In Defense of the Church

Ang IGLESIA: Haligi at Saligan ng Katotohan (I Tim 3:15)

2012-01-11T19:47:00.002+04:00

Ang Simbahan ng Katoliko sa Qatar, isang bansang Muslim

Bagamat nabanggit nga sa sulat ni Apostol San Pablo sa mga Kristiano sa ROMA (16:16) ang mga salitang "iglesia ni Cristo" HINDI nangangahulugan na ang ang mga organisasyon o samahan na may ganitong KATULAD na pangalan ay SILA na nga. NANGOPYA lamang sila at kung tuus-tuusin ay PEKE pa rin sila!

At dahil may NAG-IISANG IGLESIA na ITINATAG si Cristo noong Unang Siglo, ang LAHAT ng mga nagsisibangon na mga iglesiang nagpapatawag din sa pangalang "Iglesia ni Cristo" ay mga HUWAD o PEKE o NAGPAPANGGAP lamang.

Ito ay sinang-ayunan ng opisyal na magasin na pag-aari ng samahang may katulad na pangalan-- ang Iglesia ni Cristo na tatag ni Felix Manalo noong 1914 sa Sitio Punta Sta. Ana, Maynila.

Ang sabi ng magasing PASUGO Mayo 1968, p. 7:

“Ang tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo ay iisa lamang, ito ang Iglesiang itinayo ni Cristo. Kung mayroon mang nagsisibangon ngayong mga Iglesia at sasabihing sila man ay INK rin ang mga ito ay hindi tunay kundi huwad lamang!"

Bakit nila nasabing HUWAD o PEKE ang mga NAGSISIBANGON at nagsasabing na sila rin ay mga "Iglesia ni Cristo"?

Heto ang sagot din nila sa magasing PASUGO Nobyembre 1940, p. 23:

“Iisa lamang ang tanging makapagtatayo ng Iglesiang magiging dapat sa Dios. Kung sino? -- Ang ating Panginoong Jesu-Cristo lamang! Sinumang tao-- maging marunong o mangmang-- ay walang karapatang magtayo..."

Bakit? Sino ba ang nagtatag ng Iglesia ni Cristo na natatagpuan sa Pilipinas?

Ito ang sagot din ng magasing PASUGO Agosto-Setyembre 1964, p. 5

“Kailan napatala sa Pamahalaan o narehistro ang INK sa Pilipinas? Noong Hulyo 27, 1914. Tunay nga na sinasabi sa rehistro na si Kapatid na F. Manalo ang nagtatag ng INK."

Sa makatuwid, ang Iglesia ni Cristo pala sa Pilipinas ay HUWAD, PEKE, NAGPAPANGGAP at NAGKUKUNYARI lamang kahit na may pangalan pa itong "IGLESIA NI CRISTO" sapagkat ang samahang ito ay HINDI TATAG ni CRISTO na siya LAMANG ang may karapatang magtayo!

Ang samahang ito ay ITINATAG ng isang TAONG HAMAK na si FELIX MANALO dating kabilang sa TUNAY NA IGLESIA at saka NAGTAYO ng sariling KANYA at pinangalanang KATULAD ng sa atin.

At dahil IISA LAMANG ang IGLESIANG kay CRISTO na KANYANG TATAG hindi maaaring ang INC ni Manalo ay kay Cristo rin.

Saanmang dako ng Biblia ay mababasa natin ang salitang IGLESIA. Kung minsan tinatawag na "IGLESIA ng Dios" o kaya'y "IGLESIA ng Dios na buhay" o kaya'y "IGLESIA ni Cristo". Pero sa maraming pagkakataon ay ang katawagan sa kanya ay IGLESIA lamang sapagkat WALANG IBANG IGLESIA kundi ang IGLESIANG KAY CRISTO.

Bago iyan, basahin ang "Alin ang Iglesiang binabanggit sa Roma 16:16?" upang maunawaan natin kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng sulat ni Apostol San Pablo kay Timoteo.

Ngayon, may BINABANGGIT si Apostol San Pablo na IGLESIA raw. Hindi nabanggit dito ni San Pablo ang salitang "BIBLIA".

Balikan natin ang Unang sulat ni Apostol san Pablo kay Timoteo (3:14-16).

Umaasa akong magkikita tayo sa lalong madaling panahon, ngunit isinulat ko ang mga ito upang kung hindi man ako makarating agad ay malaman mo kung ano ang dapat na maging ugali ng mga taong kabilang sa sambahayan ng Diyos na buhay, sa iglesya na haligi at saligan ng katotohanan. Hindi maikakaila na napakadakila ng hiwaga ng ating relihiyon:

Siya'y nahayag nang maging tao,
pinatunayang matuwid ng Espiritu, at nakita ng mga anghel.
Ipinangaral sa mga Hentil,
pinaniwalaan ng lahat, at itinaas sa kalangitan.

Anong SABI ni APOSTOL SAN PABLO?

Ang IGLESIA raw ay siyang HALIGI at SALIGAN ng KATOTOHANAN!

Ito ba'y ang "IGLESIA" na tatag ni Felix Manalo sa Pilipinas?

Hindi po maaari.

Sapagkat ang sabi po ng magasing PASUGO, may NAG-IISANG IGLESIA raw po ang nararapat na KAY CRISTO. Kung alin ito? Ito ay ang IGLESIANG TATAG NI CRISTO at hindi ng kung sino-sinong HAMAK na tao lamang.

At kahit na may NAG-AANGKIN ng pangalan, HINDI pa rin sila maaaring tunay sapagkat alam nating lahat na HINDI NGA ITO TATAG ni CRISTO at tanging si CRISTO lamang ang may KARAPATANG magtatag!

Iyan ang mariing PAGKASABI sa kanilang OPISYAL na magasing PASUGO!

Ayon sa PASUGO Abril 1966, p. 46 ang IGLESIA KATOLIKA ay siyang tunay na IGLESIA ni CRISTO:

“Ang Iglesia Katolika na sa pasimula ay siyang Iglesia ni Cristo."

Kung ang IGLESIA KATOLIKA pala ay siyang TUNAY na Iglesia, HINDI maaaring DALAWA ang tunay. Dapat ISA ay TUNAY at isa ay PEKE.

Pero nakita na natin sa itaas kung paano ang magasin nilang PASUGO ay tumulong sa atin upang tuntunin natin kung alin sa mga maraming "iglesia" raw ang tunay at PEKE.

Ngayon baka naman sabihin nilang NATALIKOD ang tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo na siyang Iglesia Katolika.

MAGASING PASUGO rin ang nagpapatunay na HINDI nga NATALIKOD ang TUNAY na Iglesiang kay Cristo sapagkat HINDI raw natinag ang mga UNANG MGA APOSTOL sa kanilang PANANAMPALATAYA at naging matatag.

Iyan din daw ang DAPAT na GAWIN ng mga kaanib ng Iglesia ni Manalo.

Heto ang pagkasabi sa OPISYAL na magasing PASUGO Hunyo 1940, p. 27:

"Papaano ang pag-aalaga at pag-iingat sa pananampalataya? Wala tayong dapat gawin kundi manatili sa mga aral ng Dios na ating napag-aralan. Ito ang ginawa ng unang Iglesia. Sila'y nanatiling matibay sa aral ng mga Apostol. Ganito rin ang dapat nating gawin."

Ito ang TINITINDIGAN ng mga kaanib ng Iglesia ni Manalo sapagkat ito ay sinasaad sa Juan:

PASUGO Mayo 1968, p. 5:

Salamat na lamang sa PASUGO sapagkat mas maliwanag ngayon ang ating pagsusuri na ang IGLESIA KATOLIKA pala ay siyang IGLESIANG BINABANGGIT sa BIBLIA na HALIGI at SALIGAN ng KATOTOHANAN.

Makakaasa tayong sa IGLESIANG ITO ang lahat ng ITINUTURO ay KATOTOHANAN sapagkat ito ay ang IGLESIANG TANGING kay CRISTO HESUS. Ito rin daw ang GINAWA ng UNANG IGLESIA na siyang IGLESIA KATOLIKA na sa PASIMULA ay siyang IGLESIA NI CRISTO. Sila'y nanatili sa aral ng Dios.

Nalipol ba ang UNANG IGLESIA?

Hindi po.

Ayon sa kanilang aral, HINDI raw TAYO KAILANMAN MALILIPOL sapagkat ayon sa Juan 10:28 "bibibyan" daw tayo ng "walang hanggang buhay" at "kailanma'y HINDI" raw tayo "MALILIPOL"

Ito rin kasi ang PANGAKO ni CRISTO noong ITATAG niya kay PEDRO (bato) ang kaniyang Iglesia (Mateo 16:18):

"At sinasabi ko sa iyo, ikaw ay Pedro, at sa ibabaw ng batong ito ay itatayo ko ang aking iglesya at ang pintuan ng daigdig ng mga patay ay hindi magtatagumpay laban sa kanya."

Kaya't tayong mga KATOLIKO at dapat MANATILI sa IGLESIANG tatag ni CRISTO sapagkat ang IGLESIANG ito ay siyang HALIGI at SALIGAN ng KATOTOHANAN. Hindi man natin nauunawaan LAHAT ng mga DOKTRINA nito ay MAKAKAASA TAYO na ang kaniyang ITINUTURO ay KATOTOHANAN lamang!

Magsaliksik man kayo sa kasaysayan, ang LAHAT ng mga maling aral ay TUMIWALAG sa Iglesia at nagtayo ng kanilang sariling mga "iglesia". Ito ay sapagkat inihula rin ng Biblia na may mga taong mga TATALIKOD ngunit ang IGLESIA ay HINDING-HINDI tatalikod sapagkat HINDI MANANAIG ang kapangyarihan ng kadiliman dito!

Halina't ibahagi ang KATOTOHANAN TUNGKOL SA PEKENG IGLESIA at ibahagi ang KATOTOHAN tungkol sa Iglesia KATOLIKA na siyang TUNAY na IGLESIA-- haligi at sandigan ng katotohanan!

Mike Carlton: Tales of an Unlikely Convert

2012-01-09T19:36:00.000+04:00

Source: The Coming Home Network

It was 11:45 p.m. and I couldn’t sleep. I was anxious about a phone conversation I overheard my wife, Laurie, was having with her mother about Catholicism, and my patience for this divisive topic had run out. My mother-in-law was asking my wife how she would feel about not receiving the Eucharist at her sister’s upcoming Catholic wedding now that she had no longer been attending the Catholic Church (we decided to join my Presbyterian church after a period of time “church shopping”). She was also concerned because my future brother-in-law’s best man was not Catholic and, combined with my wife, there would be no Catholic witnesses to validate the wedding. Why does religion have to be so difficult? Why can’t we just agree on the same God and live happily ever after? Why does my mother-in-law care about these matters?

I’m glad she did.

I grew up in a typical Protestant Christian home. With Scottish roots, my family is Presbyterian. My church background involved Youth Club retreats, Senior High Fellowship, and many fond memories of Orchard Park Presbyterian Church just outside Buffalo, New York. My parents raised us to respect everyone independently and in a neighborhood filled with Catholic families, religious difference rarely came up. The only difference I personally noticed was that Catholic families were larger, went to private schools, and followed Notre Dame football. There was a time, however, that I wondered about the word “Protestant” and why my church was associated with the word “protest.” I never imagined someday feeling challenged to wade through the vast theological distinctions that have sadly separated Christianity for almost over 500 years.

I still didn’t fully appreciate the differences between Christians until meeting my future wife, Laurie, in college. We were married in the summer of 1991 and I still remember how important it was to my wife’s family to have a “Catholic” wedding. I remember feeling offended when I was not being offered to participate in the Eucharist at her church, even though I had participated in the “Lord’s Supper” my whole life. So for our wedding, we chose not to celebrate the Eucharist because we thought it would highlight the spiritual divide between the families. How unfortunate to be united in marriage but divided in faith–even though we all professed Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Feeling like an outsider to the Catholic Church initiated a religious curiosity that burned in me. I used to resent holidays when my in-laws were in town because the “church thing” would come up. When at Mass with my wife’s family, I remember excusing myself before the Liturgy of the Eucharist to avoid feeling different. A few people told me to just not worry about it, but I knew in God’s eyes it had to matter. There couldn’t be two opposing views on a significant teaching within the same religion whereby both were true. I started to confide in fellow Protestants and became a magnet for anti-Catholic positions. My search for the truth was really an exercise in my bias, as I found myself reading anti-Catholic books. I fashioned myself as a “truth seeker” but, in retrospect, I was only seeking confirmation of my Protestant perspective. I started to resist many Catholic practices on Sunday. I attended a Protestant Bible study with a few people I respected and dug the theological trench even deeper.

Change in the Wind

We moved from Cincinnati to Atlanta, and found a home in the Presbyterian Church of Roswell, Georgia. We had the local minister baptize our first son and became involved in various ministries. I was happy and felt no call to Rome. In God’s sense of humor, this is where the detour happened. My wife, in our new southern “Bible Belt” neighborhood, actually met a large number of Catholic women who also relocated from the North. She joined a neighborhood rosary group and became reconnected with her Catholic roots. These seeds of Catholicism blossomed in her and she started to feel more comfortable going to Mass. From the time we met, she had always been very respectful of my church and never pressured me to convert. But one night, my Protestant world was shattered. While at the kitchen table, she shared her desire to have our son receive “First Communion” and be raised as a Catholic. I didn’t understand why our Presbyterian church, which she agreed was wonderful to us, didn’t fulfill her needs. Out of love and respect for the patience and understanding she showed, I agreed. But I qualified this with my famous statement, “I’ll raise the family Catholic, but I will never convert!” I wouldn’t let go of my roots and I actually maintained my membership at the Presbyterian church just out of deviance. Over time, I started to resent the Catholic Church again.

While vacationing in North Carolina that spring break, I went jogging at sunrise along the beach just to “sort things out.” Did any of this really matter to Christ? The answer I received was clear and unyielding. It was a whisper and I felt the Holy Spirit. I heard that seeking the truth was noble, but only if one was being objective. I was searching the truth with a bias. The fruits of the “Reformation” were leading me to justify someone else’s argument. Was it a reformation or a revolution? Is the central difference the Eucharist and why don’t Protestants believe in this sacrament? What should I teach my children? Why is Christianity so divided when Christ came to unite? I needed to search my own heart with an open mind and soft heart. If I did these things, the answer would reveal itself and become clear.

When we came back from vacation, a sign came. There was a flier advertising that a well-known, Catholic convert would be speaking at the library right across the street from my neighborhood. A scholar in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, he had found a home in the Catholic Church. What a shock to my system. I had to be there!

I had never heard the history of Christianity explained from the writings of the early Church Fathers. My research took me to 1517 when Martin Luther broke from Rome, but this convert took us back to the early centuries. I couldn’t believe that the modern Catholic Church still preserves these traditions taught in the years after Christ walked among us. Why is the burden of proof on the Catholic to justify the faith as opposed to the fellow believers who broke away? Why aren’t Protestant positions challenged? Could I honestly follow beliefs that were born out of a dispute? How could Protestants claim biblical authority for anti-Catholic beliefs when the Bible itself came from the Catholic Church? How could Protestants hold on to a Trinitarian understanding of God while denying the authority of the Catholic Church that first proclaimed the Trinity?

After driving home that night at 12:30 a.m., I could hardly wait to explore the early Christian faith into areas previously considered “out of bounds” for Protestants. At least I knew that wherever this journey would take me, it would not be without significant discernment and a desire to search for the truth.

Scandal Rocks My Journey

After a few months of study and on a path toward Rome, the sex abuse scandal broke out and dominated the news. Catholicism was getting a “black eye” in the press. I sat in my car one night before driving home from Nashville, and listened to the radio about what was occurring around the country. Was this a sign? I remember hearing an ex-priest on the radio claiming the priesthood itself was in question now. How could this happen to the Church I was growing to embrace as the fullness of Christianity?

As fate would have it, a thick fog set in and a 50-car accident blocked the entire highway on I-75 back to Atlanta. The alternative route to Atlanta was going to take me through northern Alabama. This would take me way out of my path, but it was the only way home. With the radio off, I drove as I was thinking about these scandals. I thought of Father Patrick from our new Catholic church back home and how he seemed like such a good priest. I began to pray about the priesthood and the Catholic Church. Why was this happening? Why now?

My sign

I noticed my tank was empty so I pulled over and started to fuel up. As I looked around I noticed how rural the area was in northern Alabama. Just then I noticed a partially covered sign in a wooded area that read, “Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament.” It sounded Catholic but seemed odd for this area–Baptist churches were everywhere! Curious, I decided to explore. I pulled my car down that small dusty road and began to drive. After a few minutes, I started thinking about turning around, as I was making a long trip longer. Then the road connected to another with little white crosses placed on either side. Now this captured my attention and I followed these crosses until I came up a hill to a massive gate revealing a beautiful church. I felt as if I were on the yellow brick road, beholding the Emerald Palace! It appeared as if the church had dropped out of the heavens onto this rural hillside. Why here? I pulled through the gates, parked and got out of my car. As I was standing there gazing in awe, a monk approached my car. He asked if he could help since the monastery was closing for the day. “What is this?” I asked. “The Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament founded by Mother Angelica,” he replied. I shared with him my growing interest in the Catholic Church and how I had struggled with faith for 8 years. After hearing this, he smiled and said, “I’m Mother’s tour guide, come inside and I’ll show you around.”

He keyed into the bookstore and loaded me up with books, tapes, and resources. We spent two hours talking and before long I found myself in the chapel for the Liturgy of the Hours, praying with the nuns! There I knelt, a Protestant, praying among the sisters of the convent, in front of the most beautifully decorated altar I had ever seen.

Time to become Catholic

On the way home, I couldn’t wait to tell my wife what happened. She was excited for me and we both thanked God for answering our prayers. I immediately enrolled in RCIA and started to formalize the conversion. The RCIA process was rewarding and I found myself helping others in class who occasionally wavered on certain teachings. I remember my first confession, experiencing tears of repentance, and seeing the eyes of Christ in Father Pat. I decided to fast for three days before Easter Vigil to better celebrate the Triduum. This ritual felt cleansing and prepared me for my encounter with Christ in the Eucharist.

“What a journey” I pondered, holding a Christ candle in hand at the 2002 Easter Vigil Mass. I was being welcomed into the Catholic Church. I thought of St. Paul and his conversion at Damascus. I’m thankful for my wife Laurie who supported me throughout this journey. Our family is now in the Church Jesus Himself initiated almost 2000 years ago, thanks be to God.

Mike is a former Scottish Presbyterian and his wife, Laurie, is a cradle Catholic. Mike joined the Catholic Church in 2002 and he and his wife now live in Georgia with their 6 children. In 2003, he started an apologetics ministry called “Why Catholic” at his parish. In addition, Mike and Laurie founded Marriages Are Covenants, a ministry outreach program of The Integrated Catholic Life for married couples, at their parish. He teaches RCIA classes, leads small faith groups and has been interviewed on Sacred Heart Radio (EWTN affiliate). A popular apologetics speaker, Mike has given his conversion talk around the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Manila Bulletin in error: Felix Manalo "FOUNDED" the Iglesia ni Cristo 1914

2012-01-05T22:16:00.002+04:00

Remembering Iglesia ni Cristo Executive Minister Erañao Manalo's 87th Birthday

MANILA, Philippines — On this day, the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) observes with deep respect and affection the 87th Birth Anniversary of INC Executive Minister Eraño de Guzman Manalo who passed away on August 31, 2009. Ka Erdie’s sincerity, humility, and word of honor were among the sterling qualities for which he was admired. His words and actions made him a worthy successor to his father, the late Felix Y. Manalo. He was succeeded by his eldest son Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo, as INC Executive Minister. [emphasis mine And Eduardo V. Manalo will be succeeded by Angelo Manalo and another Manalo and another Manalo--- because it's the Manalo's Corporation.)

Born on January 2, 1925, Ka Erdie took over the church on the death on April 12, 1963, of his father INC founder Felix Y. Manalo (emphasis mine). The officials and members of the INC looked upon Ka Erdie, who followed the example of his father, as their guiding light and inspiration. (I hope MB would be sensitive to its writings. It was NOT Felix Manalo who founded the INC but Jesus Christ. How could MB, a prestigious local news in the Philippines commit such a mistake in their news reporting? Are they not aware of that fact alone? )

Since its founding on July 27, 1914, in Punta Sta. Ana, Manila, with a handful of followers, the INC has grown to become a universal church with over 5,400 local congregations in 90 countries. (The True Church was founded in Jerusalem and not in Punta Sta. Ana. And what's that name again? SANTA ANA? The INC do not believe in "santas" or "santos". Why the church is founded in that street named after a "santa"? That's most ridiculous!!!)

The "Iglesia ni Cristo Church of Christ"?

2012-01-03T22:07:00.000+04:00

By Kevin Boie

FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth police on Monday arrested a 15-year-old they said was driving a stolen car belonging to the victim of a violent robbery.

Police allegedly caught the unidentified boy behind the wheel of Carlos Asido's vehicle.

Asido on Sunday was shot in the stomach and robbed of his car outside Iglesia Ni Cristo Church of Christ in the 5400 block of Anderson Street.

Biblia, Kasaysayan at Pasugo: Felix Manalo HINDI ligtas!

2011-12-30T11:40:00.000+04:00

Ang Iglesia ni Cristo na tatag ni Felix Manalo ay kakaiba sa lahat ng mga pananampalatayang umiiral sa Pilipinas. Ito ay sa kadahilanang HINDI sila naniniwala sa pagka-DIOS ni Cristo samantalang malinaw na sinasabi ng Banal na Kasulatan na siya nga ay DIOS.

Sa unang kapitulo ng JUAN, malinaw pa sa liwanag ng araw ang sinasabi ng talata:

"Sa PASIMULA ay VERBO,
At ang VERBO ay nasa DIOS
At ang VERBO ay DIOS...

At ang VERBO ay NAGKATAWANG-TAO..."

Sa Juan 8:58, sinabi ni Jesus:

"Bago pa man umiral si Abraham, AKO NA!

Ito ang dahilan kung bakit siya PINAPAPATAY ng mga PUNONG SASERDOTE. Sapagkat "nagpapanggap" raw siyang KAPANTAY ng DIOS.

Binawi ba ni Hesus ang kanilang mga paratang?

HINDI!

Sapagkat ALAM niya KUNG SINO SIYA.

Bakit ko naman tinanong kung ligtas nga ba si Felix Manalo ay sapagkat maraming mga naisulat sa Biblia at sa kanilang Pasugo (official magazine ng INC-1914) na nagpatunay na si Felix Manalo ay HINDI LIGTAS.

UNA, ang lahat ng di naniniwala na si Cristo ay DIOS na naging TAO ay hindi maliligtas (JOHN 3:18-19:

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.

Dahil di naniwala si Felix Manalo na si Cristo ay VERBO na DIOS na nagkatawang TAO, siya'y hindi LIGTAS.

Ang sabi ng sulat ni San Pablo sa mga taga-Filipos 2:6:

"Bagamat SIYA'Y NASA ANYO NG DIOS hindi niya ibinilang ang sarili niyang kapantay ng Dios, bagkus hinubad niya... at nakipamuhay sa atin."

Sa kabila ng pagiging CONSISTENT ng mga talata sa Biblia tungkol kay CRISTO na sa pasimula pa ay VERBO, naron na bago pa man si Abraham ay umiral, ang liwanag na galing sa langit at namuhay sa gitna natin, ang Dios na naging tao... ang INC ni Manalo ay pilit na BINABALUKTOT ang mga talata ng Biblia para palabasing si Felix nga ay dapat na maging sugo.

At dahil HINDI ito pinaniwalaan ni Felix Manalo, siya'y HINDI LIGTAS.

