*Updated (24.7.08)* I realised that this dough is still spreading among the Catholic faithfuls, so I've decided to move it up to the top of the posts. I sincerely hope that this post and its comments will be able to help those who heard or received this dough to make decisions. God bless.
I have posted on the miraculous dough which many local parishioners believe and even 'shared' with their friends. I took some home too, nope I didn't bake it nor followed its instructions; I just kept it there and let it be. After a while, I forgot about it totally.
When I suddenly realized that presence of the dough and the cake which I've brought back, it was already moulded. That was only two weeks after I brought them back. The pictures below were taken when I found them to be moulded.
The moulded cake. Third succession of bread mould can be observed.
Compared with the original dough, this one stink and its texture had changed - it shrunk.I did a little bit of 'decoding' of the mystery behind the so-called "Miraculous Dough". It's based on my personal theory, so it might not be right. If you do not agree or have a better idea/explanation, feel free to leave them in the comment box.
The use of clean wooden spoon: No special purpose, but probably to avoid contact of dough with surfaces that might cause moulding, as it was to be kept for 10 days before it is baked.
The smell of the dough:
Its odour and form gives one an idea that it has yeast even though it does not.
I don't believe it is true. The smell might have come from a very small amount of yeast or/and a large amount of yogurt. Yogurt might be the reason for the dough to last for more than a week.
It will never mould:
Even though it is kept out of fridge it never moulded.
Look at the two photos above, and tell me, do you think this is true?
The history / origin:
It is also known as Pope Pius bread. The story is told that an Italian woman who was suffering all her life from illness that she could not even do her house chores. One day her daughter asked to bake her a cake. She refused more than once because she was unable to do it. The daughter insisted so much taht the mother felt she needed to bake that cake. She asked the aid of the Virgin Mary. As soon as she started to prepare the cake, the Virgin Mary appeared and she herself prepared the cake for the woman...
Again, I doubt it's true. I found out that the Amish Friendship Bread is quite similar with the preparation of this "miraculous dough". I had a discussion with a good friend, and both of us suspected that somebody adapted this Friendship bread and turned it into some kind of Marian devotion, for the purpose known only to that person who created it.
A few friends of mine, after reading my previous post on this dough and cake, told me that their mothers (strange, why is it always mothers and ladies who believed?) also took some home and bake it for the family. I got the dough and the cake from a physically sick sister-in-Christ. I even heard that this 'recipe' has spread to other churches in Kuching.
One vivid conclusion which we can make from this incident is that people are hungry for God. They are so hungry and desperate that they took the wrong measures to obtain His grace and blessings. They grab anything that claims to earn or that can bring His blessings without first investigate its validity.
I guess that the only way to prove it to those who believed is by showing these evidence to them.
Let us keep in our prayers all our brothers and sisters that our risen Lord Jesus Christ would send us His wisdom to show us the right path to the Father.
38 comments:
Audrey, thank you for your posting. My neighbor just called me this morning to take on a batch of Pope Pius Bread. My 1st question was - hoax/superstition? As a Catholic, I didn't want to get involved in superstitions, hoaxes, chain thingys. I love Mother Mary. In any case whatever we do has to glorify God and bear witness to our faith.
And so the "proof" is in the pudding. tee hee
Okay, no more saintly bread except for the communion hosts, okay? :)
How are things island friend?
