FACT: THE BIBLE IS A CATHOLIC HOLY BOOK!

Pope Damasus I was the bishop of Rome from October 366 to his death. He presided over the Council of Rome of 382 that determined the canon or official list of sacred scripture. He spoke out against major heresies in the church and encouraged production of the Vulgate Bible with his support for Jerome.

Council of Rome of 382 and the Biblical canon

One of the important works of Pope Damasus was to preside in the Council of Rome of 382 that determined the canon or official list of Sacred Scripture. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, states: A council probably held at Rome in 382 under Damasus gave a complete list of the canonical books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament (also known as the 'Gelasian Decree' because it was reproduced by Gelasius in 495), which is identical with the list given at Trent. American Catholic priest and historian William Jurgens stated: "The first part of this decree has long been known as the Decree of Damasus, and concerns the Holy Spirit and the seven-fold gifts. The second part of the decree is more familiarly known as the opening part of the Gelasian Decree, in regard to the canon of Scripture: De libris recipiendis vel non recipiendis. It is now commonly held that the part of the Gelasian Decree dealing with the accepted canon of Scripture is an authentic work of the Council of Rome of 382 A.D. and that Gelasius edited it again at the end of the fifth century, adding to it the catalog of the rejected books, the apocrypha. It is now almost universally accepted that these parts one and two of the Decree of Damasus are authentic parts of the Acts of the Council of Rome of 382 A.D." (Jurgens, Faith of the Early Fathers)

Jerome, the Vulgate and the Canon

Pope Damasus appointed Jerome as his confidential secretary. Invited to Rome originally to a synod of 382 convened to end the schism of Antioch, he made himself indispensable to the pope, and took a prominent place in his councils. Jerome spent three years (382–385) in Rome in close intercourse with Pope Damasus and the leading Christians. Writing in 409, Jerome remarked, "A great many years ago when I was helping Damasus, bishop of Rome with his ecclesiastical correspondence, and writing his answers to the questions referred to him by the councils of the east and west..."

In order to put an end to the marked divergences in the western texts of that period, Damasus encouraged the highly respected scholar Jerome to revise the available Old Latin versions of the Bible into a more accurate Latin on the basis of the Greek New Testament and the Septuagint, resulting in the Vulgate. According to Protestant biblical scholar, F.F. Bruce, the commissioning of the Vulgate was a key moment in fixing the biblical canon in the West.

Jerome devoted a very brief notice to Damasus in his De Viris Illustribus, written after Damasus' death: "he had a fine talent for making verses and published many brief works in heroic metre. He died in the reign of the emperor Theodosius at the age of almost eighty". Damasus may be the author of the anonymous Carmen contra paganos (song against the pagans).

[Source: Wikipedia]

The Church of Church Which is the Catholic Church is Still the Biggest, Oldest and Greatest!

[Originally posted at: Iglesia ni Cristo 33 A.D. blog]

There is no greater Church that the original Church of Christ and this is a FACT: The Iglesia Ni Cristo® - 1914, must accept that the Catholic Church is STILL the ONE and ONLY CHURCH OF CHRIST the LORD JESUS established on earth and no other. The CATHOLIC CHURCH was established in the First Century by the LORD Himself that's why the Church is STILL the OLDEST, THE BIGGEST and the GREATEST!

"... the Catholic Church is the world's BIGGEST and OLDEST organization. It has buried all of the greatest empires known to man, from the Romans to the Soviets. It has establishments literally all over the world, touching every area of human endeavor. It's given us some of the world's greatest thinkers, from Saint Augustine on down to René Girard. When it does things, it usually has a good reason."

-BUSINESS INSIDER: "Time To Admit It: The Church Has Always Been Right On Birth Control"

IGLESIA NI CRISTO® MUST WATCH!

Q: How Did the Catholic Church Get Her Name?

ANSWER:

The Creed which we recite on Sundays and holy days speaks of one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. As everybody knows, however, the Church referred to in this Creed is more commonly called just the Catholic Church. It is not, by the way, properly called the Roman Catholic Church, but simply the Catholic Church.

The term Roman Catholic is not used by the Church herself; it is a relatively modern term, and one, moreover, that is confined largely to the English language. The English-speaking bishops at the First Vatican Council in 1870, in fact, conducted a vigorous and successful campaign to insure that the term Roman Catholic was nowhere included in any of the Council’s official documents about the Church herself, and the term was not included.

Similarly, nowhere in the 16 documents of the Second Vatican Council will you find the term Roman Catholic. Pope Paul VI signed all the documents of the Second Vatican Council as “I, Paul. Bishop of the Catholic Church.” Simply that — Catholic Church. There are references to the Roman curia, the Roman missal, the Roman rite, etc., but when the adjective Roman is applied to the Church herself, it refers to the Diocese of Rome!

Q: When did the term “Roman Catholic Church” first come into being?

ANSWER:

It is not possible to give an exact year when the Catholic Church began to be called the “Roman Catholic Church,” but it is possible to approximate it. The term originates as an insult created by Anglicans who wished to refer to themselves as Catholic. They thus coined the term “Roman Catholic” to distinguish those in union with Rome from themselves and to create a sense in which they could refer to themselves as Catholics (by attempting to deprive actual Catholics to the right to the term).

Different variants of the “Roman” insult appeared at different times. The earliest form was the noun “Romanist” (one belonging to the Catholic Church), which appeared in England about 1515-1525. The next to develop was the adjective “Romish” (similar to something done or believed in the Catholic Church), which appeared around 1525-1535. Next came the noun “Roman Catholic” (one belonging to the Catholic Church), which was coined around 1595-1605. Shortly thereafter came the verb “to Romanize” (to make someone a Catholic or to become a Catholic), which appeared around 1600-10. Between 1665 and 1675 we got the noun “Romanism” (the system of Catholic beliefs and practices), and finally we got a latecomer term about 1815-1825, the noun “Roman Catholicism,” a synonym for the earlier “Romanism.”