PANGALAWA: Ang sabi sa Mark 16:16, ang NANINIWALA at NAGPABAUTISMO ay maliligtas.

Naniwala nga si Felix Manalo sa kanyang tatag na Iglesia pero HINDI siya BINYAGAN doon, dahilan para siya'y HINDI MALILIGTAS sapagkat ang sabi ng kanilang turo, TANGING ang BINYAGAN sa INC raw ang siyang maliligtas. Eh HINDI nga BINYAGAN si Felix sa kanyang Iglesia. Kaya mismong ang kanyang tatag na Iglesia ang siyang nagpahamak sa kanya sa kapahamakan.

PANGATLO, ang sabi ng kanilang opisyal na magasing PASUGO (God's Message), July 2009, Vol. 61, No. 7, ISSN 0116-1636, p. 32 (pangalawang saknong):

"O hindi niyo baga ninyo nalalaman na ang mga liko ay hindi magsisipagmana ng kaharian ng Dios? ... kahit ang mga mapakiapid..., ni ang mga nangbababae... ay hindi mangagmana ng kaharian ng Dios" (hango mula sa unang sulat ni Apostol San Pablo sa mga taga-Corinto 6:9-10).

Ang buhay ni Felix Manalo ay puno ng pagkukunwari at kahayukan sa laman. Isa na rito ang pagkukunwari niyang "sugo" raw ng Dios samantalang naging MAPAGMALABIS naman siya sa mga KABABAIHAN sa kanyang tatag na Iglesia (Basahin ang Felix Manalo: May Rape ba o Wala?.)

Sa LIHAM sa ibaba, mababasa natin ang pagiging mapagmalabis ni Felix Manalo sa mga kababaihan.

Ang kanyang kahayukan sa BABAE ay pumutok noong inakusahan siya ni ROSITA TRILLANES na gumahasa raw sa kanya. Ang pagpapatunay ay inayunan ng Court of Appeals at binansagan si FELIX MANALONG SUGO na "man of low moral".

"... the Prosecution admits that there is reason to believe that the offended party, Manalo, did commit immoral acts with some women members of the Iglesia... "And the Solicitor concludes that he found out through proofs presented that Manalo is a man "de baja moral" (man of low moral) and that he took advantage of his position in the Iglesia to attack and sully the virtue of some of his female followers." (DESISYON ng COURT OF APPEALS na NAGBABASURA sa KASONG LIBEL na ISINAMPA ni FELIX MANALO laban kay ROSITA TRILLANES (Case No.8180, April 21, 1942) at INIULAT ng OFFICIAL GAZETTE sa Vol. I, No. 1, July 1954, p. 394. basahin sa Tumbukin Natin)

Ang kaligtasan ng ating kaluluwa ay nasa ating pagpapasya. Kay CRISTO ang sandigan ng ating pananampalataya sa pamamagitan ng kanyang TUNAY na IGLESIA. Si Felix Manalo ay napatunayang manlilinlang at mandaraya, at mapagmalabis sa mga kababaihan, siya ay hindi maaaring maibilang sa pagliligtas ng Dios sapagkat KINUTYA niya si CRISTO na anak ng Dios na nagkatawang tao. At ibinilang niya ang sarili niyang mataas kay Cristo.

Sa buong buhay ni Felix, HINDI siya nakitaan ng KABANALAN. Ito ay dahil sa siya ay HINDI tunay na SUGO ng DIOS kundi siya'y ang KATUPARAN ng mga hula sa Biblia. Siya ay ang BULAANG PROPETA na darating upang magkalat ng pagkalito, panlilinlang at pagtatakwil sa KANYA.

Si CRISTO ay DIOS na NAGKATAWANG-TAO at nakipiling sa atin. Siya ang dapat paniwalaan natin at sampalatayanan upang tayo'y ganap na maliligtas. Suriin natin ang kanyang mga aral sa SANTA IGLESIA.

I, CATHOLIC

2011-12-26T14:15:00.000+04:00

Church of Christ Convert to Catholicism: Joe McClane

2011-12-18T10:40:00.000+04:00

Joe McClane (Source: Why I'm Catholic)
Joe grew up in the Church of Christ but fell away and became agnostic in his teens. He joined the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil of 1999 and was married, to his lovely wife Michelle, in September of 2000. Joe is active in new media ministry under the pseudoname "The Catholic Hack" and coordinates Catholic family conferences full time for Fullness of Truth Catholic Evangelization Ministries in Houston TX.

"From Slavery to Sonship"

Joe McClane

The Inheritance

St Luke 15:1: And he said, "There was a man who had two sons; 12: and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them.

I too took my inheritance from my father in an untimely fashion. It was 1980 and my father, who was serving in the Army, had just been stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. I was six years old, and I began to recognize the very peculiar and confusing behavior he had towards my mother. At the time I didn't understand what he was doing, but I knew that the way he was treating her was just not right.

What I didn't know was that my father was addicted to pornography, and sexual promiscuity, and he imposed this world-view upon my mother, treating her like an object of use instead of a person. Needless to say, this kind of abuse led to a divorce leaving my sister and me hurt, confused, and bewildered. All we wanted was our parents together under the same roof, even if they were always at each others' throats. My father always complained that my mother didn't "meet his needs," but it was still far better than living through divorce.

I recall the pain and loss of my father's constant presence in my life, and when I did see him I recall the further pain of witnessing his "new-found" relationships. "Who were all these women?" I thought. "Why are you so familiar with them?" I wondered. "They are NOT my mother!" I raged.

Then there was all the sexual paraphernalia I found around my father, including that classic resource "The Joy of Sex" with all its detailed illustrations that I so often perused at 7, 8, and 9 years old. It was by this time I had my own "stash" of porn to draw upon. I will never forget when, as a student at Stahl Elementary, just down the road from Madison High School, that a friend and I were caught hoarding a "Hustler" magazine.

My mother worked hard, busting her butt, just to provide for my sister and me, and this was not necessarily the proudest day in her life. Although she told me it was wrong, I never heard why it was wrong. Sure it felt dirty, but dirty felt so good! "Why is it wrong?", I wondered, I even remember sitting in Sunday School, at MacArthur Park Church of Christ, and hearing them say that "pre-marital" sex was wrong; "really?", I thought... "why? ", "Well, it's in the bible" they would say, "it's the bible that says it's wrong". "Ok... why?" Even if they tried to answer the question, and I have no doubt that they did, it surely didn't take.

It was at this time that my mother's third husband, Wes, entered our lives. Wes was a hard working man but had some real struggles with cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and oh yes... porn. By ten years old I had found his stash of VHS tapes and began watching them almost daily. Masturbation had taken root and I was not seeking "our daily bread," rather, I was after "my daily indulgence."

My entire sexual formation was based on my father's and stepfather's lifestyle with a steady stream of pornography. All I ever knew about sexuality, love, romance, the value of women and relationships, was based on what I was watching on the TV and finding in the magazines late at night with a flashlight in my bed. I absolutely thought this is what "making love" was all about, and what women were "good" for. This was the inheritance I took from my father at so young an age.

The Squandering

Vs. 13: Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. 14: And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want.

By the time I was a teenager it was my mission in life to have as many sexual relationships as possible before graduating. You see I was trying to impress my father; he had countless girlfriends so I would have countless more. I wanted to show my father that I was becoming the man who is "made in HIS image & likeness" and I desperately wanted him to be proud of me.

So I too didn't see women as human persons; no, to me they were like commodities to be consumed. They existed to please me, to meet "my needs", not unlike a can of Coke, when after I have consumed it, I crush the can and toss it in the garbage. As a senior in high school I took full advantage of the young, innocent girls, who really wanted to impress me, you know... to show me they could "meet my needs". They wanted love, affirmation, acceptance, and security, and all I wanted was their flesh. I convinced one girl to give to me what should have been saved for the man whom God had destined for her in covenant marriage, her virginity! But, not many days later, I was no longer interested in her. Like the images on the porn tapes, it served its purpose and I was already bored with her and looking to my next conquest.

In 1991 the first Gulf war broke out and I was "gung-ho," and but because the "Uncle-Sam" won't take a seventeen-year-old kid with out a parents consent, I had to do some convincing to get my mother's permission. I was eager to prove myself to my father, it was simple: my father served in the Army, so I would serve in the Marine Corps. I'll never forget the day that SSgt. Simmons came and picked me up from my mother's apartment and shipped me off to boot camp in San Diego, CA. My father didn't think I had what it took to finish boot camp, so he refused to put the "My Son is a US Marine" sticker on his truck until I'd "earned the title". Don't get me wrong: my father loved me and my sister, very much, but I think deep down he longed for his son to do better, to be better, than he was, even if he was unable to tell me what he felt it in his heart. My father went out of his way to show his love for us; it's just that his world-view, his concupiscence, kept getting in the way.

After three months of blood, sweat, and tears, literally, my parents looked on in amazement as their vastly skinnier, son stood tall in his dress blues, when he received Marine Corps boot-camp's highest award, the recognition as Company Honor-man. I graduated number one out of four hundred and fifty US Marines; I had earned "the title", I was now Lance Corporal Joseph McClane!

Even though the Marines gave me discipline and some honor, my world-view hadn't changed in the slightest. In fact, it only grew more intense in the Corps. From California to Tennessee, with a brief excursion to New Orleans and the Mardi Gras of '93, I was "free" to do as I pleased. The Corps was not going to be my "mommy & daddy." So long as I did my job, they were not going to tell me what "not" to do. Sure there was a price to pay if I got caught, but drinking, bar fights, strip clubs, porn, and chasing women was a pastime for the vast majority of the "Devil-Dogs" in my unit. Perverse sexual conquest was all but encouraged by training instructors and senior enlisted folks at every stop along the way. Better than winning the lottery, I received my permanent duty-station orders that sent me to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Like dropping the wolf in a pen full of helpless sheep, I was let loose in a paradise full of scantly clad women.

Just a few summers prior, back in '89, I lived my with father in Stuttgart, Germany for 3 months where I saw his second wife leave, and his latest mistress try to hide her affair from her husband. This was par for the course, but what was new, was my father and I sharing porn for a brief time. I think it bothered him internally, although we never spoke openly about it, somehow knowing that this is just not what a "father" is supposed to do.

This kind of sharing developed into a mentoring relationship while I was serving in Hawaii. I was eager to impress my father with all of my tales of womanizing and wanted him to know that his son was a "chip off the ol' block". I recall the long phone calls and his advice on how too keep one girlfriend from finding out about the other, and how to prevent venereal diseases from spreading and ruining the "party." I earnestly desired to live up to my father's expectations of my "sex-life", and did so to the fullest extent possible.

There was one young girl that stands out however. She was eighteen and living with her sister and her sister's husband who was a Staff-Sergeant attached to my unit. He and I worked second and third shift, and we got to know one another pretty well. He began inviting me over to his house for dinner and to hang out on the weekends. Taking full advantage of the situation I began sleeping with his sister-law, and even his wife on one occasion; as usual I grew bored pretty quickly. As "luck" would have it, my roommate got to know this girl as well, so I dumped her, giving him a chance to step in, giving me an easy out, allowing me to move on to "bigger and better" prey.

It was a about a month later that I received the phone call; it was her on the other end. "Hey, I'm pregnant" she said, her voice trembling, "and am not sure if it's yours or Mike's... I'm scared and I'm not sure what to do. I think I want to get an abortion!" I listened to how nervous she was, my mind racing, trying to think of what to say, wondering how I would get out of this mess. "Wow, you have got to be kidding me", I thought, "there is no way I want to be tied down with this chick." I quickly responded "yes... an abortion, that sounds like a good idea; do you need money for that? Tell you what, I will drive you there!" I checked her into the clinic and waited with her until the nurse called her name. I watched her go around the corner then I immediately got up, left the clinic, and walked across the street to the Honolulu mall where I started scoping out the girls in the food court.

As I was trying to work my "magic," getting the "digits" from one girl, there was another girl lying naked on her back, feet propped up, crying, while the baby in her womb was sucked out, torn limb from limb. Because I was too cowardly to be the man God created me to be, this girl was all alone in the world, feeling desperate, and with no "choice"! I murdered that child all while setting my "hooks" into my next victim. Needless to say, I no longer wanted to serve my country in honor and integrity as much as I wanted to serve myself in indulgence.

Upon my discharge from the Marines, I returned home to San Antonio and quickly fell into a deep depression. I spent all my time and money on alcohol, strip clubs, and pornography, gaining lots of weight and searching for new purpose in life. Besides a stop over in Dallas, I ended up at my sister's house in Oklahoma City. She was trying to help me find a "new-way", to give me a fresh start. She found a radio broadcasting school nearby, and thought that I would be perfect for it. It sounded great, and I was thinking "yeah, chicks dig the cool DJ... I will hit it big, a great job, lots of pay, and lots of women!" But, ten months, seven thousand dollars, and a hundred and fifty "no-thank-yous" from radio stations across the USA, and I was selling my car so I could buy a train ticket to Boston. My father was living in New Hampshire with his latest girlfriend, and I felt like this would give me a fresh, clean, start to a new life. It didn't take long after moving in to find my father's porn stash, and I started using and abusing as often as possible. It took offering to work for free before I was able to land a couple of radio gigs in southern New Hampshire. One of them was as the news director at WHOB 106.3 in Nashua. It was a good first radio job, and I was having lots of fun as the "side-kick" in the morning drive slot.

It was late summer of 97 and I was at my very first live, remote, broadcast, from a pizza joint in Nashua, when "she" showed up to introduce herself. She had been calling into the show and we were beginning to talk off the air as well. I was enjoying our conversations... trying to make myself sound like the "hip" radio guy as much as possible. I know she sounded so cute over the phone but, I was caught off guard when I first laid eyes on her. She was stunning, and I knew... right then and there... that I wanted to marry her.

I tried my best to "seal the deal" and as fast as I could. I wish I could say that my radio career worked out with great success but it didn't. I had to make a choice... follow the radio jobs, or follow this woman. By the end of that year I was working for a local telecommunications company trying to survive on only eight bucks an hour. When I finally did get on my knee, and present the ring, I was able to work my way up to project manager, which included a decent pay raise. Like music to my ears Michelle said "yes," and I was a very happy man.

"If we're going to get married," she said with some hesitancy, anticipating a negative response, "you're going to have to become a Catholic." "Catholic?" I thought, "Really?" I grew up in the Church of Christ, and they (some not all) think all Catholics are going to hell, so this should have been a big deal to me. However, it wasn't. I had fallen away as a teenager, and didn't really care what religion I was. I felt all religions were the same, so... "sure, I'll become Catholic!" I signed up for RCIA classes at the Cathedral in downtown Manchester. They were very nice people who tolerated me, my crazy world view, foul mouth and twisted since of humor, all without making me feel like the biggest sinner on the planet.

But it was one night that stands out the most. I was sitting there listening to the facilitator read the "beatitudes" in St Matthew's Gospel chapter five, thinking to myself just how "true" this rings! "Jesus is talking about seeking holiness here," I said to myself, "and I am everything opposite of these beatitudes. I mean I'm not 'free' to live, or seek, holiness!"

You see, I knew what I would do that very night as soon as I got back to the apartment. By now, I had high-speed-internet-access, all the porn I wanted was just a mouse click away. That was my reality, certainly not seeking holiness. I would take every opportunity to indulge in lust, listening to the radio, watching TV or even just replaying all the images in my mind... I was a slave to my passions. But, there, in that class... It was a moment of clarity for me. My next thought was, "It's a good thing I have a long life to live. Maybe someday I will be able to seek holiness, maybe someday I will be 'free.'" I still thank God that I was not run over by the proverbial truck after that night, that a chance at conversion could still be realized.

The Low Point

Vs. 15: So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16: And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything.

The priest who married us tried very hard to set us straight, but I had convinced Michelle that we should live together first, and we were surely living as man and wife, just without all that "commitment of the will, heart, and self" stuff would have gotten in the way of my desire to have "my needs" met.

It was a busy couple of years completing RCIA, receiving the Sacraments, planning the wedding, getting married, buying our first house, then having Michelle's mother, sister, and both brothers move in just months after signing on the dotted line. Yeah... good times!

Needless to say, I was overwhelmed and feeling very crowded. My work environment lent itself to my perverse lifestyle, and I was living like a drunken sailor, gone out-of-control, on shore leave at Mardi Gras, and no one was very happy about it. I railed against my in-laws, yelling at them constantly, disrespecting them, and making them feel so unwelcome in my home.

Then, one spring day, in 2002, I was laid off from work. Not only was I not bringing home love, charity, and integrity, but now, I was not brining home a paycheck either. Couple this with the many instances my wife had caught me using the porn, and she had enough. She wrote it out on a piece of paper, "You take this, I'll take that; we're done, I want a divorce"!

The Turn

Vs. 17: But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! 18: I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19: I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants."'

My whole world was crashing down around me. I had lost my job, was losing my house, and now my marriage too. I had nothing left, nowhere to turn, and nothing to hope for.

Feeling totally lost, and desperate, I turned to the one person who I was sure would not be there for me. I mean, I was never there for Him so why would He give me the "time of day"? I opened up the bible I was given in RCIA class to St. Matthew chapter five and began reading those beatitudes. I didn't know what else to do, I had no idea what to expect, so I just read them over and over again. My heart began to fill up with so much emotion and desperation, I was overcome with a great urge to get on my knees.

The Confession

Vs. 20: And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21: And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

I got down on my knees and I said, "God, I can not do this... you're going to have to do this." I cannot explain how, but in that instant God allowed me to mystically understand things that I didn't understand the very instant before. It was like the "scales" fell from my eyes. The moment before, I would have rationalized with you, "we were all born sexual beings, pre-marital sex, masturbation, fornication, porn, 'free-love'... it's all natural, everyone does it! Yes of course we practice contraception, its irresponsible not to! I mean, after all, its her body, and who are you, God, to tell her what to do with it?!?"

In that miraculous instant of time, God allowed me another wonderful moment of great clarity, and I no longer wanted to make excuses for my selfish ways. Not knowing exactly how I understood for the first time in my life that I had to maintain sexual integrity and practice chastity. For the first day, since I was about ten years old, I would not masturbate.

The "novelty" that women were not objects to be consumed but made in the image and likeness of God himself to be truly loved and cherished-- this idea both confused me and mystified me. My marriage was permanent, and worth saving, worth working for, yes, even worth suffering for, and I would need to beg my wife to stay and work it out.

The last, but certainly not the least, gift I was given that day was an insatiable thirst and hunger to know God. In the moment before, I turned to my bible out of desperation but now, in this moment, I could not get enough of God's word and I had to have more!

I'd had a personal encounter with the Living God but, I had no clue who He was. I was sent on a journey of discovery that would lead me back to the Catholic Church through the graces I had received in the sacraments.

The Restoration

Vs. 22: But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; 23: and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; 24: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to make merry.

A few weeks later I entered the confessional, begging God for mercy for decades of debauchery, abortion, and licentious behavior, not expecting to really receive it but, as I kneeled there, I heard the voice of Christ, through the person of the priest come through the screen saying the most beautiful words I had ever heard... "I absolve you of all your sins!"

How many times have I prayed for forgiveness, on my knees even, in solitude of my bedroom, but have never heard God's voice? Every time I watched porn, masturbated, or slept with a woman, I was seeking satisfaction but only and every time I found shame. No matter how many times I "confessed" it privately, I never found God's mercy, never receiving the assurance I so desperately desired. But, here, in this confessional, I came as a slave wallowing in the mud with the pigs, and my Father restored my dignity as a son of the Most High God! I was lost, but now was found! I was dead, but am alive again! God clothed me in His mercy, and I was a slave no longer. Now, I am truly free to pursue holiness, to live the beatitudes, now I realize that I was not born to lust, but to truly love; for Christ came to set us free from sin and death.

Over the course of the next several years our Lord would lead me to His cross, teaching me the vital tools of virtue, chastity, continence, and objectivity, so that I may combat my temptations with a healthy Christian response. I learned to avert my eyes, cut off the avenues of lust, and avoid the near occasions of sin, praying to Our Lady for help, and reminding myself of the dignity, value, and gift, of women.

I developed the skill to never allow a temptation to enter my thoughts without a fight. God is truly good, He has blessed me with a beautiful, loving and patient wife and 5 rambunctious and wonderful children. In spite of my unworthiness, I'm so blessed to spend my days sharing the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic faith with other in my work at Fullness Of Truth Catholic Evangelization Ministries. It never ceases to amaze me how God has opened so many doors, real opportunities, to be used by Him, for His glory, in the lives of other men who have, and still do, struggle with sexual sin.

Sharing my testimony with others has even changed my life and relationship with my father. Unbeknownst to me at the time, back in 2002, the same year God brought me to my knees, my father also had an encounter with Christ, giving his life to Jesus. Given the way in which he had lived his life, it would take some time before my sister and I would realize the fruits of his transformation. I had received many letters over the years from him but there was one that stands out the most. He hand wrote a letter asking me to forgive him for the sins he committed and for the effects they have wrought in my life. I wasn't even the only one, he also wrote to my sister and my mother, as well as others, asking each of them for their forgiveness. I knew at that point he was no longer the same man however, it would be a talk I gave in July of 2008 at men's conference, on this journey, that would change our relationship forever. After hearing my testimony my father wrote to me, "it was like getting to know you for the first time, son... I am so proud of you!"

The cycle of sin handed on from one generation to the next will end with me! My father inherited pornography addiction and sexual license from his father, and me from him. We once talked of conquest together... now, thanks be to God, we talk of what we both now love most... Jesus Christ! I have drawn the "line in the sand" and have declared "this far and no further!" My sons will not inherit this from me... they will not find porn in my home! My daughters will know that they are precious in my eyes and daughters of the Most High God, never to be used as objects rather to be truly loved and deeply understood. Although my father is not Catholic (in deed he is a deeply committed Christian) we have much in common and God is leading us on a journey together towards the day when we shall sit together at the same table, the wedding feast of the lamb!

Temptations will come, and I may fall again, but God in His infinite wisdom has given us the remedy to the wounds we receive in spiritual combat.... the sacraments. What a gift we have in reconciliation, to experience our Father running to meet us on the road, falling upon our neck, and lifting us up from feeding the swine to feasting at His table in His kingdom as His sons! Don't waste another moment of your life living in your sins, cut off from the life of God, repent and confess, for "Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (St. Luke 15:10)!

Notes: Verses taken from Revised Standard Translations. Emphasis added.

Joe McClane is the host of the “Behold The Man”, and former co-host of “Finding Your Keys” radio shows, as well as an a Catholic New Media producer & Evangelist. To learn more about Joe and his ministry please visit his website www.CatholicHack.com.

If you have found this story helpful in your spiritual journey we hope you will consider sharing it. Have feedback or would like to share your story? Email us at info@whyimcatholic.com

May Pasko ba ang Iglesia ni Cristo ni Manalo?

2011-12-11T10:41:00.001+04:00

Larawan kuha sa The Splendor of the Church

Tahasang itinuturo ng Iglesia ni Manalo na ang kanilang Iglesia ay HINDI nagdiriwang ng Pasko. Ayon sa kanila ang pagdiriwang na ito ay "HINDI" ang kapanganakan ni Cristo kundi pagdiriwang daw ng mga Pagano.

PASUGO Disyembre 1956, p. 34: (sinulat ni Benjamin T. Villalba)

“It strikes people as odd that members of the Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo) do not celebrate Christmas. (ang Iglesia ni Cristo ay tuwirang hindi nagdiriwang ng Pasko ng kapanganakan ni Cristo).”

Ngunit sa kabilang dako, kanilang ginugunita ang KAPASKUHAN na "PAGSILANG ni HESUS".

