Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 7 March 1274), was a Doctor of the Church, Philosopher, Theologian, Jurist, Dominican Friar, and Priest. Known as Doctor Angelicus "Angelic Doctor," and the Doctor Communis "Universal Doctor" his writings serve as a defense and proof of the validity of Christ's authority over all. The Summa contra Gentiles (also known as Liber de veritate catholicae fidei contra errores infidelium, "Book on the truth of the Catholic faith against the errors of the unbelievers"). The Summa contra Gentiles consists of four books. The structure of Saint Thomas's work is designed to proceed from general philosophical arguments for monotheism, to which Muslims and Jews are likely to consent even within their own respective religious traditions, before progressing to the discussion of specifically Christian doctrine.
Book II is dedicated to the Creation (in other words, the physical universe, everything which exists).
Whether you are a history enthusiast, a student of religion, or simply curious about the impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the world, this playlist is designed to provide an informative and engaging journey through its captivating past. Subscribe to the Contemplating History channel for more educational content and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of history.
05 July 2026
Summa Contra Gentiles, Book II: XIII & XIV How the Aforesaid Relations Are Predicated of God
From Contemplating History
A Theologian Explains Pope Leo's AI Encyclical in Under 5 Minutes
From Catholic Truth Society
Catholic theologian Jacob Phillips explains Pope Leo's encyclical 'Magnifica Humanitas' and its teaching on artificial intelligence, human intelligence, technology, ethics and the future of human society.
You can get Pope Leo's new encyclical on AI from CTS now: https://bit.ly/4dQbjFM
The Royal Baby Race | The Birth of Queen Victoria | How Victoria Became Queen
From History Calling
How did the DEATH OF PRINCESS CHARLOTTE lead to the BIRTH of Princess Victoria? This is the story of the royal baby race, instigated in 1817 after the tragic death in childbirth of Princess Charlotte, heir to the throne, along with her baby son. With Charlotte and her child gone, there were no legitimate grandchildren of George III left and the succession to the throne of the United Kingdom looked to be in peril. If no legitimate children were born to any of the King’s offspring, the crown would have to pass from one elderly sovereign to the next, possibly for decades; hardly a recipe for a popular monarchy. In response to this crisis, George’s unmarried sons (a series of generally unpopular bachelor Princes) began to seek emergency marriages in an effort to become the father of the future King or Queen. His third son, Prince Edward, Duke of Clarence, dumped his long-term mistress and married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a sister-in-law of the deceased Princess Charlotte through Charlotte’s husband, Prince Leopold. Nine months later, Princess Victoria was born. Her route to the throne was not cleared yet though. It was only thanks to the death of her father before he and her mother could produce a brother to displace the little Princess and the failure of Edward’s older brothers to produce any surviving, legitimate offspring that Victoria finally rose to the top of the pile as the first in line to the throne. Disaster was averted as the crown went from tragedy to triumph.
Bishops Announce SSPX Bans in Dioceses As Catholics Get Ready To Be Banned From the Eucharist
Are you one of those who may be barred from the Eucharist today? Or were you?
How Medieval Society Solved the Billionaire Problem
From Medieval Mindset
Did a society of feudal lords and knights actually manage the ultra-wealthy better than we do today? Let's look at the medieval mind to see how they handled the billionaire problem. From 14th-century merchants kitting out their own navies to modern tech CEOs, we explore how the ancient social contract between the ultra-wealthy and the rest of us completely broke down. This is a world history deep dive into why the wealthy don't care the way they used to. From ancient Mesopotamia to the fall of Rome to the medieval Three Orders to Thomas Aquinas to the meritocracy myth, we trace the collapse of the social contract between the rich and everyone else. Featuring the Code of Hammurabi, the Roman Republic, feudalism explained, and the philosophy behind why modern billionaires feel zero obligation to the public good.
If you've ever wondered why wealth inequality feels so medieval, it's because it literally is.
Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | July
Why NASA Is Terrified of Our Lady of Guadalupe
From Totus Catholica
Look carefully at the cloak. 46 stars scattered across the rough mantle of a poor 16th-century peasant, on cactus cloth that should have rotted away centuries ago. Most people see decoration. But what if the stars on Our Lady of Guadalupe are not decoration at all, but a signature?
