I'm Taking Heifer International off my Charity List!

It's funny sometimes how the Lord leads me to information. Last week I was blogging about beekeeping since we were getting our hives ready for the winter. I decided to include information about the patron saints of beekeeping. St. Valentine is one. While I was researching him and several others I came upon an article from Heifer International about St. Valentine. That intrigued me because we've supported the group in the past. Last year we included among our children's Christmas gifts a card for each saying a beehive was purchased and donated in their name for a poor family. Here's Heifer's promo for the honeybee gift:

HONEYBEES SWEETEN A FAMILY'S FINANCIAL FUTURE 

A Heifer honeybee gift donation includes a bee package, hive, box and training in beekeeping techniques. When you buy bees for a family in need, your gift:

St. Matthew's Cathedral in Salerno, Italy

Sometimes it is the unexpected that gives us the most joy.  This was the case for us last week when in Salerno, Italy we had a chance to visit the Cathedral of St. Matthew.  After visiting many old churches, I thought I had probably become a little ho hum about what I might find in the next one.  Statues and columns and grand works of art by the masters can be found in all of them.  What’s left to amaze you after you’ve seen the grandest there is to offer?  The answer is simplicity.  The kind of thing even a child could recognize and appreciate. 

We were in Salerno because it was one of the ports of call  our ship docked in for a day.  Many aboard went off on long excursions on buses that would take hours.   We opted to stay nearby and see what we could find on foot.  We were told to consider the Cathedral of St. Matthew, built between 1080 and 1085, so with no other particular goal, we took the shuttle from the dock to the center of Salerno and were told to follow the street we were on to the clock tower several blocks away in the distance, and then, turn left and go up the hill.  Italians always tell you, “It’s about a ten minute walk.”  I’ve learned their ten minutes means nothing. 

When we reached the tower I expected a large intersection and a street wide enough for passing cars, but what we found was hardly more than an alleyway.  Up the hill we went expecting some grand plaza in front of an imposing cathedral, but instead, tucked in among apartment buildings and shops there was only a well worn set of marble steps leading to the front door of the church.  Inside the doors we were then in an atrium.  Michael Rose describes it this way in his book, Ugly as Sin:

“On a much smaller scale than the piazza is the atrium, an open courtyard (recalling the forecourts of Solomon’s Temple) that’s more of an integrated element of the church building.  In the center of the atrium, which is surrounded by colonnades of a cloister, is a fountain, where our pilgrim

Fr. Tom Collins' brief comment on Greta Thunberg Gets Me Thinking...

The left crucified Nick Sandmann, but
Greta is untouchable. 

Fr. Collins sent a very short comment yesterday morning about Greta Thunberg and those using her
to advance the climate change meme:

It is interesting how so many, who vehemently assert that Greta Thunberg had no right to be born, are now asserting that her voice must be heard and taken seriously by those who condescended to allow her to be born. Having already been born, she now proclaims that other pre-born children must be denied the right to live before they can accelerate global warming by their presence on our planet.

On target as usual! Thank you, Father.

The Greta Thunberg phenomena is certainly puzzling. Here we have a young girl, who appears even younger than her 16 years, being paraded around as a climate expert.

Really?

The See of Peter Is in the Captivity of a Marxist Heterodox Jesuit

If you want to know what Francis is doing to the Church, and why, read Malachi Martin's book and the conundrum will become crystal clear. Archbishop Vigano said that he was studying the history of the Jesuits "with great care" and this book surely must be one of his sources.

First read this article: The Papacy in Jesuitical Captivity; Archbishop Vigano and the "60-Year-Old Plan" Then read this article: Praise for The Political Pope: A Book Worth Supporting

Then read Malachi Martin's book → → → → → → → → → → → → 👉
Order it HERE. Then read George Neumayr's book The Political Pope found at bookstores everywhere or order it HERE.

"Were St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, alive today, we know one thing for certain: this modernist Jesuit pope wouldn’t ordain him." - George Neumayr

And I know one thing for certain. If Pedro Arrupe and Pope Francis had presented themselves to St Ignatius of Loyola as potential Jesuits, St Ignatius would never have ordained them. 

I Never Thought I'd be Featuring a Member of the Rock Band KISS...

In fact, I once ripped a KISS poster off the wall of one of my teenage children's rooms.

