Guam is a very small island that where the Archbishop goes, everyone recognizes and acknowledges him. It is true what Archbishop Byrnes say. In places like Detroit, he can easily go incognito, but not in a small island like Guam. If he is seen swimming at Ipao Beach, you can be sure that news of that will spread by word of mouth throughout the entire island. People here tend to talk a lot. Because he is recognized everywhere here, this is where he needs to be careful. People who receive a lot of attention and recognition can easily fall into the sin of pride. This is not about him. This is about God.All these critical missions aside, Byrnes, 59, lives a simple life.One can see him walking in his sandals in the parking lot of Pay-Less Supermarket at the Agana Shopping Center after grocery shopping. Or having lunch in the food court of the Micronesia Mall in Dededo with other clergy members. Or having his hair cut just like anyone else.“I hope that people will remember that I am approachable,” he said. “In places like Detroit, I could go incognito. I really can’t here.”
Pope Francis had to remind himself everyday that it is not about him. It is about God. This keeps himself in check otherwise the sin of pride can easily crawl into his heart. The role of the shepherds (bishops and priests) is to bring all people to Christ, not to themselves. Unfortunately, there are some priests who have brought people to themselves rather than to Christ. We see this whenever a priest is assigned to another parish. When he leaves, the parishioners of his previous parish follow him to the new parish he is assigned to.
If a parishioner only comes to Church because they like the priest or because they like the music, they are coming to Church for the wrong reason. Likewise, if a priest enjoys the attention he is receiving and is flattered that his former parishioners attend the church he is assigned to, then he has failed to do his duty as a pastor, which is to lead the faithful to Christ rather than to himself. The priest would do well to remind his former parishioners to follow Christ, return to their parish, and welcome the new priest assign to their parish.
The Apostle Paul had the same problem when some people look up to him rather than to Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:11-13 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas[fn]”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?
St. Paul did not like that some people were saying that they follow him when they should be following Christ.
Missionaries also remind themselves that this mission is not about them. This is about God. We are only His instruments. Before Archbishop Byrnes became the Coadjutor Bishop in Guam, we have gone on the two by two mission, announcing the Good News on foot from door to door here in Guam. During the two by two, we tell people that we are from the parish of so and so. Our goal is to bring them to God and His Church. This is not about us. This is about God. We remind ourselves that we are only His instruments doing His will on earth. We are His hands and feet, doing works of charity, and announcing the Gospel to everyone so that all may come to know Christ.
You should tell that to brother tony.... "The sin of pride" as you call it.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 12:18 pm,
DeleteWhy stop there? Tell it to everyone especially to Monsignor James and his followers. After Monsignor James was removed and sent to Tamuning, his followers also made a mass exodus from the cathedral and followed Monsignor James.
You can't point a finger at him for the acts of those who followed.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 5:00 am,
DeleteYes I can. As a priest, he is supposed to teach his congregation to follow Christ, not himself.
Diana, you say a priest should tell parishioners to follow Christ, not himself. The NCW is taking parishioners and recruits them out of their parish communities into following the NCW agenda. All these parishioners are already good Catholic church-attending folks following Christ in their own parishes. Why is it so important to make these people adherents of the NCW rather than Christ in their parish community as they used to be?
DeleteDear Zoltan,
DeleteWe did not take them from the parish. I am still part of the parish and still attend Sunday Mass. In fact, many of us in the NCW are much more involved in the parish than we were before we joined the Way. AFTER we joined the Way, many of us volunteered to be altar servers, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, CCD instructors, and even parish choir members. Therefore, in addition to the Saturday Eucharist, many of us also attend the Sunday Mass. Many of us do volunteer work in the parish. Some of us even volunteer to maintain the church grounds and clean the parish. So, how is that taking them away from the parish?
Yes, you did, dear Diana. It does not matter what would a handful of people do in the parish incognito as individuals hiding their NCW affiliation. What matters is that NCW as a group is not identifying itself with the parish, but separating itself from parish communities and church function.
DeleteBefore joining the Way, I would always attend Sunday Mass. After joining the Way, I saw that my parish had a shortage of Lectors, so I volunteered to be a lector in my parish. I also want to point out that when Hon took out the NCW priests like Fr. Adrian or Fr. Edivaldo from their parish, the NCW didn’t leave the parish the Way Mon. James followers did. The NCW also upgraded the parish at their own cost. The Yigo communities orders the flowers for the parish at their own cost. The communities of Chalan Pago also upgraded their parish. In Chalan Pago Church, it was the NCW who renovated the entire social with new tiles at no cost to the parish. They also renovated two other rooms. The NCW in Barrigada also did the same.
DeleteDear Zoltan,
DeleteThat is incorrect. The entire NCW communities helped build up their parishes. I also know for a fact that the NCW communities in my parish participate in Church functions such as our parish fiesta.
Can't blame him because someone else doesn't listen. People think for themselves.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 9:32 am,
DeleteLet us not forget that the NCW have also evangelized locally and for the universal church. When we evangelize in two by two, we never promote the NCW. We alway promote our parish by saying that we are from the parish of so and so. Members of the NCW have also become itinerants and mission families for the universal church.
Dear Anonymous at 9:40 am,
DeleteHe can be blamed because Monsignor James never once told them to return to the cathedral.
Dear zoltan at 8:33
DeleteI think you have a big confusion here. When the NCW is initiated, people are promised that they will receive adult Christian life in its entirety a charism that has been confirmed by the Holy Catholic Church, the Vatican, the prefect of the faith etc.