Boy I could use some prayers..Satin is alive and well in our area!
audrey,i received the dough too n at 1st i don believe abt it n doubted it coz i never heard of dis thing.but i just give it a try n go ahead n folo the steps as stated.4 ur in4mation,i baked the cake successfully n is in perfect condition.there's no single fungus appear.i bake the cake on 10may2007.i guess urs failed coz u didnt folo the instructions n u even touched the dough.i guess wen u do something with sincere n full heart,u get a good results.although im working,i managed 2 do it all by myself n really struggle 2 find the ingredients n preparing wat is needed.audrey,the cake taste better a day after i baked.i ate alot of de cake n even shared it 2 my frens.audrey,my fren's grandma has received the dough wen she was like our age i guess.so u can imagine dis dough are out there 4 a long time.there is a principal who received the dough from Rome n brought it 2 sabah to share the dough.well,whoever gets the dough shud b considered lucky n blessed.audrey,wat i can say is dat there's a strange thing happened at de time im distributing the dough into 4 plastic containers on day 10.as i was distributing,a white butterfly with brown stripes suddenly appeared.dis butterfly stays in the kitchen from the time i distribute de dough till i finish baking the cake.dis butterfly is very unique because of it's shape n it's very different frm other butterfly.it didnt even move wen i took pic of it many times even at close-up.wen i show de pic 2 my fren,at 1st thought,she said it looks like paper n kelawar.funny rite?..i mean it's strange coz i don think a white butterfly ever appear in my house.if ada pun yg the usual black big butterfly which u really wan 2 halau it.but dis white butterfly only appear in kitchen n only for dat time(preparing for de dough 2 be baked).audrey,dis is wat i can relate 2 u.n in terms of blessing,i guess u get blessing in ur lifetime.not in short period but a continuous blessing.
p/s:i have the pic of de baked cake & butterfly.
Hi Audrey....... I can't help but to want to give my comments too..... I received the dough on Mother's Day and followed instructions and baked the cake... my cake turned out well.... I felt peaceful and full of enthusiasm during the course of this event.....
I guess yours didnt turn out right because you didnt follow the instructions correctly
I guess blessings don't just come easily by doing things and expect them to happen....
God's Blessings come when you least expect it and believing and doing and giving from your heart.... May God Bless you!!
Dear Lynna and Anon,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
I have reasoned it too, that the dough molded because I touched it - and I can't deny it. But the cake, I didn't bake it, a friend gave it to me and all I did was taking a piece and leaving the rest of the cake as they were; only later that I found out they were molded too. And remember, the article that came with the dough when you distribute it said that "even though it is kept out of fridge it never moulded." So do you have any explanation to that?
Why, then, is there a very similar chain-bread called 'the Amish Friendship Bread', which has the same concept of stirring and baking? Coincidence?
You feeling good when preparing the dough and cake might be due to psychological influences - because you believed that the formula/dough truly came from Italy and was given by Our Lady!
You see, I'm not trying to condemn or judge you and what you believe. You have your full right to believe what you want to believe, and so am I when I chose not to. This is a matter of faith between you and God. I didn't believe (and I still don't) because I cannot find any proof or reason (to why one should follow the instructions exactly as it is) to this whole 'myth'. Besides, it is extremely easy to obtain God's blessings -- we as His children have been granted the permission to call His Mighty Name and just ASK Him for it! He would be more than happy to give you blessings everyday, and in fact, He is blessing all of us everyday!! I only believe in the only ONE bread that can give life and graces - The Eucharist.
I love Our Lady dearly, but I won't believe in any kind of chain bread or messages that only promise us blessings if we distribute or spread it to others.
Again, I thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with me. And I do want to stress this again -- that this is my personal thoughts and findings, and I'm not a person who believe anything blindly.
God bless you all.
Dear Audrey, mayb during d entire process, ur friend didn't use wooden spoon n it somehow affect the dough. in my case, the cake is still ok until day 3 n no fungus are found on de cake. it even taste better n it's still moist. well, i hope the so called pope pius bread/cake of our lady the virgin mary,is a gud thing.n no hidden evil things behind de dough+cake. if 1 want to find de truth abt de dough,i guess a team of investigation shud b set up.in my opinion, de dough is another way u get blessings besides the eucharist bread. just like de bible,there is this book published in 2003 called "Heaven is so real" by Choo Thomas. She wrote that Jesus brought her to heaven 17 times and hell 3 times.even with the existence of bible,ppl still do bad things n didn't follow the way of Jesus.ppl keep doing sin. n so Jesus use Choo Thomas as a medium to spread the message to the whole world to repent n be prepared for the coming of Jesus.
