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Tuesday, May 8, 2018

The Graces From God

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

This week, the pilgrims who attended the 50th anniversary of the NCW are on their way home. Some of them already left on May 7th. We all came on different flights and will be leaving Rome on different flights. Nevertheless, the pilgrimage was outstanding. Meeting the Pope was the best! 

As many of you already know, Guam's media and those who oppose the Way are already downgrading the meeting with the pope and taking his words out of context. Guam's media is biased. Remember that one of the accusers of Archbishop Apuron works for PDN. Many of us also know who owns the building which PDN is in. The Pope's words were taken out of context. For example, they point out that the pope stated in his address to the NCW to respect other cultures.  However, Pope Francis also stated:
But how do we go? It is necessary to travel light, you cannot take all your household goods with you. The Bible teaches this: when God frees the chosen people, He makes them go into the desert with only their trust in Him as baggage. And making Himself man, He Himself walks in poverty, without having a place to lay His head (cf. Lk 9: 58). He asks the same style of His followers. 
The Pope made the above statement to the NCW. Yet, even those who hate the NCW are fully aware that its members evangelize in two by twos take no money or cars with them.  They carry only their bibles and passports with them.  How the NCW evangelized, taking nothing with them has been recorded in many news media.  Therefore, the pope was not chastising the Way in how they evangelized. It is recorded in the media that the Way evangelizes the same way as the Apostles, taking nothing with them; yet, the pope made the above statement. Therefore, the pope was not chastising how we evangelized.  Rather, he speaks words of encouragement to continue God's work.  The same is also true when he stated to "respect other cultures".  

Brothers, we who walk in the Way already know that the RMS priests have told us not to follow superstitious beliefs, such as asking permission from the taotaomonas to pass through the jungle whenever we go on hiking trips. We are Catholics, and the Catholic Church does NOT teach that the spirits of people who died inhabit the trees or the land. That was a belief that the ancient Chamorros believed in before Christianity came to the island. However to this day, many people who profess to be Catholics still follow the old superstitious beliefs. And the opponents of the NCW use this as a way of saying that we do not respect culture.  The TRUTH must be proclaimed!  There is a heaven, hell, and purgatory. When a person dies, his/her soul goes to one of those three.  His/Her soul does NOT remain on earth to inhabit the land, and the Catholic Church never taught to ask the spirits permission to pass through the jungle.  This teaching does not oppose "culture".  It is a declaration of truth.  We are the witnesses. We have heard these things taught by the RMS priests, but those who hate Way twist the words to discredit the Way.

Courage!  Those who oppose the Way are inventing stories, saying that the Pope was unaware of Archbishop Apuron being on stage with him. We who were on the pilgrimage are the witnesses.  We know and can declare that Archbishop Apuron was invited to attend the ceremony.  The chairs were already set on stage as to the number of Bishops, Cardinals, and priests who were invited to attend. We are the witnesses because we were there and have seen and heard.  We were called forward by security to enter past the fence and closer to the stage. Guam was also the SECOND on the list to be called during the presentation. The first were the brothers from Australia who was with us inside the fence.  Rejoice!  It was the persecution that brought us to the front together with Australia whose cardinal is facing a civil trial on sexual abuse.

In the pilgrimage, we are told not to despair the closing of the seminary. The RMS in Guam existed to fulfill God's plan to evangelize the Pacific.  As some people pointed out in the pilgrimage, its closure did not defeat God's plan.  The first community of Palau was born despite the closure of RMS and the moratorium imposed on the NCW.  There were about 20 brothers in Palau who joined Guam in this pilgrimage.  

Courage!  Pope Francis is grateful of the Way and gave thanks to God for the NCW. Anyone who read his address can see that.  Those who have eyes can see and read for themselves.  Courage and do not be afraid of the persecution.  We are being persecuted as Christ was. However, Christ rose from the dead, and so shall we.  Do not be afraid of the persecution and of dying because those who live in Christ cannot die.

Remember the Japanese Church who were persecuted? The Japanese Christians were killed. Their priests were executed.  Did they die?  Of course not.  They survived.

Matthew 5:10-12  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Brothers, the word I received from the pilgrimage is this:  
Rejoice for we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  We are witnesses of God's work. There were 300 brothers on this pilgrimage. Many came with families and this is a miracle.  Look at the hundreds of thousands in the Way who came to this pilgrimage......from over 100 countries and people of all ages.  Look at the many fruits. Christ said that it is by their fruits that you shall know his disciples.  

Pope Francis spoke of the New Evangelization as the top priority of the Church.  According to Pope Francis:
Go. The mission demands that we leave. But in life, there is a strong temptation to remain, not to take risks, to be content with having the situation under control. It is easier to stay at home, surrounded by those who love us, but it is not Jesus’ way.
The formation of the RMS priests has been exactly that.....to be missionary priests. 

11 comments:

  1. Dear Diana, I guess Rohr confused the mass with missio ad gentes. This is why he is so much uninformed, to say it mildly, or deliberately distorts facts. A mass celebrated by the Pope is at the World Youth Day and that is a different kind of story. Of course, NCW is always there at a WYD mass.

    Missio ad gentes is not a mass. Pope Francis held the missio for the NCW's big gathering at the Tor Vergata. But Rohr mistook it as a mass, or a lack of mass for that matter, and he says now that the Pope did not celebrate mass with the NCW. This is so untrue! I cannot understand people who deliberately misinformed or just don't know the difference between a mass and the missio ad gentes!

