Category: Apologetics
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Dances in Catholic Worship Came From Pentecostal Cults
A post by Frank Morera SINCE THE PHRASE OF POPE BENEDICT XVI ABOUT THE DANCE THAT I PUT ON TROUBLED SOME PEOPLE, I WILL GIVE MY OPINION, WHICH, WHETHER WRONG OR RIGHT, IS WHAT I THINK AND WHAT I HAVE DRAWN FROM MY EXPERIENCE. THOSE WHO KNOW ME KNOW THAT THE MINISTRY I HAVE WAS…
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How Old is the Tridentine Mass?
The Latin Mass was probably first formally introduced during the pontificate of Pope Victor I (189-199 A.D.), when he changed the official language of the Church from Greek to Latin. In the pontificate of Pope Gregory the Great (590-604 AD), he organized the liturgy of the Roman Mass, which included the standardization of the Canon…
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Whosoever Breaks the Seal of Confession is Excommunicated
For record purposes only, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued the following declaration in 1973: In order to safeguard in the most absolute manner the respect due to the Sacrament of Penance and to the secrecy of sacramental confession, the Church has had to threaten sanctions, even very grave ones, against…
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Against CFD Confusions: Ad Orientem Masses for Lutherans
I saw this post (see featured image) and thought I would comment on it hoping to minimize the confusion caused by this CFD member. There is no point of arguing with a CFD in general because of reasons I already disclosed in another post. What this post assumes from my perspective as a reader is…
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Without Bloodshed, There Is No Atonement
To my non-Catholic friends, Do not be deceived when your pastors tell you that your sins have been forgiven. For “if there is no shedding of blood, there is no remission” of sins. (Hebrews 9:22) Jesus Christ is the unblemished “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29) by his…
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A Letter to an ex-Catholic Nun Regarding Worshipping Statues
My dear friend in Christ, May grace and peace be with you, and may this message honor and glorify God, the source of all truth. (CCC 2465) I once promised myself not to spend time on old repetitive claims against Catholic doctrines and practices but for the sake of our friendship I composed this response…
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Why do Catholics Worship Images?
Many non-Catholics would condemn us with statements like: “Catholics are idolaters because they worship images and statues by touching and kissing them, lighting a candle for them, and kneeling before them!” Many of our brethren who will hear such claims would begin to doubt on their faith, especially when they hear the prohibitions of such…
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On Our Right to Speak Out on the Liturgy
By Carlos Antonio P. Palad The liturgy is not the property of bishops and priests. It is the common worship of the Christian faithful, clergy and laity alike. It is our participation in the heavenly liturgy, and the river through which grace flows into our souls. Therefore all the faithful have a stake in it.The…
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List of Conservative and Traditional Catholic Podcasts
As a busy working dad in the Philippines, I don’t have the luxury of having the time to read books or lengthy articles. That is why I listen to podcast episodes while doing my daily activities. But I do not waste time listening to podcasters who do not acknowledge the ongoing crisis of faith in…
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CFD vs LCA: The Battle of Two Extremes
I had never heard of the Lay Catholic Apologists (LCA) group until these last few weeks, when the Defenders of the Catholic Faith (CFD), another lay movement defending the Catholic faith in the Philippines, announced its acceptance of a public debate on the New Mass or most commonly known as Novus Ordo against the LCA.…
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A Defence on Mary’s Perpetual Virginity
“He was conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin Mary.” We profess Mary’s virginity when we recite the Apostle’s Creed on Sunday masses, when we pray the Rosary of the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, etc. But, why is Mary’s virginity so important? 1. Rejecting Mary’s virginity means rejecting…
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Arguing with CFD May Not be a Good Idea
ALWAYS REMEMBER THESE THINGS if you plan to have a healthy conversation with a “Catholic Defender” (CFD) member on social media
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Letter to the Catholic Faith Defenders on the ‘God-died’ Issue
Dear Catholic Faith Defenders, May grace and peace be with us all, and may this message honor and glorify God, the source of all truth. (CCC 2465) It is a great distress to see that your organization, Catholic Faith Defenders, the largest and most organized apologetics group in the country, is so divided in its…
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Against CFD Confusions: ‘Roma Locuta; Causa Finita Est!’ on the Lipa Case
I had to react to a public Facebook post by the Catholic Faith Defenders – Office of the National President about the documents published by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF or CDF) regarding the 75th anniversary of the alleged Marian apparitions in Lipa,…
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Bible Alone Is Not Biblical, It Is an Insult to Christ
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 This is a detailed response I promised to a young man named Marcus (not his true name) who loves his faith very much. I…
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‘Faith Alone’ is Biblical. But It’s Not What You Think It Is.
