Sunday, May 24, 2015

The Light Of Truth

In my last entry post, an anonymous commenter made the following comment, which can be found here.   According to the commenter: 

This whole argument is stupid. Please allow me to demonstrate.

John and Barry both believe that the earth exists, and they both believe there is only one earth.

John looks out his window and notices that the world around him looks flat, and that water runs downhill. He concludes that the entire earth is, in fact, flat. He believes in the earth, but sees it a certain way.

Barry, on the other hand, is an astronaut, and he sees the earth rather differently – as a sort of sphere, in fact. Barry believes in the earth’s existence too, but sees something different to John.

Because they see the earth differently, albeit only in some limited respects: John and Barry do quite different things, and have quite different attitudes. John, for example, will not travel on ships, for fear of falling of the earth’s edge.

Now, what good can be achieved by merely affirming that both John and Barry believe in the same, one earth. Certainly, there is not another earth, but that doesn’t mean John and Barry “believe” in the same one. John’s is flat, for a start, and on John’s earth, sailing is dangerous.

Given that the earth is actually not flat, if Barry was to remain silent and not point out to John his mistaken understanding; could he be considered his friend? Would it be charitable to allow John to continue in his false belief? Even if John’s understanding is partially correct (the earth is flat in certain areas) his overall understanding is plain wrong – ie it doesn’t match reality.

Barry certainly doesn’t hate John for being wrong, in fact, he likes him. So he decides to tell him the truth, and not have a party celebrating that they both simply believe in the earth.
 
This is my response to the above commenter: 
 
Dear Anonymous at 10:08 pm,
 
Your whole argument is stupid.  Please allow me to demonstrate. 

Before the fourth century, people actually thought the earth was flat! By the fourth century and onward, people were starting to realize that the earth was a sphere, and there were no astronauts in the fourth century.  In other words, one never needed to be above the earth to figure out that the earth was a sphere.  The first person who advocated that the earth was a sphere was the Greek philosopher Aristotle.  Later, other philosophers and scientists of the fifth and sixth century were agreeing with Aristotle.  The Catholic Church also agreed that the earth was a sphere.  And there were no astronauts at that time.  The light of truth takes time to reveal itself.  And in this case, truth revealed itself in nature, which God created.   After the fourth century everyone accepted that the earth was a sphere, and no one was an astronaut during that time.  The debate after the fourth century was NOT the shape of the earth but the size of the earth. 

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue.  Columbus and his contemporaries believed the earth was a sphere because his plan was to seek a trade route to Asia by sailing west.   If the King and Queen of Spain actually believed that the world was flat, they would never have financed Columbus' voyage. 

You stated:  Because they see the earth differently, albeit only in some limited respects: John and Barry do quite different things, and have quite different attitudes. John, for example, will not travel on ships, for fear of falling of the earth’s edge.

Where is your faith in God?????  In Indonesia, 10,000 Muslims converted to Catholicism.  And here you are saying that it is impossible for John to see that the world is round??  Where is your faith in God??  This is why Tim Rohr and his kids stand outside the Catholic Church selling Catholic books.....because Catholics lost their faith.  Why does the NCW testify in front of the Catholic assembly in the church???  It is for the same reason why Tim Rohr sells Catholic books to Catholics.  Many Catholics lost their faith and even do not know their faith.   

You asked:  Now, what good can be achieved by merely affirming that both John and Barry believe in the same, one earth.  My question to you is what good can be achieved by pointing fingers and saying "You're wrong and we're right".  The light of truth takes time and patience.  Christ commissioned His Church to spread the Good News about Him.  That is all.  The role of the Church is to spread the Gospel so that people would know Christ. The living God, who desires all men to be saved, will be the one to enlighten people of the truth because since the beginning God prepared them to receive the Gospel.  However, it must be received through one's free will.  In other words, Christianity should not be forced upon anyone.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 

CCC 843 The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."332

When the Apostle Paul spoke to the pagans in Athens, he called them "children of God (Acts 17:28-29) because God created all mankind in His image and likeness.  Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis prayed and worshipped TOGETHER with the Jews in their synagogues because the Catholic Church recognized that the Jews pray to and worship the same God as the Christians.  If you feel that these Popes (the Vicars of Christ) were wrong, by what authority and credential do you have to make such a claim?   

