Fake News: Mga Alagad, Pinatay raw ng mga Katoliko?

Credit from CFD Ipil Diocese FB page

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! 

KUNG SINO ANG INUUSIG ANG SIYANG TUNAY NA IGLESIA!

Ayon sa pamantayan ng Iglesia Ni Cristo® na tatag ni Ginoong Felix Y. Manalo sa Pilipinas noong 1914, kung SINO ANG INUUSIG na Iglesia ay SIYANG TUNAY!

PASUGO Nobyembre 1954, p. 2,:

“Hindi kailangang patunayan pa kung hindi tunay na Iglesia, kung ito'y kay Cristo o hindi. Ang pag-uusig na nagaganap sa INK, na siyang katuparan ng pinagpauna ng Panginoon ay siyang malinaw na katunayan na ang INK ay tunay na Iglesia at kay Cristo. Anu-ano ang mga kinathang kasinungalingan na ipinaparatang kay Jesus an nakasisirang puri! Hindi lamang nila sinasabing siya'y may demonyo, kundi pinaparatangang siya'y nauulol (Juan 15:20). Kung siya'y inusig tao man ay uusigin din. Ang pag-uusig sa Ulo at tagos hanggang sa katawan. Siya ang ulo, tayo ang mga sangkap, na siyang Iglesia."

IGLESIA KATOLIKA ang INUUSIG na IGLESIA sa buong mundo! Kung gayon ang IGLESIA KATOLIKA nga ang TUNAY na IGLESIA NI CRISTO at hindi ang tatag ni G. Felix Manalo.

HOLY MARTYRS, PRAY FOR US!

Minutes after Sunday School class said they would die for Christ, half killed in Sri Lankan bomb blast

By Leonardo Blair for Christian Post

Children during a Sunday School session at Zion Church in Batticaloa Sri Lanka. | Twitter/danishkanavin

Just minutes after expressing their willingness to die for Christ, half the children from one Sunday School class at Zion Church in Batticaloa were reportedly killed in the Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks in Sri Lanka.

“Today was an Easter Sunday school at the church and we asked the children how many of you willing to die for Christ? Everyone raised their hands," Caroline Mahendran, a Sunday School teacher at the church, said, according to Israeli public figure Hananya Naftali. "Minutes later, they came down to the main service and the blast happened. Half of the children died on the spot.”

The report comes as the death toll from the bomb attacks on several churches and luxury hotels in the island nation, where Christians make up less than 10 percent of the 20 million population, rose to nearly 300 Monday with at least 500 wounded.

Fr. Kumaran, a pastor at Zion Church, told Times of India that he witnessed the death of many of the children shortly after arguing with the suicide bombing suspect he did not recognize.

It was about 8:30 a.m., Kumaran said, when he saw the suicide bombing suspect carrying a bag at the steps of the church already filled with worshipers.

"I asked him who he was and his name. He said he was a Muslim and wanted to visit the church," Kumaran said.

Inside Zion Church in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, in the aftermath of a suicide bombing there on April 21, 2019. | Twitter/danishkanavin

Kumaran said he was ushered away from the encounter by other priests because it was getting late for Mass. As he walked toward the podium he heard an explosion. When he turned around, the blood of his congregants, including many from the children’s Sunday School class, was splattered on the church walls.

"Twenty-eight people were killed, among them 12 children. Two are critical," a distressed Kumaran told the publication.

Arasaratnam Verl, 41, said his 13-year-old son, V. Jackson, who is also his only child, was standing near the church entrance after attending the Sunday School class. Jackson was killed instantly.

"My elder sister was killed too. My two younger sisters and my brother-in-law are critical," Verl, a taxi driver, told Times of India.

Hindi kaya ito ang dahilan kung bakit siya pinatay?

Pamamaalam ni Archbishop Soc Villegas kay Fr. Richmond Nilo

(Sipi mula sa blog ni Jover Laurio aka PAB)

 

Larawan mula sa Concept News Central

Mahal kong Father Richmond,

Paalam. Salamat. Maligayang bati!

