As with any child’s arrival, there are many preparations to be made before welcoming the new family member; an expecting family gathers bathing items, blankets, and a collection of cozy outfits. Faithful members of the Catholic Christian family prepare for Christ’s coming by observing the season of Advent.
Advent is a time of joyful anticipation in which the faithful prepare their hearts for the most special arrival of the Divine Infant. Formally introduced by the Council of Tours in 567 AD, the Advent season begins four Sundays prior to Christmas Day. This period provides a precursor to the special holy day when the Light of the World shines amidst the darkness, the Sign of Hope dispels all despair.
One Catholic tradition orienting believers toward Christ’s coming is the Nativity Scene. This practice harkens back to Medieval times when in 1223, St. Francis of Assisi directed a live nativity scene as a form of public remembrance honoring Christ’s birth. St. Francis wanted to bring the Gospels to life, assigning parts for Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and others so that in witnessing this reenactment, all people would learn the extraordinary story of God’s love for mankind. Often the nativity creche remains empty until Christmas Eve as a reminder that the faithful eagerly await the Christ child. And when the Divine Infant arrives, how much greater is the joy during the Christmas vigil when Baby Jesus joins the Holy Family and all humanity!
When the faithful prepare their hearts properly, the blessings of Christmas may be appreciated in full. “We Christians are called to safeguard and spread the joy of waiting,” Pope Francis declared in a Vatican address. Additionally, much as the faithful await Christ’s birth in remembrance of the first Christmas, the Catholic liturgical readings point the faithful toward awaiting Christ’s ultimate return upon Judgement Day.
According to Catholic tradition, the rejoicing of Christ’s coming lasts considerably longer than one great day. Rather, it stretches from the Christmas vigil Mass until the Feast of the Epiphany, sometimes called Three Kings’ Day.
Why did the Church choose to celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25? The most direct answer is that according to the Roman calendar, this day marked the winter solstice. Saint Augustine explained the significance of this day in remembering Christ’s coming, writing, “on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase.”
The most excellent Catholic tradition of celebrating Christmas as a family is attending Holy Mass together. Even young adults who may have strayed from observing other tenets of their Catholic faith will often return to Mass with their families in order to observe the sacred Feast of the Nativity.
Christmas is a rare time when the Mass readings differ according to the order in which the Mass is offered. There are four distinct Christmas Masses. The Vigil Mass is offered at the start of Christmas Eve. The Mass of the angels is a popular celebration, offered at midnight. The Dawn Mass is called the Mass of the Shepherds; it is offered early morning. Finally, on Christmas Day, the priest offers the Mass of the Divine Word.
The Christmas octave is punctuated with a feast that originally honored Christ’s circumcision. In present times, the Catholic Church commemorates the first day of the year as the Feast of Mary, Mother of God. This holy day respects Mary’s unique human privilege of forming Christ physically and spiritually before releasing Him into the world to fulfill His divine salvific work.
The end of the Christmas season points toward this extraordinary mission for which God entered the world. According to Catholic tradition, the Magi, called the Three Kings, spent 12 days following a star. The brilliant star led them to Bethlehem, where Jesus had just been born. The Wise Men—Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar—presented three symbolic gifts to the Holy Family for their newborn son. The kings presented to the Divine Child gold to honor His kingship, frankincense to honor His priesthood, and myrrh to honor His humanity.
Many families around the world present gifts to one another either in celebration of Christmas Day or in commemoration of the Three Kings. The faithful fulfill the Christmas spirit when offering their own hearts to the Divine Messiah who humbled Himself to enter the world as a small child.
Article written by Myriah C. Boudreaux for Christian Catholic Media
Myriah C. Boudreaux graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville with a BA in Psychology. Soon after, she left her native Southern California home to marry a FUS alumnus, start a family, settle in Bayou Country with her Cajun husband, and begin a career homeschooling their ever-growing family. With seven children ranging from ages 21 – 2, her practical understanding of Heavenly Father's patience, love, and mercy is continually expanding.
Sources
Lisi, Clemente. “9 Catholic Traditions That Highlight the Christmas Season.” Religion Unplugged, Religion Unplugged, 3 Dec. 2018, religionunplugged.com/news/2018/11/27/9-catholic-traditions-to-celebrate-the-christmas-season.
“Roman Catholic Christmas Traditions.” Roman Catholic Christmas Traditions | Ritual Trip, ritualtrip.com/christmas/catholic-traditions.
]]>The original holiday was of course much different. It was a simple feast offering humble thanks for the blessing of survival.
Thanksgiving is a national holiday, not a Church holy day. Yet, little is known about the Catholic roots of this annually commemorated day of gratitude.
Traditional tales hold that the English Puritans struggled to establish a successful colony in the New World. The story relates that nearly half the original colonists expired in the harsh New England winter. The remaining half persevered, yet by springtime 1621, they were still uncertain of their future. Then a kindhearted Native arrived and taught the settlers methods for soil fertilization and corn growing. This Native American also instructed the settlers on the best spots for catching fish.
This act of kindness proved to be the turning point for the colonists. Their crops thrived, and the Puritans celebrated with a feast. Every November we commemorate this fortunate turn of events, enjoying a family feast in our own homes and giving thanks for the year’s blessings.
What inspired this benevolent behavior toward the Puritans?
The hero of this Thanksgiving tale bore the Native name, Tisquantum; people called him “Squanto.” Providentially, he endured a unique past in which he encountered various European peoples. In 1614, Squanto learned that some European groups sought profit through enslaving others. Lieutenant John Smith, who later traveled with Pocahontas, captured Squanto and other Native Americans to sell as slaves to the Spanish. However, a group of Franciscan friars discovered the plot and acquired the captives in order to release them and thus restore their dignity. Indebted, the Natives listened intently to the friars’ teachings regarding the Catholic faith and eventually requested membership in God’s holy family through the sacrament of baptism.
Squanto traveled to London as a free man and labored in the shipyards, gradually learning the English language. Eventually, he crossed the Atlantic and returned to his homeland, five years after his original captivity. Sadly, he soon discovered that the people he had left behind were being decimated by European diseases.
As this tragedy unfolded, Squanto could have embraced bitterness and vowed revenge. Instead, he chose to see humanity in desperation rather than a foreign race with contrary values intruding upon his homeland.
Could it have been his Catholic catechism which inspired such extraordinary compassion?
Squanto became well-known among the Plymouth settlers due to his English fluency and was often called upon as an interpreter to facilitate communications between the English colonists and the Native Americans.
He chose to take to heart the simplicity and benevolence of the Franciscan friars and pay it forward. During this time of fear, suspicion, and political division, may Squanto’s approach inspire us toward compassion for our neighbors in need. May we remember moments in our lives when we witnessed extraordinary kindness and show that same compassion and mercy toward others.
Article written by Myriah C. Boudreaux for Christian Catholic Media
Myriah C. Boudreaux graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville with a BA in Psychology. Soon after, she left her native Southern California home to marry a FUS alumnus, start a family, settle in Bayou Country with her Cajun husband, and begin a career homeschooling their ever-growing family. With seven children ranging from ages 21 – 2, her practical understanding of Heavenly Father's patience, love, and mercy is continually expanding.
Sources
Ahlquist, Dale, et al. “The Catholic Origins of Thanksgiving.” Catholic World Report, 27 Nov. 2019, www.catholicworldreport.com/2019/11/27/the-catholic-origins-of-thanksgiving/.
Marshall, Dr Taylor. “Squanto, the Catholic Hero of the Thanksgiving.” Taylor Marshall, 21 Nov. 2012, taylormarshall.com/2012/11/squanto-catholic-hero-of-thanksgiving.html.
