Explore the Truth.
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. Read More
Sacramentals are places, objects, dates, actions or gestures that give us grace. It reminds us of the grace of the Sacraments, gives us good thoughts, and increases our devotion to God, angels, and saints. It can also give us good health, protection from evil spirits, and help us receive blessings for those who use it. The difference between the Sacraments and Sacramentals is that the Sacraments were instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, while Sacramentals were recognized sacred signs, objects and acts by the Catholic Church. The Sacraments give sanctifying grace, while the Sacramentals give actual grace. Sanctifying grace makes the soul holy and becomes a child of God, and it is permanent unless we make a grave sin. Actual Grace is a temporary grace that enlightens our mind and strengthens our heart to do good and avoid doing evil.
The Stations of the Cross or The Way of the Cross is a series of images depicting the passion and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. These images are usually placed in Catholic church’s nave where the faithful come to pray during the Lenten season.
As we posted the article 'The History of the Holy Mass', let's answer some questions about it. By answering these questions, we will be enlightened by facts and truths that we should know.
The Sacrament of Penance or also known as reconciliation or confession is one of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. It is where we confess our sins to the Priest and where he has us absolution and our penance. Recently, I've been looking for churches near me that has a schedule of confession. Some of the church people do not know the schedule, and some said it depends on the schedule of the priest. I wondered why some of these churches have no confession schedule posted in their parish or online. Is the Sacrament of Penance no longer important today?
Education is very important because it shapes our future, including the young. But today, education has missed something which has always resulted in worries, depression, and anxiety, not only for youth but also for adults today. What is lacking in our education that enlightens the mind, but leaves a weakness in the heart? The solution is to receive education about our Lord and our faith. In short Catechism. What prompted me to say this? A lot of people who are struggling in school, work, or any problems that will cause worries, depression, and anxiety are searching for something to hold onto, but they are unable to find it. We can face the problem with confidence by holding on and praying to God. We can ask for help from the saints who have previously lived in this world, faced hardships, but remain strong because of their faith in God. Speaking of Catechism, there is a saint who is very well known for education and Catechism. That is St. John Bosco.
Have you experienced of doing something for your love or for other people, but still, they ignore you. Is it pain that everything you've done to them, yet they still don't remember your sacrifice. Now you know this feeling you must understand that there's one person who also experience this and it is not just days, months or five years, but it's been 2000 years and still, the people ignored his sacrifice, and that person is our Lord Jesus Christ, who has been tortured, crucified and died because He love us. Even so many years have passed, still He loves us and show it in the form of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Where the greatest love of all was given, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
When Pope John XXIII called for the second Vatican II Council, reformation has been prepared until it was executed by Pope Paul VI. Many changes have been made that swayed from the Sacred Tradition such as the religious freedom, removing the minor orders in the Holy Orders and mostly, changes in the Holy Mass which is the promulgation of the Novus Ordo Missale (New Order of Mass). Many bishops and clergy are againts to this reform which results on institutions of Traditional Catholic Societies. While the Vatican II changes occurred in the church and to the faithful. There are clashing of clergies happening inside the Church, this is the Traditionalist against the Modernist and the Traditionalist against the Traditionalist.
Recently, there's a news item about US Bishop Strickland was removed from the Diocese of Tyler by Pope Francis. The Vatican didn't provide reasons or his removal buy Bishop Strickland was recently known to criticise Pope Francis including the acceptance LGBT (And now the blessing of the same-sex couples). When he celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass in 2020 for the first time, he fell in love with it and continued celebrating it. He disobeys the Pope's command on restricting the Traditional Latin Mass. For the views of some of our Catholic brethrens and Priests, disobeying the Pope is not good and it may end up as schismatic. But do we really have to obey the Pope even his words and actions will lead us to heresy and blasphemy? Even he makes more Catholics swayed their way to the truth?
Did you know that God has three personas? Or the Church has Seven Sacraments? Did you know why do we pray to the saints and why there is a purgatory? These questions are about Catholicism that often attacked by the protestants. The Question is... Is it important to have Catechism? Or are we just go with the flow and being a Catholic is a personal choice? The answer is Yes. It is important to have Catechism.
You may notice that today, we post the Feast of the Kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ or mostly known as the Feast of Christ the King. While the world knows that this feast was celebrated on the last Sunday of November, we post it in the last Sunday of October. The reason is because today, is the original date of this feast before Pope Paul VI moved it.
Prayer to
Saint Michael
“Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.”
Ex Primoribus
Whether they would like him to go to oblivion or keep his name as a real challenge, the Medjugorje apparitions story may never be complete without the mention of the former priest, Tomislav Vlasic, who voluntarily like Judas took it upon himself to take care of the seers there.