Simula ng barilin ka nila hanggang ngayon ay hindi na tumigil ang ulan. Kulimlim ang langit tulad ng puso naming kulimlim din. Natigatig kaming lahat na Karlista mong kapatid sa text message “Bro binaril si Richmond”.

Sinong Richmond? Hindi puwedeng ikaw! Hindi ikaw yon! Pero si Bishop Elmer ang tumiyak sa akin na ikaw nga. Umiyak ako nang lihim habang hawak ang breviary para sa evening prayer. Hindi ko maituloy ang dasal dahil hindi ako makabasa dahil sa luha. Bakit? Ano ba ng kasalanan at kailangang patayin?

Wala kaming magagawa. Naawa kami habang nakatingin sa picture mong duguan sa Facebook. Katay ang tawag sa ginawa sa iyo hindi pagpatay. Hindi para sa tao. Hindi para sa pari. Hindi para kahit kanino. Sana makaharap ko ang bumaril sa iyo. Hindi ko sila sasaktan. Gusto ko lamang tanungin sila “Bakit?” Baka makatulong silang maunawaan namin ang pagkatay nila sa iyo. Baka sakali. Naghahanap ako ng paliwanag.

Hindi higanti ang hinihingi ng Karlista kundi katarungan. Hindi na kami umaasa ng katarungan galing sa may kapangyarihan. Baka nga gawan ka pa nila ng kuwento at tsismis. Pero tiyak ko Richmond, hindi natutulog ang Diyos. Alam niya ang lahat. Mula sa Diyos may tunay na katotohanan, totoong katarungan at walang hanggang gantimpala sa mga alagad na tulad mo.

Salamat sa paninindigan. Salamat sa katapatan. Salamat sa pagiging Karlistang matapang!

Nakakainggit ka Father Richmond. Biniyayaan ka ng Panginoon na diligin ang altar ng kapilya sa Mayamot ng iyong dugo! Ang laking biyaya! Inihalo ni Jesus ang kanyang Dugo sa iyong sariwang dugo. Ang galing di ba, Richmond! Dugo mo tinanggap ni Jesus at inihalo sa kanyang Dugo! Hindi lahat ng pari may ganyang kagandang kamatayan.

Noon pa mang seminarista ka, alam ko na “iba ka”. May malaking plano ang Diyos sa iyo.

Ito pala yon. Hindi ko sukat akalain.

Ang huling hininga mo ay sa loob ng simbahan! Ang huling hininga mo ay isang dipa lang galing sa altar. Ang huling hininga mo ay pagkatapos butasin ang tarpaulin ng Papuri sa Diyos.

Ang huling hininga mo may halo pa ng hininga ni Jesus na tinanggap mo galing sa kabilang barangay chapel. May kamatayan pa bang gaganda pa kaysa sa ibinigay sa iyo? Congratulations Father Richmond! Natapos ang maikli mong buhay kung paano ka nabuhay…laging tapat sa Diyos, laging laan para sa taumbayan, masayang nagbibiro hanggang sa huli…

Father Richmond, paalam mabunying Karlista! Salamat, masipag na Karlistang lingkod. Maligayang pagbalik sa bahay ng Ama.

Ipagdasal mo kami. Huwag mo kaming kalilimutan.

Ikumusta mo ako kay Cardinal Sin. Mahal ko kayong dalawa.

Mahigpit at mainit na yakap,

Father Soc

He was gunned down because of his love for Christ and His True Church!

Fr. Richmond Nilo Gunned Down! Rest In Peace!

A scheduled debate between Fr. Richmond Nilo (Catholic) and Minister Parba (Iglesia Ni Cristo®) was cancelled due to an incident where Fr. Nilo was gunned down by unknown assailants. This is disturbing. We must stand-up against EJK in the Philippines! While Duterte's government publicly announce his anti-Catholic sentiments and anti-priest campaign, still we are clueless who is behind this killing. Rest in peace Fr. Richmond, may God's perpetual light shine on you.