PASUGO Disyembre 1957, p. 28: (sinulat ni Emeliano I. Agustin) (Patula)

“Ang diwa ng Pasko ay kapayapaan;
Nang mundong naglunoy sa lusak ng Buhay;
Mabuting balita sa kinalulugdan;
Pagsilang ni Jesus sa abang sabsaban."

Hindi ba't ito rin ang minumungkahi ng PATALASTAS na NAILIMBAG nila sa kanilang PASUGO? Isa sa maraming kaipokrituhan ng Iglesiang tatag ni Felix Manalo!

Note: Ang lahat ng mga Pasugo quotes ay hango sa munting aklat na Ang Katotohanan Tungkol sa INK-1914

Republic of Mosambique now has diplomatic ties with Vatican

2011-12-10T16:02:00.001+04:00

VATICAN CITY, 9 DEC 2011 (VIS) - The Secretariat of State today published a communique regarding the signing of an agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of Mozambique, which took place on 7 December at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the latter African country.

The communique states that "the agreement, the first of its type signed by a southern African country, consolidates the existing links of friendship and collaboration between the two Parties. It is composed of a Preamble and twenty-three Articles, which regulate various aspects, including the juridical status of the Catholic church in Mozambique, the recognition of academic qualifications and canonical marriage, and the fiscal regime".

The Accord was signed on the part of the Holy See by Archbishop Antonio Arcari, Apostolic Nuncio in Mozambique, and on the part of the Republic of Mozambique, by Dr Oldemiro Julio Marques Baloi, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

Early Christianity is Catholicism! Therefore IT IS the only CHURCH!

2011-12-02T14:24:00.001+04:00

For the first thousand years of Christianity there was no "Roman Catholicism" as we know it today, simply because there was no Eastern Orthodoxy or Protestantism to distinguish it. There was only the "one, holy, catholic church" affirmed by the early creeds, which was the body of Christian believers all over the world, united by common traditions, beliefs, church structure and worship (catholic simply means "universal"). Thus, throughout the Middle Ages, if you were a Christian, you belonged to the Catholic Church. Any Christianity other than the Catholic Church was a heresy, not a denomination.

-Religion Facts

Atheist Convert: Dr. Ronda Chervin

2011-12-01T17:06:00.001+04:00

Source: Why I'm Catholic

Ronda converted to the Catholic Faith from a Jewish, though atheistic, background and has been a Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Loyola Marymount University, the Seminary of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is a widow, mother, and grandmother.

Saved!

by Ronda Chervin, Ph.D.

"I have called you by name, you are mine!" (Isaiah 43:1)

Thinking back, I imagine that my twin-sister and I were among the most alienated little children in New York City. I have never met anyone with our peculiar background. We were the children, born in 1937, of unmarried parents who met in the Communist party, but had left it shortly before our birth to become informers for the FBI. Apparently enraged communists threatened to bomb our cradle.

Both father and mother, though militant atheists, had Jewish backgrounds, but neither had been brought up as Jews – not even observing high holidays at home or at a synagogue.

As right wing political atheists of a Jewish ancestry, we didn't fit in with anyone around us: not with Catholics, not with the sprinkling of Protestants, certainly not with Orthodox religious Jews in full regalia, nor Reform Jews, nor Zionist atheist Jews, nor left-wing non-Zionist Jews. Later, as a Catholic, I realized that my desire to belong to an identifiable group forever and ever had a psychological as well as a theological reason.

My mother's parents professional European Jews who had been invited by the Czar, at the end of the 19th century, to help modernize Russia. Once arrived, they became fervent atheistic communists. When news reached their city that the police were rounding up suspicious revolutionaries in the squares to shoot them, my grandparents, the children, and some of the Polish servants, fled to the United States.

Although my grandfather, a doctor, practiced medicine among Jewish immigrants, mostly from Eastern Europe, the family never spoke Yiddish, a mixture of German and Hebrew. Instead, they exulted in being free-thinking socialist Americans whose brotherhood was with all mankind, certainly not with ghetto Jews.

My grandfather on my father's side was of Sephardic Jew ancestry – born in Curacao, South America – a descendant of a Spanish family, De Sola, half of which became Catholic during the Inquisition. He was from the Jewish half, and had migrated to the United States under a program initiated, I believe, by secret Jewish Masons, to bring young men to North America. The idea was to enroll them in professional colleges, so that they could eventually become well to do high status leaders in Masonic lodges. Solomon De Sola became a Madison Avenue dentist. Since his Masonic connection was secret, I never knew about it until years after my grandfather's death. I casually mentioned to my father how silly it was that some Catholics think there is a Jewish Masonic plot to take over the world. My father laughed at that false allegation but told me my grandfather was a secret Jewish Mason! My grandfather De Sola never observed Jewish holidays. He was an atheist.

My paternal grandmother was a blond, fragile, Pennsylvania Dutch woman who met my handsome hispanic grandfather in the dental chair. A deeply believing Christian, Grace Geist De Sola moved up the ladder economically and doctrinally from Quaker to Presbyterian to Episcopal. She never missed a Sunday at Church, prayed constantly for her atheistic husband, son, and grandchildren, and read the Bible night and day. She was forbidden on pain of never seeing us again to mention God or religion to us. After her death I inherited a copy of her Bible printed back in 1876 with inked messages throughout such as "someday I pray that my granddaughters will read this passage."

From heaven I hope she knows that both granddaughters became Christian leaders, albeit Roman Catholic. She insisted that her son, Ralph De Sola, be baptized and attend the Presbyterian Church. Around confirmation time, my father, always brave for good or evil, stood up in the congregation and announced that he was an atheist and walked out of the Church.

Growing up my parents had nothing but scorn and ridicule for my Christian grandmother. She was used as a proof of how only weak and stupid people still believe in God after Nietzsche and evolution had proved God dead or non-existent.

However, when we were 8 years old, our parents separated for good. During this painful process we were sent for a few weeks to our grandmother's summer cottage in Fire Island. I felt miserable being dumped, the end not specified, in the house of this grandmother who loved us tenderly but whom I thought of us an idiot and a weakling. Seeing her opportunity to introduce us to Jesus, Grace De Sola insisted on pain of missing dessert, that we sing the famous lullaby "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so, Jesus, loves me this I know, yes, Jesus loves me." Even though, in loyalty to our parents, we acted as if we sang that hymn only under duress, I never forgot the words.

Was that the first time I heard you, Jesus, calling my name?

Fast forward: I was an eleven years old New York City girl sitting in public school at one of those old-fashioned wooden desks thoroughly marked with the graffiti carved by sixty years worth of bored pupils; the kind of desk that still had ink wells. Once a week we had show and tell. Pre-selected students had to get up and display, say, a toy plastic turtle from a Christmas trip to Florida with a two sentence narrative. Amusing. No pressure except for the child who had to perform.

But this time something different happened. There was a pause. Probably set up by a Catholic teacher, a quiet boy none of us paid attention to normally, came walking in wearing a long black robe with a white linen blouse like thing on top of it. He stood absolutely still, hands steepled in prayer, and started singing Adeste Fidelis. It was the first time I had ever heard sacred music. I listened in stunned, bewildered, but joyful, silence.

Was that you, my Jesus, calling my name?

At the time I didn't realize that this lad must have been an altar boy at the Catholic Church. My knowledge of Catholics was limited, negative, though in hindsight, somewhat humorous. We lived in the same neighborhood that is depicted in West Side Story. Before the Puerto Ricans came it was partly Jewish and partly Irish Catholic. There were only about 2 Catholics at the public school because most Catholics children in those days went to the Catholic school. The only ones I recognized on the street were incipient or actual members of gangs. Why did I think they were Catholics? Because in those days all Catholic girls wore crucifixes around their necks and the boys wore scapulars and sometimes also had rosaries dangling out of their pockets. Besides you could tell they were Catholics because they looked so mean. Since the girls also looked sexy, I used to think that was a mark of a Catholic!

One day I was walking home with my sister and a group of pre-teen boys circled us.

"So, what are you?

"Are you Catholic?"

"No."

"Are you Protestant."

"No."

"Are you Jewish?"

"No." (Our parents had never told us we had a Jewish ancestry.)

"So what are you?

"We're atheists," we answered proudly.

Having never heard of this category, they strolled off instead of beating us up as Christ-killing Jews.

Was that you guardian angel, trying to protect us not only from physical harm but from hatred of Catholics?

How did we find out we were Jewish? Well, the public school was 99% Jewish. So on Jewish holidays everyone had a holiday. When we mentioned at home that we were the only ones there besides 2 Catholics and 1 Protestant, our parents reluctantly admitted, "Well, you are Jews. You can stay home." Hurrah!

Summers in New York City were and are torrid. Before air conditioning fathers would wait til there was no policeman in sight, bring down a big wrench and open the fire hydrants so that the kids on the block could cool off. It was so much fun jumping up and down in the rushing water that Jewish kids forgot their fear of the Catholic kids and jumped in, too.

Affluent Jews sent their children off to summer camp in New England or Pennsylvania. Being poor after the separation of our parents, we went to the YMCA camp. Although the YMCA was only nominally Christian, there was a tradition of having a Christmas celebration right in the middle of the July session of the camp! A nativity was assembled and the Christian counselors taught all of the campers how to sing carols. If the parents of Jewish children got wind of this, they were allowed to have their kids excused from the practice and the "idolatrous ceremony of kissing the little "doll." But my sister and I were atheists, so our mother didn't mind if we learned carols. Superstitious religious stuff was garbage as doctrine, but okay as just an old custom.

Hearing Silent Night and Come Holy Night sung not on the radio but live by beloved counselors, I was enchanted. Such beauty. Somehow different from the beauty of secular classical music or popular songs.

Was that you, Mother Mary, calling me by name?

Junior High School English class. The assignment: write a page about what you want to be when you grow up. It had to be done on the spot. "How can I know what I want to be, if I don't know the meaning of life?" I wrote spontaneously. I don't think I would have remembered this precocious philosophical question, a prophecy of my later choice to become a philosophy professor, had the teacher not graded it A plus.

Was that you, Holy Spirit, calling me by name?

I am transferring from City College of New York to the University of Rochester, mainly because I want to have the out of town living experience I have read about in books. Looking for pictures for my wall, I gravitated toward a cheap print of Salvador Dali's crucifixion, just because of it's aesthetic value, I think. Placed in a dorm wing of almost all New York City Jews, the other young women assumed I was a Catholic. Even though they were not very religious, they suggested I take it down since I was Jewish by culture if not by faith. I refused, without knowing why.

Was that you, my Jesus, calling me by name?

Like many, though not all, atheists, I was brought up to think the sexual morality of religious people was ridiculous. Out of fear of pregnancy, I avoided going as far as sexual intercourse. But being on my own, my great wish was to shed my virginity as soon as I could find some attractive young man willing to initiate me. By God's providence I didn't get pregnant, since I would surely have had an illegal abortion if I had.

Was that you, Father of life, protecting me from life-long guilt?

One of my "friends" happened to love the music of Bach. One afternoon he sat me down in the lounge and made me listen to a Bach's Wachet Auf. I didn't like choral music at all, but I sat riveted to the chair listening with profound attention to the sacred song.

Was that you Jesus, calling me by name?

My third intimate male friend was a foreign student, in the philosophy graduate program. He was a German who had been in the Nazi Youth as a teen, but who had been saved by a Catholic priest from remaining in that terrible movement. Many of his friends became Catholic because of the ministry of the priest. He did not, but he believed that Catholicism was the only salvation! He hoped to become a Catholic someday after sowing his wild oats. This man started feeding me apologetic books from G. K. Chesterton to Karl Adam. Not having ever read the New Testament, I hardly understood a word of these treatises. But something stuck because I started wanting to meet Catholics even after my relationship to the German broke up.

Was that you, St. Mary Magdalene, calling me by name?

During a trip a friend wanted to visit the National Museum of Art in Washington, D.C. Hanging on a wall was Dali's Last Supper. I didn't like the picture at all from an aesthetic point of view, but I felt glued to the spot. I stared and stared at the table and the Christ feeling mystically drawn into it. Fifteen minutes later my Jewish friend had to drag me away.

Was that you, Jesus of the Eucharist, calling me by name?

Majoring in philosophy had been my way of searching for truth. In the secular universities I attended, skepticism was so much in vogue that by a year of graduate school I felt hopeless. Where was truth? Where was love? Why even live? In this frame of mind, Thanksgiving vacation in NYC, 1958, my mother, who never watched TV during the day and never surfed channels, turned on a program called The Catholic Hour. The guests were Dietrich Von Hildebrand and Alice Jourdain, soon to become Von Hildebrand. They were talking about truth and love. Spontaneously I wrote a letter to them c/o of the station telling them of my unsuccessful search for truth.

It turned out they both live on the West Side of NYC: Alice 2 blocks from me and Dietrich 10 blocks from me. Alice invited me for a visit. Her roommate, Madeleine (later to become the wife of Lyman Stebbins founder of Catholics United for the Faith) met me at the door and ushered me into a small room. There was this very European looking woman (she came from Belgium during World War II) who looked at me with such intense interest I was immediately drawn into her heart. She suggested I sit in on classes of Dietrich Von Hildebrand and Balduin Schwarz, his disciple, at Fordham University. Balduin's son, Stephen, a philosophy graduate student, now a philosophy professor and pro-life apologist, could bring me up to the Bronx and show me around.

I sat in on a few classes. What impressed me most was not the ideas of these Catholic philosophers which I didn't understand very well, but their personal vitality and joy. The skepticism, relativism, and historicism, that characterized most secular universities at that time left many of the professors sad and dessicated. Drawn to this joy, as well as the loving friendliness with which everyone in this circle of Catholics moved out to greet a newcomer, I quickly switched from Johns Hopkins to Fordham to continue my studies. That the wife of Balduin Schwarz was a Jewish woman converted from an atheistic background certainly also made my entry into this new phase of my life easier.

After a few months at Fordham, I could not help but wonder how come the brilliant lay Catholics and the brilliant Jesuits in the philosophy department could believe those ideas such as the existence of God, the divinity of Christ, the reality of objective truth, moral absolutes, and the need for Church-going. Obviously it was not only stupid and weak people who thought this way. What is more they could prove that the mind could know truth and that there were universal ethical truths in a few sentences.

Was that you, Holy Spirit, removing road-blocks to my eventual conversion to the Absolute Truth which is a Trinity of Persons? Were you calling me by name?

I was sad to think that I would not be able to study with these wonderful people during the summer since they went back to Europe every year during those months. By now I found it hard to enjoy my sinful relationships with cynical if interesting men. Unexpectedly Professor Schwarz suggested I go on a Catholic art tour with them. My money problems could be solved by a scholarship. Later I realized this money was probably donated by one of the circle in the hope that deeper acquaintance with my professor would facilitate conversion.

To understand the miraculous character of the events that follow you have to know I hated all but modern art. This was owing to forced trips to museums as a child. I liked colorful impressionistic pictures but nothing earlier than the 20th century, and certainly not old-fashioned Catholic art. And, even though by now I thought there was truth, I had no knowledge of God, Christ, or the Church and no interest in learning more. So, my only reason for going on the tour was to cling to my dear new friends.

The first miracle came when I saw Chartres Cathedral in France. I looked at the amazing shape of that Church with the beautiful stained glass windows and I started to cry. The line from Keats: "Beauty is truth, truth is beauty," came to mind and I asked myself, "How could this be so beautiful if there is no truth to it, just medieval ignorance?"

Wasn't that you, God of Beauty, calling me by name?

The pilgrims on the Catholic Art Tour all went to daily Mass. I started going also out of curiosity. Seeing my noble wise philosophy professor on his knees astounded and disgusted me. I wanted to jerk him up and say no man should kneel. "You are the captain of your soul, you are the master of your fate."

Finding out that I had never read the New Testament, and seizing the moment of grace, Schwarz, my god-father to be, searched through bookstores in Southern France until he found a Bible in English for me.

Second miracle: on the tour bus, reading the Gospels without understanding much, I fell asleep. I had a dream. There was a large room with tables. Jesus and Mary were sitting backs to the wall. Mary beckoned me and said in Hebrew "Come sit with us." (I don't know Hebrew but in the dream I did.)

Wasn't that you, Blessed Lady of Zion, calling me by name?

Third miracle: I got the impulse to kneel on the floor of the hotel and say a skeptic's prayer I thought my professor had told me as a joke:

"God, if there is a God, save my soul, if I have a soul."

The next day we hit Lourdes. My godparents to be, the Schwarzes, were praying that I would not be put off by the rows of trinket vendors. I said, "I'm used to 42nd St., nothing bothers me." Fourth miracle: I was touched to the core by the Immaculate Mary hymn of the pilgrims sung in candlelight procession in many languages.

Wasn't that you, dear Immaculate Mother, calling me by name?

Fifth miracle: again, the art I thought I hated, was used by God to reach me. In a museum in Florence I saw Da Vinci's unfinished nativity. I looked at the Virgin Mary, so simple, pure, and sweet and I wept. She had something I would never have: purity! For the first time I thought of myself as a sinner. I felt impelled to tell my mentors, sure they would banish me. Of course, they didn't. Jesus came to save sinners.

Wasn't that you, Our Lady, who called me by name?

Sixth miracle: The face of Christ in a tapestry of Raphael came alive, not for the others, but just for me!

Wasn't that you, my Jesus, calling me by name?

Seventh miracle: the tour included viewing Pope Pius XII at St. Peter's. I had dreaded being bored at museums, but having to be in a crowd watching the Pope, who I thought of vaguely as dressed up in the gold that belonged to the poor, was more than I could stand. I would go shopping instead. My mild professor insisted I go. So I went. At the end of the ceremony the Pope was blessing the disabled and sick. It was hard to see him because of the crowd. My rather old not very strong god-father to be lifted me up so I could see the charity of the face of the Holy Father. Pope Pius XII had exactly the same expression in his eyes, as the living face of Jesus from the tapestry.

Dear Holy Spirit, was that not you prompting my god-father? Was that not you, calling me by name?

Stunned by this profusion of supernatural happenings, but too much a thinker to proceed on that basis only, I studied books like C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. Lewis' famous chapter was an intellectual turning point. He shows that it is no good fence-sitting by deciding Jesus was just a wonderful man or a prophet. When a man claims to be divine he is either really God, insane or a liar? Since no one thinks Jesus was insane or a liar, he must have been divine. Reading books of Chesterton and Cardinal Newman made becoming a Catholic seem inevitable.

Wasn't that you, dear Holy Trinity, Mother Mary, Guardian Angel, all you saints, especially St. Edith Stein, calling me by name?

January 4, 1959, at 21, I was baptized. There has never been a moment in my life when I have regretted being a Catholic. Later my twin-sister, mother, and husband became Catholics, making us into a Hebrew-Catholic family. The way God saved them and me during the rest of my long life can be found in my autobiography, En Route to Eternity and also in other books by me you can find at www.rondachervin.com.

Ronda Chervin is an international speaker and author of some fifty books about Catholic thought, practice and spirituality. She is currently a Dedicated Widow of the Holy Eucharist forming a small community of dedicated widows. Dr. Ronda is currently teaching philosophy at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut. If you are interested in reading more of Ronda's writings you can follow her blog at www.ccwatershed.org.

If you have found this story helpful in your spiritual journey we hope you will consider sharing it. Have feedback or would like to share your story? Email us at info@whyimcatholic.com

Afraid of the Cross: Muslims say crosses at Catholic University Violate 'Human Rights'

2011-11-01T05:40:00.000+04:00

Muslims in our lands are becoming too demanding now that they literally wanted our faith to be out of their ways. If they can use our Democratic laws to press for their "human rights" they would do so. I may not be living a hundred years but I am afraid they are testing the waters now. They are up for the Islamization of our lands "Thanks to your democratic laws, we will invade you. Thanks to our religious laws, we will dominate you" says one Muslim leader to a Catholic Bishop. They start to demand for something and soon once they are a majority, they will demand Sharia (Islamic Law) within our system. These demands are NEVER enjoyed by non-Muslims in Islamic states! They DO NOT know how to reciprocate their own demands.

This is a "CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY". They should KNOW that before they enroll. They are free to enroll somewhere but not in our universities.

Who is afraid of the Cross? Only those anti-Catholics. Islam and many protestant churches particularly the INC of Manalo who says the cross is the "mark of the beast" will hate the Cross of Christ. -CD2002

Under fire: Catholic University where Muslim students claim they are being discriminated against (Read more: DailyMail)

By Daily Mail Reporter

Muslim students at the renowned Catholic University have complained their human rights have been violated by the college.

They have accused education chiefs of banning them from forming a Muslim student group and failing to provide prayer rooms without Christian symbols.

The Office of Human Rights is investigating 60 pages of allegations against the private university in Washington DC.

Offensive to Muslims

The students claim they are surrounded by 'a wooden crucifix, paintings of Jesus, pictures of priests and theologians which many Muslim students find inappropriate.'

The complaint, launched by John Banzhaf, an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School, also claimed female students were being discriminated against.

Banzhaf has been involved in a previous case against the school involving same-sex residence halls. The latest investigation could take six months to complete.

He claimed some Muslim students were particularly offended because they had to meditate overlooked by the cathedral that looms over the entire campus – the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

He told Fox News: “It shouldn’t be too difficult to set aside a small room where Muslims can pray without having to stare up and be looked down upon by a cross of Jesus.

“They do have to pray five times a day and to be sitting there trying to do Muslim prayers with a big cross looking down or a picture of Jesus or a picture of the Pope is not very conductive to their religion.'

A spokesman for the university claimed they had not received any complaint from the students.

Victor Nakas, associate vice president for public affairs, told the TV station that its Catholic traditions meant it welcomed students from other faiths.

No students had registered complaints about the exercise of their religions on the campus, he said.

Home of Catholic Scholars: Two Popes have visited the University

In a 2010, university president John Garvey admitted they do not set aside prayer rooms for Muslim students.

He said: “We make classrooms available, or our chapels are places where they can pray.

'We don’t offer Halal meat, although there are always meals that conform to Halal regulations, that allow students to do what they want.'

Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, an organization which promotes Catholic identity among Catholic schools, accused Banzhaf of turning civil rights 'on its head'.

He told Fox: “One wouldn’t expect a Jewish institution to be responsible for providing liturgical opportunities for other faiths and I wouldn’t expect a Catholic institution to do that.

Catholic Church leads the World for Peace at Assisi

2011-10-29T06:09:00.000+04:00

At Assisi the Catholic Church of Christ will again invite leaders of different faiths to commit themselves to PEACE. Some 300 participants came (of course NOT ALL the "churches of Christ" (mga iglesia ni Cristo) greet the Church of Rome -Romans 16:16). The Holy Father clearly stated “Violence never again! War never again! Terrorism never again! In the name of God, may every religion bring upon the earth Justice and Peace, Forgiveness and Life, Love.” And so we commit. - CD2000

Assisi 2011: 300 lights for peace and freedom

Assisi (AsiaNews) – The Day of Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer for Peace and Justice in the World ended in the simplest and most poetic way, with an exchange of peace among participants. This was preceded by the lighting of small lamps that a group of young people handed out in silence to the 300 representatives who had come to Assisi on Benedict XVI’s invitation.

The Day ended in a square near St Francis’s basilica, where the 1986 edition had been celebrated. Unlike previous editions, there was no public prayer, either in group, separately or in sequence, but only minutes of silence before the lighting of the lamps, accompanied by the sound of harps. Every participant, as someone said, was able “to invoke the gift of peace or express hope for it in his or her innermost conscience.”

The lights are a token of the responsibility everyone undertook in front of the others and God. In introducing the sign of peace, Card Koch, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said, “Let us become tools of the peace that comes from high above. Let us remember that there is no peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness. Let us seal with a gesture of peace among us the commitment to peace proclaimed by the many. Let us bring peace to those near us and those far from us, to all creatures and creation.”