Having said that, there are many pastors who become upset that parishioners follow this promise of Christian life rather then their own ideas of evangelization. This produces frustration because of the lack of self fulfillment and many pastors will choose to remove the ncw from their parish and expect parishioners to follow them instead of the promise of Christian life they have received. However I can understand your confusion on the matter since you believe adult Christian life is as simple as going to Sunday mass as if that where enough.
For those pastors who fully support the NCW THE know and are aware of THE good it does for their parishioners and how much more involved they become in parish life and their own communities as the testimonies here proove.
No, dear Anonymous, I have been walking in the Way for 10 years. I have high respect for people who as you say "believe adult Christian life is as simple as going to Sunday mass" because attending church indicates faith. What else do you need to get saved?
DeleteFaith means works of eternal life. Works of eternal life means to love your enemies.
DeleteThis is said in our baptism. However most people who attend mass without any formation also simultaneously cheat on their wife's, lead double lives, get drunk, sleep with same sex and could go on. All things contrary to having eternal life in you as your baptism indicates. The Eucharist might be enough if people understood it. most people are partaking in their own condemnation because they receive Christ which is to say you are like him who loved us when we where his enemies and then force him into our selfishness.
Dear Anonymous, are you saying people don't understand the Eucharist? Why do you think so? I believe people who take the Body of Jesus in any form and any manner have Jesus in their hearts.
DeleteYou also say: "Most people who attend mass without any formation also simultaneously cheat on their wife's, lead double lives, get drunk, sleep with same sex and could go on." Do you have proof for that? Are you saying the majority of Catholics are adulterers, drunkards and homosexuals? Really?! Pope Francis thinks otherwise!
My experience is that those who attend mass don't do this kind of things. The majority of people who attend church are good folks, following Jesus and participating in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Do you wanna say their partaking in the sacrifice is invalid?
We learn in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that faith in Jesus leads to salvation. St. Paul emphasizes that faith is the key, everything else is secondary. Do you think Jesus imposes any additional burden on the believer beyond faith in Him? He says: "I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt 11:29-30)
Zoltan, during those 10 years you've been walking in the Way, what have you done to build up your parish? How have you helped your parish grow?
DeleteDear Anonymous, it is a good question. I'll answer it as soon as you tell me who you are... Lol.
DeleteDear zoltan @ 12:06
DeleteI am not saying that all Catholics are adulterers. Sin manifests differently but we all have it. However to quote scripture "whoever says he has no sin calls God a liar".
Also Christ himself says. That it is not from without that evil affects men but from within men because from within comes murder, adultery, drunkenness.
Also saint Paul says all men are slaves because he finds in himself a law wish is good to love other but there is another law at play which when he wants to do good it is evil which comes out.
So if someone who is as dedicated to the gospel as Paul had these problems then yes most Catholics whose religion is as simple as listening to mass once a week have major issues with mortal sin in their own lives and to say otherwise is to call God a liar. This is not to say they are bad, all men have the desire to do good in them but as saint Paul says it is evil which comes out because they are slaves. But if they are slaves it means Christ has not freed them yet.
The problem is you differentiate reality and life from religion, when they should be the same thing.
The church teaches this as well, otherwise the good news of Christ becomes nothing because if men are good enough to save themselves then the apostles, st John crisostom, and even Christ himself wasted their time trying to spread the good news of Christ risen. They should of just told people to eat this magic bread and their lives would be better. Lots of Christians could of avoided martyrdom.
Dear Diana, it takes a lot of humbleness from Archbishop Byrnes to go and swim at the Ipao Beach just like everyone else does there. I am amazed that you spin and turn even this against him. What is your purpose? He is a down-to-the-earth kind of person. He does not go to a public beach to be celebrated.
ReplyDeleteDear Zoltan,
DeleteDo not misinterpret my post.I am not ridiculing Archbishop Byrnes for swimming at the beach. The topic of my post is not even on Archbishop Byrnes. The topic of my post is bringing everyone to God. See the title of my post. Bishops, priests, and even missionaries must bring all people to God rather than to themselves.
I never said that Archbishop Byrnes goes to a public beach to be celebrated. I said that because he is now in a place where he cannot be incognito, he should be cautious of all the attention and recognition he receives. Popularity has a tendency to corrupt.
So as NCW gains popularity it to can be corrupted.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 9:43 am,
DeleteYes. This is why we follow Pope Francis’ example in reminding ourselves that we are here to do God’s will rather than our will. It is about God, not about us. Just as it helps Pope Francis, it also helps us to always keep our focus on God. Why do you think the catechists remind us constantly that we are sinners? First, it is the truth, and secondly Because pride and corruption can enter the heart if TOO MUCH praises are given to the person. The catechists tells us that the praises should always go to God because it was Him who made the achievements while we act as His instruments. In other words, it was God who guided the doctor’s hand while he performed the surgery.
you forget....we are all not like Pope Francis.
ReplyDeleteyou forget the struggle involved in accepting and living that it is all about God.
you forget that we change not through any effort on our part but through the grace of God.
you forget that the Spirit guides us daily
Dear Anonymous at 6:45 pm,
DeleteYou forget that when we do sin, we need to take responsibility for it. That Way, when we enter the confession booth, we can say, "Yes, Lord it was ME who sinned, and I am sorry for my sins."
taking responsibility.....more like responsibilities.
ReplyDeleteas we acknowledge sin; what good is our forgiveness if we lack the courage to speak to our families...friends about our sins.
I have sinned my wife...my son...my daughter..my friend and as God has forgiven me...I need for you to forgive my weakness and the harm it has done to all of you.
I wonder how many Catholics have the courage to do this today?
I wonder to whom the Archbishop asked for forgiveness today?