#NoToEJK #JusticeFrNilo

Saints Emulate Christ by Offering Their Lives to Save Others

France Honors a Catholic Soldier Murdered by a Terrorist

By Marie Meaney, March 29, 2018

Catholic Citizen.org

Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame (44) has become famous overnight. His family could well have done without his fame, since it came at such a cost—the sacrifice of his own life. He offered himself as a hostage in exchange for a wife and mother who was held captive by the terrorist Radouane Lakdim. Lakdim had taken over a supermarket in Trèbes, close to Carcassonne in southern France, threatening to blow up the store along with many hostages. Beltrame, a member of the French military police called the “Gendarmerie,” began negotiations with the attacker, drawing his attention away from the other Gendarmes who evacuated people from the building. He then took the unusual step of offering himself in exchange for the remaining hostage.

Where are the Iglesia Ni Cristo® - 1914 Martyrs of Faith?

Among those persecuted and murdered CHRISTIANS, no member of Felix Manalo's cult, the Iglesia Ni Cristo® -1914 was ever mentioned. Noticeably, an INC™ paid minister would prefer cities toiled by Catholic missionaries, where religious tolerance is respected. In rural areas, they would visit places visited and organized by Catholic missionaries where knowledge of Christ and the Bible has been fully established then they would sneak in and demonize the Catholic belief to justify their revived Arian heresy. No INC™ would dare go to places hostile to Christian missionaries. Thus it's not surprising that NO-INC™ PAID MINISTER has ever died for the sake of their faith in the MAN-ONLY-CHRIST-FAILURE-SAVIOR they worship besides THE FATHER (therefore worshiping TWO ~ one MAN and one GOD ~) a teaching that goes against the Bible - God alone you worship! [Exod. 20:3, Deut. 5:7] -CD2000 [P.S. the INC™ Christ was a "failure savior"  because he needed another "Last Messenger" in the person of Felix Manalo in order to save souls.]

Aleteia provides an overview of some recent 21st-century martyrs.

The blood of martyrs continues to be the seed of new Christians at the beginning of 2018. This is the conclusion we can draw from reviewing the testimonies of men and women who, in various countries around the world, have shed their blood for their faith in Jesus.

Below, we offer a list of present-day witnesses to the Gospel who have been faithful to the very end.

The list is necessarily incomplete. If you know other cases of Christians of any denomination who have been killed for their faith in Christ, please mention their names in the comments below this article, offering sources that will allow us to document the circumstances of their death.

1. Pakistan: Brutally killed at 15 years of age because he was a Christian [Killed by Muslims]

Mushtaq Gill, a Christian lawyer handling the case, explains that Masih’s death is a terrible example of Christian persecution in that country: “Violence begins at the desks in the schools, because even primary school textbooks incite hate against non-Muslims.”

2. Bolivia: A young Polish missionary, capable of risking everything for Christ

Helena’s case reveals the challenge facing missionaries in Latin America, a sub-continent where, during 2017, eleven missionaries died (eight priests, one religious, and two lay people).

3. Nigeria: Killed by human bombs [Perpetrators were Muslim terrorists]

Joseph, who was 56 years old and the father of 11 children, had been a catechist since he as 36; John, 38 years old and father of five, had been serving as a catechist for ten years. Patrick was 27 years old, and still a bachelor.

4. China: “Living martyrs” [Killed by Communist government]

They were “living martyrs.” In 2017, numerous bishops and priests of the Catholic Church in China have died, after suffering tremendous persecution and many years of prison or forced labor.

5) Philippines: Workers give their lives so as not to deny their faith [Murdered by Muslim terrorists]

They were killed for not reciting the shahada, the Islamic profession of faith. Thus, eight Christians bore witness to their faith on the Philippine island of Mindanao.

6) India: They had warned him: “Stop preaching the Bible.” [Killed by Islamic Army]

They had told him on various occasions to stop preaching the bible. Nonetheless, Sultan Masih, 47 years old, Pentecostal pastor of the Church of the Temple of God in Ludhiana, the largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, didn’t stop.

7) North Korea: Anonymous martyrs [by Communist government]

“In North Korea, the most ruthless persecutor—as the report categorizes the country ruled by Kim Jong-un—the indescribable atrocities committed against Christians include food deprivation and forced abortions, while there have also been reports of cases of believers tied to crosses and placed over fire. Others have been crushed by steam presses.”