Nevertheless, Gene Simmons' story is too good not to share. And I give two thumbs up to his message, "Never be ashamed to say, 'God Bless America!'"

But frankly, what I loved best about this was the tribute to his mom and the obvious love he had for her.

Blessed Mother, intercede for him for whatever graces he needs to be in union with your Son.

Getting the bees ready for the winter!

A Vermont honey bee collects nectar from asters.

I love being a beekeeper! And I love the saints who talk about bees. Did you ever notice how often St. Francis de Sales mentions bees?

He must have had hives or at least visited with those who did. He's not a patron saint of beekeepers, but how often he used the busy bee as a model for the spiritual life. And so I thought of him today when we were working on our hives and admiring the busy girls bringing in colorful pollen: bright yellow and orange.

If you want to see what we were doing today, you can visit my grandma blog, The View from Camp Kreitzer.

Message from the League of St. Peter Damien -- Study Guide # 7

Randy Engel is doing a great service through the League of St. Peter Damian. St. Peter Damian, Doctor of the Church, is surely a most important man for our time. The crisis of sodomy in the Church is not new and seeing how Peter Damian fought it can help give the faithful insight and instructions. See Randy's previous guides: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5&6.

Randy's study guides would be a great project for a Catholic book club or study group.

September 23, 2019

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Welcome, once again, to the League of Saint Peter Damian. Two-thousand nineteen anno Domini is the year of the League’s formation. Catholics who register with the League during 2019 are considered founding members. This September 2019 issue of Study Guide #7 features Saint Peter Damian’s Letter 119 On Divine Omnipotence.

Pope Francis, Who Are You?

Close friend & advisor to Francis, Cardinal
Mariadaga, is notorious for his gay enabling! 

I'm working on the papal timeline for 2015 and was reading the text of the pope's press conference on his return flight following the trip to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January 2015. I found some of the questions and answers particularly interesting. Below  is one where I was not only in agreement with Pope Francis, but wishing this was what we got all the time, not only in words, but in deeds as well:

Jan Cristoph Kitzler (German- speaking group): You have spoken of “ideological colonization”. Would you expand on the concept? You also mentioned Paul VI, speaking of the particular causes that are important to the pastoral care for families. Can you give an example of these particular cases and maybe say also if there is need to open the way, to have a corridor, for these particular cases? 

The Primitive Charism of the Amazon - Arrupe's Dream Realized Through Francis

 The testosterone lacking 
in the Church, found in
the Amazon

Here's a joke I made up...

Jesuit Father General Pedro Arrupe (RIP) - "We (the Jesuits) are looking for a primitive charism."

Jesuit Pope Francis - "Found it!"

In the Amazon, Pope Francis found the primitive charism Arrupe, that old agent of change, was looking for in the Society of Jesus, except now that primitive charism is for the entire Catholic Church which Francis is changing into Arrupe's Marxist secular humanist dream.

The following is taken verbatim from Malachi Martin's 1987 book The Jesuits: The Society of Jesus and the Betrayal of the Roman Catholic Church. While reading, please remember that Pope Francis is a Jesuit.

"The mortal remains of hope and change (Obama?) were buried in a continuing landslide of dedication to Liberation Theology and its redefinition of the Church and its teachings; of Jesuit magazines plugging away without pause at the erosion of papal and Church authority over morality and doctrine; and of ever bolder attacks, in Jesuit writings and sermons, on the person and the papacy of John Paul II and the basic dogmas of the Church he leads." p 484

More Bad New from the Amazon Synod Files

Do you know the players at the Amazon Synod? We've already presented many of them in the Topsy and Tuptim discussions about the synod. But now we have more. Last Saturday the Vatican released a list of 22 participants personally chosen by the pope. SURPISE! They are mostly shills for abortion, contraception, and the "gay" lifestyle. Have you connected the dots yet with this pope?

Below is an article announcing the names. I plan to do some research on each one of the men below and will be listing it in the comments section. So keep an eye out for what's coming next.

Sunday Meditation: Making Memories

A little pewter nativity set bought at Santa's Secret shop at St. Louis School in Alexandria
finds a permanent home in a shell collected during a beach vacation.