A similar complex of insults arose around “pope.” About 1515-25 the Anglicans coined the term “papist” and later its derivative “papism.” A quick follow-up, in 1520-1530, was the adjective “popish.” Next came “popery” (1525-1535), then “papistry” (1540-1550), with its later derivatives, “papistical” and “papistic.” (Source: Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, 1995 ed.)

This complex of insults is revealing as it shows the depths of animosity English Protestants had toward the Church. No other religious body (perhaps no other group at all, even national or racial) has such a complex of insults against it woven into the English language as does the Catholic Church. Even today many Protestants who have no idea what the origin of the term is cannot bring themselves to say “Catholic” without qualifying it or replacing it with an insult.

Source: CatholicSay
November 1, 2014

WHY ARE CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT BIBLES DIFFERENT? WHO ORIGINALLY COMPILED THE BIBLE?

Modern-day Protestant pastors (even Born-Again) and Iglesia Ni Cristo® paid ministers avoided talking this topic by all honesty to their followers for fear of opening their hearts to the TRUTH about the CANONICAL ORIGIN of the WORD OF GOD called The BIBLE and WHO COMPILED them! -CD2000

Catholic Online: Catholic Bibles contain, and have always contained, all of the books of the Bible that have been traditionally accepted by Christians dating back to the time of Jesus. These accepted books total 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Protestant Bibles, however, have seven fewer books in their Old Testament. These seven books excluded in the Protestant Bible are Baruch, Sirach, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith and the Wisdom of Solomon, plus portions of Esther and Daniel.

These books were rejected by Protestant Reformers in the 1500s because elements in these books did not support certain Protestant theology and doctrines. Prior to the sixteenth century, however, all Christians used Bibles containing all 46 books of the Old Testament.

During the first century, there was much debate among the early Christians as to what made up the canon of Scripture.

The Church, having been given authority by Jesus Christ and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, compiled the Bible in the form that it exists today.

How much do you know about the Catholic Church?

Iglesia Ni Cristo® of Manalo, what have you contribution for the entire Christian Church? You only created confusion, lies, deceit and hate to the Catholic Church which you admitted as the true Church of Christ!-CD2000

 

How much do you know about the Catholic Church? Here are 10 fun facts you might not know. See how many you know and post your result in the comments! (Source: Catholic Hausa Choir forum)

Photo Source: ICM Creative Communication

1. Vatican City has the highest crime rate in the world! With a population around 500 people and a little over one crime per day, the Vatican crime rate is above 100 percent, per capita. Although the fact is shocking it should be remembered that the Vatican is about one square mile in size, and has nearly 20 million visitors annually. Most of the crimes are pickpockets, purse snatching and other petty offenses done by outsiders.

2. The ONLY Christian church in existence for the first 1,000 years of Christian history was the Roman Catholic Church. All other Christian churches which exist today can trace their linage back to the Roman Catholic Church. Most non-Catholic churches which exist today are less than a century or two old by comparison.

3. The Catholic Church consists of more than just the Roman Catholic Church. There are 22 Eastern Rites that are in full communion with Rome and although they go by different names, they are every bit as much a part of the Catholic Church.

4. Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, was Catholic and the first book ever printed was the Catholic Bible.

5. The Catholic Church is entirely responsible for the composition of the Bible, which books are included, as well as the breakup of the chapters and verses. Protestants have removed some books of the Bible because some of the verses were inconsistent with their theology. Martin Luther was a prime offender in this regard, removing Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach and Baruch. He also made an effort to remove James and Revelations, but this was rejected by his followers and those two books were kept. Catholics are often accused of "adding" the books, but despite this common belief, it is false. Older, pre-Protestant, Catholic translations of the Bible include them.

6. How many saints are recognized by the Catholic Church? There does not seem to be an official number, but it exceeds 10,000. Of course, any person who enters heaven is a saint, by definition, so it is certain the number of actual saints in existence is much greater than the number recognized by the Church.

7. Any Catholic may perform an emergency baptism, such as if a person is in grave danger of death. In such a case, the validity of the baptism only depends upon the wishes of the person being baptized, that they desire the baptism. There are specific guidelines for such practices that Catholics should follow. Anyone wishing to be prepared for such a case should refer to the catechism for a deeper understanding of this allowance. Generally, such practices ought to be left to trained clergy.

8. About 15 percent of all hospitals in the United States are Catholic hospitals. In some parts of the world, the Catholic Church provides the only healthcare, education and social services available to people.

9. The Catholic Church spends more money than Apple brings in. Expenditures by the Catholic Church, largely on charity, exceeded $170 billion in 2012, according to The Economist magazine. In that same year, Apple took in $157 billion in revenue..

10. The Pope is protected by the Swiss Papal Guard. Wearing uniforms designed by Michelangelo and commonly armed with halberds, they are capable of using heavier weapons if needed. Each member is Catholic, male, and Swiss, and must complete military training in Switzerland. They must demonstrate good conduct and be at least five-foot-eight in height. Those who are chosen are granted a private audience with the pope along with their families. In extreme circumstances, they are expected to guard the Holy Father with their lives. The Swiss Papal Guard is the oldest active military unit in continual existence since 1506.

The CATHOLIC CHURCH is the ONLY CHURCH of CHRIST and no other!

History points out to the Catholic Church as the only Church founded by Christ. Many churches tried to downplay this claim but they failed to provide any historical proof to debunk the claim.

The Catholic Church rightfully claims the title as the CHURCH OF CHRIST in the DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH:

This is the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic, (12*) which our Saviour, after His Resurrection, commissioned Peter to shepherd,(74) and him and the other apostles to extend and direct with authority,(75) which He erected for all ages as "the pillar and mainstay of the truth".(76) This Church constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him,(13*) although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity...

"Israel according to the flesh, which wandered as an exile in the desert, was already called the Church of God.(96) So likewise the new Israel which while living in this present age goes in search of a future and abiding city (97) is called the Church of Christ...

