The holy saints are role models for all of us. The Church venerates them because they live a life of virtue as they strive to imitate Christ. The holy saints are like any of us. We can learn much from their lives and writings. Canonization by the Pope is a statement by the Church that a particular person is in Heaven and therefore worthy to given public honor by Catholics. We can even ask the holy saints in Heaven to intercede for us. Padre Pio is an excellent role model for Catholics and most especially for priests. He suffered silently during his persecution and did not even go to any media outlet, seeking some public support.
St. John Vianney is another remarkable saint. His life was filled with works of love and charity, and he was able to convert even the staunchest of sinners with his word. John Paul II, who was also canonized a saint recently by Pope Francis once said that what is needed are holy men and women to convert others to Catholicism. The light of Christ is in us, and we need to let the light of Christ shine brightly in us so that all who see His light will glorify God our Father. We look at the holy saints as role models. From them, we learn that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.
Matthew 5:9-16
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
We should ask our holy brothers and sisters in heaven to intercede for our Catholic Church on Guam. Now more than ever do we need to come together - Neo or not - and pray together.
ReplyDeletePray for our Shepherd, Archbishop Tony, that he leads his people from division and brings unity. I can see he is trying. On Confirmation when he preached, he did something so out of character. He stood in the middle and preached from the heart. I was nearly in tears because his message was powerful: no matter what happens to you, even if the world rejects you, Jesus is there for you always!
I thought of all the comments against him and how strong they are becoming. I imagined saying those harsh things to his face and realized that right before me was not only Archbishop Tony, but the representative of Jesus Christ!
He is not a perfect man and yes, he has made mistakes, but what he needs is our love not our malicious tongues (comments). Someome stated there is no hope left for Archbishop Tony, but I believe there is always hope! There is hope because God is bigger and greater than anyone or any problem - he will not abandon our Archbishop or His Holy Church.
Anon Christian are meant to be persecuted. Christ did also. Priest are meant to be servant not to be loved
ReplyDeletePlease remove the Archbishop from the NCW so he can be a servant to all of Guam and not just loved by the NCW for his service to them.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 3:28 p.m.,
DeleteThe Archbishop is the servant of God. If God calls him to be in the Way, then he is following God's will. The rest of the priests are supposed to be obedient to the Archbishop. And if they feel that they are being persecuted by the Archbishop, then they should follow the example of Padre Pio who never went to any public media to try and gain some public support against the Archbishop.
He should step down then from his order and his seat. Truly like Presbyter Pezzi before his order removes him as they had removed Presbyter Pezzi.
DeleteDiana, if priest don't want to walk there should be no forcing! Period! Maybe going to the media or posting is an eye opener for the Archbishop! So will Cardinal Tagle's letter!
DeleteSo priest don't receive love from God? They are just servants?
DeleteHe didn't go to the media because there was no internet back then... no access to media.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 4:08 p.m.,
DeleteThat choice belongs to the Archbishop. Only he makes that choice. Your role, on the other hand, is to respect the Archbishop as a true Christian should and in accordance to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
CCC 1269 Having become a member of the Church, the person baptized belongs no longer to himself, but to him who died and rose for us. From now on, he is called to be subject to others, to serve them in the communion of the Church, and to "obey and submit" to the Church's leaders, holding them in respect and affection. Just as Baptism is the source of responsibilities and duties, the baptized person also enjoys rights within the Church: to receive the sacraments, to be nourished with the Word of God and to be sustained by the other spiritual helps of the Church.
Dear Anonymous at 4:29 p.m.,
DeleteFrom what I understand, a priest takes a vow of obedience, and his obedience is not to himself but to the Bishop. At ordination, a priest makes a vow before God to be obedient to his bishop. According to the weblink below:
"The ordained man understands that his obedience to the bishop is in concert with the bishop’s obedience to the Holy Father. The pope’s authority covers the whole Church, including bishops and priests. Practically speaking, though, each priest is accountable on a daily basis to his bishop (and religious superior if he belongs to a religious order). The pope cannot oversee the behavior and ministry of every priest in the Church. Each local ordinary (bishop), though accountable to the pope, has a certain freedom to minister in the way he determines is most effective given the unique needs of his diocese. His priests are expected to cooperate with him in this, so they promise to obey him."
http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/at-ordination-why-is-obedience-made-to-the-bishop-instead-of-the-pope
Dear Anonymous at 5:39 p.m.,
DeleteDidn't the Catholic Church teach you that God loves everyone including servants and sinners? So, why are you asking whether God loves his servants? This is what the Catechism says about priests being "servants". Did you not know that even Christ called Himself "God's servant?" Are you questioning or having doubts about what is written in the Catechism of the Catholic Church?