so in this case, those who didn't attend church n receive the eucharist bread, along the way,came the pope pius bread to spread blessings.the dough has to be spread to other ppl.at least those who didn't go to church for a long time will get to eat the cake n get blessings.unlike the eucharist bread,u can't tapau n later spread it to ppl.u urself has to attend church n get de bread.so, i guess, the dough is an alternative/additional blessings from Our Lady.they complement each other like the bible & "Heaven is so real" book.I'm not forcing u to believe abt de dough,it's my opinion.we r born different n each has their own thoughts n it's up 2 us which one to judge.GOD BLESS!
Dear Lynna,
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts. There are a few points here which I really need to point out. Our personal 'thoughts' can lead us nowhere; to know the Truth, our thoughts will have to be God-inspired and Spirit-led. I'll try to keep these as short and as simple as possible.
1. God's blessings
You mentioned that the cake is an alternative for unbelievers / lapsed Christians / sinners to obtain God's blessings. The Church teaches that His blessings / grace / love / salvation cannot be earned; and neither can His blessings be obtained through an object. Whether the person is a devout Christian or not, or a pagan, or if he obeys the Commandments, God blesses EVERYONE in this world -- both the good and the bad, regardless of who we are or what we believe in. So you see, we don't need to do anything to make God bless us! His blessing is a GIFT to all human being. However, to those who faithfully follow His footsteps and do what He says, He will bless them more abundantly, not as a reward, but as grace and guidance and strength for them to persevere in serving / following Him.
2. Eucharist
Nothing in this world can substitute the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the SOURCE and SUMMIT of the Christian life [ccc. 1324]. Christ Himself is present in the Mass, and when we receive the Eucharistic Bread and Wine, we are actually receiving Jesus. Therefore, there is NO substitute or alternative to the Eucharist. Why does anyone need to 'tapau' the Eucharistic Bread home? Jesus is present IN us after we've received Him, so all we have to do is just bringing Him with us wherever we go and in whatever we do.
3. Bible vs. "Heaven Is So Real"
The Bible is the Word of God, and there is no other book that is comparable to it. Anything that contradicts with the Bible, contradicts with the Truth. "Heaven Is So Real" is just a book containing the much doubted experiences, as most of the written things found are contradicting with the Bible (read the comments in this post - http://www.yvonnefoong.com/archives/2005/08/heaven-is-so-real/). I've read the book too, and the only conclusion I've made is: Heaven and Hell is real. So we should pray for God's grace to avoid the eternal separation from Him, and to desire Heaven at all times. Choo Thomas is NOT the only medium to spread God's message of salvation; it is the responsibility of EACH and EVERY Christian to bear witness to Him.
4. Blessed Virgin Mary
Throughout history till the present time, the role of Our Lady is very clear. In her many apparitions around the world, for example, Medjugorje, she ALWAYS asks people to return to her Son. In other words, she always directs / point us to her Son, just like what happened in the Wedding at Canna when they run out of wine, "Do what he tells you." She has never done or say anything that will bring glory to herself.
These are not my opinions, but the teachings of the Church. Developing a personal and a more intimate relationship with God can help Christians to learn more about Him, and that is why prayers, reading the Bible and personal reflections are very important to keep us going. May the Lord bless you for your every effort to know Him better.
I got the dough 2 days ago. Haven't done anything with it. Personally I think it is a hoax. If you read the story, seems like Our Lady appeared to bake the cake simply because the daughter of the sick woman asked for a cake! That is pretty far-fetched to me and I don't believe a word of it.
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for dropping by. Hmmm, so the dough is still 'on the move', eh? *Chuckled* Even after our Archbishop and priest explained to the people that this is not to be believed.