"Israel according to the flesh, which wandered as an exile in the desert, was already called the Church of God.(96) So likewise the new Israel which while living in this present age goes in search of a future and abiding city (97) is called the Church of Christ."

Among it's claimers as "Christ's Church" is the Iglesia ni Cristo founded by an apostate Felix Manalo according to what was prophesied in the Bible "some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Tim 4:1) Also verses from 2 Peter 2:1-22.

In 2 John 1:7

 "I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist."

Felix Manalo DENIED JESUS as GOD coming in the FLESH. Such person is "THE DECEIVER AND THE ANTI-CHRIST"

Here is the confirmation from the Iglesia ni Cristo that the CATHOLIC CHURCH is the only valid CHURCH OF CHRIST that JESUS had FOUNDED!

PASUGO Abril 1966, p. 46:
“Ang totoo hanggang sa kasalukuyan ay patuloy na ginagawa ni Satanas ang pagpapasok ng mga maling aral sa Iglesia Katolika na sa pasimula'y siyang Iglesia ni Cristo. Sadyang matalino at tuso ang diablo. Hindi niya ginawang biglaan ang pagtalikod sa Iglesiang itinayo ni Cristo noong unang siglo."

PASUGO July August 1988 pp. 6.
“Even secular history shows a direct time link between the Catholic Church and the Apostles, leading to the conclusion that the true Church of Christ is the Catholic Church.”

Do we need any further proof? Please come back to the ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC and APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF CHRIST!

An Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) blogger branded the Catholic Church as "The CHURCH"

That's because the Bible simply calls the Church founded by Christ as "The CHURCH". In grammar, the article "the" followed by a noun is definitive.

Here is what the dictionary explanation:

The definite article the is the most frequent word in English.

We use the definite article in front of a noun when we believe the hearer/reader knows exactly what we are referring to.

• because there is only one:

The Pope is visiting Russia.
The moon is very bright tonight.
The Shah of Iran was deposed in 1979.

This is why we use the definite article with a superlative adjective:

He is the tallest boy in the class.
It is the oldest building in the town.

• because there is only one in that place or in those surroundings:

Therefore from the mouth of the enemies of The CHURCH, we proclaim the truthfulness of THE CHURCH known througout the whole world as THE ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC and APOSTOLIC CHURCH of CHRIST!

Catholic teachings challenge increasingly progressive world: A Book Review

Author predicts Catholicism will not and should not change despite calls for acceptance of same sex marriage, female priests and an end to celibacy. [Iglesia ni Cristo cult members should note this!]

By Thomas Maupin Published: January 19, 2014 from NewsOK.com [all highlights are mine]

The Catholic Church has been around for roughly 2,000 years. With more than 1 billion members, it is one of the largest institutions — if not the largest institution — in the world. It has survived persecutions, heresies, the Great Schism and the Protestant Reformation. But what is its future?

Canadian writer Michael Coren, a 1985 convert to Catholicism, takes a look at his faith's future.

In the introduction, Coren looks back to the March 2013 papal election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio and the questions of how the new Pope Francis would shape the church. Coren says the church might change some things but cannot and will not change its teachings.

Coren write, “The book is called ‘The Future of Catholicism,' not ‘How to Make Failed Catholics Feel Good About Themselves,' or ‘A Handbook for Catholics Who Want a More Protestant Church.'”

He reminds us the church “does not exist to change the faith to reflect the world but to change the world to reflect the faith.”

Coren believes the church's stand on traditional marriage will be “a point of persecution” for Catholics.

Some other faiths allow same-sex marriage, and Coren says many Protestants have converted to Catholicism because of its defense of traditional marriage. As more faiths and governments support same-sex marriage, Coren predicts the future Catholic Church “will be as countercultural as it was in its earliest days.”

You can't write about the church and avoid abortion and birth control. Coren covers the church's position on those issues and stresses the faith will not change its teachings just because the same old arguments are brought up by the opposition. He says the church's teaching is not about denying a woman's rights; it is about “expanding life.” On these issues, he advises the church “needs to explain not what its critics think it believes but it actually believes about this so personal and delicate an issue.” He warns that misunderstanding, abuse and anger will face the church because of the issues.

Early Christianity is Catholicism! Therefore IT IS the only CHURCH!

For the first thousand years of Christianity there was no "Roman Catholicism" as we know it today, simply because there was no Eastern Orthodoxy or Protestantism to distinguish it. There was only the "one, holy, catholic church" affirmed by the early creeds, which was the body of Christian believers all over the world, united by common traditions, beliefs, church structure and worship (catholic simply means "universal"). Thus, throughout the Middle Ages, if you were a Christian, you belonged to the Catholic Church. Any Christianity other than the Catholic Church was a heresy, not a denomination.

-Religion Facts

VATICAN CITY: The Smallest Country in the World yet has One of the Most Powerful Leader

Forgive me if this sounds bragging to non-Catholics but it's a FACT that the Vatican City State is considered the smallest country in the world and it's a member of the United Nations.

Many Catholics do not know that the Vatican State is an Independent State within the City of Rome that is considered a “country” by the United Nations.

Its official name in English is The State of the Vatican City (Stato della Città del Vaticano) and is the smallest country in the world having only around 1,000 population mostly non-Italian citizens.