CCC 2578 The prayer of the People of God flourishes in the shadow of God's dwelling place, first the ark of the covenant and later the Temple. At first the leaders of the people - the shepherds and the prophets - teach them to pray. The infant Samuel must have learned from his mother Hannah how "to stand before the LORD" and from the priest Eli how to listen to his word: "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." Later, he will also know the cost and consequence of intercession: "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and the right way."
CCC 539 The evangelists indicate the salvific meaning of this mysterious event: Jesus is the new Adam who remained faithful just where the first Adam had given in to temptation. Jesus fulfills Israel's vocation perfectly: in contrast to those who had once provoked God during forty years in the desert, Christ reveals himself as God's Servant, totally obedient to the divine will. In this, Jesus is the devil's conqueror: he "binds the strong man" to take back his plunder. Jesus' victory over the tempter in the desert anticipates victory at the Passion, the supreme act of obedience of his filial love for the Father.
Dear Anonymous at 5:40 p.m.,
DeleteThere was a media back then. There were newspapers and books in those days. In the post on Padre Pio that I posted it stated:
"There is something to learn from the great saint in the way he handled a particular situation involving supporters. St. Pio learned that some men were going so far as to expose scandalous information about high-ranking members of the hierarchy in a book. The effort was aimed at freeing him from his "imprisonment". Ruffin explains Pio's response:
When Padre Pio, however, learned of the forthcoming book, he seized Morcaldi by the throat. "You devil, you!" he roared. "Go, throw yourself at the foot of the Church instead of writing this garbage! Don't you set yourself up against your Mother!""
Your Statute says that the Neocatechumenal Way is at the service of the bishop as ONE OF THE FORMS of diocesan implementation of Christian initiation and of ongoing education in faith. As a MEMBER, as one of the BROTHERS, the Archbishop IS AT THE SERVICE of the NCW as we have seen, and not as your Statute decrees.
ReplyDeleteFollowing your logic, the other bishops all over the world who are NOT "walking" are not following God's will? LOL
Dear Anonymous at 5:45 p.m.,
ReplyDeleteThat is only how you perceived it mainly because you often see Father Pius doing most of the speaking. The Way cannot exist on Guam if the Archbishop did not allow it in his diocese. In other words, the NCW needs the permission of the Bishop. Without it, the Way would not be here.
I never said that the other bishops who are not walking are not following God's will. The Pope gave them the choice to have it or not. That is why the Pope told the Way that we are to give up our celebrations if the bishop decides to ban the Way in his diocese. Communion with the Church is more important than any liturgy.
I'm anon 5:39, and I was responding to anon 8:46. Don't preach to me out of context...that's something you think your good at, but you actually play the fool when you do.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 9:28 p.m.,
DeleteIf you were responding to Anonymous 8:46, then why didn't you address him/her. You made a comment that is addressed to no one in particular.
If you think I am in error of what I said, then show me where my error is. Don't just call me a fool and leave it at that. You say that it's okay to correct a brother or sister?? Do you call a brother or sister a fool when you correct him/her and leave it at that? That is not what I call correcting. Do you not know that calling a person a "fool" is actually an insult. St. Jerome stated that "ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ." Please read your bible.
Matthew 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Anon 9:28 any response? You contradict yourself and seem dough flew back at you....
DeleteIf disobedience is what it takes to have the clergy get together with both sides listening, then so be it! Right now there is no unity whatsoever! Being silent doesn't solve the problem. One may say it is in the hands of God! It is up to The Lord! The saying goes, The Lord helps those who help themselves!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be surprised if the Nuncio is has plans only ing us a visit! This is where all the dirty laundry will be exposed! Trust me, we are no longer keeping quiet!
