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Circumcision in the Philippines Circumcision in the Philippines is big deal. Every summer, all young men who turned 12 or thirteen or at any age before going to high school, seek a doctor for circumcision. Some organisations even conduct medical outreach pegged as "Operation Tuli" offering free circumcisions for men of any age especially in remote areas where doctors are scarce; thus preventing young men to approach non-medical practitioners who offer circumcision using traditional ethnical method. Filipinos view and accepted circumcision as both cultural and traditional that were passed since the Spaniards converted filipino ethnical gentiles to Christianity. In a way, early Spaniard Christians evangelised circumcision as religious and a sign of baptism for Christ. Should Christians Be Circumcised In Galatians, Paul viewed circumcision as unnecessary for Gentiles, strongly believing that converted Gentiles need not be a Jew in order to follow Christ. For the Jews, circumcis...

Amidst this COVID-19 pandemic, a slice of hope seems so aloof; praying is like an agony that when you hope for a miracle, you wait a long queue behind the prayers of five million people infected worldwide. Perhaps, the distance between heaven and earth is limitless; but with God, nothing is too far. I know that he can hear me. My Prayer Our Father in Heaven, today I pray again. Remember when I asked how important for You that for my sister to receive the Sacraments that she needed?  The next day you sent a priest to our home to give those Sacraments. You heard my prayer. I was overjoyed. Thank you! You sent someone like Fr William who took the risk to visit us. Heavenly Father, you always know what's best for us. Even if sometimes it will cause us pain. Your way is The Way, for whatever reason, it is the best. Unless, we will it otherwise, thus, you respect. But the moment our prayer is sent to You, You take charge.  That night, when my sis...

Father, speak to me I wish to receive your Word into my heart Send forth Your Spirit to me, Reveal Your Face to me today. Come O Holy Spirit Fill the hearts of Thy faithful Enkindle in me the fire of your love; Send forth Your Spirit and I shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth. O God,  Who by the light of the Holy Spirit; Instructed the hearts of Thy faithful; Grant that in the same Spirit I may be truly wise and Ever rejoice in His consolation. Amen.

Father, I thank you, Your Word is manna to my spirit, May Your Word that I receive today Transform my soul, Make me more like You. Amen.

The Lord Jesus Christ revealed these 15 Prayers to Saint Bridget of Sweden in the Church of St Paul in Rome. He said to her: I received 5,480 wounds on My Body during My Passion. If you wish to honour each of them in some way pray the following prayers each day for a whole year. When the year is over, you will have honoured each one of My Wounds. 1st Prayer Our Father ~ Hail Mary O Jesus! You have proved that You have no greater desire than to be among men, even assuming human nature at the fullness of time for the love of men. I recall all the sufferings of Your life especially Your Passion. I remember, O Lord, that during the Last Supper with Your disciples, having washed their feet, You gave them Your Most Precious Body and Blood, and, while consoling them, You foretold Your coming Passion. I remember the sadness and bitterness which You experienced in Your Soul as You said, My Soul is sorrowful even unto death. I remember all the fear, anguish and pain that You did suf...

Why do you pray? A loved one is sick for a week, and it worries you. What do you feel? Your spouse or your dear heart has left you. You are heartbroken. How do you feel? You need money to buy food or pay for your child's tuition fees. And you don't know how to fill that hunger or send your child to school. What do you feel? You are ill. You are in a hospital bed diagnosed with a rare disease and you don't know if you can be treated. How do you feel? You are turning 40 soon and still single. You've been wanting to get married but prince charming is nowhere to be found. You feel desperate and would marry anyone even without love. What do you feel? Your mother is in the ICU, comatose. Any time soon, she'll be gone. You find yourself inside the chapel, praying, crying. What do you pray? How are you feeling? Your best friend just betrayed you. It is so much painful as if your heart wanted to burst from anger. How do you feel? You did something wrong. P...

After The Passion of Christ, Jim Caviezel plays Luke in the movie Paul, Apostle of Christ.

The Meaning of Pentecost Pentecost marks the birth of the Christian Church. It is the reason why Pentecost is important. When the Holy Spirit filled the apostles of Jesus, God gave them a gift to speak in multiple tongues so that they will be able to evangelise the works of Jesus to other nations. These acts of the apostles herald the birth of the Christian Church. In the early stories of the Church, the story of Pentecost is the most significant one. Today at Pentecost, Christians may greet one another Happy Birthday . Pentecost is on 4 June 2017. Next year, it will be on 20 May 2018. Pentecost means 50th day, counting 50 days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday inclusive. The Story of Pentecost The story of Pentecost begins in the Acts of the Apostles. In the New Testament of the Holy Bible, the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the beginnings of the Church. You can find the Acts of the Apostles between the Gospels and the Letters (Epistles). Pentecost In The Bible...

The Liturgical Season of Lent The Gospels before the 1st week of Lent, i.e from Ash Wednesday to Friday, are constant regardless of the liturgical cycles (Year A, B, or C, Cycle I or II) The Alleluia is not prayed or sung during the Mass from Ash Wednesday until the Easter Vigil. There are 6 Sundays of Lent. The 6th Sunday is called Passion Sunday or Palm Sunday. Holy Week starts on Palm Sunday until the end of Lent, which is before the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Thursday evening. Thursday evening until Holy Saturday (before Easter vigil) is called the Easter Triduum.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born  of the most pure Virgin Mary  at midnight in Bethlehem,  in piercing cold.  In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God,  to hear my prayer and grant my desires  through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,  and of His Blessed Mother.  Amen. Pray this beautiful prayer 15 times a day starting on the Feast of St Andrew, 30th November until Christmas Eve.

www.shrineofstjude.org His name is Judas Thaddeus. Thaddeus may be his nick name. Owing to the similarity of his name to that of Judas Iscariot, Saint Jude was rarely invoked in prayer. For that reason, interceding through him is seen as a final resort when all else failed. Thus, he became known as the patron saint of lost or desperate causes. Early translations of the New Testament changed his name to Jude Thaddeus to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. Saint Jude's feast is commemorated every 28 October, together with Saint Simon, the Zealot. Jude and Simon are two of Jesus' twelve apostles mentioned in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In Luke, Jude is described as the son of James, while in the Letter of Jude, he is described as the brother of James. The name Jude  is of Hebrew origin which means the praised one . The name Thaddeus means a courageous heart . Saint Jude Thaddeus's image is traditionally depicted with a Pentecost flame on his crown and ...