Here are some facts about the Vatican City State mostly taken from CIA The World Fact Book:

• The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world with the smallest population mostly religious priest, nuns and Catholic laity. It measures 44 hectares ( 110 acres) and has a population of about 1000 people.
• The Vatican has its own radio station which is located in a tower inside the Vatican Gardens and broadcasts in 20 languages throughout the world where you can update yourself about the Pope and the Vatican.
• The Vatican City has its own railway station which was opened in 1930 and is mostly used for freight.
• St Peter's Square and the colonnade were designed and built by Bernini which was completed in 1667. At 314 meters long and 240 meters wide it is the largest square in Rome. Bernini (with the help of his pupils) designed the 140 statues of saints which decorate the colonnade.
• The Vatican has its own Post office independent from Rome and issues its own stamps to the delight of many stamp collectors. The Vatican mail system is widely used by Romans as in most cases is a lot quicker than Italian mail.
• The Vatican City issues its own passports; the Pope, cardinals, members of the Swiss guard and clergy being the recipients.
• The Vatican City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the only site to encompass a whole country. 
• The Vatican stamps its own coins. The €1 coin which has a portrait of the present Pope is in high demand with collectors. 
• The Vatican museums are over 9 miles (14,5 kilometers) long, and it is said that if you spent only 1 minute admiring each painting it would take you 4 years to complete the circuit!
• As an independent state, it has its own Flag and National Anthem.
• The Vatican City's official language is Latin, apart from Italian and other major world languages.
• The Pope is the Head of State and Head of the the 1.1 billion Catholics in the world.
• It has its own set of laws called The Canon Law.
• St. Simon Peter was buried beneath the St. Peter's Cathedral.

Why the smallest country and considered having one of the most powerful leaders of the world? It's because the Vatican is the residence of the Pope, head of the Catholic Church which is now 1.1 billion.

The Pope was named No. 5 Most Powerful World Leader by Forbes in 2010.

The top 10 most powerful people are:

1. Chinese President Hu Jintao
2. U.S. President Barack Obama
3. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia 
4. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin 
5. Pope Benedict XVI, leader of World's 1.1 billion Catholics 
6. German Chancellor Angela Merkel
7. British Prime Minister David Cameron
8. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke
9. Indian National Congress President Sonia Gandhi
10. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

According to the magazine, the Pope was named the “highest earthly authority for 1.1 billion souls,” which represents one-sixth of the world's population. He was noted for “healing old wounds” in September when he became the first modern pope to visit London's Westminster Abbey, where he shook the hand of a clergywoman.

Pope, Roman Catholic Church: Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd after he presided over a Mass at Westminster Cathedral in central London, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010. Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday he was ashamed of the "unspeakable" sexual abuse of children by priests, telling the British faithful during Mass in Westminster Cathedral that he was deeply sorry and hoped the church's humiliation would help victims heal. Benedict also said he hoped the church would be able to use its contrition to purify itself from the "sins" of its ministers and be able to renew its commitment to educating the young.

So the next time you visit Rome, try to visit the Smallest Country in the world and if you have the chance to shake hands with 5th World's Most Powerful Leader would be a bonus. Don't forget to pray for his health and safety too, and pray for the Church he is representing on earth.

CIA Factbook on Catholicism

[From CIA Factbook] - Catholicism (or Roman Catholicism): This is the oldest established western Christian church and the world's largest single religious body. It is supranational, and recognizes a hierarchical structure with the Pope, or Bishop of Rome, as its head, located at the Vatican. Catholics believe the Pope is the divinely ordered head of the Church from a direct spiritual legacy of Jesus' apostle Peter. Catholicism is comprised of 23 particular Churches, or Rites - one Western (Roman or Latin-Rite) and 22 Eastern. The Latin Rite is by far the largest, making up about 98% of Catholic membership. Eastern-Rite Churches, such as the Maronite Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church, are in communion with Rome although they preserve their own worship traditions and their immediate hierarchy consists of clergy within their own rite. The Catholic Church has a comprehensive theological and moral doctrine specified for believers in its catechism, which makes it unique among most forms of Christianity.

Making Straight the Way: An Anglican Homecoming

In Depth Analysis

by Dr. Jeff Mirus, September 9, 2010, catholicculture.org

When Father John Fleming converted to Catholicism in 1987, he couldn’t foresee that he would play an instrumental role in the request of the Traditional Anglican Communion for reunion with Rome in 2007, which in turn had a major impact on Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus in 2009. An Australian, Fleming was ordained an Anglican priest in 1970. He married in 1975, and he and his wife were already raising their three daughters when they both converted. After living as a Catholic layman for eight years, Fleming was ordained a Catholic priest in 1995. In this case, the rest really is history.

The Traditional Anglican Communion, which consists of 38 bishops representing some 400,000 faithful throughout the world, was established in 1990 to salvage traditional Anglicanism (conceived of as Anglo-Catholicism). From the first, the TAC was also deeply interested in reunion with Rome. At first its leaders pursued this objective by seeking to set up ecumenical talks between themselves and the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. But there were Catholic divisions over how best to handle ecumenical affairs, and the Council for Christian Unity was reluctant to enter into talks with the TAC lest such talks harm ecumenical prospects with the far larger Anglican Communion.

It was a tough position for a relatively small but very significant Anglican group which has come to appreciate more deeply the need for papal authority as a result of the doctrinal and disciplinary disintegration of this same mainstream Anglican Communion. Still facing such reluctance in 2005 after nearly fifteen years of effort, Archbishop John Hepworth, Primate of the TAC, sought advice from an old friend—a Catholic priest and convert with the closest possible ties to Anglicanism, a leading thinker and strategist, and a man whom Hepworth had served as an Anglican parochial assistant in the mid-1980's: Fr. John Fleming.

Fleming’s advice was clear and pointed: Forget ecumenical talks, he advised. Don’t give the theologians or the ecumenicists anything to discuss. Just tell the Vatican you accept the primacy of Peter, believe everything in the Catechism, and want to be brought corporately into full communion with the Catholic Church, with your legitimate traditions intact, as soon as possible. Hepworth, and ultimately all the other TAC bishops, endorsed the new strategy. Their petition for incorporation (called “The Portsmouth Petition”), adopted in 2007, had the effect of putting the matter before the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where it was well received by Cardinal William Levada. The petition also became a critical motive for Pope Benedict’s commitment to make provision for exactly this circumstance on a broader scale. Within two years, the Church issued the Apostolic Constitution which made the TAC’s incorporation possible, hopefully as the first of many similar initiatives to come.