I agree. The story itself is already doubtful, not to mention the steps one have to follow.
God bless and thank you!
hi audrey,
to add to yr chuckle... its made its round to s'pore. it taste great but strong yeasty smell. making it is fun as all you do is stir and wait, but if one does not like cooking or waiting.... :) as much as i tried to turn it down, i've become a receipient of the starter dough and receipe, however, i hope to stop it here. guess i'll just bake the batch up. jus have to figure how not to have to prepare four portions of cake ;P
Hi Anon from S'pore,
Hehehe... thanks for updating me of the "great travelling distance" this bread/dough has made. Before I even read your last sentence, I already thought of the same thing: "How are you going to reduce the recipe to just 1 part?"
So... did you manage? *chuckled*
Hi Audrey,
My sister has been given a portion by her friend which she enthusiastically prepared the dough and was going to pass 1/4 to me. I was suspicious of its authencity and decided to check with my parish priest. He has since responded confirming it is a hoax and have advised us to stop circulating it. Quote: "Of course its nice to bake cakes and share these with friends but to
associate it with the Pope Pius and to Our Blessed Mother is
sacrilegious" There you have it, let's put this matter to rest.
God bless,
Margaret (Singapore)
Hi Audrey
I like to add that I've just completed my 10th day and I've just baked the bread, it's nothing like what you've shown.
In fact, it's nice and golden and it tastes good. I shared it with the family and my neighbour too.
I guess it's about having faith and amazingly the dough multiplies really quickly. It's really wonderful to see it rise.
I believe it's about sharing one's blessing with others.
God Bless!
Rosemary (Singapore)
Dear Rosemary,
First of all, thank you for your comment. And thank you too for dropping by.
It's nothing like what I've shown because what you did is not the same as what I've done.
It's completely fine if you treat it as a normal bread/cake and share it with others, just like the Amish Friendship Bread. But it's totally wrong when you associate that cake with Our Lady or Pope Pius, and when you spread 'rumours' that it is from Our Lady. (See the comment from Margaret)
Oh yes, I cannot deny that having faith is important, but first of all we need to make out [the event] whether it came from God or not. Since the origin of this dough/bread is doubtful and priests have disapproved it, then there's no point for us to proclaim that it comes from Our Lady and distribute/circulate it further. At this End Times, beware of what you believe in.
God bless you too and thank you!
Hello all.
Quite an interesting debate youve got here. My family received the dough from a relative and today happens to be day two. I decided to doabit of reseach, and lo and behold, i found this page.
I think i'll still go through with the whole process. I know there's a possibility it may be a hoax, but theres also a possibility that it mightbe real. And all the feelings we feel while baing the bread are probably psychological cues, i like to believe that as long as it makes us feel closer to God, and more willing to spend time doing things that bring us closer to him, it can't be all that bad. Its true we should beware of what we believe in, i absolutely agree. SO i will tell my family about this whole 'Hoax' theory, and let them decide what they want to believe.
As for me, The only thing i will get out of the bread is flavour :D.
Hi Audrey,
I found out the recipe and even before I receive the dough from my friend who wanted to give me and asked me to bake the cake. I refuse to do it. Cos when i listen to her explanation and other people's testimonials, I realized that their attention turned to the Cake but not God. Do you ever wonder why u r baking the cake? Izit because you want blessings from God? I believe, God has given u a lot of blessings every single day of your life without you yourself realizing it. You dont have to ask for blessings. Praise and Thank Him everyday and He will bless you. Continue to praise and glorify His name and He will give you His Blessings. Not by baking the nicest or prettiest cake. Pls dont take this an offence cos this is just my opinion. No matter how pretty, nice , or yucky ur cake turned out to be, I believe the real reason for this recipe is to Share and spread the word of the Lord. And also focus in Him, let Him be the Pilot of your life. And He will give you lots of blessings. see how they relate with each other? ppl share and spread the "RECIPE" so the dough will continue. I believe the "RECIPE" means the word or the Lord and also his LOVE.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
One couldn't be too smart ..