Cabra Island in Lubang, Mindoro Occidental is small island which used to have a functional lighthouse for seafarers. With a length of 4.5 kms. (2.8 miles) and 2.9 kms. (1.8 miles) in its longest and widest sides. The lighthouse was built 600 meters from the sea from the western side of the island by the Spaniards in 1885 and is no longer functioning even during the time of the apparitions in 1966. The Spaniards named it Cabra because they saw a herd of goats there but during the time of the apparitions the island being small is also called by the visitors Cabra islet. The Cabra islet actually is a smaller island close to the island which some natives call Cabra also because it has the shape of a goat.
The reason why our great heroes used propaganda was because during that time although education was already well-established in the islands, we were still not free. Hence, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena and even Jose P. Rizal pushed for the great propaganda movement through La Solidaridad. With propaganda people in Europe, more particularly Spain will take notice how the Indios are being oppressed by the Spaniards. Apparently, they the great propaganda movement was justified because the Filipinos at that time were not free.
Any good mother can relate to our article concerning the seven sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Although Our Lady did not actually experience what her Son Jesus Christ did, the vicarious experience of Our Lady as His Mother can never be discounted. With the merits of recollecting these sorrows as a supernatural promise concerning a devotion, we are presenting to you the seven sorrows that she had experienced which when meditated upon with the prayer of the Ave Maria for each sorrow, a certain merit is earned by each devout soul.
It seems that China is bent on making war with the Philippines.
On the premise that the Catholic Church is the Church founded by Jesus Christ and is therefore, a living church; I am writing here the feast days of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who up to this present time continues to be a messenger of the Holy Spirit to teach the complete Truth in the end of times through her many apparitions.
Filipinos, especially those in Batangas should not feel so bad about how church authorities handled the Lipa Apparitions in 1948. In fact, in India, there is the case of Our Lady’s apparitions which were neither authenticated nor decided upon either by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith or under its new name, Dicastery of the Doctrine of Faith. When Paul III established the original Sacred Congregation of Universal Inquisition in 1547, the events in the small town on Coromandel Coast by the Bay of Bengal, Tamil Nadu state, should have been investigated but we do know how limited communication was during the advent of Renaissance was. In fact, the 1948 apparition in Lipa which happened already in modern times and the authorities still failed in dialogue and transparency which led to confusion of the Filipino faithful. But the lessons of faith in Velankanni eludes intrigues and politicking by church officials and we are only happy to explore them in spite of the fact that they only involved legends which lent to credibility and therefore, faith. Not that we are espousing belief in Medjugorje, as it was found to teach heresy but this is a matter of how we discern spiritual fruits.
It seems that the Medjugorje Apparitions are true because the cult following of said events have grown very much through the years as proof that “by their fruits ye shall know them.”
I do not wish to prove something new. Before the cases I will mention in this article Our Lady’s intercession had already been proven several times such as in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, La Naval de Manila in 1646 and the Siege of Vienna in 1683. However, since there is a continues diabolical plot by some Protestants and anti-Marian movements to undermine the role of the Mother of God in protecting her children, allow me to recount her role in at least three decisive events in the last two centuries.
It seems that Our Lady is always on the side of the underpriveleged.
During the start of the EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) revolution, February 22, 1986, the forces under Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile gravitated in Camp Rafael Crame with the Commander in Chief’s forces ready to pounce on them. During that time Enrile, the Secretary of national defense was divulging that the alleged ambush attempt on his life was just staged in order to justify the imposition of martial law just as in the case of the so-called “Light a Fire” Movement. On the night of the break-up as Ramos and Enrile did not want being arrested, Jaime Cardinal Sin asked the people to bring food to the soldiers in Crame and if possibly protect Ramos’ group. On the next day multitudes of people came to answer the archbishop of Manila’s call.
I always wanted to be in. To be in nowadays, as a modernist, is to accuse Christ of anything. Anything at all. And I , someone who has found immortality has found youth, through witchcraft, and filthy wealth as my lasting inheritance. My name is not important for you but I would sure be remembered by those who somehow, for any reason at all, like the modernists, in order to attack Christ, will endeavor to remember. I am the young rich man who has approached Christ and told Him that I follow the commandments. And yet, what did He do, he even insulted me by saying that the rich will have a hard time passing through the eye of the needle. Goodness, after following all the commandments, this is all I would get. For some, Jesus, the rabbi may be such a gentle person but even more than 2,000 years ago, all I have in my recollection is the pain of being rejected. For how would you feel if someone tells you to leave all your riches behind in order that I could follow Him.
There is no stopping Pope Francis. If John Paul II may be said to be the most traveled pontiff during his lifetime, Jorge Bergoglio may actually break his record and in so doing bring about so many records between the Vatican and the countries he has visited during his pontificate.
Mariology
The Blessed Virgin Mary holds many revered titles in the Catholic tradition, but one of the most ecclesially significant is “Mother of the Church” (Mater Ecclesiae). Officially proclaimed by Pope Paul VI during the Second Vatican Council in 1964, this title affirms Mary’s unique and enduring role in the life of the Christian community. However, it is also a title that is not universally accepted across all Christian denominations, particularly among many Protestant communities.