HOW NOT TO BECOME A CATHOLIC CONVERT?
(By. K. Albert Little)
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Want to avoid becoming a Catholic? Take this friendly advice from a non-denominational evangelical convert named K. Albert Little.
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As a protestant convert to the Catholic faith I’ve lived through what sociologists call a paradigm shift .
I went from being an arm-raising, grape-juice drinking, Bible-believing unaffiliated evangelical to a rosary-praying, priest-confessing, saint-loving Catholic. But it didn’t happen overnight.
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For me, there are certain lines I can trace–a certain narrative—through nearly a decade’s long journey that led me home to Mother Church. In my own journey, I can check off certain boxes and say, definitively, yes, that made me become a Catholic. So, naturally, I wanted to help others to avoid a similar fate.
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For me, it’s too late: I’ve got rosaries stuffed into my dresser, a crucifix over the front door, and I’m lobbying hard to put a statue of St. Francis in the garden to scare away the wayward squirrels—before they eat all the tomatoes.
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It’s too late for me, but there’s still hope for you.
If you can, with the help of our Lord and your closest friends and family, avoid these certain pitfalls, while I can’t promise, I can assure you that you’ll have a much easier time avoiding the trap that I fell into.
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Non-Catholic Friends, I offer some unsolicited advice: here’s how to not become a Catholic:⬇️
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1. Don’t Read Scott Hahn �
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One of the first mistakes I made as a Protestant was to read Dr. Scott Hahn.
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Dr. Hahn is a renown bible scholar, and Catholic convert. In the 80’s Scott and his wife Kimberly were part of a wave of famous Catholic converts from Protestantism. Dr. Hahn, presbyterian minister and staunch anti-Catholic, had a radical conversion Catholicism. He began to speak about his experience and one of his talks was recorded. Passed around on cassette tape, his incredible story began to draw others towards the ancient faith. The popularity of Scott and Kimberly’s stories touched off a massive wave of Catholic conversions and encouraged the pair to write a book based on their experience called
Rome Sweet Home .
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2. Do not read Rome Sweet Home �
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What you’ll discover is that Scott and Kimberly are intelligent, well-read, and well-meaning people. They were, both, deeply schooled in orthodox, ordinary evangelical theology and incredibly well-versed in Scripture. Dr. Hahn graduated at the top of his class from an evangelical seminary.
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They were actual Christians who became actual Catholics . I had no idea this kind of thing even happened.
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Dr. Hahn is now a highly renowned biblical theologian, a prolific author, and a voice of authority, compassion, and expertise in the Catholic Church. He’s brought his evangelical fervor to Catholicism and hasn’t slowed down.
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Reading a conversion story as fulsome as Rome Sweet Home is dangerous. In the story of Scott and Kimberley, and the stories of other converts to Catholicism, you’ll see echoes of your own faith journey. You’ll encounter questions you may have asked, or may not have, but you’ll sure be asking now.
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And, if you’re not careful, your road may begin to take a slight jog to the left and you may find yourself at the very beginnings of a Rome-bound journey. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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3. Don’t Read Church History �️
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A second, major mistake that I made was to read Church history—the history of Christianity. I did my best.
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I tried to select a truly academic, historical overview from as secular a source as possible. I didn’t want history tainted by an overly Catholic perspective, a heavily Protestant point-of-view, or a work of pseudo-historical merit. I wanted the real, scholarly deal. I’m a History major, after all, so I figured I could hack it.
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I chose the 800-page Reformation by Diarmaid MacCulloch (among other sources I’ve read since).
Do not read The Reformation by Diarmaid MacCulloch.
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MacCulloch describes the history of the Reformation with sometimes mind-numbingly minute detail. It’s, truly, a thick slog and you could begin thesis work based on any of the small sub-sections MacCulloch includes. It was a decidedly academic text but, as a result, gives you an intensive overview of why the Protestant Reformers split from the Catholic Church in the 16th century and what was happening in culture and society which underpinned it all. But reading Church History is dangerous.
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From a in-depth reading it’s clear just how tenuous some of the decisions and attitudes of the Early Reformers were. How much of Martin Luther’s personal story of enlightenment is exaggerated. How much of his doctrine of justification and the very things he split from the Church over are driven directly by a manic personality. How so much of the Reformation was thrust forward by cultural, not religious, details. How politics, war, and the European dynasties proliferated and exacerbated tensions.
And, if you’re not careful, you might realize, like I did, just how shaky the foundation—the very origins—of my Protestant faith truly was. And how adequate and immediate the response of the Catholic Counter-Reformation was in cleaning up places the Church of 1,500 years had gone awry.
Spoiler alert: They do an excellent job.
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In my lack of understanding of Church history I thought the Reformers sailed in to reclaim an ancient Christian faith that was lost to the mists of time when the Roman church went astray. In reality, it was a much more complicated movement, a split, from the singular Church which Christ had established by a group motivated by all kinds of things. I was surprised by what I learned.
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3. Don’t Read the Early Church Fathers �
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A third mistake that I made was nearly fatal: I began to read the Early Church Fathers.
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Understand, these are the apostles of the apostles, the Christians who were taught by the very first Christians that Jesus taught. These are giants of Christianity who had direct access to those who heard Jesus’s very words, and touched his flesh. As an evangelical I didn’t even realize that this material existed and once I learned about it, I couldn’t get enough.
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As a naive, curious Christian I began to read the Early Church Fathers only to find out that they were startlingly Catholic. The Fathers wrote about Jesus being really present in Holy Communion—not simply as a symbol—as early as AD 100. They wrote, endlessly, about the importance of submitting to Bishops and respecting the authority of the Church—a Church which, in their minds, Jesus began, the apostles continued, and then passed on to them, by appointing them into places of authority.
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When I began to realize that the Early Church didn’t look like the evangelical tradition I had grown up in I was shocked, and then confused. I was always told, as an evangelical, that “house churches” were biblical—that independent, small groups of Christians meeting in an “upper room” was what happened in the first centuries of Christianity.
Instead, the Early Church is decidedly Catholic in its doctrine and its hierarchical structure, and if you’re not careful, you may come to a similarly shocking conclusion as I did. And then what?
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4. Don’t Meet Any Great Catholics �‍⚖️�‍��
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The next mistake you might make is to meet some great Catholics. Don’t do it.
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You may have already come to realize, at this point in your journey, especially if you didn’t heed my earlier advice, that there are some pretty amazing Catholics out there.
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Maybe you’ve read people like Scott Hahn, Stephen Ray, G.K. Chesterton, Frank Sheed, or Bishop Robert Barron. Sure, they’re great, and they’re vigorous, enthusiastic Christians (who are also Catholic) but you haven’t met them, so you’re still relatively safe.
Be careful though, don’t meet any great Catholics in person.
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As soon as you meet great Catholics you’ll realize that right in your very neighbourhood, right in your workplace or your community centre or—heaven forbid—your local Catholic parish, there are actual Catholics .
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Catholics who might be trying, for real, to live out the Christian life. Catholics who are striving to represent Jesus to the people around them. Catholics who are devout and know their faith and their Bible and have a true heart for the pursuit of Christ and the love of their neighbour and, Heaven forbid, they may even know a lot about their faith and can talk about it credibly, intelligently.
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And those are the ones you certainly want to avoid, at all costs.
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5. Don’t Start Living Like a Catholic ��
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But, if you’ve already met devout Catholics there’s still hope, even at this late point in the journey I can offer this solid piece of advice: Don’t start living like a Catholic. You’ve been warned.
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Because at a certain point in my journey towards Catholicism I realized that for all the book learning I’d done, for all the lectures and stories I’d heard, and for all the conversations I’d had (mostly with myself) I simply had to begin to live the Catholic life.
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I had to try it on for size and see if, living it out, it actually made any sense.
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6. Don’t live like a Catholic! ⛪
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Don’t start going to Mass— especially avoid Daily Mass at all costs—or asking for the intercession of the saints (because you’ll get it!). Don’t try to pray the rosary (it’s shockingly easy to learn! ).
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Don’t dabble with the Liturgy of the Hours or Eucharistic Adoration because you might fall in love with these decidedly Catholic practices and then there’s very little I, or anyone else, can do to help.
Once you begin to realize that the depth of tradition, of pious practices, in the Catholic Church are almost endless—that you can be a Catholic in so many different, ancient ways—you’ll realize just how incredible it is to have a faith ancestry like this to draw from. The pool is shockingly deep and the water is refreshingly cool. You may be, at this point, too far gone.
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7. Don’t Give God an Inch �
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But maybe there’s still hope, maybe the slope is not yet too slippery. Maybe your descent into Catholicism can be halted and I think I have some suggestions that, even at this late hour, can help to prevent your seemingly inevitable conversion into the Catholic Church. Here’s one idea: Don’t give God an inch.
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Don’t, whatever you do, let up even the smallest part of your life to God’s control. He’ll run with it, and that’s the last thing you want. Don’t yield your will. Stand firm, and refuse to be moved.
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I know, in the past, He’s gotten you through some tough times and difficult situations. I know you think you can rely on Him who is Eternal and All-Knowing to bring you through, safely, to the other side.
But you’re wrong!
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The minute you give an inch to God, He’ll take a mile, and He may very well take you to a place you don’t want to go. A place of deep reverence, devotion, beauty and—on occasion if you’re lucky sweet-smelling incense.
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Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest saints and theologians of the Catholic Church, says that if even a small part of your will wants to do God’s will then God will begin to pour out His grace to make it happen. His grace! That interminable grace!
Because the last thing you want is to kind of think about Catholicism and give God room to begin to pour out grace. Also, I really shouldn’t be quoting Thomas Aquinas either!
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8. Don’t Pray �
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Another tip is this: whatever you do, don’t pray.
This could, ultimately, be your greatest mistake. You must simply stop praying altogether. If you insist and continue praying you may, accidentally, pray in a way you don’t mean to. Thoughts, petitions, or thankfulness are all well and good but something else might creep into your prayers and you might, by no fault of your own, pray for guidance in your faith journey.
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You might pray for help, and then, friend, you’re done.
Finished!
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You may pray, like I did, for God to help lead and guide you and suddenly all barriers to the Catholic Church might tumble down like those mighty walls of Jericho. And you might find yourself marching right on in.
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Because God answers prayers, of that you can (and probably are!) assured. In this area you need to be maximally alert and abide by the old adage: be careful what you pray for. God gives very good gifts, and loves us very much. That’s exactly what you need to be worried about.
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9.Don’t Let Your Faith Be Challenged
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Finally, friends, if you’ve come this far I’m not sure what else we can muster up but I’ll surely try.
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You’ve read some conversion stories, the history of Christianity and the shockingly Catholic Early Church Fathers. You’ve met some great Catholics both online and in the real world and you’ve started to make small steps in living the Catholic life. You’ve given up part of your stubborn will to God and asked Him for guidance in your journey. And now you’re here.
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How, at the last bastion of common sense, the final battlefield, the great basilica of reason and sanity, can we make our stand? We must, at this point, completely refuse to challenge our faith.
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I recommend burying one’s head in the sand although successful techniques may vary. In any case, we must refuse to be moved. We must dig in, friends, and dig in deep.
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We must read all the authors we’ve always read. Visit all the websites we’ve always visited. Listen to all the same old podcasts we’ve always listened to. Spend time in conversation with friends who only agree with our points of view and refuse, at all costs, to challenge the faith we’ve always known.
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We haven’t grown complacent—no way!—we’ve grown confident in our faith. We know what we believe! We’re not scared to think about the Bible, the Sacraments, or the Christian Church in a new way. Nothing scares us, we’re simply too busy or too happy with the way things are right now. We won’t be challenged because we don’t need to be.
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After all, Jesus taught that change is bad, complacency is good, and we can get to Heaven by doing what we’ve always done. Right, Pharisees?
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Although, if you’ve come this far, and all else fails, maybe you should just become a Catholic. I know I did.
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As coronavirus empties churches, Italian priest fills pews with photos of parishioners