Follow the instructions and you will be blessed with the cake...
Say your Novena Prayers for 10 days.. this is important..
What more do you want ?
Be a child of our Lord...
Choo Sien,
Nobody is trying to be smart here, and it is certainly not right to follow blindly. Or, are you also saying that we are too smart when we believe that "The Da Vinci Code" was just lies?
Exactly, be a child of our Lord, and not a laughing stock of the Evil One.
God bless.
do you have the recipie of pope pius bread?
Hello Nimisha, thanks for dropping. Yes, I used to have it once; No, I've already discarded it.
INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED
The cake of our Lady, the Virgin Mary.
It is known as Pope Pius Bread. The story is told that an Italian woman who was suffering all her life from illnesses that she could not even do her house chores.
One day her daughter asked her to bake her a cake. She refused more than once because she was unable to do it. The daughter insisted so much that the mother felt she needed to bake that cake. She asked the aid of the Virgin Mary. As soon as she started to prepare the cake, the Virgin Mary appeared and she herself prepared the cake for the woman.
The woman was astonished with what was happpening and Virgin Marytold her "You yourself will eat from that bread and the whole world as well". SHe asked her to keep 1/4 of the dough and add it to the ingredients of hte reciipe to make a whole cake and distribute the other 1/4 to 3 other faithfil people on one condition, that they will do the same procedure to the miraculous dough.
Unto this day no has refused to bake this cake yet, because it brings blessings and prosperity to all the at received it and prepared it accordingly. It has been said that this bread travelled from the Vatican to the Americas, and Australis and Africa and this in itself is a miracle because: A)Even though it is kept out of the fridge it never moulded B) Its odoiur and form gives an idea that it has yeast even though it doesn't.
__________________________________
METHOD:
As soon as you receive the dough, place it in a glass, Pyrex or plastic containerand cover it tightly with glad wrap or foil - never put it in the fridge
DAY 1&2
(Day 1 begins the day after you receive the dough) Leave the dough covered and dont touch it so that it adapts to the atmosphere.
Day 3&4
stur the dough with a wooden spoon and cover it again
Day 5
Add
1 cup of sugar,
1 cup of plain yoghurt
2 cups of plain flour,
Stir well with a wooden spoon and cover again
Day 6-9
Stir well with a wooden spoon and cover
Day 10
Add
1 cup of sugar
1cup of yoghurt
2 cups of plain flour.
Stirr well with a wooden spoon.
Mix well and then divide the dough into 4 equal parts.
________________________________
3 parts to be distributed amongst 3 faithful people (1/4 each)
The 4th quarrter is yours. Add to it:
1 tablespoon of sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons of baking powder
Mix well with wooden spoon and pour into a buttered baking dish (oil or butter).
Bake in a moderate oven /9180 degrees C) for 50 minutes.
Important note:
1. Always use a wooden spoon.
2. You can only bake this cake once in your lifetime.
* Cake must be shared with family and friends. Cake lasts for months.
This was in response to the person who asked for the recipe, Im not going to judge if this or is not a hoax. I see this as an opportunity to do a kind gesture to another person so that more acts of kindness can be produced. Praying for someone and asking others to pray for others is in no way a bad thing. So we I'm going to bake it and pass it on.
Thanks for posting it here, Ireena.
If you want to distribute it for the sake of distributing it and for friendship and the fun of it, it's your choice to do so. Please don't use the name of Our Lady unless you can prove that it is really from her.
Again, I would like to remind the readers of this post:
1. We obtain God's grace directly from God, and there is no special condition or medium to His grace and love. It cannot be earned. It is His gift for everyone.
2. The bread/cake itself cannot 'transmit' God's grace, that is certain. However, God can, through our many kind ACTS/GESTURES (not limited by only sharing this cake/bread), touch someone's heart or/and bless that person whom we've shown our kindness and love.
