Summa Contra Gentiles Book I: How Likeness to God May Be Found in Creatures

From Contemplating History

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 I begins with general questions of truth and natural reason, and from chapter 10 investigates the concept of a monotheistic God. Chapters 10 to 13 are concerned with the existence of God, followed by a detailed investigation of God's properties (chapters 14 to 102). When demonstrating a Truth about God which can be known through reason, St. Thomas gives multiple arguments, each proving the same Truth in a different way. 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.

How Should the Catholic Church Use AI Technology?

With the fast-evolving nature of artificial technology – how should the Catholic Church navigate the moral and ethical ways to use it? We report on some of the A.I. hits and misses we’ve seen within the Church so far – and speak with bioethicist Fr. Michael Baggot, L.C. and digital Catholic journalist Juan Andrés Muñoz for their insights.

The Holy Rosary

Thursday, the Joyful Mysteries, in Latin with Cardinal Burke.

The Life of His Majesty The King George I of Greece ~ (1845–1913)

From The Romanian Monarchist

George I (Greek: Γεώργιος Α΄, romanised: Geórgios I; 24 December 1845 – 18 March 1913) was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination on 18 March 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was born in Copenhagen and seemed destined for a career in the Royal Danish Navy. He was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the unpopular King Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Second French Empire and the Russian Empire. He married Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia in 1867 and became the first monarch of a new Greek dynasty. Two of his sisters, Alexandra and Dagmar, married into the British and Russian royal families. Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexander III of Russia were his brothers-in-law, and George V of the United Kingdom, Christian X of Denmark, Haakon VII of Norway, and Nicholas II of Russia were his nephews. George's reign of almost 50 years (the longest in modern Greek history) was characterised by territorial gains as Greece established its place in pre–World War I Europe. Britain ceded the Ionian Islands peacefully in 1864, while Thessaly was annexed from the Ottoman Empire after the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). Greece was not always successful in its territorial ambitions; it was defeated in the Greco-Turkish War (1897). During the First Balkan War, after Greek troops had captured much of Greek Macedonia, George was assassinated in Thessaloniki.

Does Science Explain Everything?

With Fr James Brent, OP, PhD, STL, Asst Professor of Philosophy, Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC.

Artemis II: A Voice Was Waiting for Them at the Moon

Jim Lovell died last year, but before his passing, he recorded a message. It was short and simple, but spoke volumes: “Welcome to my old neighborhood.”

From Aleteia

By Cerith Gardiner

As Artemis II approached the Moon, a message from Jim Lovell echoed a truth Pope Francis often shared: We never journey alone.

There is something deeply moving about the idea that as Artemis II approached the Moon, the crew was not arriving alone, but was met, in a sense, by a voice that had been there long before them.

Jim Lovell was one of the first humans to orbit the Moon, and later was the commander of Apollo 13, whose calm leadership helped bring his crew safely home against extraordinary odds. Before his death in August 2025, he recorded a message that would only be played when a new generation returned to that same vast silence. It was short and simple, but spoke volumes:

“Welcome to my old neighborhood.”

It is a line that carries both humor and something more enduring, because it transforms what could feel like a distant, almost unreachable place into something strangely familiar, as though the Moon itself had become part of a shared human story.

Lovell recalled that Christmas Eve in 1968, when Apollo 8 circled the Moon and a billion people listened from Earth, and then, with a quiet generosity, he passed something on, encouraging the crew to take it all in, to recognize the moment they were living.

And then, echoing that original broadcast, he closed with words that now seem to travel across time as much as space:

“Godspeed from all of us here on the good Earth.”

There is something wonderfully human in that gesture, this instinct not only to go further, but to leave something behind for those who will follow, a word, a blessing, a sense that what is being done now is part of something larger than a single mission or a single lifetime.

It is an instinct Pope Francis spoke of often, particularly when he reflected on the relationship between generations, insisting that we do not move forward alone, but by receiving what has been handed on, and, in turn, offering something of our own to those who come after us. He often spoke of the need for the young to spend time with their grandparents, to learn from each other and inspire each other.

When we consider this, Lovell's message becomes more than a tribute. It becomes a bridge.

Because even as Artemis II travels farther than any human has gone before, it does so carrying voices, memories, and meaning that were entrusted to it long ago, reminding us that progress is never only about distance, but about continuity. And perhaps that is what makes this moment so quietly powerful ... That even at the edge of space, what awaits us is not emptiness, but connection.

The Trump Administration Is Accused Of Threatening The Pope

Why Medieval Bread Was A Superfood While Your Modern Bread Makes You Sick

From Medieval Way

There's a significant issue with the bread we consume today. While bread was once a fundamental part of civilisations, sustaining families and armies, modern bread often causes gut issues, blood sugar spikes, and leaves us feeling unsatisfied. This food history explores how the bread industry has changed, contrasting today's offerings with the traditional bread that nourished our ancestors. We conduct a food industry case study, examining how the history of bread, including ancient grains and sourdough, shows a stark difference from what we find on shelves now.

Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | April

Traditional Catholic morning prayers to help start your day in a godly way! The month of April is dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament. May our devotion to Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist ever increase! We've included the litany of the Blessed Sacrament and a Spiritual Communion. Give your first thoughts and energy to daily morning prayer. This video is a compilation of many traditional morning prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office morning prayers.