This story is told by both Fr. Fleming and Archbishop Hepworth in the last chapter of Fleming’s new book, Convinced by the Truth: Embracing the Fullness of Catholic Faith. But the book, though fairly brief at 130 pages, is really something very much more. It is, first, the story of Fr. Fleming’s own conversion, and that of his wife Alison and their daughters, set against the disintegration of the Anglican Communion, and the growing realization that the Anglicans had no authority principle with which to preserve the Christian Faith. Along the way, in the third chapter (“Anglican Chaos—Self-Inflicted Wounds”), Fleming provides the finest succinct exposition I have ever seen of the problem posed by the ordination of women, which was the primary flashpoint for the crisis of authority among Anglicans.

Second, the book is a moving commentary on Catholic teaching about the Eucharist, which is ultimately what drew Fleming home to the Church. Fleming explains the sense in which the Mass is a sacrifice, and demonstrates that a proper understanding of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist does not contradict human reason. This chapter, directed at those still struggling with Catholic claims, is another of the book’s gems; it offers a remarkably lucid explanation of the Eucharist, and one sure to enrich any reader’s faith. Fleming’s prose is both warm and clear, and he handles theological and philosophical issues without either confusing the uninitiated or boring those who already know the answers.

These first two parts of the book more than justify the price of admission, but there is all that history as well—the moving story of the Traditional Anglican Communion’s quest for union with Rome. It is a history which gathers up all the prior personal and theological discussions as essential context, so that the reader understands not only the ecclesiastical strategies but also the intensely personal struggles which have now led so many Christian believers to thirst for Catholic unity.

Yet Fr. Fleming’s book is even something more than this. It is a sign of hope in an age in which both Catholicism and Christianity appear to be on the run, losing ground moment by moment, being swept onto the ash heap of history. The book reminds us that there is so much that we do not see, and that none of us can explain the explosive moments of grace which lead either to deeper conversion and renewal or to widespread Catholic growth. We must remember, for example, the limitations of our secular Western experience, for the Church is far more robust in the rising global south, especially in Africa (where, not incidentally, the TAC is also well-represented). But we also need to remember that the scandal of Christian disunity has been giving skepticism, agnosticism and atheism a leg up for nearly five hundred years, and that a resurgence of Christian unity would undoubtedly give them a corresponding leg down.

I recall Pope John Paul II’s optimism about a new springtime for the Church and about imminent reunion with the Orthodox. Some of us smiled then, but now we see on every side a dramatic improvement in Catholic-Orthodox relations. Even closer at hand, in the Anglican problem, we have something equally momentous. We have the very first religious body born of the Reformation to seek reunion with Rome. Is it not possible that what has begun as a trickle might end as a cataract? Clearly, the Holy Spirit is even now powerfully at work.

This review would be incomplete without my own personal note. If I were either a committed Australian Catholic or a student of the prospects for Anglican reunion (or, in fact, a bioethicist), I would undoubtedly have had many reasons to be aware of Fr. John Fleming’s work for quite some time. Among other achievements, he was the founding Director of the Southern Cross Bioethics Institute in Adelaide and the founding President of Campion College Australia, the nation’s first Catholic liberal arts college. He has also been a Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life since 1996. As it is, I first learned of him in 2009 when he joined (and provided a picture for) our Rogue’s Gallery—a group of people who highly value this web site, and are more than happy to say why!

I hasten to add that this does not guarantee a favorable book review, but it does place both reviewer and readers alike in extraordinarily good company. To learn why, read Fr. John I. Fleming’s informative, engrossing and inspiring book, Convinced by the Truth.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[John I. Fleming, Convinced by the Truth: Embracing the Fullness of Catholic Faith (Modotti Press, an imprint of Connor Court Publishing: Ballan, VIC, Australia, 2010) 130pp. Paper]

The Rites of the Catholic Church

[Source: Catholic News Agency] - It may surprise most people to know that there are many different rites within the Catholic Church. Before discussing these rites it is important to note that different sources disagree on exactly what constitutes a rite and exactly how many there are.

A rite represents an ecclesiastical tradition about how the sacraments are to be celebrated. As the early Church grew and spread, it celebrated the sacraments as would be best understood and received in the context of individual cultures, without ever changing their essential form and matter. The early Church sought to evangelize in the major cultural centers of the first centuries A.D. These centers were Rome, Antioch (Syria), and Alexandria (Egypt). All the rites in use today evolved from the liturgical practices and ecclesiastical organization used by the churches in these cities.

The Church of Christ represented in these ecclesiastical traditions is known as a ritual church. The church in a certain territory is known as a particular church.

The Catholic Encyclopedia describes the situation this way: "Within the Catholic Church ... Canonical rites, which are of equal dignity, enjoy the same rights, and are under the same obligations. Although the particular churches possess their own hierarchy, differ in liturgical and ecclesiastical discipline, and possess their own spiritual heritage, they are all entrusted to the pastoral government of the Roman pontiff, the divinely appointed successor of St. Peter in the Primacy.

The Catechism lists seven rites. These rites so listed: Latin, Byzantine, Alexandrian, Syriac, Armenian, Maronite, and Chaldean,2 are actually families of liturgical expression. These rites are the descendants of the liturgical practices that originated in centers of Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria. Each will be discussed in turn.

LATIN. The Pope has several titles. He is the Bishop of Rome, Vicar of the universal Church, Primate of Italy; hmong others. As the Bishop of Rome he is the head of the Latin or Roman rite. This is by far the largest rite in the Church. It was founded by St. Peter in Rome around 42 A.D. The current Eucharistic liturgy was handed down more or less intact from at least the 4th century. This was the liturgy used in Rome. There were other liturgies used in the West up to the Council of Trent (1526-1570). After the Council of Trent only the Roman liturgy could be used. The only exceptions were liturgical practices that were more than 200 years old.

The Pope is also vicar of these other liturgical rites that date from before the Council of Trent. These rites include the Mozarabic rite from Spain, the Ambrosian rite from Milan, Italy, named after St. Ambrose (340-397), the Bragan rite from Portugal, and the order liturgies of the Dominican, Carmelite, and Carthusian orders.

