(Originally published on May 13, 2000 in Honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, updated on February 2025) Over time, many organizations have emerged in our country, spending large amounts of money on charitable works, including donations to hospitals, orphanages, homes for the elderly, scholarships, and relief efforts for those in distress. We often refer to these benefactors as philanthropists, as their mission is to share their wealth with the less fortunate.
The Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita is a secret document created by the Alta Vendita, the highest lodge of the Italian Carbonari, a Masonic organization operating in the 19th century. This document outlines a covert plan to infiltrate and corrupt the Catholic Church from within rather than attacking it directly. Unlike previous anti-Catholic movements that sought to destroy the Church through force, the Alta Vendita's strategy focused on gradual infiltration, ensuring that over time, the Church would adopt secular and modernist ideas. The document was leaked and published by the Vatican in the 19th century and was later endorsed by Popes Pius IX and Leo XIII, who saw it as a real threat to the Catholic faith.
I am very certain about the origin of the Catholic Church — it was founded by Jesus Christ Himself and entrusted to St. Peter, the first pope and this event is written in the Bible, where Jesus declares, “You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my Church” (Matthew 16:18). The Catholic Church has an unbroken line of succession from Christ through the apostles up to the present day. How about the other churches? Jesus Christ founded only one church, then why does a number of ‘Christian’ churches claim that their church is the True Church. Were they really founded by Christ as well or by someone else? Who established them? Understanding a church’s origins is vital in discerning its authority and teachings. So, who founded your church?
“Therefore, stop being anxious about such things. Do not say: ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ These are things that are of concern to the Gentiles. Your heavenly Father is fully aware of all your needs. Rather, seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” — Matthew 6:31-33
“Mary,” a film released by Netflix on December 6, 2024, offers an adaptation of the life of Mary, Mother of Jesus. Produced by the controversial megachurch pastor Joel Osteen, the full-length movie begins with Mary's conception, highlighting her parents, Sts. Anne and Joachim, and concludes with the Holy Family presenting the newborn Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem after evading Herod's soldiers. Does this film accurately portray the Mary we know and hold dear?
As a disclaimer, I am not sharing this to change your perspective on astronomy as it was taught to us in school. This article is simply the result of my personal questioning of the Lunar Landing, which, in my personal belief, was the greatest hoax of the 20th century. I may be wrong in my suspicions, but in the process of seeking the truth, I must validate whether the information released by NASA are all valid. In my research on this matter, I have discovered even deeper findings that, at first, made me laugh. But as my research deepened, many testimonies, based on history, observation, and science, suggest that it is indeed possible the Earth is FLAT and not a GLOBE as we have been taught since childhood. Crazy, right?
Everything that the priesthood of the Old Covenant prefigured finds its fulfillment in Christ Jesus, the “one mediator between God and men.” The Christian tradition considers Melchizedek, “priest of God Most High,” as a prefiguration of the priesthood of Christ, the unique “high priest after the order of Melchizedek”; “holy, blameless, unstained,” “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified,” that is, by the unique sacrifice of the cross. – Catechism of the Catholic Church 1544
The fast growth and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized many facets of our lives. Without a doubt, AI has improved our lives in more ways than we can possibly conceive, from simple things like autocorrect in smartphone messaging to highly advanced self-driving cars. However, the downside of these technologies render us stupid by potentially making our lives "smart." They encourage us to become increasingly dependent on computers, which teaches us to be lazy. The realm we live in is powered by machines that make our lives easier and comfortable, as a result, humans are enslaved by material things that he himself created.
During the early centuries of Christianity, a number of false beliefs and ideas surfaced and attacked the Truth taught by Our Lord Jesus Christ and spread by the Apostles. An example of these false beliefs is the question on Christ's Divinity, where some bishops and priests taught that Jesus is only man and not God. These teaching bore another heresy against the Marian Dogma of Theotokus or Mother of God, where they contested that the Blessed Virgin Mary is only the Mother of Christ and not the Mother of God. These myths and false doctrines poisoned the wells of Christian faith and deceived a number of faithful throughout the centuries. Even in today's modern world, these false teachings are rehashed and continued to lead the flock astray from the Truth. We call these poisonous doctrines as Heresy.
The "Doctor of the Church" is a very special title and officially conferred by the Pope on a Saint who makes a significant contribution to the understanding and interpretation of the doctrines of the Church. The writings and sermons of this saint have been of great help and value to Christian believers.
St. Thomas’ best-known work is The Summa Theologica (Summary of Theology), a collection of all of the main theological teachings of the Catholic Church, intended to be an instructional guide for theology students. Quinque viæ, translated as Five Ways or Five Proofs, are five logical arguments regarding the existence of God can be found in this book.
The Latin phrase extra Ecclesiam nulla salus means "outside the Church there is no salvation". It is a Catholic Dogma adapted from the writings of San Cypriano of Carthage, bishop of the third century. This doctrine is very vital to human salvation and is based largely on the Gospel of Mark 16: 15-16: "He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned."
The Sanhedrin was the forum for the pharisees, who believed in the resurrection and in angels, and the saducees, who are akin to new theories and philosophies. All beliefs and philosophies concerning God and His creation are allowed to be expressed here.