Dear Anonymous at 9:42 a.m.,
DeleteJesus practiced being silent against his accusers, and that is what the Archbishop is following. Padre Pio did the same thing. When the other side is already making accusations, it is a sign that they are not willing to listen at all.
As an example, just look at what happened recently in Junglewatch. Someone copied and pasted my response to an anonymous poster and gave it to Tim Rohr. All I said is that Kiko was invited to the Phiilippines by the Cardinal. After the Philippines, he will be going to Japan. He was also invited by the Japanese bishops. After that, Tim Rohr was up in arms calling the Archbishop and/or the Team Catechists a liar. He has demanded a retraction in the Umatuna after the article written by Jennifer Dulla was taken out. And he was also demanding that the Archbishop apologize because a cardinal's name was used.
Afterwards, he published the Pinoy Catholic website on to his blogsite because they also copied and pasted my response on their website. However, it's apparent that Tim Rohr did not read the entire post on Pinoy Catholic because this is what it stated:
"They claim that it was Cardinal Tagle who invited them to come to Manila! But THE CHANCELLOR who is into Mass ad-lib says the Cardinal DID invite the Loony-cats. Is Fr. Sescon also ad-libing this?"
http://thepinoycatholic.blogspot.com/2014/06/breaking-news-loony-cats-to-evangelize.html
In other words, the Pinoy Catholic website only VERIFIED what I stated.....that the Cardinal DID invite Kiko. When an anonymous poster (who actually read the website) pointed that out to Tim, he stated this in his comment to Mary Lou:
"Actually at this point, we have more inside information than the Pinoy Catholic. The PC is critical in general of priests who "ad-lib" the Mass (as well we all should be), so it appears the blog used the scandal to take a parting shot at the Chancellor. In any event, the Chancellor could make no invitation to another diocese (ours) on his own. Such an invitation would have to come from the Ordinary (Cardinal Tagle). It did not."
http://www.junglewatch.info/2014/06/look-diana-youre-famous.html
In other words, what Tim is saying is that he has more INSIDE information about their cardinal in the Philippines than the Pinoys (Filipinos) who actually live in their own country. Clearly, this does not sound like a man who is willing to listen. The rest of his followers are the same.
Ha! Pinoy Catholic just copy and paste. Tim Rohr is carelessly looking for a flaw. I hope the guy don't get a stroke swinging at the air. His audience don't realize little by little he is punking out.
DeleteEven Pinoy Catholic clarified that his grammer was wrong in his post that you quoted above. He corrected it and pretty much said you loony-cats are the one saying that Fr. Secon said the cardianl invited Kiko and the youths. He also points out that there is evidence to suggest other wise.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, the letters out, but there was never any doubt. C'mon, go ahead, spin it...tell us it's our fault. Don't accept any fault, wrong doing or responsibility for anything.
Dear Anonymous a 7:37 p.m.,
DeleteAs I said to another anonymous poster, I stand corrected. I was wrong. It appears that it was the NCW in the Philippines who invited Kiko and then invited their cardinal to meet with Kiko rather than the other way around. It is then a good thing that the news article written by Jennifer Dulla was taken out.
You were not wrong! Whomever spread this rumor and made you believe it was wrong!
DeleteDear Anonymous at 7:37 p.m.,
DeleteAre you addressing me or Anonymous 7:37 p.m.??
You
DeleteDear Anonymous at 7:37 p.m.,
DeleteI already said that I stand corrected. That means that I was wrong. Tim Rohr published on his blogsite a letter that was addressed to Jennifer Dulla signed by Cardinal Tagle. How he managed to get a letter that was personally addressed to Jennifer Dulla......I don't know. From that letter it appears that the NCW in the Philippines invited Kiko and then invited the cardinal to meet with him.
Anonymous 7:56 PM
ReplyDeleteThe problem is it didn't propagate as a rumor. It came out as a fact from her responsibles/catechists. Sad day for the Archdiocese. That letter was dated 5/29. It is now 6/6 and no correction or retraction appears from Umatuna or it's staff. Responsible journalism demands accuracy and truth. PDN will issue a correction on something as trivial as a wrong street sign.... i hope Umatuna does.