As coronavirus empties churches, Italian priest fills pews with photos of parishioners
Father Giuseppe Corbari, pastor of the Saints Quirico and Giulitta parish in Robbiano, celebrates Mass in front of photos of his parishioners that he taped to the empty pews in light of restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak.

ROME – Amid the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in Italy, Pope Francis on Sunday praised the “creativity” of priests who, despite the suspension of Masses and heavy restrictions on movement, are finding unique and effective ways to be with their people.

Father Giuseppe Corbari – pastor of the Saints Quirico and Giulitta parish in Robbiano, on the periphery of Milan in Italy’s Lombardy region, which is at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak – could easily fall into this category.

When the coronavirus broke out in Lombardy last month, prompting the Feb. 24 suspension of all public Masses in the region, Corbari wanted to find a way to be with his 5,500 registered parishioners, even though they were not able to come to Mass.

Speaking to Crux, Corbari said that shortly after Masses were suspended, “the need arose to at least see the faces of the people in my parish, because celebrating Mass looking at the empty pews was sad.”

He issued a clarion call through the parish’s Telegram account for people to send him photos and selfies so he could tape them to the pews inside his parish, he said, explaining that he received around 100 pictures, which he now looks at every time he says Mass.

“This gesture meant a lot to the people, who even in staying home, were still present,” Corbari said, noting that soon after, word got out about what he had done and people from other parishes and cities began to send their pictures too.

Within a few days, his pastoral gesture had gone viral. Photos were shared on Facebook and news outlets from Italy and abroad began calling to hear the story.

“I am receiving hundreds of messages from the faithful, and phone calls from throughout Italy. All of Italy is calling me,” he said, adding that he is “truly amazed with the echo that this has had.”

Corbari said he did not expect his decision to become a story and is shocked at the attention it has gotten both nationally and internationally.

“I am moved by this resonance because it overcomes all expectations,” he said. “I did it for my parish, and it turned out like this…I was truly amazed. I never, never thought it would be like this.”

