Catholicity

Why The CATHOLIC CHURCH created a " SINGLE UNIVERSAL BOOK," in the 4th century (eventually called the Bible) to be used at every Mass What really happened at the time that persuaded the holy men of the Church to create a book to be used by the Universal Church? ...one which is still used today, in various forms, even by non-Catholic Christians? +++ The widespread persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ended when Emperor Constantine the Great, along with his co-Emperor of the East Licinius, had signed the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. Well..... Licinius eventually recanted, and persecutions sporadically appeared from time to time, but they were mostly in local jurisdictions and they didnt last much longer. By 380 AD, upon the influence of St. Ambrose of Milan, the Christian emperor Theodosius the Great issued a decree known as the Theodosian Decree that completely banned the practice of paganism in the Roman Empire and encouraged much of the population to convert to Chris...

 CHRIST ALONE:  How Pope Leo XIV Is Reclaiming the Soul of the Catholic Church --- 🕊️ In just 100 days, Pope Leo XIV has made it unmistakably clear: his pontificate is not about novelty, ideology, or popularity—it is about Christ and Christ alone.  In an era when some Church circles drift into managerialism or sociopolitical agendas, this pope stands like a lighthouse cutting through fog, declaring with every breath:  "Fix your eyes on Jesus"  (Hebrews 12:2). --- ✝️ I. A PONTIFICATE ROOTED IN CHRIST, NOT POWER > "In the One Christ, we are one." – Pope Leo XIV (cf. John 17:21) 🔵 Central Theme: The essence of Pope Leo XIV’s ministry is radical Christocentrism. Not in a vague devotional sense, but in the deepest theological, pastoral, and ecclesial dimensions.  Like Paul, he says with conviction:  “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain”  (Philippians 1:21). 🔵 Motto That Speaks Volumes: His episcopal motto, In Illo Uno Unum, drawn fro...

SHATTERING THE PROTESTANT ILLUSION: The Myths That Undid Divinity An In-Depth Catholic look at Rodney Stark’s “Reformation Myths” --- 🟥 INTRODUCTION: Rodney Stark’s work, "Reformation Myths," boldly contests the widely propagandized narrative that the protestant reformation was the dawn of light after the Catholic, “Dark Ages.”  But behind these so-called “liberating reforms” lie many distortions, promoted by protestants themselves — half-truths, political motives, and theological ruptures that reshaped the Western world, often at great spiritual and cultural cost. The real truth is protestants simply must attempt to invalidate The Church, in order to validate themselves and their abandonment of The Church. That's basic psychology. This analysis does not merely defend Catholic legacy, as you might think. No, it dismantles the ideological scaffolding that props up false reformation triumphalism, and it reclaims the true story of the Church’s unmatched contributions to civ...

FAITH ALONE ? GRACE ALONE ? WHAT THE ORIGINAL CHURCH REALLY TAUGHT  For centuries - far too long - Christians have debated how we are saved.  Is it faith alone?  Is it grace alone?  Do good works matter?  Sadly, none of this debate is neccessary, and surely, it cannot be pleasing to Our Lord. Lets explore why. While the protestant reformation popularized slogans like “Sola Fide” (faith alone), and “Sola Gratia” (grace alone), many are surprised to learn that the original Church which Christ actually started, well, it had a much different view of salvation. That view was holistic, and not segmented into a this-or-that fracturing. It fully embraced ALL three qualities -  faith, grace, AND works -  in harmony. Let’s begin with grace. The Catholic Church has always taught that salvation begins with grace.  This is Gods gift to us...we cannot "earn" our way to Heaven through grace, on our own. As the Catechism says, “The grace of Christ is the gratuito...

 YOU’VE BEEN LIED TO ABOUT 666, HERE’S WHAT THE BIBLE REALLY SAYS! Catholics Online Class  __________________ Why do people fear the number 666? Why do some Christians think it means the devil is near, or that it’s a curse? Why do some prayer houses make people afraid of it, as if it’s more powerful than the name of Jesus? 💥Let’s find the truth behind this number.🤚 When John, the Apostle of Jesus, wrote the Book of Revelation, he wasn’t sitting peacefully. He was a prisoner. He was sent away to a lonely island called Patmos. Why? Because he kept preaching Jesus, even when it was dangerous. At that time, Christians were suffering terribly. The Roman government was killing them, burning them, feeding them to wild animals. It was a time of fear and death. One of the worst emperors, Nero Caesar, was ruling. He was cruel. He hated Christians. He even burned them alive as lamps for his garden. So when John wanted to write to other Christians to give them hope and encouragement, he...

