Tag Archives: Via Crucis

2021-08-02 · 6:11 am

Mount Carmel Stations of the Cross acid attack & now videos hacked, cancelled

This is a remanant screen shot of a set of two videos I shot, edited and published about the Mount Carmel Discalced Carmelite Monastery (situated over the cave of Elijah) outdoor Stations of the Cross, which stretch along the top edge of the cliff-mountainside all along and high above the city of Haifa, Israel. I had thought of putting up the videos last Friday morning (it being Friday), but I got distracted by the idiocy that is going on in society and the Church. My guardian angel had been very insistent: “Check on those videos! Put them up now! Do it now! NOW!”

But I didn’t. I am ever the recalcitrant Styrofoam-brained non-listener to my Guardian Angel. Or is it that I hear him loud and clear, but blow off what he has to say to me? The latter.

Meanwhile, last Friday night, like clockwork, I got a distressed email alerting me to the fact that the videos have disappeared. My heart sank instantly and my stomach started churning, until now, actually. I knew it was true because of sinking feeling about those videos earlier in the day.

I then checked on my private – locked-down – YouTube upload-archive. Those videos are gone, cancelled. Those were the only videos that were disappeared, executed, acid-attacked. And there were much more controversial wonderful videos on that locked-down page. Only these two were erased.

Those were such beautiful, though heart-wrenching videos. They document the acid attack.

Already 12 years ago, I lived for a month atop the Cave of Elijah on Mount Carmel at the invitation of the Discalced Carmelites. I was told all hush hush who the culprits of the acid attacks on the Stations of the Cross were back in the day, the whole lot of it, eye-witness descriptions of them (unmistakable), how they entered the dangerously steep and fenced in areas.

As the years have gone by, the culprits are now very likely high up on the computer freakness scale, you know, with access to all-access computers, and wanted any evidence of their crimes of yesteryear to disappear, it now not being politically correct for them to have had such a past.

But by this very fact they leave a trail that can be followed. ;-)

But, I perhaps shouldn’t complain too much. They now have full access to everything Google of mine:

  • My YouTube private page
  • WordPress, this blog, hosted by now parent company Google and its server farms
  • Gmail
  • Google Maps (real-time)
  • Google Drive
  • Google Docs
  • Google Contacts
  • Google Search
  • Google Translate … et alii …

At any rate, my life is always the open book. I don’t care. But I dislike that religious videos are being discourteously cancelled by cowards who, if I met them in real life, would run away. But, whatever. I have a life outside of cyberspace.

And I want to go to heaven. I’m saddened for those who will no longer be able to view those videos.

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2021-02-24 · 6:59 am

The Mount Carmel Stations of the Cross videos

Originally posted on a long defunct website. There were rumblings at the time that there was a new plan to replace these Stations as the original company that made them was found. I find that the message of the destruction, particularly of the faces, is rather profound. Those who did the destruction know who they are. It will work on them like acid. Will they repent? Perhaps they already have.

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2019-04-19 · 11:46 am

Mount Carmel Stations of the Cross

Once you’ve seen these stations, you can’t un-see them. But, the intensity of them… Well, it all bears repeating.

I made this set of videos (about 20 minutes all told) during my time living just over the cave of Elijah on Mount Carmel, Israel. The OCDs had invited me to stay there for an entire month during the years that I was a chaplain at Lourdes. I must say that these videos are very emotional for me to watch to this day. What a fright! But… Jesus, Mary’s Son, is just that good and kind! Even though in watching these you don’t move from station to station yourself, I’m sure your heart will be transported to be right next to Jesus, to be with Him in solidarity, and to be right next to His dear mother as she accompanies our Lord, again in all solidarity. These stations rip the heart right out of my chest. Dear Lord…

Our Stations of the Cross here at Holy Redeemer in Andrews are “normal”, with pictures being used. The church is so small that any use of sculpted stations no matter how minimal in relief would block use of the side aisles. Everything is doubled over in both English and Spanish, except the Stabat Mater, which so far we’ve just sung in English. No one minds both languages as the common language is humble thanksgiving in witnessing our Lord’s great love for us. In fact, because of this, it goes the other way, with comments being about how wonderful it is that everyone comes together for the Stations.