What I find ironic is that you are so quick to accuse the Jews and Muslims of worshipping a different God because they are ignorant of God's nature of the Holy Trinity; yet, you do not recognize that Protestant Christians have a different view of Jesus.  While it is true that mainstream Protestants believe in the Holy Trinity, the things they say that Christ taught is not the same as what Catholics say. For example, Catholics say that Jesus instituted seven sacraments.  Some Protestant Christians only recognize one or two sacraments that Jesus instituted while other Christians claim that He instituted nothing of the sort.  Many Protestants believe in "sola fide" (faith alone) and "sola scriptura' (Bible alone).   These are errors of doctrine never taught by Christ; yet, the Protestants claim that these doctrines were actually taught by Christ.  So, why do you not accuse them of worshipping a different Christ?     
 

57 comments:

  1. Diana, the main difference between your example that "Tim Rohr and his kids stand outside the Catholic Church selling Catholic book " and how the "NCW testify in front of the Catholic assembly in the church" is that with Tim Rohr's approach people have the option of not stopping to look at the books while with the NCW testimonies over the years people have felt that they have no option but to sit and listen. Thanks be to God that now people are finding the courage to stand up and walk out of the church until the testimonies are over. But for many years people felt trapped inside the church during the NCW testimonies, but they never felt trapped when they saw Tim Rohr and his children selling books outside the church.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 2:56 pm,

      This is so sad to hear from you. Perhaps, you should ask yourself why you find it unbearable to hear the testimony of witnesses who testified how God has changed their life. God told us to bear witness to all things that He has done for us in our lives (Acts 22:14-15). Therefore, we are doing what Christ has commissioned all baptized Christians to do. We not only bear witness to our Catholic brothers whom some has scorned us, but also risk rejection going door to door in two by twos as we evangelize. Tim Rohr took the safer and easier route.

      Delete
    2. Diana, I actually have no problem listening to people share how God has changed their lives. Our separated brethren do it all the time and I find their witnessing to be inspirational.

      What I find "unbearable" about the testimonies of NCW witnesses are all the sordid details of their sexual sins that are best left in the confessional. They do not have to be so explicit in their descriptions. To be honest, it appears as though they're doing it to try and shock their listeners.

      Maybe your NCW brothers and sisters should learn from Evangelical Christians on how to share inspirational stories (instead of X-rated stories) of how God has worked to help them turn their lives around.

      Delete
  2. not to mention that people who believed that the earth is flat still sailed the seas...
    the question regarding the post would be what does John and Barry represent. when you use a parable, you need to make it clear what stands for what in it. Jesus also used to do that for his disciples when it wasnt already obvious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear anon, it is not about what these people represent. For goodness sake, the message is - it matters what you believe about God. This is why the NCW ask questions like "Who is God for you?" and so on.

      Constantly repeating things like "Jews and Christians worship the same God" may seem to be positive, but actually affirms error and ultimately leads to the sense that it doesn't matter what you believe so long as you're "nice". Or that all religions are but alternative paths to the same end. Both of these concepts have been constantly rejected by the Church since the beginning.

      Delete
    2. ok. so you are saying that John and Barry are Christians and Jews. then I must say that the metaphore is mistaken and misleading. Jews do worship the same God as Christians but they havent recognized the fullness of revelation because their eyes have been vailed. but their faith is the root of Christian faith and their election is irrevocable. this is what Sacred Scripture, the Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium say. if you say something different, then you are the one with the flat earth problem. i agree that we must announce Jesus Christ to the Jews (many of them do come to believe in Him, though this is not much advertised), but it is also
      a heresy to reject the Old Testament.

      Delete
    3. Who said anything about rejecting the Old Testament?

      "Jews do worship the same God as Christians but they havent recognized the fullness of revelation because their eyes have been vailed."