3. We are asked to pray for each other always as children of God, any time, any where, under any kind of condition, NOT because the preparation of the bread/cake requires us to do so.
Thank you and God bless.
Thanks all for the information. I just received my "batch" from a friend today. She was very sincere and I accepted it and I was ready to give it to 3 friends in 10 days. After checking this out from the internet, I now decided not to give it away. I will complete the process and bake the cake. I will share the cake with friends and family if it is safe to eat.
God bless,
Tom.
The mold in the picture is on the baked bread. I think the information sheet meant that the dough shouldn't mold when it is passed from person to person. I think the baked bread is meant to be eaten with friends and family soon after baking.
I don't understand why some people want to find a proof in this bread. I don't think it was meant to be a replacement of our faith: similar to a rosary, for example, it has a purpose to remind us to pray to the Creator.
You shouldn't be forced into accepting the dough, but, if you do accept it and take it home, then shouldn't you try baking it? If you do not want to bake it, you shouldn't give the impression that you will. Do not lie!
For those who are giving away their three portions of the dough, do not force this on people who do not wish to participate. Forced participation is not what is meant in good faith. Right? If you happen to be unable to find anyone who will accept the dough, the best idea, I think, would be to return it to the earth in a respectful way. If you have accepted this onto yourself, you also have assumed to respect it, out of respect for everyone that used it before you for the purpose of praying for whoever they needed.
Regardless of it's initial origins, the bread is a food, and it should symbolize gathering of people. Therefore, I think it really signifies that what is shared in our current time and space, in our real time - from the person who gave the dough to you through to the people who will receive the dough from you. If this is what you mean through participating, then why look beyond for proof?
I have written this as a response to what I was trying to find out. My mom received the dough from a friend, and she is now preparing it for baking soon. We have never heard about it before, so I decided to look it up. This is hence how I interpret the cake of Our Lady the Virgin Mary.
Hi Luke,
Thank you for dropping your comments. I have broken down your argument into short segments and added the following points of my humble interpretations based on the Teachings of the Church:
1. "The information sheet meant that the dough shouldn't mold..."
The information sheet stated very clearly that the "cake lasts for months."
2. Proof for the cake.
Everything in this world needs a proof; as proves bring us to the Truth. Here are some common examples: What proves that there is wind? The trees bend, the leaves fly. What proves that there is pressure in the air? The eagles soar, humans can fly (in aeroplanes, helicopters). What proves that God loves us? The shameful death of His Son on the Cross. What proves that there is life after death? Miracles happen even after the saints were dead, a sign showing that all those who have gone before us are praying for us. What proves that the Holy Spirit is manifesting in a person's life? He/she produces the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Whereas for this dough/cake, nobody has ever heard of it (including you!); no records of what it has done to those who took it. Even the Church authorities (archbishops, priests) recognised it as a hoax. Enough said, I guess?
3. Comparison with the Rosary.
This dough/cake definitely cannot be compared with the Rosary. These two are completely two different matters, not even similar. The Rosary is a set of prayers with meditation on the life of Christ. It has been practised since centuries ago! Pope Pius IX said, "Among all the devotions approved by the Church, none has been so favoured by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary." (There you go, the proof of miracles for those who have been faithfully reciting the Rosary!) Our Lady of Fatima said it herself, "Say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world." What records have you got or what do you base upon when you say that the dough/cake is similar to the Rosary? What characteristics has it got that make you say that its purpose was to remind us to pray?
4. Forced to accept?
No. I accepted it because I was curious and at the same time, doubted its authenticity. I simply wanted to find out how true it was as stated in the recipe/instructions, only to discover what you've discovered: nobody knows about it, not even at the place of origin of the dough, and totally no reference of any sort to it.
