Bridge Of Love Between Jews And Christians

Jewish and Christian relationship has improved through the Neocatechumenal Way especially after the concert "Suffering of the Innocents."  The concert touched the hearts of many Jews especially when "Shema" was sung.  The following is an interview between Zenit and Rabbi Opert dated July 3, 2013: 

The initiative of dialogue between Catholics and Jews undertaken by the Neocatechumenal Way by means of the birth of the Symphony Orchestra and Choir of the Neocatechumenal Way, and the execution of the catechetical symphonic celebration of the Suffering of the Innocents, is helping to renew and strengthen relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people in all parts of the world.

Recently the Symphony has been played in front of the "Gate of Death" of the extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, in the presence of 6 cardinals, 50 bishops, 35 rabbis and 15,000 people from all over the world. The dialogue and mutual knowledge that this event stimulated between the Jewish and the Catholic worlds has also reached the communities of the Neocatechumenal Way in South Africa, who had the honor to invite Rabbi Bryan Opert of the synagogue of Milnerton, Cape Town, to the Symphonic-Catechetical celebration in Auschwitz. Rabbi Opert gives spoke on his experience.

Q. Rabbi Opert, what is it of this event that touched you the most?

Rabbi Opert: I must say that the symphony was fantastic, but the moment that touched me the most is when the prayer of the Shema Israel - Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one - was performed by the orchestra and sung in chorus by all the 15,000 pilgrims who had come here from every part of Europe. Praying the Shemá along with all these people is something that in my entire life I had never experienced. Something that goes beyond the simple joy or sadness, it was a greater feeling, that almost overtook me.

Q.  What is your experience of relations between Jews and Catholics?

Rabbi Opert: Personally I witness in the South African reality a great interest of the Christian world for the Jewish religion. Many Christians come to us asking to deepen the roots of their faith. To attend this event in Auschwitz has been for me a confirmation that we are living a special moment in the relations between Jews and Catholics. I was impressed at the end of the concert, looking at the thousands of people leaving the area of ​​the concert, walking along those tracks that once brought to death. All those people, the majority of whom are Catholic, noticing that I am a rabbi smiled at me and greeted me with great affection and joy! This witness of love, in the place where less than 70 years ago the tragedy of the Holocaust took place, was incredible… Truly shocking!

Q.  What do the Jewish and Catholic communities have in common today?

Rabbi Opert: Today, especially in the countries where the Catholic Church is a minority, like South Africa, we are facing many common challenges. We are religious minorities in the midst of a secular world, and we must give an ever more authentic witness of our religion to be able to transmit it to the next generations. I was struck in particular to learn that the Neocatechumenal Way gives much attention to the formation of adults. This is also our challenge. Many people, because of their professionalism and preparation, interact with the secular world at a very high level, but at the same time they are not capable to live their religion with the same depth and knowledge. This can lead them to move away from the community, or to lose interest in it. We need to answer to their thirst!

Q. The rediscovery of the Jewish roots is central in the experience of the Neocatechumenal Way, especially when it comes to the transmission of the faith to the children.

Rabbi Opert: I was also impressed to hear Kiko Arguello talk about the importance of the defense of the Judeo-Christian family. The basic principles that we are ‘fighting’ for are so similar, solid family foundations, meaning in life and a spiritual core to existence.

Q. In these days you had a chance to meet personally Kiko and various others Rabbis and personalities of the Catholic Church. What has touched you the most of all these encounters?

Rabbi Opert: I feel that I cannot end of the interview without mentioning the personality of Kiko. It is rare to meet a man of such humility. Kiko for me embodied this on so many different levels. In a world that is so impressed with titles and letters that follow ones name, Kiko is an absolute anomaly. Not only is this not his name, which I thought it might be in the beginning, it is his nickname and that is how he is known and called, by all. For a man who is the initiator of The Way with 1 000 000 adherents access to him is so easy. I felt an incredible desire to thank him in person and could walk straight up to him and share my feelings and gratitude with him. It takes a truly extraordinary leader to be so ordinary. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to meet Kiko and to have been at the symphony.