When it was time to make the exchange of peace, Franciscan friars released dozens of white doves. Some alighted on the hands of a number of representatives.

Earlier, 12 representatives and one “truth seeker”, Prof Guillermo Hurtado from Mexico, reiterated their decision to be peacemakers. When each spoke, they began by saying, “We commit ourselves to [. . .] justice, respect among nations, a more humane technology, care for creation, uprooting terrorism, etc.”

Card Jean-Louis Tauran introduced the afternoon session. “Hope for peace,” he said, “has been reawakened in personal prayer and in listening to the testimonies. Each one of us, returning to his or her home, has at heart to be a witness and a messenger: peace is possible, even today!”

When it was the pope’s turn to speak, Benedict XVI said, “Violence never again! War never again! Terrorism never again! In the name of God, may every religion bring upon the earth Justice and Peace Forgiveness and Life, Love.”

At the end of the meeting, Benedict XVI and those who so chose visited the crypt to pray in front of St Francis’s tomb.

Turkey: Pope appeals for the victims of earthquake

2011-10-27T06:37:00.000+04:00

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Benedict XVI today launched an appeal for support for relief efforts for the Turkish population affected by a severe earthquake. "At this time - he said during the Liturgy of the Word celebrated in the Vatican today - our thoughts go to the people of Turkey hardest hit by the earthquake, which has caused heavy loss of life, many missing and extensive damage. '" The Pontiff continued: "I invite you to join me in prayer for those who have lost their lives and to be spiritually close to those many people so sorely tried. May the Almighty support all those engaged in rescue work. "

The latest official figures, published this morning, speaks of 461 dead, 325 injured and hospitalized. Rescuers have worked hard all night, and more than 67 hours after the earthquake struck two people were extracted from the rubble still alive: an 18 year-old university student and an English teacher of 27, Gozde Bahar (pictured), whose conditions are very serious, due to a cardiac arrest suffered during transport to hospital. The rescue of the woman is probably destined to be the last for this earthquake: a source among aid workers at the Van centre, the capital of the province affected by the earthquake, reported that " recovery operations have ended" and that there is no longer any hope of finding people alive under the rubble.

Meanwhile, the Turkish government has changed its mind and decided to accept offers of help from several countries, including Israel, to meet the emergency needs caused by the devastating earthquake that struck the south-east of the country. In a statement the Foreign Ministry said that the needs are limited to tents and prefabricated houses, because hundreds of people have lost their homes. 2,256 buildings were destroyed most of them private apartments. Ankara has however, rejected of foreign rescue teams, with the exception of personnel from Azerbaijan and Iran, who are already working in disaster areas of the province of Van.

In what may be termed "rescue diplomacy" an Israeli military plane travelled to Turkey today with first aid materials for the earthquake-stricken population. This was announced by the Israeli armed forces radio. On board there are several structures for prefabricated buildings. Other prefabricated buildings will be sent to Turkey in the coming days, by both military aircraft, and sea. The assent of Turkey to receive aid from Israel - despite the state of strong diplomatic tension between the two countries – came overnight and immediately Defence Minister Ehud Barak ordered emergency aid be sent. From the Turkish side, according to press reports, it was nevertheless clear that practical help are welcome, but Turkey would prefer not to resort to accepting the aid of the Israeli military on the ground, even though they have a considerable experience in helping people remain trapped in the debris. The Israeli press believes that sending aid to earthquake victims in Turkey will have no impact on the political tension between the two countries. "Our relations with Turkey are not good, but we must still strive to improve them," claimed Amos Gilad, a political adviser to Barak.

WE ARE CATHOLICS!

2011-10-26T21:54:00.000+04:00

Pope Benedict canonizes three new saints

2011-10-24T06:42:00.001+04:00

Getty Images from leperpriest

Vatican City, Oct 23, 2011 (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI has canonized three new saints at a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, describing the heavenly triumvirate as “a model for all believers.”

“Let us be attracted by their examples, let us be guided by their teachings, so that our whole existence becomes a witness of authentic love for God and neighbor,” the Pope Benedict said to tens of thousands of enthusiastic pilgrims Oct. 23.

The three new saints are Sister Bonifacia Rodriguez y Castro, Archbishop Guido Maria Conforti and Father Luigi Guanella.

Sr. Bonifacia was born in the Spanish city of Salamanca in 1837. She dedicated her life to the welfare of poor female workers. In 1874 she co-founded the Servants of St. Joseph that offered work to poor unemployed women.

Archbishop Guido Maria Conforti was born near Parma in Italy in 1865. As a young man he dreamed of becoming a foreign missionary but ill-health saw him turned down by various orders. His solution was to found his own missionary order, the Xaverian Missionaries, in 1895. He also served as bishop of Ravenna and later of Parma.

Fr. Luigi Guanella was born in the Italian province of Como in 1842. He dedicated his life to the care of the poor and needy. He founded the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence in 1881 and Servants of Charity in 1908.

Drawing upon today’s Gospel in which Christ tells an enquiring Pharisee that “you shall love your neighbor as yourself,” the Pope said that “the visible sign that the Christian can show the world to witness to the love of God is the love of their brethren.”

“How providential is then the fact that today the Church should indicate to all members three new saints who allowed themselves to be transformed by divine love, which marked their entire existence,” said the Pope, explaining that “in different situations and with different charisms, they loved the Lord with all their heart and their neighbor as themselves so as to become a model for all believers.”

Present among the pilgrims today was 30-year-old William Glisson from Springfield, Pa. His 2002 miraculous recovery from serious head injuries sustained while rollerblading was attributed to the heavenly intercession of Fr. Guanella. It was that miracle which led to today’s canonization.

“It’s truly amazing and it’s extremely humbling that this could be happening,” William told CNA. He is still grateful to all those who prayed to Fr. Guanella on his behalf.

“Their prayers were answered and I was healed because of that and that he became a saint is just amazing. And the fact that I'm even here, this place is amazing. It’s just hard to even describe, to put into words.”

A minor disruption of today’s ceremony happened when a man, thought to be Romanian, climbed onto the colonnades in St. Peter’s Square and proceeded to burn a Bible.

“Pope, where is Christ?” he shouted in English before throwing the charred Bible to ground below. The man was talked out of further actions by, among others, the Pope’s chief bodyguard Domenico Giani.

The Pope himself seemed totally unfazed by the incident and simply carried on with the celebration of Mass.

INC Member: "...kailanman ay hindi namin itutulad si ka Felix kay Cristo"

2011-10-23T22:27:00.002+04:00

Photo source: ReadMeINC

Maraming salamat naman po at nakapulot na naman po tayo ng isang mahalagang komento mula sa mga kaanib ng INC ni Manalo dito sa post nating An Iglesia ni Cristo member quoting protestant ant....

Sa kabila ng kanilang pilit na PAGTATAGO ng kanilang OPISYAL na ARAL sa aklat man o sa Internet, ay kusang LUMALABAS mula sa mga kaanib nito kung anong PANG-KAUNAWA nila sa kanilang mga aral.

Nakakalungkot na isipin na ang halos mga bumabatikos sa aral-Katoliko ay mga dating Katoliko na walang alam sa pananampalataya. Their failure is our failure too as a Church. Kaya't sa pamamagitan ng blog na ito, umaasa tayong maibahagi sa kanila ang KATOTOHANANG pilit na IKINUKUBLI sa kanila ng kanilang mga bayarang ministro at umaasa tayong sa tulong ng Banal na Espiritu Santo na liwanagan ang kanilang pang-unawa at mabuksan ang kanilang kamangmangan at bumalik sa KAWAN ni CRISTO HESUS-- ang kaniyang TUNAY NA IGLESIA!

Sa isang paksa, natalakay ko ang pag-atake ng isang kaanib na SUMASAMBA SA REBULTO at ngayo'y LUMIPAT sa INC ni MANALO.

anyway, basahin po natin ang bagong komentong ito:

ire has left a new comment on your post "An Iglesia ni Cristo member quoting protestant ant...":

naku may away ata dito! haha

mga INC members jan,
mga kapatid huwag po tayo padala sa mga naninira..
talagang ganito lang sa mundo..
manalig lng po sa inyong pananampalataya gaya ng pananalig ng mga katoliko sa kanila..

huwag po nating ipilit na intindihin tayo ng nasa labas, kapag naibahagi na natin sa kanila ang ating pananampalataya, tanggapin man nila o hindi, wala na tayong paki-alam doon..

author ng blog na ito,

i understand po kung bakit ganito ang laman ng blog na ito... kaso nga lang kung i defend nio po ang inyong relihiyon, eh wag na po ninyong lagyan pa ng sarili ninyong opinion.. gaya ng pagsasabi ng Iglesia ni MANALO, Iglesia po kami ni Cristo at kailanman ay hindi namin itutulad si ka Felix kay Cristo, at si ka Felix ay hindi founder ng INC..

pero bahala na kau.. sanay na kami sa mga naninira.. gaya ng pagbato ng mga Katoliko sa mga kapatid pagkatapos ng pagsamba doon sa aming lugar noon.. .

daming nasaktan at nagkabukol.. harsh talaga (buti na nga lang ngayon pa blog2x na sa pag defend ng faith)..
well., magkaalaman nalng po sa araw ng Paghuhukom..

^_^

“Parehong-pareho ang espiritu ni Cristo sa diwa ni Kapatid na Felix Manalo sa pamamaraan ng pagdadala ng tungkuling tinanggap sa Dios." -PASUGO Hulyo 1965, p. 12

Wala pong away dito. Paliwanagan lamang po. Ito po'y isang paraan ng pagtatalakay sa mga katotohanang pilit BINABALUKTOT ng mga ministro ng INC ni Manalo.

Maraming salamat sa mahinahong pagpapaliwanag ng inyong opinyon ngunit kapansin-pansin po ang mga LIHIS sa KATOTOHANAN binitiwan niyong mga pangungusap at maaaring MAKATISOD sa mga "tupang maliit ang pananampalataya."

Ang sabi niyo:

"i understand po kung bakit ganito ang laman ng blog na ito...

Ano po ba ang inyong "naunawaan" sa blog na ito? Sa palagay ko, WALA po kayong "naunawaan" sa kabila ng pagpapaliwanag ko ng katotohanan sapagkat ayaw niyong unawain ang mga katotohanang lantad na lantad.

Ang sabi niyo:

"kaso nga lang kung i defend nio po ang inyong relihiyon, eh wag na po ninyong lagyan pa ng sarili ninyong opinion.. gaya ng pagsasabi ng Iglesia ni MANALO,..."

Hindi ko po opinyon ang pagsabing "IGLESIA NI MANALO" ang INC. Ito'y OPISYAL na sinabi ng inyong mga MINISTRONG MANUNULAT sa PASUGO.

Ang sabi ng inyong OPISYAL na PASUGO Mayo 1968, pahina 7, IISA LAMANG daw ang Iglesiang kay Cristo. Ito'y ang IGLESIANG ITINATAG ni CRISTO. Maliban dito, ang lahat ay HUWAD na!

“Ang tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo ay iisa lamang, ito ang Iglesiang itinayo ni Cristo. Kung mayroon mang nagsisibangon ngayong mga Iglesia at sasabihing sila man ay INK rin ang mga ito ay hindi tunay kundi huwad lamang!"

Ang sabi pa ng inyong OPISYAL na PASUGO Nobyembre 1940, pahina 23, si CRISTO LAMANG ang TANGING makapagtayo ng Iglesia. Maliban sa kaniya (HESUS) wala nang ibang may karapatan!

“Iisa lamang ang tanging makapagtatayo ng Iglesiang magiging dapat sa Dios. Kung sino? -- Ang ating Panginoong Jesu-Cristo lamang! Sinumang tao-- maging marunong o mangmang-- ay walang karapatang magtayo..."

Sapagkat ang sabi ng inyong OPISYAL na magasing PASUGO Mayo 1952, pahina 4, kung SINO ang NAGTATAG SIYA RIN daw DAPAT ang may-ari ng ITINATAG at kanya rin galing ang mga aral...

“Kung ang babalingan ng pag-uusapan ay ang nagtatag, dapat na siya ang may-ari ng itinatag, at sa kanya rin manggagaling ang mga aral at turo na ipinatutupad."

At kung si CRISTO ang nagtatag ng UNANG IGLESIA, dapat lang na sa kanya ito! Maging ito man ay tawaging IGLESIA, o IGLESIA ng DIOS, o IGLESIA ni CRISTO, o IGLESIA ni HESUS, o IGLESIA ng PANGINOON-- IISANG IGLESIA ito! Wala ng iba pa!

Patunay na ang INC ay "Iglesia ni Manalo" ay hango sa OPISYAL na magasing PASUGO Agosto-Setyembre 1964, pahina 5 tungkol sa Iglesia raw ni Cristo na itinatag lamang noong 1914?

“Kailan napatala sa Pamahalaan o narehistro ang INK sa Pilipinas? Noong Hulyo 27, 1914. Tunay nga na sinasabi sa rehistro na si Kapatid na F. Manalo ang nagtatag ng INK."

Ang sabi niyo:

Iglesia po kami ni Cristo at kailanman ay hindi namin itutulad si ka Felix kay Cristo, at si ka Felix ay hindi founder ng INC..

Opo! Si F. Manalo raw po ang NAGTATAG ng INK sa Pilipinas noong 1914.

Ito rin po ang sinasabi ng kanilang rehistro sa SEC.

Ito rin po ang sinasabi ng KASAYSAYAN!

Ito rin po ang buong tapang na sinasabi ng mga MAMAMAHAYAG!

Si "Kapatid na F. Manalo" raw po ang nagtatag.

Sa makatuwid, IGLESI ni MANALO nga ang Iglesia ni Cristo (Registered Trademark) sa Pilipinas!

Ang sabi niyo:

"...kailanman ay hindi namin itutulad si ka Felix kay Cristo"

MALI!

Ang sabi po ng inyong OPISYAL na magasing PASUGO Hulyo 1965, pahina 12 ay ganito:

“Parehong-pareho ang espiritu ni Cristo sa diwa ni Kapatid na Felix Manalo sa pamamaraan ng pagdadala ng tungkuling tinanggap sa Dios."

Ano raw?

PAREHONG-PAREHO raw si CRISTO sa diwa ni MANALO!

Heto pa ang sinabi ng inyong OPISYAL na magasing PASUGO Mayo 1961, pahina 22, ang Juan 10:16, ang PASTOL ay HINDI si CRISTO kundi si MANALO NA!

“Papaano magiging kawan o Iglesia ni Cristo itong mga tupa ni Jesus na nagmumula sa Pilipinas, hindi naman naparito si Cristo noong 1914? Ang sabi ni Jesus, Juan 10:16, 'magkakaroon sila ng isang Pastor'. Sino itong isang Pastor ng Iglesia na lilitaw sa Pilipinas? Ang pinagsabihan ng Dios: 'Huwag kang matakot, sapagkat ako'y sumasaiyo: (Isaias 43:5).

“Sino itong pastor ng Iglesiang lilitaw sa Pilipinas? Ito ang huling tinatawag o sugo na kasama ng Dios. Ito ang Kapatid na Felix Manalo. Noong sabihin ni Cristo na siya'y mayroon pang ibang mga tupa na wala sa kulungan at sila'y gagawing isang kawan at magkakaroon ng isang pastor, noon pa'y mayroon na siyang karapatan."

Pero sa ibang aklat nilang pinamagatang "SULO" pahina 58, REKLAMO silang "ginagamit raw ng Iglesia Katolika ang Juan 10:16 para sa Papa samantalang si CRISTO raw ang tanging PASTOL sa Juan 10:16.

“Itinuturo din ng Iglesia Katolika na ang Papa ang siyang "Kataas-taasang Pastor". (Question Box 169). Ito ay salungat din sa turo ni Jesus at ng mga Apostol, sapagkat sinabi ni Cristo: "Ako ang tanging Pastor" (Juan 10:16).”

Heto pa ang NINAKAW ni FELIX MANALO kay CRISTO ayon sa inyong OPISYAL na magasing PASUGO Disyembre 1956, pahina 17: (patula)

“ANG KAPANGANAKAN NG SINUGO

At sa huling kaarawang nalalapit na ngang ganap;
Ang dakilang paghuhukom ng Dios sa taong lahat;
Sa pagibig ni Bathalang ang tao ay maligtas;
Sa hula ay pinabangon ang Sugo sa Pilipinas;
Siya ay si Kapatid Felix Manalo ang tawag;
Si Elias na paririto bago dumating ang wakas."

Hindi ba't si CRISTO ang HINULAANG SANGGOL sa Isaias at HINDI si MANALO? Basahin ang Juan 4:9,16 at Gawa 4:12!

At heto ang NAKAKAKILABOT na PAG-ANGKIN ni MANALO sa kabanalan ni CRISTO na nailathala sa kanilang OPISYAL na magasing PASUGO Mayo 1964, pahina 1 ay INIHANDOG daw ng DIOS kay MANALO ang kaniyang SARILI para DUMIYOS sa kanya (FYM)???:

“Inihandog ng Dios ang kanyang sarili sa kanyang huling sugo upang dumiyos sa kanya. Samakatuwid, ang tanging may Dios na huling araw na ito'y ang huling sugo -- si Kapatid na Felix Manalo."

Sabi niyo:

"pero bahala na kau.. sanay na kami sa mga naninira.. gaya ng pagbato ng mga Katoliko sa mga kapatid pagkatapos ng pagsamba doon sa aming lugar noon.. .

daming nasaktan at nagkabukol.. harsh talaga (buti na nga lang ngayon pa blog2x na sa pag defend ng faith)..
well., magkaalaman nalng po sa araw ng Paghuhukom.."

Madali ang MAGPARATANG pero mahirap patunayan.

May BALITA po bang nai-report ng media tungkol dito?

Nagkaroon ba ng POLICE INVESTIGATION kung sino nga ba talaga ang mga "nambato" di umano sa inyo "pagkatapos ng pagsamba" doon sa inyong lugar (kung saan man iyon sa lupalop ng Pilipinas)?

Sa kabila ng "pambabato" di umano sa inyo ng mga "katoliko" sa "inyong lugar" may ginawa po ba kayong HAKBANG upang mabigyan ng HUSTISYA ang "pambabato" di umano sa inyo ng mga "katoliko" matapos kayong "magsamba" sa inyong lugar?

Kung TUMAHIMIK lang kayo, aba'y HUWAG niyo na pong ISISI sa aming lahat ng 1.6 BILYONG Katoliko sa buong mundo ang inyong kawalang-aksiyon sa mga pangyayari!!!

Kasalanan niyo na iyon!Sisihin niyo ang sarili niyo dahil hinayaan niyong manaig ang masamang gawa!

Dahil kahit kailan HINDI po namin kinokonsinti ang mga GAWAING KADILIMAN!

Sa katunayan, kayo ang napapabalitang MARAHAS sa mga kumakalaban sa inyo. Mga manunulat ng BLOG na pinamagatan pang RESBAK.com (o PAGHIHIGANTI)!

Kahit ang PANGGAHASA ng inyong SUGO ay nadiyaryo po ito at NAPATUNAYANG ng korte na NAGMALABIS nga si F. MANALO sa kaniyang tungkulin bilang "ANGHEL" o "HULING SUGO" raw.

Ayon sa KORTE:

"... the Prosecution admits that there is reason to believe that the offended party, Manalo, did commit immoral acts with some women members of the Iglesia." "And the Solicitor concludes that he found out through proofs presented that Manalo is a man "un hombre de baja moral" (man of low moral) and that he took advantage of his position in the Iglesia to attack and sully the virtue of some of his female followers."(Case No.8180, April 21, 1942) and REPORTED by OFFICIAL GAZETTE in Vol. I, No. 1, July 1954, p. 394. The decision were made by HONTIVEROS, BRIONES and TORRES.

Kitam!

At ayon pa rin sa OPISYAL na magasing PASUGO Abril 1966, pahina 46 na ang IGLESIA KATOLIKA nga ang siyang TUNAY na iglesiang kay CRISTO!

“Ang Iglesia Katolika na sa pasimula ay siyang Iglesia ni Cristo."

Opinyon po ba ang tawag dito?

(Note: ang lahat ng mga PASUGO quotes ay hango sa aklat ni G.Pinzon na pinamagatang "Ang Katotohanan Tungkol sa INK-1914). Ang INK ay "Iglesia ni Kristo" at pinalitan po nila ngayon ng INC o "Iglesia ni Cristo".)

The Islamization of the West and the death of the Christian religion in Europe

2011-10-21T18:44:00.000+04:00

"Thanks to your democratic laws, we will invade you. Thanks to our religious laws, we will dominate you".

- The Archbishop emeritus of Smirne, Giuseppe Germano Bernardini, recounts a conversation he had with a Muslim leader

"The mosques are our barracks, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers."

- Turkish poem, written in 1912 by the Turkish nationalist poet Ziya Gökalp

Source: Vatican Insider

Flores, Indonesia: "Freedom of conversion from Islam to Christianity", notes the Bishop of Ruteng

2011-10-21T10:34:00.000+04:00

Labuan Bajo, Flores (Source: Fafner Photos)

Ruteng (Agenzia Fides) - Compared to other countries of the Islamic world, where conversion from Islam to another religion is punishable even by death "in Flores, the cradle of Christianity in Indonesia, in the diocese of Ruteng, there is, every year, a small group of Muslims, 5-6 people, who convert to Christianity and are baptized. But this does not raise a scandal nor any backlash": this is what His Exc. Mgr. Hubertus Leteng, Bishop of Ruteng tells Fides. His diocese covers an area with three cities, with over 700 thousand Catholics, who account for 93% of the total population.

"Flores – notes the Bishop - is impervious to forms of fundamentalism that run across Indonesia. For historical, geographical and cultural reasons, the local population has always been open to the proclamation of the Gospel". Moreover, notes Mgr. Leteng, "in Indonesia, a country with a Muslim majority, Flores is not seen as a foreign body: it is a witness to the typical pluralism of the nation and the embodiment of the principles of Pancasila, which are at the basis of the State".

The Bishop notes that there are "attempts to trigger an inter-religious conflict, on behalf of provocateurs, but the attitude of religious leaders, civil authorities and the common people has always meant that such attempts fail".

The mission of the Church in Flores, he concludes, vigorously continues through the abundant vocations: for example the Bishop cites more than 800 aspiring nuns, who in his diocese carry out a valuable pastoral service in parishes, schools and communities.

Vatican Comments on Moammar Gadhafi's Death

2011-10-21T06:40:00.000+04:00

VATICAN CITY, NCR—“The news of the death of Col. Moammar Gadhafi ends the too-long and tragic phase of the bloody struggle to overthrow a harsh and oppressive regime,” the Vatican said in a statement released this afternoon.

“This dramatic event,” the communiqué continued, “forces us to reflect once again on the price of immense human suffering that accompanies the assertion and collapse of any system that is not based on respect and dignity of the person, but on the principal assertion of power.”

There were conflicting accounts regarding the circumstances of the dictator’s death.

According to Reuters, one source said Gadhafi was captured alive and, in resisting his captors, was beaten to death. Libya’s ruling National Transitional Council told Reuters Gaddafi was killed following his capture when a gunfight broke out between his supporters and government fighters. He died from a bullet wound to the head.

The Holy See announced that it would henceforth recognize the interim government as the legitimate rulers of the Libyan people, in accordance with international law.

The statement made no other specific reference to Gaddafi, but instead focused mainly on the future.

“We must now hope that, sparing the Libyan people from further violence derived from a spirit of revenge or vengeance, the new rulers can undertake, as soon as possible, the necessary work of pacification and reconstruction, with a spirit of inclusion on the basis of justice and law,” the statement read.

It also expressed hope that the international community would be committed to “generously helping to rebuild the country.”

