The Prophets, by Ryan P. Hanson The Prophets were the messengers of God. He told them what he wanted the Jews to know. Some of the prophets told of the coming of the Messiah, others about exile and how they would be conquered. There are two different classes of prophets: the Major Prophets, who are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, and the Minor Prophets, who are Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi....
The Blue Scapular, by Benjamin Cabeen The Blue Scapular was given to Servant of God Ursula Benincasa, who founded the Congregation of the Oblates of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Hermitage of the Contemplative Nuns of the Immaculate Conception. Both societies were approved by Pope Gregory XV on April 7, 1623. Those who wear the Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception and belong to the Marian Fathers confraternity can receive a plenary indulgence if they are in a state of grace and free from attachment to sin, have an intention for someone, perform an act of indulgence, receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, and pray for the Pope....
Heresies: and Introduction, by Thomas M. Cabeen Heresies are an evil that can easily be thought of as a thing of antiquity. On the contrary, heresy is as present in our age as it has been from the early Church, the very first of which was condemned in the Council of Jerusalem, which is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. When one thinks about heresy the mind can be brought to many events of the past, both far and near: there are the complicated names, such as Arianism and Pelagianism, and councils such as the Council of Trent and of Nicaea....
The Beginning of Life, by Alex Hanson Many today claim that life arose on Earth because of pure chance. A few amino acids in a pool being struck by lightning randomly coming to life is the most common explanation. This idea seems plausible at first, as experiments have shown that amino acids can form from simpler molecules spontaneously. Given the chaotic environment of the early Earth, these molecules will be crashing into each other enormous numbers of times, facilitating even the most complex chemical reactions....
St. Margaret of Castello, by Evelyn Wagner St. Margaret of Castello was born in Metola, Italy, in 1287. To the dismay of her parents, she was born a hunchback, could barely walk, and was blind. Her parents were wealthy and only cared about their social status, so they secluded her from society and tried to keep her a secret. But when she was six years old, a guest found out that she existed....