5. Food = sharing
I totally agree with you that the bread/cake is supposed to be shared with friends and family. However, the use of Our Lady's and/or Pope Pius' name for it is blasphemy; while spreading the message that it is miraculous without first finding out whether it is true, is considered spreading lies.
God bless.
Hi, Audrey!
I appologize for seeming to equate the Holy Rosary to this bread. I was solely referring to a rosary as a set of prayer beads in that the beads themselves aid us to participate in the prayer of the Holy Rosary, but the beads themselves shouldn't be venerated. The version of the recipe my mom had received said to consider offering a special prayer to the Virgin Mary each day during the preparation of the bread.
Aside from the bread, since we've mentioned the Holy Rosary, I have a question which I never thought about before: How did the Holy Rosary became to be and where did it begin?
As to proof in our Faith, I understand that God gave us many ways to find proof for His Love. This is true! At the same time, however, we do accept (in our Creed, for example) that we can not know everything, but that we believe in the unseen as well, and some things remain as mysteries to us. We also, for example, celebrate All Saints Day because we acknowledge that we do not have proof for all the Saints that lived among us in order to give them each a specific date in the calendar and call them by name.
Thank you a lot for your ideas to my comments! I really enjoyed reading all of them.
May God bless you!
Hi Luke,
You still cannot equate the Rosary beads with this bread. Without the Rosary beads, the Rosary can still be recited. Do you mean that, without the preparation of this bread, special prayers to the Virgin Mary cannot be offered each day?
The Internet is rich in its resources. You can easily find the history of the Rosary through Google or any search engines.
If you carefully study the Creed line by line with the guide of the CCC, you will see the sources and explanations to the Faith we profess during Mass. When we recite the Creed, we are not professing that we believe in the unknown; rather, we profess our belief in what God has made known to us.
The same applies for All Saints Day. It is celebrated NOT because we do not have proof; it's celebrated because there are too many of them and a separate day could not be assigned to each. The Church felt that every man and woman who lived a holy life should be venerated, therefore a common day is appointed for all.
Lucas, what I've told you are not my "ideas", but they are what the Church teaches. You know, in order to give answers, I have to pray and at the same time refer to the Bible as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). If any of these points given you is contradicting the Bible and CCC, I'll be very glad if you could kindly point it out to me.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts. Hopefully this helps you to know the Catholic Faith better. God bless.
Hi Audrey,
This cake has found its way to me - in INDIA. It seemed too much like chain mail, which I am averse to passing around. I'm making it and passing it on after including a note saying don't make it with any pseudo-religious motives.
Dear Lisette,
First of all, thanks for stopping by to drop me a comment. Your move of including a note is really thoughtful and may the Lord bless you for what you've done. Keep up your good work, and keep walking with Him all the days of your live. ;)
I really appreciate all the comments here...and that Audrey spent time for all of these. I was "googling" for info re this strange "pope pius bread" and so came across this site which is helpful.
Personally I am not a fan of anything that goes as "Chains", and from all that has been said..I understand that basically it is about sharing.
I didnt like the feeling I got when I got the cake because the one who gave it simply handed it to me and said just read the instructions..i respectfully said thank you ..but later felt (after reading it) that it was kinda unfair..and I wouldnt want to do the same thing to other people. it was like i am now forced to work on it because i felt like it will be too much waste not to do anything..i felt like its really unfair..but i still dont think im going to do anything with it.
thanks audrey!
I received the dough. I do not think it is a chain letter/bread. I do not believe it will bring me blessings. I think it gives us an avenue to share the Word of God with friends and family.
I've read the comments on this site and feel the recipe has had a positive effect in that it has sparked interesting discussions on religion which are good.
In the end, we must Trust in God.
