Catholicity

DID THE EARLY CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IN THE EUCHARIST ?  Yes—the early Christians not only believed in the Eucharist, they centered their entire worship around it.  From the earliest days of the Church, the Eucharist was not seen as a mere symbol, but as the real presence of Jesus Christ—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. This belief is deeply rooted in Scripture and confirmed by the writings of the early Church Fathers. 1. Scripture: Jesus Meant What He Said In John 6, Jesus tells the crowd: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).  When many followers found this teaching hard and walked away, Jesus did not soften His words or clarify them as symbolic. Instead, He let them leave—confirming He meant what He said. At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and wine and declared, “This is My Body… This is My Blood” (Matthew 26:26-28). The early Christians took these words literally and faithfully obeyed His command to “Do th...

Q. DO CATHOLICS PRAY TO MARY ? A. No. If you wish, you can stop reading here. Now you know. But devotion to Mary is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Catholicism among non-Catholics. So if youre not a Catholic, youre liable to be critically, even emotionally, triggered at this moment. Critics often ask, “Why in the world do Catholics pray to Mary? Shouldn’t you just go directly to Jesus?” And of course, you can - AND WE DO. Constantly. However, the emotional tirggering here is the result of an assumption they make, which is simply this: They THINK they see Catholics praying to Mary as god in her own right. Then, based solely on what they imagine is happening, they create a mental collapse... because what they dont KNOW is the problem . Let me explain. The answer lies not in Catholics replacing Jesus with Mary (NEVER!) but in understanding Mary’s unique role in God’s plan and her powerful intercession as His mother. 1. Mary Is the Mother of Jesus Mary is not just any wo...

THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH WAS CATHOLIC, NOT ICONOCLASTIC  by Micah McDaniel, edited To those who reject relics, saints, and sacred images as “not biblical, man-made tradition,” let’s be clear: The earliest, persecuted Church, the one that hid in catacombs, bled in the arenas, and wrote copies of, as well as preserved the New Testament....THEY venerated relics, honored saints, and called on their intercession. 1. Even the Enemies of the Church Admit It But don’t take the word of the people who know this best, The Catholic Church, on this. In fact, take her enemies ’ word for it: • Julian the Apostate (4th c.) sneered that Christians had “filled the world with tombs and shrines” for saints. • Lucian the Satirist (2nd c.) mocked them for revering the bones of martyrs. • Celsus (2nd c.) accused them of seeking healing at martyrs’ graves. • Porphyry (3rd c.) complained that Christians prayed to dead saints instead of the gods. • Vigilantius (4th c.), a Christian dissenter, raged against “lam...

5 IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE SOLEMNITY OF THE SACRED HEART  The solemnity of the Sacred Heart is celebrated each year by the Catholic Church, honoring Jesus' divine love for humanity. The Church has always believed in the beauty of Jesus' sacrificial love, and how it comes from his merciful Heart...for our salvation. However, the liturgical feast of The Sacred Heart of Jesus wasn't always on the calendar, and it took many centuries before it was established and spread throughout the world. Here are five key facts to know about the origin and history of the solemnity of the Sacred Heart: 1.Jesus requested the feast in 1675 St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received private revelations from Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke to her on  June 16, 1675, and asked her specifically to promote a feast that honored his Sacred Heart. 2. The feast is held the Friday after Thr Solemnity of Corpus Christi Jesus specifically asked St. Margaret Mary Alacoque that, "...the Friday after the Oc...

 INSTRUCTION ON THE FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS  by Rev, Leonard Goffine, 1880 After many devout souls had venerated the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with sincere devotion, in the solitude of quiet life, as is seen in the lives of SS. Augustine, Bernard, Bonaventura,Thomas of Aquin, Francis de Sales, Ignatius, Clara, Gertrude, Mechtild, Catharine of Sienna, Theresa, and others, our divine Saviour willed that His heart's infinite love should be recognized by all men, and be kindled in cold hearts by a new fire of love.  For this end He made use of a feeble, obscure instrument, that all the world might know that the devotion to His loving heart, previously almost entirely unknown, was His own work.  This instrument, disregarded by the world, was one who shone before God in all the radiance of the most sublime virtues, the nun Margaret Alacoque of the order of the Visitation of Mary, at Paray, in Burgundy.  In the year 1675, whilst she was one day in prayer before...

  HOW BAPTISM CHANGES YOUR SOUL  ♰♰♰ Baptism has become something of  a symbolic ritual, in our time, often little more than a cultural tradition. But it is far more than either of these - it is Sacrament of literal transformation. It is a contract with God, a pact, and a supernatural event that leaves a permanent mark on the soul. Since Abraham, God has always invoked a consecrating pact between Himself and His people. Circumcision was one of these visible signs of Gods pact with a human child. The same for presenting babies to God in the temple, to receive His blessing and to form the life-covenant between the child and God.    From the moment the baptismal waters touch you, and the priest or presider says, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,”* your soul is changed forever. * This tri-part form - "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,"  - is crucial. It is the one, single requisite that MUST be met,...

 THE SILENT PREDATOR IN THE PEW:  Unmasking the Psychopath in Everyday Catholic Life --- > “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” — Matthew 7:15 --- 🧠 INTRODUCTION:  NOT WHO YOU THINK When people hear “psychopath,” they picture a killer, a cult leader, or a Hollywood villain. But in truth, a psychopath could be your boss, your friend, or the charismatic parishioner sitting near you during Sunday Mass.  They can blend into society, even into ministry, without raising alarm—until damage has been done. In this reflection, we expose the characteristics, spiritual dangers, and Catholic responses to psychopathy—not with paranoia, but with the tools of discernment, truth, and charity guided by prudence. --- 🩻 CATEGORY 1: The Face Behind the Mask Psychopathy isn’t always violent. It’s strategic, cold, and calculating. 💡 Clinical Traits (Based on Hare Psychopathy Checklist): 🟡 Superficial charm: The life of the...

