St Jude's Parish Aguibeje Family

St Jude's Parish Aguibeje Family This is for online apostolate. Sharing Spiritual nuggets and activities of the parish

✝️I THOUGHT PURPLE WAS FOR LENT, SO WHY DO WE USE IT FOR ADVENT? THE HIDDEN MEANING WILL SHOCK YOU😳🤔_______________Most ...
30/11/2025

✝️I THOUGHT PURPLE WAS FOR LENT, SO WHY DO WE USE IT FOR ADVENT? THE HIDDEN MEANING WILL SHOCK YOU😳🤔
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Most Catholics think purple means one thing:

Lent.
Penance.
Sorrow.
Grief.

So naturally people ask:

“Why on earth are we using purple during Advent, a season of joy, lights, Christmas songs, and hope?”

Here is the truth…
A truth so deep and so beautiful that once you understand it, you will never look at Advent the same way again.

✝️ 1. Purple Is Not the Color of Sadness, It Is the Color of Royal Arrival

Purple is the ancient color of kings, empires, and thrones.

It was rare, expensive, and reserved for royalty.

Advent uses purple because the Church is doing one thing:

Preparing for the arrival of the King.

Not just the Baby in Bethlehem,
but the King of Glory who will return at the end of time.

Advent is royal preparation.
A throne-room season.
A countdown to the coming of Christ.

✝️ 2. Advent and Lent Share a Secret: Both Are Seasons of Preparation

Lent prepares us for the Cross.
Advent prepares us for the Coming.

Both say the same thing:

“Get your heart ready.”

But here is the difference:

Lent prepares us through penance that leads to Calvary.

Advent prepares us through hope that leads to Bethlehem.

Same color.
Different tone.
Different destination.

✝️ 3. Advent Isn’t “Mini-Christmas”, It Is a Wake-Up Call

Many think Advent is just four weeks of:

👉 Decorations
👉 Carols
👉 Festivities

But spiritually, Advent is a holy alarm clock:

“Wake up! The Lord is coming!”

Purple reminds us that we are not waiting for Santa…
We are waiting for the Judge, the Bridegroom, the King.

It is a season of joyful expectation,
but also serious preparation.

✝️ 4. The First Half of Advent Is Actually About the Second Coming

This is the part Catholics often forget:

The first two weeks of Advent are not about Bethlehem.
They are about the Second Coming.

The Church is not looking at the manger yet.
She is looking at the clouds, waiting for the return of the King.

And what color does a kingdom use when the King is approaching?

Purple.

✝️5. Purple in Advent Carries Two Messages at Once

1. “Make Room in your heart, the King is near.”

2. “Prepare your soul seriously, you will meet Him.”

It is joy with depth.
Hope with responsibility.
Happiness with holiness.

Advent purple is not grief.
It is expectant reverence.

The kind you feel when someone great is about to enter the room.

✝️ So the Next Time You See Purple in Church This Advent…

Don’t think “Lent.”
Don’t think “sadness.”

Think:

“The King is coming, get ready.”
“He came once in humility… He will come again in glory.”
“My heart must become His throne.”

Advent purple is not a dark color.
It is a royal color.
A hopeful color.
A color that whispers:

“Prepare. He is almost here.”


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✝️ DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW ABOUT ST. JOHN LATERAN BASILICA🙄🤔__________________Many years ago, there was a rich Roman fami...
09/11/2025

✝️ DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW ABOUT ST. JOHN LATERAN BASILICA🙄🤔
__________________
Many years ago, there was a rich Roman family called the Laterani. They owned a large piece of land in Rome. But one of them was accused of treason, so the emperor Nero took their land away.

Many years later, the land came into the hands of Emperor Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to become a Christian. After his conversion, he stopped the persecution of Christians with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD.

To thank God for his new faith, Constantine gave that land to the Church and built the first big church there in 324 AD. It was called the Basilica of the Most Holy Savior.

For the first time in history, Christians could worship in public without fear. Imagine the joy, after years of hiding in caves and catacombs, they could finally pray openly under the sunlight! ✝️

✝️ Why It Is Called “St. John Lateran”

At first, the church was dedicated only to Jesus Christ the Savior. Later, it was also dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, two great saints who witnessed to Christ.
That is why we now call it St. John Lateran.
The name “Lateran” comes from the Laterani family, whose land it was built on.

✝️ The Pope’s Real Church

Many people think that the Pope’s church is St. Peter’s Basilica, but that’s not true.
The real Cathedral of the Pope, as the Bishop of Rome, is St. John Lateran.

