POPE JOHN PAUL 2

As some of you may know the late POPE JOHN PAUL THE SECOND, is being considered for 'SAINTHOOD' and a recent article on him mentioned his 'morification' practices which included 'sleeping on the floor' and 'flagellation'. Both of these things are time-honored practices not onlly in churches, monasteries, and convents,etc. but also among practitioners of martial arts, shugendo, fakirism groups,such as dervishes), mystics, yogis, and others. Stimulation of the body by use of percussion and strikes with sticks, hands,etc. to stimulate nerve centers and systems as well as to produce and develop an 'iron body' or appendage are somewhat known these days. Unfortunately, many associate these things with 'sado-masochism' and similar 'sexual' deviations and the like, which can, in some cases, be quite true. Some of this smacks, of course, of 'medievalism' and 'inquisitional' methods to the modern mind that is not used to anything too drastic or misunderstoof,etc. Most people in the world today tend to avoid pain at nearly every cost and subject themselves to pain killers of all kinds, even those that will kill or destroy them.