Catholic Truth Society

26/01/2025

Catholic Sunday Mass Readings for January 26, 2025
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle - C

Reading 1:
Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women,
and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,
he read out of the book from daybreak till midday,
in the presence of the men, the women,
and those children old enough to understand;
and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform
that had been made for the occasion.
He opened the scroll
so that all the people might see it
— for he was standing higher up than any of the people —;
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,
"Amen, amen!"
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,
their faces to the ground.
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,
interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe
and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to all the people:
"Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep"—
for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
He said further: "Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,
and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;
for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"

Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15

R. (cf John 6:63c) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

1. The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

2. The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

3. The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

4. Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Reading 2
1 Corinthians 12:12-30

Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Now the body is not a single part, but many.
If a foot should say,
"Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body, "
it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
Or if an ear should say,
"Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body, "

it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?
If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
But as it is, God placed the parts,
each one of them, in the body as he intended.
If they were all one part, where would the body be?
But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you, "
nor again the head to the feet, "I do not need you."
Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker
are all the more necessary,
and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable
we surround with greater honor,
and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety,
whereas our more presentable parts do not need this.
But God has so constructed the body
as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,
so that there may be no division in the body,
but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it;
if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it.
Some people God has designated in the church
to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers;
then, mighty deeds;
then gifts of healing, assistance, administration,
and varieties of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

Alleluia
Cf. Luke 4:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
"Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

The Gospel of the Lord.

13/01/2025

One of the reasons to baptize infants.

08/01/2025

JUBILEE YEAR - PILGRIMS OF HOPE

The Logo shows four stylized figures to indicate all of humanity from the four corners of the earth. They are each embracing another, indicating the solidarity and brotherhood that must unite peoples. It should be noted that the first figure is clinging to the cross. The underlying waves are choppy to indicate that the pilgrimage of life is not always on calm waters.

Oftentimes personal circumstances and world events call for a greater sense of hope. This is why the lower part of the Cross is elongated turning into an anchor, which dominates the movement of the waves. As is well known, the anchor has often been used as a metaphor for hope. In fact, in maritime jargon, the hope anchor is the name given to the spare anchor, used by vessels for emergency maneuvers to stabilize the ship during storms.

It should be noted that the image shows how the pilgrim's journey is not individual, but rather communal, with the signs of a growing dynamism that moves more and more toward the Cross.

The Cross is by no means static, but it, too, is dynamic, bending toward and meeting humanity as if not to leave it alone, but rather offering the certainty of its presence and the reassurance of hope. Finally, the Jubilee 2025 Motto, Peregrinantes in Spem is clearly visible in the color green.

15/06/2023

When protestant pastors think they know the Scriptures. . .

04/05/2023

Please share

𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 | 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐢 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐚?

𝗦𝗔𝗚𝗢𝗧:

________________________

Si Eba ang babaeng sumuway sa kalooban ng Diyos at naghatid ng kasalanan sa mundo

Si Maria naman ang babeng sumunod sa kalooban ng Diyos at naghatid ng kaligtasan sa lahat.

Ito ang dahilan kung bakit si Maria ang bagong Eba na tinutukoy sa Bibliya.

__________________________

Sa buong kasaysayan ng Lumang Tipan, ang misyon ng Maria ay naka-ugnay sa misyon ng ilang babaeng banal. Sa pasimula, ay naroon si Eba; sa kabila ng kanyang pagsuway, tumatanggap siya ng pangako hingil sa isang anak na lulupig sa masama at babaeng magiging ina ng lahat ng nabubuhay.

Si Maria "𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙩 𝙣𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙗 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙖 𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙤𝙣, 𝙣𝙖 𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙖𝙨𝙖 𝙨𝙖 𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙜𝙖𝙥. 𝙎𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙖𝙨, 𝙠𝙖𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙖, 𝙙𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙠 𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙤𝙨 𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙜a𝙇 𝙣𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙝𝙞𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙮, 𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙠𝙤 𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙤 𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙖𝙣. (𝙆𝙄𝙆 489)

Si Santa Maria ang siyang tinawag na bagong Eva sapagkat siya ang pinili ng Diyos na maging Ina ng Anak ng Diyos. Ang bagong Eba na nagdala ng buhay at liwanag sa sanlibutan.