Pilgrims were filled with the news that the Cardinal invited Kiko and the youth and they fund raised, spent their money, changed their schedules, and lo and behold no such welcome exists, wind from the sails gone.
Who lied to them though? It wasn't the Anti-Neo groups, it was their own.. the false prophets as marked by
St. Padre Pio.
-Catholics United-
Dear Catholic United,
DeleteApparently, there was a miscommunication. The truth is that the NCW in the Philippines invited Kiko and then invited the cardinal to meet with Kiko. An invitation was sent to Kiko from the Philippines, but somewhere there was a miscommunication, which is understandable. Humans will always make simple errors.
Really! Keep posting your comments because it just increases the number of people that realize that you represent the Wrong Way.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 8:16 a.m.,
DeleteI believe that the right way is to admit when one is wrong. I have admitted that I was wrong. And this is the response I get from you. Thank you for your persecution. :-)
Matthew 5:11-12 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Every time you claim to be persecuted, you only hurt your cause. You are only fooling and kidding yourself. This isn't persecution, this is a charitable admonishment. I still love you as my Christian family. Enough with the misuse of this word.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 9:22 a.m.,
DeleteThank you for your charitable admonishments of calling us liars and fools. I love you in Christ as well. Your persecution helps us bring closer to Jesus Christ.
You claim persecution, but every time you utter that word with smugness, you bring yourself farther from God. It's the lack of humility that you are just not comprehending. You are also leading others into a false sense of superiority every time you do so.
DeleteWhy so arrogant? I didn't call you a liar or fool. I said you are fooling yourself. You can't even take constructive criticism without going on the defensive? Please stop blogging and just get to praying.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 3:07 p.m.,
DeleteThank you for humiliating me. :) Praise be God! Someday, He will prepare me to sacrifice my life for His name..
2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Dear Anonymous at 3:31 p.m,
DeleteI am sorry, but you mistook my happiness for arrogance. I'm not being arrogant. I'm actually happy being persecuted like Christ. I understand why St. Paul was happy when he was persecuted and why the Apostles went to their deaths singing for joy. God loves me so much that he allows these things to happen to me because he plans and prepares something better for me. :-)
You need serious psychological help. No wonder you fell for the distortions of the way. You are their perfect candidate: gullible, needy and vulnerable. They have made a fine robot out of you. The scary thing is that you will not take any of this to heart and just drone on like usual. Of course.
DeleteJesus Christ was persecuted for telling (and being) the truth. You, on the other hand....
DeleteDear Anonymous at 10:10 p.m.,
DeleteJesus Christ was persecuted for what He believed in and for the things He preached about. It is the same with the Apostles. They were persecuted and killed for their beliefs and their preaching. Kiko and the NCW are also being persecuted for their beliefs and for the things they preached about.
Christ said that His Church would be persecuted just as He was. He never said that His Church would be the persecutors.
Dear Anonymous at 9:51 p.m.,
DeleteAnd you determined that I need serious psychological help all because of a little thing like an invitation????? The NCW was invited. So, there was a confusion as to WHO invited us.....and this is already grounds for psychological help??? Please get some real psychological help because this is not even "common sense."
What is the big deal about who invited whom? Those are the loony-cats who think it is SO important that they spend days and nights to prove or disprove. Nobody really cares about this as the TRULY important thing is that Word of God was spread in the Philippines. Kiko and the Cardinal of Manila showed up together to celebrate this awesome event. Alleluia!
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 8:49 a.m.,
DeleteI agree! It was a beautiful event! Kiko and the Cardinal of Manila were together there to celebrate such a beautiful event. God has truly given us great blessings!
There was no miscommunication, there was intent to deceive and fake the favor of Cardinal Tagle. It's part of the Neo track record.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 10:28 a.m.,
DeleteIt is obvious that an invitation was sent to Guam because other countries such as Singapore were there as well. So, invitations were sent to Guam and Kiko. The confusion lies on who sent the invitation. If the NCW here intended to purposely give out the wrong information, it would only cause an embarrassment to ourselves rather than the Cardinal.