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2018-02-22 · 11:37 am

Flowers for the Immaculate Conception (Star of David special addition edition)

img_20180221_180002619~2756470213..jpg

A zillion of these Stars of David are in full bloom outside Holy Redeemer church here in Andrews, NC. The special addition, the central flower, is reminiscent of this star of David in early first century Galilee, at Peter’s hometown synagogue where Jesus preached:

synagogue of capernaum star of david

I like to think of that special addition as referring to the promised Messiah, now the Word Incarnate, who ties together the heavens and the earth in His own Person. Of course, I also remember how that special addition, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, became, for some, the proclamation of a capital crime committed, for being a Jew, from the tribe of Judah, became a crime which would bring one to death.

jewish yellow star jude

Meanwhile, Immaculate Mary is happy to be the Jewish mama of her dear Jewish Boy Jesus. Happy to the Jewish mama.

As a Catholic priest, I was amazed to read the comment a while back that it was absolutely impossible for me to be Jewish and a Catholic Priest at the same time. Jesus was both at the same time. Right? That reader came around when I explained what it means to be Jewish, you know, also like all the Apostles including Saint Paul.

The problem is that there is explosive, bitter, even violent prejudice and hatred for all Jews, all of them, mind you, among many on the ultra-traditional-ism-ist side of things, also and especially among priests, one of whom over decades has tried to convince me of how evil and conniving the Jews are, you know, with conspiracy world government stuff, blah blah blah. He wanted me to have the same opinion, even knowing I am Jewish. It’s not all priests. My Shadow and now, I find out, his breeder-girlfriend, have the same attitude (though I think that’s all a show). The attacks against Jewish Jesus and His Jewish Immaculate Mother fall on me. It’s like acid right in the face that eats down into the bone. I’m sure longtime readers remember this most emotional Way of the Cross, the Via Crucis, alongside Mount Carmel at Stella Maris Discalced Carmelite Monastery up above Haifa, Israel. If you’ve never seen this, now’s the time. 20 minutes total, 10 each half. This is an acid attack… heart breaking… It transports one back a couple thousand years…

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Filed under Father Byers Autobiography, Flores

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2017-10-27 · 7:07 pm

Most emotional * Way of the Cross * “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem”

I made this set of videos (about 20 minutes all told) during my time living just over the cave of Elijah on Mount Carmel, Israel, back in 2009. Seems like yesterday. The O.C.D.s had invited me to stay there for an entire month during the years that I was a chaplain at Lourdes. I must say that these videos are very emotional for me to watch to this day. What a fright! But… Jesus, Mary’s Son, is just that good and kind! Even though in watching these you don’t move from station to station yourself, I’m sure your heart will be transported to be right next to Jesus, to be with Him in solidarity, and to be right next to His dear mother as she accompanies our Lord, again in all solidarity.

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Filed under Jewish-Catholic dialogue, Prayer

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2016-03-07 · 11:32 pm

Video Stations of the Cross on Mount Carmel by Father Byers

I made this set of videos (about 20 minutes all told) during my time living just over the cave of Elijah on Mount Carmel, Israel. The O.C.D.s had invited me to stay there for an entire month during the years that I was a chaplain at Lourdes. I must say that these videos are very emotional for me to watch to this day. What a fright! But… Jesus, Mary’s Son, is just that good and kind! Even though in watching these you don’t move from station to station yourself, I’m sure your heart will be transported to be right next to Jesus, to be with Him in solidarity, and to be right next to His dear mother as she accompanies our Lord, again in all solidarity.

1 Comment

Filed under Jesus, Mercy

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