Inang Maria, IPANALANGIN MO KAMI!

______________________________
SOURCE:

•KKK 2021-2025,"Kalendaryo ng Katesismong Katoliko"

30/04/2023

CFD (Catholic Faith Defenders) 46th annual national convention goes to Naval Biliran, Eastern Visayas. See you on June 10-11, 2023

13/04/2023

WHEN SCIENCE CONFIRMS THE REAL PRESENCE

Dr. Ricardo Castañon Gomez is not well-known to many Catholics. But he should be.

Atheist Richard Dawkins has apparently never heard of Dr. Ricardo Castañon Gomez either. Dawkins tweeted recently that Catholic belief in the Eucharist is madness. Had Dawkins heard of Gomez and the results of Gomez’s scientific investigations into the Eucharistic Miracles of Argentina and Tixtla, Mexico, he might not have tweeted his tweet!


Dr. Gomez is a scientist. He’s also a former atheist. He became a Catholic after leading his first scientific investigation to examine what appeared to be a bleeding consecrated host. Recently he led a second investigation. Both investigations, as far as I’m concerned, provide proof of the Real Presence in the Eucharist.

Eucharistic Miracles

Dr. Gomez led the scientific investigation into the 1996 Eucharistic Miracle in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He also led the investigation into the 2006 Eucharistic Miracle in Tixtla, Mexico.

In both instances, consecrated hosts appeared to be bleeding. In both instances samples taken from the hosts proved to be blood and living human tissue. And in both instances the tissue was living muscle tissue from an inflamed human heart. Also in both instances, the blood was type AB.

These findings match the findings of a 1971 scientific investigation into the 8th Century Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano. What’s more, the AB blood type in all three cases matches the AB blood type found on the Shroud of Turin.

And even more recently, in 2013, in Legnica, Poland, samples taken from a consecrated host that appeared to be bleeding were also scientifically examined. The tests once again showed that the samples were of inflamed heart muscle.

So in four separate scientific investigations, in four different countries, samples of consecrated hosts that appeared to be bleeding have been scientifically examined. And in all four instances scientists said the samples were living human heart muscle tissue. If this does not prove the Real Presence in the Eucharist, I don’t know what would.

In 2004, eight years after the host in Argentina was first found to be bleeding, Dr. Gomez brought another sample of the host to Dr. Frederick Zugibe. Zugibe was then one of the United States’ most prominent forensics experts. Gomez asked him to examine the sample, but Gomez did not tell Zugibe anything about the sample.

Dr. Zugibe told Dr. Gomez that the sample he examined was that of living muscle tissue from a human heart. Zugibe also said the tissue came from a person whose heart had been severely traumatized.

Dr. Zugibe was amazed when Dr. Gomez informed him that the sample had been obtained eight years earlier. Zugibe told Gomez that the cells were still living when he examined them. He asked Gomez to explain how this could be so when the sample was eight years old. Gomez then told Zugibe that the sample was from a Consecrated Host. Zugibe’s amazement turned to astonishment.

Also, in the samples taken from the hosts in both Lanciano and Argentina, live white blood cells were present. Yet white blood cells ‘die’ within a few hours after being exposed to air. The Lanciano blood samples were over 1,200 years old

To me these miracles show that what the Catholic Church teaches on Transubstantiation and the Eucharist is true. And no other religion on earth can say that science has proven what it teaches is true.

But atheists like Dawkins think Catholics are mad to believe in the Real Presence. Practitioners of other religions may think Catholics are crazy as well. And even members of other Christian denominations might think Catholics are crazy to believe in Transubstantiation.

But every Catholic should know that we are receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist when we receive Communion. Yet as the July 2019 Pew research revealed, many Catholics also do not believe in the Real Presence.

If only more people knew what science has to say about the Eucharist!