Since the beginning of the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi’s regime earlier this year, the Catholic Church’s small community, which runs a number of care centers and hospitals in Libya, has been tending to the wounded. The Vatican assured the Libyan people that they would “continue to offer its witness and selfless service, in particular in the field of charity and health care.”

The Holy See also pledged to work in support of the Libyan people “with the tools it has at its disposal in the field of international relations, in the spirit of promoting justice and peace.”

According to the Oct. 20 statement, since the fall of the regime in August, the Holy See has been establishing contacts in Libya. The Vatican’s top diplomats have been renewing close ties with their Libyan counterparts, with the apostolic nuncio to Libya traveling to Tripoli earlier this month to attend talks with the prime minister and foreign minister of the National Transitional Council.

During these meetings, the Holy See said it took the opportunity to renew its support for the Libyan people and the interim government and wished the new authorities every success in the country’s reconstruction. For their part, the new Libyan leaders communicated their “appreciation for the humanitarian appeals of the Holy Father and the Church’s involvement in Libya, especially through the service offered in hospitals or other care centers of the 13 religious communities” in the country.

Throughout the fighting, Pope Benedict XVI appealed for dialogue and diplomacy aimed at restoring peace to the North African country. He expressed particular concern for the civilian population caught up in the conflict, urging that they have access to humanitarian aid and calling on neighboring countries to be generous in welcoming Libyan refugees.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/vatican-comments-on-moammar-gadhafis-death-pledges-to-continue-assistance-t/#ixzz1bNbtilu3

Sunstar: "The Iglesia ni Cristo Church"?

2011-10-21T06:32:00.001+04:00

It's funny but it's grammatically (and legally) correct to say "the Iglesia ni Cristo Church" (or Church of Christ Church) such as what's reported in Sunstar.com!

"Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) Board Chairperson Sylvan Jakosalem said the original plan was for another flyover to be located on D. Jakosalem St., near the Iglesia ni Cristo Church along Gen. Maxilom Ave..." -Source: Sunstar.com

or simply say:

English: "the Iglesia ni Cristo Church"

Filipino: "ang Simbahan ng Iglesia ni Cristo"

French: "l' Iglesia ni Cristo Église"

German: "der Iglesia ni Cristo Kirche"

Italian: "la Chiesa Iglesia ni Cristo"

Latin: "Ecclesia Iglesia ni Cristo"

Portuguese: "a Igreja Iglesia ni Cristo"

Spanish: "la Iglesia Iglesia ni Cristo"

Turkish: "Iglesia ni Cristo Kilisesi"

In the case of the Catholic Church, it is WRONG to say "the Catholic Church Church" or the Iglesia Katolika Church (no writer would ever DARE to use this term ever).

Simply say:

English: "the Catholic Church"

Filipino: "ang Iglesia Katolika"

French: "l'Église Catholique"

German: "der Katholischen Kirche"

Italian: "la Chiesa Cattolica"

Latin: "Ecclesia Catholica"

Portuguese: "a Igreja Católica"

Spanish: "la Iglesia Católica"

Turkish: "Katolik Kilisesi"

Why is it so?

Figure it out for you and you are on the right path to TRUTH! Read ROMANS 16:16

America forbids to burn the Qu'ran but ordered military men to BURN the Bible - by Answering Muslims

2011-10-20T23:56:00.003+04:00

EGYPT: Truth and justice not lies and superficiality on massacre of Copts

2011-10-19T21:29:00.000+04:00

by Bernardo Cervellera

The results of the autopsies will be released Oct. 27. But Egyptian army trying to silence the issue by manipulating the truth and accusing the Copts of provoking the violence despite the eyewitness accounts and videos. Shenouda III is opposed to the military’s version. Obama also assumes that the Copts were violent. Not to forget AsiaNews publishes some pictures of the massacre, sent by Coptic organizations. (Let us keep in our prayers our brothers and sisters in Egypt. Let us recommend the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen -CD2000)

Rome (AsiaNews) - The tortured bodies of Coptic Christians killed on 9 October demand truth and justice. The 26 still bloody corpses, heads smashed by the violence of military tanks and armored vehicles are piled up in of Cairo's Coptic Hospital and other hospitals in the city waiting for autopsy. Ihsan Kamel, head of forensic medicine, said it will take time and that the results will be published only on October 27. He also claimed that declarations made by forensic doctors in the past week may be inaccurate. (More disturbing photos... WARNING: The images presented here are very harsh and could upset sensitive viewers. To see the images click here.)

Perhaps this warning is due to scrupulousness and scientific accuracy. We hope it is not an attempt to discredit the eye-witness accounts of demonstrators or the evidence of doctors who stressed that the deaths of several victims was caused by bullets from firearms and from the crushing weight of heavy vehicles.

Yesterday, Magda Adly, chief of El Nadeem, a Rehabilitation Centre for Victims of Torture, said he witnessed the autopsy on the bodies of eight killed in Maspero (the area close to Tahrir Square, where the massacre took place) . According to Adly it is evident that the six bodies had been crushed by "heavy vehicles" and two had an "excessive" number of bullet wounds.

Adly’s testimony coincides with that of many survivors of the October 9 massacre amply documented in the many videos posted on the Internet (see for example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0y77M-FjHk&NR=1&skipcontrinter=1;
http://www.light-dark.net/vb/showthread.php?t=6804;
http://www.light-dark.net/vb/showthread.php?p=7917 # post7917).

In these images it is evident that the soldiers fired on an unarmed crowd. Just as it is clear that the armored vehicles deliberately mowed down defenseless protesters.

There is a blatant attempt, in Egypt and in the world, to hide the truth. Just one example: Daniel Mina, a Christian who was also a leader of the "Arab Spring" in Tahrir Square, was killed June 9 by gunfire and then crushed by an armored car. But his medical certificate does not say anything about the cause of his death.

The most powerful body behind these attempts to wipe out what happened on October 9 is the military. Two days ago at a press conference, the army rejected all the accusations against it. Showing reporters videos and photos, the two generals Adel Emara and Mahmoud Hegazy, claimed the soldiers had no live ammunition and that the armored cars that were trying to avoid the crowds by all means, who instead were throwing Molotov cocktails and stones.

At this attempt to wipe out the truth and deny justice the Orthodox Coptic Pope Shenouda III raised his voice. Meeting with Prime Minister Essam Sharaf yesterday, he reiterated that the Copts demonstration on 9 October, "was peaceful and the protesters had no weapons."

In his catechesis on Wednesday afternoon, two days ago, he reiterated the same idea and said that the carnage of recent days was "without precedent" in the recent history of the Church in Egypt. He himself cited the results of the first autopsies according to which two thirds of the martyrs were killed by gunshot wounds and that the remaining were crushed by military vehicles.

Many Christians and Muslims also wonder why there was a deployment of hundreds of thousands of policemen and soldiers – given that the Copts protest was authorized. This suggests that the head-on collision was intentional, perhaps to delay the elections, perhaps to maintain a state of emergency.

The multitudes of "Arab Spring", but also a large part of the Egyptian population, are becoming increasingly united in their condemnation of the army and its "fascist" methods, worse than under Mubarak. Yet, against all this, there is the scandal announced yesterday: there will only be an investigation into the Maspero massacre and it will be conducted by the military.

The army’s excuse is that there were armed violent elements among the protesters who started fighting with police. The Minister for Justice, Mohamed El-Guindy, said that interrogations of the arrested protesters have already begun and that the accused will be judged not by a civil court, but the military court.

The Coptic organizations in Europe, in a statement sent to AsiaNews, condemn the "triumph of shame" of the Egyptian army. They point their finger towards the Information Minister, Osama Heikal and the media which is subservient to him, who have launched a campaign against the Copts that were "killing" the army and Egypt.

The West seems to have totally distanced itself from Egypt. Under the weight of the Euro crisis, the EU limited itself to a generic condemnation of the violence and call for more respect for the rights of minorities, with the White House even espousing the theory of the Egyptian army. President Obama, deplored the "tragic loss of life among the demonstrators and security forces," adding that "it is time for restraint on both sides."

So the demands of democracy, press freedom, equal rights for Christians and Muslims - the heart of the struggles of the Egyptian "Arab Spring" - seem to be fading far away. This democratic vision also includes the right of Christians to build places of worship on a par with Muslims.

Once again, religious freedom is proven to be the key element of human rights. The Copts demonstration - also supported by many Muslims – was born from their demand for the right to build a church in Aswan, which was destroyed by the fundamentalists, backed by the local governor (a former general). Its tragic conclusion has laid bare the many human rights denied to the Egyptian population.

Some Coptic organizations have sent us some photos on the terrible slaughter of their brothers in faith, asking us to publish them. With some hesitation and with a strong dose of caution we have decided to publish them. "The blood of the martyrs - Shenouda III said at the funeral of some victims – does not come cheap": it is the enormous price that the Egyptians are paying for the dictatorship of their leaders and the shallowness of the West. Until justice is done by those slaughtered in Maspero, there will be no justice for Egypt.

WARNING: The images presented here are very harsh and could upset sensitive viewers. To see the images click here.

The Sign of the Cross is the Power of God! 1 Cor. 1:8

2011-10-18T05:48:00.000+04:00

Says a member of the Iglesia ni ~~Cristo~~ cult of Manalo "The Sign of the Cross is the mark of the Beast". Perhaps that's the reason why their "houses of worship" DO NOT have crosses on it.

However, let us consult the Holy Scripture if it's true. Let us understand our rich Catholic Tradition and delve ourselves deeply in the Scriptures and find out why we Christians love the Cross of Christ which for many anti-Catholics consider the "Mark of the Beast".

THE SIGN OF THE CROSS

By: Know the Catholic Truth

The great tradition of Catholics, to be proud of the ‘Sign of the Cross’ was mocked and teased today by some anti-Catholic medias because of their ignorance about the biblical and historical basis of this spiritual tradition. We sign ‘the cross’ on our forehead; decorate our Churches with cross and administer sacraments with the same sign.

The Biblical basis: When we make the sign of the cross, we proclaim the message of salvation purchased by Jesus through the cross. The Bible clearly states: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18)

The Bible teaches us to be proud of it as the message of the cross is the power of God; “But God forbid that I should boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. (Gal. 6:14)

Cross symbolizes our day to day sufferings without which there is no crown for Christians. When Peter tried to keep Jesus away from the Cross, he called Peter “Satan.” So it is clear, Satan is afraid and keeping himself away from the Cross as it is through the Cross, Jesus destroyed the devil’s kingdom and saved mankind from the slavery of sin and death.

Early Christians, even before the Bible was formed, kept this spiritual practice in common to keep Satan away and to save themselves from the powers of evil.

Cyril of Jerusalem wrote in A.D. 386: “Let us therefore not be ashamed of the cross of Christ; but though another hide it, do thou openly seal it upon thy forehead , that the devils may beheld the royal sign and flee trembling far away. Make then this sign at eating and drinking, at sitting, at lying down, at rising up, at speaking, at walking: in a word, at every act.”

Ephrem of Syria testifies in A.D. 373: “Make all your actions with the sign of the life-giving Cross. Do not go out from “the doors of your house till you have signed yourself with the cross. Do not neglect that sign whether in eating and drinking or going to sleep, or in the home or going on a journey. There is no habit to be compared with it. Let it be a protecting wall around all your conduct, and teach it to your children that they may earnestly learn the custom.”

Thousands of saints used this sign to be victorious over satanic attacks as it is through this sign Jesus made possible the forgiveness of our sins. In the Christian world, Sign of the Cross was widely used very effectively in exorcism throughout the centuries. Christians must use this sign proudly as it trembles Satan and the Bible proves it.

Jesus says to us: “Take your cross and follow me.” Centuries old spiritual experiences of holy people show Satan is afraid of the Sign of the Cross and he hates it. Iglesia Ni Cristo, Dating Daan and some other sects also hate the Sign of the Cross! (‘Remove all crosses’ is one of the commands of ‘Pandoktrina’ the official teaching of INC, page 14.)

Today is the Feast day of St. Ignatius of Antioch

2011-10-17T22:14:00.000+04:00

St. Ignatius is one of the great bishops of the early Church. He was the successor of St. Peter as Bishop of Antioch. He was condemned to death by wild beasts during the Emperor Trajan's persecution. On his way to Rome, he wrote seven magnificent letters, which we still have today, concerning the Person of Christ, his love for Christ, his desire for martyrdom and on the constitution of the Church and Christian life. His sentiments before his approaching martyrdom are summed in his word in the Communion antiphon, "I am the wheat of Christ, ground by the teeth of beasts to become pure bread." -Catholic Culture

"Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful to baptize or give communion without the consent of the bishop. On the other hand, whatever has his approval is pleasing to God. Thus, whatever is done will be safe and valid." — Letter to the Smyrnaeans 8, J.R. Willis translation. -Wikipedia

Catholic Church leader pays tribute to fallen demonstrators in Egypt

2011-10-17T21:47:00.000+04:00

Source: Church to the Church in need - The leader of Catholics in Egypt has defended the memory of "honest and sincere" Copts whose protest ended in violence and death and has called on the regime to step up security and do more to uphold the rule of law.

In an official statement about the October 9th pro-Christian demonstrations in Cairo, Patriarch Cardinal Antonios Naguib of Alexandria went on to call on Christians not to be deterred and to continue to “participate” in political action towards the creation of a new Egypt post-Mubarak.

The document, a copy of which was sent to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), underlines the Patriarch’s “full confidence” in the interim military regime after a week of criticism about the government’s response to the demonstrations, which according to latest figures, led to the deaths of about 25 people with 329 injured.

Patriarch Naguib, who is head of Egypt’s 250,000-strong Coptic Catholic Church, writes: “With wounded hearts, we…express our deep sorrow for the bloody events suffered by honest and sincere children of the nation.”

“They wanted to contribute to the country’s democratic process with peaceful demonstrations like hundreds of other citizen groups.”

“Unfortunately, it ended with the violent death of around 25 people, the vast majority of whom were Copts…”

The violence broke out at the height of the demonstrations as thousands of people, including many Muslims, marched to the state television center in Cairo, in protest at acts of persecution and oppression against Christians.

The following day, Fr. Antoine Rafic Greiche, official spokesman of the Catholic Church in Egypt, implicated the regime, saying that the army and police had “used” a “rabble army” who hit out against the protestors using sticks, stones, swords and rifles.

But making no comment on the security service’s response to the demonstrations, Patriarch Naguib in his letter calls on the regime to renew its commitment to upholding the rule of law.

He writes: “While condemning again all acts of violence, we call on officials to… provide security and safety and uphold the law’s supremacy and ensure the objectivity of the media.”

“We have full confidence that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the Government and the Judiciary are able to lead the country to stability and security, ensuring the well-being and dignity of all its citizens.”

Patriarch Naguib concludes his letter with a clarion call to all Christians not to be deterred by the events of October 9th and to continue to be politically active.

In a reference to parliamentary elections due to start next month, with presidential elections next spring, he said, “We call on [Christians] to participate, in Egypt and abroad, in the current political and electoral process.”

“This is a sacred duty which [the Church] is not allowed to abdicate, aiming at establishing a modern, democratic state, based on the law, full citizenship, equality, justice and the guarantee of freedoms.”

Patriarch Naguib’s comments come after Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, issued a statement condemning Egypt’s security services for their response to the demonstrations.

In his statement, last week, Bishop Angaelos said, “The same army that said in January that it would ‘not fire a single shot against an Egyptian citizen’ …now used live ammunition and excessive force in this situation, firing lethal shots to the chest and head while armored troop carriers were driven directly into crowds, mowing people down and killing many.”

Bishop Angaelos also called for a public inquiry into the state media, accusing it of biased coverage of the protests and falsely claiming that Christians instigated the violence.

Dar Al-Masih is signing off from blogging...

2011-10-17T05:29:00.003+04:00

One of the many good Catholic bloggers out there is signing off soon as she stated in her blog at Dar Al-Masih. She said:

I fear that more than once I have hidden a need to win under the guise of love for Muslims. I do love Muslims and I want them to believe in the gospel, but I don't think I've always gone about it in the right way. I have witnessed this in numerous comments from Muslims who just want to debate me in order to convert me to their own religion. Of course there will be many who always feel this way about any Christian mission, but I think I need to spend some time cultivating a less combative tone and mindset.

I take her comments as a reminder for me that I think I need to be more charitable in my desire to bring lost Catholics back to the fold.

Thank you Ms. Salome for your very Catholic and saintly comments. Catholic bloggers around the world will truly miss you. God bless you always.

We hope to see you back soon, inshallah!

Today is World Mission Sunday

2011-10-16T21:30:00.001+04:00

Pope's Message for World Mission Sunday 2011

"As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You"

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 25, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's message for World Mission Sunday, which will be observed Oct. 23. The message, titled "As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You" (John 20:21), was published today by the Vatican press office.

* * *

"As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You" (John 20:21). On the occasion of the Jubilee of 2000, the Venerable John Paul II, at the beginning of a new millennium of the Christian era, reaffirmed forcefully the need to renew the commitment to take to all the proclamation of the Gospel with "the same enthusiasm of the Christians of the early times" ("Novo Millennio Ineunte," No. 58). It is the most precious service that the Church can give to humanity and to each person who seeks the profound reasons to live his existence fully. Because of this, this same invitation resounds every year in the celebration of World Mission Sunday. In fact, the incessant proclamation of the Gospel also vivifies the Church, her fervor, her apostolic spirit, it renews her pastoral methods so that they are increasingly appropriate to the new situations -- also those that require a new evangelization -- and animated by the missionary drive: "the mission renews the Church, reinforces the faith and Christian identity, gives new enthusiasm and new motivations. The faith is strengthened by giving it! The new evangelization of Christian peoples will find inspiration and support in the commitment to the universal mission" (John Paul II, "Redemptoris Missio," No. 2).

Go and Proclaim

This objective is continually revived by the celebration of the liturgy, especially of the Eucharist, which always ends recalling the mandate of the Risen Jesus to the Apostles: "Go ..." (Matthew 28:19). The liturgy is always a call 'from the world' and a new sending 'to the world' to give witness of what has been experienced: the salvific power of the Word of God, the salvific power of the Paschal Mystery of Christ. All those who have encountered the Risen Lord have felt the need to proclaim him to others, as did the two disciples of Emmaus. They, after recognizing the Lord in the breaking of the bread, "rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered there" and they told what had happened on the road (Luke24:33-34). Pope John Paul II exhorted to be "vigilant and prepared to recognize his face and run to our brothers, to take the great announcement to them: We have seen the Lord!" ("Novo Millennio Ineunte," No. 59).

To All

All peoples are recipients of the proclamation of the Gospel. The Church "is missionary by nature, as she takes her origin from the mission of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, according to the plan of God the Father" ("Ad Gentes," No. 2). This is "the happiness and vocation proper of the Church, her most profound identity. She exists to evangelize" (Paul VI, "Evangelii Nuntiandi," No. 14). Consequently, she can never be shut-in on herself. She roots herself in certain places in order to go beyond. Her action, in adherence to the word of Christ and under the influence of his grace and of his charity, is made fully and actually present to all men and to all peoples to lead them to faith in Christ (cf. "Ad Gentes," No. 5).

This task has not lost its urgency. On the contrary, "the mission of Christ Redeemer, entrusted to the Church, is still far from being accomplished ... a global look on humanity shows that this mission is still at the beginning and that we must commit ourselves with all our energies in its service" (John Paul II, "Redemptoris Missio," No. 1). We cannot remain tranquil in face of the thought that, after two thousand years, there are still peoples who do not know Christ and have not yet heard his message of salvation.

Not only this; the multitude grows of those that, even having received the proclamation of the Gospel, have forgotten and abandoned it, not recognizing themselves now in the Church; and many environments, also in traditionally Christian societies, today are refractory in opening themselves to the word of faith. Underway is a cultural change, fueled also by globalization, by movements of thought and by the prevailing relativism, a change that leads to a mentality and a lifestyle that does without the evangelical message, as if God did not exist, and which exalts the search for well-being, easy earnings, careers and success as the objective of life, even at the cost of moral values.

Co-responsibility of All

The universal mission involves all, everything and always. The Gospel is not an exclusive good of the one who has received it, but is a gift to be shared, good news to communicate. And this gift-commitment is entrusted not only to a few, but to all the baptized, who are "a chosen race ... a holy nation, God's own people" (1 Peter 2:9), to proclaim his wonderful works.

All activities are also implied in it. Attention and cooperation in the evangelizing work of the Church in the world cannot be limited to some particular moments and occasions, nor can they be considered as one of the many pastoral activities: the missionary dimension of the Church is essential and, therefore, must always be kept present. Hence it is important that every baptized person as well as the ecclesial communities be interested not only in a sporadic and irregular way in the mission, but in a constant way, as the way of Christian life. The Missionary Day itself is not an isolated moment in the course of the year, but a precious occasion to pause to reflect on how we respond to the missionary vocation; an essential response for the life of the Church.

Global Evangelization

Evangelization is a complex process and includes several elements. Among these, a peculiar attention on the part of missionary animation, has always been given to solidarity. This is also one of the objectives of World Mission Sunday, which through the Papal Missionary Associations requests help in carrying out tasks of evangelization in mission territories. An attempt is made to support institutions necessary to establish and consolidate the Church through catechists, seminaries, priests and also to make a contribution to the improvement of the conditions of life of persons in countries in which the phenomenons of poverty, malnutrition especially of children, illnesses, lack of health services and education are more acute. This also falls within the mission of the Church. Proclaiming the Gospel, she takes seriously human life in the full sense. It is unacceptable, reaffirmed the Servant of God Paul VI, that in evangelization subjects are neglected that refer to human promotion, justice, liberation from every form of oppression, obviously in respect of the autonomy of the political sphere. To be indifferent to the temporal problems of humanity would mean "to forget the lesson which comes to us from the Gospel concerning love of our neighbor who is suffering and in need" ("Evangelii Nuntiandi," No. 31); it would not be attuned to Jesus' conduct, who "went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity" (Matthew 9:35).

Thus, through co-responsible participation in the mission of the Church, the Christian becomes a builder of communion, of peace, of the solidarity that Christ has given us, and collaborates in the realization of the salvific plan of God for the whole of humanity. The challenges that it meets, calls Christians to walk together with others, and the mission is an integral part of this path with all. In it we bear, though in vessels of clay, our Christian vocation, the inestimable treasure of the Gospel, the living testimony of Jesus dead and resurrected, encountered and believed in the Church.

May this World Mission Sunday revive in each one the desire and the joy of "going" to meet humanity taking Christ to all. In his name I impart to you from my heart the Apostolic Blessing, in particular to all those who most toil and suffer for the Gospel.

In the Vatican, Jan. 6, 2011, Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

Locals Wary of the New Neighbors Iglesia ni Cristo

2011-10-16T06:11:00.001+04:00

Source: Balitang America

-By Nadia Trinidad, North America News Bureau Chief

SCENIC, South Dakota–

The city purchased by a powerful Philippine church was once a cowboy town that locals describe as “a piece of history.”

Once there were booze and brawls at the town’s saloon.

Once there was a town called Scenic.

Today this remnant of the Wild West belongs to the Iglesia Ni Cristo.

The few who visit this ghost town in South Dakota are not happy.

“I have mixed feelings about (the new owners). This place has history,” said Dan Curr, who works for the township. “It’s has rich memory of the West. What do they know?”

Curr helps maintain the garage that houses the township’s two fire trucks.

When representatives of the Iglesia Ni Cristo bought all 46-acres of Scenic from rancher Twila Merril for $799,000,

They paid him extra to look after the place.

“The guy who calls himself Brother Mar just asked me to make sure nobody vandalizes the place,” said Curr.

The INC is tightlipped on the purchase and its future plans for Scenic.