Q. Any final thoughts?

Rabbi Opert: I must add that the organisation of the event was superb. Everything seemed to run like clockwork. I know what it is like to organize an event and it takes months of preparation, planning and especially prayer to make sure that on the day everything runs smoothly. And so it did. In fact it looked effortless. This added to the atmosphere of joy and delight in the experience.

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/a-bridge-of-love-between-jews-and-Christians

Lenten Announcement

The NCW received a lot of good news last night at the Lenten Announcement.  First of all, Pope Francis plans to see Kiko Arguello very soon because he would like to send more mission families out into the world in places where the Church would be built. 

Secondly, the Bishop of Osaka, Japan has asked for two mission families in the Neocatechumenal Way!  Imagine that!!! Japan is asking for two mission families from the NCW.  This only goes to show that the NCW is actively evangelizing despite that some of the Bishops in Japan would not allow them to have the Eucharist on Saturday night.  I was actually surprised to hear this news about Japan. 

In the third place, after Easter, there will be a convivience for all Bishops.  And for the first time in history, there will also be a convivience for Rabbis.  Many Jewish Rabbis have asked Kiko assistance in transmitting the faith to their children who are have strongly been influenced by the secular world.  Some good news were also given about Carmen who had been ill for some time.  The surgery she went through was a success, and she is slowly recuperating.  God still wants her to continue the work with Kiko Arguello. 

In the fourth place, it was great to see the huge number of people that filled up the cathedral last night.  All the communities were presented.  Agana and Barrigada has the largest number of communities as usual.  I think it is worth noting that despite that Agana is the smallest Church on Guam, it has one of the largest communities. 

Finally, the catechesis occurring in some of our parishes are doing well.  The catechests have reported that about 10-30 people have been attending the on-going catechesis.  

Seminarian To Be Ordain Deacon

On Saturday, February 14th, a seminarian, Pedro Luis Durango Agudelo of Columbia will be ordained a transitional deacon - meaning that he will later be ordained as a priest.  Pedro is from the Redemptoris Mater Archdicosan Missionary Seminary in Yona and has completed the requirements for Diaconal Ordination.  Congratualtions Pedro!!!! 

The Way In Japan

At the beginning of the year retreat last October, Father Pius explained that the controversy of the Neocatechumenal Way in Japan is different than in Guam.  He cited that the Bishop in Japan felt that the Neocatechumenal Way was too European.  That was also one of the leaked information that became public along with Cardinal Burke's letter.  According to the National Catholic Reporter (the bold is mine): 

The presence of the Neocatechumenate in Japan has long caused friction with the local bishops, who imposed a moratorium on their activity in 2010. At the time, Bottari launched a mediation process between the bishops and the movement.

In his report, extracts from which were published in the recent book His Holiness: The Secret Papers of Benedict XVI by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, Bottari writes that the Neocatechumenate symbolizes a broad failure on the part of the Catholic church to understand Japan’s culture.

“Here, I would say, stands the controversial point and the difficulties posed by the method of the members of the Neocatechumenal Way. From what one sees, they come and apply, to the letter, a method born and prepared in Europe, without caring about adapting to the local world. I’ve found among them here in Japan the same style that I saw in Cameroon, where I was a missionary twenty years ago; the same songs (with the guitar), the same expressions, the same catechesis, all transmitted with a style based more on imposition than proposition. One can thus understand the tensions, disagreements and reactions they generate, which sometimes find them little disposed to dialogue. Their intentions are certainly admirable, their good will, but insertion in the local culture is missing. This, in my modest opinion, is what the local Japanese bishops are asking of them – to take off the European dress in order to present the heart of the message in a purified way close to the people.”

