Ave Maria!

Is it true that one religion is no better than the other? How is Christ unique?

All founders of religion claim that they teach the truth about God. In this episode, Raymond de Souza discusses the unique claims Christ made as the founder of Christianity. Has any other founder of a world religion claimed to be one with God? Was the birth of any other religious founder pre-announced hundreds of years beforehand by various men living in different ages? Has any other founder of a religion performed miracles as proof of the words he spoke?

Raymond also talks on contraception in our day, and on how post WWII Europe, and the western world en masse, is contracepting and aborting itself to death. He mentions the main facets identifying the de-Christianization of Europe: politics without God, law without God, and economy without God. Raymond also speaks on how a non-childbearing Europe will fare with its increase in Muslim immigrants, and he adds this pearl as a postmark: “Between certitude (Islam) and weakness (European Christianity), certitude will win at the end of the day.?? He ends the episode with a fascinating story on the fruit of contraception and childlessness in Japan, where elderly couples pay to be visited by a younger couple (with one child) who pretend to be the children (and grandchild) of the elderly couple. The cost is $2,000 US dollars for a two-hour visit.

Ave Maria!

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Homily #091203 ( 06min) Play – Today we commemorate St Xavier and Fr. Ignatius gives a biography of this great saint who through zeal, learning and miracles spread the faith far and wide through Asia, including Mozambique, India, New Guinea, and Japan.
Ave Maria! St. Francis Xavier, Confessor – Mass: EF, Loquebar – Readings: 1st: rom 10:10-18 – Gsp: mar 16:15-18

Audio (MP3)

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Br. Anthony Josemaria a member of our Third Order has published an article in Homiletic and Pastoral Review on the tragic Catholic holocaust that occurred in Nagasaki when the Bomb dropped. Great article Br. Anthony!

The Catholic Holocaust of Nagasaki—“Why, Lord?”

The witness of the Catholics
of Nagasaki shows
God’s providence in the darkest of times.

By Brother Anthony Josemaria

On August 9, 1945, God’s inscrutable providence allowed an atomic bomb named “Fat Man” to be dropped from a B-29 into the heavily populated city of Nagasaki. The epicenter of the blast was the Urakami district, the heart and soul of Catholicism in Japan since the sixteenth century. My purpose in this article is to share an insight into God’s purpose in allowing this horrible event, a discovery made from reading (the recent Ignatius Press reprint of) Fr. Paul Glynn’s marvelous book A Song for Nagasaki. The book is subtitled, The Story of Takashi Nagai: Scientist, Convert, and Survivor of the Atomic Bomb.1

via The Catholic Holocaust of Nagasaki—“Why, Lord?”.

Also mentioned on Insight Scoop and New Advent.

The post FiNews – Br. Anthony Josemaria FTI Publishes in Homiletic and Pastoral Review first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #121203b ( 10min) Play –  Fr. Elias on the life of St. Francis Xavier, Jesuit, one of the Churches greatest missionaries. He was called the Apostle of the Indies, evangelizing India, Japan and the Philippines, working for the salvation of souls.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Francis Xavier – Mem [Celebrated as Feast in Ardc. of  Indianapolis]- Form: OF
Readings: 
1st: 1co 9:16-19, 22-23
Resp: psa 117:1, 2
Gsp: mar 16:15-20

Audio (MP3)

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Fr. Elias is heading a pilgrimage to the Catholic Shrines of Japan including those of St. Maximilian Kolbe, April 9 – 21, 2018. Sign-up deadline is Febuary 15th.

https://www.canterburypilgrimages.com/allpilgrimages/shrinesofjapan

Shrines of Japan (pdf)

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Fr. Matthias gives the homily on the memorial of St. Francis Xavier (Dec 03) explaining how everything changes in our life when we accept Christ: to those who accept Him, Jesus gives power to become children of God. The transformation resulting from this identification is definitive for our salvation. For this reason, St. Francis Xavier went to the ends of the world to preach this Good News of Our Lord.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Francis Xavier – Mem

