As a Catholic and true Christian, it is important to take the sacraments of the church. These sacraments are an outward sign that was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the sacraments, we obtain the grace of God which nourish our souls. Our Lord Jesus instituted seven sacraments in the Catholic Church: The Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders and Matrimony. In this article, we will talk about the first sacrament, the Sacrament of the Baptism.
We humans, including Christians, are made vulnerable when we sin. Most of our sins are venial that must be cleansed not only in our mind also in our soul. That is why our Lord instituted the sacrament of penance so we can receive absolution.
Today, the Traditional Societies in the Catholic Church celebrates the Rogation Days. It is a three days solemn supplication before the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord. The Rogation Days are days of prayers and fasting, and was observed with procession while praying the Litany of the Saints, then followed by the Rogation Mass. The word Rogation is from the latin word “rogare” which means to supplicate or ask where we are begging to God for His mercy. There are two Rogations in the Church’s calendar, the Major and Minor Rogation.
Prior to Vatican II, the Catholic Church used Latin as its official language, especially during the Holy Mass, in previous centuries. But there are two particular languages that were used in the Holy Mass that are not Latin: Hebrew and Greek. Hebrew is the language of the Jews, while Greek is the primary language of the Catholic Church, particularly during Holy Mass until it was changed into Latin. In 1570, it was the language used for the Holy Mass. But two prayers remain in their original language. One of them is Kyrie Eleison or 'Lord Have Mercy'.
It is crucial to receive the Holy Eucharist as it is the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the form of bread and wine. It was first instituted at the Last Supper, where the twelve apostles were the first recipients of this sacrament in the world. Following the commandment of our Lord, they performed Holy Mass in every nation under the Catholic Church. In the past, the Holy Eucharist was treated with respect. The faithful receives the Sacred Host using the tongue while the altar server holds a paten under the receiver's chin to avoid the Eucharist falling on the floor. But what if the Eucharist accidentally falls on the floor while taking communion? What shall we do? In the event that the Holy Eucharist falls on the floor, here are two steps to follow.
On November 1, 1950, at Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Pius XII declared the Munificentissimus Deus. The Munificentissimus Deus stated that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary, was taken up both body and soul into Heaven when she completed her mortal life. That is what the Pope declared at that time. How come that the Assumption of the Virgin Mary occurred? The Bible does not state anything about the Assumption, so how come the Catholics have a dogma about it? Remember that Catholic Church’s teachings come from three sources: Tradition, Sacred Scriptures, and the Magisterium. The Assumption is not in the Sacred Scriptures.
The world is full of colors. Colors are hues created by God that can be seen in nature. When God created the world, the brilliance of colors can be seen in His creations. From the changing of seasons, natures largest and smallest creations, there are multitudes of combinations of colors to love.
The pursuit for world peace and happiness is constant. People lean on religion and faith in asking a higher power for guidance, especially Catholics who have Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the saints. Jesus Christ established the church with His disciples more than 2000 years ago are rich in history and mysteries. Learning the faith can be overwhelming for the complacent ones. But the Holy Spirit has the power to make dogmas and catechisms easier to understand.
During the threat of Covid19, most of us cannot attend the Holy Mass. Some of us attend the online Mass that the church provides for us and we make a spiritual communion. But what if you are sick or you have no internet connection and you are unable to attend the Holy Mass. And some of us are have no knowledge of the Spiritual Communion prayers. There is also another solution if we have a problem in attending the Holy Mass, by sending our Guardian to the Church on our behalf.
When Martin Luther left the church and started the protestant movement, a number of heretics created their own churches, in the belief that they built the true church of God. They left the one, true, apostolic and Catholic Church that our Lord Jesus Christ has founded. Some of them even copied the rites and doctrines of the Catholic Church. As years passed, the Church entered modern world and “modernism”, as Pope Pius X said, brought evil to the faith. Protestants fully embraced Modernism. The use of ballad and rock music can now be used in praying and in worship. Sharing of life experiences is very common within the group and you will be asked "Have you accept Christ as your personal savior yet?" This is the Born-Again Movement, also called Born Again Christians and Evangelical Protestantism.
The Holy Rosary is one of the important devotions in the Catholic Church, second to the Holy Mass. The Holy Rosary was given and taught by the Blessed Virgin Mary when she appeared to St. Dominic de Guzman who was fighting the Albigensian Heresy that time. The Holy Rosary was only prayed by the Dominicans before Pope St. Pius V instituted the official devotion to the Holy Rosary on 1569.
When you attend Holy Mass, have you come across a priest asking young men to become priests? The reason for this is that the Catholic Church is currently experiencing a shortage of priests.