Referring to Pope Francis’s applause for pastoral “creativity” amid the coronavirus outbreak, which was given during his Sunday Angelus address, Corbari said he doesn’t know the specifics of who the pope was referring to, but news of his gesture broke a few days before the pope’s speech, “so I don’t exclude that the Holy Father was informed about this initiative and that he was perhaps referring to this.”

Corbari’s parish also livestreams Masses on Sundays for parishioners to watch, while daily Masses are transmitted through a local parish radio station.

“People also want to be present as a community, as a parish, even if they are each at home,” he said, noting that he is unaware of any coronavirus infections among his parishioners, but is praying for them as the outbreak continues.

“As a person, as a man, I live the same trepidation that the people are experiencing: the fear of contracting the virus, this is undeniable,” he said, stressing that he is following all of the necessary precautions to avoid contracting the virus, and transmitting it.

As a priest, he said he is turning to prayers and the Mass “as an important source of strength,” for both himself and his parish as uncertainty and fear continue.

“Even without the physical presence of the faithful, I am in communion with the Church. When I pray, I pray feeling the presence of the parishioners, so I pray with them and for them. I am trying to create closeness to them,” he said, adding, “Certainly, social media is a good means now to be in contact with parishioners.”

Crux is dedicated to smart, wired and independent reporting on the Vatican and worldwide Catholic Church. That kind of reporting doesn’t come cheap, and we need your support. You can help Crux by giving a small amount monthly, or with a onetime gift. Please remember, Crux is a for-profit organization, so contributions are not tax-deductible.


https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2020/03/as-coronavirus-empties-churches-italian-priest-fills-pews-with-photos-of-parishioners/

THE EXACT HOUR, DAY, MONTH AND YEAR WHEN JESUS DIED - REVEALED

Jimmy Akin - National Catholic Register

Seven clues that reveal intimate details of the death of Jesus

1: THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD OF CAIAPHAS

The gospels indicate that Jesus was crucified at the instigation of the first century high priest named Caiaphas (Matthew 26:3-4, John 11:49-53).

We know from other sources that he served as high priest from A.D. 18 to 36, so that puts Jesus' death in that time frame.

But we can get more specific. Much more.



2: THE GOVERNORSHIP OF PONTIUS PILATE

All four gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on the orders of Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:24-26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:24, John 19:15-16).

We know from other sources when he served as governor of Judea — A.D. 26 to 36 — so we can narrow down the range by several years.

But how are we going to get it down to a specific day and year?

3: AFTER “THE FIFTEENTH YEAR OF TIBERIUS CAESAR”

The Gospel of Luke tells us when the ministry of John the Baptist began:

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar . . . the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness [Luke 3:1-2].

This picks out a specific year: A.D. 29.

Since all four gospels depict the ministry of Christ beginning after that of John the Baptist had begun (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1), this means that we can shave a few more years off our range.

The death of Christ had to be in a range of seven years: between A.D. 29 and 36.

4: CRUCIFIED ON A FRIDAY

All four gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Matthew 27:62, Mark 15:42; Luke23:54; John 19:42), just before a Sabbath, which was just before the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1).

We know that it was a Friday because it is referred to as “the day of preparation” — that is, the day on which Jews made the preparations they needed for the Sabbath, since they could not do any work on that day. Thus thus cooked food in advance and made other necessary preparations.

The Jewish Encyclopedia states:

Friday, as the forerunner of Shabbat, is called ‘Ereb Shabbat (The Eve of Sabbath). The term ‘ereb admits of two meanings: “evening” and “admixture” (Exodus 12:38); and ‘Ereb Shabbat accordingly denotes the day on the evening of which Sabbath begins, or the day on which food is prepared for both the current and the following days, which latter is Sabbath.

The idea of preparation is expressed by the Greek name paraskeué, given by Josephus (Antiquities xvi. 6, § 2) to that day (compare Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; Matthew 27:62; John 19:42). In Yer. Pesaḥim iv. 1 the day is called "Yoma da-'Arubta" (Day of Preparation) [Jewish Encyclopedia, s.v., “Calendar”].

That eliminates six of the days of the week, but there were still quite a few Fridays between A.D. 29 and 36.

Can we figure out which one?

5: A FRIDAY AT PASSOVER

The gospels also agree that Jesus was crucified in conjunction with the annual feast of Passover (Matthew 26:2, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1, John 18:39).

Here we encounter a momentary complication, because Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe the Last Supper on Holy Thursday as a Passover meal (Matthew 26:19, Mark 14:14, Luke 22:15). That would suggest that Good Friday was the day after Passover.

However, when describing the morning of Good Friday, John indicates that the Jewish authorities had not yet eaten the Passover meal:

Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium [i.e., Pilate's palace]. It was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. So Pilate went out to them [John 18:28-29a].

That suggests that the Passover would have begun on sundown Friday.

There are a number of ways of resolving this. For example, some have suggested that Jesus and his disciples used a different calendar than the Jewish authorities, and we know that there were different calendars in use in first century Judaism.

It's also possible that Jesus just advanced the date of the Passover celebration for him and his disciples. I mean, they were already convinced he was the Messiah and the Son of God. If he says, "We're celebrating Passover today," and it's a day earlier than most people, they'd just go with that. (Note that he made other modifications to the ceremony, such as instituting the Eucharist in the midst of it.)

And there are other solutions.

However, regardless of what Jesus' movement did, we can look to John's statement about the Jesus' captors as an indication of what the Jewish authorities or the mainstream Jewish practice was: They were celebrating a Passover beginning on what we would call Friday evening.

That lets us narrow down the range of possible dates to just a few. Here is a complete list of the days between A.D. 29 and 36 on whose evenings Passover began:

Monday, April 18, A.D. 29
Friday, April 7, A.D. 30
Tuesday, March 27, A.D. 31
Monday, April 14, A.D. 32
Friday, April 3, A.D. 33
Wednesday, March 24, A.D. 34
Tuesday, April 12, A.D. 35
Saturday, March 31, A.D. 36
As you can see, we have just two candidates left: Jesus was either crucified on April 7 of A.D. 30 or April 3 of A.D. 33.

Which was it?

The traditional date is that of A.D. 33. You will find quite a number of people today advocating the A.D. 30 date.

Do the gospels let us decide between the two?

6: JOHN'S THREE PASSOVERS

The Gospel of John records three different Passovers during the ministry of Jesus:

Passover #1: This is recorded in John 2:13, near the beginning of Jesus' ministry.
Passover #2: This is recorded in John 6:4, in the middle of Jesus' ministry.
Passover #3: This is recorded in John 11:55 (and frequently mentioned afterwards), at the end of Jesus' ministry.
That means that the ministry of Jesus had to span something over two years. A fuller treatment would reveal that it spanned about three and a half years, but even if we assume it began immediately before Passover #1, the addition of two more Passovers shows that it lasted more than two years at a bare minimum.

That means the A.D. 30 date is out.

There is not enough time between the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar--A.D. 29--and the next year's Passover to accomodate a ministry of at least two years.

The numbers don't add up.

As a result, the traditional date of Jesus' death--Friday, April 3, A.D. 33--must be regarded as the correct one.

Can we be even more precise?

