PINATAY raw ng mga KATOLIKO ang mga ALAGAD ni CRISTO noong UNANG SIGLO kaya't WALANG NATIRA sa kanila. At doon NALIPOL na GANAP ang tunay na IGLESIA NI CRISTO!
Ikaw, napaniwala ka rin ba ng mga bulaang propeta na KAILAN lamang sumulpot sa kasaysayan? Ang mga inaralan ng mga bulaang propeta na TATAG ni G. Felix Manalo at ni G. Eliseo Soriano ay mahilig sa mga ganitong "Fake News" at may mga Katoliko naman na salat sa Katekismo ang naniwala at tuluyang umanib sa kanila.
Ano nga ba ang KATOTOHANAN ukol sa pagkamatay ng mga Apostol o Alagad ni Cristo?
🀄SAN MATEO
Naghirap bilang martir sa Ethiopia (Hilagang Africa) at namatay sa pamamagitan ng tulos ng espada!
🀄SAN MARCOS
Namatay sa Alexandria, Egypt , habang hinihila ng isang kabayo palibot sa nasabing ng bayan. At dahil doon siya ay namatay.
🀄SAN LUKAS
Siya ay binigti sa Greece dahil sa kanyang walang takot na pangangaral ng Mabuting Balita.
🀄SAN JUAN
Tanging alagad na hindi nakaranas ng pagpapahirap. Siya ay namatay ng payapa sa isla ng Patmos (Turkey) kung saan doon niya natanggap ang Pahayag (Revelation) at doon niya sinulat ang kanyang mga sulat at ebanghelyo.
🀄SAN SIMON PEDRO
Siya ay pinko sa kahoy na hugis X ngunit patiwarik. Para sa kanya, hindi siya karapat-dapat na mamatay ng kahalintulad sa kay Cristo.
🀄SAN TIAGO
Siya ang naatasang mamuno sa iglesia sa Jerusalem. Dahil sa kanyang pagtangging itakwil ang kanyang pananampalataya kay Cristo, siya ay inihulog sa mataas na bahagi ng Templo ngunit nakaligtas. At nang malaman ng mga nasa katungkulan na siya ay nakaligtas, siya ay hinambalos hanggang sa mamatay.
🀄SAN TIAGO (anak ni Zebedeo)
Isang magiting na pinuno sa iglesia sa Jerusalem, siya ay pinugutan ng ulo dahil sa kanyang pagtatanggol sa pananampalataya. Isang opisyal ng Roma ang nakasaksi sa kagitingan ni San Tiago at naging tagasunod ni Cristo.
🀄SAN BARTOLOMEO
Kilala rin si San Bartolomeo bilang Nathaniel. Siya ay isang manggagawa sa Asia. Siya ay namatay sa Armenia sa pamamagitan ng matinding hampas at palo mula sa kanyang mga kaaway.
🀄SAN ANDRES
Katulad ni San Pedro siya ay ginapos sa isang kahoy na hugis X sa Patras Greece. Matapos na pahirapan sa pamamagitan ng hampas ng lubid, siya ay tinali sa krus upang pahirapan hanggang mamatay. Habang siya ay nakagapos, siya ay walang tigil sa pagpapahayag ng aral ni Cristo hanggang siya'y mamatay makalipas ang dalawang araw.
🀄SAN TOMAS
Si Santo Tomas ay pinatay sa sibat habang siya ay nangangaral sa India bilang isang manggagawa.
🀄SAN JUDAS TADEO
Siya ay pinatay sa pamamagitan ng pana dahil sa pagtangging itakwil ang kanyang paniniwala kay Cristo.
🀄SAN MATIAS
Ang alagad na pumalit kay Judas Iscariote bilang apostol ni Cristo. Siya ay pinatay sa pamamagitan ng pagbato at di kalauna'y pinugutan ng ulo.
🀄SAN PABLO
Siya ay matinding pinahirapan at pinugutan ng ulo ng Emperor Nero sa Roma taong 67 A.D. Bago pa man siya'y pinatay, siya ay matagal na naging bihag sa kulungan. Dito niya sinamantala ang pagpapadala ng mga sulat sa mga iglesia ni Cristo mula sa Roma. May labing-tatlong sulat rito ay bumubuo sa mga aklat sa Bagong Tipan.
Sa kabuuan, ang mga ALAGAD ang mga KAUNA-UNAHANG mga KATOLIKO na PINATAY ng mga KALABAN ni Cristo!
Ni Dr. James Taylor, Isang Nagbalik-loob sa tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo - ang Iglesia Katolika!
Many protestants make the mistake of claiming St. Paul as the first protestant, instead of Martin Luther? Why? Well Paul was not one of the original 12 apostles, and seemed to go around the country planting churches. Some claim that each of these churches was autonomous, with no central authority like Peter, and that is certainly the model of many modern protestant churches. But that is not the correct assumption to make about St. Paul, who is VERY Catholic in his writing. Let's take a look at some his writings to see.