I love Sunday. It generally starts with getting ready and attending 8:00 a.m. Mass. We come home, make coffee, and set the table for brunch. Sometimes it's just our daughter and her family. More often there are other friends and family: my sister-in-law and, occasionally, my nephew, a friend and her young daughter who has become like an adopted grandchild and loves to play with my daughter's girls. Sometimes we get extra guests at the last minute. There is always room and plenty of food!

When I'm up before the early bird....

Well, it was one of those nights. I turned the light off around eleven, slept somewhat fitfully, and was wide awake at 4:30. So what does one do (after making coffee) when it's still pitch dark out and absolutely quiet? (Even the early bird is still in bed.) Here's my answer: Read morning prayer in my Magnificat, sit down with the unread stack of Wanderers, and then write a letter to my granddaughter.

The first article in The Wanderer that caught my eye was a reprint of Fr. John Hardon's commentary on the Real Presence. So many Catholics no longer believe and my granddaughter is working as the Admissions Director at a Catholic high school. She will have many opportunities to witness to her belief that Christ is really there in the school chapel simply by her reverence and frequent visits. 

So I was going to clip the article and mail it.

Barron's Letter to a Suffering Church Falls Flat!

I finished reading Bishop Robert Barron's Letter to a Suffering Church last night at adoration. After reading a review, I ordered a copy thinking perhaps my husband and I would offer to purchase several hundred copies for our parish family.

Last night I changed my mind.

The book is short, only 100 pages of large, well-spaced print, hence, I suppose, its description as a "letter." The five chapters focus on the sex abuse crisis (The Devil's Masterpiece), Biblical teaching on sexuality (Light from Scripture), a concise history of some of the past bad times in the Church with bad clerics (We Have Been Here Before), a cogent argument for not leaving the Church (Why Should We Stay), and finally what comes next (The Way Forward) and a brief conclusion.

I was with Bishop Barron for the first four chapters and liked very much his emphasis on the Holy Eucharist, the primary reason we should never leave the Church. Where else can one receive Jesus - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity -- to nourish both body and soul? Nowhere. No wonder Peter responded to Jesus' question whether he would leave saying, "Where can we go?...You have the words of eternal life."

I'm Praying for Cokie Roberts Today...

Not because I liked the woman, but because I hope she doesn't go to hell. The worldly habit of eulogizing into secular sainthood every person who dies is a disservice to them. At the moment of death every one of us will stand before the Judge who will say one of two things:

"Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into my joy. 

Or...

Thoughts on Schism -- Is it Immanent?

Is it time for the schism yet? Let me check my watch.

A sensible analysis from One Mad Mom 

Schism for Dummies -- Mad Mom brings up the German situation in passing while she tells us what is NOT schism (in case you were worried that being alarmed about the pope makes you schismatic).

"The Medium said that the camel is my spirit animal!"

You walk into your doctor's office
and see this...

After yesterday's post on the girl calling her mother "Whore-bag", I have another story to tell you about our insane, lost and anti-God secular culture.

Yesterday at work a colleague and I were standing there minding our own business when a woman suddenly appeared before me. She had a large reddish tote-bag type pocketbook and sticking out of it was - I kid you not - a camel's head. 

Of course it wasn't a real camel's head with skin and hide and hair. Instead it was made from different cloths in a patchwork design with sparkly objects and little round mirrors intertwined here and there, and it had huge round black patent leather eyes. 

I greeted her, then of course looked at the camel. Anyone who carries a large camel's head around in their pocketbook obviously expects to be asked what on earth it is and why they're carrying it around.

Lying Liberals and their "Gutter Politics": Kavanaugh Gets it Again.

Brett Kavanaugh is in their gunsights again....

via GIPHY

Liberals never give up slandering if it can advance their cause. And if going back to re-slander someone they weren't able to destroy first time around...hey...it's slander redux.

The verbal AK 47s are out en masse being carried by all the Democrat candidates as well as personal friends of Bill. How many have connections to now-deceased serial rapist and child molester Jeffrey Epstein? We'll never know because there are few investigations of virtue-signaling liberals and Epstein isn't around any more to tell the tale and expose his partners in orgy.

Yikes! Another Sky Ride - Another Headshaking Press Conference....Francis Says Catholics Should Obey the United Nations and Schism is No Problemo

Now remember, I want you all to obey the United Nations. 

I recently read an article that says when you fly your blood oxygen level can be dangerously reduced, especially if you have a lung problem. Pope Francis had a portion of his right lung removed when he was a teenager. So does oxygen deprivation explain some of the crazy things he says when he's sky high at 35,000 feet?...