7: “THE NINTH HOUR”

Matthew, Mark, and Luke each record that Jesus died about "the ninth hour" (Matthew 27:45-50, Mark 15:34-37, Luke 23:44-46).

"The ninth hour" is what we, today, would refer to as 3:00 p.m.

This allows us to narrow down the time of Jesus' death to a very specific point in history: around 3:00 p.m on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33.

Of course, there are a lot of detailed arguments that I haven't taken space to deal with here. But this is the thrust of things.

DerickCO:
Bravo !
Besides, I've been thinking of telling the Nairaland moderators to form a Catholics Chatroom. D' you agree?

We can work with anything available.
Go fort.....

The HOLY MASS as explained to a former Catholic ...

Author - Unknown

"I was a Catholic once,” said the lady a few yards from me in the parking lot. “Now I’m a Christian and you can be one as well.” She preceded to hand a tract to a gentleman standing next to the opened trunk of his car. I couldn’t help it.

“Excuse me,” I said to the lady “but could I too have a tract?” The lady's face beamed. “Are you saved?,” she asked. “Of course I am; I’m a believing Catholic,” I retorted. She looked at me as if I had bad breath or something.

She continued, “I was just The HOLY MASS as explained to a former Catholic this gentleman that I too was a Catholic - a Catholic for thirty-some years in fact. Now I've found Christ and I’m trying to tell everyone I know about salvation through Christ.”

“Wow, that’s really something! May I ask why you left the Church?” I could tell that, by asking this question, my new acquaintance was getting excited. After all, she had probably been snubbed by dozens of people and now she has someone that she can “witness” to Christ. I didn’t mind much either, but I tried not to show it.

The HOLY MASS as explained to Protestant, who left the Catholic Church she grew up with fir more than 30 years, through a story as posted here.

"You see,” she said, “I was born Catholic. I attended Mass every week, received the Sacraments and graduated from a Catholic school. Not once did I ever hear the gospel proclaimed. Not once! It was after the birth of my first child that a good friend of mine shared ‘the gospel’ with me and I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior and became a Christian. Now I belong to a ‘Bible-believing’ church and I’m sharing the gospel with whomever will listen.”

This shocked me. “You mean you belonged to the Catholic Church for over forty years and you never heard the gospel?,” I said. She was getting more excited. “Yes, I never once heard the gospel of salvation preached or taught or even mentioned in the Church. If you don’t preach the gospel, excuse my bluntness, but you're simply not Christian.” I scratched my head and said, “that’s strange. I’ve been a Catholic all my life and I bet I hear the gospel ever week at Church.” Her smile quickly faded into a look of curiosity. “Maybe, I’m missing something,” I continued. “Tell me what you mean by ‘the gospel?’”

The lady reached back into her purse to pull out a little tract and said, “This tracts explains the simple gospel of salvation. It can be broken down into four easy steps.

“First, we acknowledge that we are all sinners in need of God’s forgiveness.

Secondly, we recognize that only God can save us.

The third step is that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins and to bring us to God.

And the fourth and final step is that each individual accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior to be saved.”

I thought for a couple of seconds and said, “If I could demonstrate to you that Catholics hear “the gospel” every Sunday, would you agree to take a closer look at the Catholic Church?” Now, she knew she had me over a barrel. “Prove it,” she said. I excused myself for a second and ran to my car to grab a Missal.

“Since you have attended Mass nearly all your life, you probably remember these prayers.” I flipped open to the beginning prayers of the Mass and proceeded to show her how Catholics hear, pray and live the gospel message every Sunday.

The first step in my new found friend’s tract stated that we are all sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. After the Greeting, the Mass continues to what is known as the Penitential Rite. I read loud the text to her while she followed reading silently.

“I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault. In my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do.”

I mentioned that it is here in this section that each Catholic states publicly that he or she is individually a sinner- not merely in a general sense, but specifically in thoughts, words and deeds. You can’t get much more complete than that. I continued reading,

“and I ask Blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and to you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.”

The priest reaffirms this confession of sin by praying,

“May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.”

And the whole congregation says “Amen,” that is, “I believe.” The priest continues.

“Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy,”

and finishes by saying;

"Lord show us your mercy and love. And grant us your salvation.”

I looked at her and said, “You see, we Catholics start every Mass with a public declaration of our own personal sinfulness and look to God for forgiveness.” She responded, “But Catholics don’t believe that God alone can save them. They believe Mary and the saints will save them.” I shook my head in disagreement. “No, we don’t. Remember what we had just read in the Mass. Catholic ask Mary, the angels, the saints and the whole congregation to pray to God for mercy on their behalf - just like I would ask you to pray for me to God. Does that mean that I look to you to ‘save’ me? No, of course I don’t believe that. I’m just asking for your help. Besides the ‘Gloria’ of the Mass proves that Catholics look to God alone to save us.”

I began reading the Missal emphasizing certain words to prove my point:

“Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, you are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father."

Likewise, the doxology spoken just prior to communion reads,

“Through him, with him, in him; in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is your, almighty Father, for ever and ever.”

As I looked up, I could see the lady intently reading the page. She couldn’t believe that she had prayed these prayers for years and never noticed what it was saying. Yet, there it was in black and white. I continued with the third step - the acknowledgment that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and to bring us to God.

The Profession of Faith reads,

“For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.”

In the Eucharistic Prayer 1, the priest prays:

“Remember [Lord] all of us gather here before you. You know how firmly we believe in you and dedicate ourselves to you. . . We pray to you, our living and true God, for our well-being and redemption . . . Grant us your peace in this life, save us from final damnation, and count us among those you have chosen.”

The prayer ends with an appeal to God for salvation through Jesus Christ:

“May, these and all who sleep in Christ, find in your presence light, happiness and peace. For ourselves, too, we ask some share in the fellowship of your apostles and martyrs . . . Though we are sinners, we trust in your mercy and love. Do not consider what we truly deserve, but grant us your forgiveness. Through Christ our Lord you give us all these gifts. You fill them with life and goodness, you bless them and make them holy.”

Similarly the second Eucharistic Prayer proclaims,

“Dying you [Jesus] destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory. . . Have mercy on us all; make us worthy to share eternal life with Mary, the virgin Mother of God, with the apostles and with all the saints who have done your will throughout the ages.”

Likewise, Eucharistic Prayer 3 reads,

“All life, all holiness comes from you through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, by the working of the Holy Spirit . . .

Father, calling to mind the death your Son endured for our salvation, his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven, and ready to greet him when he comes again, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice. Look with favor on our your Church’s offering, and see the Victim [Christ] who death has reconciled us to yourself . . .

May he make us an everlasting gift for you and enable us to share in the inheritance of your saints . . . “

Lastly, the fourth Eucharistic Prayer reads,

“Father, you so loved the world that in the fullness of time you sent your only Son to be our Savior . . .

In fulfillment of your will he gave himself up to death; but by rising from the dead, he destroyed death and restored life.”

In this prayer, the congregation proclaims the mystery of faith:

“Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. You are the Savior of the world.”

“You see, every week Catholics proclaim that Jesus died for them,” I said to the lady who was now searching for something to say. After a brief moment of silence, she shot a response back at me.