First, St. Paul did get his commission directly from Jesus Christ, on the way to Damascus. St. Paul didn't just stand up on his own one day and decide to become a preacher. Like Peter and the other 11 apostles, Paul was sent forth by Jesus Christ Himself. St. Paul even says in Romans 10:15 that no one can preach unless he is SENT. Sent by whom? Well, either by Jesus Himself, or one with the authority of Jesus Himself, which would be Peter. We know this from John 20:21, where Jesus says to Peter and the other apostles (the Church on earth), "As the Father has sent Me, so I send you." Jesus also gave Peter the Keys to His Kingdom, in a sign of authority, in Matthew 16:19, where Jesus says that whatever Peter and His Church bind on earth, or loose on earth, will be bound and loosed in heaven. In recognition of this, after Paul had spent 3 years in Arabia following his conversion, he went and submitted himself to the chair of Peter, in Galatians 1:18.
But being sent by Christ to preach to the Gentiles and being submissive to Peter were not the only Catholic things that Paul did. Paul was very keen on oral tradition, something that Catholics today say is just as important as sacred scripture. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Paul says to "hold fast to the traditions we taught you, either written or by WORD OF MOUTH. Most protestants today disagree with Paul, saying that all tradition in the Catholic Church is somehow evil.
Paul was also very outspoken on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. In 1 Corinthians 10:16-21, St. Paul says that the cup of blessing is a participation in the blood of Christ (not "symbolic"), and the breaking of the bread is a participation in the body of Christ (not "symbolic"). He then goes on to compare the Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ with the Jewish sacrifice on the altar, as well as with the pagan sacrifices on the altar. Now either Paul doesn't know how to write properly and is using false comparisons with other altar sacrifices, OR the Eucharist is indeed a true sacrifice on an altar. Why else would Paul compare the Eucharist to other altar sacrifices? Most protestants don't even have an altar in their church (but they do have altar calls!). As if to emphasize his belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Paul continues talking about it in the very next chapter, 1 Corinthians 11:23-30, where he says that whoever eats and drinks the Eucharist in an unworthy manner is guilty of profaning THE BODY AND THE BLOOD OF JESUS (if it's just a symbol, then this would be impossible.) This is why Catholics who practice artificial contraception or who commit other mortal sins such as looking at porn HAVE TO GO TO CONFESSION FIRST before receiving the Eucharist. Otherwise, they are guilty of yet another mortal sin. Paul goes on to say that anyone who does not discern the Body of Christ in the Eucharist (therefore, NOT A SYMBOL) eats and drinks judgment on himself, and you could get sick and die. This is why non-Catholics are not invited to the Catholic Eucharist, because they do not believe it to be Jesus Himself. Just like in marriage, where the husband and wife become one flesh, in the Eucharist, Jesus becomes one flesh with us. And just like in marriage, there is a preparation before. In marriage, there is the Pre-Cana preparation; with the Eucharist, there is the RCIA preparation.
So what about the sacrament of confession? Did Paul ever say anything about this? Well, yes he did, in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. Paul says that the ministry of reconciliation (forgiveness of our sins) was given to him by Christ. On behalf of Christ, Paul urges us all to be reconciled with God. Many protestants believe that they can confess their sins directly to God, and not go through a minister, but this philosophy is only to be found in the Old Testament, not the New Testament. For instance, we have St. John the Baptist hearing the people's sins prior to baptism in Mark 1:5, and in John 20:21-23, Jesus gives his priests the power to forgive sins. In James 5:16, he says to confess your sins to one another. And in Acts 19:18, many people came forward confessing their sins and evil practices. Confessing one's sins to a minister of reconciliation is very New Testament. Confessing your sins to God directly is the Old Testament way, and is no longer in force.
Paul also believed in personal mortification, like Catholics do during Lent. In Colossians 1:24, Paul says that he rejoices in his personal sufferings, and completes WHAT IS LACKING IN THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST, for the sake of the Church. Now this doesn't mean that Paul thinks that Jesus should have hung on the cross for 4 hours instead of 3 hours. What it means is that we, the Church Militant, in the true imitation of Christ, have to suffer with him, albeit not near as much. Why, because it helps build up the church. It is only through suffering that many people meet Christ. After all, when we are well off and well fed and healthy and living the good life, most people put their confidence in the things of this world, not Christ. By suffering, we come to know Christ as He came to know us - in bodily suffering. Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 9:27 that he mortifies his flesh, so that after preaching to us, he himself will not be disqualified. This not only reinforces the self-mortification aspect of Paul's teaching, it also refutes the heretical "once saved, always saved' teaching of protestants.
And speaking of the false "once saved, always saved" theory, Paul directly refutes it in Hebrews 10: 26-29, when he says that if you deliberately sin after being sanctified by grace, then you can expect nothing less than an ordeal of fire, because you have profaned the blood of the covenant (the Holy Eucharist) by which you were sanctified, and outraged the Holy Spirit. That certainly doesn't sound like once saved, always saved, and in fact, backs up St. Peter in 2 Peter 2:20-22.