In 1531, that mantle appeared, and researchers who mapped its 46 stars found they answered to the winter sky over the Valley of Mexico, arranged as if seen from heaven looking back toward Earth. In this video, I follow one thread from Balaam's star in the book of Numbers, through Joseph's dream and the woman clothed with the sun in Revelation, to the Church Fathers, the Catechism, and the Mass you can attend this Sunday. A God who set a star in prophecy can sign an image with the sky. So look up, pray a decade of the Rosary tonight, and let the heavens lead you back to Christ through His Mother.
In this video:
• Why the 46 stars on the tilma may function like a signature, not folk art
• How Balaam's star (Numbers 24) becomes a person in the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls
• How Revelation 12 fulfils Joseph's dream of the sun, moon, and stars
• Why Guadalupe is the opposite of astrology, and the honest truth about the "NASA" claim
• Where the star of Jacob still rises: at the altar, this Sunday
⏱ CHAPTERS
0:00 The 46 Stars on the Tilma
0:32 The 1531 Winter Sky, Reversed
0:54 Kokab: The Hebrew Word for Star
1:27 Is the Universe Really Mute
2:43 Balaam's Star in Numbers 24
3:06 The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls
3:41 Genesis 1:14, Lights for Signs and Seasons
4:19 Revelation 12 and Joseph's Dream
5:00 Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and CCC 411
5:42 God, the Author of Two Books
6:06 Why Guadalupe Is Not Astrology
6:50 The Honest Truth About the NASA Claim
7:37 The Paschal Candle, the Morning Star
8:18 Is the Woman Israel or Mary
9:01 The Star from Jacob and Bar Kokhba
9:35 Look Up and Pray Tonight
📖 SCRIPTURE REFERENCED
• Numbers 24:17: a star shall come forth from Jacob, a sceptre from Israel; a star and a king fused in one image.
• Genesis 1:14: God sets the lights of heaven for signs (Hebrew oth) and for seasons, the seedbed of Israel's calendar.
• Genesis 3:15: the woman and her seed set against the ancient serpent.
• Genesis 37:9: Joseph dreams of the sun, moon, and 11 stars bowing down, the whole household of Israel.
• Revelation 12:1: a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, crowned with 12 stars.
⛪ FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS & THE CATECHISM
• St. Justin Martyr (2nd century), Dialogue with Trypho: points to Balaam's star as fulfilled in Christ.
• St. Irenaeus (2nd century), Against Heresies: names Mary as the New Eve whose seed crushes the serpent.
• CCC 411: reads Genesis 3;15 as the first announcement of the gospel, the woman and her Son against the enemy.
📜 SOURCES & FURTHER READING
• The 1981 constellation study by Dr Juan Hernandez Illescas, a Mexican physician and amateur astronomer, with Fr Mario Rojas, priest and Nahuatl scholar, at an observatory in Mexico City.
• Later research on the image by Fernando Ojeda Llanes, a mathematician and lay researcher from Merida.
• The Septuagint rendering of Numbers 24:17 (a star and a man from Israel) and the Dead Sea Scrolls reading it as a coming anointed king.
🔗 EXPLORE MORE
🌍 Website: https://totuscatholica.org/
Rosary Guide: https://totuscatholica.org/rosary
✉️ Contact: https://totuscatholica.org/contact
🔍 Examination of Conscience: https://catholicexaminationofconscien...
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👥 Become a Totus Insider: https://buymeacoffee.com/totuscatholi...
How St Anthony Zaccaria Healed Both Body and Soul
A personal aside about St Anthony Zaccaria, whose Feast is today. I was born on his Feast, and my non-Catholic parents had me baptised Anthony. I was never called Anthony, but John, from my middle name. Tired of being nicknamed "Tarzan", I legally changed my name when I was in my 20s.
From Aleteia
By Philip Kosloski
The 16th-century priest was also a doctor and desired to treat the entire human person.
The primary focus of medical professionals is to treat the ailments of the body. This makes sense, and few would ask a doctor for spiritual advice.
However, St. Anthony Zaccaria was different. He had a desire to treat ailments of both the body and soul.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the 16th-century priest was at first an intelligent doctor.
After completing the studies given in the schools at Cremona he was sent to Padua for his philosophy, and in 1520, when he had finished this course, began the study of medicine in the university at that place. At the age of 22 he received his degree of Doctor of Medicine and returned to Cremona to practice his profession.