“What about accepting Jesus Christ and their personal Lord and Savior?” She retorted. “They may be saying all this stuff, but they don’t make a personal act of acceptance.” What she didn’t know was that I deliberately didn’t mention the last “step” of her “gospel.”

I explained that if Catholics don’t believe what they are praying, they ought not to be publicly proclaiming it. Since we can’t read the dispositions of other people’s hearts, we ought not to judge whether they truly believe what they are saying. Next, I pointed out the last step - where Catholics are accepting Jesus into their hearts. Right before communion the priest holds up the host (which is now the body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord under the appearances of bread and wine) and prays.

“This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper.”

And the congregation responds,

“Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

I looked straight into the lady’s eyes and said, “It is here that all those who are prepared to receive Jesus Christ walk up to the front of the church but they don’t just believing in Christ or merely asking Jesus into their hearts.” “They don’t?” She asked. “No,” I answered, “they receive that same Christ who died on the cross on Calvary into their mouth and into their stomachs - body, blood, soul and divinity - and become one with him in an unspeakable way. Now that's accepting Christ!” She didn’t have a response. I’m not sure that she had ever really thought about the Mass and Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist because she appeared to be both surprised and intrigued.

I gave her my phone number and invited her to a study group I was heading in the neighborhood which examined the Biblical foundation for Catholic doctrine. As we departed, I couldn’t help but wonder how many other people, like my new friend, left the Church thinking that it had nothing to say about salvation. Yet the richness of the liturgy of the Mass and even more so Christ’s real substantial presence in the Eucharist so outshines our separated brethren’s “low church” prayer services that there is no comparison!

Indeed, the mystery of the Mass goes far beyond the simple “sinner’s prayer.” What I wanted to demonstrate is that all the elements of what Protestants consider the “essentials” of human salvation are presented, in Technicolor, in the liturgy of the Mass and that to deny the charge that the Church is somehow neglecting to present “the gospel.”

Happy palm Sunday

American country music legend Kenny Rogers has died aged 81.

A family representative said he "passed away peacefully at home from natural causes".

Rogers topped pop and country charts during the 1970s and 1980s, and won three Grammy awards.

Known for his husky voice and ballads including The Gambler, Lucille and Coward Of The County, his career spanned more than six decades.

He once summed up his popularity by explaining that he believed his songs "say what every man wants to say and that every woman wants to hear".

After growing up in poverty on a federal housing estate in Houston, Texas, Rogers began recording with a string of bands, including Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, before launching his solo career in 1976.


https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/0D1D/production/_95875330_gettyimages-98398462.jpg


He was never a favourite of music critics, but became one of the most successful pop-country crossover acts of all time, and the 10th best-selling male artist in US history in terms of album sales.

He collaborated with other country music legends during his career, including Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson.
Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption Rogers and close friend Dolly Parton had a smash hit in 1983 with Islands in the Stream

In 2007 he unexpectedly found himself back in the limelight in the UK when The Gambler became the unofficial World Cup anthem of England's Rugby Team.

The song became so popular that during his 2013 Glastonbury Festival legends slot Rogers played it twice.

That same year, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Country Music Association.

In their statement his family said he had "left an indelible mark on the history of American music".

A keen businessman, Rogers led several ventures over the years, mainly in property and the restaurant sector.

He also acted in several movies and TV shows, including starring as a race car driver in the 1982 movie Six Pack.

During an interview with the BBC in 2013, he recalled his "obsession" with tennis, and said he became so good that he ranked higher than Bjorn Borg in the ATP's doubles table.

He was married five times and had five children.

Seems a certain political party is in love with violence.....

Some are even happy on this street

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Bab network in Feb

LENT DAY 1 (26 Feb 2020)
(Ash Wednesday)
Read: Joel 2:12-13
Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come
back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping,
mourning. Let your hearts be broken, not your
garments torn, turn to the Lord your God again,
for he is all tenderness and compassion, slow to
anger, rich in graciousness, and ready to relent.

A moment of silence to meditate on the Word of God

Reflect:
 Where have I wandered in my life that God is
looking for me and calling out, “Come back to
me”?
 Why does my heart need to be broken? What
is the meaning of this expression?
 Have I ever experienced God as all tenderness
and compassion, slow to anger, rich in
graciousness and ready to relent? If never,
why not?

Pray: God of mercy and compassion, your love
is eternal and your forgiveness is unconditional.
May these 40 days of Lent be an opportunity for
me to experience the tenderness of your love by
turning away from my sins and returning to you.
Amen.

“God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones
who tire of seeking his mercy.” Pope Francis

FLYFIRE:

The original confirmed PresiDEBT

Tot the image was fake. I have to recheck

NEWS /NIGERIA

Authorities say number of suspected cases increased from more than 700 to 1,708 as Nigeria grapples with epidemic.

The death toll in Nigeria from an outbreak of Lassa fever has risen to 70 as confirmed cases shot up, according to authorities.


The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Nigerian agency responsible for the management of disease outbreaks, said in its week six update on Thursday that eight new deaths from Lassa fever were reported in three states.


"Four new healthcare workers were affected in Ondo, Delta and Kaduna states," the NCDC said in the update.

It said the number of suspected cases has "increased significantly" compared with the situation in mid-January, from more than 700 to 1,708.

Confirmed cases have also shot up to 472, it said.

Lassa fever is a disease spread to humans through food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces.

In 80 percent of cases, the fever is asymptomatic, but for some, the symptoms include high fever, headache, mouth ulcers, muscle aches, haemorrhaging under the skin and heart and kidney failure.

It has an incubation period of between six and 21 days and can be transmitted through contact with an infected person via bodily fluids and excretion.

Effective treatment
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the antiviral drug ribavirin appears to be an effective treatment for Lassa fever "if given early on in the course of the clinical illness".

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with about 200 million people, has five laboratories with the capability to diagnose the disease.

The number of cases usually climbs in January due to weather conditions during the dry season.
Lassa fever belongs to the same family as the Ebola and Marburg viruses but is much less deadly.

The disease is endemic to the West African country and its name comes from the town of Lassa in northern Nigeria where it was first identified in 1969.

It infects between 100,000 and 300,000 people in the region every year with about 5,000 deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Previously, cases of the disease have been reported in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo and Benin.

The number of cases usually climbs in January due to weather conditions during the dry season.


https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/nigeria-death-toll-lassa-fever-outbreak-jumps-70-200213064859329.html

The next ordinary assembly of the synod of bishops is to be held in the fall of 2022, according to a press release from the Vatican on Saturday.

The theme has not yet been decided, but will be up to Pope Francis, who was presented with three possible options by the council of the general secretariat of the synod in a meeting last week.

An ordinary general assembly of the synod of bishops is usually convoked by the pope every three years to discuss a matter of importance to the Church in general.


The last ordinary assembly was the 2018 synod of bishops on young people, the faith, and vocational discernment.

A Feb. 15 statement said the pope chose to call the next ordinary assembly for 2022, at a space of four years instead of three from the previous one, “so as to ensure greater involvement of the whole Church in the preparation and celebration of the next Ordinary Synod.”