    Why does Rohr do that, Diana? What is his problem? First of all, he should educate himself about missio ad gentes which is actually a fruit. Second of all, he should not confuse the fruit with the celebration of the Eucharist. Or is he just jealous because we do have this fruit but he does not?

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 1:07 pm,

      Personally, I think it is jealousy. I heard Rohr On radio station when Archbishop Byrnes was being interviewed over the men’s conference. Rohr had mentioned that he has been conducting some sort of group meeting where they study the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He stated that he had been doing this for 13 years. So, after 13 years, what fruits has it produced? None.

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    2. Tim doesn’t have any facts at all. He invent stories and rumors. Now, he’s inventing stories that the mission families are a financial burden for the Archdiocese. David Atenzia and his family are mission families, and he works at the university.

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    3. Dear Jane,

      Exactly. It is already on record in the media that the NCW communities are the ones who help support the mission families until they find a job. According to news report:

      “Once a year Monica’s mother, Marinella Lai, comes out to visit the family and once every two years the family goes back to Italy because, as part of the mission, they share their experiences with their brothers and sisters in the community at the parish of St Charles Borromeo in Cagliari in Sardinia.
      This community in Sardinia pays for their airfares. It also supports the family by taking up collections whenever they are in need and, in this way, their brothers and sisters share in the mission.”

      http://www.catechumenusa.com/2011/05/neocatechumenal-way-radical-approach-to.html

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    4. Dear Diana, you say Rohr has done catechizing for 13 years?? Wow, that is a long-long time already!

      What does he do, wasting the time of the Holy Spirit?! Is he taking the name of the Lord in vain futility? Wow! He must not announce the Kerygma correctly if he could not produce any fruit. The Lord says you know the disciples of Christ by their fruit. Let me spell slowly for him: f-r-u-i-t! Where is your fruit, Rohr? Are you not a good disciple? Who are you then? Ha.

      Perhaps it would be beneficial for Rohr to come to see the brothers and learn humbleness with Christ. He was not resurrected for us so we brag about Him, but to enable us to humbly proclaim the Kerygma of Jesus Christ to the world. Somehow I have never seen him knocking on the doors two-by-two and share the Good News. I wonder if Rohr is even familiar with the Kerygma at all or if he was properly catechized ever. I don't think so.

      Therefore, we do have a lot more of evangelizing for Guam! AB Byrnes, for Pete's sake please, allow us finally to do our job.

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    5. Rohr is not jealous... he is plagued with envy/greed/wrath... if there is anything I have learned from life, is that the devil wants us to fight one another... I am convinced that it is not Rohr's fault, but his love for money has blinded him to the evil he does... like Golum in the 'Lord of the Rings', fretting so much about money has turned him from a humane person into a delusional liar, where he alone believes what he writes, even though his conscience tells him it is wrong or a lie. He wants all the money in Guam for himself... he worries that if any group uses the money for anything other than 'his ideas' of what is good, he has to somehow fight it... think: the Yona property, the property of the Nuns, his friends in the media, they all work as a unit to protect their demonic driven 'interests'... however, this time they are fighting against God. I can't wait to see the merciful way in which God will correct Rohr and his friends, because God is just and although he is rich in forbearing patience, his cup has a limit... and then the World's inhabitants will learn justice. We are happy to leave all justice in God's merciful hands... I just hope that Rohr converts and not to see his children pay the price for his sins, like King David when he was blinded by lust... which drove him to adultery and murder... his children paid the price. It can happen to anyone of us... so, may God have mercy on Rohr and all the victims of his blind insanity.

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  2. What a fantastic meeting with the Pope. And the Pope was so encouraging. It Is sad that some of the media in Guam downplay this event. They were not there and so do not have a clue on what really happened. The Pope loves us. He really does...

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  3. I am Australian and we were situated close to the Guam group at the meeting in Rome as you know. It was great to see your group all dressed in your colourful shirts.
    I spoke to a few of your people and was very impressed by the warmth and friendliness of your large group. I thought Kiko even gave a special request for prayers for all of you.
    I asked some if they knew Diana as I would have loved to meet her, but unfortunately the ones I asked couldn't help. When I mentioned the blogspot (which I often read) some thought I was talking about the jungle one which I have seen but don't bother looking at now.I am sure you realise many outside Guam read this blog.
    Anyway God bless all of you and thanks for your enthusiasm and courage.
    Peter

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    1. Dear Peter,

      I do not publish the stats on my blog the way the jungle has. Only I can see it. I do get readers from around the world. Although the majority of my readers are from Guam and the United States, I also get many from around the world including Australia.

      I keep myself anonymous due to the persecution. Not even my Responsible and Catechists know my identity. It is better this way.

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    2. Can't wait to hear the sharing of experiences of the pilgrims when they return home to Guam. For a lot of brothers, this was their first pilgrimage. These first-timers have seen how international the Way is and, of course, how universal our Catholic Church is. This experience will spark their zeal for their individual walk in their community. And it will propel them in evangelizing about the God's love and about the riches of our Catholic faith.

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  4. Blessings to the NCW specially in Guam my son Abraham was an Itenerant in Guam 4 years ago for 6 months hopefully I can come and visit you brothers Im from southern California

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