As Vicar of the universal Church, the Pope is shepherd of the rites of the West and the East. The eastern rites which have a separate code of canon law, are completely equal in dignity with the rites of the West. All of these eastern ritual churches come under the jurisdiction of the Pope through the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, one of the offices of the Roman Curia. The rites are administered by either a Patriarch, a Major Archbishop, a Metropolitan, or have some other arrangement. Patriarchs are elected by a synod of bishops of their rite, and then request ecclesiastical communion from the Pope. Major Archbishops are also elected by a synod of bishops of their rite, but then are approved by the Pope before they take office. Metropolitans are picked by the Pope from a list given by a synod of bishops.

BYZANTINE. The largest of these eastern rites is the Byzantine. The Byzantine liturgy is based on liturgy developed by St. James for the Antiochaian church, but modified by St. Basil (329-379) and St. John Chrysostom (344-407). This liturgy is similar if not identical to the liturgy used by the Orthodox churches. After the schism between the churches in Rome and Constantinople in 1054, many particular churches remained separated from Rome. Over the years some of these churches came back into union. These churches after they returned to the fold have generally been treated as separate rites based on their particular location, even though they have similar if not identical liturgy. The churches using the Byzantine liturgy include the Albanian, Belarussian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Greek, Hungarian, Italo-Albanian, Melkite, Romanian, Russian, Ruthenian, Slovak, and Ukrainian.

ALEXANDRIAN. The liturgy used by the church in Alexandria in Egypt is attributed to St. Mark the evangelist. This church became known as the Coptic church because Copt is the Arabic and Greek word for Egyptian. Before the Moslem invasion in 641 the Copts fell into heresy due to their rejection of the Council of Chalcedon (451). Through missionary work, some of these were brought back into union in recent years. Today there exists in Egypt the Coptic rite which is Orthodox and the Coptic rite that is loyal to the Bishop of Rome.

The Ge'ez rite based in Ethiopia is closely associated with the Coptic rite. Missionaries from Alexandria spread the faith in Ethiopia in the 4th century. The native language (Ge'ez) was used instead of Greek in the liturgy. The church in Ethiopia also fell into heresy after the Council of Chalcedon but was brought back through missionary efforts in the past few centuries. This is a very recently defined rite since the Metropolitan See was only established in 1961.

SYRIAC. The liturgy of the Syriac rite is attributed to St. James the Apostle. This liturgy was used by the church in Antioch in present day Syria. Many bishops in this area also broke away after the Council of Chalcedon. They stopped using Greek and used the Syriac language in their liturgy. The Syriac language is similar to Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke. Through the work of Jesuit and Capuchin missionaries many members of this rite returned to union with Rome, including the Patriarch of this rite in 1781.

The Malankarese rite developed in India. They trace their Christian lineage to St. Thomas the Apostle who traveled to South India and founded a church. This rite was in union with the Assyrian (Chaldean) church which had fallen into the Nestorian heresy after the Council of Ephesus in 431. This church was "discovered" by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century. After attempts to "latinize" the rite, many broke away to form their own rite under the control of the Syrian Patriarch. In the 1920's and 30's four bishops of this rite were reunited with Rome, and many members of their rite followed. This rite is located in Kerala State, India.

ARMENIAN. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century. They used the Antiochine liturgy of St. James said in the Armenian language. At that time Armenia was located in eastern Turkey. After it was destroyed in the 11th century it moved to Cilicia (southern Turkey). That is why to this day the Patriarch of this rite is known as the Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians. The Armenians also fell into heresy after the Council of Chalcedon. The Council of Florence in 1439 declared reunion with the Armenians, and Pope Benedict XIV confirmed the first Patriarch in 1742. The Turks massacred roughly two million Armenians at the end of World War I. Most members of this rite live in Lebanon.

MARONITE. The Maronite rite traces its origins to the work of St. Maron in the 4th century who founded a monastery east of Antioch. Later monks moved to the mountains in what is today Lebanon. This rite never fell into heresy and was only separated from Rome by the political reality of Moslem or Ottoman occupation. The Maronites use a hybrid liturgy based on the Antiochian St. James. Maronites make up 17% of the population of Lebanon and by the law of that country the president of Lebanon is always a Maronite.

CHALDEAN. The people in modern day Iran and Iraq were once known as the Assyrians. The church established itself there very early but the people in this area fell into the heresy of Nestorianism in the 5th century. After missionary efforts many returned to union with Rome, and in 1553 Pope Julius III proclaimed the first Patriarch of the Chaldeans. Chaldean is the biblical term used for those from Babylon. Today the Patriarch of this rite located in Bagdad, Iraq where most of the members of this rite live.

SYRO-MALABAR: The Malabar rite is based in India. Its members are descendants of the Thomas Christians and could be called a brother rite to the Malankarese. The Malabar rite never broke with Rome despite the conflict with the Portuguese in the 16th century. They are generally grouped with the Chaldean family of rites because the Assyrian (later called Chaldean) church provided their bishops until the Portuguese took over that task. Also their liturgy was originally in the Syriac language which the Chaldean church used. Although an ancient rite, it had no single administrator until Pope John Paul II appointed a Major Archbishop in 1992.

All the rites of the Catholic Church are of equal dignity and equally valid. Attendance at a different rite fulfills the Sunday obligation. The Catholic Church is truly universal since it unites so many diverse rites, whose members share a common faith.

THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY: A BELIEF SINCE APOSTOLIC TIMES

By Father Clifford Stevens - EWTN

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Assumption is the oldest feast day of Our Lady, but we don't know how it first came to be celebrated.

Its origin is lost in those days when Jerusalem was restored as a sacred city, at the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337). By then it had been a pagan city for two centuries, ever since Emperor Hadrian (76-138) had leveled it around the year 135 and rebuilt it as in honor of Jupiter.

For 200 years, every memory of Jesus was obliterated from the city, and the sites made holy by His life, death and Resurrection became pagan temples.