The theme song for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress held in Cebu City, Philippines on 24-31 January 2016. Christ In Us, Our Hope of Glory Lyrics and Music by Jay-arr Felisilda Librando Interpreted by Julie Anne San Jose and Nomer Limatog Jr We felt your word burning within us Your word unlocked The hardness of our hearts And opened our eyes That we may see you Hidden in the broken bread. Lord, you laid down your life As bread and wine we see Gave strength to our hearts And made us shine with glee When we eat the bread And drink the cup of wine We believe that Christ in us Is our hope of glory. You brought a ray of light And you rekindled our hope And led our hearts To yearn for your love For in you is our hope of glory. Lord, you laid down your life As bread and wine we see Gave strength to our hearts And made us shine with glee When we eat the bread And drink the cup of wine We believe that Christ in us Is our hope of glory. Through you...

The Holy Eucharist is a sacrament and a sacrifice. In the Holy Eucharist, under the appearances of bread and wine, the Lord Christ is contained, offered, and received. The whole Christ is really, truly, and substantially present in the Holy Eucharist. We use the words "really, truly, and substantially" to describe Christ's presence in the Holy Eucharist in order to distinguish Our Lord's teaching from that of mere men who falsely teach that the Holy Eucharist is only a sign or figure of Christ, or that He is present only by His power. All Christians, with but few minor exceptions, held the true doctrine of the Real Presence from the time of Christ until the Protestant Revolution in the sixteenth century. The word " Eucharist " means " Thanksgiving ." Reference: EWTN Faith Teachings

Speaking of secrets. You don't owe every one your every story. There are stories that are better kept secret. Share your good news if it will inspire others, or even just to cheer them up, bring smile or laughter. If it is not worth sharing, just keep it to yourself. When you confide to someone, confidence is not assured 100%. Though it helps to confide to a friend, there is no guarantee that his lips are forever sealed. Whatever you have said in the dark will be said in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops. Luke 12:3 In business, trade secrets are not shared. A secret recipe, for example, or a secret ingredient of a recipe is better kept known to only you and those you trust. This is to protect your business. Otherwise, once your trade secret is stolen, it gives birth to your strongest competition. Bad deeds, however, are hard to keep. In time, it is going to stink and will be discovered. In the government, hypo...

See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you. John 5:14 Life of St Patrick Patrick was from Scotland. When Ireland was a land of Druids and pagans, Patrick, at 14, was captured and taken to Ireland as a slave until he was twenty. During that time, he prayed incessantly. In a dream, the people of Ireland was calling out to him for guidance. When he was ordained a bishop, he took the Gospel to Ireland, converting many to Christianity including the Kings, their families, and their entire kingdoms. For 40 years, St Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland. St Patrick is the patron saint for engineers and paralegals. His name is invoked against sins and dangers of snakes. Today, March 17 is the feast of St Patrick. Prayer St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh, Northern Ireland As I arise today, may the strength of God pilot me, the power of God uphold me, the wisdom of God guide me. May the eye of God look before me, the ear of G...

Pentateuch Abbreviations The following are the 5 books from the Pentateuch. Can you identify them? Deut Deuteronomy Dueteronomy Ex Exodvs Exodus Gen Genesis Genesist Lev Leviticus Liviticus Num Number Numbers That was easy! Would you like to face the next challenge? Take more quizzes .

The Apocryphal / Deuterocanonical Books are grouped into four. Books and Additions to Esther and Daniel that are in the Roman Catholic, Greek, and Slavonic Bibles. Tobit Judith The Additions to the Book of Esther Wisdom of Solomon Ecclesiasticus (Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach) Baruch The Letter of Jeremiah The Additions to the Book of Daniel: The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Books in the Greek and Slavonic Bibles but not in the Roman Catholic Canon 1 Esdras (or 2 Esdras in Slavonic and 3 Esdras in Appendix to Vulgate) Prayer of Manasseh Psalm 151 3 Maccabees In the Slavonic Bible and in the Latin Vulgate Appendix 2 Esdras (or 3 Esdras in Slavonic and 4 Esdras in Vulgate Appendix) In an Appendix to the Greek Bible 4 Maccabees

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit, for the first time, the Philippines in 2015 January 15 to 19. His main purpose is to visit those afflicted by the typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda that devastated Tacloban on November 8, 2013. His itinerary includes only Manila and Leyte. He will be in Tacloban on January 17, and will celebrate The Eucharist at the Tacloban airport. Leyte would want to minimize visitors from neighboring regions because there are not enough hotels and accommodations in the province. There is no announced itinerary yet for Manila other than his visit to the University of Santo Thomas (UST). For the latest news about the Papal Visit, visit this website Papal Visit Philippines 2015 that was made specifically for the event. If you're planning to visit Leyte or Manila in January even if there is no announced itinerary yet, you can check the availability of flights for January 15 to 19, 2015 below.

Can you recognize the players?