If She Converts, Rome Has One Quiet Answer

From Totus Catholica

Rome says the Archbishop of Canterbury doesn't exist. Not as a person, not as a Christian, not as a public leader. But as a bishop in the Catholic sacramental sense, Rome does not recognise Anglican ordination as valid holy orders. On March 25th 2026, Sarah Mullally became the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. So what would actually happen if she decided to become Catholic? The answer is not what most people expect. Her conversion would be welcomed personally and would change almost nothing institutionally.

Because the path home is personal, not institutional. Rome has already built the door. The question is what walking through it actually means, and why the most visible Anglican office on earth would step into Rome as a lay person. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Rome Says the Archbishop of Canterbury Doesn't Exist 1:22 The Door Rome Already Built: Personal Ordinariates 2:20 Matter, Form and Intention: Why Anglican Orders Are Null 4:00 The Second Line in the Sand: Ordinatio Sacerdotalis 1994 4:40 Why Converting Would Change Almost Nothing Institutionally 7:32 700 Anglican Clergy: The Pattern Already Happening Quietly 8:32 Three Takeaways: Unity, Truth and the Eucharist 🌍 Website: https://totuscatholica.org/ 📿 Rosary Guide: https://totuscatholica.org/rosary ✉️ Contact: https://totuscatholica.org/contact 🔍 Examination of Conscience: https://catholicexaminationofconscien...

350 Years Since the Great St Kateri Tekakwitha's Baptism

The Lily of the Mohawks and Protectress of Canada, St Kateri Tekakwitha, was baptised 350 years ago this past Easter Sunday. 

From Aleteia

By Theresa Civantos Barber

Not only the holiday but the exact date marked 350 years since the baptism of one of the earliest saints of the Americas.

This Easter Sunday marked a milestone that deserves to be celebrated by American Catholics, and especially Native Americans and those of Native American heritage. Not only the holiday but the exact date — April 5 — was 350 years since the baptism of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, one of the earliest and most beloved Catholic saints of the Americas.

As the country will mark 250 years this summer, it is amazing to think of the 100 years between her baptism and the establishment of the United States.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha was a young Mohawk woman who lived with remarkable virtue — and led many other Native Americans to Christ.

Her legacy is still strong today, not only in the beautiful shrine and museum dedicated to her life and Mohawk heritage, but also in the 20% of Native Americans who are Catholic today.

A special celebration

The St. Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine and Historic Site in Fonda, New York, is a truly rare place that honors her faith and her heritage, with events like Native Masses during her feast day weekend and Indigenous Peoples Weekend, a Three Sisters Festival, and supporting the work of Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community. 

Among other things, the shrine grounds are home to the archeological site of the village of Caughnawaga, which was Kateri’s home. Rediscovered in 1950, Caughnawaga is the only fully excavated Iroquois/Haudenosaunee village in the world. 

The shrine celebrated the anniversary with a special Easter Mass. Very Rev. Father Michael Heine, OFM Conv., Minister Provincial of the Conventual Franciscans who care for the shrine, traveled from Maryland for the celebration. 

A life of courage and steadfast love

St. Kateri was the daughter of a Christian Algonquin mother whom Iroquois took captive and gave as wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan — St. Kateri’s father. St. Kateri first learned to pray from her mother. But when she was four, she lost her parents and little brother in a smallpox epidemic that left her scarred and half blind. 

Her Mohawk relatives adopted her and called her Tekakwitha, a name that came from her habit of walking with her hands outstretched due to her poor vision. These relatives were opposed to Christianity, and for some time Tekakwitha was afraid to seek religious instruction, even though she knew her mother had been a Christian. 

But when she was 18, she began meeting with French missionary priest Jesuit Father Jacques de Lamberville for religious instruction. She was baptized on April 5, 1676, at the Mohawk village of Ossernenon, near modern-day Fonda, New York, when she was around 19 years old. She chose the name “Kateri” after St. Catherine of Siena. 

After her conversion, her family treated her with cruelty, making her act as a servant to them. Among other things, because she would not work on Sunday, they would not give her food that day. 

Her situation became dangerous, so after consulting with a priest, St. Kateri Tekakwitha ran away one night and began a 200-mile walking journey to a Christian Indian village called Sault St. Louis or Kahnawake, near Montreal. 

The Christian community at Kahnawake became a haven for her, a place where she enjoyed the friendship of other Christians in a place where she could practice her faith freely. She was reunited with her mother’s close friend, Anastasia Tegonhatsiongo, who became a spiritual mother to her. 

It was at Kahnawake that she came to be known as the “Lily of the Mohawks” because of her kindness, prayer, faith, and heroic suffering. 

When she found out about religious sisters, St. Kateri Tekakwitha desired to form a religious community among the Native American women at Kahnawake, but a local priest dissuaded her. Nonetheless she chose to remain celibate and dedicate her life to God, telling a priest of her intentions:

I have deliberated enough. For a long time, my decision on what I will do has been made. I have consecrated myself entirely to Jesus, son of Mary, I have chosen Him for husband, and He alone will take me for wife

Because of her desire, the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins considers her a patron saint. 

Pope John Paul II beatified Kateri in 1980, and Pope Benedict XVI canonized her in 2012, making her the first Native American saint from the United States.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for us!