]]>You’ve probably seen a Miraculous Medal before. The symbol, Mary the Virgin Mother on one side and an M with a cross through it surrounded by stars on the other side, is commonly worn as a necklace. It’s also incorporated into many rosaries.
While these medals aren’t supposed to be the good-luck charm that many well-meaning but misinformed people take them to be, there are some good reasons to wear one if you don’t already.
Far from being a good-luck charm, Miraculous Medals show faith in God to solve our problems. Just like prayer isn’t an act of helplessness but one of faith, wearing a Miraculous Medals are based on the belief that God is watching out for us and knows our needs.
2. They Show Dedication to Mary and Jesus
The front of the Miraculous Medal shows Mary and bears the inscription “O Mary, Conceived without Sin, Pray for us who have recourse to thee.” However, the reverse side shows an “M” the symbol for Mary, interwoven with a cross, a symbol for Jesus. This symbol is above the images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Sacred Heart of Mary.
Just like all Catholic devotion to Mary, the significance of the Miraculous Medal comes from Mary’s connection to Jesus.
3. They Show Dedication to the Church
The reverse side of the Miraculous Medal also shows twelve stars. The number twelve has a number of different meanings in the Catholic Church. In the Old Testament it symbolized the tribes of Israel and in the New Testament it symbolizes the apostles. In both cases, it symbolizes the universal Church.
As a result, a Miraculous Medal doesn’t just show dedication to Mary and Jesus, it shows dedication to the Church that shares faith in them.
4. They Show Membership in the Church
On a related note, while all of the Christian churches believe in the divinity of Jesus, only the Catholic Church pays Mary the respect due to the Mother of God. As a result, wearing a Marian devotional network is a way to let others know that you are a proud Catholic.
5. They Show Support for the Downtrodden
This article wouldn’t be complete without at least a brief discussion of the history of the Miraculous Medal. The miraculous medal was revealed in 1830 to St. Catherine Labouré, a nun living in Paris.
At the time, Paris was plagued with poverty as well as a common destination for refugees. The Napoleonic wars had only recently ended and France was still reeling with economic and political problems. The Miraculous Medal was Mary’s way of giving the French people hope.
While the Miraculous Medal is now a global symbol, it’s origin is forever tied as a promise to those undergoing life’s most difficult challenges.
Incidentally, Mary’s Husband St. Joseph is the patron saint of immigrants, as well as of the Universal Church.
Are You Wearing One Yet?
Another great thing about Miraculous Medals is that they fall from the rafters of Holy Mother Church. They’re often given away with prayer cards from Marian organizations, sent in the mail with appeals to donate to charities, and they’re widely available from Catholic websites and supply stores.
So, while this article has given a number of great reasons to wear a Miraculous Medal, the next question is why not wear one.
Looking for Miraculous Medal for yourself or a loved one?
Shop Now: www.christiancatholicshop.com/collections/miraculous-medals
]]>All Catholics are at least familiar with the rosary. However, how often it is prayed varies drastically. While some pray the rosary daily, others only do so on special occasions if at all.
Why pray the rosary? If praying the rosary seems excessive to you, consider the following five reasons to make it a part of your process.
If you don’t pray the rosary regularly, it’s probably because you find it boring. If you find it boring, it’s probably because you’re praying it wrong.
During the course of a rosary, you say the Hail Mary prayer a potentially mind-numbing 53 times. However, the objective of these repetitions isn’t just to say the same prayer over and over again. The purpose of this repetition is to keep your mind focused on your prayers rather than thinking about work or chores or other mundane things.
2. Praying the Rosary Brings You Closer to Jesus
You don’t just rattle off 53 Hail Marys (Holy Mary prayer) – these prayers are divided into decades separated by mysteries.
These mysteries are stories from the new testament and the goal of the rosary is that while those prayer repetitions keep you focused you’re really thinking about the mystery associated with each decade.
While the rosary itself is a decidedly Marian practice, almost all of the mysteries of the rosary walk you through the life of Jesus.
3. Remembering to Pray the Rosary Every Day Helps Shape Your Day
Another reason why do Catholics pray the rosary every day is another reframing of some people’s least favorite thing – it's a time commitment. Planning to keep an open spot for this prayer in your day can help you to keep God at the center of your life.
That’s particularly true if you say the rosary along with a television broadcast at a specific time of day or if you say it with your family or faith community.
4. Praying the Rosary Brings You Closer to Others
Praying the rosary with your family or with members of your faith community is also a great way to use the prayer as a way to spend time in Catholic fellowship with others.
Even if you do choose to say your rosaries by yourself, they can still bring you closer to others. While some people use the rosary strictly as a meditative tool as discussed above, many people also say the rosary with an “intention.”
Your intention can be anything that you want to use the rosary to pray for. If you don’t have specific intentions, you can pray for something else, like the souls in Purgatory or the intentions of the Holy Father.
However, offering people who are close to you if they would like you to pray for them can be a very kind gesture, particularly if you know that they are going through something difficult.
5. The Rosary is Part of a Larger Prayer Called a “Novena”
Praying for help from God brings us to the final reason on our list: The Rosary can be a part of an even longer prayer called a Novena.
Regarded as one of the most powerful prayers in a lay-person's arsenal, the Novena is a prayer that is said over the course of nine consecutive days.
What Are You Waiting for?
Hopefully, this article has helped you to understand why some Catholics pray the rosary every day and the benefits that you can get from joining that number.
We forgot to mention the best part: Praying the rosary is easy. If you don’t already have a rosary, they are widely available and don’t have to be flashy or expensive. If you want to say the rosary now but you can’t get to a shop or the rosary is in the mail, you can count on your fingers. Use one hand to keep track of the decades, and on the other count up to five and then back down for the prayers in each decade.
Looking for a Rosary? Shop Now Click Here: www.christiancatholicshop.com
Do you pray the Rosary? Comment below.
]]>Luke 22:19 - Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body,
He Took the Bread, Broke it and said, THIS IS MY BODY.
Jesus for me is the way, the truth and the life. I believe HIM.
That the bread he took and showed it, said THIS IS MY BODY. I believe him.
It could be another person, says it is not the Body of Christ.
We respect them, but we believe Christ.
So you see its not a fictional Body, or symbolic, a body of lies,
See what’s next,
“which will be given for you;”
It’s the same Body that’s given for the salvation of the world. Its real, not symbolic.
Then we want to observe, not just anyone can do the Eucharist.
Only those that were given the order, also known as the Priestly Order.
“do this in memory of me.”
This is the Order. Priestly Order. Do this in memory of me, because I command it. Thats what this means.
Here we see the Eucharist as the Catholic Church teaches.
Bread, which is the Body of Christ. Not a fake body. The same Body that was given for the salvation of the world.
And only the Apostles of Christ that were given this order could celebrate this Eucharist. Not just any person can celebrate if they have not received the order.
It has to be the new priests that Christ left.
How do we know they are Priests?
Listen:
Luke 22: 20 - And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
There’s a new Covenant in His Blood, the old covenant was with animal sacrifice. The New Covenant is with the Sacrifice of Christ.
Who offered the sacrifice? The Priest
Here Christ says “DO THIS’> the Bread and Wine, His Body and Blood, as sacrifice.
Do this, he’s naming them Priest. Then, New Sacrifice, the Body of Christ, Blood of Christ.
Offered by those Christ left, Ordained. Do This.
And the Bible says just as Christ did this with Bread and Wine, he came to do away with the Old covenant.
He removed the Old Covenant and changed to the new Covenant.
which will be shed for you.
Not just anyone can
Hebrews 10:8-10 - First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in.” These are offered according to the law.
This is Old Testament,
He established New,
Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second.
Established what the Catholic Church keeps doing. If God established
By this “will,” we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Christ left a New Priesthood.