      Surely the intent of the worshipper counts for something? If the worshipper decides that the object of their worship is definitely not a Trinity of persons, how can you say they are actually worshipping the God who is a Trinity of persons? I just don't get it. Sure we agree "God is one", but that is only part of the truth. Knowing part of the truth can lead you into all sorts of trouble. That's the point of the "parable".

      When you say "their election is irrevocable", what do you mean exactly. Election means "choice". So, who is choosing? If you mean God chose a people, then yes - but what did he choose them for? God didn;t choose a people to ignore his greatest revelation and the greatest act of his love? No, the Jewish nation was chosen to be the means by which God would deliver salvation to all nations (people). The means is Jesus Christ - himself God incarnate.

      The most natural place for the devout Jew to be is in the Catholic Church, as it is the fulfillment of everything that the Old Testament represents - the covenants of God to Abraham and the nation of Israel, and the promise of the Messiah.

      It is heresy to assert that the Jewish faith is salvific. The old has made way for the new. The old branches that produced no fruit have been pruned away and a new strain has been grafted to the root.

      Jesus said - "I am the vine, you are the branches". He said that to the Jews and the Gentiles alike - those that accept him, and draw life from him at least. It is good to acknowledge the root of our faith, because that root is Jesus Christ, himself the vine. It is impossible to speak sensibly about the root of Christian faith in Judaism if Jesus is excluded. Unfortunately, there is a tendency these days to do just that - particularly in our quest to make amends for the suffering of the European Jews in the last century.

      I found this comment very interesting:

      http://neocatechemunal.blogspot.com/2015/05/nostra-aetate.html?showComment=1432535068701#c7778259911252685530

      Delete
    4. Dear Anonymous at 11:39 pm,

      The Jews and the Christians worship the same God (Romans 3:29). It was God who planted the Jewish people. Judaism was the root, and Christianity came from this root. According to St. Paul regarding the Jews and Gentile converts:

      Romans 11:16-18 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.

      Yes, the Jews were chosen to produce Christ, but God granted them many other gifts. They were entrusted with the very words of God (Romans 3:2), which is the Old Testament. The Apostle Paul still called the Jews God's chosen people even after Christ was ascended into Heaven.

      The fact that these Rabbis remain open to dialogue and listened to Christians is a sign of God. It is not us who will change the Jews. Only God can do that. These Rabbis were already astonished to hear that God loves them for they have never heard this in their synagogues. They did not reject this teaching from the Christians. The fact that they wish to continue this dialogue shows that they are willing to listen. It was not Kiko who called for this retreat. It was the Jewish Rabbis who asked to meet with the Christians so they could learn from us how we transmit the faith to our families.. We did not call them to learn from them.

      Delete
    5. " They were entrusted with the very words of God (Romans 3:2), which is the Old Testament"

      They were entrusted with the Word of God, who is Jesus.

      As I said, if Jesus is the "vine", how can you even speak of the "root" without him?

      Romans 11:13

      "13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them

      and

      Romans 11:23-24

      "23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!"

      Ok, so The apostle Paul is clearly saying that the except for a remnant, the Jews have been cut off from the root, but it is hope that, by envy of the gentiles, they will be grafted back in, and might be saved.

      That seems pretty clear to me

      Delete
    6. Dear Anonymous at 10:43 am,

      It was God who planted the root and made it holy. Romans 11:23-24 is not referring to the Jewish people, but to the Gentile converts.

      If you read further into the Bible it tells you what God has planned for the Jews:

      Romans 11:25-32 I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not become wise in your own estimation: a hardening has come upon Israel in part, until the full number of the Gentiles comes in, and thus all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come out of Zion, he will turn away godlessness from Jacob and this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins. In respect to the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but in respect to election they are beloved because of the patriarchs. For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now [fn] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

      Therefore, this meeting which the Jews have called to meet with the Christians is a sign from God just as they have been saying.

      Delete

  3. Diana, what do you have to say about freedom, justice and democracy in this world? Do you support the values of the free world or do you support the communist ideology? Do you believe God is democratic promoting democratic values or do you believe in ideologies that prevent liberation of the human spirit?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 1:19 am,

      Freedom, justice, and democracy in this world has a different meaning than in God's Kingdom. Since when did God promote democracy in His Kingdom? God is a king. He was not elected by the people. And in His Kingdom, His Will be done. It is not the people's will that will be done.