"If the NCW here intended to purposely give out the wrong information, it would only cause an embarrassment to ourselves rather than the Cardinal."
DeleteNo kidding! I highly doubt the Cardinal was embarrassed! But you are right, this was just further embarrassment for the neo.
Dear Anonymous at 3:09 p.m.,
DeleteAnd this is why I do not think it is intentional. Why would the NCW want to embarrass itself?
" thank you for your persecutions" I know they taught to say that, but that actually is the opposite of evangelization .
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 11:10 a.m.,
DeleteActually, we learned it from Jesus Christ who taught it to us through Sacred Scripture.
Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
It is because of persecution that many were converted into Christianity. It has always been part of our evangelization.
More people worldwide are against the NCW than they are for them. The NCW is less than 0.10% of the catholic population worldwide, not even 1%. When it comes to the NCW, people come and go. It's sounds great at first, and then ludacris as more is revealed. I know...I was a sucker once.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 3:27 p.m.,
DeleteThe Way is not for everyone. It is for those who wants to live out the Gospels. For some people, the Way helps us live out the Gospels because of the discipline we undergo. It is the same in other religious organizations. They have their own disciplines to help them come close to Christ and His Church.
"The Way is not for everyone. It is for those who wants to live out the Gospels"
DeleteDo you not recognize the singular arrogance of this comment. Evidently, by your reckoning, non-Neo Catholics do not want to "live out the Gospels" (sic). Typical. And sad.
Dear Anonymous,
DeleteI do not see that as arrogance. That is the truth. "The Way is not for everyone". That is the truth. It isn't for everyone. Surely, you are not saying that it is. "It is for those who wants to live out the Gospels". That is the truth because that is its purpose and what it was designed for. That is the truth.
Christ also said that He is God. When people heard say that, they also thought that He was being arrogant. They mistake the truth for arrogance. The Catholic Church is the only true Church of Christ. You would be surprise to see how many Protestants mistake that truth for arrogance. So...no, I was not being arrogant. The NCW is part of the Catholic Church, and what the Catholic Church says of herself is the truth.
No, you are saying that the Way is for "those who wants to live out the Gospels" (sic). Even the logically impaired, such as yourself, can see that that statement means that that if a person does not join the Way, that person must not "wants to live out the Gospels" (sic). This is arrogant, typical and sad.
DeleteThe fact that you equate that claim with Jesus' claim to be God is equally arrogant, typical and sad
Dear Anonymous at 12:42 p.m.,
DeleteNO?? What do you mean "No?" I was responding to Anonymous at 3:27 p.m. who left the Way. Then you came along and took sentence out of my whole comment. This was my whole comment:
"The Way is not for everyone. It is for those who wants to live out the Gospels. For some people, the Way helps us live out the Gospels because of the discipline we undergo. It is the same in other religious organizations. They have their own disciplines to help them come close to Christ and His Church. "
Read in the ENTIRE context, I was saying that we live out the Gospels because of the DISCIPLINE we undergo in the Way. It is the SAME with other religious organizations in the Catholic Church. They also have their own DISCIPLINES to help people come close to God and Church......meaning to live out the Gospels.
Therein lies the problem......when you only READ one sentence and take it out of context. So, when I say.....".It is the same with other religious organizations in the Catholic Church" that means that those who are not walking in the Way, but in other religious organizations of the Catholic Church can also live out the Gospel.
So, out of the five sentences in my comment, why in the world did you only look at ONE sentence????????? In order to understand the entire book, learn to read the entre story and not just one sentence in that book.
Anon.3:27 PM if you were suckered why come to this blog? No one force it to your throat. It appear your passing judgement? Don't you think this can be a mortal sin of your doing? If your stating this that means you refuse the spirit. Everyone is free to leave and the way is not about numbers but the GOAL is to go to heaven. Not accolade to prove someone wrong. Who care if Tagle did or did not invite Kiko. Big deal. You got your answer and be happy that the information is wrong. Celebrate.
ReplyDelete