Hebrews 5:1 - Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
Hebrews 7:11-12- If, then, perfection came through the levitical priesthood, on the basis of which the people received the law, what need would there still have been for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not reckoned according to the order of Aaron?
12
When there is a change of priesthood, there is necessarily a change of law as well.
Here it doesn’t say eliminated, it changed.
No longer in the order of Aaron.
Before it was animal sacrifice, Now it is Bread and Wine in the Order of Melchizedek.
Genesis 14:18- Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High.
When Christ says DO THIS. He is ordaining the Priests.
1 Corinthians 11: 23 - Tradition of the Institution.
23
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread,
24
and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
26
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
27
Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.
28
A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup.
29
For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.
John 6:45- 69 - It is written in the prophets:
‘They shall all be taught by God.’
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
46
Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
48
I am the bread of life.
49
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;z
50
this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.
51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?”
53
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
Hebrews 10:26-31
* s If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins
27
but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries.t
28
Anyone who rejects the law of Moses* is put to death without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses.u
29
Do you not think that a much worse punishment is due the one who has contempt for the Son of God, considers unclean the covenant-blood by which he was consecrated, and insults the spirit of grace?v
30
We know the one who said:
“Vengeance is mine; I will repay,”
and again:
“The Lord will judge his people.”w
31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
]]>We recently visited the issue of Clerical Celibacy in a News article on the recent Amazonian Synod. That article included a brief introduction to the scripture and tradition behind the practice. However, the contentious issue deserves a deeper dive.
A Brief History of Clerical Celibacy
Clerical Celibacy, the prohibition on marriage for priests, is almost entirely unique to Catholicism. The practice became church law at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., which states:
“This great synod absolutely forbids a bishop, [priest], deacon or any of the clergy to keep a woman who has been brought in to live with him, with the exception of course of his mother or sister or aunt, or of any person who is above suspicion.”
The council, which took place shortly after Catholicism was legalized in the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine, was the first great church meeting, and established many laws that are still held to today. Of course, the astute reader will have noticed that some things have changed. Deacons are no longer required to take vows of celibacy, for example – though they still have the option to.
Up until that time, members of the clergy could – and did – marry in some places. But, isn’t priestly celibacy in the Bible?
A Biblical Discussion of Clerical Celibacy
While a number of passages have been pointed to by advocates, the Bible never explicitly says that Christian Priests can’t marry. That’s largely because, during the life of Jesus and through the end of the New Testament, there were no “Christian Priests.”
During the biblical period, Christianity was a movement within Judaism and in Judaism, the priesthood – which is different from the rabbis of today – was actually a hereditary position.
So, what does the Bible say about Clerical Celibacy?
St. Paul on Marriage
One of the key passages in support of Clerical Celibacy comes from St. Paul, who wrote more about marriage in general than perhaps any other biblical figure. 1 Corinthians Chapter 7 is devoted entirely to marriage. There St. Paul writes,
“The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the worried man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided...” (1 Cor. 7:32-34 RSV).
While this sounds like a prohibition for priests, it’s actually advice for everybody. Earlier in the chapter, St. Paul advises that everyone, regardless of their position in the church, should be celibate if they can, writing,
“To the unmarried and the widows, I say that it is well for them to remain single as I do. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry for it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.” (1 Cor. 7:8-9 RSV).
While this may sound like a fairly unique stance, it does echo some of the words of Christ.
Jesus on the Ministry
The oft-quoted “a man cannot serve two masters” (Mathew 6:24; Luke 16:13) is often given as grounds for the prohibition on priestly marriage. However, the “masters” are given in both passages as “God and Mammon.”
Mammon was a regional god associated with wealth and power and later became a demon in Christian tradition. He’s even cited in Milton’s Paradise Lost. So, this might be read as more a prohibition against the clergy having multiple jobs, accumulating wealth, or serving in government.
A number of similar passages occur towards the end of the ninth Chapter of Luke’s Gospel.
“To another, [Jesus] said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ But He said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:59-62 RSV).
Because these lines occur when people are looking to follow Jesus in His ministry, it makes sense to apply them more directly towards the priesthood.
Of all of the Apostles, only Peter is known to have, at some point, been married. The healing of his mother-in-law by Jesus is rare in that it is recorded in all three synoptic gospels (Mathew 8:14, Mark 1:29-31, Luke 4:38-41). However, Peter’s wife is never mentioned and it is possible that she had passed away before he began his ministry.
Jesus was Unmarried
Another argument against married priests is that Jesus himself was unmarried.
Some conspiracy theorists, novelists, and even serious academics have suggested that Jesus was married because no document referencing him says that he wasn’t. As religious scholar Reza Aslan writes,
“Although there is no evidence in the New-Testament to indicate whether Jesus was married, it would have been almost unthinkable for a thirty-year-old Jewish male in Jesus’s time not to have a Wife. Celebacy was an extremely rare phenomonen in first-century Palestine.” (Azlan, Reza. “Zealot: The life and times of Jesus of Nazareth.” Random House Publishing, New York, NY. 2013. Pg.37).
However, very few take this stance seriously. Aslan continues,
“While it may be tempting to assume Jesus was married, one cannot ignore the fact that nowhere in all of the words ever written about Jesus of Nazareth – from the canonical gospels to the gnostic gospels to the letters of Paul or even the Jewish and pagan polemics written against him – is there ever any mention of a wife or children.” (ibid).
A Tradition Likely here to Stay
While the question of Clerical Celibacy has been gaining media attention recently, the fact is that it is not a new issue. While it’s possible that this ancient tradition will one-day go the way of the Latin-language mass, there’s little reason to expect that it will any time soon.
Article written by Johnathan Jaehnig with Christian Catholic Media
Jon Jaehnig is a professional freelance writer and journalist, specializing in technology and health. He is a practicing Catholic and active Knight of Columbus living in upper Michigan, USA.
]]>The Early Church Fathers believed in the Real Presence of Christ in The Eucharist.
The Eucharist also known as Thanksgiving and Communion. This is a Ceremony of the Last Supper in the Bible.
St. Ignatius of Antioch - 80 -110 AD - Student of John the Apostle
"Consider how contrary to the mind of God are the heterodox in regard to the grace of God which has come to us. They have no regard for charity, none for the widow, the orphan, the oppressed, none for the man in prison, the hungry or the thirsty. They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His graciousness, raised from the dead."
"Take care, then who belong to God and to Jesus Christ - they are with the bishop. And those who repent and come to the unity of the Church - they too shall be of God, and will be living according to Jesus Christ. Do not err, my brethren: if anyone follow a schismatic, he will not inherit the Kingdom of God. If any man walk about with strange doctrine, he cannot lie down with the passion. Take care, then, to use one Eucharist, so that whatever you do, you do according to God: for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup in the union of His Blood; one altar, as there is one bishop with the presbytery and my fellow servants, the deacons."
"I have no taste for the food that perishes nor for the pleasures of this life. I want the Bread of God which is the Flesh of Christ, who was the seed of David; and for drink I desire His Blood which is love that cannot be destroyed."
"Come together in common, one and all without exception in charity, in one faith and in one Jesus Christ, who is of the race of David according to the flesh, the son of man, and the Son of God, so that with undivided mind you may obey the bishop and the priests, and break one Bread which is the medicine of immortality and the antidote against death, enabling us to live forever in Jesus Christ."
Justin Martyr - 130-160 AD
"This food we call the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ handed down to us. For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God's Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."
Moreover, as I said before, concerning the sacrifices which you at that time offered, God speaks through Malachias, one of the twelve, as follows: 'I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord; and I will not accept your sacrifices from your hands; for from the rising of the sun until its setting, my name has been glorified among the gentiles; and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a clean offering: for great is my name among the gentiles, says the Lord; but you profane it.' It is of the sacrifices offered to Him in every place by us, the gentiles, that is, of the Bread of the Eucharist and likewise of the cup of the Eucharist, that He speaks at that time; and He says that we glorify His name, while you profane it."
