The Betz Sphere – Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World

In 1974, the Betz family found a strange metal sphere in the woods near their home which exhibited numerous unusual behaviors. Jimmy and Dom look at the media reports, investigations, and sinister doings that followed before it disappeared from public view for nearly 50 years.

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Mysterious Headlines

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The Visitation – The Secrets of Doctor Who

The 5th Doctor ends up in the 18th century facing down aliens who want to make Earth their new home by killing off humanity in a deadly plague. Fr. Cory and Jimmy discuss the story whose premise is like so many other like it.

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Mudd’s Women (The Original Series) – The Secrets of Star Trek

In an update to an Old West tale, lovable rogue Harry Mudd is bringing wives to lonely miners through quasi-legal means. Jimmy, Dom, and Fr. Cory discuss the very Sixties view of relations between men and women and the perhaps surprising way the episode resolves.

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The Mystery of Hypnosis – Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World

People have been fascinated by hypnosis for centuries and it’s claimed it can stop smoking, help you lose weight, and even surface memories of childhood trauma, past lives, and alien abductions. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli look at the claims to determine what’s true and what’s not.

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Mysterious Headlines

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The Weekly Francis – 24 July 2019

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 28 June 2019 to 22 July 2019.

Angelus

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • ““This is not just about migrants”, in the twofold sense that migrants are first of all human persons, and that they are the symbol of all those rejected by today’s globalized society. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2019/documents/papa-francesco_20190708_omelia-migranti.html …” @Pontifex 8 July 2019
  • “We pray for the sick who are abandoned and left to die. A society is human if it protects life, every life, from its beginning to its natural end, without choosing who is worthy to live or who is not. Doctors should serve life, not take it away.” @Pontifex 10 July 2019
  • “May God the Father welcome Vincent Lambert in His arms. Let us not build a civilization that discards persons those whose lives we no longer consider to be worthy of living: every life is valuable, always.” @Pontifex 11 July 2019
  • “Faith is a gift that keeps alive a profound and beautiful certainty: that we are God’s beloved children.” @Pontifex 12 July 2019
  • “Today we celebrate #SeaSunday, dedicated to seafarers and fishermen. I pray for them and their families, and I encourage every effort to protect and safeguard their human rights.” @Pontifex 14 July 2019
  • “In today’s Gospel, Jesus proposes the Samaritan as a model. By loving his neighbor as himself, he demonstrates how to love God with one’s whole heart, while at the same time expressing true religiosity and full humanity.” @Pontifex 14 July 2019
  • “Today, the Feast of #OurLadyofMountCarmel, we contemplate the Virgin who stands beside the Cross of Christ. That is also the place of the Church: close to Christ.” @Pontifex 16 July 2019
  • “Today’s Gospel reminds us that the wisdom of the heart lies in knowing how to combine contemplation and action. Let us ask for the grace to love and serve God, and our brothers and sisters, with the hands of Martha and the heart of Mary.” @Pontifex 21 July 2019
  • “Witness is born from the encounter with the living Jesus. #SaintMaryMagdalene, Apostle of Hope, pray for us!” @Pontifex 22 July 2019

Papal Instagram

The Planet of the Ood – The Secrets of Doctor Who

The Ood have returned as the Doctor and Donna free them from their servitude. Jimmy, Dom, and Fr. Cory discuss this 10th Doctor story that brings back the Ood and lays the groundwork for significant events at the end of the season.

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Yesteryear – The Secrets of Star Trek

This animated Spock story told us more about his backstory *and* about Vulcan than any Original Series episode. Jimmy, Dom, and Fr. Cory talk about how the revelations here continue to echo in Discovery and the way this story confront younger viewers with the death of a pet.

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Bohemian Grove: Conspiracy? – Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World

Every year in mid-July, a group of politicians, businessmen, and artists gather at a private campground in California. Critics claim they are a sinister conspiracy. Jimmy and Dom examine their origins, their practices, and their membership and discuss whether it’s sinister or just a party in the woods.

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Mysterious Headlines

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Revenge of the Cybermen – The Secrets of Doctor Who

The 4th Doctor, Tom Baker, ends his first season with the return of the Cybermen, a solid gold planet, and humanity caught between warring aliens. Jimmy, Dom, and Fr. Cory discuss the complex story that has multiple antagonists and interesting moral quandaries.

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Strange New World (Enterprise) – The Secrets of Star Trek

Archer and crew camp out on their first Earth-like planet, but something’s in the air that’s make the crew behave strangely. Jimmy, Dom, and Fr. Cory discuss Archer’s recklessness and T’Pol’s sensible cautiousness, plus the distrust between species that bubbles to the surface.

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