After the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 336, the sacred sites began to be restored and memories of the life of Our Lord began to be celebrated by the people of Jerusalem. One of the memories about his mother centered around the "Tomb of Mary," close to Mount Zion, where the early Christian community had lived.

On the hill itself was the "Place of Dormition," the spot of Mary's "falling asleep," where she had died. The "Tomb of Mary" was where she was buried.

At this time, the "Memory of Mary" was being celebrated. Later it was to become our feast of the Assumption.

For a time, the "Memory of Mary" was marked only in Palestine, but then it was extended by the emperor to all the churches of the East. In the seventh century, it began to be celebrated in Rome under the title of the "Falling Asleep" ("Dormitio") of the Mother of God.

Soon the name was changed to the "Assumption of Mary," since there was more to the feast than her dying. It also proclaimed that she had been taken up, body and soul, into heaven.

That belief was ancient, dating back to the apostles themselves. What was clear from the beginning was that there were no relics of Mary to be venerated, and that an empty tomb stood on the edge of Jerusalem near the site of her death. That location also soon became a place of pilgrimage. (Today, the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary stands on the spot.)

At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, when bishops from throughout the Mediterranean world gathered in Constantinople, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol. The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem, that "Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later . . . was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven."

In the eighth century, St. John Damascene was known for giving sermons at the holy places in Jerusalem. At the Tomb of Mary, he expressed the belief of the Church on the meaning of the feast: "Although the body was duly buried, it did not remain in the state of death, neither was it dissolved by decay. . . . You were transferred to your heavenly home, O Lady, Queen and Mother of God in truth."

All the feast days of Mary mark the great mysteries of her life and her part in the work of redemption. The central mystery of her life and person is her divine motherhood, celebrated both at Christmas and a week later (Jan. 1) on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) marks the preparation for that motherhood, so that she had the fullness of grace from the first moment of her existence, completely untouched by sin. Her whole being throbbed with divine life from the very beginning, readying her for the exalted role of mother of the Savior.

The Assumption completes God's work in her since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption. The Assumption is God's crowning of His work as Mary ends her earthly life and enters eternity. The feast turns our eyes in that direction, where we will follow when our earthly life is over.

The feast days of the Church are not just the commemoration of historical events; they do not look only to the past. They look to the present and to the future and give us an insight into our own relationship with God. The Assumption looks to eternity and gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended.

The prayer for the feast reads: "All-powerful and ever-living God: You raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul, to the glory of heaven. May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory."

In 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution , Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church in these words: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven."

With that, an ancient belief became Catholic doctrine and the Assumption was declared a truth revealed by God.

Family – Still the Basic Indestructible Structure of our Society

Photo Source:familylifenz

Why the Catholic Church opposes “gay lifestyle” and the promotion of “same-sex marriages”, “abortion”, “artificial contraceptives”, euthanasia, etc?

Secular society cannot change what nature has designed. It is a fact that the basic and indestructible bond that weaves us together is the family. It was tested from ancient civilization to the present. What is not normal will remain “not normal” no matter how the secular government would like to whitewash it. Our timidity, lack of moral responsibility poses a greater risk in the family, threatening within the basic unit of our society—the family a cancerous ideology that could hurt us together. I believe it is not right to think that everything and everyone should have equal rights for male and female we are never the same in responsibility.

The recent development (I call it moral regression) in Argentina should open our eyes what would happen if there would be no traditional families with fathers and mothers nurturing their children to be morally responsible citizens of our countries. What would happen if we paraded nakedness in “pride” (gay) marches and glorify nudity and sex instead of parading Christian heroes like the saints?.

We are moving very fast to our own devastation. These activities are sure means in dissolving that relationship, weakening our sense of family by these false ideologies masquerading as “basic rights”. Dissolving our families create a greater disorder in our survival as a community of families.

I cannot agree more than what Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL wrote in his Kerygma reflections when he said:

“If the family unit is weakened, society is weakened. If the family unit collapses, it won’t be long before this happens to society as well. We see the results of family breakdown in society today in terms of the lack of respect that children have for their elders, the lack of responsibility in various sectors of society, drugs, alcoholism and other extreme forms of behavior. We can throw all the money that we want in looking for solutions to these problems but the only real solution will be derived from the strengthening of the family unit. Restoring relationships within families and instilling the necessary formation into children will stand them in good stead later in life and a better society will emerge.”

Can married gay couples produce their own offspring? If they’d adopt a child, they should realize that that child isn’t just a thing. It’s a result of the union of a man and a woman. Every child deserves a family where he/she is loved and he can love. Only genuine parents of “father and mother” can give that. Nature is designed family like that. to a healthy family where he has a father and a mother who alone can nurture that love—beyond the sphere of just having “sex.”

We haven’t lost our hope yet. Still there is the Catholic Church where we all can shelter during winter of callousness. When the sunset of human pride, sinfulness and faithlessness darken the door our faith, we look upon the bright light of Christ in his Church—she will guide us to the right path.

Catholics ought to listen to what the Church teaches. It will surely lead as one family under the guidance of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One God—with the Blessed Mother on our side, with the Saints, those who are awaiting for their salvation in the Purgatory and us still journeying, sharing in the One Body of Christ as our Paschal meal to the heavenly banquet prepared for the elect.

May we, member of the Catholic Church of Christ uphold this truth that family is still the basic indestructible structure our society needs.

Mother Teresa of Calcuta's Legacy by CNN

“By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.” - Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

No other religions on earth has the kind of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. And no other Christian sects or cults like the Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism etc. produced saintly men and women like the Catholic Church. This is because one of the Four Marks of the Church of Christ is Holy. Thanks to CNN for highlighting the life of Blessed Mother Teresa as a Catholic nun who has showed us how to love even in our own nothingness.

You can read her other significant biographies here or here or here or here

Diplomatic squabbles over Mother Teresa's legacy

(CNN) -- August marks the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa's birth and few will be prouder than the citizens of her birthplace Skopje.

However, such is the appeal of the world's most famous Catholic nun and humanitarian that since her death there have been diplomatic squabbles over which nation can lay claim to her.