Most doctors would be content with their medical career and not desire to add anything else onto it. Yet, St. Anthony wasn’t satisfied.
Three years later he began to study theology and received holy orders in 1528. He now devoted himself with renewed energy to works of charity and mercy, visiting and consoling the sick in hospitals and poor-prisons.
His priesthood gave him even greater zeal for service, treating the ailments of the entire human person.
He also allowed his medical profession to inform his priesthood. St. Anthony would search for the root causes of a spiritual problem, not satisfied with a surface diagnosis. The book Catholic Physicians Throughout the World offers a brief reflection on this aspect of his life.
The doctor makes a diagnosis, looks for the causes of the illness, goes to the root where he applies his art and his heart. This is why Anthony Mary insists as he advises to look for the causes, or the roots of vices, and to concentrate on that. If vices were an army, we should aim at the “general,” and once he is killed, the whole army is liquidated (ibid, 26-27). To cut bad plant without pulling the roots is to waist time, because they sprout again (ibid, 178); what is needed is to diagnose the cause of the illness, looking for the fundamental concupiscence of human nature (ibid, 195, 178).
St. Anthony remains a powerful intercessor for all doctors, reminding them to recognize the connection between the spiritual and physical parts of the human person.
Excommunicating the SSPX: The Vatican Is Bluffing . . . Again
From The Remnant TV
Of course, it sounds scary, but it's not. This is a spitting contest over technicalities of Canon Law. It wasn't serious in 1988 (which is why Pope Benedict lifted the "excommunications" for the SSPX bishops in 2009), and it's not serious now.
New SSPX Bishop Invokes Mediatrix of All Graces in First Episcopal Sermon
Good! A direct refutation of the Heretic-in-Chief's Mater Populi Fidelis ordering the stoppage of the title. Mediatrix of All Graces, pray for us!
From LifeSiteNews
By S.D. Wright
Bishop Pascal Schreiber delivered his first sermon since the consecrations, calling the faithful to embrace the virtues of humility and magnanimity.
Newly consecrated – and now newly excommunicated, according to Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith – Bishop Pascal Schreiber of the Society of St. Pius X delivered his first episcopal sermon on Thursday.
At a Pontifical High Mass taking place on the “prairie” of the Écône seminary, Schreiber’s message centered on the Blessed Virgin Mary, the priesthood, and the Society of St. Pius X’s work in the world.
Speaking on the Feast of the Visitation, the day after the Society’s episcopal consecrations, Bishop Schreiber reflected on the Gospel account of Our Lady’s visit to St. Elizabeth, presenting it as a model of a hidden yet powerful work of grace.
The sermon was divided into French, German and English parts. In the German section, Schreiber described the Blessed Virgin as the Mediatrix of all graces, saying that just as grace flowed through her to St. John the Baptist and St. Elizabeth, so too the grace of the episcopate had been bestowed through her maternal mediation.
The newly consecrated bishop also acknowledged the controversy surrounding the consecrations, noting that while many had welcomed the ceremonies with joy, others had branded the Society schismatic.
Nevertheless, he insisted that the Society’s mission remained unchanged: to form holy priests, preserve the traditional Mass and doctrine, and work for the renewal of the Church.
Drawing on an image often associated with composer Gustav Mahler, Bishop Schreiber concluded by urging Catholics not merely to preserve tradition as “ashes” but to pass it on as “fire.”
On the same day, the Vatican issued a decree declaring that Schreiber along with the other five SSPX bishops and all the clergy were schismatic and excommunicated. The decree also stated that any laity who “formally adhere” to the Society are similarly schismatic and excommunicated. The validity of the judgment is at best questionable, given that those who preach heresy – like both Leo XIV and Cardinal Fernandez – are incapable of excommunicating others, according to Church teaching.
Bishop Pascal Schreiber SSPX
Pontifical High Mass, 2 July 2026
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Part I, in French
Reverend Father Superior General, Your Excellency, dear confrères in the priesthood, dear seminarians et brothers, my reverent sisters, my very dear faithful.
First of all, I wish to express to you, dear confrères and dear faithful – also in the name of the three other newly consecrated bishops – our lively gratitude for your sacrifices and your prayers over the course of recent weeks. I am certain that God will repay you abundantly here below, for all these prayers which you have addressed to him, and will hear your intentions.