As Catholics, we believe in the Real Presence, whereby Jesus Christ is made literally present in a consecrated Host through transubstantiation.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.'” – John 6:53-54

Since its earliest inception, many have been intensely skeptical of the Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence. However, over the centuries there have been many reports and accounts of the Host miraculously turning into physical flesh and blood. When studies were performed on these miraculous Hosts, along with relics of Christ, an astonishing discovery was made – the same blood type was found every time – type AB+.

The earliest recorded event of a consecrated Host miraculously turning into physical flesh and blood dates back to the 8th century in the city of Lanciano, Italy. Called the Miracle of Lanciano, a monk was skeptical about the Real Presence and transubstantiation. When he celebrated Mass and said the Words of Consecration with doubt in his soul and heart, before the monks eyes he saw the the Host changed into living flesh and the wine change into coagulated blood.

In 1971, scientists performed a study on these relics which had been perfectly preserved throughout the ages. The Host was human heart tissue with the blood typeAB+, the rarest of all. The blood was found to have no preservatives, and also was blood type AB+.

Another miraculous occurrence took place in 1996, when a women in Buenos Aires found a desecrated Host in a candle holder in her parish church. She turned the Host into her priest who went to dissolve it into water per Canon Law. When the priest went to do so, the Host turned into flesh and blood. 3 years later, the Bishop of Buenos Aires sent the host to the US for testing. The results came back the same – human heart tissue with blood type AB+. At the time, the Bishop of Buenos Aires was Jorge Bergoglio – Pope Francis.

Additional tests of trace amounts of blood on the Shroud of Turin along with traces from the Shroud of Oviedo (the cloth wrapped around Christs face shortly after his death) also were shown to be of blood type AB, lending credence to the evidence that Christs blood type was AB, and Hosts literally turn into His flesh and blood when consecrated.

Amazing coincidence or proof? Blood type AB+ is the universal recipient for blood transfusions, and all tested Hosts were found to be heart tissue. As we know, Christ will receive anyone into His heart who is willing.

Ccto

27/03/2023

The Lenten season is a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection in the Christian faith, leading up to Easter Sunday.

Its origins can be traced back to the biblical story of Jesus' 40-day fast in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil.

This time of sacrifice and self-denial is meant to mimic Jesus' experience and prepare Christians for the celebration of his resurrection. In the book of Matthew, Jesus says, "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen" (6:16-18).

The Lenten season is a time for Christians to deepen their faith and renew their commitment to following Jesus.

26/03/2023

The Lenten season is a period of 40 days in the Christian calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday. This period is significant as it commemorates the time Jesus Christ spent fasting in the wilderness, as recounted in the Bible (Matthew 4:1-11).

During Lent, Christians often observe fasting, repentance, and spiritual discipline as a way of reflecting on Christ’s sacrifice and preparing for the Easter celebration of his resurrection.

In addition to fasting, the Bible also encourages Christians to perform acts of charity and kindness during Lent. The Book of Isaiah 58:6-7 encourages believers to share their bread with the hungry, shelter the homeless, and clothe the naked. By following these practices, Christians seek to deepen their faith and draw closer to God, recognizing the importance of sacrifice and self-discipline in their spiritual journey.

26/03/2023

Sacrilege is defined by the Catechism of the Catholic Church as "the profane or unworthy treatment of the sacraments, sacred objects, persons, or places that are consecrated to God." This includes actions such as desecrating holy vessels or disrespecting priests.

In the Bible, sacrilege is condemned as a grave sin. In Leviticus 19:30, God commands his people to "Keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord." Similarly, St. Paul warns against profaning the Eucharist in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, saying that those who eat and drink unworthily "eat and drink judgment on themselves."

Sacrilege represents a disrespect for the sacred and a failure to honor God. It is a sin that must be avoided and repented of.

25/03/2023

As we enter the Lenten season, let us remember the sacrifices made by Jesus and the power of his resurrection. May this time bring us closer to God and to one another.

25/03/2023

"The Lenten season is a time to reflect on our spiritual journey, to seek forgiveness and renewal, and to prepare our hearts for the joy of Easter Sunday. "