The most recent synod of bishops was the 2019 Amazon synod. A special assembly of the synod, it focused on a specific geographical area of the Church, in this case, the Amazon region, which spans nine countries in South America.

The third type of synodal meeting the pope can call is an extraordinary general assembly, which is organized in the case of an urgent matter.

The secretariat of the synod of bishops consists of a council led by Secretary General Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri and Pro-Secretary General Bishop Mario Grech.

The secretariat met Feb. 6-7 for the purpose of communicating to Pope Francis ideas for the next synod and to discuss the work carried out since the 2018 youth synod.


The Feb. 15 statement did not indicate what themes were proposed to Pope Francis, but said the three were decided last year through consultations with bishops’ conferences, synods of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris, dicasteries of the Roman curia, and the Union of Superiors General.

The secretariat also released a message Feb. 15, stating it discussed the issue of migration, saying it reflected “among other things, on consequences of the migratory phenomenon taking place in different regions of the planet.”

Considering the many complications and difficulties migrants and refugees can face, including the risk of trafficking, forced prostitution, and abuse, the council of the secretariat said it “wishes to recall that the Church, while deploring the reasons that cause such a massive movement of people, is called to offer comfort, consolation and welcome to all those who are suffering in one way or another.”

Synods of bishops convened by the pope serve a mainly consultative role, as indicated in the Code of Canon Law.

Their main purpose is to foster unity between the pope and the bishops around the world, and to offer their input as the pope considers questions pertaining to the Church’s activity in different parts of the world, on issues of faith and morals, and “in the observance and strengthening of ecclesiastical discipline.”



https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/next-ordinary-synod-of-bishops-to-be-held-in-2022-19495

Saint Valentine is one of the Church’s most beloved saints, and every year millions of Catholics around the world celebrate his feast day on the 14th of February showing signs of affection towards their loved ones. Now you can see the face of the saint of love, thanks to a 3D digital construction.

The face of Saint Valentine was reconstructed by one of Brazil’s leading 3D graphic designers, Cicero Moraes, who has become famous in the field of forensic facial reconstruction. In the past, he has reconstructed the faces of Saints Anthony of Padua, Rose of Lima, and Martin de Porres, Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus – even Mary Magdalene.

Cicero Moraes partnered with photographer José Luís Lira, president of the Brazilian Academy of Hagiology. In October 2016, Lira was in Rome working on other projects when a salesman handed him a card with a picture of Saint Valentine – giving him the idea to do a facial reconstruction of the beloved saint.

“I was in Saint Peter’s Square when one of the many sellers there gave me a picture of Saint Valentine. I took it as a sign to see if I could get unthinkable, close up access to the skull in the Basilica. The chance to do the facial reconstruction of one of the Roman Catholic church’s most important and venerated relics has been a life-long dream.“

Dean of the Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Father Mtanious Hadad, was quick to give Lira permission to carry out the procedure. In an unprecedented move, the church closed its doors to the public for 40 minutes. Not able to touch the skull, one of the Church’s most venerated relics, Lira took 250 pictures in total to build a digital model of Saint Valentine’s skull.


250 pictures were used to create a digital map of Saint Valentine’s skull.
Moraes whittled down the pictures to just 43 for the 3D reconstruction, using layering and sculpting of soft tissue and muscle onto the skull along with matching skin pigmentation. The result: a grey-haired bearded saint in his mid 50’s, corresponding to the age of the skull.

“The video illustrates a process called Retopo which uses 3D mesh sculpting on the base of the face and data processing to build up all the other features. Saint Valentine’s final look is based on skeletal, scientific and historical research and draws on years of my experience.”


The facial reconstruction process of Saint Valentine.
Moraes carried out the work in Church of San Jorge in Monselice in the Italian province of Padua, overseen by Church officials during his time there. He called the process time consuming, but worth it.

“This has been an exciting, complicated and rare project to do. It’s not often that you get access to a precious and suitably relevant relic like this. We were fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. We worked on this project for three months and unveiling Saint Valentine’s face is a reminder of why this dedicated day of affection first started. Our work also gives the world a visual reference of who we should be thanking for the celebrations.”

You can watch below a video showing the process of Saint Valentine’s facial reconstruction by Moraes.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLFvRI-3-Ks


https://ucatholic.com/news/what-did-saint-valentine-look-like-3d-facial-reconstruction-reveals-the-look-of-love/

The feast of Saint Valentine was removed from the Roman calendar during the reforms of 1969. It seems a shame, since this is one of a vanishingly small number of saint’s feasts that have remained in the secular culture.

It seems that it could be used as a touchstone for the new evangelization. Mind you, he’s still in the Martyrology, so he’s not been “un-sainted” as some seem to think.

And of course, at this morning’s Lauds (prayer) from monastic breviary, the commemoration remains.

Why was Valentine removed from the general calendar?

This was done mostly because it’s difficult to tease apart the stories of several early martyrs who shared this name.

Over time, their stories and their identities accreted one to another like the formation of some new planet. There were, in fact, at least 14 saints named Valentine or Valentinus.

Very little is known of the “original” martyr whose feast was fixed at 14 February by Pope Gelasius I in 496. Even in the original decree creating the feast, the Pope declared that he was a martyr “whose acts are known only to God”.

The very earliest accounts seem to conflate two men buried near Rome, one a Roman priest and the other the Bishop of Terni.

The tradition of Valentine as the patron saint of lovers seems to come from Chaucer in his poem “Parliament of Fowls“.

Now, these days, today is the Memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius, two brothers who preached the Gospel in eastern Europe to the Slavs in the ninth century.

They even invented an alphabet for the Slavic languages so they could distribute their Slavonic translation of the Bible.

Godwin616:
Interesting indeed, its like a Nollywood movie.
Now away from politics, Dear nairalanders I need a clarification on an issue. I was trying to apply for a loan via some of this instant loan mobile app. It got to a stage they were asking for ATM card detail including my Pin. At this stage I had to discontinue with the application because of the likely security risk. Is this a normal process? Is it safe to disclose your pin. Kindly share your experience. Thanks.

Its the normal process. The loan company plays no part. The card process is mostly between inter switch and your bank.

Hip hop musician, Eedris Abdulkareem, has called out his landlord, one Mr Oladipo Abimbola, for allegedly sexually harassing his wife.

Speaking with SaharaReporters, the artiste denied being arrested by the police as claimed in some quarters, adding that he leads a discipline and transparent life.

He said, “My problem with our landlord is his pervasive and predatory ways.

“He comes to my house whenever he knows that I am not around to harass my wife. He seems obsessed with her. I don't understand why he cannot approach or talk to me whenever the need arises. He accosts her at home and on the streets.

“He starts off with talking about the house before progressing gradually to his main interest. I have warned him several times to steer clear and stop harassing my wife.

“On a particular day, my landlord probably thought I wasn't around; so he made his moves again using the electricity providers as a ploy. Unfortunately for him, I was upstairs and overheard my wife telling him to stop harassing her because she was a married woman and that she doesn't tolerate such actions from men.

“I came downstairs and went to his own side of the property (a twin duplex), through the adjoining gate and lashed out at him.