When a new Pope is chosen, he does not first go to St. Peter’s. He first goes to St. John Lateran, because that is his official church.

✝️ Surviving Through the Ages

Over the centuries, this holy church has been destroyed by fires, earthquakes, and wars, but every time, it was rebuilt.
It stands today as a sign that the Church of Christ may suffer, but it can never be destroyed.

Inside, you can see statues of the apostles, ancient artwork, and the Pope’s own throne, reminders of faith, history, and hope.

✝️Why It Matters to Us

Every year on November 9, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran.
We celebrate not just a building, but what it represents, the unity of the whole Church under Christ our Savior.

✝️SO,

Next time you see pictures of St. Peter’s, remember this:

Before there was St. Peter’s, there was St. John Lateran,
the first church built for all Christians,
the home of the Pope,
and the mother of every church on earth.


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03/11/2025

Enjoy

THREE RANKS OF CARDINALS🔴 Cardinal BishopsThe highest rank. They are bishops of dioceses around Rome or Eastern-rite pat...
03/11/2025

THREE RANKS OF CARDINALS

🔴 Cardinal Bishops
The highest rank. They are bishops of dioceses around Rome or Eastern-rite patriarchs. They assist the Pope in major decisions, and the Dean of the College is chosen from them.

🔴 Cardinal Priests
The largest group, mostly archbishops serving outside Rome. They oversee dioceses worldwide but hold honorary parish titles in Rome.

🔴 Cardinal Deacons
Usually working in Vatican offices, helping with papal administration. After ten years, some may be promoted to Cardinal Priests.

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God bless you 🙏

_________________

03/11/2025

Celebration of Ịrụ St Jude 1st November 2025

WHY THE BISHOP SLAPS YOUR CHEEK AT CONFIRMATION 😲🤔_____________________You’ve probably seen it before.The bishop stands ...
31/10/2025

WHY THE BISHOP SLAPS YOUR CHEEK AT CONFIRMATION 😲🤔
_____________________
You’ve probably seen it before.
The bishop stands before the confirmands, row by row, anoints each forehead with holy chrism, and then… gives a gentle slap on the cheek.

Everyone smiles. Some are surprised.
But behind that soft blow lies a meaning older than cathedrals, and deeper than words.

That gentle slap is not a punishment.
It’s a commission.
It means: You are now a soldier of Christ.

From the earliest centuries of the Church, the bishop’s touch symbolized strength and courage.
It was the Church’s way of saying:

“You’ve been sealed with the Holy Spirit, now go, fight the good fight of faith.”

It was a holy reminder that Christianity is not a comfort zone but a battlefield, and every confirmed Catholic is enlisted into Christ’s army of truth and love.

But that slap also means something even more real today.
It’s not only the bishop who will slap you, the world will too.

After Confirmation, expect the blows of mockery, insults, and arguments.
Expect to be questioned, ridiculed, or misunderstood for what you believe.
Those are the invisible slaps that test your courage and reveal your faith.

And so, the bishop’s gentle tap says:

“Don’t fear the world’s blows. Stand firm. Defend the faith. You have the Spirit, stand your ground.”

In the medieval age, a knight received a blow on the cheek when he was made a warrior, not to hurt him, but to awaken his courage.
That’s what the Church does at Confirmation.

You are no longer a child in the faith.
You are anointed, sealed, and sent.
Your armor is grace.
Your weapon is truth.
Your mission is love.

So when that bishop’s hand touches your cheek, remember,
you are not being scolded,
you are being strengthened.

You’ve just been confirmed:
marked as Christ’s soldier,
called to bear the blows of life with patience,
and to defend the truth with courage and peace.

“Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”


_________________

THE PRIEST AS A FATHER IN THE CHURCH THAT IS A FAMILY "I pray, kneeling before the Father; from whom every fatherhood, i...
30/10/2025

THE PRIEST AS A FATHER IN THE CHURCH THAT IS A FAMILY

"I pray, kneeling before the Father; from whom every fatherhood, in heaven and on earth. takes its name (Eph 3:14-15).

The day after my priestly ordination, I went to greet my father early in the morning, as I had always done since I was a boy. I had scarcely opened the door to his bedroom when he, m father, smiling and in a ioyous loud voice said: "Good morning father!" I brisklv turned around. thinking that one of my priest friends who slept in our house the previous evening had followed me into my father's bedroom (that would have been imprudent!). To my surprise, there was no one behind me. Only then, did I realize that the greeting was for me.