National Catholic Reporter

Father Pius claimed that the problem in Japan was that the Japanese bishops felt the Way was too European, and the jungle had called Father Pius a liar.  We now know from the leaked information that Father Pius was speaking the truth. It did not have anything to do with the teachings of the Way.  The bishops in Japan know that the teachings of the Way are Catholic, but felt it was too European and did not take the Japanese culture in consideration.  What the Japanese bishops ask is that they take off the European dress and present it more according to the local culture.  

Cardinal Raymond Burke

Cardinal Raymond Burke was the chief of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura who wrote a letter to Cardinal Bertone, the Secretariat of State.  Cardinal Burke received an invitation to participate in the Eucharistic celebration of the Neocatechumenal Way.  The letter was dated January 14, 2012.  In his letter, Cardinal Burke wrote (the bold and underlined are mine): 

“As a cardinal and a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, I cannot avoid expressing to Your Eminence the surprise this invitation caused me. I do not recall having heard a consultation regarding a particular liturgy for this ecclesial movement. In recent days, I’ve received expressions of concern regarding papal approval, which they already knew about, from various persons, including a respected bishop in the United States. I regarded them as rumor and speculation, but now I’ve discovered they were right. 

As a faithful student of the teaching of the Holy Father with regard to liturgical reform, which is fundamental for the New Evangelization, I believe the approval of such liturgical innovations, even after the corrections on the part of the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, does not seem coherent with the liturgical magisterium of the pope.” 

First of all, Cardinal Burke was referring to the "approval" that was given to the NCW in how they celebrate Mass.  In his letter, he admitted that he received concerns from many people of the possibility that the Pope gave the Way approval in how they celebrate Mass.  He also admitted that he discovered that these were not rumors or speculations as he first surmised.  Cardinal Burke was not saying that the Way disobeyed the Pope.  He stated that the "APPROVAL" given to the NCW by the Pope were not consistent with the liturgical Magisterium of the Pope.  

Secondly, Cardinal Burke stated:  "the approval of such liturgical innovations, even after the corrections on the part of the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, does not seem coherent with the liturgical magisterium of the pope.” 

By this statement, the Cardinal was referring to the Statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way.   He could not have been referring to the Catechetical Directory because the Directory of the Way was approved on January 20, 2012, when it was read and made public.  Burke's letter was dated six days BEFORE the approval of the Catechetical Directory was made public.  

The NCW have been saying all along that they have the approval of the Pope, and Cardinal Burke's letter was referring to the approval rather than to the Mass of the Neocatechumenal Way.  So, he was questioning the approval that the Pope had given the NCW.  

Finally, it is interesting to note that Cardinal Burke had thought that the "approval" that he has been hearing about was a rumor or speculation at first.  But he wrote that he discovered that "they were right."  HOW he discovered that the NCW was right about the approval was something he did not mention in his letter. 

Where is Cardinal Burke today?  He was demoted by Pope Francis because apparently he also questioned Pope Francis.  One of the commenters also wrote that Cardinal Burke threatened schism.  Last year, Burke was removed from the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, and later was relieved of his duties as head of the Church's high court.  Burke has now been given the ceremonial title of "patron for the knights of Malta."  

Two New Cardinals For Oceania

Pope Francis has named two cardinals for Oceania:  Archbishop John New of Wellington in New Zealand and Bishop Soane Mafi of Tonga.  Both will be officially appointed at the Vatican on February 14th.  This is great news for the region of Ocean (of which Guam is a part of).  For the first time, cardinals were chosen from our part of the world. 

Bishop Mafi was born in 1961 in the capital of Tonga.  He is also the youngest to be chosen to be in the college of Cardinals.  He studied philosophy and theology at the Pacific Reginal Seminary in Fiji and ordained a priest of the Diocese of Tonga in 1991, where he also served in parishes and as vicar general.  He was consecrated a bishop in 2007.  He is president of the Pacific bishops conference, and took part in the extraordinary Synod on the Family in 2014. 