"If following Jesus was the easy way to live, the whole world would do it. But as soon it makes demands, as soon as it isn't comfortable, as soon even a little of Life's suffering appears..., they fall away, scatter, and look elsewhere." +++  ST. FAUSTINA ON SUFFERING: “Sufferings, adversities, humiliations, failures, and suspicions that have come my way are splinters the keep alive the fire of my love for You, O Jesus” (57). “Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love” (57). “From the moment I came to love suffering, it ceased to be a suffering for me. Suffering is the daily food of my soul” (276). “True love is measured by the thermometer of suffering. Jesus, I thank You for the little daily crosses, for opposition to my endeavors, for the hardships of communal life, for the misinterpretation of my intentions, for humiliations at the hands of ot...

 ORDAIN EVERYONE AND FIX NOTHING?  The Grave Error Behind Changing Holy Orders to Cure the Church ✝️ INTRODUCTION:  A Misdiagnosis of the Church's Wounds In some circles, there is a growing belief that the way to “fix” the Catholic Church—especially in the wake of scandals and declining attendance—is to ordain women and married people.  This is the view expressed by some leaders in “ecumenical” groups unaffiliated with Rome, who claim that if the Catholic Church does not change its rules on ordination, it guarantees “toxicity.” But this argument rests on a false premise. The root of ecclesial dysfunction is not in who can be ordained, but in how faithfully the Church guards the deposit of faith, lives the sacraments, and imitates the crucified Christ. This article explores, from a deep Catholic perspective, why this solution is not only misguided but spiritually dangerous—and how true renewal happens. --- 🕊️ I. THE APOSTOLIC BLUEPRINT:  WHY PRIESTHOOD IS MALE A...

 WHEN DISTANCE FEELS LIKE REJECTION:  A Parent’s Hidden Cross How to Navigate the Pain of Being Left Behind—With Courage, Grace, and Truth --- 🕊️ I. The Silent Ache of Longing: When Absence Feels Like Abandonment You gave 20+ years of your life—love, sacrifice, sleepless nights, and countless prayers. Now, your daughter lives thousands of miles away, and the visits are rare.  It feels like you’re only a chapter in her life, while she was the whole book in yours. 💔 Your questions are real and valid: “Have we been forgotten?” “Do our efforts mean less to her now?” “Is it ungrateful to share how this hurts?” > 📖 Biblical Insight: “Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise. —Ephesians 6:2 Your ache is not selfish—it is the echo of love unreciprocated. But how do you respond in a way that heals, not divides? --- 🔥 II. Truth in Love: When and How to Speak from the Heart Love without truth can enable silence. Truth without love can wound. ...

 ST. THOMAS MORE: "LUTHER’S PRINCIPLES DESTROY SCRIPTURE, AND WILL RESULT IN CHAOS" Rev Fr David Olusi  More than 488 years ago today, St. Thomas More was martyred at the hands of a schismatic and lustful king. “I die the king’s good servant,” he said, “but God’s first.” More refused to compromise on either papal authority or the sanctity of marriage. He lost his life as a result. 12 years earlier, More wrote one of the most brilliant refutations of Luther ever written, “A Response to Martin Luther.” Today, I am Catholic, formerly protestant, for two basic reasons: 1. Long before I read any Catholic, I realized my protestant system (of whatever variety) was nowhere in Scripture; and  2. After reading the ancient Church Fathers, I realized we protestants had not “restored” the gospel, but radically departed from it. If we were right, then virtually all Christians for 1,500 years had been wrong on many doctrines essential to the Gospel. As More explains, I realized the clai...

 WHEN THE SPINE SNAPS:  The Quiet Collapse of Apostolicity in the Church > “When the link to the apostolic college is lost, or when these bones become weak, the Church suffers from more or less severe osteoporosis. It struggles to stand and to walk forward.” --- 🔰 I. UNDERSTANDING APOSTOLICITY:  The Church’s Unbreakable Spine Apostolicity is not a decorative relic of Christian antiquity—it is the living, breathing backbone of the Catholic Church. 💡 What Is Apostolicity? Apostolicity has three essential dimensions: 🔴 Historical Continuity > The Catholic Church is built on the foundation of the apostles (cf. Ephesians 2:20). This means that every bishop today stands in unbroken succession from the apostles—sacramentally and doctrinally. 🔵 Doctrinal Fidelity > The Church preserves the deposit of faith entrusted to the apostles (cf. 2 Timothy 1:13-14). This includes Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and authoritative teaching through the Magisterium. 🟢 Collegi...

