"It is called superstition..."

That's right! Ladies and Gentelemen, Girls and Boys, once again!

Here comes that real - deal charismatic priest, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap. whose blurb on the back of his book, Sober Intoxication of the Spirit, tells us, "was the papal preacher to Pope John Paul II's pontifical household... etc."

Come online with us, once again, to do his legendary thing!

Right here an dnow in 'ole Kinney County!! (heh, heh!)

This time around, let us imagine he has a particular target in need of a tactical nuclear strike; let's say, a very typical one here at St. Mary Magdalene's Catholic Church, Brackettville, Texas. U.S.A. Zip code 78832.

Where the nominally - believing Catholic pastor and all three of his equally nominally - believing Catholic deacons studiously avoid even registering the presence of these obvious things, readily observable among our fellow parishioners.

Such obvious things as:

1) Drinking holy water themselves.

2) Making sure their kids do, too, as a substitute for going through First Communion preparation. Also, as a so - called white magic remedy for warding off big bad, black magic mumbo jumbo, as well as real - deal satanist practices.

3) And those, who, like la Señora Regina Restrepo, are still spending time over in such area towns as Sabinal regularly consulting old Don Francisco Torres, (or whoever has taken that unhappy man's place) a so - called Santito or "Little Holy Man" of the Santería practioners and believers.

4) Plus certain mis - labeled SMM "Charismatic Catholics" whose top leaders are uneasy about publicly praying for an injured minor because, if Professor Josephine M. Ford is correct, they belong to what she seems to call Type I Catholic Pentecostalism, many of whom share a certain gnosis or knowledge originating in -- I think she says it was! -- Germany, in around 1920, a gnostic - fantasy group that believes a minor is not yet fully human, thus of little or no interest to their "holy (or simply demonic) spirit."

The memorable incident that comes to mind here is when yours truly was so rash as to publically suggest that we all pray for a certain young man with a broken arm who was visiting us with his parent. The SMM Charismatic reponse? Here in Brackettville, Texas? U.S.A? Zip Code 78832?

Because what we heard in front of the senior director was:

"Are you in pain, young man, or are you just being a pain?"

5) SMM ! Where even the nominally - believing Cathoic pastor is so intimidated by the simple reality of living and working under the casually contemtious gaze of the local Santero priesthood, that he forbids even placing a permanent Crucifix in the SMM Old Church building, and so much as outright telling yours truly cara a cara, but in one of his typically rambling, yet carefully constructed speeches in fractured English. Perhaps to better afford himelf future deniability?

Now, at last! Padre Cantalamessa!

Page 101.

"There is another sickness that coils around us on all sides.

"It is called superstition -- resorting to wizards, sorcerers, fortune - tellers, occult arts and spiritualists.

"This too is a mental sickness.

"In Deuteronomy we read,

No one shall be found among you .. who practices divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur or a sorcerer,or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or spirits or who seeks oracles from the dead.

For whoever does these things is abhorrent to the LORD (Deuteronomy 18:10 - 12)."