Archbishop John Dew was born in Waipawa in 1948 and was educated at St. Joseph's School, Waipukurau.  He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Wellington in 1976, serving in parishes as well a being the archdiocesan youth minister and a chaplain to the Maori community.

In 1995, he was appointed bishop of the Wellington Archdiocese and was appointed Bishop of New Zealand's military ordinariate in 2005.  He is president of the New Zealand bishops conference and of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conference of Oceania. 

 Archbishop John Dew participated in the 2005 Synod on the Eucharist and also in the extraordinary Synod on the Family in 2014.  During the Synod on the Eucharist, Archbishop Dew suggested that the divorced and remarried could be admitted to Communion. 

New Cardinals

Transubstantiation

I added a few new comments in my post.

The Neocatechumenal Way believes in Transubstantiation in which the bread and wine turns into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  This has always been the belief of the Early Christians, and only the two oldest Christian Churches have kept this belief - the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church. 

The Early Christians who celebrated in homes in small communities never receive the Body of Christ by tongue.  It had always been by hand because in those times, they made the bread......something which is also done in the Way.  They did not have the host that dissolves once it is in your mouth.  Receiving the Body of Christ by tongue came at a later time, and with the creation of hosts that can easily dissolve in your mouth. 

I would like to add that one of the fundamental beliefs of Catholicism IS transubstantiation. All Catholics regardless of whether they are walking in the Way or not believes in Transubstantiation.....that the bread and wine transforms into the Body and Blood of Christ. Transubstantiation was defined by the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent and is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. All Catholics regardless of whether they walk in the Way or not follows all Church doctrines. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 

CCC 1376   The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: "Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation."206 

This is what the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church teaches, and this is a teaching that all Catholics accept. Just as all Catholics believe in the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so too do we believe in Transubstantiation.....that it is truly the Body and Blood of Christ that we consume. The Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of our Blessed Mother are the two infallible doctrines declared in ex cathedra by the Catholic Church; therefore, we accept and believe ALL that the Catholic teaches and holds as Truth.

Transubstantiation is also truth taught in the Catholic Church. It is a truth taught by Christ Himself when He stated "This IS My Body" and "This IS My Blood." The belief in Transubstantiation is extremely important. A person who does not believe in what Christ and His Church teaches about Transubstantiation can easily mistreat the Body of Christ during the Eucharist.

 

Effective Communication

An anonymous commenter wrote the following (spacing and bold is mine), which I feels summarizes some of the things in the Neocatehcumenal Way.  It is true that there are people out there who are not interested in an open and honest dialogue.  To be open to communication means to "listen" to what the other side is saying.  If one comes with their biases and prejudices, it only closes up the communication, and eventually all civil dialogue would break down.  In other words, if a person comes in believing that everything we say is a lie, then their motive for open dialogue is suspect. 

AnonymousFebruary 5, 2015 at 3:10 AM

So many misconceptions, so many misunderstandings. This battle will never end because even when we share the truth, they tell us we're liars.

Truth 1: The Initial Catechesis is given to all those in the church. It is not until the initial sessions are complete that those who have attended are given the choice to continue the itinerary, form a community. They are not asked to leave the church, but are encouraged to continue celebration at a time.

Truth 2: Elitists exist in all walks of life. There are radicals that feel they represent the majority. There are those who have received many graces from their experiences/involvement, lives have been saved through the NCW, it is not wrong for them to present/share/encourage this grace onto others.

Truth 3: We are all called to be Salt and Light. It is an ongoing process. Imagine if we were all simultaneously salted, there would be no need for this salt. Imagine if we all lived in the light, there would be no sense/meaning of darkness.

Truth 4: Although we all have a chance to be saved, there is this "free will" that has also been given to us. I remember my college professor, at the start of the semester he gave us all a 100%, he then told us, the hard part is keeping this 100%. Do the work, complete it, you will be fine.