“He has deliberately kept his family away so as to have the freedom needed for his nefarious lifestyle.

Explaining that news of his arrest in the media was false, Abdulkareem said that he was only invited by the police over a malicious report made about him by his landlord.

He said, “When I received a police invitation from the Ikeja Area Command inviting me for a chat based on my landlord's claims that I beat him up and threatened his life; I wasted no time in honouring the invitation on the same day.

“I was appalled by the lies and apparent pre-emptive haste on the part of my landlord to perhaps play smart since I have warned him to stop harassing my wife sexually.

“I also told the police about a case involving one of his tenants, a single mother living in one of his properties in Mangoro area, who had to arrest and lock him up at a police station in Shasha area of Dopemu, Lagos, over the same issue of harassment.

“As a social crusader and a voice of the voiceless, humility has always been my watchword in my personal space, and that is not about to change overnight.

“I am not materialistic and I have never been one to showcase and flash materialism as an achievement.

“For me, the best achievement is that which uplifts the people and put smiles on their faces.

“The landlord who was present when the appointment made in the presence of the Area Commander the previous day was nowhere to be found. He even switched off his phone so the IPO would not be able to reach him.”

Denying reports that he was owing electricity bills and having issues with the distribution company, the musician said, “As for the issues with electricity providers, that is a war we have already taken on, personally and collectively.

“Just a cursory look or assessment of my estate will tell you that we depend on our individual generators to provide power, while the electricity providers keep sending outrageous estimated bills every other month.

“There's so much coming up concerning the electricity struggle soon.

“For naysayers and doubting Thomases, I will always be me. I keep my personal life quiet, so no one should think they know me. People only know what i allow them to know about me.”

Efforts to get Mr Abimbola to respond to the allegations were unsuccessful as calls and a text message sent to him were not responded to.



https://saharareporters.com/2020/02/10/eedris-abdulkareem-calls-out-landlord-sexually-harassing-wife-denies-arrest-police

The short gap between the Baftas and the Oscars this year has barely left Joaquin Phoenix enough time to wash his multi-use tux.

The Joker star is just one Hollywood actor currently hot-footing it from London to Los Angeles in time for the Academy Awards on Sunday.

This year's ceremony is being held earlier than usual in an attempt to combat falling ratings. The slew of other awards ceremonies over several months was thought to be damaging interest in the Oscars, which mark the conclusion of awards season.

Oscar-ologists have been closely studying the nominations list for trends, patterns, quirks and clues about who might win what.

1. Scarlett Johansson has joined a rather exclusive club.

She is only the 12th person to receive two acting nominations in the same year.

Johansson is nominated for both best actress and best supporting actress for her performances in Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit respectively.

The other 11 people who've been nominated twice in acting categories at the same Oscars ceremony include Sigourney Weaver (in 1989), Al Pacino (1993), Emma Thompson (1994), Jamie Foxx (2005) and, most recently, Cate Blanchett (2008).

But none has ever won in both their categories.

2. It's been 15 years since the winner of best actress and best picture were in sync.

Very rarely does the winner of best actress also star in the winner of best picture - the last one who did was Hilary Swank in 2004's Million Dollar Baby.

That's unlikely to change this year.

Renée Zellweger is the favourite to win best actress for Judy, which isn't even nominated for best picture.

3. Cynthia Erivo could end up with a massive EGOT.

In fact, if the Harriet star wins an Oscar to go with her Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards she'll become the youngest EGOT winner in history.

The 33-year-old would take over from the current record holder Robert Lopez, who completed the quad in 2018 at the age of 39.

Erivo has two chances to do this on Oscars night - because she's nominated for both best actress and best original song (she co-wrote Harriet's anthemic original song Stand Up.)

4. If Sam Mendes wins best director, it'll be the biggest gap between two directing wins in Oscars history.

The newly-knighted Sir Sam first won in 2000 for American Beauty, but could triumph again at the 2020 ceremony with his hugely successful World War One epic 1917.

Before now, Billy Wilder recorded the biggest gap, winning his two best director trophies 15 years apart for The Lost Weekend (1945) and The Apartment (1960).

5. There's a competing couple in the best picture category.

Directors Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, who began dating in 2011 and have a child together, are up against each other for the top prize.

Gerwig's nomination for Little Women and Baumbach's for Marriage Story make them the first director-couple to go head-to-head for best picture.

This almost happened in 2009, when James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow both had films nominated - but they had divorced some 18 years earlier.

Gerwig and Baumbach are nominated in slightly different categories for writing (best adapted screenplay and original screenplay respectively), so at least that slightly eases the tension over the dishwasher.

Coincidentally, both their films star Laura Dern, who is nominated for best supporting actress.

6. Having said that, Little Women and Marriage Story are both long shots for the top prize.

That's partly because it's unusual for a film to win best picture without a nomination for best director, which neither Gerwig nor Baumbach have.

It's not impossible, however.

Last year, Green Book triumphed without a director nod for Peter Farrelly. Prior to that, 2013's Argo was the last to win without a nomination for its director Ben Affleck.


7. Toy Story 4 could better the Oscars record it set with Toy Story 3.

The prize for best animated feature was introduced in 2001, and since then only one sequel - Toy Story 3 - has won.

So a victory for Toy Story 4 would make it not just the second sequel to win best animated feature, but the second to win within its own film series.

8. Parasite has already broken a record and it could break another if it wins.

It's the first Korean film to receive a best picture nomination, and only the sixth film to be nominated for both best picture and international feature film.

That list of previous double nominees includes last year's Roma, 2012's Amour and 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

9. Jonathan Pryce brings a dose of reality to best actor.

The Two Popes star is the only nominee in the category who plays a real-life figure - Pope Francis.

The others, Leonardo DiCaprio, Antonio Banderas, Adam Driver and Joaquin Phoenix, all portray fictional characters.

(Admittedly, Pedro Almodóvar wove some of his own experiences into the film director character played by Banderas in Pain & Glory.)

There's more reality in the best actress category - Renée Zellweger plays Judy Garland, Cynthia Erivo portrays anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman and Charlize Theron plays Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.

10. Magazines are fertile ground for film ideas.

Two of this year's awards season hopefuls were based on single magazine articles.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was inspired by a 1998 feature in Esquire magazine by journalist Tom Junod, who wrote a profile interview with the children's entertainer Fred Rogers.

Hustlers, meanwhile, was based on a 2015 investigation in New York magazine by Jessica Pressler.

Despite both films being nominated across awards season, including at the Golden Globes, sadly only Beautiful Day registered on the Academy's radar.

Jennifer Lopez will have to rely on a future film to score her first Oscar nomination.

11. The average age of the supporting actor nominees is 71.

That's considerably older this year than the average age of all previous winners in this category - which is 49.

This time around, Brad Pitt is the youngest at 56, nominated alongside Tom Hanks (63), Joe Pesci (76), Al Pacino (79) and Sir Anthony Hopkins (82).

Having been around a while, it's perhaps unsurprising that all five of these greedy guts already have an Oscar - Pitt's came as a producer on 12 Years A Slave while the others won for acting.