8) Copts: Fidelity to Christ to the point of heroism [Perpetuators are Muslims]

While the world prepared to celebrate the new year, this December 30, 2017, nine people were cruelly killed in an attack against the Christian minority in Egypt, perpetrated by an armed Jihadi in a church south of Cairo, for which ISIS claimed responsibility.

It was the last of a series of attacks committed by Jihadis which, in 2017 alone, left more than one hundred dead. It’s a very high price being paid by Coptic Christians, a community making up 10 percent of the nearly 100 million inhabitants of Egypt, the largest minority in a majority Muslim country.

9) Cameroon: Death to the bishop? [Murdered by government forces]

Other examples of Catholic missionaries who died tragically and without the guilty parties being identified are Bishop Yves Plumey, archbishop emeritus of Garoua (1991); Fr. Joseph Mbassi, editor of the Catholic publication “L’Effort camerounnais” (1988); Jesuit theologian Engelbert Mveng (1995); French religious Germaine Marie Husband and Marie Léone Bordy, who ran a dispensary at a Catholic mission (1992); and Fr. Apollinaire Cloude Ndi, pastor of a church near Yaoundé (2001). Since 2010, many parishes and pastors have suffered attacks, which often met with silence from civil authorities.

10) In the hands of the Islamic State [Killers were Muslims]
A review of the witnesses of the faith who have given their lives for Christ during the past year would not be complete without mentioning the cases of Christian missionaries who have been kidnapped by the Islamic State or other Jihadist groups in various countries.

Catholic Herald: Houses of Parliament lit up in red for persecuted Christians

by Madeleine Teahan posted Thursday, 24 Nov 2016 for Catholic Herald

The Houses of Parliament lit up in red to commemorate persecuted Christians last year

Buildings across the country were lit up to mark 'Red Wednesday'

The Houses of Parliament, churches, cathedrals, synagogues and universities were lit up in red yesterday to highlight the plight of persecuted religious minorities abroad.

The event – Red Wednesday – was organised by Aid to the Church in Need. Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, London Routemaster buses and Bolton town hall were also lit up in red to commemorate the persecuted.

On his Twitter account yesterday, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby said: “In Communion this morning, we prayed for all victims of religious violence around the world – and for governments too. Peace between faiths means a shared commitment to love, truth and human dignity. May Christ give us grace to set an example. On #RedWednesday we must call on politicians to never use faith to motivate violence.”

He later posted a picture of Lambeth Palace floodlit in red, with the caption: “Lambeth Palace lit up for #RedWednesday tonight in solidarity with all those persecuted for their faith.”

Westminster Cathedral (Photo: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk)

At 6pm yesterday evening, Westminster Cathedral hosted a prayer service with Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of the Syriac Orthodox Church, based in Damascus, Syria, Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri Ameer of the Al-Mustafa Islamic Educational and Cultural Centre, Dublin, and Dr Sarah Bernstein, director-general of the Jerusalem Centre for Jewish-Christian Relations, Israel.

Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II (Photo: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk)

Bishop Angaelos, Britain’s Coptic Orthodox leader, released a video message of solidarity with persecuted Christians. Speaking outside the Coptic Cathedral of Saint George he said: “Today this Red Wednesday we stand in solidarity with all those who suffer. Christians of the Middle East, people of other religions all around the world, people of no religion who are compelled in whatever way. Today we stand in solidarity and say to you we stand by your side, we understand the burdens you carry, we will do more than just speak. We pray for you, we speak for you, we continue to raise awareness of your plight.”

Sila ay mga Kristianong KATOLIKO! Pinili ang Kamatayan Kaysa Hamakin si Jesus

Aleteia: The miracle that saved a priest from a jihadist’s knife

The terrifying experience of Franciscan Father Abuna Nirwan in Iraq

Source: Aleteia

Santiago Quemada

Abuna Nirwan

Abuna Nirwan is a Franciscan priest, originally from Iraq, who studied medicine before being ordained.