A spokesman from their office in Daly City, California said they will only release a statement once they get a go-signal from the central church in Manila.

Coldwell banker realtor David Olsen who listed the property said he signed a non-disclosure agreement that prevents him from talking about the buyer’s plans.

Merril was not available for further comment.

The dearth of information surrounding the deal has spawned a lot of talk among the locals.

“They will set up in that town over there and we will live over here. We will have nothing to do with them,” said 85 year-old Bernita Bloom who once taught at Scenic’s public school.

When the town was put up for sale, the Rapid City Journal wrote a news item about it.

Reporter Barbara Soderlin said their story was immediately picked up by the wires.

She expected that a rancher would purchase the property.

“To find out that a church from the Philippines bought it is big news to us.” said Soderlin. “Like you, we want to find out why they would want to buy that place.”

In this small remote place, talk is rife that things may soon change for the better.

But speculation abounds as to what the INC intends to do with a ghost town.

Those who live close to Scenic say they just hope the sale was not shrouded in mystery, because in the end it’s the uncertainty that scares them.

Vatican appointed Bishop Tagle now the Archbishop of Manila

2011-10-14T22:30:00.001+04:00

Manila, Philippine Inquirer - Imus Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle, a former member of a theological body once headed by Pope Benedict XVI before he became Pontiff, has been appointed the new archbishop of Manila.

Tagle took over the Manila archdiocese from Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, whose resignation has been accepted by the Pope.

Tagle’s appointment was announced yesterday in the Vatican and by Charge d’Affaires Msgr. Gabor Pinter of the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila.

Tagle hosts a Sunday program, “The Word Exposed,” on ANC, Studio 23 and the government-owned NBN. He also has a Facebook page, which has been flooded with congratulations from online fans.

He is affectionately known by his nickname, Chito.

‘Am going home’

“Malaya na ako. Uwi na ako sa amin (I’m free. I’m going home),” a smiling Rosales told senior clergymen and members of the media after leading the Angelus at the chapel in his official residence in Intramuros.

Well-wishers took turns shaking and kissing the cardinal’s hand and posing for souvenir pictures with him.

Rosales, 79, earlier said the Vatican had already accepted his resignation and he was just waiting for his successor to be named. He submitted his resignation in 2007 when he turned 75, the mandatory retirement age for prelates, but the Pontiff extended his term indefinitely.

‘With trepidation’

Tagle sent a statement expressing confidence that he would be able to fulfill his new duties with God’s help.

“I face this heavy responsibility with much trepidation,” Tagle said. “Leaving the Diocese of Imus, my beloved home, at the threshold of its Golden Jubilee, is not easy. But faith in our gracious Lord and love of the Church give me strength.”

Tagle added: “I know that I would find much good will and zeal for my mission in the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Manila. In our openness to the Holy Spirit, we could render a joyful and robust witness to Jesus Christ, all for the glory of the Father and the good of the Church and of society, especially, especially of the poor.”

Tagle, 54, will be the 32nd archbishop of Manila and its first Manila-born archbishop. He is also the youngest Manila archbishop after the Irish-born James Michael O’Doherty, who was appointed in 1916.

Tagle was ordained a priest in 1982 and appointed Imus bishop in 2001. Imus is one of the dioceses of the Manila metropolitan archdiocese.

Ph.D. in sacred theology

From 1985 to 1992, Tagle was sent for further studies to the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he earned his doctorate in sacred theology.

Tagle served as member of the International Theological Commission while it was still chaired by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI. Tagle served as a theologian of at least two ordinary synods at the Vatican.

He currently teaches theology at the Loyola School of Theology in Manila and the Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay City.

Tagle was ordained bishop of Imus on Dec. 12, 2001.

He is also currently the chairman of the Commission on Doctrine of the Faith of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

More time for prayers

“In the 10 years that Archbishop Tagle was in the episcopacy and ministry, he showed that his ministry was very pastoral,” Rosales said. “Care for the laity and also in a special way for the priests’ characterized his pastoral work.”

No date has been set for the ordination and installation of the new Manila archbishop. Until that time, the Vatican said Rosales would be the temporary administrator of the Manila archdiocese.

Rosales, who will now be referred to as the archbishop emeritus of Manila, said he would return to his native Lipa City and live in a retirement home for priests there. Rosales was archbishop of Lipa from 1992 to 2003.

He said he was looking forward to having more time to pray and write. He said he was planning to write a book about the late Lucena Bishop Alfredo Obviar, whose cause of beatification Rosales had been pursuing for several decades.

“See me at the second floor, Room Number 8,” Rosales said.

‘Forget me’

Asked what legacy he would want to be known for, Rosales said that he did not want to be remembered in any way.

“Forget me. I don’t want to be remembered, in truth. I don’t want to be honored. I just want to live a simple life,” he said.

His advice to Tagle is to “continue to preach about Jesus,” and to connect with Catholics of his new archdiocese, which covers the cities of Manila, Pasay, Makati, Mandaluyong and San Juan.

Europe's Bishops Call Continent to Defend Egypt Minorities

2011-10-13T21:53:00.000+04:00

Photo Source: Malta Diocese

Reiterate Solidarity With Coptic Christian Community

ST. GALLEN, Switzerland, OCT. 13, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Europe's bishops are answering Sunday's violence in Egypt with a call to their governments to take a stance in defense of minorities.

Cardinal Péter Erdő, president of the Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe (CCEE), released a statement reiterating the prelates' "closeness to all citizens in Egypt, and especially to our brothers in the Coptic Christian community, affected in these days by the murderous violence against peace, harmony between religions, freedom and human dignity."

The statement follows the bloody weekend clash between Egyptian military and police and a group of mostly Coptic Christian protestors. The clash left 26 people dead. Witnesses said the Copts were attacked by crowds throwing stones, followed by military intervention. Some of those killed died of gunshot wounds, but most were crushed by armored military vehicles.

Copts and other Christians make up 10% of Egypt's population. The demonstrators were protesting the burning of a Christian church.

The bishops' council pointed out that Coptic Christians have been present in Egypt since the time of the Evangelist Mark.

They urged European governments to "take a stance in defense of all those who, as Christians, are subjected to attacks because of their religious, ethnic or social belonging."

"We pray to the Lord for all Christians in Egypt, that he may give them the strength to continue to be authentic witnesses of Christ and of fraternity with all people, without which there will not be a better future for individual nations or humanity," the CCEE statement concluded.

Benedict XVI on Wednesday expressed his own concern over the situation.

The Pope said, "I unite myself to the suffering of the families of the victims and to that of the entire Egyptian people, torn as it is by attempts to undermine the peaceful coexistence of its communities, [a coexistence] that instead, it is necessary to safeguard, especially in this moment of transition."

Sola Scriptura: Whose Scriptures?

2011-10-13T06:07:00.000+04:00

Photo Source: Scriptures Speak

Article Source: Catholic Apologetics.info

The KJV vs. NKJV

The reason this is so intriguing should be obvious, one of the two pillars of Protestantism is "scripture alone" yet these two bibles do not agree. If two bibles disagree, which one is wrong, are both wrong? Both claim that you cannot add to or take from the word of the Lord, yet they differ. Why? Which one is right? How much do they differ? Does it affect doctrine? Who changed it? Some of the verses are total opposites, other verses are simply not saying the same thing.

For example in the NKJV compared with the (old) KJV there are 66 omissions of the word "Lord", 51 omissions of "God", 44 omissions of "repent", 50 omissions of "heaven", 23 omissions of "blood", and the terms "devils", "damnation", "Jehovah", and "new testament" are completely omitted.

How about that "hell". The NKJV removes the word "hell" 23 times. By replacing "hell" with "Hades" and "Sheol"! The Jehovahs Witness "Bible" does this as well and the New International Version is guilty of the same stratagem. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines Hades: "the underground abode of the dead in Greek MYTHOLOGY". By making it "much clearer" - Do they turn Hell into MYTHOLOGY? But the should be nothing new to the readers of the KJV with nine refeances to unicorns and over 30 to dragons mythology is standerd reading . It must be noted, Hades is not always a place of torment or terror! The Assyrian Hades is an abode of blessedness with silver skies called "Happy Fields". In the satanic New Age Movement, Hades is an intermediate state of purification!

Who in their right mind would think "Hades" or "Sheol" is "up-to-date" and "much clearer" than "hell"? The NKJV makes over 100,000 word changes from the old 1611 KJV. There are 2,922 fewer words in the New Testament of the NKJV. Thus, the NKJV is shorter (In The New Testament) than that of the King James Bible by about the total number of words contained in I and II Peter combined!

Matthew 16:18
KJV: "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

NKJV: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."
Luke 16:23
KJV: "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."
NKJV: "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."
Hell is removed in 2 Sam. 22:6, Job 11:8, 26:6, Psalm 16:10, 18:5, 86:13, 116:3, Isaiah 5:14, 14:15, 28:15,18, 57:9, Jonah 2:2, Matt. 11:23, 16:18, Luke 10:15, 16:23, Acts 2:27, 31, Rev. 1:18, 6:8, 20:13,14.

Then the NKJV decides that maybe "Hades" should be "grave"! So the NKJV makes 1 Corinthians 15:55

The NKJV also deals rather questionably with the Lord Jesus Christ. Following are some examples:
Matt. 8:19
KJV: And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
NKJV: Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."

Matt. 19:16
KJV: And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
NKJV: Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"

Matt. 20:20
KJV: Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
NKJV: Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

Acts 3:13
KJV: The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
NKJV: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.

Acts 3:26
KJV: Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
NKJV: To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." Note: I wonder where they got the idea to change "Son" to "Servant"? How about the NIV, NASV, NRSV, et al.

Acts 4:27
KJV: For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people
NKJV: "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together

Acts 4:30
KJV: By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
NKJV: by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus."

Matt. 7:14
KJV: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
NKJV: Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

I Cor. 1:18
KJV: For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
NKJV: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Note: In II Cor. 2:15 they change "in them that are saved" to "among those who are being saved".

Heb. 10:14
KJV: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
NKJV: For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Acts 12:4
KJV: And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
NKJV: So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

Gal. 2:20
KJV: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
NKJV: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
They omit the words in bold type --- "nevertheless I live".

II Tim. 2:15
KJV: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
NKJV: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

II Cor. 2:17
KJV: For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
NKJV: For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

The Wild West ghost town bought by a mysterious Filipino church for $800,000

2011-10-12T06:42:00.000+04:00

By Daily Mail Reporter

It was in danger of vanishing off the map altogether.

Just eight people still live in Scenic, and its bars and restaurants are shuttered. The sign on the Longhorn Saloon said it all: 'For sale, Scenic, SD. Almost all of this town!'

But now this little speck of a town in western South Dakota has been bought by a mysterious Philippines based church.

For sale: The owner of nearly-deserted Scenic, S.D., is selling almost all of the town along with the 46 acres she owns

The Iglesia ni Cristo church bought the town and surrounding acreage just west of the badlands for $799,000.

Long time resident and area rodeo legend Twila Merril had gathered the land bit by bit over several decades.

The church isn't divulging its plans for the property. A person answering the phone at its offices in Daly City, California, said he couldn't share any information.

So far, there has been no church activity in Scenic to hint at what's to come. The lack of information surrounding the sale has some neighbours uneasy.

Life wasn't always so desolate in Scenic, it was once a thriving, rough-and-tumble town.

Founded as a stop-over on the rail road that ran through sparsely-populated South Dakota, the town had a bank, a high school, a church, a grocery store and two saloons.

'Scenic used to be quite the little town in its day,' Leo Stangle, one of the last remaining residents, told the Rapid City Journal.

Rough past: Scenic has not one, but two jails, a lasting sign of the town's cowboy roots

'Farmers had big families to feed, and there just wasn’t enough employment for everyone anymore, so gradually, people started to leave, and then the businesses in town suffered and also started shutting down.

'People had no choice but to move out. It was once a cowboy and rail road town - and maybe a little rough now and then.'

Merril had bought up nearly all of the town, lot-by-lot. But the ageing cow-girl's health is failing and she has had to move more than 500 miles away to Rochester, Minnesota for medical treatment.

Her daughter, LeeAnn Keester, told The Rapid City Journal: 'The businesses and land has always been family-run, but now, it’s time for someone else to come in and bring it back to life.

'It’s just me and my mom now, and now, with her health being what it is, it’s just too much for us.

'She just bought them one by one, until we have what we have today.

'I have so many memories in each of the stores and the bar. I’ve worked in every single one and grew up around everything.

'It’ll be sad to let it all go. I have a lot of memories there, and I’m really going to miss it. I hope the person who buys it really enjoys it like we did.'

The property, which includes a U.S. Post Office, the Longhorn Fuel & Food Convenience Store, the Longhorn Saloon, a museum, two houses and not one but two jails.

Traffic still passes through Scenic, which is in the middle of rugged and beautiful Badlands National Forest, but tourists have little incentive to stop.

Scenic was on the market for more than two years before the church got it for a bargain-basement price. Ms Merril originally asked $3million for the property, but lowered the price when it didn't sell.

Letter to PASUGO: "Why not publish your own Bible?"

2011-10-11T23:10:00.002+04:00

Letter to the Editor:
PASUGO dated March 1996, p.2

YOUR PREACHERS USE different translations of the Bible in delivering a sermon. I was thinking that you do this to suit your own set of reasoning. But upon speaking to a member of your Church I was informed that it is necessary to use different translations of the Bible for there are Bible translations that contain mistranslated verses. If this is true, Why don't you publish your own Bible and put all the correct translation of the verses in it? And given the premise that there are translations that contain errors, how are we to know which one is right?

Carlos Reyes
Dagupan City, Philippines

Editor's Reply:

Your suggestion that the Iglesia ni Cristo publish her own Bible with all the correct translation of mistranslated verses is both well-meaning and appealing. It would be truly convenient and handy to have just one Bible with all the verses that we cite or quote from different translations gathered in one compendium.

By publishing her own Bible, the Iglesia ni Cristo will in effect have a "sanitized" version of the Scriptures--tailor made for her teachings. This is the very thing that the Iglesia ni Cristo avoids, that is, to be accused of manipulating the Scriptures to suit her doctrines.

How, then, are we to know which particular translation of the Bible to use, for example in delivering a sermon? Apostle Paul states the guiding principle to the doctrines of the Bible, thus:

"This is what we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words." (I Cor.2:13, New International version)

Therefore, there must be no contradiction between the different version of the Bible because spiritual things are compared to spiritual truths. But one may ask, "Who is in a position to compare spiritual things to spiritual truths?" Are all preachers that we see and hear nowadays are qualified to compare spiritual things with spiritual truths, more so preach the gospel? Apostle Paul answers us, thus:

"And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!" (Rom. 10:15, New King James Version)

A preacher of the Gospel therefore must be sent by God. Why must he be sent by God? Apostle John states, thus:

"The one whom God has send speaks God's words, because God gives him the fullness of his Spirit. (John 3:34, Today's English Version)

Moreover, the messenger sent by God is entrusted with the ministry and message of reconciliation (cf. II Cor. 5:18-20)

Therefore, even if there are translations of the Bible that contain mistranslated verses, the commissioned preachers of God can identify them because they have been given God's spirit for them to understand His will written in the Bible (cf. I Cor. 2:12)

CD2000 ANSWER:

The Bible did not fall from heaven as a book. And this Bible we have today DID NOT COME from other churches, not even the Iglesia ni ~~Cristo~~. Whether they like it or not, the BIBLE was made possible through the AUTHORITY of the CHURCH. And this CHURCH is NOT the Iglesia ni Cristo of Manalo but the CHURCH founded by CHRIST-- the ONLY-- ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC APOSTOLIC CHURCH of CHRIST.

In 382 AD, the CHURCH (not the Iglesia ni ~~Cristo~~) through the leadership of Pope Damasus, a saintly pope.

Catholic BIBLE SCHOLARS convened and DECIDED which BOOKS should be part of the present Bible we have today. But the FINAL CANON of the SCRIPTURES was FINALIZED only during the COUNCIL of TRENT in the 16th Century (Read also SCRIPTURE TRANSLATIONS!)

Ang kapal naman ng mga mukha nila kung bababuyin lang nila ang Aklat na HINDI SA KANILA!

Therefore, there is NO WAY that the INC of Felix Manalo could publish it's own "Bible" just like the Jehovah's Witnesses founded by Charles T. Russel who deliberately CORRUPTED the SCRIPTURES!

If they do, they would CHANGE words such as "church of GOD" to "church of Christ" to suit their teachings.

Biblically speaking their paid MINISTERS are intellectually INCOMPETENT and so they've GOT NO RIGHT to do so. Whether they like it or not, history of the BIBLE PRODUCTION, the CHURCH has played an active role ever since.

The Bible Societies DO NOT even recognize their own paid ministers to have that SINCERITY, HONESTY and COMPETENCY to be called "Scholars" in that respect. They do not have that LOVE of the SCRIPTURES but rather, they look at the Bible as their SERVANT!

In truth, the INC of Manalo are HELPLESS. They are STILL HEAVILY RELYING on CATHOLIC and PROTESTANT versions of the Bible whom Manalo and his successors CONSIDER apostates!

YES, they LITERALLY RELY on BIBLES from APOSTATES!!!! That is one among the many HYPOCRISIES in the Iglesia ni Cristo of Manalo.

So, now that you know why they can't publish their own Bibles, you better have to think twice why believe it's the 'true" church when they've got nothing in history to prove that!

Read First the Church, then the New Testament!

Egypt's deputy premier quits over deadly clashes

2011-10-11T22:05:00.001+04:00

Egyptian Coptic men carry the coffin of a victim of Sunday's deadly clashes with security forces during a funeral at Abassaiya Cathedral in Cairo. Thousands of people attended a service at the Copt cathedral for the funerals of 17 demonstrators.(AFP/Mohammed Hossam)

News Source: AFP By Jailan Zayan

CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt's deputy prime minister resigned on Tuesday over clashes that killed 25 people, mainly Coptic Christians, amid mounting anger at the ruling military and calls for the premier to quit.

Hazem al-Beblawi announced his resignation, saying that despite having no direct involvement in the clashes, the government ultimately bore responsibility for what happened.

"The current circumstances are very difficult and require a new and different way of thinking and working," Beblawi was quoted as saying by the official MENA news agency.

On Sunday, 25 people were killed and more than 300 injured when a protest demonstration by Coptic Christians was attacked by the army and thugs, sparking furious condemnation of the leadership's handling of the transition from Hosni Mubarak's rule.

Military prosecutors said they have remanded 28 people in custody -- both Muslims and Christians-- for 15 days pending investigations, MENA reported.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which took power when Mubarak was ousted in February, had tasked Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's government to immediately form a fact-finding panel to investigate the clashes.

The UN human rights office urged Egypt to ensure that any probes are conducted in an impartial and independent manner.

Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed regret over the deaths, and urged the authorities "to ensure the impartiality and independence of any investigation undertaken into the incident."

Political and religious leaders spent Monday in crisis talks, amid fears of widespread sectarian unrest threatening an already fragile transition.

Copts were protesting on Sunday against a recent attack, in which a recently renovated village church was attacked in the southern province of Aswan.

State television accused the demonstrators of firing shots that killed three soldiers, prompting fights between Christians and Muslims later that night.

But furious Copts said the security forces attacked the demonstrators, driving vehicles into the crowd and crushing several people.

New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch has called for a "prompt, thorough and impartial" investigation, which "should specifically address the killing of at least 17 Coptic Christian demonstrators who appear to have been run over by military vehicles."

"It should also examine the role of the military and police officers in the violence," HRW said in a statement.

Thousands of people attended a service at the Coptic cathedral in Cairo late on Monday for the funerals of 17 demonstrators.

Live television showed the coffins being brought in a procession from the Copt hospital in downtown Cairo where autopsies were carried out.

Earlier on Monday, hundreds had gathered outside the Coptic Hospital, chanting against the military council and its head Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.

"SOS: Copts under attack from the army of Egypt," read one banner.

Copts complain of systematic discrimination, but since Mubarak's fall, tensions have also mounted between the military -- initially hailed for not siding with Mubarak -- and groups which spearheaded the revolt.

Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church led by Pope Shenuda III accused "infiltrators" of triggering the street battle on the Nile water front, while the country's top Muslim official Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb urged the cabinet to swiftly issue a unified law on building places of worship.

The cabinet vowed on Monday to look into amending religious laws which would give Copts more guarantees to freedom of worship.

But after months of tensions, unrest and clashes, some say the measure is too little too late.

On Tuesday, leading independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm called for the resignation of the prime minister in a front page editorial.

"The state has lost its stature, the regime is on the verge of collapse, and Sharaf's government has run out of credit. All that is left to say is Sharaf, resign."

The liberal Wafd party's mouthpiece echoed the view.

"After what has happened, we can say that he cannot serve as a prime minister and he must leave his post," it said.

International calls for restraint poured in, as the Arab world's most populous nation teetered on the edge of widespread unrest, and activists feared their revolution was crumbling.

Saudi Arabia urged Egypt to exercise restraint.

"Saudi Arabia calls on all our brothers in Egypt to exercise restraint...(and ensure) the unity, stability, and prosperity" of the country," said a statement posted late Monday on the official Saudi news agency SPA.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said US President Barack Obama was "deeply concerned" about the violence.

A "deeply saddened" UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the Egyptian military authorities to defend "all faiths" in the country, while European leaders also expressed alarm.

Catholic Revert: Tim Ohmes is a revert back to the Catholic Church from The-Church-of His-Own-Self-Made-Doctrines

2011-10-11T21:58:00.001+04:00

Source: Why I'm Catholic

"Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you." Is 49:15

My mother died when I was 5. Her death shattered my world. I'm sure she never forgot us but I felt forgotten. I was one of seven. My father later married a widow of 4 and had 4 more for a total of 15 children. In the town where we grew up, this was way too many children.

We were Catholic in a town that believed Catholics got it all wrong. I was a social misfit. I was often told, "You know all you Catholics are going to hell don't you?" Our prayer life consisted of Mass, Stations of the Cross and reciting formal memorized prayers (like the rosary). I usually spent the time "counting down" the prayers rather than actually praying. I paid little attention to the words. I knew nothing of the Bible. I was poorly catechized and poorly formed, but God had not forgotten about me.

In an English literature book, I found a short piece about love. I found it to be so beautiful and brilliantly written I wrote it down in an empty notebook so I could come back and read it again. It began, "Love is patient, love is kind" and was attributed to St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians. I had no idea this was from the Bible. I began collecting other quotes in this notebook over the next few years. I also discovered I had a talent for singing. I found it gave me a way to relieve tension and also gain some social acceptance. My Father even gave me a guitar for Christmas my senior year in high school. God was going to use these later.

After graduating from high school I joined the Navy, which proceeded to erode what little faith I had left. I met up with many who questioned my faith. I wouldn't directly deny Jesus, but I would not defend Him either. I knew of no way to defend the Church. I never prayed and I quit going to Mass completely. If I ever mentioned the size of my family, it only triggered derisive comments.

I began to develop a very cynical view of life. I lived with a Satanist, new agers, lapsed Protestants, lapsed Catholics, hedonists, "bible thumpers" (who I avoided) and the rare faithful Catholic. I fell deeper and deeper into sin, especially sins of the flesh. I accepted the contraceptive mentality that believed sex was for fun and not for children. I was very far from God and I was going the wrong direction. The only thing left uncorrupted was my interest in music. God (I realize this now) used music to call me back. One of my Catholic friends invited me to play at a guitar Mass with his wife and several attractive young ladies. The lure of the women got me into Church and the love of music kept me there. I was in Church for the wrong reason, but I was there. I was not paying attention to the Mass and I was not saying the prayers, but I believe it was St. Augustine who first stated, "He who sings prays twice". The guitar mass lyrics from the mid- seventies were not exactly full of deep theological insight but they did contain some simple prayers. I continued to play at Mass when I could until my discharge.