Hi there I have got some dough too. I have not decided what to do with it yet. Reading this has only confused me lol. I suppose if it dosn't kill me it might make my faith stronger ....Australia 15th March 2009
i am an indian living in cairo and another one who got the dough...i think i will just make some cake with it without waiting for the next 10 days.....since the dugh has already waited the 10 days i will just skip to the last step and add the rest of the ingredients and thank mother mary for a nice cake and my little family and myself witll enjoy the cake....priya, cairo, egypt 29th march 2009
yooo i just got the dough, well not me really but my mom, who is a radically devout christian. But ye so jus had a piece of the cake today which happens to be march 30th 2009, guessin this has to do wit advent, to be honest it tastes alrite, wouldnt eat it all the time tho. but ye having studied science in school jus makes me think that there must be a scientific explanation for this one, jus wanna prove my mom wrong shes kinda crazy over this idea of "miracle" bread, IF u kno let me kno if you dont then il jus have to put up wit her lack of reasoning for a little longer
Interesting comments. May 27/09- I've just finished baking the cake. It tastes good. It's a miracle because I did not do the instructions according to the days. I received the dough Fri. May 15/09. I was always a couple of days off doing the instructions. I was praying to Mama Mary to forgive me and to help me because I'm not sure if my dough will be okay to share with three other faithfuls later as per the instructions. My co-workers who also received the bread were telling me the things happening with their dough and I felt bad that my dough was not doing the same. So I prayed more because I believe that Mama Mary is always trying to reach out to us to lead us to her son, Jesus.
In Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
This dough was given to bring blessings and prosperity to those faithfuls who receive it and is to be passed to other faithful people. I believe it is not a coincidence when someone is given the dough. Instead of looking for proof, maybe the person who is offered this bread is being tested of their faith. I am thankful and praise Jesus for my deep relationship with Him. I am thankful to the powerful intercessions of Mama Mary and all the saints. Our deep relationship with the Lord will reveal to us His works. We are to be witnesses to our Lord's mercy and love. I believe that in the giving, receiving, following instructions for baking this cake it is parallel or similar to our journey of our faith and our relationship with Jesus. Those of us who were faithful and try to spread the good news will meet those who don't believe and reject the good news; we will meet faithfuls who are lukewarm believers; those who don't know but just in case will follow along; etc. The cake would be like our faith. If you do not follow Jesus's teachings it might not go anywhere and your faith can become like mold (which can damage your health). For those of us faithfuls who choose to believe without proof and follow the instructions, we received blessings of true joy and peace that others don't seem to understand or even we don't understand. We experience true joy and peace and we want to share it with others. See where this heavenly cake has gotten me into? I don't mean to offend anyone. I am just sharing my personal thoughts and experience. Thank you, Audrey, for providing this forum. I can only suggest that if anyone really wants to know the truth to pray to Jesus and read the Bible. Believe He will answer you.
"Lord, teach us from Your Holy Word. All error to discern.
And by Your Spirit's light help us from satan's snares to turn" - Bosch (Our Daily Bread Mar-May 2009 Devotional)
In summary, in receiving, following the instructions (which required me to pray because I didn't), sharing the dough with others (which by the way ended up going to some different people than I had originally planned to give to - I believe it was meant to be given to them), I was able to bake a tasty cake which tasted almost like my co-workers cake. I think it might even be better (Praise you my Lord, JESUS! and Thanks Mama Mary!)
3:14 PM Anonymous posting is from Toronto, Canada
May the Joy and Peace of Christ be with you all!
Anonymous from Toronto (again)
I received the dough yesterday. The fact that it made its way to Saudi Arabia is proof enough that this is truly a miracle in action. Faithfuls are scattered all over the world and in a place like this where we are banned to practice our faith, this bread gives us (Catholics in Arabia) hope. Despite the "proofs" that this is a hoax, I will continue making this bread. It has sparked up the hearts of the downtrodden Catholics in this part of the world. It wouldn't hurt to try to bake it and share with other faithfuls.
Anon:
Just read all the coments about the dough. All I can say is JESUS TOLD DOUBTING THOMAS THAT ".....BLESSED WHO BELIEVED IN ME THAT DONT SEE ME..."
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