The truth came down to me in a direct and somehow shocking way: I had become the father of my father! I did not know how to respond. I had no time to work that out before my mother, having heard my father, rushed in from her own bedroom and repeated the same greeting, while at the same time wrapping me up in her warm maternal embrace. In a matter of seconds, the house was filled with an unending recurrent chant of Good morning father! I stood there (I cannot remember for how long), transfixed to the spot near the door to my father's room, trying to absorb the full meaning of what had taken place in me, through the imposition of the saintly hands of the Late Bishop Michael Eneja the previous day.

To be continued

Retreat final blessings #
29/10/2025

Retreat final blessings
#

At 97 years old, Ernest Cardinal Simoni of Albania, a man who was tortured, imprisoned, and once sentenced to death for ...
29/10/2025

At 97 years old, Ernest Cardinal Simoni of Albania, a man who was tortured, imprisoned, and once sentenced to death for his steadfast faith, gave a powerful witness at the end of Mass yesterday in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Moved by the Spirit, he approached the ambo and intentionally performed an exorcism, solemnly reciting the long Prayer of St. Michael the Archangel.

In these times when the Church faces many trials and even desecrations in holy places, this courageous act stands as a reminder that the battle for souls is real, and that faith, prayer, and the authority of Christ remain our greatest weapons.

May God bless this true confessor of the Faith,
and may St. Michael the Archangel continue to defend the Church against every force of darkness.


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29/10/2025

Call to Holiness of life

BEFORE YOU INVITE THAT PRIEST FRIEND, READ THIS 😲🤔_________________I know many of you have priests as friends, spiritua...
28/10/2025

BEFORE YOU INVITE THAT PRIEST FRIEND, READ THIS 😲🤔
_________________
I know many of you have priests as friends, spiritual fathers, classmates, or even family friends.

You trust them.
You admire them.
You want them to preside at your wedding, baptism, thanksgiving, or burial.

That’s beautiful. Truly beautiful.

But before you invite that priest friend to celebrate in your parish, there is something very important you must do.

👉 Inform your parish priest first.

Yes, even if the invited priest is your brother, your classmate, or your father’s friend.

It’s not just about respect.
It’s about order, communion, and obedience to the Church’s law.

✝️ The Church Is a Family

Every parish has a father, the parish priest, who shepherds that community in the name of the bishop.

Inviting another priest without informing him is like bringing a guest into your father’s house without telling your father.

It may look harmless, but in the Church, order is love in action.

The Code of Canon Law (Canon 903) reminds us that a priest is not to celebrate Mass in another parish unless he has the permission of the local rector or parish priest.

This rule is not about control.
It’s about protecting unity, discipline, and pastoral harmony.

When a parish priest knows who is coming, he can welcome the guest priest properly, coordinate the liturgy, and safeguard the dignity of the Sacrament being celebrated.

✝️ Why This Matters So Much

This simple rule has helped many parishes checkmate fake or suspended priests who move around and celebrate on altars without anyone knowing who they really are.

Some of these impostors show up in the absence of the parish priest, pretending to be legitimate, and cause great confusion among the faithful.

But when every invitation passes through the parish priest, such abuses are prevented.

✝️ When People Go Behind the Parish Priest

Sadly, some people say:
“I’m currently quarelling with my parish priest, or My parish priest can never be the chief celebrant of this occasion... ”
and go behind to do otherwise.

They end up spoiling their own programs.

Some have watched their weddings, burials, or thanksgivings suddenly put on hold because the parish priest was never informed.

Every arrangement shattered.
Everything left pending.
All because one simple step, informing the parish priest, was ignored.

✝️ To the Invited Priest

You are not just a guest, you are a minister of Christ.
Out of respect for the local Church, always confirm that the parish priest has been informed.

This small gesture shows humility, maturity, and respect for the sacred order of the Church.

✝️ Communion Before Celebration

The Church teaches that communion comes before celebration.

We cannot claim to serve the same altar while ignoring the authority of that altar.

So next time you want to invite your priest friend, do it with love, but also with wisdom.

Let there be harmony between the priest of the parish and the guest priest.

Because when order reigns in the house of God,
grace flows without hindrance.

We believe you enjoyed this teaching. Please give our backup page a follow 👉 Catholics Online Class.

God bless you 🙏

RetreatDay 2 28th October 2025 the challenges of Holiness of Life #.FR. Lawrence Chidera Ezugwu
28/10/2025

Retreat
Day 2 28th October 2025
the challenges of Holiness of Life #.
FR. Lawrence Chidera Ezugwu

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Aguibeje Enugu-Ezike Igbo-Eze North L.G.A Enugu State
Enugu Ezike

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