Truth 5: Although the Catechetical Directory has been composed by Kiko Arguello. It belongs to the church. This directory is only an instruction guide to help outline the steps of the NCW, which is done so in a manner similar to the RCIA. If you want to know what is in this Directory, just get a copy of the CCC and also be familiar with most of encyclicals and exhortations of the Popes.

Truth 6: Our Baptism is not disregarded in the NCW. The Statutes of the NCW also include an opppurtunity for the non-baptized. The Trinitarian Formula of Baptism is what is recognized by the church. As long as the prescriptions are followed, there is no need for a New Baptism.

Truth 7: Natural Religiosity is not condemned. Catechumens are encouraged to go beyond this Religious Man who runs to God ONLY in times of suffering and petition. Is God not only our Father but also our friend, is Jesus not only master and savior but Brother? Is it not right to begin a dialogue with our God?

 

WHO IS GOD FOR YOU? WHAT ARE YOU LIVING FOR?

Salvation In The Way

 

Under my last post, there was a discussion between an anonymous commenter and me regarding salvation.  According to the anonymous commenter: 

AnonymousFebruary 2, 2015 at 6:32 PM

Dear Diana at 6.14. Read the passage from Romans. I am not suggesting that Baptism prevents us from sinning personally, but clearly the author is saying that we are no longer under the dominion of sin because our Baptism changes everything. The NCW do not get this distinction and therefore treat all new members as though their baptism is meaningless without the steps of the "Way"

 

My response to this comment: 

 

Dear Anonymous at 6:32 pm,

The Holy Bible says that "not everyone who says 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of God but those who do the will of my Father in Heaven."

Baptism becomes meaningless if one does not live their baptismal promises through conversion. In other words, even a baptized person can lose their salvation. We are not like the Protestants who believe in the "once save always save" concept. We are Catholics who believe that we are in the process of being saved. A process involves "step by step".

St. Paul even described this step by step process when he told the Church in Corinth that he could not instruct them in spiritual matters yet because they were not yet ready for it.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.

We are called to become like Christ, and for many of us that takes a very long process.

He/She then stated: 

AnonymousFebruary 2, 2015 at 7:35 PM

Dear Diana at 7.03pm. Ok then. Tell me what happens to our salvation after spending 30 years in the Way, having completed all the steps. Are you saved by this? And if not, why is it then necessary to have this step by step, as you say. Are you not then in exactly the same situation as any other baptised Catholic? If not, how do you differ. What would happen if you suffered amnesia then. Would you have to start all over again? Or would you still be considered as one of the "elect"?

Apparently, this anonymous commenter did not understand that in Catholicism, living out our baptismal promise is a "step by step" process.  According to the anonymous commenter, he/she stated that the NCW "treat all new members as though their baptism is meaningless without the steps of the "Way" when actually it was the Catholic Church all along that has taught that a step by step process is needed to live out one's baptismal promise.  Simply check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church (the bold is mine): 

CCC 1231   Where infant Baptism has become the form in which this sacrament is usually celebrated, it has become a single act encapsulating the preparatory stages of Christian initiation in a very abridged way. By its very nature infant Baptism requires a post-baptismal catechumenate. Not only is there a need for instruction after Baptism, but also for the necessary flowering of baptismal grace in personal growth. The catechism has its proper place here. 

According to the Catholic Church, infant baptism requires a post-baptismal catechumenate.  The Neocatechumenal Way fulfils the Catechism of the Catholic Church by providing a post-baptismal neocatechumenate as an instrument at the service of the bishops for the rediscovery of Christan initiation by baptized adults (Title II, Chapter !, Art. 5 of the Statutes). 

Conversion is a step by step process (See CCC 1439).  Some of our Christian brothers believe in a "once saved always saved" philosophy and can even tell you the date they were saved.  Catholics, on the other hand, believe that we are in the process of being saved and understand that our salvation can be lost because we still have the free will to reject God despite that we are already baptized. Christ said:  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:28-29). 