      Delete
    2. God gave man free will so 1.19am may 25 has a valid point. There is a school of thought believing in a democratic god

      Delete
  4. You seem to miss the point. Even though 2 people may see the earth as one earth and one earth exists they're view are different even if it is the same earth. The Jews and Muslim and Christians may believe in the same God but don't understand Him the way Christians do. You tell the Jews snd Muslims that only through Jesus can you be saved. If they still refuse to believe then when they f in do you believe that they can still enter into the kingdom of heaven.? According to our Christian teaching, you cannot. That is the core of Christianity whether you choose to believe that or not.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Being jewish or christian or catholic etc. does not determine whether you will be saved or not. We believe catholicism is the most correct religion but it is not perfect either like all the other religions, why? Because it is man made. Religion is not spirituality, it is not faith. So it is man made. The most important thing is that you are convinced of what you believe, and that you search for God in your own way as long as you don't hinder others but help them then that is fine. This is where our conscience comes in. And this is where God comes in. God is the same for everyone for surely there are no more than one God for all humanity. But all of us even catholics see this one God slightly differently. And that is not wrong because we are different we reason differently we believe differently. Does it mean everyone is correct? No. It means everyone has to listen to what the other has to say and reflect about it with God in silence. The holy spirit talks to each person individually IF we let him. We do not need priests or catechists or whatever to talk to God they do not have a hot line with God. We just need to open our hearts and give time and God will show us the true way. Fighting one another is stupid and no God does not make us fight with each other for him. It is man who came up with that not God. God sent his son to save humanity despite every reason he had and still has to kill us and get rid of us after all the evil we do but he chose love, he chose to gave us a possibility. So who are we to quote one line from the bible and try and justify breaking up a family because they are not in the same group as us or dont believe in the same God as us? Teaching is one thing. Imposing is another. It is because of imposing that the church is where it is today, because in the past it overlooked what God said truly when he sent his Son to earth, and focused on fear and not freedom to believe most of the time. So we as the church need to live as Christ did, by example first and then by words, for it is not by many words that people will start going to church again but by seeing us christians and catholics being happy in life despite all our problems, and our ability to talk with each other no matter what they believe and not fight about what we believe is best like children do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Keith,

      I agree with you in that being a Catholic, Jew, or Muslims does not determine whether one is save or not. The Catholic Church teaches that through no fault of their own even non-Christians can find salvation in ways known only to God.

      However, I disagree with you when you say that Catholicism is man-made. Christianity is NOT man-made. Christianity was an actual event that happened in history. God did come down to earth incarnated as man. That is a historical fact and a historical event. It was not invented by man.

      I agree with much of what you say. There is nothing wrong with Interfaith dialogue. These Rabbis did not reject Christ because they were open to listening to Christians. When they learned that God loves them, they were astonished at this revelation. They did not reject this new found knowledge that God loves them. And the fact that they wish to continue to have a dialogue with us means that they are willing to listen even if they may not agree with some things. Our role is not to force Christianity on anyone, but simply to spread the love of God.

      Delete
    2. "Whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me" Luke 10:16

      Delete
    3. Dear Anonymous at 4:00 pm,

      "Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.” Luke 9:49-50

      Delete
    4. So, someone who rejects him can cast out demons in his name? What's your point Diana. If you invoke the name of Jesus, clearly you haven't rejected him.

      Poor choice of scripture to counter the former. Go back to class

      Delete
    5. Dear Anonymous at 10:31 am,,

      Instead of criticizing the person, stay on topic. When you demean or attack the person, you already lost the debate. For your information, Jesus also revealed to the Jews that His name Is "I Am", which is why the Jews wanted to kill Him. Christ was equating Himself to God and they saw that has blasphemy. So, when Christ said His name, what makes you think it is ONLY the name of Jesus and not Yawheh or "I Am."