In 2004, while he was living in the Holy Land, the Dominican Sisters of the Rosary, founded by Maria Alphonsine Danil Ghattas (a Palestinian woman beatified in 2009 and canonized in 2015), gave him a relic of their founder and a rosary she had used. Fr. Nirwan always carries them with him.

In 2013, when Benedict XVI requested the investigation of a miracle for Maria Alphonsine’s canonization, the Holy See ordered as customary that the nun’s cadaver be exhumed. As usual, it fell to the local bishop to designate a doctor to preside over the procedure. Fr. Abuna Nirwan was asked to carry out the exhumation and to draw up the corresponding medical report.

Two years before her beatification, something truly extraordinary had happened through her intercession—besides the approved miracle—as recounted by Fr. Santiago Quemada on his blog, A priest in the Holy Land:

“The story we are going to tell took place on July 14, 2007. Abuna Nirwan went to visit his family in Iraq. He went in a taxi that he hired on the Syrian border. He told the story himself during the homily of a Mass he celebrated in Bet Yalla”:

At that time it wasn’t possible to travel by airplane to see my family. It was forbidden. The only means of transportation was a car. My plan was to arrive at Baghdad, and go from there to Mosul, where my parents lived.

The driver was afraid, because of the situation in Iraq during that period. A family—a father, a mother, and a 2-year-old girl—asked us if they could travel with us. The taxi driver told me that they had asked, and I had no objections. They were Muslims. The driver was a Christian. He told them that there was room in the car, and that they could come with us. We stopped at a gas station, and another young Muslim man asked if he could go to Mosul. There was still room, so we accepted him.

The border between Jordan and Iraq doesn’t open until sunrise. When the sun came up, the barrier was opened, and about 50 or 60 cars started to form a line, all driving together slowly.

We continued our trip with determination. After more than an hour in the car, we arrived at a place where there was a checkpoint. We prepared our passports. We stopped. The driver said, “I’m afraid of this group.” Before, it had been a military checkpoint, but members of an Islamist terrorist organization had killed the soldiers and taken control of the place.

When we arrived, they asked for our passports, and they made us get out of the car. They took the passports to their office. The man came back, turned to me, and said, “Father, we are going to continue with the investigation. You can go to the office further on. Beyond that is the desert.” “Very well,” I answered, “if we have to go, we will.” We walked for about a quarter of an hour until we arrived at the shack they indicated to us.

When we arrived at the cabin, two men came out with their faces covered. One was carrying a camera in one hand and a knife in the other. The other was bearded, and was carrying the Koran. They came up to where we were, and one of them asked me, “Father, where are you coming from?” I told him I was coming from Jordan. Then, he asked the driver.

Next, it was the turn of the young boy who had come with us; the man grabbed him and pinned his arms behind him, and killed him with the knife. They tied my hands behind my back. Then, he said, “Father, we are recording this for Al Jazeera. Do you want to say a few words? Please, no more than a minute.” I said, “No, I just want to pray.” They gave me a minute to pray.

Afterwards, he pushed down on my shoulder until I was forced to kneel, and he said, “You are a priest, and it is forbidden for your blood to fall on the ground, because it would be a sacrilege.” So he went to grab a bucket, and came back with it, to slit my throat.

I don’t know what I prayed at that moment. I was very afraid, and I told Marie Alphonsine, “It can’t be by chance that I’m carrying you with me. If it is necessary that the Lord take me while I’m young, I’m ready, but if not, I ask you that no one else die.”

He grabbed my head with his hand, held my shoulder tightly, and lifted the blade. There were a few moments of silence, and then suddenly he said, “Who are you?” I answered, “A friar.” He answered, “And why can’t I bring the knife down? Who are you?” And then, without letting me answer, he said, “Father, you and the others—go back to the car.” We went back to where the car was.

From that moment on, I have stopped being afraid of death. I know that I’ll die someday, but now I understand better that it will happen only when God wants it to. Since then, I’m not afraid of anything or anyone. Whatever happens to me will be because it’s God’s will, and He will give me the strength to carry His Cross. What matters is to have faith. God takes care of those who believe in Him.