Readings: Monday in the 1st Week in Advent
1st: Isa 2:1-5
Resp: Ps 122:1-2, 3-4, 8-9
Gsp: Mt 8:5-11

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1206&r=1247

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For Audio go to http://dev.airmaria.com?p=68358

By the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate http://marymediatrix.com

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The post Why Be Christian? Christ Changes Everything. – Dec 03 – Homily – Fr Matthias first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

Fr. Elias Mills will be leading a pilgrimage to Japan to see their Catholic shrines and other cultural sites. It will include a visit to St. Maximilian Kolbe’s friary, Mugenzai no Sono, at Nagasaki as well as the Shrine in Akita and several martyr’s shrines and sites of the persecuted Christians in Japan and even ride on the bullet train.

https://canterburypilgrimages.com/current-pilgrimages/catholic-shrines-of-japan-with-fr-elias-mills/

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Variety 316

The post Pilgrimage – Catholic Shrines of Japan with Fr. Elias Mills, F.I. first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

Fr. Elias gives a short history of Catholicism in Japan from St. Francis Xavier to St. Paul Mikki, St. Francis Nagasaki and his martyr companions (whose feast day is Feb 6th) and then to St. Maximillian Kolbe, Our Lady of Akita, and more. It covers:

0:00 – Mary and St. Francis Xavier, 1549
1:44 – The Great Persecution, Martyrs of Nagasaki
St Paul Miki and Companions
3:29 – Onsen hot springs
4:57 – St. Magdalene of Nagasaki & Bl. Justo Takayama Ukon
6:02 – Martyrs of Tokyo 1620
6:29 – Shimabara Rebellion 1638
7:57 – Opening of Japan 1853, Discovery of Hidden Christians
10:30 – Christianity in the Modern Era, Nagasaki
11:56 – Servant of God Takashi Nagai
13:48 – Hiroshima Jesuits
14:35 – St Maximillian Kolbe – Garden of the Immaculate
15:58 – Ven. Satoko Kitahara and friar Zenon Zebrowski
17:40 – Our Lady of Akita, Sr. Agnes Sasagawa
19:19 – Future: Hope in Our Lady

Also at YouTube https://youtu.be/0Kk7rZUr-6s

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Ave Maria!

Fr. Elias Mills, FI is leading a pilgrimage to the Catholic Shrines of Japan from March 23 – April 5, 2022. Come join him for a truly unique spiritual and cultural journey that will include shrines of St. Francis Xavier who brought Catholicism to Japan and the many Japanese martyrs as well as St. Maximilian Kolbe’s “Garden of the Immaculate” and the apparition site of Our Lady of Akita.

For more information: https://canterburypilgrimages.com/current-pilgrimages/catholic-shrines-of-japan-with-fr-elias-mills/

For a fascinating history of Catholicism in Japan by Fr. Elias: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kk7rZUr-6s

Also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6qVr_53H1SA
and Facebook: https://fb.watch/6n0RK9pRg4/

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“The Life of Bl. Apollinaris Franco & Comp, Martyrs, 1st & 3rd Orders (m. 1622-32) for the Franciscan Saint of the Day for Sep 10. Bl. Apollinaris Franco & 44 Companions were missionaries to Japan after the first persecution and when the second persecution started they were put to death after trying to operate in hiding.

Reflection is on the triumph of the Christian Faith that not even fire and sword can eradicate as the Martyrs of Japan give testimony.

For more on Bl. Apollinaris Franco & Comp
– https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/blessed-apollinaris-franco.html

Also on Youtube: https://youtu.be/O4JT6cRwNl4

Read by Fr. Ignatius Manfredonia, FI from Marion Habig’s ‘The Franciscan Book of Saints’ Revised Edition, Franciscan Herald Press, ISBN: 978-0819907516

Playlist of Franciscan Saints: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TxcAETrU_k&list=PLejh_e0-LN4wErRczZGry4TXytCZFiLCm”

Ave Maria!

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