We are presently experiencing an admirable moment of great unity within the Society. The task now will be to bring home with us what we all feel in these special days: to our priories, to our families, to our work, and wherever Providence places us.
The Society will continue to work to renew the priesthood. She will likewise do everything in its power to ensure that Tradition fully recovers its rights. Even if the situation within the Catholic Church is still far from this; even if the number of those who remain faithful to traditional doctrine sometimes seems small, this must not discourage us. The history of the Church and of humanity teaches us that it is often minorities who have committed themselves with determination to a cause and have ended by winning the majority over to the good cause. This is why the mission of the Society will not change in the years ahead. The task is to transmit the Catholic faith in its entirety. For this reason, we must be animated by a sincere love for the Church, by the desire to live the priesthood of Jesus Christ faithfully, and to contribute to the safeguarding of Tradition for the good of the Church.
The Catholic faith possesses a marvelous harmony: everything is in its place and in its order. Our Lord Jesus Christ is always at the center. He is King and High Priest. His kingship and his priesthood and his presence subsist until the end of time. This is why we can always rely on this promise: “Behold, I am with you until the end of time.” Strengthened by this certainty, we live the life of grace and find the strength to transmit the truth without alteration.
On this feast day, the Blessed Virgin chants her the magnificent Magnificat. We unite ourselves with this song of joy, and let us sing the praises of God with the heavenly Mother. If we look more closely at the Magnificat, we recognize in the Blessed Virgin two virtues which complement one another wonderfully: on the one hand, magnanimity, and on the other, humility. These are precisely the two virtues of which we have particular need today.
Humility is all the more important because we must remain conscious that we are only instruments of God. Without the good God, we can do nothing. We must expect everything from him. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre once said:
The members of the Society place at the foundation of their missionary and apostolic activities the conviction that they are merely unprofitable servants, that Our Lord could very well do without them, but that he wills to make use of them, and that this is an honor they do not deserve. They will always remain in this profound consciousness of their own nothingness and of the all of God, placing their trust solely in his grace. The apostolate is essentially a supernatural work of grace.
The task, then, is to remain humble, to remain in one’s place, and to know that we are weak and poor – even sinners. At the same time, this awareness must not prevent us from accomplishing great things for the good God, from committing ourselves to the Church, from transmitting the truth, and from fighting for the safeguarding of Tradition.
On the other hand, magnanimity shows us that everything is possible with God, for God is almighty and directs all things according to his wise plan. What does magnanimous man do? He dares to undertake great works; he dares to undertake honorable things. If he is at the same time humble, he is especially fitted to accomplish his works, because he places all his trust in God. It would be wrong to place one’s trust in oneself and in one’s own strength. Jesus says: “Without me, you can do nothing.” The magnanimous man therefore does not base his great undertakings on human means, but on the help of almighty God.
Let us therefore continue on our way with confidence, humility, and magnanimity, placing Christ ever more at the center of our lives and persevering in the life of grace. So that in the end, he may be glorified by our fidelity, and may His Church be renewed. Amen.
Part II, in German
First of all, I would like to express to you, dear confrères and dear faithful, also in the name of the three other newly consecrated bishops, a heartfelt “God reward you.” Thank you for your sacrifices and your prayers over the past weeks. We are convinced that none of these prayers was in vain. The good God will richly repay you for all of this, even here on earth, and will hear your intentions.
Today’s feast of the Visitation leads us to one of the most beautiful encounters in the Gospel. Outwardly it appears to be a simple visit: the Blessed Virgin Mary comes to her cousin Elizabeth. Yet in secret, something tremendous takes place. In the womb of St Elizabeth, John the Baptist is cleansed from original sin. At the same time, St Elizabeth receives the Holy Ghost. She recognizes that the Redeemer is already present in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This scene reveals to us a profound truth. Mary is the Mediatrix of Grace — in this case for Elizabeth and John the Baptist. But she is still much more: she is the Mediatrix of All Graces. As with every grace, so too yesterday the grace of the episcopal office overflowed upon the candidates through the mediation of the Mother of God.