      Delete
    6. What on earth are you talking about? It was John who asked Jesus the question. John who stated that others were using Jesus name to cast out demons. Are you saying that John was pointing out that others were using the name of Yahweh to cast out demons, and that this was the reason he said this to Jesus? Hardly. Explain yourself.

      Delete
    7. Dear Anonymous at 10:45 am,

      St. John clearly stated that the person was not part of them. This could mean he was a non-Jew who have come to believe in the God of Abraham. The Jews were not the only ones listening to Jesus preaching in the public squares. The Romans and Samaritans were also listening to His preachings and may have come to believe in Jesus or the God of Abraham. For example, the Roman Centurion who came to Jesus was not a Jew but he came to believe in Christ.

      Delete
    8. You haven't explained anything. What difference does it make if the "other" was a roman, pagan or jew. Clearly John refers to "your name". Are you suggesting John made a mistake about that?

      Delete
    9. Dear Anonymous at 2:01 pm,

      John knew that Jesus was God. It was John who wrote, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word is God." It was also in John's Gospel that Jesus revealed that His name is "I Am." (John 8:58). It is ONLY in the Gospel of John that Jesus reveals His name as "I Am."

      Delete
    10. Yes, and...?

      You still haven't clarified. Are you claiming that when John said that others were driving out demons in "your name", that the "name" they were actually invoking was not "Jesus" but "I am"? Be more clear about your answer here Diana.

      Delete
    11. Dear Anonymous at 12:04 am,

      It is possible that that is what John is saying because John is the only Gospel where Jesus reveals His name as "I Am." No other gospels have that.

      Delete
  6. And yet Diana, how come i have never seen any of you participate in any interfaith gatherings and prayer here in the island. It is all talk.....not much praxis. We need Orthopraxis not Orthodoxy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 8:36 am,

      Actually, I have participated in interfaith discussions. How do you think I knew that Muslims believe that Jesus was the Messiah? I have also spoken to Buddhists, Protestants, and neo-pagans. These are things I did on my own as a Catholic. Do YOU participate in any interfaith discussions?

      Delete
    2. Messiah as in savior? Hmmm? Or, anointed?

      Delete
    3. Diana, there are not an overwhelming number of interfaith meetings in Guam. Sorry.

      Delete
    4. Dear Anonymous at 1:27 pm,

      There are a few Muslims and Buddhists on this island. And there are a lot of Protestants. A couple of my friends and co-workers are Protestants. Jehovah Witnesses have also come knocking to my door and I invite them in for a discussion. One of our friends is also a Mormon. One does not need to be in the Way to evangelize. As Catholics, we are supposed to evangelize.

      Delete
    5. Dear Anonymous at 11: 51 am,

      The Muslims see Jesus as one of their highest prophets. God is their savior, but to the Muslims, Jesus was not God nor the Son of God. Christians view Jesus as truly man and truly God. Muslims see HIm as truly man.

      Delete
  7. As you said Google. One thing is to speak to Buddhist, Protestants, neo-pagans. Another thing is to participate collectively as St. John Paul II in Assisi. Be in solidarity.
    I have enough of discussions. I took graduate studies in Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Bahai, and actively participate in our island interfaith gatherings. I was part of the committee to the recently Memorial Day Prayer and only Fr. Tom was there, again representing all of you.
    I guess you are not allowed by NCW to participate?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 9:04 am,

      The NCW is Catholic. If anyone should be there representing us, it would be the Archbishop or the person whom the Archbishop designates to be there.

      Delete
  8. Since you believe that Jesus is Messiah for Islam, then you also believe that Jesus is also Muslim, is supposed, and Jesus is not the Son of God as Muslims do so?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 9:23 am,

      I am not a Muslim. I am Catholic. The Muslims believe that Jesus is the Messiah just as Catholics do. Muslims do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. However, they do believe that He is the Word of God. Muslims believe that all the prophets of the Old Testament including Abraham are Muslims, and this is where Christians and Jews disagree with them. Ishmael, the father of the Muslims was the son of Abraham and brother of Isaac. When he left he founded the nation of the Arabs, who eventually became Muslim.

      Delete
    2. " The Muslims believe that Jesus is the Messiah just as Catholics do."