It is true that we belong to God and no one can snatch us out of His hand; yet, what is to prevent us from walking out of His hand?  God has never taken away our free will, and the moment we choose to leave His hand is the moment we lose our salvation.  Salvation comes from God alone.  Through His death, Christ has liberated and freed us from the sin that held us bondage.  It was through Adam's disobedience that brought sin and death to all mankind, and it was through Christ's obedience that brought us eternal life.  When Adam and Eve fell, their sin affected all mankind and the entire world.  It brought separation from God and disharmony.  The descendants of Adam and Eve were born with original sin.  But Christ's death and resurrection conquered death, redeemed man, and opened the gates of Heaven so that man can enter God's kingdom whereas before these gates were once closed to man.  Although our baptism took away Original Sin, we still struggle with personal sins on a daily basis.  Nevertheless, we have Christ to pick us up when we fall.  We have the sacrament of reconciliation to bring us back to God and His Church. 

Salvation comes from God alone, and one can find salvation in the Church because Christ is the Head of the Church and present in the Sacraments.  Salvation can be found in the Neocatechumenal Way as well as other organizations within the Church.  God, in all His mercy and His desire to save all men, has established many ways to call His children to Him so they can live out their baptismal promises to walk like His Son Jesus Christ.  This walk to imitate Christ is important for all Catholics.  Why?  Because being a "Catholic" will not save you.  Anyone who believes that ONLY Catholics will go to Heaven are in grave error for the Catholic Church never taught that. 

CCC 837    "Fully incorporated into the society of the Church are those who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept all the means of salvation given to the Church together with her entire organization, and who - by the bonds constituted by the profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical government, and communion - are joined in the visible structure of the Church of Christ, who rules her through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops. Even though incorporated into the Church, one who does not however persevere in charity is not saved. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but 'in body' not 'in heart.'"  

Deception From The Jungle

An anonymous commenter wrote the following: 

AnonymousJanuary 31, 2015 at 10:11 PM

Gosh, Tim absolutely nailed you on this Canon 766 didn't he? I'd love to see how you would argue against that!

 

I did not realize what he/she was referring to as Tim does not make any comments in my blog, so I assumed he/she must be referring to something Tim posted on his blog.  At any rate, let us look at how the jungle speaks.  According to Tim Rohr: 

 

You reference Canon 766. Let me copy it in full here:

Can. 766 Lay persons can be permitted to preach in a church or oratory, if necessity requires it in certain circumstances or it seems advantageous in particular cases, according to the prescripts of the conference of bishops and without prejudice to ⇒ can. 767, §1.

Notice the ⇒ can. 767, §1 at the end of the canon, so let's copy that too:

Can. 767 §1. Among the forms of preaching, the homily, which is part of the liturgy itself and is reserved to a priest or deacon, is preeminent; in the homily the mysteries of faith and the norms of Christian life are to be explained from the sacred text during the course of the liturgical year.

The intelligent among us can easily see that "preaching" permitted to lay persons, while it may occur in a "church or oratory", is preaching which occurs OUTSIDE the Mass. This is made clear in Can. 767 §1 by distinguishing the "homily" from other forms of preaching, noting specifically that the "homily...is part of the liturgy itself and is reserved to a priest or deacon."

 

The jungle is now trying to convince people that Canon Law 767 is saying that the preaching of lay persons must be OUTSIDE the Mass.  Do you see the word "OUTSIDE" anywhere in Canon 767?  No.  Do you see the phrase "outside of the Mass" anywhere in Canon 767?  No.  Canon 767 is simply saying that the homily is reserved only to a priest or deacon, and not to a layperson.  In other words, Canon 766 clearly says that lay persons are permitted to preach in a church or oratory, and Canon 767 goes on to explain that the kind of preaching must not be a homily because it is reserved only to a priest or deacon.  In no way is it saying that the lay person must preach outside the Mass. 