The joy which we have been privileged to experience in these days is extraordinary. Rarely in her history has the Society experienced such enthusiasm and such unity. At last she once again has a sufficient number of bishops. On the one hand, this fills us all with great gratitude. On the other hand, one fact pains us greatly. A year ago we went on pilgrimage to Rome in our thousands, to pray at the tombs of the holy Apostles. And now we are called schismatics by some.
But this does not prevent us from doing everything we can, out of love for the Church and out of love for souls. Precisely in this difficult situation, we wish to hold fast to the Church of Jesus Christ and to work with all our strength for her renewal.
Church history teaches us that many saints suffered not only for the Church, but also through the Church. This may at first sound presumptuous, yet it is a fact and at the same time a great mystery. It should therefore not surprise us that yesterday’s episcopal consecration was not received with joy by all Catholics in the world.
In this time of confusion, two extreme positions must be avoided. Let us avoid, on the one hand, the bitter zeal which our patron, the holy Pope Pius X, condemned in his inaugural encyclical. We fall into this danger of bitter zeal when we combat errors only with harsh reproaches and sharply censure faults. On the other hand, there is the danger of being ready to make false concessions. Those who hold this position wish to please men more than God. They are not heirs of the martyrs.
Virtue lies in the middle, in a balanced equilibrium. It is precisely this balance between two extremes that St Paul urged upon his disciple Timothy: “Convince, entreat, rebuke” — but he adds: “with all patience.”
After the events of recent days, the question inevitably arises: What happens now? We do not know what the future will look like. It lies in the hand of God. But our task we know very well.
The principal task consists in the formation of zealous and doctrinally sound priests and in the sanctification of priests. The central point remains the orientation towards the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, for which the priest is primarily ordained.
Dear faithful, you too have been placed by Providence in a certain position. There it is your task to fulfil your daily duty faithfully, with the greatest possible love for God and for your fellow men. It is precisely through fidelity in small things that God prepares us for the great tasks.
Part III, in English
First of all, dear confrères and dear faithful, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude, also on behalf of the three other newly consecrated bishops, for your sacrifices and prayers over the past weeks and months. I’m certain that God will richly reward you for all prayers offered, even here on earth, and will grant your intentions.
When a priest is consecrated a bishop, he does not receive his office for himself, but for the salvation of souls. For example, one of the bishop’s most noble duties is to lay his hands on the deacon, and ordain him as a priest. Through the grace of the sacrament of Holy Orders, the newly ordained priest receives the power of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and to pronounce the words of consecration. Without the bishop’s laying on of hands, the newly ordained priest could not effect the miracle of transubstantiation.
What is tradition? Tradition is not the preservation of ashes, but the passing on of fire. Ashes are something dead, dark, cold, dirty, and grey. Fire, however, brings light and warmth. It is no coincidence that on the day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles in tongues of fire, to bestow his gifts and fruits upon them.
For us in the Society, this means that we do not preserve the Catholic tradition out of nostalgia. We preserve it because we wish to pass on the Catholic faith, the sacraments, and traditional doctrine in their authentic form to the next generation.
The fire is to burn within us, a seal for the spread of the faith, the missionary spirit which has always characterized the Society, and must continue to be so. This is precisely how Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre saw the Society. That is why he originally called the members of the Society “Apostles of Jesus and Mary.”
An Apostle is not one who keeps the faith for himself, but one who joyfully passes it on. Just as the Apostles went out from the upper room at Pentecost and proclaimed the Gospel throughout the world, so too are we called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ in our respective state of life.
Let us therefore ask the Holy Ghost today to rekindle the fire of his love in our hearts. May he preserve us from the coldness of indifference, and from the ashes of a merely outward Christianity. May he grant us apostolic zeal, so that we may remain courageous witnesses to Our Lord Jesus Christ, true devotees of the most Blessed Virgin, and faithful sons of the Catholic Church.
That is why we must never be content merely to preserve. Certainly, we must preserve the true Holy Mass, the sacraments in their traditional form, Catholic doctrine, the Ten Commandments, and the sound spirituality of the Church. But at the same time we must pass all this on. (A treasure that remains buried is of no use to anyone; a light placed under a bushel illuminates no one; a fire that is not fed and goes out.) Then tradition becomes nor preservation of ashes, but truly the passing on of fire. To the glory of God, and the salvation of souls. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Base texts from French and German translated with Claude AI and checked against the originals. Andreas Wailzer helped with the translation from German.
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