On leaving the Navy, I then entered college to study music. But, I was a 24 year old Vietnam vet entering college as a freshman and this was a poor fit. After my military experience, I found I wanted more than the superficial life of a college campus. After a year of studying music, I dropped out. Again, God used my love of music to attract me back to Church. My sister's new husband was the music director at a local parish. They convinced me to start playing in Church. I had not attended Mass since leaving the Navy but now, my music had me going again. I joined a guitar group first and later the choir. Now, the songs were much better, and the lyrics were much more refined and thoughtful. I found I could "get into" this music much better than I had before. I did not realize it then, but it was because the songs were based on Scripture. Within a year I was practicing for and singing 3 masses every weekend (plus Holy days). That is a lot of "praying twice".

I was still a very nominal Catholic. I was very modern and modernist. I was willing to try anything new and was always ready to discard anything I viewed as "old", "traditional" or "authoritarian", and I felt that way about much that the Church taught. I did NOT believe in Hell. I especially did not believe in Satan or demons.

I was also very lonely. I went from one empty relationship to another. I realized I was incapable of commitment. I tried reading self help books. I joined various single groups and organizations. I even reread my old notebook and read that quote on love. Then one Sunday, I did something I had never tried before. I prayed for God to show me how to love. Nothing happened, but I continued praying anyway. God gave me an opportunity at every Mass I attended to offer my special intentions, at every Mass I offered the same one, and I was doing music in 3 Masses every weekend (plus Holy days). That's a lot of special intentions. Years passed. I was about to accept that I would be single all my life when God answered my prayers and I met the lady who was to become my wife. She was almost exactly everything I was not. She was a very devout Catholic. Prayer for her was as easy as a conversation. She was very close to her family yet she was one of 9 children. I fell in love with her almost immediately but it took me awhile to convince her that I was the right guy. The fact that I was doing three Masses every weekend (plus Holy days) did help. We married a year later.

Marriage very much agreed with me. I was 31 years old and had a beautiful wife who was all I had dreamed of and I wanted it to last forever. There was only one problem. She wanted to have 12 children. I wanted none. She would not use the pill so we used Natural Family Planning. I was not a believer in the system; but went along with her stronger faith. Eventually, I gave in; we tried for a baby and were immediately successful. She was delighted and I was not. The pregnancy and birth went smoothly and my first daughter was born. I was caught up in the wonder of the moment and decided that this was O.K.. I mean, most of our friends had a child and they are cute in their own simple way. The year passed and we were careless. When the baby was 9 months old my wife became pregnant again. This upset me. I was not ready to have another baby. This pregnancy was difficult; at about 5 months, my wife began bleeding and had to be hospitalized. Her fear and tears of losing the baby made me regret my anger and I resolved to accept this baby too.

But things were no longer going well. My job was becoming more demanding of my time and energy. Our house was too small and we could not save enough to buy a new one. My wife could not get a job which would pay enough to even cover child care costs. I had to remodel the old house we were living in and sell it for enough to make a larger home affordable. I knew it would be hard but we could do it. All my spare time and money were spent towards to finishing the house.

Then we had our third baby. Now work, church, and remodel consumed all of my time. My wife and I only had two arguments, "You don't spend enough time with the children", and "Let's have another one." I was starting to feel my life was out of control and my faith was too weak to know why.

I was discontented with life and my discontent drove me to search for answers. I began doing spiritual reading. I had trouble reading Scripture. The terms and language were just incomprehensible to me. But, I did begin to read commentaries and discussions about the Scriptures. I began to feel a strange solidarity with St. Peter. I mean, here was a professional fisherman who, unless Jesus was around, seemed unable to catch fish or keep his boat from sinking. He walked on water (briefly). Jesus called him Satan. He promised Jesus he would not abandon Him, pulled a sword to defend Him, and then denied he even knew Him all in one night. And yet, Jesus didn't fire him. In fact, He put Peter in charge. I didn't know what Peter had, but I wanted it.

Then, one night, in a dream, I was trapped in a room far from the door. The floor was disintegrating. Beneath the floor was a deep black pit, from which I could sense a terrifying evil presence. I had no where to go, the gap was far too wide to jump, and the piece I was standing on was crumbling away. Then the door on the far side opened, and some men entered with bricks, mortar, and tools and began to repair the floor. I wondered who they were and I heard a voice reply, "That is Jesus and the Apostles." I watched them and wondered, "Which one is Peter?" As soon as I said "Peter" one man's head shot up. He had the most ordinary, plain and unattractive face I had ever seen. His eyes met mine and he pierced me with a look of complete and utter contempt. I was shocked. All the others finished their work, picked up their tools, and left the room while Peter glared at me. Then, silently, he turned, left the room and closed the door. All I could ask was, "What was that about?" The same voice as before kindly but sadly said, "You could have asked 'Which one was Jesus?'." I woke up crying and cried the rest of the night.

I realized my focus was on me and not on Jesus. I decided it was time to start praying. I still wasn't sure about that "old" Catholic stuff but, at my wife's suggestion, I decided to try to pray the rosary. My job involved a lot of driving so I began praying the rosary as I drove between jobs. I mostly just said the prayers without much thought, but I noticed occasionally, when I had a moment of understanding, I would get a little tingle at the base of my skull. Sometimes it would travel down my spine into my shoulders. I began to think of them as the Holy Spirit giving me feedback to let me know when I had understood something correctly.

One evening, while I was reading, my wife (who I thought was sleeping) suddenly began crying. I feared I had done something wrong ( again) but she was crying like I had never seen her cry. It was several minutes before she could control herself enough to explain. She had been praying and she had asked for a glimpse of what Heaven was like, and received the lightest caress that filled her with the greatest love and "the peace that surpasses all understanding" that she had ever known. She was unable to describe it but she said she would be willing to go through anything to feel it again. It was very intense and intimate experience for both of us. I have no doubt that God gave her this "touch of Heaven" to strengthen her for the hell I was about to put her through.

I had been making progress on the house nicely when one morning about a month later; my wife delightedly announced that she was pregnant with our fourth child. I was devastated. I blamed her for not tracking her fertility properly and wanting to get pregnant against my will. MY ANGER against her was the opening for a spiritual attack. This was the first Monday of Lent, and the start of the most significant week of my life. I went to work angry. All day, I argued internally about what I should do. I seemed to have other voices in my head showing me how my anger was justified. I came home seething but I said nothing. I gave my wife the "silent treatment". She tried to talk but I would not respond. I wanted her to know how unreasonable she was about wanting "so many children". I wanted to hold on to my anger to teach her a lesson. Paul gives a warning about anger in his letter to the Ephesians (4: 26-27), "do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity for the devil." It would have been a good warning to heed but I wasn't worried about devils. I didn't believe they existed.

Tuesday and Wednesday were much the same. Always the voices would twist incidents of our marriage to show how I was being manipulated and had been made the fool by my wife and MY CHILDREN. I could not pray. The voices gave me no peace. My dreams were all nightmares but I still felt justified in my anger.

I had choir practice Wednesday evening and went early. I was able to pray before the tabernacle in the chapel next to the choir room and for the first time in days the voices were silenced and choir practice went well. I told my wife we needed to talk, but I got a late call out for work, got into a confrontation with a customer and by the time I got home I was in a rage.

Thursday was awful. I was chewed out by the boss, threatened with being fired, and handed several bad jobs. My anger grew to unbelievable proportions. The whole world seemed to be against me. I hated everything and everyone. I could hardly control my rage; everything set the "voices" off in my head. I felt I was going insane. What little sleep I got was filled with nightmares of the voices.

Early Friday morning, my wife miscarried. She was crushed and I could feel nothing. She said, "Well, you ought to be happy now. I lost the baby." Now the voices were filled with total hatred. I was now mad at God for punishing me for something that was not my fault. Friday was pure living HELL. I quit trying to think and just worked. It was all I could do. I could not have conversations. I could barely speak. I completely gave up trying to pray.

After work, I was determined to continue with the remodel. I needed to cut a hole in the floor of our bedroom closet to access the bathroom plumbing. It was a quick job, with a tool called a Sawzall which, with the right blade, can cut through the floor, nails and all. My wife wanted to go to the Stations of the Cross. I told her to go but I had to work to do. I got out my tools and sat down on our bed which was next to closet where I was to cut the hole.

Before leaving, my wife asked me if I loved her anymore. All I could say was, "I don't love anyone or anything right now." Which was true, I was consumed with anger. She walked away and gathered the kids to leave. Unexpectedly, my 20 month old daughter ran in gave me a hug and a kiss and ran back out. Then they left, and I truly felt our marriage left with them. My heart was breaking. I lay back onto the bed. The room was spinning, and my body felt heavy. I kept trying to force myself to get up and work, but I could not even lift my hands. The voices continued their attacks. Everything I thought about they turned into something repulsive. It felt like a great weight was crushing me into the bed. My heart was pounding painfully and my head felt like it was going to explode. I felt I was about to die.

Then something new happened. I thought of my baby's hug and the voices tried to attack her, but their accusations rang hollow. The baby was innocent. She could have done nothing to me; her love was pure. I thought of my earlier words that I didn't love anyone and realized that I loved my baby. I wanted to love my baby. I wanted to love my wife and my children no matter what they may have done, but now it was too late. God finally cracked my hard heart. I saw how terribly wrong I had been all along. I could see how my pride and selfishness was destroying everything. I wasn't ready to die, but I felt I was near death. I was completely exhausted. In tears, I said, "Jesus, I'm sorry, I can't fight any more. I give up. I don't want to die, but if I have to, please take me."

Then, Jesus took me.

When I gave up, the "voices" stopped. I was lost in a terrifying nothingness for a few moments. Then I received, "Seal your eyes until it is over." This may sound strange but it was not a voice and it was not a command or request, it was a fact. My eyes closed tightly and in fear I began to pray the Lord's Prayer. As I prayed, "Our Father", I had a brief flash of the full meaning of God's fatherhood and I felt a tingle go down my spine. I prayed, "Who art in Heaven." Again I had a flash of the incredible beauty of Heaven, and another tingle. It was if the words were written on a window pane and as soon as I read them, I would look through the glass and see their true meaning. Then, I would be pulled into that reality through the prayer and every time I could feel it enter me as a tingle. "Hallowed be thy name". I received a brief view of God's awesome holiness, and another powerful tingle. Every few words I was shown more and every time the tingles would push further into me. They were like waves, moving down my body until they reached the ends of my fingers and toes and reflected back. The reflected wave would collide with the next one and send ripples out in every direction. I did not want to stop praying. I went from one prayer to another, always being pulled deeper and deeper into the reality of God. I was completely overawed and lost within the Beauty. The Mercy is deep. The Joy is immense. The Love is infinite.

I was vaguely aware that the weight that had been pressing me down was gone and I seemed to be floating above the bed yet at the same time I was laying very heavily on the bed with no feeling at all. I seemed to be in both places at once. I was aware of nothing else but praying and those wonderful tingles. Gradually, they began to subside, and I could feel myself float (if that is the proper term) back down to the bed. I continued to pray, but I could feel that a crisis had passed; the intensity of the tingles lessened and finally stopped. Eventually, I rolled over in bed, then knelt down and said some intense prayers of thanks. I did not understand what had just happened, but I knew God had given me a tremendous grace. My clothes were soaked in sweat and the bed where I laid was wet also. I was physically exhausted.

I heard my wife come home and I heard her tell the kids to stay back. I saw her slowly open the door and look at me anxiously. I looked up at her and said, "I'm back. It's over." We put the kids to bed and had a long talk. God worked a lot of healing.

We had several realizations of how God works over the next several weeks.

First, when my wife left for Stations, she decided she was never coming back. Later she realized she had to return at least to get clothing and necessities. Near the end of stations she began to fear that if she returned she would find me dead. After stations she felt certain that I was dying. She told the kids to pray very hard for Daddy. She prayed, saying in effect, "Jesus, if Tim has to die, I will accept that, but You have to take him. Please don't let him go to hell." She did not realize it at the time, but the Blessed Sacrament was exposed for adoration following Stations. My wife had never been to adoration.

Second, the baby we lost was probably conceived the night my wife had had her "touch of Heaven" experience. I spit in God's face and He still forgave me. That is Love.

Third, I still needed to cut a whole in the floor but I wondered if there would be a better place than the closet. We had a cabinet in the bathroom with a built in hamper. After removing the hamper, I discovered a hole already cut into the floor. I did not need to cut a hole. Later, while working on the plumbing under the house, I kept hitting my head on a pipe that should not have been there. Curious, I traced it out and found it to be an unknown pressurized gas line. It ran over to the bedroom was clamped to two by fours directly under our bedroom closet. Taped to the line were two wires. They were energized. Had I tried to cut through the floor, I would surely have cut through the gas line, possibly in two places, and would have cut into the live circuit. The saw I would have used had metal body and the ground lug had broken off the plug. There were a lot of ways I could have died, if I had just tried to cut that hole on that Friday night. God does truly work in mysterious ways.

Fourth, my wife intended to take my children out of the house to go to stations without having my children say goodbye. She was afraid I would have been cruel toward them. The baby pulled away from her and ran back to kiss me entirely on her own. I am still amazed how God can use such small acts of love.

A Christian musician named Michael Card has written a song called "The Spirit of the Age". He had some profound lines concerning the devil and children.

"Every age has heard it, a voice that speaks from Hell

Sacrifice your children, and for you it will be well.

If he can stop the cradle, then he can stop the cross,

He knows that once the child is born, his every hope is lost."

Children are a gift from God to help us grow up.

I had prayed long before for God to show me how to love. He answered my prayers by giving me the cross of raising children. Once I died to myself and accepted the cross God had given me, I discovered the joy of bearing that cross. I discovered the self-sacrificial nature of love. In Jesus words, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). Yes, my children are certainly a cross I have to pick up and carry every day. But they are also the only earthly good I can have here that will also last for eternity. They are a very great good indeed.

At the end of John's Gospel, After Jesus has had Peter affirm Him three times, Jesus says to Peter;

"Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you, and carry you where you do not wish to go." (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him; "Follow me."

Jesus has girded me, he has taken me where I did not want to go. I now know joy I never could have imagined.

Looking back on my life, I can see how prayer was aiding me all the way, but they weren't my prayers for the most part. When I attended Mass, even though I wasn't praying but I'm sure many others were. The Mass contains the Eucharistic Prayer, which is a prayer of blessing and a call to conversion. Good liturgical music is definitely a form of prayer and for me it is the most natural. My wife and children prayed for me before the Blessed Sacrament and that has much to do with why I am here now. Prayers of children are very powerful, that is why the devil fears them. Reading and meditating on Scripture was another form of prayer I was not even aware of. Praying the rosary was more powerful than I realized. I wasn't paying much attention to the words, "pray for us now and at the hour of our death" but I can guarantee you the Blessed Mother was.

Have you ever noticed that in most of the Church's formal prayers, the petitions are in the plural form? "Lord, have mercy on US", "forgive us OUR trespasses", "pray for US sinners", "at the hour of OUR death", the Church's prayers are communal, we seldom pray only for ourselves. And when we pray, we never pray alone. Even if we aren't praying we can be assured that the Saints in Heaven are. I have no doubt my mother never stopped praying for me, even after her death. But even if she forgot me, I know God never did.

Scripture tells us in the first letter from Peter,

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for He cares about you. Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the whole world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself, restore, establish, and strengthen you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1Pet 5: 6-11

My wife has given birth to seven children. Sadly, we have lost eight through miscarriage. Counting miscarriages (and they do count) we have had 15. Three more than my wife wanted, and same number I experienced growing up. The children are a great joy to us. It has been a difficult struggle at times, but somehow things manage to work out. I still wonder if I am crazy for what I have become, BUT I trust God to help me and guide me. I have felt His holiness, His Justice, His mercy, and most importantly His love. My life belongs to Him, and I mean that very literally. I don't know what His plans are for me or my family, but I know He does.

What more could I hope for?

May God bless you,

Tim Ohmes

Tim is still undergoing the wonderful and sometimes difficult process of getting out of God's way. He lives in the windy Texas Panhandle with his seven children, one grandchild (so far) and his fantastic and amazing wife, Rozanne. He will occasionally guest blog at www.gardenofholiness.blogspot.com.

If you have found this story helpful in your spiritual journey we hope you will consider sharing it. Have feedback or would like to share your story? Email us at info@whyimcatholic.com

Fresh riots in Egypt left 24 people dead

2011-10-10T06:29:00.001+04:00

Clashes erupt at a protest of a recent attack on a
church in Cairo Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011. Fierce clashes
erupted Sunday between Christians protesting a recent attack
on a church and the Egyptian military, leaving more than a
dozen people dead and scores injured, Health Ministry
officials said. (AP Photo/Ahmed Ali)

24 dead in worst Cairo riots since Mubarak ouster

CAIRO (AP) — Flames lit up downtown Cairo, where massive clashes raged Sunday, drawing Christians angry over a recent church attack, Muslims and Egyptian security forces. At least 24 people were killed and more than 200 injured in the worst sectarian violence since the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak in February.

The rioting lasted late into the night, bringing out a deployment of more than 1,000 security forces and armored vehicles to defend the state television building along the Nile, where the trouble began. The military clamped a curfew on the area until 7 a.m.

The clashes spread to nearby Tahrir Square, drawing thousands of people to the vast plaza that served as the epicenter of the protests that ousted Mubarak. On Sunday night, they battled each other with rocks and firebombs, some tearing up pavement for ammunition and others collecting stones in boxes.

At one point, an armored security van sped into the crowd, striking a half-dozen protesters and throwing some into the air. Protesters retaliated by setting fire to military vehicles, a bus and private cars, sending flames rising into the night sky.

After midnight, mobs roamed downtown streets, attacking cars they suspected had Christian passengers. In many areas, there was no visible police or army presence to confront or stop them.

Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 80 million people, blame the country's ruling military council for being too lenient on those behind a spate of anti-Christian attacks since Mubarak's ouster. As Egypt undergoes a chaotic power transition and security vacuum in the wake of the uprising, the Coptic Christian minority is particularly worried about the show of force by ultraconservative Islamists.

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, addressing the nation in a televised speech, said the violence threatened to throw Egypt's post-Mubarak transition off course.

"These events have taken us back several steps," he said. "Instead of moving forward to build a modern state on democratic principles we are back to seeking stability and searching for hidden hands — domestic and foreign — that meddle with the country's security and safety."

"I call on Egyptian people, Muslims and Christians, women and children, young men and elders to hold their unity," Sharaf said.

The Christian protesters said their demonstration began as a peaceful attempt to sit in at the television building. But then, they said, they came under attack by thugs in plainclothes who rained stones down on them and fired pellets.

"The protest was peaceful. We wanted to hold a sit-in, as usual," said Essam Khalili, a protester wearing a white shirt with a cross on it. "Thugs attacked us and a military vehicle jumped over a sidewalk and ran over at least 10 people. I saw them."

Wael Roufail, another protester, corroborated the account. "I saw the vehicle running over the protesters. Then they opened fired at us," he said.

Khalili said protesters set fire to army vehicles when they saw them hitting the protesters.

Ahmed Yahia, a Muslim resident who lives near the TV building, said he saw the military vehicle plow into protesters. "I saw a man's head split into two halves and a second body flattened when the armored vehicle ran over it. When some Muslims saw the blood they joined the Christians against the army," he said.

Television footage showed the military vehicle slamming into the crowd. Coptic protesters were shown attacking a soldier, while a priest tried to protect him. One soldier collapsed in tears as ambulances rushed to the scene to take away the injured.

At least 24 people were killed in the clashes, Health Ministry official Hisham Sheiha said on state TV.

State media reported that Egypt's interim Cabinet was holding an emergency session to discuss the situation.

The protest began in the Shubra district of northern Cairo, then headed to the state television building along the Nile where men in plainclothes attacked about a thousand Christian protesters as they chanted denunciations of the military rulers.

"The people want to topple the field marshal!" the protesters yelled, referring to the head of the ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. Some Muslim protesters later joined in the chant.

Later in the evening, a crowd of Muslims turned up to challenge the Christian crowds, shouting, "Speak up! An Islamic state until death!"

Armed with sticks, the Muslim assailants chased the Christian protesters from the TV building, banging metal street signs to scare them off. It was not immediately clear who the attackers were.

Gunshots rang out at the scene, where lines of riot police with shields tried to hold back hundreds of Christian protesters chanting, "This is our country!"

Security forces eventually fired tear gas to disperse the protesters. The clashes then moved to nearby Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the uprising against Mubarak. The army closed off streets around the area.

The clashes left streets littered with shattered glass, stones, ash and soot from burned vehicles. Hundreds of curious onlookers gathered at one of the bridges over the Nile to watch the unrest.

After hours of intense clashes, chants of "Muslims, Christians one hand, one hand!" rang out in a call for a truce. The stone-throwing died down briefly, but then began to rage again.

In the past weeks, riots have broken out at two churches in southern Egypt, prompted by Muslim crowds angry over church construction. One riot broke out near the city of Aswan, even after church officials agreed to a demand by ultraconservative Muslims known as Salafis that a cross and bells be removed from the building.

Aswan's governor, Gen. Mustafa Kamel al-Sayyed, further raised tensions by suggesting to the media that the church construction was illegal.

Protesters said the Copts are demanding the ouster of the governor, reconstruction of the church, compensation for people whose houses were set on fire and prosecution of those behind the riots and attacks on the church.

Last week, the military used force to disperse a similar protest in front of the state television building. Christians were angered by the treatment of the protesters and vowed to renew their demonstrations until their demands are met.

Christianity: Billions of people in the world believed this for almost two millennia!

2011-10-09T22:23:00.001+04:00

If billions of people in the world believed this for almost two millennia, it would be the pinnacle of pride to think that I was smart enough to see it as blatantly self-defeating while none of those billions ever found anything wrong with it. Of course, Christianity does not have to be true simply because many people believe it; however, if it has been the one faith with the most followers in all of history, it probably is not obviously wrong, either. After a series of discussions, I began to see that Christianity was not as self-defeating as I had thought. In fact, it was quite beautiful—perhaps the greatest love story in history.

- By Nabeel Qureshi, a Muslim convert to Christianity

AP News: Manalo Church bought a Ghost Town in South Dakota, USA

2011-10-09T05:54:00.001+04:00

The offer from the Filipino church..., which translates in the language Tagalog to Church of Christ, has been steadily spreading west since it was founded in the Philippines by Felix Manalo, a former minister of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church who experienced what he claimed to be a call similar to those of ancient prophets. He died in 1963. -AP News

Future Unknown for SD Ghost Town Bought by Church

By AMBER HUNT Associated Press
SCENIC, S.D. October 8, 2011 (AP)

The saloon is long empty. The roadside jail cells, rusted and worn. Even the swing sets peek from behind knee-high brush after decades of neglect.

This tiny exclave just west of South Dakota's badlands is officially an old ghost town. But its future is shrouded in new mystery.

"We don't know what's coming," said Kathy Jobgen, 50, the only employee remaining at the only business still in town: the U.S. Post Office.

The town of Scenic — once a popular stop for people traveling to Rapid City from the badlands to the east or Pine Ridge Reservation to the south — was recently purchased by an unusual buyer for less than $800,000. The Iglesia ni Cristo church, established in the Philippines in 1914, bought the town and surrounding acreage from longtime resident and area rodeo legend Twila Merrill, who had gathered the land bit by bit over several decades.

The church isn't divulging its plans for the property. A person answering the phone at its offices in Daly City, Calif., said he couldn't share any information, as did staffers of church spokesman Bienvenido Santos.

"They've got a non-disclosure agreement, and I'm a signatory to that," said David Olsen, the real-estate agent who represented Merrill's family in the sale.

null

He was only comfortable offering bits of detail — the saloon and other boarded-up buildings still standing along Main Street will stay, he said — but he said he couldn't give specifics.