Since today is the Solemnity of Saint James the Great, I offer this short post about faith alone in honor of this great apostle of Jesus Christ who dedicated his life to christianized Spain which resulted to the christianization of many parts of the world including our country, the Philippines. This post does not intend…
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Peter as the New Abraham
Some theologians have presented a certain parallelism between these two fathers of the faith with biblical verses that support their claim. The most prominent of these claims is that both received a special blessing from God to be a patriarch or father of the people of God. Abraham was made the father of all nations…
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Jesus Words ‘I Will Build My Church’ Fulfilled in the Catholic Church
Everything that Jesus did and said during his ministry was for our salvation. Jesus never did anything unnecessary, and one of the most important things he did was the founding of one singular Church (Matthew 16:18). His Church is essential to our salvation because she is the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Timothy 3:15).…
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8 Must-Knows About the Sacrament of Matrimony
Marriage in the Catholic Church is a sacrament. It’s most appropriate name is “The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony”. There are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation (or Chrismation), the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. Sacraments give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian’s life of faith (CCC 1210). Christ…
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Is the Catholic Ban on Contraception Biblical?
Dave Armstrong provides a response to the claim that the Catholic ban on contraception is just an arbitrary, unbiblical restriction, a burdensome tradition of men foisted on their flock. Contraception was commonly prohibited by all Christians Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic until 1930. It is a biblical and patristic belief. Here is the classic biblical passage…
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Unjustifiable Disobedience: My Response to Bishop Schneider
Photo from wikimedia.org The following statement has spread over the internet, and I worry that many Catholics will take this as if Bishop Schneider is the current Roman Pontiff when he obviously is not. Regardless of how much we admire him for his support to the Latin Mass, we cannot fall into fanaticism. The prohibition…
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Church Instructions on Homilies
In this post we will see a collection of references about an ideal homily, its purpose, suggested content, and structure. These are taken from different sources such as the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, Inter Oecumenici, Redemptionis Sacramentum, Code of Canon Law, and the Homiletic Directory by the Congregation for the Divine Worship. The CDW, with…
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How Do We Know If We Have Fallen into Schism?
Schism is going to be the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or communion with the members subject to him. So that would be the bishops, the college of bishops. So, if you are refusing to submit to the Pope or the bishops in communion with Him, whenever they’re exercising their lawful authority, and…
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What You Should Know about the Roman Catholic Society of Pope Leo XIII
Photo from Google Maps There is a church in Imus, Cavite that appears to be in full communion with the Catholic Church. They celebrate the Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form in Latin. For this reason, many Catholics, especially tradition loving Catholics, would normally react favorably to the contents the society shares in the social…
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Why Do Catholics Wear Religious Medals?
God makes use of his creation, living and non-living, in order to manifest his power and glory. In the Old Testament, for example, he used a replica of a poisonous snake so that everyone who will look at it will be saved (Numbers 21:8, John 3:14). The bones of Elisha were used by God to…
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List of Valid Baptisms in the Philippines
VALID BAPTISMS RECOGNIZED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE PHILIPPINES I. A NEW LIST A. Valid Baptisms Adventists: Anabaptists: Baptists: Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches (CPBC) Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churchesin full communion with the Roman Catholic Church Episcopalians and Anglicans: Greek Orthodox Church or Eastern Orthodox Independent Catholics: Inter-Denominational Churches: Lutherans: Mega…
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List of Sins for our Next Confession
Examination of Conscience for Catholics ☐ I have performed my duties towards God reluctantly or grudgingly.☐ I did not recite my daily prayers with faith and devotion.☐ I received the Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin.☐ I deliberately told a lie in confession or intentionally failed to mention a mortal sin during my…
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The 3 Objectives of Catholic Apologetics
Apologetics is of course not to silence and condemn anyone who do not confess the Catholic Faith. It has to be done with a dose of ecumenism and should not cause enmity between the attacker and the defender. Many of us have experienced debates that ended up badly to a point of unfriending an opponent.…
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Repetition is Biblical
The Holy Rosary is a Marian devotion, that is, a devotion in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, practiced primarily by Roman Catholics. The phrase “Ad Jesum Per Mariam” or “To Jesus through Mary” is popular among Catholics. We show devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask her to take our prayers to her…
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How to Read the Holy Bible?
The Holy Bible is the world’s best-selling book with five billion copies sold. It is a small library containing 73 books written by different authors in different literary forms, and intended for different audiences. The Song of Moses in Exodus 15 and the Song of Deborah in Judges 5 are believed to be the most…
Epistles Philippines 