Miracle of the Spinning Sun and Friday’s Kabobs

A very long time ago, someone once asked me why Catholic? What was it about the Catholic faith that drew me to it. This was a friend, who knew I was a cradle Catholic, but that I had left the Church for a while, exploring other Christian denominations as well as Judaism.

My answer was simple – Mary. Judaism offers a relationship with God the Father, the same God that Christians believe in. However; salvation is completely different, as well as the concepts of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. Non-Catholic Christians have the same concept of salvation, but with a different approach. And Mary is absent. As are most of the Saints. Often those outside the Catholic Faith think Catholics pray to Mary and the Saints as a form of Worship. It’s not. Praying to a saint or to our Blessed Mother would be like going to a friend or your pastor and asking them to pray with you. We do not believe Mary or any of the Saints have the ability to work miracles; to heal, to answer our prayers directly. Everything comes through the Holy Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What we do believe when praying to Mary is that she is the mother of God, and can carry our petition to her Son. She herself does not grant anything. When we ask friends for prayers, it is because we believe there may be strength in numbers. When we ask our minister to pray for us, we believe that as a man of God, his prayers somehow carry more weight. Why else would we do that? It’s the same thing.

One of the things I love about the Catholic Church is that we generally accept things of faith. We accept the idea of Mary’s visits throughout the world. Marian Apparitions are not always recognized as true by the Church. And of those that are deemed to be true, Catholics are under no obligation to accept them as a doctrine of faith. It is up to us to accept or reject. I believe in the events of Fatima, cumulating in the Miracle of the Spinning Sun.

Today marks the 106th anniversary of the Miracle of the Spinning Sun. Of the over 70,000 who had gathered in Fatima in the hopes of seeing the promised “miracle” only about 40,000 profess to have seen anything that day. Some claim to have seen the sun zigzag across the sky, some said there was a rainbow unlike any other, while others said the sun began to spin and tremble for nearly 10 minutes. While there were thousands of eye witnesses, no definitive photos were taken, and only the same three children saw the Lady of Fatima make her final appearance.

If we are left to decide for ourselves, I for one believe.

---

Shrimp Kabob Supper on a Stick
8 small Red Potatoes
4 (12-inch or larger) Bamboo Skewers
16 large (13 to 16 count) Shrimp
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning to taste
1/2 large Yellow Onion
1 large Tomato
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
4 tablespoons Butter

Scrub potatoes. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with lightly salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until nearly tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, place in cold water until potatoes are cool enough to handle. Cut each potato in half, set aside.

While the potatoes cook, soak skewers in water to prevent burning.

Peel and devein shrimp, removing tails. Place shrimp in a bowl, drizzle with about a tablespoon of oil, season with Italian Seasoning to taste. Toss and set aside.

Cut onion in half down the middle, reserve half for another use. Peel remaining half of the onion, cut into chunks and set aside. Cut tomato into 8 wedges. Remove tomato sees, set wedges aside.

Heat grill to medium-high heat, lightly oil the grate.

When ready, begin with a tomato wedge, then thread 4 shrimp onto each skewer, piercing each shrimp near the head, then through the tail. Alternate shrimp with potato and onion, repeating until four shrimp are on the skewer. End with a tomato wedge. Repeat with remaining skewers. Place skewers on a rimmed baking sheet, coat with olive oil. Season with Italian Seasoning, Salt and Black Pepper to taste.

Cook skewers on heated grill until shrimp are beautiful pink on the outside, while the meat is no longer transparent in the center, about 10 minutes, turning as necessary to prevent burning. While the skewers grill, melt the butter and keep warm.

To serve, arrange skewers on a platter. Drizzle with melted butter, serve and enjoy.

---

 The Lord will judge the world with justice