 APOSTOLIC TRADITION — A SIGNIFICANT PART IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH by Rene Urmanita, edited Apostolic tradition refers to the body of Christian teachings, practices, and beliefs passed down from the Apostles to subsequent generations of believers.  As far as The Catholic Church is concerned, Apostolic Tradition is a vibrant, living, and dynamic force within The Church, placed alongside and equal to Sacred Scripture, both of which together guide our faith and practice.  On the other hand, Christian sects outside The Church, aka, the protestant churches, understand and apply the concept of Apostolic Tradition in various ways.  Some essentially mirror The Church's application of it. Meanwhile... 1. Others acknowledge it, reluctantly. 2. Some seem to ignore it as uncomfortable or inconvenient to their interpretations of Scripture. 3. A third group of protestant sects basically spit on Tradition in any form. This extreme disregard is common among the late arriving, Bible...

 THE EARLY CHURCH BAPTIZED ENTIRE FAMILIES AND HOUSEHOLDS ON THE BASIS OF THE FAITH OF PARENTS OR HOUSEHOLD HEADS (Acts 16:15; Acts 16:29-34; 1 Corinthians 1:16) But what is a Household? Can they include children or infants?  Yes! Households can absolutely include infants and/or children. In fact, a significant portion of households in the United States are comprised of families with infants or children under the age of 18. Households are defined as all people occupying a housing unit, and can include families (related by birth, marriage, or adoption) as well as individuals not related to the householder.  Family Households: These are households where at least one person is related to the householder (the person in whose name the home is owned or rented) by birth, marriage, or adoption. A large percentage of family households include children under 18.  Households with Children: These can be family households or households that include other related individuals (like...

 THE HEBREW MASORETIC TEXT vs. THE GREEK SEPTUAGINT TEXT (LXX) (Biblical Evidence for the Catholic Faith) ✝️ The Catholic Bible is based on the SEPTUAGINT TEXT used by the Jews in Alexandria. This is also the translation of the OLD TESTAMENT used by Jesus Christ, the Apostles, and the first Christians. ✝️ The Bible of the Protestants is derived from the MASORETIC TEXT of the Jews who persecuted the first Christians and killed Christ. According to history: ✝️ “…In the 3rd century B.C., the Old Testament began to be translated from Hebrew and Aramaic into GREEK, primarily for the benefit of the large JEWISH COMMUNITY in ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, whose language was GREEK. This Greek translation of the Old Testament is called the SEPTUAGINT...” (Encyclopedia International, Vol. 2, 1967, p. 569). ✝️ “Sources of the SEPTUAGINT….It was made directly from HEBREW ORIGINALS that frequently differed considerably from the present Masoretic text” (Encyclopedia Britannica Micropedia, Vol. 2, 1979, p. 8...

 I HATED THE CHURCH —UNTIL I MET HER MOTHER  There was a time I could barely stand the sight of a crucifix. The sound of bells from a nearby church stirred irritation instead of reverence. Though I had grown up hearing about Jesus and going through the motions of religion, something had grown bitter within me. Maybe it was some hypocrisy I witnessed. Maybe it was gossip and rumors. Maybe it was prayers I thought were unanswered. But looking back, I now know that I had simply drifted so far from the heart of the Church, that I no longer recognized her beauty. I didn’t leave physically, or even spiritually — I went to Mass on occasion. But my heart wasn't in it.  I began to be lured by protestant hatred for The Church. I judged the Church as rigid, outdated, and harsh. The free-wheeling, "feel good" ideas of these churches had an appeal. Being "saved" out of The Church began to seem possible. I exclaimed that The Church was just a collection of false teachings; I ...

 SOME SAY: “CATHOLIC KNIGHTS ARE CULTISTS...” READ THIS TO DISCOVER FOR YOURSELF Catholics Online Class  __________________ There’s a group of men in the Church, devout, organized, and deeply committed to their faith, but, when these men appear in wearing capes, gloves, swords, and badges, especially during big Masses or funerals, people begin to murmur. Some look at them with wonder. Others with suspicion. You hear whispers: 👉 “Is this a Catholic thing?” 👉 “Why are they using swords?” 👉 “Is this not cultism?” First understand that The Church is not afraid of the word, "cult," itself... the world is afraid of it. Men have weaponized the word to use against others.  But The Church uses it by its original meaning..... Cult: from the Latin, "cultus," meaning honor to a thing or person. It includes worship, veneration and devotion. It also loosely refers to organized liturgical activities, but in general, it is applied in the sense of unity So calling something one s...