      That's not quite right. Muslims believe Jesus was/is the Jewish Messiah

      Delete
    3. Dear Anonymous at 3:01 pm,

      The fact that they believe that Jesus was the Messiah is a common ground between us and the Muslims if we were ever to have a dialogue with them.

      Delete
    4. Not the messiah of Islam, Diana.

      Delete
    5. Dear Anonymous at 7:06 am,

      There is no such thing as the Messiah of Islam or the Messiah of Christianity. Jesus came to redeem all of mankind, not just Christians.

      Delete
    6. Sorry, but Messiah is a Jewish concept. The Muslims don't share that concept, but they recognize that Jesus fulfilled that role for the Jews.

      Delete
    7. Dear Anonymous at 11:16 am,

      Where did you think Mohammed got that concept?????? Mohammed was a merchant who met many Jews and Christians. And if you had read the Qu'ran, it refers to Jesus as the Messiah many times. The Qu'ran was written by Mohammed, and the stories in the Qu'ran are a mixture of Jewish, Christian, and Gnostic literature and traditions.

      Delete
    8. "Where did you think Mohammed got that concept?????? "

      From the Jews and Christians. It is a Jewish concept as I said. The Muslims don't recognize a Messiah

      Delete
    9. Dear Anonymous at 12:02 pm,

      You have the Internet at your fingertips. The Qu'ran is online and you can read it for yourself. There are also Muslim websites teaching about Islam, and you can read those yourself. But if you need help, then please allow me to help you. Below is a Muslim website.....Islam 101. According to Islam 101:

      "Islam's prophet, Muhammad, believed Jesus was the Messiah, Allah's anointed messenger. Allah's people (Muslims) are told to listen to Allah's messengers (Koran, 4.171; 5. 111*)..Muhammad's revelations about Jesus contained in the Koran should be read by his followers, all Muslims, as the Koran requires. The Qur'an/Koran proves Jesus is the Messiah and Muhammad did not replace him as final prophet."

      http://www.islam-101.org/

      Delete
  9. I believe open discussions are fine....inter faith meetings...great.

    What is not being discussed is what is keeping us from being a good Catholic....a good Christian...a good Muslim.

    Our God is a God of action.....not talk. Don't understand what the NCW is all about? Go find out. Don't like it...go find...seek what will make you a good something.

    Too many people talking about 2nd...3rd hand information that is good for nothing. Go experience first hand what Jew believes...what a Muslim believes....what the NCW believes and practices before commenting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Our God is a God of action.....not talk"

      And yet Jesus Christ is the Word. And we listen to the Word of God. Curious. Perhaps you are completely wrong anon at 5.49pm

      "Go experience first hand what Jew believes...what a Muslim believes"

      Seriously? Go on then. Go to Syria and experience what a member of ISIL believes. I hope you enjoy the dialogue.

      Interesting, also, that you chose to write "what the NCW believes and practices", thereby clearly distinguishing it from what the Catholic Church believes and practises.

      Delete



    2. AnonymousMay 27, 2015 at 10:29 AM

      "Our God is a God of action.....not talk"

      And yet Jesus Christ is the Word.

      and just what do you do with this work anonymous may 27 10:29? The NCW is Catholic and we are living the WORD of God.

      Not interesting at all....it is the truth. If God chooses that I go to Syria...with my family.....we are going. Gods Will.

      Your last comment show your inability to open your heart to the WORD of God...to the Will of God.

      Delete
  10. Ann, 5:49
    I have experience all of them first hand...the problem is you believe you are all talk, no action (praxis), i believe you have never been to any inter faith activities in the island same with Diana of RMS.
    Why? because NCW prohibits it, 2nd scrutiny will not allow you to pass if you continue to mingle and associate, interact with other religions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 9:52 am,

      The fact that you call us liars shows more about you than about us. Everyone knows that the NCW has the Great Mission and goes on two by twos door to door usually after Easter. It is also published that the NCW had an interfaith meeting with Rabbis in Israel this year. We have priests on missions in other countries. Itinerants and mission families are also sent to other countries to evangelize.