CNA: Isang Samurai sa Japan, Malapit nang Maging Santo ng Iglesia

Samurai. Credit: Britannica, Wikipedia Public Domain.

Tokyo, Japan, Feb 8, 2017  (CNA/EWTN News).- A 17th century Catholic Samurai and martyr was beatified during a Mass in ‎Osaka, Japan on Tuesday.

Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Vatican’s ‎Congregation for the Causes of Saints, presided over the Beatification Mass of Justo Takayama Ukon, who was declared a martyr by Pope Francis in January last year.

Takayama Ukon was born in 1552 in Japan during the time when Jesuit missionaries were being introduced within the country. By the time Takayama was 12, his father had converted to Catholicism and had his son baptized as “Justo” by the Jesuit Fr. Gaspare di Lella.

Takayama's position in Japanese society as daimyo (a feudal lord) allowed him many benefits, such as owning grand estates and raising vast armies. As a Catholic, Takayama used his power to support and protect the short-lived missionary expansion within Japan, influencing the conversion of thousands of Japanese.

When a time of persecution set in within the country under the reign of Japan's chancellor Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1587, many newly-converted Catholics abandoned their beliefs.

By the 1620s, most missionaries were either driven out of the country or into underground ministry. These missionary priests would have been of the same era as those featured in the recent movie “Silence” by director Martin Scorsese. Although the film is based on a fictional novel by the Japanese author Shusaku Endo, many of the events and people depicted in “Silence” are real.

Instead of denying their faith, Takayama and his father left their prestigious position in society and chose a life of poverty and exile. Although many of his friends tried to persuade Takayama to deny Catholicism, he remained strong in his beliefs.

Takayama “did not want to fight against other Christians, and this led him to live a poor life, because when a samurai does not obey his 'chief,' he loses everything he has,” Fr. Anton Witwer, a general postulator of the Society of Jesus, told CNA in 2014.

Ten years passed, and the chancellor became more fierce in his persecution against Christians. He eventually crucified 26 Catholics, and by 1614, Christianity in Japan was completely banned.

The new boycott on Christianity forced Takayama to leave Japan in exile with 300 other Catholics. They fled to the Philippines, but not long after his arrival, Takayama died on February 3, 1615.

In 2013, the Japanese bishops' conference submitted the lengthy 400-page application for the beatification of Takayama to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. On Jan. 22, 2016, Takayama's advancement in the cause for canonization was further promulgated when Pope Francis approved his decree of martyrdom.

“Since Takayama died in exile because of the weaknesses caused by the maltreatments he suffered in his homeland, the process for beatification is that of a martyr,” Fr. Witwer explained.

Takayama's life exemplifies the Christian example of "a great fidelity to the Christian vocation, persevering despite all difficulties," Fr. Witwer continued.

"As a Christian, as a leader, as a cultural person, as a pioneer of adaptation, Ukon is a ‎role model and ‎there ‎are many things we can learn from him,” ‎Father Renzo De Luca, and Argentinian Jesuit and the director of the 26 Martyrs Museum ‎in Nagasaki‎, told Vatican Radio.

“In this era of political distrust, I think he ‎will be helpful ‎for ‎people other than Christians.”

Paalala sa mga Gustong Sirain ang Tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo: Hindi Kayo Mananaig!

"YOU CAN DESTROY OUR CHURCHES BUT NOT OUR FAITH!"

Isang caption sa FB page na THIS IS CHRISTIAN SYRIA 2!

ABRIL 29 BIERNES: Kulay PULA sa TREVI FOUNTAIN sa ROMA, Bilang Pag-aalaala sa mga Martir na Kristiano na Pinatay ng mga Muslim na Bandido!

BUKAS 29 ABRIL 2016, sa ROMA,kukulayan ng matingkad na PULA ang Trevi Fountain bilang PAG-ALAALA sa mga MARTIR na mga kaanib ng tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo. Ito ay pinangunahan ng Catholic Charity.

Rome’s Trevi Fountain to be dyed red for Christian martyrs

Mula sa: Wanted In Rome

Rome event to mark persecution of Christians around the world.