...Like we should all obey the U.N.

Girl flippantly calls her mother "Whore-bag"

Millennials vomit filth out of their mouths every day, all day. Last month a 30 year-old co-worker was leaving our company to work at another job 40 miles away. This young woman, slovenly and loud, had a mouth on her like a sailor. Actually, sailors have a cleaner vocabulary than this girl. I had previously suggested to management that they speak to several of these young people about their language in front of customers. It might be the vulgar way they talk to their peers, but does any company want to employ foul mouthed young adults? "That is so sh - - -y!"  "Oh that fuc - - r is so funny!" "What the h - ll do you want that for?" "A - s h - - e!" "Holy c - - p!" "F - - k you." And on and on.

Before the one girl left she and I happened to be working together so I took the opportunity to speak to her myself. Very nicely but firmly I said, "As my parting gift to you, I will tell you something. Something important for you to remember as you go into your new employment. Something important for you to think about for the rest of your life."

Not a Sunday Meditation, but a Great Story: How Donald Trump Fixed the Wollman Ice Rink

People love stories. Jesus told stories, Can you imagine the laughter from the poor in the audience when Jesus said it's easier for a camel to get through the needle's eye than for the rich man to get to heaven? I can just see people turning to each other, nodding, and giving the elbow nudge.

Miscellaneous Meanderings from a Wandering Mind

My mind has been wandering all over the planet since I got up at 6:45 -- to Canada...to the Amazon rain forest...to Nashville and the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Wheeling...to Kazakhstan...Whew! I'm tired already.

Here are just a few miscellaneous meanderings from my wandering mind.

From Canada: We still have heroes among us and it's good to remember them when we are tempted to abandon hope. Remember, all discouragement comes from the devil. No matter how bleak things look, God is sending us prophets. One of them is Mary Wagner. Please pray for her and those whose lives she touches, both inside and outside of jail.

Bransfield spent millions on his lifestyle, but it wasn't his fault...

...His staff made him do it.

Really?

Really?

Is this the evolved version of "The devil made me do it?"  Hey, maybe the staff were devils out to get Bransfield. After all, that's his whining claim these days. "THEY" want to ruin his reputation. HE is completely innocent. 

I can't stop laughing long enough to write. (Taking deep breaths into a paper bag.)

Pope Francis Papacy Timeline -- 2014

See 2013 here.

Moving on to 2014, we see the wheels of the Francis agenda whirling along. He says many orthodox things not backed up by his actions. The media pope worship continues. "Friends of Francis" seem to be those who are most antagonistic toward orthodoxy. The pope's negative rhetoric is increasingly aimed at the orthodox who are labeled "rigid" and "Pharisaical." This harping on "rigidity" began in 2013 and is a continuous thread running through the pope's homilies and addresses. It is almost universally aimed at those who embrace orthodoxy as it's been handed down through the millennia from the Fathers of the Church and the magisterium. Francis often sounds like Obama talking about Christians who cling to their Bibles and their guns. Meanwhile he aids and abets those whose agenda includes turning the Church into one more politically correct Protestant sect in line with the Spiritus Mundi. 

• January 16, 2014: Pope Francis has personal audience with Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles. Mahony will become an important "friend of Francis" acting as papal representative following his resignation in 2011. Let's take a look at Cardinal Mahony. He is notorious for wrecking the West Coast Religious Education Congress (REC) which is a hotbed of dissent and liberalism. He also was personally disgraced when diocesan personnel files, which were finally revealed after a six-year lawsuit, showed that he covered up for over 100 predator priests in Los Angeles. Mahony was stripped of all "administrative and public church duties" in the Archdiocese by his successor, Archbishop Jose Gomez, in 2013. 

Fr. Escalante Saga: Will Fr. Mullaney be Investigated for a Boundary Violation?

Fr. Mark Mullaney

[For background and previous articles on this situation, go here.]

A second witness has come forward to corroborate that Fr. Ron Escalante's accuser was told to lie, not only by her mother, but by the associate pastor, Fr. Mark Mullaney. According to this witness (called Sophia 2), the accuser (called Molly) said Fr. Mullaney told her to say that Fr. Escalante touched her "tits" (his word) and that made her uncomfortable. She also told her friends that Father told her to lie for the "good of the parish."