      Delete
  11. Where in my post did i say/write liars. You are making up stories Diana of RMS. You do all these because you are required to do it before they pass you to Reditio, i know the ropes Diana of RMS.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 1:24 pm,

      It is when you made this statement: "i believe you have never been to any inter faith activities in the island same with Diana of RMS."

      I already told you that I have participated in interfaith discussions with Muslims, Protestants, and even Jehovah Witnesses who come knocking on my door. I do not shut the door on them. I invited them into my home where we discussed God. As a matter of fact, I even wrote about it in my blog last year on February 10, 2014, which is found in the following weblink:

      http://neocatechemunal.blogspot.com/2014/02/dialogue-with-jehovah-witness.html

      I wrote that last year, and here you are accusing me of lying when I already said that I have had dialogues with other people of different faiths.

      Delete
  12. Diana, AAA is a liar. He didn't send Father Paul's case to Rome. It's in Junglewatch:

    And as regards Fr. Paul, we learned from the Apostolic Visitors that Apuron never sent Fr. Paul's case to Rome. Fr. Paul learned this at the meeting he had with them in January, even though Apuron did everything he could to make sure that Fr. Paul would NOT have an opportunity to meet them.

    They informed Fr. Paul at the meeting that they had never received his case file from Apuron, making all of Apuron's comments about how we should "just let the canonical process take it's course", and he can do nothing because "it is in Rome's hands", nothing more than the big usual "Apuron Lies" that we are quite used to from him.

    Fr. Paul had to personally hand the visitors the case file during their visit this past January, so that means Rome has only been aware of the case for less than five months. So much for your two years. But then you're probably using a Kiko calendar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear 7:01 am,

      Is Tim Rohr for real???? What is the purpose of having a canon lawyer????
      And what happened to the letters of Father Paul which he sent out PERSONALLY to Rome?? They did not receive his letters too?????? According to Father Paul, he told KUAM:

      "It is so difficult to be in contact with Rome you sort of don't get any responses even though I've written letters I just don't have any responses even from my lawyer I'm trying to get in contact with my lawyer."

      http://www.kuam.com/story/27617563/2014/12/12/father-gofigans-case-still-waiting-to-be-heard-in-rome

      His lawyer is the one who is supposed to file the case in Rome, which is why he was trying to get a hold of his lawyer to find out any recent development. His lawyer should know the procedures for filing a complaint. It does not make any sense to file a complaint with the Bishop if your complaint is against the Bishop. In all the news report, Father Paul said he sent his case to Rome. He NEVER said the Archbishop will send his case to Rome. His lawyer is supposed to know the procedures for filing a complaint against the Archbishop. And why is he having a difficult time getting in touch with his lawyer????

      Delete
    2. So this was in December last year?

      Diana, in your wisdom can you tell us what responsibilities the Archbishop had in relation to the "case file"? Did the Archbishop have an obligation to provide Rome with the file on Fr Paul that is held by the Archbishop at the chancery?

      Delete
    3. Dear Anonymous at 11:20 am,

      Father Paul is the one who feels that his canon rights were violated, so he is the one who is supposed to get a lawyer, and his lawyer is supposed to be working for him. The Archbishop, on the other hand, is supposed to have his lawyer ready in case he and Father Paul is called to Rome to answer questions.

      Delete
    4. Maybe father pauls lawyer sees a different reality....maybe, just maybe father pauls letter has no merit for further actions.

      Maybe just maybe again father paul forgot to sign his letter......Father Paul.....OBEDIENT SERVANT OF GOD.

      Delete
    5. Dear Anonymous at 12:16 pm,

      Father Paul said that he wrote to Rome. He said that he has not heard anything from Rome, and that he is having a difficult time getting in touch with his lawyer. So, what happened to his letters that he personally sent to Rome....that Tim Rohr is making an accusation that Rome does not know anything about his case? They should know about his case because Father Paul personally sent letters to them.

      And why is he having a difficult time contacting his lawyer. What different reality does the lawyer see that his client has a hard time contacting him. If that was my lawyer, I would fire him and get another lawyer.

      Delete