Did The Catholic Church Compile the Bible? Yes—there is clear historical and documented proof that the Catholic Church compiled the Bible.  While the Bible is divinely inspired by God, it was through the authority of the early Catholic Church that its books were gathered, preserved, and formally recognized as the inspired Word of God. Before the Bible became a single bound volume, in a form we might today recognize, it existed as a collection of scrolls and letters circulated among Jewish communities and early Christians.  This was in addition to the Old Testament which was already in use during Jesus’ time. However, the New Testament was written over the course of 5-7 decades after Christ’s death and Resurrection. However, these writings were scattered, not cohesive, and not instantly considered, “Scripture," as we think of it. In fact, it took centuries of prayerful discernment by the bishops and leaders of The Church to determine which books truly belonged in what would eve...

CONFESSION WITH A PRIEST- OR DIRECT TO GOD ? WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS. Non-Catholic Christians today are very hung-up on one particular dilemma*:  “Why should I confess to a priest, when I can talk directly to God?”  It’s a sincere question among them, because they’ve been taught for over 5 centuries that they are their OWN priest. Now, this isn't what Jesus taught, nor did His apostles adopt that idea or teach it after him —  Rather, it took root in the Protestant revolution and its drive to Nominalism. It is essentially hereditary among non-Catholic sects, at this point.  So, it deserves a biblical response, one rooted in the original purpose of the sacrament. While it’s always true that God alone forgives sins, the way He chooses to ADMINISTER that forgiveness is what is at the heart of the matter. Fortunately, that is clearly shown in Scripture—and it includes the Sacrament of Confession. 1. Jesus Gave the Apostles the Power to Forgive Sins In John 20:21–23, the resur...

 THE COMING STORM FOR THE GOLDEN GENERATION:  How the Boomers Are Being Abandoned --- > “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent.” —Psalm 71:9 --- 🧭 INTRODUCTION:  From Privilege to Precarity For decades, the Baby Boomer generation seemed to walk a golden path.  Born into postwar prosperity, they reaped the benefits of affordable college, a booming job market, generous pensions, and unprecedented medical advances. But that era is rapidly closing.  Today, Baby Boomers—those aged 60 to 79—face a mounting set of challenges, many of which stem not from natural aging but from shifting political and economic forces. According to Charley Locke in The Atlantic, Boomers are now facing a triple threat: ▪︎Insecurity in their retirement accounts ▪︎Uncertainty about access to long-term healthcare ▪︎And—for the first time—a real threat to Social Security This is not just a social issue. From a Catholic perspective, this is a spi...

by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen  It is not always true that nothing succeeds like success.  The lust for success may make us work so hard that we beget failure. Businessmen low down on the totem pole of a big corporation may constantly send memos to the boss to attract his attention, with the result that the boss puts them down as a bore or a pest. Golfers who are determined to be successful as long-ball hitters try so hard that they spoil their rhythm and end up as dubs. A teacher who is resolved to be a success uses such big words and amasses such confused and unrelated blobs of knowledge that the pupils cannot understand him. I have found, after thirty years in universities, that the more books a professor brings into class, the less prepared he is. One of the greatest failures I ever knew as a teacher was one who used a cart to haul into the classroom his undigested but seeming knowledge. A speaker who yearns to be success, cultivates poses, changes his voice and affects hum...

 WHEN THE CHURCH LOOKS TOO MUCH LIKE THE WORLD:  A Wake-Up Call for the Faithful --- 🛑 INTRODUCTION:  A Religion That Echoes the World Cannot Save It If your religion mostly agrees with the ways of the world, it might not be the true faith.  Catholicism is not meant to be a comfortable echo chamber of society's shifting values.  Instead, it is a divine summons to conversion, sacrifice, and holiness.  When a faith loses its saltiness—when it ceases to challenge the moral drift of the age—it becomes irrelevant and spiritually impotent. Jesus warned, “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?”  (Matthew 5:13).  A Church that conforms too closely to the world ceases to be the Body of Christ and becomes merely another institution among many. --- 📜 I. THE MEANING OF “THE WORLD” IN SCRIPTURE A. The World as a System Opposed to God In Scripture, “the world” (Greek: kosmos) often refers not just to humanity...

How to Do the Right Thing When the World No Longer Cares --- In an age when moral boundaries are blurred, truth is traded for convenience, and faith is treated as private opinion rather than public witness, the question “How do I do the right thing?” has never been more urgent—or more dangerous to answer.  For Catholics, this is not just about making good choices; it is about spiritual warfare, eternal destiny, and the survival of virtue in a collapsing moral landscape. This article offers a Catholic roadmap—steeped in Scripture, Tradition, and lived examples—on how to consistently choose what is right in a world that often rewards what is wrong. --- 🕊️ 1. Right and Wrong Are Not Up for Debate: Grounding in Eternal and Natural Law Before acting rightly, we must recognize that morality is not subjective.  Right and wrong are not “personal truths” but reflect God’s eternal law, written into creation (Romans 2:14–15) and revealed through Scripture and the Church. 🔹Natural Law a...