Fr. Mullaney is also notorious for dropping F-bombs right and left (not just when he hits his thumb with a hammer). Is that appropriate behavior for any Christian, much less a priest?

The Lepanto Institute has the story.

Second Witness Testifies that Catholic Priest’s Accuser Admitted to Lying

Are Married Deacons "Saying Mass" in the Amazon?

Pope Francis and Archbishop Zuppi --
Sources say they both approve! 

If this is true, and the source is credible, things are worse than we thought. The faithful are in the Amazon are being subjected to invalid "Masses" where bread and wine remain bread and wine. In other words, the "Eucharist" at those "Masses" is nothing but a symbol. How is that different than communion at Protestant churches? And if the pope actually said, "Go ahead," he is even worse than we thought.

As I write this I feel sick. And I mourn for the Church.

In the Amazon Married Deacons Are Already Saying Mass. And the Pope Knows It

Here's a bit from the article:

Pope Francis Timeline: The Papal Record -- 2013

I've been thinking a lot about the pope and his papacy's impact on the Church, which any sensible person must recognize by now is a disaster. He undermines the faith, he aids and abets enemies of the Church, his off-the-cuff bombs lobbed on almost every plane ride create confusion and chaos. 

Horrors! (And I mean that literally.) He's a one man wrecking ball!

I think we could say the same thing about Francis that Churchill said about Lenin. Lenin returned to Russia like a "plague bacillus" to kill the monarchy. Pope Francis, injected into the Church by the St. Gallen's mafia, has infected us with the plague bacillus of modernism on steroids. He, of course, cannot "kill" the Church, but he seems to be trying his darnedest! We all need to pray and sacrifice for him, that's for sure.

Time Out for a Laugh Break

What you can learn about patriarchy from this picture.

We publish a lot of serious stuff on this blog -- a whole lotta serious stuff! The downside to that is it can be disheartening and make one want to crawl under the bed with a snuggy and a pacifier. For warriors in  the Church Militant that's not an option.

Besides -- a better antidote is to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

Which is why I like reading the satire site, The Babylon Bee. So take a look at the linked article and remember, the devil is humorless. He can only snicker over filth. Laughter belongs to heaven. People often fall into serious sin because they take themselves so seriously. They may start out with good thoughts and intentions, but then come to believe they have the answers to all of life's problems. They don't need God; they may not even believe He exists. Lenin, Hitler, Marx, Stalin, Freud, Kinsey, Sanger, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg....They all believed their ideas would create the brave new world, a manmade utopia. It's a blessed thing to prick their egomaniacal inflated opinions with a little mockery. Go, Babylon Bee!

You Cannot Be a Catholic and Be a Coward

I borrowed the title for this article from the lecture given by Fr. Dan Rehill which lasts about an hour.  It is well worth listening to.  It is the story of his conversion and the miraculous things that have happened in his life.  Fr. Rehill is pastor of St. Edward Catholic Church in Nashville, TN and was recently in the limelight for having banned the Harry Potter book series from the St. Edward Catholic School library. 

Sunday Meditation: Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother!

LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

All the Blather That is Islamic Theology

This is not the Flight into Egypt.
This is Abraham Dismissing Hagar and Ishmael 

Discrepancies in Mohammedan theology are numerous, one being that originally Islam was not called Islam at all but rather what it actually was - Mohammedanism, meaning the religion of Muhammad, not God.

That being said, one major error in all the blather that is Islamic "theology" is this: If Muhammad was a prophet sent from God, why would God choose an Arab descended from a Hebrew?

Muslims believe that Islam is the PURE word of God, so why would God not have chosen a PURE Arab to dispense the PURE Quran to the world? Muhammad was not a pure Arab because he was descended from Ishmael, or so the story goes. Ishmael's father of course was Abraham, Abraham was a Hebrew, and while in his father's household, Ishmael would have practiced his father's Hebrew religion.

Bring Back Reverence! How? Here are a few suggestions.

"Jesus gives us his living, beating heart in the Eucharist." Bring back the Communion rail.
                                                                                                                     Fr. Mark Goring



Since Vatican II all kinds of abuses have crept into our liturgies. I remember the clown Masses, the home Masses with no liturgical vestments, the guitar and mariachi Masses, the butterfly vestments, the crepe paper rainbow and cracked pot in the sanctuary, the sand in the holy water fonts during lent. My goodness, the list is endless!