 

Tim Rohr also stated the following: 

 

We have no doubt that the Archbishop is giving these people permission to "preach during the homily" because we have seen the Archbishop himself invite lay people to the pulpit during the time reserved for the homily to give their testimony to the NCW. The question is though: "Does the Archbishop himself have permission to permit this practice?" The answer is "NO".

 

This is false.  The Archbishop of Guam has the authority to permit this practice. Canon Law 765 gives him that authority.  According to the following website "Canon Law Made Easy" (the bold is mine): 

Note, however, that this prohibition pertains only to the preaching of a homily.   There are other kinds of preaching which don’t constitute a homily.  In such situations, canon 766 applies.  This canon asserts that with regard to non-homiletic preaching, the lay faithful may be allowed to preach in a church, if in certain circumstances it is necessary.

The Instruction quotes canon 766, but rightly notes that the wording of the canon makes clear that the laity have to have permission to do this by competent authority (in this case, the diocesan bishop):

Canon Law Made Easy

The lay person have to have permission to preach in the Church according to that Catholic weblink I cited.  So, contrary to Tim's statement, the Archbishop does indeed have the authority to permit this through canon law.  Lastly, according to Tim Rohr (the bold is my emphasis): 


The new Code of Canon Law was promulgated in 1983.  Twenty years later, the Vatican had accumulated a list of abuses long enough to prompt John Paul II in his encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia to call upon the Congregation for Divine Worship (CDW), as the USCCB puts it: to develop an instruction explaining the deeper level of liturgical norms in the light of recent abuses of liturgical law throughout the world.

Tim Rohr cited the 1983 code, and is unaware that Canon Law 766 was approved in November 2001. 

Furthermore, Tim Rohr took out of context the Redemptoris Sacramentum.  Tim only cited RS 66 to make everyone believe that any preaching cannot be done within the Mass, but outside the Mass.  To understand RS 66, one needed to look at RS 65 (the bold and underline is mine): 

[65.] It should be borne in mind that any previous norm that may have admitted non-ordained faithful to give the homily during the eucharistic celebration is to be considered abrogated by the norm of canon 767 §1.[145] This practice is reprobated, so that it cannot be permitted to attain the force of custom.

 

[66.] The prohibition of the admission of laypersons to preach within the Mass applies also to seminarians, students of theological disciplines, and those who have assumed the function of those known as “pastoral assistants”; nor is there to be any exception for any other kind of layperson, or group, or community, or association.[146]

 

See what I placed in bold and underlined in RS 65?  As I mentioned previously in this post, Canon Law 767 never had anything to do with preaching outside the Mass (as Tim claimed).  It had to do with laypersons preaching the homily which is forbidden.  RS 65 makes it clear that the non-ordained faithful is prohibited from giving a homily and in RS 66, this prohibition is extended to seminarians, students of theological disciplines and even to pastoral assistants.  So, RS 66 is not saying that lay persons cannot preach within the Mass.  It is saying that lay persons cannot preach the homily.  Tim Rohr also cites RS 74, which states: 

 

[74.] If the need arises for the gathered faithful to be given instruction or testimony by a layperson in a Church concerning the Christian life, it is altogether preferable that this be done outside Mass. Nevertheless, for serious reasons it is permissible that this type of instruction or testimony be given after the Priest has proclaimed the Prayer after Communion. This should not become a regular practice, however. Furthermore, these instructions and testimony should not be of such a nature that they could be confused with the homily,[156] nor is it permissible to dispense with the homily on their account.

 

This is the reason why the permission of the Diocesan Bishop is needed for a lay person to preach within the Church or oratory.  Canon Law 766 says the layperson can preach in the Church and oratory as long as they have the permission of the Bishop while Canon Law 767 reminds everyone that the homily is reserved only for the priests and deacons.  The NCW has the permission of the Archbishop to preach their testimony in the Church, and their testimonies are not homilies.