St. Paul also believes in praying for the dead. He prayed for the dead Onesiphorus in 2 Timothy 1:16-18, asking not only blessings for his household, but for Onesiphorus to receive mercy at the final judgment.
Purgatory? St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:12 -15, that a man's work will be tested with fire on his judgment day. If the man has good works, then he will receive an immediate reward. if it is burned up, then he will eventually be saved, but only through fire. Since people who go to hell are never saved, then this can only be referring to the cleansing fire of purgatory.
St. Paul also didn't preach that the bible alone is his philosophy. Rather, in 1 Timothy 3:15, St. Paul says that the Church is the pillar and bulwark of truth, rather than sacred scripture, which many protestants hold up to be the pillar and bulwark of truth. Catholics agree completely with St. Paul here.
And St. Paul was not only celibate, he recommended celibacy. Many protestants mistakenly believe that celibacy leads to child abuse, which is crazy, because Jesus, St. John the Baptist, and St. Paul were all celibate. St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:8-22, that marriage is ok, but IT IS BETTER TO REMAIN UNMARRIED, because then you are trying to please the Lord, not your wife.
St. Paul didn't believe that good works were useless, filthy rags either, like some protestants preach. Rather, he believed that they were the fruit of our faith, like he says in Colossians 1:10 - "We should live a life pleasing to God, bearing fruit in every good work." Paul does condemn the useless works of the law like circumcision, in Romans 3:28. Luther mistranslated this "works of the law" into "good works," which does not agree with other scriptures like James 2:24, where God says that we are justified by works, and not by faith alone. It's sad how so many people today still believe Luther and not James. As if to emphasize his belief that salvation is not a one time decision, but a continuous journey until death, Paul says in Phillipians 2:12 to "WORK (there is that word again) out your salvation with FEAR AND TREMBLING." (This is not the cocky self assuredness that most protestants preach today!).
And finally, what about the Rapture? The rapture is a mistaken protestant belief that Jesus will come in secret, and snatch believers up to heaven, leaving everything else behind, including their clothes. Then there will be a 7 year tribulation, where the rest of us will get a second chance to be saved. This is NOWHERE to be found in scripture. St. Paul mentions the second coming of Jesus in 1 Thessalonians 4: 15-17. But Paul says that the dead will rise first, and that there will be a huge trumpet blast. So this event doesn't appear to be some secret snatching away of believers. Seeing the dead rise first with a huge trumpet blast is nowhere to be found in any of the "Left Behind" series of novels. And since the dead will rise first, we know that this will be the last day of human history. This is confirmed by St. John in John 6:40.
So don't let anyone try to hold St. Paul us as some kind of Protestant. St. Peter says in 2 Peter 3:16 that many of his writings are hard to understand, and many do so to their own destruction. This was true in the first century, in the 16th century when Luther and Calvin got it wrong, and it is still true today with all of the TV preachers preaching health and wealth as the Christian message..
June 22: A cameraman films a painting discovered with the earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul in a catacomb located under a modern office building in Rome. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
ROME — The earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul have been discovered in a catacomb under an eight-story modern office building in a working-class neighborhood of Rome, Vatican officials said Tuesday.
The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were discovered on the ceiling of a tomb that also includes the earliest known images of the apostles John and Andrew. They were uncovered using a new laser technique that allowed restorers to burn off centuries of thick white calcium carbonate deposits without damaging the dark colors of the original paintings underneath.
The paintings adorn what is believed to be the tomb of a Roman noblewoman in the Santa Tecla catacomb and represent some of the earliest evidence of devotion to the apostles in early Christianity, Vatican officials said in opening up the tomb to the media for the first time.
Last June, the Vatican announced the discovery of the icon of Paul — timed to coincide with the end of the Vatican's Pauline year. At the time, Pope Benedict XVI also announced that tests on bone fragments long attributed to Paul "seemed to confirm" that they did indeed belong to the Roman Catholic saint.
On Tuesday, Vatican archaeologists announced that the image of Paul discovered last year was not found in isolation, but was rather part of a square ceiling painting that also included icons of three other apostles - Peter, John and Andrew - surrounding an image of Christ as the Good Shepherd.
"These are the first images of the apostles," said Fabrizio Bisconti, the superintendent of archaeology for the catacombs, which are maintained by the Vatican's Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology.
The Vatican office oversaw and paid for the two-year, euro60,000 restoration effort, which for the first time used lasers to restore frescoes and paintings in catacombs. The damp, musty air of underground catacombs makes preservation of paintings particularly difficult and restoration problematic.
In this case, the small burial chamber at the end of the catacomb was completely encased in centimeters (inches) of white calcium carbonate, which under previous restoration techniques would have just been scraped away by hand. That technique, though would have left a filmy layer on top so as to not damage the paintings underneath.
Using the laser, restorers were able to sear off all the layers of calcium that had been bound onto the painting because the laser beam stopped burning at the white of the calcium deposits, which when chipped off left the brilliant darker colors underneath it unscathed, said Barbara Mazzei, the chief restorer.
