The most important thing is to put the teachings of Christ into practice, but this can only be done through the grace of God because with man, it is impossible. Scripture becomes alive as we live out our faith. As an example, Christ taught us not to judge. This is a teaching we all know, but how many of us actually put this teaching into practice in our life? Another one of Christ's teaching to love the enemy, but how many of us can do this? This can only be done with God, and so we consistently pray for God to give us the grace not to judge and to love the enemy.
The Neocatechumenal Way has catechists, and each catechist team has a priest. In fact, even the International Catechists has a priest, Father Mario.The main catechists in Guam are David and Maruxa Atienza and Father Harold. The catechists are like spiritual directors. I compare them to the prophets of the Old Testament. God ALWAYS call people to guide His Church. God called Moses and the prophets to guide the community of the Israelites.
Luke 16:29-31 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
In my opinion, the catechists are like the prophets of the Old Testament who were called to guide the community of Israelites. In the New Testament, the Apostles, bishops, and priests were called to lead God's Church. Each catechist team has a priest to ensure that the laypeople in the catechists follow the Church teaching. Although the New Evangelization allows for the laity to evangelize, this does not mean that we do not need the ministering priesthood. Together with them can we have a fruitful evangelization.
The propaganda in the jungle says that the NCW members MUST obey their catechists as though they have no free will. According to the jungle (the bold is mine):
You have to obey your chatechists yes or yes. Always. No exception allowed. Your catechists do obey theirs as well. And their catechists do obey Kiko blindly. Kiko does not obey anybody. Only God because only God is above him. Hierarchy of catholic Church has to obey Kiko. He will never say that openly. He will always say "hierarchy has to obey catechists" or "the international team of catechists", language does not matter. The fact is Kiko is over them. He is the lay Pope.Notice what I placed in bold above. If Kiko never said that openly, then where did they get the idea that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church has to obey Kiko?
In an interview, Kiko Arguella stated: "It's (Neocatechumenal Way) an instrument at the service of bishops and parish priests to bring back to the faith the great many who have abandoned it".
Kiko never stated that it was an instrument at the service of the catechists. Only those who opposed the NCW spread this propaganda.The laity in the Way never made any vow of obedience. They have the free will to listen to the catechists or to follow their own will.
As an example, if a couple walking in the Way is living together outside the boundary of marriage, the catechists will advise the couple to either get married or live separately. The choice is theirs to make. Of course, some have left the Way because they did not like the advice of the catechists and would even say that the catechists are trying to control their lives. However, any Catholic priest will give them the same advice. A couple cohabitating together is not following the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Many people today view cohabitation as normal and acceptable rather than sinful. The purpose of the NCW is to make aware of one's own sins. After all, that was the reason Moses came down the mountain with the Ten Commandments. After taking them into the desert, God gave the community of Israelites the Ten Commandments so they can be aware of their sins. When one becomes enlightened of their sins, one then makes a choice to either remain in the darkness of their sins or live a chaste life.
The Way is an itinerary of Christian formation because we are not simply taught to know Christ's teachings, but to put those teachings into practice. Those teachings can be put into practice when one is in a community with brothers and sisters with many different personalities and characters. Naturally, there will be clashes or conflicts within the community due to the many different personalities and characters. Even among the Apostles, there were also disagreements and indignation. According to the Holy Bible:
Matthew 20:21-24 “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”.......When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.
Galatians 2:11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.
Imagine that! Peter was the leader of the Apostles, and Paul stood up and opposed him because he felt that Peter was wrong, and Paul sought to correct Peter. Eventually, the Apostle Paul later understood that he was the one in the wrong. Thus, even the apostles had conflicts in their own community. However, the Apostles reconciled, forgave each other and did not hold a grudge....a mark of true Christians. In short, they put into practice the teachings of Christ in their walk. However, it was never through their own effort. It was through the Holy Spirit that they were able to accomplish this.
It is through the Holy Spirit that we ask for forgiveness when we have done wrong. It is through the Holy Spirit that we forgive those who hurt us even when they did not apologize to us. If it were up to man, man would wait for an apology whereas a Christian would forgive and not hold a grudge. It is through the Holy Spirit that we do not judge, thinking we know better. It is through the Holy Spirit that we go out knocking door to door, rather than give in to our fear of rejection. It is through the Holy Spirit that we humble ourselves. A person with pride cannot humble himself/herself because he/she thinks they know better.
Despite the controversies, the NCW has produced fruits. Jesus said that it is by their fruits that one will know His disciples. His disciples come to serve, not to be served. The NCW has shown it's service to the parish through their voluntary work and participation in the parish activities, in helping the poor, and in promoting priestly vocations. It has shown it's service to the universal Church through the New Evangelization and in promoting religious and priestly vocations.
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