"God has therefore announced in advance that all the sacrifices offered in His name, which Jesus Christ offered, that is, in the Eucharist of the Bread and of the Chalice, which are offered by us Christians in every part of the world, are pleasing to Him."
St. Clement of Rome - 80 AD - Pope/Bishop of Rome - Listed as Bishop of Rome (Pope) by Irenaeus and Tertullian
"Since then these things are manifest to us, and we have looked into the depths of the divine knowledge, we ought to do in order all things which the Master commanded us to perform at appointed times. He commanded us to celebrate sacrifices and services, and that it should not be thoughtlessly or disorderly, but at fixed times and hours. He has Himself fixed by His supreme will the places and persons whom He desires for these celebrations, in order that all things may be done piously according to His good pleasure, and be acceptable to His will. So then those who offer their oblations at the appointed seasons are acceptable and blessed, but they follow the laws of the Master and do not sin. For to the high priest his proper ministrations are allotted, and to the priests the proper place has been appointed, and on Levites their proper services have been imposed. The layman is bound by the ordinances for the laity."
Didache - 2nd Century - The Lord's Teaching of the Twelve Apostles
"Let no one eat and drink of your Eucharist but those baptized in the name of the Lord; to this, too the saying of the Lord is applicable: 'Do not give to dogs what is sacred'".
"On the Lord's own day, assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks; but first confess your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure. However, no one quarreling with his brother may join your meeting until they are reconciled; your sacrifice must not be defiled. For here we have the saying of the Lord: 'In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice; for I am a mighty King, says the Lord; and my name spreads terror among the nations.'"
St. Jerome
"After the type had been fulfilled by the Passover celebration and He had eaten the flesh of the lamb with His Apostles, He takes bread which strengthens the heart of man, and goes on to the true Sacrament of the Passover, so that just as Melchisedech, the priest of the Most High God, in prefiguring Him, made bread and wine an offering, He too makes Himself manifest in the reality of His own Body and Blood." - 398 AD
St. Augustine - 400 AD
“Christ was carried in his own hands when, referring to his own body, he said, ‘This is my body’ [Matt. 26:26]. For he carried that body in his hands” (Explanations of the Psalms 33:1:10 [A.D. 405]).
"You ought to know what you have received, what you are going to receive, and what you ought to receive daily. That Bread which you see on the altar, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the Body of Christ. The chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the Blood of Christ."
“What you see is the bread and the chalice; that is what your own eyes report to you. But what your faith obliges you to accept is that the bread is the body of Christ and the chalice is the blood of Christ” (ibid., 272).
"The fact that our fathers of old offered sacrifices with beasts for victims, which the present-day people of God read about but do not do, is to be understood in no way but this: that those things signified the things that we do in order to draw near to God and to recommend to our neighbor the same purpose. A visible sacrifice, therefore, is the sacrament, that is to say, the sacred sign, of an invisible sacrifice… . Christ is both the Priest, offering Himself, and Himself the Victim. He willed that the sacramental sign of this should be the daily sacrifice of the Church, who, since the Church is His body and He the Head, learns to offer herself through Him.
"He who made you men, for your sakes was Himself made man; to ensure your adoption as many sons into an everlasting inheritance, the blood of the Only-Begotten has been shed for you. If in your own reckoning you have held yourselves cheap because of your earthly frailty, now assess yourselves by the price paid for you; meditate, as you should, upon what you eat, what you drink, to what you answer 'Amen'".
“I promised you [new Christians], who have now been baptized, a sermon in which I would explain the sacrament of the Lord’s Table. . . . That bread which you see on the altar, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the body of Christ. That chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the blood of Christ” (Sermons 227 [A.D. 411]).
Cardinal Newman Said, “To Be Deep in History Is to Cease to Be Protestant.”
Belief in the One True Catholic Faith is a Grace, a Gift from God.
]]>It is possible for both rich and poor to enter heaven. It is harder for the rich to enter.
The Bible says: Matthew 19:24 - And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
We also read:
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Rich can enter, it is just harder. He/She Must be willing to give it all away to follow Christ.
]]>Early Church Father St. Jerome is quoted as saying that the Catholic Church is the New Ark of Noah in his Letter to Pope Damasus.
"I follow no leader but Christ and join in communion with none but Your Blessedness, that is, with the chair of Peter. I know that this is the rock on which the Church has been built. Whoever eats the Lamb outside this house is profane. Anyone who is not in the ark of Noah will perish when the flood prevails."
Letter of Jerome to Pope Damasus, 374 A.D.
"Heretics bring sentence upon themselves since they by their own choice withdraw from the Church, a withdrawal which, since they are aware of it, constitutes damnation."
Commentaries on the Epistle to Titus, 376 A.D.
"I thank you for your reminder concerning the canons of the Church. Truly, "whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Still I would assure you that nothing is more my aim than to maintain the rights of Christ, to keep to the lines laid down by the fathers, and always to remember the faith of Rome; that faith which is praised by the lips of an apostle, and of which the Alexandrian church boasts to be a sharer."
Letter of Jerome to Pope Theophilus, 397 A.D.
"Just as in the Old Testament the priest makes the leper clean or unclean, so in the New Testament the bishop and presbyter binds or looses not those who are innocent or guilty, but by reason of their office, when they have heard the various kinds of sins, they know who is to be bound and who loosed."
Commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew, 398 A.D.
"You are renowned throughout the whole world; Catholics revere and look up to you as the restorer of the ancient faith, and -- which is a token of yet more illustrious glory -- all heretics abhor you."
Letter to Augustine, 418 A.D.
Jesus Christ in the Gospel says it is as it was in the days of Noah,
Matthew 24:37-44
Jesus said to his disciples:
"As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."
Are you in the New Ark of Noah? Are you in the Catholic Church and prepared when the rain comes?
Contact your local Catholic Church and ask to speak with the Priest about becoming Catholic.
God Bless.
Comment below.
]]>
Well, in order to understand the teaching of the Church on contraception we must have a complete understanding of what it teaches about who God is and who he made us to be. This is a huge undertaking and will take more than a brief article to convey, but I am hoping to shed a glimmer of light on the topic. Furthermore, I pray that it will motivate you to seek out further the deep meaning of what the Catholic Church teaches on this matter.
Let’s start with what the Catechism says about contraception:
CCC 2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically evil:
Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. . . . The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality.
Some of the most profound teaching on this comes from St. John Paul II in his Theology of the Body. The Theology of the Body is a compilation of the weekly audiences that were given by then Pope John Paul II on the meaning of the human person, the body, sexuality and marriage in light of biblical revelation. In it, he speaks of contraception as purposefully blocking the nuptial meaning of the body, which is always, as St. Pope Paul the VI put it in his Humanae Vitae:
When we use contraception, which literally speaking means (against conception), we are purposely blocking the fruitful nature of the conjugal act and in turn we destroy all four of the essential elements of Marital Love.
Understanding Gods Revelation as LOVE
As God revealed himself through of Jesus Christ, He revealed that the Incarnation, meaning his bodily form, was essential to our salvation, or redemption, because we are incarnate beings, made in God’s image and likeness. The way this salvation, or redemption, was accomplished was through a total gift of His life, His body.
All relationships are meant to reflect the sacrificial nature of Godly love and in addition must reflect its fruitful nature. The Christian is always called to sacrificial lifegiving love. When we love others we are called to love them with action, not simply words, but Marriage is the only Sacrament where, as Jesus said the “two become one flesh” (Mark 10:8), the two bring about the one, literally the love brings a new life.