Last year, Albania called for her remains to be returned to lay alongside her mother and sister in the capital Tirana. India rejected the plea on the grounds that she was an Indian citizen.

India, where she made her life's work, has made it clear that Mother Teresa, buried in the heart of Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), will not be leaving her final resting place. "Mother Teresa was a citizen of India," said Vishnu Prakash, spokesman for the country's external affairs ministry.

Mother Teresa, however, acknowledged herself as a world citizen, saying: "By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus."

At the time of her birth, August 26, 1910, Skopje was part of the Ottoman Empire, now the capital of Macedonia.

A long-held dream for many in Skopje was realized in January last year when a memorial house was opened on the site of the Heart of Jesus Catholic Church where she was baptized and which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1963.

The museum, funded by the Ministry of Culture and private donations, was opened by the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and the Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Macedonia, Kiro Stojanov.

With so many laying claim to Mother Teresa, the memorial house is a vital reminder for Macedonians that their country played an important part in her formative years.

Summing up the strong ties Macedonians feel for the modern day saint, curator of the memorial house, Andriana Spirova, told CNN: "She's a huge person from Macedonia. Macedonians are very proud."

Not everyone, however, was pleased with the museum. The influential London magazine Architectural Review described the building as "hugely offensive" and a "lost architectural opportunity".

It said: "It offends with its skewed selection procedure, with its pretentiousness, with its arrogance, with its tastelessness. But most of all, it offends by totally ignoring any architectural correlation with the life and work of Mother Teresa."

Skopje also had a memorial plaque erected in 1998, the year after her death, on the site of Mother Teresa's family home at the edge of the city's wall. Its inscription includes her message to the world: "The world is not hungry for bread, but for love".

Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu to Albanian parents who lived in pop Kocina street 13, in the Vlach neighborhood of the city.

The family had a long tradition in the fabric-dyeing trade, and Gonxha, the youngest of their three children, attended Catholic schools, where she enjoyed drama, literature and the church chorus.

At 12, she joined an Abbey, and at 18 she left the family home in Skopje to join the Sister of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India.

After a few months' training in Dublin she was sent to India, where she took her vows as a nun in 1931. She dedicated the rest of her life to helping the poorest of the poor in Kolkata.
Mother Teresa returned to Skopje four times after she left at the age of 18, according to ExploringMacedonia.com, the national tourism portal.

During her first visit in 1970, as the guest of the Red Cross, she was interested in the rebuilding of Skopje after the 1963 earthquake. In 1978 she returned as guest of the city to visit relatives and neighbors of her youth.

The year after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, Mother Teresa again returned to Skopje, where she was welcomed by a large crowd and proclaimed an honorary citizen of the city. On her final visit the same year she bought a house in Skopje's central area Kisala Voka for the sisters of her Order.

Mother Teresa died at the age of 87 in 1997 and was buried in the Mother House of her Order, the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata. Six years later she was beatified by Pope John II before a crowd of 300,000 in St Peter's Square, Rome.

Blessed Mother Teresa, Pray for Us!

Iglesia ni Cristo: The Catholic Church Apostatized through Constantine?

As they always use to blackmail poorly catechized Catholics, members of the cult of Felix Manalo, his Iglesia use this argument often that surprise Catholics. Having little time to research and poorly catechized, a Catholic usually ends up an anti-Catholic. Here's a very concise explanation about the myth on Constantine.

THE PAGANIZATION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH THROUGH CONSTANTINE

Thanks to Blackie

The Historic Facts:

Is it true that Constantine was a pagan and used his influence to corrupt the Catholic Church?

Raise Up A Child...

Constantine was raised with Christian beliefs by his mother St. Helena although he delayed his baptism until he was on his deathbed. It seems clear that he had enough faith to seek salvation in Christ, knowing that he was facing eternity and his soul was in the balance

Your Young Men Will See Visions...

After seeing a vision in which he was told that he would conquer under the sign of the Christian cross, he adopted it as his standard and his entire army carried it into battle against the pagan general Maxentius and he won control of the empire in 312 AD.

Freedom At Last...

The following year Constantine signed the Edict of Milan (sometimes known as the Edict of Tolerance) that officially ended the persecution of the Church. It's hard to understand how anyone can believe that Constantine, (who died a Christian despite his delay) would have paganized the early Catholic Church.

Julian Doesn't Keep The Faith.

Forty-eight years later, in 361 AD, the emperor Julian the Apostate launched a persecution of the Church in an attempt to bring back paganism. Why would that have been necessary if Constantine had already corrupted the Catholic Church?

History Tells All

Some careful research and study of the first 300 years of Christianity will reveal that Catholic doctrines such as the Eucharist, Apostolic authority, and the pope as the successor of Peter were believed from the very beginning of Christianity and certainly were not the result of any pagan influence under Constantine.

In Fact

Christianity has been called Catholic in Acts 9:31 (Greek: "ekklesia katholos") and at least from 107AD when Ignatius, the Bishop of the Church in Antioch, used it in one of his letters to another church which indicates that by that time the original Christian Church was already well known as the Catholic Church in order to distinguish Christ's Church from heretical groups. Keep in mind that that same church in Antioch was where we were all first called Christians as recorded in Acts 11:26. (The Faith of the Early Fathers, William A. Jurgens, Collegeville, Minn.; Liturgical Press, 1970. p.25, #65)

Get The Facts: Make Your Own Decision

Other readings that might interest you:


1. 5 Myths about the 7 Books
2. Biblical Evidence for Catholicism

Eucharistic Miracles, Jesus is Really Present

"Take, eat my body and drink my blood and be saved."(John 6:53-57)

I always believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. That's one reason why I have to fast at least an hour before taking the communion or to carefully examine myself if I am worthy enough to take Christ's Holy Body and Blood into my whole being.

Friends, if you are in doubt of Jesus' Real Presence, you might want to confirm your faith again by reading scientific facts on Eucharistic Miracles at The Real Presence.