The waters of Rome’s Trevi Fountain will be dyed red in recognition of Christians who have died for their faith, at an event on Friday 29 April.

The initiative is being organised by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) to highlight the persecution of Christians and the “systematic violation of their right to religious freedom” in numerous countries around the world.

The Chaldean Catholic bishop of Aleppo in Syria, Antoine Audo, and ACN president Cardinal Mauro Piacenza will be at the event to discuss the persecution faced by Christians in the world today, in countries such as Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, North Korea and Somalia.

The event is supported by several religious and charitable associations including Communion and Liberation, Caritas Italy, the Christian Workers Movement and the Focolare Movement.

Pope Francis speaks frequently about modern-day martyrs, recently describing them as “the lifeblood of the Church.”

Handang Mamatay para kay Cristo at sa kanyang Banal na Iglesia

Kung totoong NATALIKOD na GANAP Iglesia Katolika bilang tunay na Iglesiang tatag ni Cristo, sino ba naman ang nasa kanyang katinuan upang HANDANG mamatay sa isang iglesiang "natalikod na"? Kayo kaya sa INC^® ni Manalo, may ministro ba kayong handang MAGBUWIS ng kanyang buhay alang-alang sa Iglesiang^® sa tingin niyo ay "tunay"?

Kayo na ang humusga.

Photo Source: BBCNews

Heroic Priest Assassinated In Syria
Source: Persecution.org

ICC Note: A 75-year-old Dutch priest paid with his life for choosing to stay and serve the Syrian people. Fr. Frans gave 50 years of his life to serve in Syria and was committed to stay in the city of Homs despite the war going on around them. He felt he could not abandon the few Christians the also remained. He was killed by a masked gunman who came into the monastery and pulled him into the garden and shot him. It is still unclear exactly who is responsible for his assassination... [Ituloy ang pagbabasa rito...]

Panoorin ang balitang ito sa Al-Jazeera Network

Paring Katoliko Pinaslang sa Publiko ng mga Rebelde sa Syria

Isa na namang karumal-dumal na pagpatay sa isang paring Katoliko sa bansang Syria kung saan ang mga rebeldeng lumalaban kay Pangulong si Bashar Al-Assad.

Ayon sa report na galing sa Vatican, ang mga masasamang-loob ay ang mga bandidong Muslim na kilala sa pangalang al-Nusra Front at sila'y kabilang sa napakaraming umaangkin ng Syria sa ngayon. Layunin ng grupong bandido na gawing Islamic Country ang Syria at palalaganapin ang batas na Sharia sa nasabing bansa.

Narito sa ibaba ang detalye ng balita mula sa TREND.az

A Syrian Catholic priest has been publicly executed by rebels at a monastery in the northern Syria, the Vatican says, BBC reported.

Father Francois Murad, 49, was beheaded on 23 June when militants attacked the convent where he was staying.

The Vatican news agency said the circumstances of the killing were not fully clear.

But local sources said the attackers were linked to the jihadist group known as al-Nusra Front.

Unconfirmed video footage claiming to show the priest's death, together with that of two other unidentified people, has been posted on Catholic websites.

Father Murad had moved to the convent in the area of Gassanieh for safety reasons, the Vatican said.

He was a member of the Franciscan order, the official custodian of Christian sites in the Middle East.

Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the head of Franciscans in the region, said Syria had now become a battleground not only between Syrian forces but also between Arab countries and the international community.

"Let us pray so that this absurd and shameful war ends soon and that the people of Syria can go back to living a normal life," he said.

Correspondents say many of Syria's ethnic and religious minorities are being drawn into the conflict as the fighting intensifies and becomes more sectarian in nature.

Gunmen in northern Syria abducted two Orthodox Christian bishops in April as they travelled from the Turkish border back to the city of Aleppo

Iglesia ni Cristo sa Thailand: Mga Kwento ng Kabayanihan

Narito na naman ang isang kwento ng mga bayani ng ating pananampalatayang Kristiano sa Thailand. Kwentong sumasalamin sa katotohanan ng ating pagka-Katoliko. Mga ordinaryong mananampalataya, handang ihandog ang buhay sa KATOTOHANAN sa Iglesia ni Cristo-- ang nag-iisa, at tanging Iglesia Katolika!