In 1 John, the apostle writes that “God is love” and that those who do not “abide in love” do not know God. This type of love is called Agape and this the type of love we are called to show one another. This is a sacrificial love and is meant to reflect who God is to the world.
In Ephesians 5:30-32 St. Paul reflects on the connection between marriage and Christ’s sacrificial love for his body, the Church.
“for we are members of his body. “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.”
The meaning of marriage and sex is profoundly connected to the nature of God and our relationship to Him and one another. Sex therefore has a sacramental nature and its purpose is to be both unitive and procreative. Therefore, if we supplant either of these two aspects, it no longer reflects who God is by his nature. Instead of the reflection of sacrificial love it is meant to be, it becomes self-seeking and destroys love.
The natural and spiritual final purpose of the sexual act is conception of life. Therefore, contraception is described as “intrinsically evil” because the act itself is absolutely contrary to nature, and to God himself.
Article written by Latrell Castanon for Christian Catholic Media
Latrell Castanon is a freelance writer who studied Catholic Theology at St. Joseph's College of Maine.
Do You Agree? Comment Below and Let Us Know What You Think.
The preperation for Christmas extends way beyond Advent and is even significant for our daily lives.
Parts of an Advent Wreath
The traditional Advent Wreath consists of a wreath of evergreen branches with 4 candles placed around the circle or within the circle. The circle is a symbol of immortality of the soul and everlasting life in Christ.
Wreath
The wreath can be made of one or more evergreens:
Laurel- victory over persecution and suffering.
Pine, Holly, and Yew- immortality.
Cedar- strength and healing.
Holly has significant meaning in the Christian faith with the prickly leaves reminding us of the crown of thorns. An old English legend tells of how the cross was made of holly.
Candles
There are 4 candles 3 Purple and 1 Rose and then some put a white candle in the center of the wreath.
Each candle holds its own significance and then together symbolize the light in the darkness.
The 1st, 2nd and 4th candles stand for Faith, Hope and Love and the 3rd rose candle stands for Joy and is lite on Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, so called for the first word of the Introit at Mass (Gaudete, i.e. Rejoice).
Another candle of White can be placed in the center of the Advent Wreath, or in a window, and is be lite on Christmas Eve in anticipation for Christ’s coming, as the Light that pierces the darkness of our world.
As we light each candle to mark each Sunday of Advent, we recite prayers and readings from scripture that take us through the story of Christs birth and ask God to make our hearts ready to receive the Greatest Gift of Christmas, JESUS!
After Christmas the lessons from the Advent wreath do not end. Every day is like a little Advent. The preparation of our hearts continues as we remember Christs promise to come again in Glory on the last day. As Catholics we also receive the most special grace of Christ in the Eucharist. As often as we eat of this bread, we proclaim the death of Lord and profess His resurrection. As the bride awaits her groom in the bed chamber, we await our Lord. May the Lord find us with our lamps lite when He comes.
Article written by Latrell Castanon for Christian Catholic Media
Latrell Castanon is a freelance writer who studied Catholic Theology at St. Joseph's College of Maine.
]]>Novels like Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons love to paint the Catholic church as an enemy of science and progress. However, many famous and influential scientists have actually been Catholic.
The Church and Heliocentrism
Nicolaus Copernicus, the first scientist to propose that the planets revolved around the sun, was actually a church official who worked in the office of his uncle, a Bishop. He was commissioned to help the church develop a more accurate calendar and his work On the Revolutions of Heavenly Bodies was dedicated to his patron, Pope Paul III.
It is true that the church rejected the work, though not violently. It is widely believed that Galileo Galilei was killed by the church for promoting the heliocentric theory. While It's true that Galileo was called before the inquisition, he was not executed by the church. Though he was asked not to publicly support heliocentrism, he lived the rest of his life in peace and comfort and continued writing.
Galileo has never been wholly exonerated by the church but the church is also no longer hostile to his views. Books by Galileo, Copernicus, and Kepler have all long been moved off of the church’s banned list. In recent history, popes have even praised the works of these early religious scientists.
The Church and Evolution
Hundreds of years later, another famous scientist would lay the grounds for the modern study of genetics. Gregor Mendel was the abbot of a catholic monetary but also spent years conducting experiments on flowers in the monastery's garden. These experiments would later find themselves on shelves next to the work of Charles Darwin, the founder of the theory of evolution.
Evolution is, of course, another issue that is made to look more controversial in the church than it really is. Official church documents state the belief in evolution and belief in God are not mutually exclusive.
Where Does the Rumor Come from?
So, if the Catholic church is not inherently against science, where does this miscommunication come from?
A lot of it has to do with ethics. Catholics and non-Catholic scientists often have different ethical standards. While the science may not be at odds, how it should be conducted may be.
One prescient example is that of stem cell research.
Different cells in our bodies that carry out different functions are structurally different. However, they are all made from template cells that can become any kind of cell in the body. These “template cells” are really called stem cells. These cells are highly sought after for advanced medical research.
The most convenient way to obtain stem cells is to harvest them from aborted fetuses. Because the Catholic Church teaches that life begins at conception and is categorically against abortion, they do not sanction research that uses stem cells from aborted fetuses.
So, while the Catholic church isn’t opposed to all stem cell research, critics will imply this on the grounds that the church is against research with embryonic stem cells.
In the end, the church is not now and never has been explicitly against science. The misconception that it is may be made out of ignorance but it is often made to promote a particular narrative. That narrative may be for entertainment or for political positioning.
Article written by Johnathan Jaehnig with Christian Catholic Media
Jon Jaehnig is a professional freelance writer and journalist, specializing in technology and health. He is a practicing Catholic and active Knight of Columbus living in upper Michigan, USA.
]]>1 Timothy 3: 14 - 16 - Beloved: I am writing you, although I hope to visit you soon. But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.
Undeniably great is the mystery of devotion, Who was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.
Do you agree?
Comment Below!
]]>Protestants Do NOT Believe in Bible Alone (Sola Scriptura).
The core of Protestant theology is the concept of Sola Scriptura or Bible Alone.
This means they believe that the Bible is their only basis from which they draw their theological beliefs.
If this is true, then Protestants should believe everything that is in the Bible, but do they?
Indeed, they do not.
We will prove this with the Bible.
In the Bible Christ says this is My Body This is My Blood.
Let's read John 6:54-57:
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me
Protestants say NO! It is not His Body or Blood.
In the Bible, Christ says confess to one another and tells the Apostles whose sins they forgive are forgiven, whose sins they do not forgive are not forgiven.
Let's read John 20:21-23:
"[Jesus] said to them again,“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Protestants say NO! Do not confess your sins to another human.
In the Bible, it teaches that Christ founded a Church.
Let's read Matthew 16:18-19:
"And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Protestants say Christ did not leave a Church, we can each get a bible and start our own churches.
So Protestants say NO! That Church is not the True Church; it is not Christian and it is the whore of Babylon.
The Bible says you are NOT saved by faith alone.
Let's read James 2:24:
“See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
Protestants say NO! You are justified by Faith Alone.
Now after all these things, do Protestants truly believe in the Bible alone?
It is very obvious that Protestants interpret the scripture to meet their man made theology, they do not set their theology to believe the Bible.
Hope you enjoyed this article.
God bless.
Do you agree? Disagree? Comment Below.
Article written by Jose Licea for Christian Catholic Media
Jose Licea is a Catholic Apologist who loves to study scripture and defend the Catholic faith.
]]>
Have you ever had a Protestant or Jehovah Witness tell you this?
As a Catholic this is easy to answer.
Here are some Bible verses proving that Calling someone Father is not against the Bible. It is actually commanded.
Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Genesis 45:8
So it was not really you but God who had me come here; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh,* lord of all his household, and ruler over the whole land of Egypt.
Job 29:16
I was a father to the poor;
the complaint of the stranger I pursued,
Ephesians 6:1-4
"1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is just.
2 Honour thy father and thy mother, which is the first commandment with a promise:
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest be long lived upon earth.
4 And you, fathers, provoke not your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and correction of the Lord."
1 Corinthians 4:15
"Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel."
Here St. Paul calls himself our Father in Christ through the Gospel.
Acts 7:2
To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of gloryappeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran.
Acts 22:1
“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”
Romans 9:10
And not only that, but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one husband, our father Isaac
What are Protestants and Jehovah Witness Talking About?
The Bible verse Non-Catholics reference when talking about call man father is Matthew 23:9 which reads:
Matthew 23:9
"And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven."
So What Did Jesus Mean?
What Jesus meant here is do not put any human or thing above your Heavenly Father, God.
In Matthew 23, Jesus was referencing the Pharisees who are being hypocrites.
He did not mean you cannot call your earthly father, father or a Priest Father. As we seen in 1 Corinthians 4:15 shows, St. Paul calls himself our Father in Christ.
If the person continues to say we shall call no man father, then they are going against St. Paul and against scripture.
The simple fact is that Protestants and Jehovah Witness follow man made traditions. They have no history as their founders are men.
The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ in 33 A.D., St. Peter was the first Pope.
If a person continues to not believe the bible, we cannot force them to believe scripture. You have planted the seed with the Holy Scriptures.
]]>
This is an extremely challenging belief for other Christian denominations to understand. In fact, it is at the center of the division between Catholics and many other Protestant groups. From the time of the early Church, people claimed that Catholics were cannibals who ate flesh and blood. Many modern groups take an opposite approach and claim that the bread and wine are harmless symbols, because they simply remind us of Christ’s words at the Last Supper. All these misconceptions are wrong.
Catholic beliefs about the Eucharist are rooted in Jesus’s own statements. At the Last Supper (Luke 22:19), Jesus declared while holding the bread, “This is my body which is given for you.” He did not say it was a symbol or a reminder or a representation. He said it is.
Similarly, in John 6: 53, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” These statements are clear, but even in Jesus’s time they were controversial. John 6:66 tells us that immediately after Jesus said this, many of His followers left. He had the opportunity to change or clarify his statement, but He didn’t. He meant exactly what He said. Shouldn’t we trust Jesus to tell the truth, even if it requires faith in something we can’t completely understand?
In 1551, the Council of Trent addressed Catholic beliefs about the Eucharist, which were under attack during the Protestant Reformation. “Because Christ our Redeemer said that is was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1376).
Transubstantiation is the Catholic belief that although the Eucharist still looks and tastes like bread or wine, it has transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. Therefore, Christ is truly, physically present in the Eucharist. The Council of Trent affirmed that “In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist, the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.” (CCC, 1374)
This is what Catholics mean by the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It is not a symbol or a reminder of something that happened long ago. Instead, the Eucharist is Christ’s ongoing gift to the Church. Through this sacrament, “he remains mysteriously in our midst as the one who loved us and gave himself up for us.” (CCC 1380).
When we understand the gift of the Eucharist, it is exciting and awe-inspiring. Even though it is a gift that requires our faith, it is still worthy of praise and thanksgiving.
Article written by Lizann Lightfoot for Christian Catholic Media.
Lizann Lightfoot is a Catholic military wife and mother who loves to share about her Catholic faith.
]]>The Eucharist is the consecrated bread shared by the faithful at Mass. Almost all Christian religions have some form of this sacrament, often called “communion.”
However, the Catholics are the only branch that believe that the Eucharist contains the real presence of Jesus, rather than being a symbolic gesture.
Where does this belief come from, and why isn’t it shared by the other Christian churches?
Communion in Scripture
The communion services of the Protestant churches and the Liturgy of the Eucharist in the Catholic church are all based on the Last Supper.
During the Last Supper (Mathew Ch. 26, Mark, Ch. 14, Luke Ch. 22, and John Ch.s 13-17) Jesus was celebrating Passover with his apostles for the last time before being arrested, put on trial, and summarily crucified.
The prayer that is said before communion is taken from the Last Supper sequence as recorded in the Synoptic Gospels (that is, Mathew, Mark, and Luke). As is typical for events recorded in multiple gospels, the event is not recorded in exactly the same way each time.
These deviations are one of the reasons that there is disagreement between the churches regarding whether the real presence of Jesus is in the Eucharist.
“Do This in Remembrance of Me”
The record of the Last Supper in Mark and Mathew is almost identical. Mathew 26:26-29, (Revised Standard Version) reads as follows:
Now, as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
This much is similarly recorded in the Gospel of Luke. However, in the Gospel of Luke, after Jesus breaks the bread, Jesus says “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).
Other Sources
As mentioned above, Protestants do not believe in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Many attribute this belief to the line added in Luke. The argument is that we replicate the Last Supper in remembrance of Jesus in the way that other historical events are re-enacted but not redone.
It may seem that Jesus was clear when he says “do this in remembrance of me.” However, a Catholic argument was that he seems equally clear when he says “this is my body … this is my blood” not “this represents my body, this represents my blood.”
The question of how Jesus could be present in the Eucharist has been a theological stumbling block since the Church Fathers. However, in Mathew 18:20, Jesus promises “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Further, while the passages mentioned above are the foundation for the sacrifice of the mass, they aren’t the only times when Jesus referred to himself as the bread of life. In John 6:51, Jesus says,
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The real question is this: Do you believe Jesus when he says, “this is my body… this is my blood”?
Article written by Johnathan Jaehnig with Christian Catholic Media
Jon Jaehnig is a professional freelance writer and journalist, specializing in technology and health. He is a practicing Catholic and active Knight of Columbus living in upper Michigan, USA.
]]>The doctrine holds that Mary was always a virgin; before, during, and after Christs birth and remained a virgin for her entire life (Aeiparthenos-ever virgin in the Greek). It was a belief held throughout all of early Christian history.
First and Second Century
1st Century writings from the Church focus on biblical interpretations of the gospel accounts relative to the virginal conception of Christ. A document from the 2nd Century, The Protoevangelium of James, speaks of Mary’s virginity before giving birth, the miraculous way in which she gave birth, and her physical virginity even after giving birth. These writings also mention the scriptures referencing Jesus’s brothers as being sons of Joseph from a previous marriage.
Church Fathers and Reformers Alike
There are claims by St. Jerome that St. Irenaeus (c. 130- C. 202) taught perpetual virginity in the 2nd century. Origin (185 – 284) documented strong support for the “brothers” of Jesus being Josephs from a former marriage.
By the 4th Century the Perpetual Virginity is well attested to. The Church Fathers affirmed the belief in her perpetual virginity within the 3rd century writings of St. Hippolytus of Rome, who called Mary "the tabernacle exempt from defilement and corruption", and 4th century works of St. Athanasius, Epiphanius, Hilary, Didymus, Ambrose, Jerome, and Pope Siricius.
During the Middle Ages the doctrine of Perpetual Virginity of Mary was defended and taught by St. John Chrysostom (347-407), Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine of Hippo, with the ever-growing stress placed on Marian piety. The role of Mary began to appear in the context of the history of salvation. St. Augustine produced several writings in defence of the doctrine of perpetual virginity by the end of the 4th century.
The Anglo-Catholic, Roman Catholic, and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches expressed this belief in their liturgies making reference to “ever virgin" (Greek: ἀειπάρθενος, translit. aeiparthenos). The Assyrian Church of the East also referred to Mary as “Ever-Virgin”.
