Mary's Catholics

With the popularity of online social networking services such as Twitter, Vatican decided to use twitter to communicate further with the people around the world especially with the Catholics. So they created a twitter account -  https://twitter.com/pontifex  -  for the Supreme Pontiff. The first pope who used the account was Pope Benedict XVI. But now he is replaced by Pope Francis. Pope Francis started tweeting on March 17, 2013. As of December 31, the pope has over three million four hundred thousand followers worldwide,  and these numbers are growing each minute. Here are some of the tweets of Pope Francis that I find enlightening, inspiring and interesting with their corresponding dates: Note : Click the dates and you will be linked to the actual tweets of Pope Francis. March 19, 2013 True power is service. The Pope must serve all people, especially the poor, the weak, the vulnerable.  March 28, 2013 Support your priests with your lov...

My personal copy Last December 11, 2013, Time magazine named Pope Francis as the 2013 Person of the Year  (formerly Man of the Year). This is not the first time that a Supreme Pontiff was accorded with such honor. In 1962, Pope John XXIII was Time's Man of the Year , while Pope John Paul II was Time's Man of the Year  in 1994. Interestingly, Pope Francis is scheduled to canonize his two predecessors next year.  Why Time chose Pope Francis? According to Time, Pope Francis has quickly captured the world's attention in just nine months in office.      "And in a very short time, a vast, global, ecumenical audience has shown a hunger to follow him. For pulling the papacy out of the palace and into the streets, for committing the world's largest church to confronting its deepest needs and for balancing judgment with mercy, Pope Francis is TIME's 2013 Person of the Year."  - Nancy Gibbs, Time Aside from being Time's Person of the Year...

cc photo by presidencia.gov.ar on Wikimedia Commons - Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936 in Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina. - His father, Mario Jose Bergoglio who worked as an accountant in the railways was an Italian immigrant from Portacomaro, in the Asti Province of Italy. He left Italy to escape the fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini. His mother, Regina Maria Sivori, who was also of Italian origin, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. - Pope Francis is the eldest of five children. Of his siblings, only his sister Maria Elena is still living. - He had his elementary studies at a Salesian school in Ramos Mejia. He attended the technical secondary school at the Escueta Nacional de Educacion Tecnica. He graduated with honors in Chemistry. - He felt that he was called to the priesthood on the feast of St. Matthew on September 21, 1953 at the age of sixteen. He studied at the Inmaculada Concepcion Seminary in Villa Devoto, Bue...

The Catholic Church was at first viewed as a sect of the Jewish religion since most of her members were Jews. They were called "Nazareans." Then Helenist (Greeks) begun to enter the church. With the preaching of Stephen, the ire of the Jewish people turned on the nascent religion forcing the first Christians to flee from Jerusalem to Samaria and Antioch. It was at this time that Saul, later on to be St. Paul, became the fiercest persecutor of Christ's disciples. But struck down on the road to Damascus. Saul became the foremost proponent of the Gospel. A vision confirmed to Peter that the gospel was not only for the Jews but for all. Then he sees Cornelius, who was not a Jew, receive the Holy Spirit. It was in Antioch, where many of the Helenists had taken refuge that the disciples were called "Christians." From Antioch, the evangelization of the Roman Empire began. Understandably, the Jewish Christians were slow in abandoning their Jewish practi...

Pope Francis' Angelus message last Sunday, December 1, 2013 was a message of strong hope. He told the pilgrims at St. Peter's Square, that the day will come when nations will live in peace. He also told the pilgrims, "Let's put a bet on hope, on hope for peace, and peace will be possible." He also reminded the people that advent is a season that renews the horizon of hope. He cited the Blessed Virgin Mary as the model of spiritual attitude of hope. He explained, "Although she was just a simple girl, she carried in her heart the hope of God." I love this message of hope from the Pope. His message of hope is so timely. This is the kind of message that we need nowadays. Today, different countries around the world are beset by wars, political chaos, calamities and disasters. We are always tempted to lose hope. But let us not forget that even the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the Mother of God, was not spared nor exempted from trials and sufferings dur...

The Catholic faith is still alive after super typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda hit the Philippines' Eastern Visayas Region. Last Sunday, November 17, 2013, many survivors flocked to the ruined churches in the affected areas in Tacloban, Leyte; Sta. Rita, Samar; Roxas City, Capiz just to name a few to attend holy mass, to pray for  strength and guidance, and to give thanks to God for their "second life".   Here are some of the words of faith from the survivors: "My faith is stronger than Yolanda." "Even the rains cannot stop me from thanking the Lord for saving me and my family." - Anita Carillo "We're now homeless. But I'm very thankful I was able to save the two most important people in my life, my grandsons." - Rosario Capidos "The Lord has strengthened our faith and made us stronger in order for us to survive and start off all over again." - Belen Curila "Despite what happened, we s...

Another calamity hit my beloved county, the Philippines once again. Just last month, October 15, 2013, Philippines' two islands - Cebu and Bohol - were hit by a 7.2 earthquake. And now, barely a month after the earthquake, on November 8, 2013, Friday, a super typhoon with an international name Haiyan  (Yolanda in the Philippines) hit the Philippines. The super storm with sustained winds of 315 kph (195 mph) and gusts as strong as 380 kph (235 mph) moved across the eastern Visayas wrecking more than ten municipalities. It is reportedly the strongest typhoon to hit land anywhere in the world in recorded history.  THE DIRECTION OF TYPHOON HAIYAN/YOLANDA cc photo from Wikimedia Commons The Holy Father, Pope Francis took to twitter to ask for prayers for the Philippines. As of this date, the death toll is estimated at more or less 1,200 but according to Yahoo News , it is feared that the dead could reach 10,000.  The devastation is indescribab...