so important?

Did you notice something? I just stated that this recent Holy Week mirrored the SAME DATE this year (by the solar calendar) that was identical to the exact solar calendar date of the death and Resurrection of Jesus in 32 AD. Is it possible to KNOW this? Yes.

Oddly enough, there is NO DATE in the Gospels of exactly when the week of the Messiah's death and Resurrection of Jesus happened. But the EXACT DATE was recorded by Daniel in a prophecy back in 539 BC. It has taken years to decode this from the prophecy. But using NASA's program Astro Pixels we have it now. We can wind back the lunar calendar with precision.

Here is why. The Passover and Easter are set on the lunar calendar so they vary from year to year. This in the Bible, there is no EXACT date for the death and resurrection of Christ. But the Exact date, of the week of April 10th, 32 AD is revealed from these calculations predicted in the prophecy of Daniel 9: 21 -27) of the 70 heptads (or weeks) which provides the EXACT DATE from the prophecy in 539 BC. This mystery has baffled people who study prophecy for years. But Sir Robert Anderson, who was the Scotland Yard Police head, that tracked Jack the Ripper, (and I think they got him, and he died in an asylum before trial) actually decoded the prophecy. According to the way this date was issued. This year (2022) is the EXACT mirror copy of that week when the Messiah was "cut off" and Resurrected.

Palm Sunday was April 10th, 32 AD. and the Day of Resurrection was April 17th. 32 AD---1990 years ago. We are now 10 years from the 2,000th anniversary.

Here is how Robert Anderson discovered that date, which even baffled Sir Isaac Newton. Anderson used a 360-day year model (instead of the solar 356.25 days) as evidenced in Revelation 11 as 42 months each exactly 30 days to a total of 1,260 days. This same measuring tool appears in Gen. 7 and 8 for 150 days equal to 5 months, 30 days each. This appears in many other places like Rev. 12 and Daniel.

Now there were 69 weeks or heptads dating from the year 445 BC. when King Artaxerxes issued the degree IN THE MONTH of Nissan. (Nehemiah 2: 1-7) far ahead to the THE MONTH of Nissan in 32 AD, which is the lunar month of the Passover. What this means is that we have 69 weeks or heptads which is 483 "years" (69 X 7 = 483 years of 360 days). Now if you use the 360 day year for each, You come to a total of 173,880 days by multiplying 483 times 360. Using the computer program called Astro Pixels. that NASA provided. The only Nissan to Nissan date that will fit is from 445 BC. to 32 AD..It is the only one that will work. (BTW, this does account for the year zero too, as. s 445 BC is actually 444 years before the year 0 to 1 AD) So Daniel's prophecy in 539 BC. gives is the exact DATE of the Death and Resurrection of Christ way back in 539 BC. The final 7 years of the tribulation will commence in the future about the time the temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem. This is the completion of the 70th heptad. (BTW, 173,880 is a SUPER MULTIPLE number by 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, NOT 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24, 27,28, 30, 35, 36, 40.. etc. etc We have a BINGO!)

The next time this solar calendar year will coincide will be 2033. This next time around it will even include Passover dinner on Wed April 13th, (which fulfills the 3 days and 3 nights) part of the Gospel account. If you want a series that explains this prophecy by my good friend Dr. Gavin Finley..He has several of these you can watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4KzsHP7LOA&list=PL6483B6E161161915&index=6

Happy Resurrection Day! Enjoy the processions even IF you don't quite understand them.

Be blessed.

Steve ***

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Steve you are a mad genius. Thank you! I could never ever keep a fraction of this in my mind. I'm so glad you are here. I need to re-read this a few times.

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Celia, you would like my friend Gavin. Dr. Gavin is a retired MD, but he is also very in tune with COVID issues and its problems for our freedoms and the dangers imposed on us by "science" under Fauci. in the guise of medicine.

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It is not as confusing as it seems, but it is amazing. Even so I think the simplicity of faith is even better, so simple a child can understand and deeper than any one like can ever grasp.

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Yes, Catholicism is simply astonishing when its mysticism is allowed to radiate through the folds of pomp and circumstance, along with the absolute majesty of the Being of Christ. I somehow missed that you are Catholic. Discovering a fellow Christian is always a head rush to me. I loved your (email) article on the little girl with the veil, but you must've removed it. It was then that I first realized I found a fellow believer who actually writes the word Jesus in a way that reads like a love song. I want to know more about the trailer-dweller, don't you? I want to know people who weep openly for Jesus. I will daydream about this all day today.

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Genevieve, thank you for this comment. I did remove the girl during my night of total insomnia but I am putting her back. I want to be a Catholic but am not there yet by a long shot. I need to study. Catholicism is complex and Evangelical Christianity less so. I didn't even go to Church for 2 years with a few exceptions 2020-2022 (Covid) because of the masks etc so I am not sure what I can safely call myself. A believer.

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Sometimes there are people who walk backwards right in front of the image of the Virgin Mary, in order to stare at her continuously with a steady gaze. It can get pretty intense. I was in Granada in the Semana Santa of 2002.

The hoods originated in the (hooded) brotherhoods of the Middle Ages, and eventually as a mark of humility and penance by penitents in certain public ceremonies.

The people wearing these hoods are known as "encapuchados", from "capucha" (hood) [ultimately from Italian "cappuccio," whence the word capuccino also comes]. This kind of conical "capucha" is also known as "capirote".

Some explanations here

https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/under-hoods-brotherhoods-and-sisterhoods-spain-s-holy-week-009830

And here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capirote

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That's wonderful. Thank you Francisco. Always more, new details of this mystical and infinitely beautiful faith. I still feel I will have to defend trying to become a Catholic but that's ok. Sometimes people really make people carry the entire history--the Crusades...pedophilia...really Catholics need to rebel en masse against NWO and the snake head. All works by Malachi Martin clarify this civil war. His interviews with Bernard Jansen especially.

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