Protestant reformers also strongly supported the doctrine including Luther, Latimer, and Cranmer, as well as John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church.
The Fifth Ecumenical Council held at Constantinople in 553 refer to Mary as aeiparthenos (i.e. ever-virgin) and a declaration of anathema was established against any who would deny the 'three chapters' on Marian doctrine. The declaration of the dogma was set down by Pope St. Martin I at the Lateran Synod in 649 A.D., where he declared it an article of faith.
Biblical Support
Biblical interpretation is paramount in understanding the doctrine of The Perpetual Virginity of Mary. Many scholars throughout the years have weighed in on the gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Most focus has been in understanding the accounts in the original Greek, interpretation of specific word meaning in relation to the context, including time, in which it was written. Again, interpretation, as taught within the Catholic Church, must be in light of Apostolic tradition passed on by the Church and the entire canon of scripture.
Jesus, seen as the fulfilment of the Law, was contained within Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant. Just as the Ark was holy and could not be deviled or even touched, so to the Virgin Mary was untouched by man.
Much of the contention revolved around the interpretation of the word “until’ in the Greek “Ηώς”. The word used in Matthew 1:25 is then compared to Jesus’s use of the word in Matthew 28:20 and in the context of its use in the Greek language. Within this context the word “until” does not refer to two separate time periods, but simply denotes a single period in time, and does not imply any necessary change afterward.
One of the best answers to the denial of Mary’s perpetual virginity was written in the 4th century and Martin Luther affirmed it (1946) and John Calvin affirmed it as well in his commentary on Matthew 1:25.
Biblical interpretation in the Catholic tradition requires reading the New Testament in light of the Old Testament. God reveals all His plan of salvation throughout scripture.
Mary’s perpetual virginity, as well as all other Marian Doctrine, tell us who Christ is. The Perpetual Virginity of Mary not only points to the purity of Mary herself, but also to the divine nature of her Son. He is the Son of God made flesh, The Savior of the world, 100% divine and 100% human. This has been a foundation of all doctrine of the Catholic Church and leads all believers to contemplate the profound mystery of the incarnation. This vessel, the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that contained the true God, must be set apart for this extraordinary purpose and will never lose its sacredness.
Article written by Latrell Castanon for Christian Catholic Media
Latrell Castanon is a freelance writer who studied Catholic Theology at St. Joseph's College of Maine.
]]>An “icon” is a depiction, or representation, of the image of a holy figure, usually a saint, Mary, Jesus or other religious figures, in the form of a painting. In iconography, Mary is represented as the Hodighitria, the one who guides us to the Redeemer. She is our “Help”, who intercedes on our behalf with her Son.
This famous icon, according to tradition, was obtained by a merchant on the island of Crete and he had it shipped to Rome near the end of the 15th Century. The ship was caught in a horrible storm that threatened the lives of the passengers and crew. They prayed for Our Blessed Mother to save them, and they survived.
After the icon arrived in Rome, the merchant, who laid on his death bed, ordered that the image be displayed for public veneration. His friend whom the merchant gave charge over the icon, received instruction in a dream to his little daughter, where the Blessed Mother appeared to her and requested for the image to be venerated in a Church between the Basilicas of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran in Rome. The image was then placed at the Church of St. Matthew and became known as “The Madonna of Saint Matthew.”
For the next three hundred years pilgrims flowed in to venerate the image and great graces flowed upon the faithful.
In 1812, after Napoleon’s army destroyed the Church of St. Matthew the icon was moved to St. Mary’s church in Posterula and was not cared for and forgotten.
In 1866, Blessed Pope Puis IX, transferred the icon to the Church of St. Alphonsus.
The feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was designated by Pope Pius IX, as the Sunday before the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The icon was venerated by many Popes, who found, as did the child Jesus, many graces and consolations in her arms.
The first miracle recorded in association with the icon was in 1867, during a solemn procession through the streets when a young child was cured. Many other miracles have been associated with the icon since.
To this day the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome displays the original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and faithful pilgrims from around the world visit the icon and pray for the guidance and assistance of the Blessed Virgin, who intercedes for us to her Son and keeps an ever-watchful eye on her spiritual children.
Let us pray…
Behold, O Mother of Perpetual Help,
at thy feet a wretched sinner,
who has recourse to thee and trusts in thee.
O Mother of mercy, have pity on me;
I hear all men call thee the refuge and hope of sinners:
be therefore my refuge and my hope.
Help me for the love of Jesus Christ:
hold out thy hand to a fallen wretch,
who commends himself to thee
and dedicates himself to be thy servant forever.
I praise and thank God,
who of His great mercy hath given me this confidence in thee,
a sure pledge of my eternal salvation.
Alas, it is only too true that in the past I have fallen miserably
because I did not come to thee.
I know that with thy help I shall conquer;
I know that thou wilt help me, if I commend myself to thee;
but I am fearful lest in the occasions of sin
I shall forget to call upon thee and so I shall be lost.
This grace, then, do I ask of thee;
for this I implore thee, as much as I can and know how to do;
namely, that in the assaults of hell
I may ever run to thy protection and may say to thee:
Mary, help me;
Mother of Perpetual Help, permit me not to lose my God.
Amen.
Article written by Latrell Castanon for Christian Catholic Media
Latrell Castanon is a freelance writer who studied Catholic Theology at St. Joseph's College of Maine.
On August 15 we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary. Many ask what are the biblical and historic (traditional) foundations for this Dogma of this Catholic Church?
The Dogma of The Assumption was declared by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950, after requesting detailed study of Marian doctrine in the 1940’s. He infallibly defined the teaching in a bull named Munificentissimus Deus (Latin, “Most Bountiful God”). Which stated:
The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory [Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus 44].
Pius XII explained, this is “a divinely revealed dogma” (ibid.) This means that it is a dogma in the proper sense, and thus a matter of faith that has been divinely revealed by God and infallibly proposed by the Magisterium of the Church.
Mary’s Assumption and Human Dignity
The declaration came at a pivotal time in history with the world still reeling from the effects of World War II and the evil propagated by the Nazi regime. Pope Pius XII could see the declination of humanity regarding man’s understanding of the dignity of the human person and wished to raise the eyes of human beings once again to their supernatural end.
Pope Pius knew that the inseparable nature of body and soul is no better comprehended than by the dormition and assumption of Mary, who was a perfect model of a holy Christian death. The artwork and icons of the church speak to the tradition (historical knowledge) of what is most commonly described through Eastern tradition as her dormition, or “falling asleep”, and the connection of the human body and soul.
Biblical and Traditional References for the Assumption
Although the belief is not directly referenced in the Bible, there is both historical/traditional and biblical foundation for this teaching.
The first trace of belief in the Immaculada Concepcion can be found in the apocryphal accounts entitled Transitus Mariae [Latin, “The Crossing Over of Mary”], whose origin dates to the second and third centuries. These are popular and sometimes romanticized depictions that, nonetheless, show an insight into the faith commonly shared at that point in history.
In the east, there was a long period of growing reflection on Mary’s destiny in the next world. This gradually led the faithful to believe in the glorious raising of the Mother of Jesus, in body and soul, and to the institution in the East of the liturgical feasts of the Dormition [“falling asleep”—i.e., death] and Assumption of Mary.
Pius XII called for the broad study and consultation within the Encyclical Deiparae Virginis Mariae(1946), inquiring among the Bishops of the world and, through them, among the clergy and the People of God as to the possibility and suitability of defining the bodily assumption of Mary as a dogma of faith.
There was a strong confirmation of the revelatory nature of the assumption: only six answers out of 1,181 showed any reservations about the truth of it.
