Who were the Maccabees? Dr. Taylor Marshall writes here:  The “Maccabees,” or more properly the Hasmoneans, were a Jewish priestly family that led the just rebellion against the Greco-Syrians under Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the second century before Christ. The Maccabees were led by Mathathias and then by his third son Judas “Maccabeus.” The nickname comes from the Aramaic maccaba meaning “hammer.” So his name was “Judas the Hammer.” The nickname “Maccaba” was extended to the entire family and descendants of Mathathias. The nickname, no doubt, refers to Judas’ “hammering” of the enemies of God in battle. The true patronymic of the family was Hasmonean.  In 1 Maccabees, the pagan [...]

As most of you know, the Archdiocese of New York City prohibited her priests from writing religious exemptions for the "Covid-19 vaccine" for the lay faithful seeking such paperwork.  But what few people caught was that the Archdiocese stated that her lay faithful who are "very loyal to the teaching of the faith" are the very ones "acting in contradiction to the directives of the Pope." A friend pointed out to me that the above document does not just assert that traditional Catholics think they are "loyal to the teaching of the faith" but it actually says that they are "loyal to the teaching of the faith."  This is not just an "aha, gotcha!" moment found [...]