THE STORY OF CATHOLIC MARTYRDOM OF THAILAND

Source: Gereja Katolik

At that time, Wednesday 25 December 1940. A small village without sound silent Songkhon gripped. That day be Christmas day only there is no celebration of the mass in the Church. There are no sacraments whatsoever, and no Christmas drama birth of Jesus as the previous years. It happens because the local police has frequently come up to a community of sisters to ask them to stop everything that smells of teaching Christianity. No other religion in the land of Thailand in addition to Buddhism. But the sisters routinely teach children learn religion ignore and even more eager to testify. Then the day of the historic events that took place.

On the night of the 25th's Sister Agnes and sister Lucia Khambang Philaa have decided to sacrifice myself for the sake of ready-to-death of faith will be Jesus Christ no matter if the authorities want to kill them. That's why they wrote a letter to the police named their intentions to Lue States persisted in the faith though must die berkalang land. The letter they bacakan before the audience assembled. All who hear his passion and agreeing to feel reinvigorated will join the sacrifice.

Mga Martir ng Iglesia sa China, Inaalala ngayong araw!

Optional Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, priest and companions, Chinese martyrs

Si Santo Augustine Zhao Rong ay isang Intsik.  Siya ay isang diocesan priest na pinatay ng gobyerno kasama ng may 119 niyang mga kasamahan noong 1815.  Ilan sa mga martir ay isang 18 años na binata, si Chi Zhuzi. Habang tinatapyas ng patalim ang kanyang kanang braso habang siya'y binabalatan ng buhay ay nagwika: "Bawat bahagi ng aking laman, bawat patak ng aking dugo ay mangungusap sa inyo na ako'y Kristiano."  

San Augustin Zhao Rong at mga kasama, ipanalangin niyo kami.

Source: Catholic Culture

Augustine Zhao Rong and companions
Christianity arrived in China by way of Syria in the 600s. Depending on China's relations with the outside world, Christianity over the centuries was free to grow or was forced to operate secretly.

The 120 martyrs in this group died between 1648 and 1930. Most of them (eighty-seven) were born in China and were children, parents, catechists or laborers, ranging from nine years of age to seventy-two. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests.

The thirty-three foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or women religious, especially from the Order of Preachers, the Paris Foreign Mission Society, the Friars Minor, Jesuits, Salesians and Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.

Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier who accompanied Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse (Paris Foreign Mission Society) to his martyrdom in Beijing. Augustine was baptized and not long after was ordained as a diocesan priest. He was martyred in 1815.

Beatified in groups at various times, these 120 martyrs were canonized in Rome on October 1, 2000.

Excerpted from Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Marso: Panalangin para sa mga kababaihan at mga Kristianong inuusig dahil sa kanilang pananampalataya

Makakabili ng aklat RITO

VATICAN CITY - Ngayong buwan ng Marso, makiisa tayo sa panalangin ng banal na Papa Benito para sa mga kababaihan, lalong lalo na ang mga kababaihang naging daan ng kaganapan ng buhay at pag-ibig sa ating mga lipunan.

Inaalala rin natin sa buwang ito ang lahat ng mga Kristiyanong inuusig dahil sa kanilang pananampalataya partikular ang mga Kristianong namumuhay sa pangkalahatang Asia lalong lalo na sa Gitnang Silangan kung saan ang mga Kristianong Arabe ay patuloy na nakakatanggap ng 'Second Class Status" mula sa lipunan ng Islam.

Sila ang mga Kristianong patuloy na namumuhay at sumasaksi sa pag-ibig ng Dios. Idalangin din natin lahat ang mga taong naging instrumento ng kanilang pag-uusig. Na sa pamamagitan ng ating mga panalangin ay maibsan nila ang takot bagkos manahan sa kanila ang banal na Espiritu upang bigyan sila ng lakas at tatag na ipahayag ang kanilang pananampalataya sa kabila ng panganib mula sa mga mapanupil na lipunan o kultura.

Ituloy ang pagbabasa rito...