St. John Paul II notes just how strongly the bible emphasized Mary's perfect union with Jesus’ purpose. Completely united with Christ in His life, suffering, saving work, and death; Mary shares His heavenly destiny both in body and soul. "Arise, O Lord, into your resting place: you and the ark, which you have sanctified" (Ps. 131:8);
Jason Evert (2001) points out that Enoch and Elijah were assumed into heaven (Heb. 11:5, 2 Kgs. 2:11), and in Matthew 27:52-53 he speaks of saints whose bodies left the grave after the Resurrection of Christ. The early resurrection of these saints foreshadows the rising of the faithful who will die in Christ, all of who will be assumed one day to receive their glorified bodies. Belief in the assumption of Mary is simply a belief that God granted her this gift early.
The Scriptures promise that those who suffer from Christ will be glorified with him (Rom. 8:17), so who more than Mary, whose heart was pierced by the suffering of her Son, should receive this unique glorification. (Evert, 2001)
The Fathers of the Church speak of the nature of the doctrine as it has come down to us, just as to Christians in the East, both Catholic and Orthodox, who refer to it as the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, or "the falling asleep of the Mother of God." The earliest printed reference to the belief that Mary's body was assumed into Heaven dates from the fourth century, in a document called "The Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God." The document is written in the voice of the St. John the Apostle, to whom Jesus entrusted the care of His mother, and it recounts the death, entombment, and assumption of the Blessed Virgin. Tradition variously places Mary's death at Jerusalem or at Ephesus, where John was living.
One of the most extensive works on the dormition and assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ( by Stephen Shoemaker (2006), Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, University of Oregon) surveys the literary, archaeological, and liturgical sources for early traditions of the Dormition, and is a worthwhile read for any Catholic or non-Catholic wishing to understand the Dogma of the Assumption.
No matter where you are in approaching the Dogma of the Assumption, it should point you first and foremost to the Divinity of Jesus Christ and His salvific power. Mary’s Assumption, as all teaching of the Catholic Church leads us back to Him. Always and everywhere the Church joins with Mary in her instruction to, “Do whatever He tells you”.
Article written by Latrell Castanon for Christian Catholic Media
Latrell Castanon is a freelance writer who studied Catholic Theology at St. Joseph's College of Maine.
REFERENCES
Pius XII (1946); Encyclical: Deiparae Virginis Mariae. http://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_01051946_deiparae-virginis-mariae.html
Pius XII (1950); APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION: MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS: DEFINING THE DOGMA OF THE ASSUMPTION. http://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-xii_apc_19501101_munificentissimus-deus.html
Evert, Jason (2001); Article: How to Argue for Mary’s Assumption. https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/how-to-argue-for-marys-assumption
Shoemaker, Stephen (2006); Book: The Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary's Dormition and Assumption (Oxford Early Christian Studies). https://amzn.to/2ykxzEr
]]>
Sacraments are outward signs of an inward grace instituted by Jesus Christ himself. According to St. Thomas Aquinas the “sacraments of the New Law…. both contain grace and confer it.” The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us:
“Seated at the right hand of the Father” and pouring out the Holy Spirit on his Body which is the Church, Christ now acts through the sacraments he instituted to communicate his grace. The sacraments are perceptible signs (words and actions) accessible to our human nature. By the action of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit they make present efficaciously the grace that they signify.” – CCC 1084
There are 7 Sacraments:
The First Sacrament: Baptism, is a regeneration or spiritual re-birth. The individual is a New Creation in the Spirit. "Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5
The Second Sacrament: Confirmation, is how the New Creation is spiritually strengthened. "But stay you in the city of Jerusalem till you be endued with power from on high." Luke 24:49
The Third Sacrament: The Eucharist, is how the New Creation is fed “with spiritual food”. "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you." John 6:54
The Fourth Sacrament: Sacrament of Penance, is how this New Creation is spiritually healed (freed from sin and its effects). "Heal, O Lord, my soul, for I have sinned against Thee." Psalm 41:4
The Fifth Sacrament: Anointing of the Sick, is offered to those who are mentally, spiritually, and physically sick. Is confers healing both in soul and in body. "Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him." James 5:14-15
The Last Two of the Sacraments: Holy Orders and Matrimony, are sacraments of service meant for the common good and building up of Christ’s Church. They strengthen the Church and are meant to increase it spiritually and physically. Holy Order through the Spirit and Matrimony through the physical body.
The Sacraments are what gives the Church the ability to live out the faith.
The Graces that are conferred on the faithful through them, are the way in which God shares His Divine Life with His people. They are gifts from God and are meant to assist each of us to be ever more conformed to Christ.
The more the faithful participate in the sacraments the more unified they are with Christ’s Body, The Church and therefore with Christ. “I am the vine; you the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
They quite literally create Heaven on Earth.
Article written by Latrell Castanon for Christian Catholic Media
Latrell Castanon is a freelance writer who studied Catholic Theology at St. Joseph's College of Maine.
]]>Whenever we kneel before statues of Our Lady and ask for her intercession, do we worship her? To the outsider, this is a disobedience of the first of the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).
The teaching of the Catholic Church is very clear: “The devotion to the holy Virgin is of a singular kind which differs essentially from the cult of adoration given only to the Most Holy Trinity. This special veneration directed to Mary finds particular expression in the liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and in Marian prayers such as the Holy Rosary, which is a compendium of the Gospel” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 198).
Our relationship with Mary essentially leads us to Jesus Christ because Mary is our intercessor with Him. Mary never keeps any we give her for herself.
Veneration and adoration
What does this special veneration for Mary mean? The terminologies used in catechisms are significant and one must carefully understand what they mean.
Veneration and adoration are types of honour that are distinct from each other. Mark Miravelle of Franciscan University of Steubenville says that the English word “worship” has connotations of both veneration and adoration, and so this could sometimes cause confusion. It would be helpful then if we could clearly be using either “worship of adoration” or “worship of veneration.”
In classical theology, terminologies are very specific. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, there are two types of veneration. The first is dulia, which is “the honor and reverence appropriately due to the excellence of a created person.” We commonly show this for people or things that deserve recognition and honor, such as student leaders, Olympic medalists, and national heroes. This is the same honor we give to saints.
The second type of veneration is hyperdulia, which is a special veneration due to Mary. Theologians use this term to indicate that it is greater than the ordinary dulia since Mary is the Mother of God. God himself granted her that honour.
And then there is latria or adoration which is due to God alone. It is the worship and homage that is rightly offered only to God. We submit and acknowledge our dependence on Him. We recognize Him as Creator and trust in His providence.
Honoring Mary
Do Catholics worship Mary or venerate her by virtue of "hyperdulia"? There are overwhelming reasons for us to render such great honor to Our Lady. We must remember that God honored her first. Through her fiat, her “yes” (Luke 1:38), God became Man. Isn’t it fascinating that even though God can do all things without the help of mortal beings, He still chose the Virgin Mary to be an instrument of His divine grace? He chose her to be the “Mother of God,” bearing the Son of God in her womb.
While hanging upon the cross, Jesus gave to us all His own mother when He said, “Behold your mother” (John 19:27). Mary is our mother and not some “goddess” in a strange pantheon of gods. This great mother leads us to a closer union with her Son, Jesus Christ.
Are you worried that this great love we give to Our Lady would make Jesus Christ jealous? St. Maximilian Kolbe has this to say: “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin Mary too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did, and if anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his mother, he will not have Christ for his brother.”
By loving and honoring Mary, we can grow in the ability to emulate her life—to make a complete and total gift of ourselves to God, to give God our own fiat. Through Mary we can grow to know and love her son, Jesus Christ, more deeply because she continuously directs our hearts to Him.
Article written by Gem Penetrante for Christian Catholic Media
Gem Penetrante is a freelance editor, columnist, language teacher and Catholic seminarian from the Philippines.
]]>