If I Were The King of the Forrest

We say this often without expressing it in those terms when we imagine how we would handle a situation where we are not actually in charge. “Well, if I were the president,” or “well if I were head of the FBI, or the Justice Department, or principal of that school, or mayor of the town.”

Topsy and Tuptim Hear a Voice in the Wilderness: Is Anyone Listening?

Bishop Athanasius Schneider

Topsy knocks on Tuptim's back door and enters carrying a take-out box with coffee and bagels.

Topsy: (Putting the goodies down on the kitchen table she gives her friend a good morning hug.) I just had to come by so we can discuss Bishop Schneider's statement on the Instrumentum Laboris (IL) for the Amazon synod. He reminds me of John the Baptist calling out "that fox" Herod.

Tuptim: (Ruefully) We sure have a lot of Herod look-alikes among the clergy today, a bunch of foxy-locksies aiming to gobble up the gingerbread people in the pews.

Topsy: Thank God for the remnant of faithful men like Bishop Schneider. We can always count on him to speak the truth! And we sure have plenty of Herods. I sure hope he doesn't get his head cut off.

Tuptim: Or his tongue cut out! (Spreading cream cheese on a bagle half) These look good. You know, I'm so sick of propaganda. The false voices from wicked bishops like Erwin Kräutler, need a response.

Observations and Comments on Muhammad's Fake Night Journey and His Fake Seven Heavens

Lightning shows off by flying loop-de-loops

     OBSERVATION: Keep in mind that Muhammad fabricated his Night Journey (Mi'raj in Arabic) which has no transcendent imagery whatsoever. If there was supernatural intervention it was demonic.

     COMMENT: If Christians said that Jesus flew into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on a winged horse with the face of a woman and landed on the Temple Mount we would be laughed out of existence. Obviously, those who believe in Muhammad’s claim to have traveled to Jerusalem either in body or in spirit rely on blind faith rather than common sense. After reading Humphrey Prideaux’s account of The Life of Mohamet, there is simply no compelling reason to believe that Muhammad’s Night Journey was anything other than a dream, unless of course Gabriel, as written before, is Satan in disguise which then makes the Night Journey demonic in origin, and Muhammad the prophet of Satan.

Thirteen New Cardinals: Bad Luck for the Church?

As soon as I heart Pope Francis was raising thirteen prelates to cardinal, my heart sank. Is this the Church version of "stacking the court?" Most of them will be able to vote in the next conclave and the clear majority will be Francis appointees. So what kind of men are they?

Muhammad Chats with Allah then Flies Back to Mecca on Lightning

Muhammad in the Presence of Allah and their Conversation

The Islamic Dome of the Rock on the Jewish Temple Mount in

Jerusalem is built on the spot where Muhammad said he

landed on Lightning during his Night Journey, then from there

ascended to heaven and talked to God.

We’re almost finished with this tortuous history of Muhammad’s so-called Night Journey. As foolishly irrational as the Night Journey is [especially Lightning] it’s important to know that it is believed by all Muslims, the proof being that the Dome of the Rock today stands on Jerusalem’s Jewish Temple Mount, built directly on top of the place where Muhammad said he landed on Lightning and which apparently has Muhammad’s footprint there. In addition, there’s a sacred space on the Temple Mount where Lightning was ostensibly tied to a ring in a rock while he waited for the angel Gabriel and Muhammad to ascend through the seven heavens, converse with God, then return again.

Muhammad's Fake Heavens 2-7

Continuing with Muhammad's description of his supposed Night Journey from Humphrey Prideaux's Life of Mohamet. Keep in mind that Muhammad fabricated his Night Journey (Mi'raj in Arabic) which has no transcendent imagery whatsoever.

He did not.

"From the first heaven Muhammad said he ascended up into the second heaven which was a distance of five hundred years journey above the first. He determines this to be the distance of each of the seven heavens above the other. As in the first heaven the gates were opened for him, where at the entrance he met Noah who greatly rejoiced at the sight of Muhammad and recommended himself to his prayers. In this heaven, which was made of pure gold, Muhammad tells us he saw twice as many angels as in the former and among them one of such an extraordinary size that while standing in the second heaven, his head reached into the third.