12. Birdman could act as a benchmark for 1917.

Oscar pundits keep a close eye on best film editing every year, because there's a strong correlation between being nominated in this category and ultimately winning best picture.

It's notable, therefore, that 1917's momentum for the top prize comes despite the lack of an editing nomination.

Only one film since 1980 has won best picture without a best film editing nod, which was 2014's Birdman.

Interestingly, Birdman and 1917 already share something in common - both films appear to have been shot in one continuous take. Neither actually were, which, ironically, shows how skilful the editing must have been.

Image copyrightEPA
Image caption
1917 won two Golden Globes for best drama film and best director for Sam Mendes
13. Ford v Ferrari is the first motor racing film to get a best picture nomination.

This might not sound particularly interesting, but there's a surprisingly large number of racing films which have missed out in the past - such as Rush, Grand Prix and Days of Thunder.

Senna wouldn't have been eligible for best picture as it would have been in for best documentary, but it wasn't even nominated for that.

Ford v Ferrari (which is titled Le Mans '66 in some countries) is nominated but is highly unlikely to win.

"It faces tough competition," acknowledged Christopher Smith of Motor1, "but beating tough competition is what the movie is all about."

14. Netflix have doubled their chances of winning best picture this year.

The streaming service pinned all its hopes (and money) on Roma in 2019, campaigning hard for the best picture win which eventually went to Green Book.

They fielded far more films for awards season this year, such as The King, Dolemite Is My Name, The Two Popes and The Laundromat (a film about which the less said the better).

However, two of their films in particular, The Irishman and Marriage Story, are nominated for the top prize.

It may well be that the Academy is still not ready to allow a streaming service to win best picture. But if any Netflix title can win them over, you'd think it'd be a Martin Scorsese gangster film starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.

15. Neither of the two favourites for best picture have nominations in the acting categories.

This may be down to Parasite being perceived as a film with an ensemble cast, where no performance is easily singled out for a leading actor category.

Oscars 2020: The nominees in full
10 things we spotted in the Oscars class photo
The absence of 1917 in the acting categories is perhaps more surprising as George MacKay appears in the entire film.

16. Songwriter Dianne Warren's nod in best original song (for I'm Standing With You from the film Breakthrough) is her 11th Oscar nomination.

Her others include LeAnn Rimes's How Do I Live (from Con Air), Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing (from Armageddon) and Faith Hill's There You'll Be (from Pearl Harbor).

But, as we said last year, she has still never actually won.

In fact, she is now the most Oscar-nominated woman without a win in history, which keeps the heat off Glenn Close a little longer.

Sir Elton John's nomination in this category comes 25 years after he won it for Can You Feel The Love Tonight? from The Lion King.

Image copyrightEPA/GETTY
Image caption
Renée Zellweger's portrayal of Judy Garland (pictured right) could win her best actress
17. Judy Garland never won an Oscar. But she was supposed to.

She was widely expected to win for 1954's A Star is Born, and even had cameras set up around her hospital bed (she had just given birth) to capture her speech.

Grace Kelly won instead for The Country Girl - one of the biggest upsets in Oscars history.

The cameramen rapidly dismounted the equipment around Garland and left.

So if Renée Zellweger does win best actress, at least that will indirectly mark some form of (late) Academy recognition for Garland, more than five decades after she died.









Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51104636


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Have you heard of "redeployment before"

AdaNonye:
Lemme rephrase this whole scenario....as a woman, if your husband is always excited to resume work on Monday so he can see his secretary, what will you advice



Besides,if his secretary will cause him to sin, he should let go..or if he can, let him set her up in another department where they dont have to interract

Last LG election in Lagos was in 2012

LG has a 3years tenure. So how's is Lagos LG constitutional

seunmsg:


Stop lying. Local governments in Lagos, Ogun and Ekiti are currently administered by elected council officials.

Please check NEPA and Other utility bill.
Avoid story that touch

WHERE IS IT IN THE BIBLE?

I wanted to pretend I didn't read about the G. O who said 'Christmas' is not in the Bible and so shouldn't be celebrated. It's the same funny mentality of those who confuse terminology with theology. Easter as a term is not in the Bible but we celebrate easter because it's an event and a mystery recorded in scripture. Same with Christmas, it's not the term or calendar date we celebrate but the event and mystery. One day now someone will wake up tipsy on 'anointing' and tell me to tell him why I call myself a Catholic since that term doesn't exist in the Bible. Same folly can be extended to all churches because no church has a name that's used as a group of church members in the Bible.

A Pentecostal church that says it doesn't celebrate Christmas bc the term doesn't exist in the Bible but calls itself a Pentecostal church is just a comic contradiction. Pentecost means 50th day, it was an agricultural feast that had nothing to do with the Holy Spirit until that particular year that the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles in Acts 2. Even after that there is no record in scripture that the Holy Spirit fell on other people on Pentecost day. If I wanted to be 'an anointed idiot' I would have been going round condemning Christians who identify as Pentecostals, quizzing them to show me where it's in the Bible that a group of believers were referred to as Pentecostals or to prove to me where any group of Christians celebrated Pentecost in the Bible. Yet common sense dictates that it's neither terminology nor semantics we identify as Pentecostal but the reality and mystery of the Holy Spirit. Whoever adjectivised SENSE with COMMON hasn't experienced this generation of WHERE IS IT IN THE BIBLE intoxicated Christians, common sense is very rare.

The Bible is not a dictionary or history book, it's more of a theology than terminology. When you want to use the Bible to validate or invalidate any religious practice, you look for the biblical theology about it, not the terminology. Mothers day, fathers day, Children's day, etc are not in the Bible, but the Bible doesn't have anything against their celebration. It's only a religious ignoramus that will condemn those celebrations and get pious zombies to follow suit. If you care to know, there are many things we do in life that are not in the Bible and God isn't angry at all. Traditional marriage, village meetings, cross over vigils(these 'show me where it's in the Bible' folks who are addicted to 31st Dec Cross over vigil don't even know it's not in the Bible in their sense), birthday parties, wedding anniversaries etc are not in the Bible.
Finally, someone needs to tell Dr Olukoya that MFM has a football club, I've been searching for it in the Bible and couldn't find, abi no be MFM get that football club? Some nonsense must stop this 2019 o, let me come and be going.

By Fada Oluoma

APC

Yes
9am from Ibadan to Lagos
4pm from Lagos to ibadan

jantofubu:
Pls does it mean the train goes to & fro lagos everyday?

B

Not corresponding with what had been announced, but close

contigiency:
UPDATES From 4 LGA in Bayelsa State:

Ogbia LGA Result
APC - 58,016
PDP - 13,763

Yenagoa LGA

APC = 24,607
PDP = 19, 185

Brass LGA Result

Pdp: 7,629
Apc: 22,938

Nembe LGA Result

APC 87,000
PDP 9,700

#BayelsaDecides
#BayelsaDecides2019
#BayelsasAPC https:///ysz9odm2ZA

My President has spoken

A paedophile is a person who is sexually attracted to prebuscent children. (0- 12).
An ephebophile is a person who is sexually attracted to adolescents, (13-19).
The distinctions are important because paedophiles lose interest in their victims when they enter puberty.