"The gas station will be open for business again soon enough," said Olsen, of Coldwell Banker in Rapid City. The church purchasers are "interested in it being a benefit to the community."

The church, which translates in the language Tagalog to Church of Christ, has been steadily spreading west since it was founded in the Philippines by Felix Manalo, a former minister of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church who experienced what he claimed to be a call similar to those of ancient prophets. He died in 1963.

Often described as one of the fastest-spreading international religions, its foothold in the Philippines grew from about 1.4 million followers in 1990 to 1.7 million in 2000, according to the 2011 figures released by the National Statistics Office in Manila.

Iglesia ni Cristo rejects the Christian doctrine of trinity and believes Christ is one of several prophets. The church is focused on the end times, believes Manalo is a prophet and considers the Catholic Church apostate.

It has a divisive reputation. The church's backing has been viewed as crucial in Filipino presidential elections, and it has been accused of organizing bloc voting in that country. It also is known for its secrecy, rarely commenting on its activities.

So far, there has been no church activity in Scenic to hint at what's to come — no construction permits sought or development plans presented to the county. The lack of information surrounding the sale has some neighbors uneasy and rumors are circulating among the scattering of residents.

"They bought it sight unseen," said Shirley Kudrna, whose father-in-law was born on a ranch about seven miles east of Scenic in 1916.

"Some people say maybe they're a cult," said her father-in-law, Tony Kudrna, 95, who has lived on the ranch nearly his whole life.

The church has expanded to more than 5,000 congregations in the Philippines, and more than 600 abroad in more than 60 countries and territories, according to the Manila Times. It has held neighborhood events to praise the hospitality of the communities where it has purchased land to build homes and churches, including Los Angeles, Orlando, and Union County, N.J.

Other congregations are established nationwide in more than 40 states, according to the church's website. Dozens are listed in California, 10 in Washington, 12 in Texas and seven in New York.

Jobgen said she's hopeful the church will make for a good neighbor.

"I'm excited about the possibilities," said Jobgen, who also runs the Jobgen Ranch with her husband.

The intersection of flourishing religion and foundering town is perplexing: In 1915, the state Highway 44 pit stop of Scenic enjoyed its largest population of 155 residents, according to records kept by the South Dakota State Historical Society.

At its peak, the town that's pure Old West had two restaurants, three gas stations, two bulk filling stations, a hotel, a school, a bank and a post office. Tony Kudrna's sister worked at one of the restaurants, he recalled. To travel from his homestead to the comparatively bustling town, he went by horse-drawn wagon.

null

The remnants still dot the 12 acres that qualify as deserted town. The buildings that remain are padlocked closed and have plywood over their windows and doors, but the flavor of the time is still very much present: The sign above the Longhorn Saloon is lined with aged cattle skulls and emblazoned with the structure's year of construction — 1906.

The wooden general store is adorned with rusted wagon wheels and a carved sign that reads: "ASHES TO ASHES — DUST TO DUST— IF WE DON'T HAVE IT — IT ISN'T A MUST."

Merrill, a rancher and rodeo regular, began buying Scenic property in 1963. Olsen said her health began to fail about two years ago, and as cancer took hold, Merrill was forced to put the land — 46 acres in total — on the market.

It languished for two years with a $3 million price tag. In July, Olsen stepped in and dropped the cost to $799,000.

Suddenly, prospective buyers stepped forward from all over the world, said Olsen, estimating that he took more than 500 phone calls and 200 emails about the property. He appeared on television programs in Australia, London, Montreal, Chicago and Atlanta, he said.

The offer from the Filipino church was one of several.

"It was Twila's decision as to who she chose," Olsen said. "She seems to be real happy with it."

What happens next is not known publicly. Olsen said the property will be cleaned of dilapidated buildings and overgrown brush, but he said the buildings at the town's heart will remain. Not even Merrill and her family know more than that, he said.

"They do not know the plans," he said. "They're as eager as everybody else."

DOHA QATAR: The UNIVERSALITY of the CHURCH witnessed at theFeast of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish

2011-10-07T21:29:00.000+04:00

The "true church" Iglesia ni Cristo donated to the Horn of Africa, but wait....

2011-10-06T21:48:00.000+04:00

Claiming to be the "true church" the Iglesia ni ~~Cristo~~ of Manalo was voiceless. Eduardo Manalo, it's "little pope's" appeal to the world if he ever had done so, fell on deaf ears. No one is listening to the grandson of the "last messenger of God". Manalo's church is busy spending its money on properties abroad and not for humanitarian aid. This is the "true" church.

BUT still the "fake" CHURCH has the loudest appeal for the suffering people of Africa. And when the Pope of this "fake" CHURCH speaks, the WORLD listens. That is the "fake" CHURCH. -CD2000

Caritas aids one million people in East Africa as Pope makes food crisis plea

Caritas International, Vatican City: Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday 5 October highlighted the plight of 13 million people at risk in East Africa’s ongoing food crisis. Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and other parts of the region face a severe food crisis caused by drought, conflict and social injustice. Somalia is the first famine of the 21st century, with hundreds of thousands of people in danger and one in three children suffering from malnutrition.

Pope Benedict urged the international community to tackle the humanitarian emergency. He invited everyone “to offer prayers and practical help for so many brothers and sisters so harshly tested, particularly the children in the region.”

The Caritas network of Catholic aid agencies is helping over one million people in East Africa’s food crisis, providing families with food, clean water, and a way to support themselves in the future. Caritas is developing and implementing programmes worth more than €30 million ($41 million).

Presented to Pope Benedict were Bishop Giorgio Bertin, Apostolic Administrator of Mogadishu and President of Caritas Somalia; Paolo Beccegato, Head of the International Department for Caritas Italy; Ken Hackett, outgoing CEO of Catholic Relief Services (a U.S. Caritas member), and Alistair Dutton, Caritas Internationalis Humanitarian Director.

“Caritas members all over the world have moved quickly to help prevent suffering in East Africa through our partners on the ground,” said Dutton. “We will continue to care for the hungriest and most vulnerable victims.

“Drought triggered the current crisis, but it’s as much a manmade as natural disaster. We must tackle chronic underdevelopment and help communities adapt to changing climates across the region. We must seek an end to conflict in Somalia if this is to be the only famine in East Africa this century.”

The Pontifical Council Cor Unum is hosting a meeting 7 October in the Vatican, inviting Catholic aid agencies including Caritas and representatives from the Church of England to discuss new efforts to tackle the crisis. In Ethiopia, Caritas and its church partners have distributed food to approximately 500,000 people and is providing clean water to an estimated 250,000 people. In Kenya and Ethiopia, diocesan partners run feeding centres for malnourished children. To aid refugees fleeing Somalia, Caritas members are working in refugee camps to build sanitation facilities like showers and latrines.

Because farmers have lost crops and livestock to the drought, Caritas is distributing drought-resistant seeds and is giving more than 10,000 animals to needy farmers. Ongoing programmes will improve water systems and train farmers in conservation techniques so that communities are more resilient in the face of extreme weather.

Please call Laura Sheahen on 0039 334 2344136 or 0039 06 698 797 55 or email sheahen@caritas.va

Mary: The Ark of the New Covenant

2011-10-05T06:11:00.001+04:00

Rev. 12:1 "And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."

Today, there is a growing sense of hatred to Catholics accusing us of "worshipping" the Mother of the Lord". This article will help us understand why we are devoutly venerating Mary, the New Ark of the Covenant for allowing in her womb the Word of God and the Bread from Heaven. -CD2000

by Steve Ray from Catholic Culture

Why do Catholics call Mary the Ark of the New Covenant? Answering that question will take us on a journey through the Old and New Testaments.

For example, Luke wove some marvelous things into his Gospel that only a knowledgeable Jew would have understood — a Jew who knew Jewish Scripture and had eyes to see and ears to hear. One of the things he would have understood is typology. So what is typology?

We all know that the Old Testament is full of stories, people, and historical events. A type is a person, thing, or event in the Old Testament that foreshadows something in the New Testament. It is like a taste or a hint of something that will be fulfilled or realized. Types are like pictures that come alive in a new and exciting way when seen through the eyes of Christ's revelation. Typology is the study of these types and their fulfillment. Augustine said that "the Old Testament is the New concealed, but the New Testament is the Old revealed" (Catechizing of the Uninstructed, 4:8).

The idea of typology is not new. In his letter to the Romans, Paul says that Adam was a type of the one who was to come — Christ (Rom. 5:14). Early Christians understood that the Old Testament was full of types or pictures that were fulfilled or realized in the New Testament.
Here are a few more examples of biblical typology:

Peter uses Noah's ark as a type of Christian baptism (1 Pet. 3:18-22).
Paul explains that circumcision foreshadowed Christian baptism (Col. 2:11-12).
Jesus uses the bronze serpent as a type of his Crucifixion (John 3:14; cf. Num. 21:8-9).
The Passover lamb prefigures the sacrifice of Christ (1 Cor. 5:7).
Paul says that Abraham, in his willingness to sacrifice Isaac, "considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; hence, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back" (Heb. 11:19).

The Ark of the Old Covenant
God loved his people and wanted to be close to them. He chose to do so in a very special way. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "The prayer of the people of God flourished in the shadow of the dwelling place of God's presence on earth, the ark of the covenant and the temple, under the guidance of their shepherds, especially King David, and of the prophets" (CCC 2594). God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle surrounded by heavy curtains (cf. Ex. 25-27). Within the tabernacle he was to place an ark made of acacia wood covered with gold inside and out. Within the Ark of the Covenant was placed a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant (cf. Heb. 9:4).

When the ark was completed, the glory cloud of the Lord (the Shekinah Glory) covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34-35; Num. 9:18, 22). The verb for "to cover" or "to overshadow" and the metaphor of a cloud are used in the Bible to represent the presence and glory of God. The Catechism explains:

In the theophanies of the Old Testament, the cloud, now obscure, now luminous, reveals the living and saving God, while veiling the transcendence of his glory — with Moses on Mount Sinai, at the tent of meeting, and during the wandering in the desert, and with Solomon at the dedication of the temple. In the Holy Spirit, Christ fulfills these figures [types]. The Spirit comes upon the Virgin Mary and "overshadows" her, so that she might conceive and give birth to Jesus. On the mountain of Transfiguration, the Spirit in the "cloud came and overshadowed" Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John, and "a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"' Finally, the cloud took Jesus out of the sight of the disciples on the day of his Ascension and will reveal him as Son of man in glory on the day of his final coming. The glory of the Lord "overshadowed" the ark and filled the tabernacle (CCC 697).

It's easy to miss the parallel between the Holy Spirit overshadowing the ark and the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary, between the Ark of the Old Covenant as the dwelling place of God and Mary as the new dwelling place of God.

God was very specific about every exact detail of the ark (Ex. 25-30). It was a place where God himself would dwell (Ex. 25:8). God wanted his words — inscribed on stone — housed in a perfect container covered with pure gold within and without. How much more would he want his Word — Jesus — to have a perfect dwelling place! If the only begotten Son were to take up residence in the womb of a human girl, would he not make her flawless?

The Virgin Mary is the living shrine of the Word of God, the Ark of the New and Eternal Covenant. In fact, St. Luke's account of the annunciation of the angel to Mary nicely incorporates the images of the tent of meeting with God in Sinai and of the temple of Zion. Just as the cloud covered the people of God marching in the desert (cf. Num. 10:34; Deut. 33:12; Ps. 91:4) and just as the same cloud, as a sign of the divine mystery present in the midst of Israel, hovered over the Ark of the Covenant (cf. Ex. 40:35), so now the shadow of the Most High envelopes and penetrates the tabernacle of the New Covenant that is the womb of Mary (cf. Luke 1:35) (Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, The Shrine: Memory, Presence and Prophecy of the Living God).

Luke weaves additional parallels into the story of Mary — types that could be overlooked if one is unfamiliar with the Old Testament. After Moses died, Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Joshua established the Ark of the Covenant in Shiloh, where it stayed for more than 200 years. One day the Israelites were losing a battle with the Philistines, so they snatched the ark and rushed it to the front lines. The Philistines captured the ark, but it caused them great problems, so they sent it back to Israel (1 Sam. 5:1-6:12).

David went out to retrieve the ark (1 Sam 6:1-2). After a man named Uzzah was struck dead when he touched the ark, David was afraid and said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" He left the ark in the hill country of Judea for three months. David danced and leapt in front of the ark and everyone shouted for joy. The house of Obededom, which had housed the ark, was blessed, and then David took the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:9-14).

Compare David and the ark to Luke's account of the Visitation:

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord" (Luke 1:39-45). Here are the parallels:

Mary arose and went to the hill country of Judea. Ein Kerem (where Elizabeth lived) and Abu Ghosh (where the ark resided) are only a short walk apart. Mary and the ark were both on a journey to the same hill country of Judea.

When David saw the ark he rejoiced and said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" Elizabeth uses almost the same words: "Why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Luke is telling us something — drawing our minds back to the Old Testament, showing us a parallel.

When David approached the ark he shouted out and danced and leapt in front of the ark. He was wearing an ephod, the clothing of a priest. When Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, approached Elizabeth, John the Baptist leapt in his mother's womb — and John was from the priestly line of Aaron. Both leapt and danced in the presence of the ark. The Ark of the Old Covenant remained in the house of Obed-edom for three months, and Mary remained in the house of Elizabeth for three months. The place that housed the ark for three months was blessed, and in the short paragraph in Luke, Elizabeth uses the word blessed three times. Her home was certainly blessed by the presence of the ark and the Lord within.

When the Old Testament ark arrived — as when Mary arrived — they were both greeted with shouts of joy. The word for the cry of Elizabeth's greeting is a rare Greek word used in connection with Old Testament liturgical ceremonies that were centered around the ark and worship (cf. Word Biblical Commentary, 67). This word would flip on the light switch for any knowledgeable Jew.

The ark returns to its home and ends up in Jerusalem, where God's presence and glory is revealed in the temple (2 Sam. 6:12; 1 Kgs. 8:9-11). Mary returns home and eventually ends up in Jerusalem, where she presents God incarnate in the temple (Luke 1:56; 2:21-22).

It seems clear that Luke has used typology to reveal something about the place of Mary in salvation history. In the Ark of the Old Covenant, God came to his people with a spiritual presence, but in Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, God comes to dwell with his people not only spiritually but physically, in the womb of a specially prepared Jewish girl.

An image of the Ark of the Covenant

The Old Testament tells us that one item was placed inside the Ark of the Old Covenant while in the Sinai wilderness: God told Moses to put the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments inside the ark (Deut. 10:3-5). Hebrews 9:4 informs us that two additional items were placed in the Ark: "a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded." Notice the amazing parallels: In the ark was the law of God inscribed in stone; in Mary's womb was the Word of God in flesh. In the ark was the urn of manna, the bread from heaven that kept God's people alive in the wilderness; in Mary's womb is the Bread of Life come down from heaven that brings eternal life. In the ark was the rod of Aaron, the proof of true priesthood; in Mary's womb is the true priest. In the third century, St. Gregory the Wonder Worker said that Mary is truly an ark — "gold within and gold without, and she has received in her womb all the treasures of the sanctuary."

While the apostle John was exiled on the island of Patmos, he wrote something that would have shocked any first-century Jew. The ark of the Old Covenant had been lost for centuries — no one had seen it for about 600 years. But in Revelation 11:19, John makes a surprising announcement: "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple?'

At this point chapter 11 ends and chapter 12 begins. But the Bible was not written with chapter divisions — these were added in the twelfth century. When John penned these words, there was no division between chapters 11 and 12; it was a continuing narrative.

What did John say immediately after seeing the Ark of the Covenant in heaven? "And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child" (Rev. 12:1-2). The woman is Mary, the Ark of the Covenant, revealed by God to John. She was seen bearing the child who would rule the world with a rod of iron (Rev. 12:5). Mary was seen as the ark and as a queen.

But does this passage really refer to Mary? Some say the woman represents Israel or the Church, and certainly she does. John's use of rich symbolism is well known, but it is obvious from the Bible itself that the woman is Mary. The Bible begins with a real man (Adam), a real woman (Eve), and a real serpent (the devil) — and it also ends with a real man (Jesus, the Last Adam [1 Cor. 15:45]), a real woman (Mary, the New Eve [Rev. 11:19-12:2]), and a real serpent (the devil of old). All of this was foretold in Genesis 3:15.

John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote about this passage in Revelation:

I would maintain is this, that the Holy Apostle would not have spoken of the Church under this particular image unless there had existed a Blessed Virgin Mary, who was exalted on high and the object of veneration to all the faithful. No one doubts that the "man-child" spoken of is an allusion to our Lord; why then is not "the Woman" an allusion to his mother?

Later in the same chapter we read that the devil went out to persecute the woman's other offspring — Christians — which certainly seems to indicate that Mary is somehow the mother of the Church (Rev. 12:17).

Even if someone rejects Catholic teaching regarding Mary, he cannot deny that Catholics have scriptural foundations for it. And it is a teaching that has been taught by Christians from ancient times. Here are a few representative quotations from the early Church — some written well before the New Testament books were officially compiled into the final New Testament canon.

Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296-373) was the main defender of the deity of Christ against the second-century heretics. He wrote: "O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You are greater than them all O [Ark of the] Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which divinity resides" (Homily of the Papyrus of Turin).

Gregory the Wonder Worker (c. 213-c. 270) wrote: "Let us chant the melody that has been taught us by the inspired harp of David, and say, 'Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy sanctuary.' For the Holy Virgin is in truth an ark, wrought with gold both within and without, that has received the whole treasury of the sanctuary" (Homily on the Annunciation to the Holy Virgin Mary).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church echoes the words from the earliest centuries: "Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the Ark of the Covenant, the place where the glory of the Lord dwells. She is 'the dwelling of God . . . with men"' (CCC 2676).

The early Christians taught the same thing that the Catholic Church teaches today about Mary, including her being the Ark of the New Covenant.

Mary the Ark As Revealed in Mary's Visit to Elizabeth

Golden Box: Ark of the Old Covenant	Mary: Ark of the New Covenant
The ark traveled to the house of Obed-edom in the hill country of Judea (2 Sam. 6:1-11).	Mary traveled to the house of Elizabeth and Zechariah in the hill country of Judea (Luke 1:39).
Dressed as a priest, David danced and leapt in front of the ark (2 Sam. 6:14).	John the Baptist — of priestly lineage — leapt in his mother's womb at the approach of Mary (Luke 1:41).
David asks, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" (2 Sam. 6:9).	Elizabeth asks, "Why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43).
David shouts in the presence of the ark (2 Sam. 6:15).	Elizabeth "exclaimed with a loud cry" in the presence of the Mary (Luke 1:42).
The ark remained in the house of Obed-edom for three months (2 Sam. 6:11).	Mary remained in the house of Elizabeth for three months (Luke 1:56).
The house of Obed-edom was blessed by the presence of the ark (2 Sam. 6:11).	The word blessed is used three times; surely the house was blessed by God (Luke 1:39-45).
The ark returns to its home and ends up in Jerusalem, where God's presence and glory is revealed in the temple (2 Sam. 6:12; 1 Kgs. 8:9-11).	Mary returns home and eventually ends up in Jerusalem, where she presents God incarnate in the temple (Luke 1:56; 2:21-22).

Inside the Ark

Inside the Ark of the Old Covenant	Inside Mary, Ark of the New Covenant
The stone tablets of the law — the word of God inscribed on stone	The body of Jesus Christ — the word of God in the flesh
The urn filled with manna from the wilderness — the miraculous bread come down from heaven	The womb containing Jesus, the bread of life come down from heaven (John 6:41)
The rod of Aaron that budded to prove and defend the true high priest	The actual and eternal High Priest

Steve Ray is the author of Crossing the Tiber, Upon This Rock, and St. John's Gospel. He is also co-author of Catholic Answers' Papacy Learning Guide. You may contact him through his web site, www.catholicconvert.com

Why I am a Catholic!

2011-10-04T06:34:00.003+04:00

I AM A CATHOLIC ...

Because the founder of the Catholic Church is the God-Man Jesus Christ, Who was foretold by the prophets, and Who proved the divine character of His mission and teaching by wonderful miracles, especially by His Own Resurrection from the dead;
Because Christ established upon Peter and the Apostles the Church, one, holy, universal, apostolic, with which He declared He would remain all days to the consummation of the world, and against which the gates of Hell would not prevail;
Because Christ gave this society certain well defined doctrines which all men everywhere must believe under pain of damnation, **1 to which they may not add or from which they may not subtract;
Because Christ the Author of all holiness, promised to guard this society from error and preserve it until the end of time;
Because the Catholic Church possesses all marks of this Church established by Christ:
- The Catholic Church is ONE because she everywhere professes the same faith, has the same sacrifice and sacraments, and is governed by one and the same visible head, the Pope. All non-Catholic sects lack unity. Because of the principles of private judgment they are conditionally splitting and subdividing. They have no central authority to hold them together. Their doctrines and practices are changing from day to day.
- The Catholic Church is HOLY because its Founder, Jesus Christ, is all-holy; because it doctrines are holy; because its means of sanctification, the sacraments, are holy; because it produces holy, saintly men and women.
- The Catholic Church is UNIVERSAL because it subsist throughout the ages, teaches all nations, and maintains all the truths given to it by Christ. The sects are not spread over the whole world but rather localized, nor do they teach everything that Our Lord taught the Apostles.
- The Catholic Church is APOSTOLIC because it was founded on Christ's Apostles, because it is governed by their doctrines through their lawful successors, and because it never ceases to teach their doctrine. The sects cannot trace their origin to Christ or to the Apostles.
- ** 1 CCC { 846, in context: 836 - 848 }
  ** 2 CCC { 857, in context: 857 - 865 }
  ** 3 CCC { 855, in context: 849 - 856 }

Eleven Christians recieve death threats as false charges emerge against Nadarkhani

2011-10-03T06:39:00.000+04:00

Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide - Eleven Iranian Christians who fled Iran in the wake of a government campaign against evangelical Christianity have received threats via email from ‘the unknown soldiers of the Hidden Imam’ calling on them to either repent or face extra-judicial execution. The ‘unknown soldiers’ are alleged to have links with Iranian security services.

The email, which was sent to each individual on 14 September, warned the recipients that although they may have managed to flee Iran, they are not hidden from the ‘acute eyes of the unknown soldiers’, who claim they have been advancing to the heart of the ‘Zionist regime’ over a number of years. The email concludes by offering the eleven Christians ‘the opportunity to repent and ask forgiveness from the presence of the Hidden Imam [the 12th Imam, the Messiah-figure in Shia Twelver theology] and the Great Allah. Otherwise, according to the Fatwa given by Mehdi the Hidden Imam, they must be killed.’

Reverend Samuel Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries, who has been closely involved in the house church movement in Iran, has indicated that he and his network of churches are taking the threat very seriously.

Meanwhile in Rasht, the written verdict of the most recent trial of Pastor Nadarkhani is still being awaited. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the fate of the pastor may now lie in the hands of the local religious leader, Ayatollah Ghorbani.

Following a demonstration in support of Pastor Nadarkhani organised by CSW, the Iranian Embassy in London released a statement claiming that fears of a death sentence were ‘unsubstantiated’. However, in a worrying development, disinformation has been spreading in recent days concerning the charges against the pastor. These include claims that he was found guilty of rape, and accusations that he is a Zionist “working against the Islamic Order”. Sources close to the case have expressed fears that efforts may be underway to formulate spurious charges in order to justify the sentence.

The threat to the lives of the eleven Christians, together with the continuing threat of execution of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, are indicative of what Pastor Yeghnazar terms the “utter hypocrisy of a government that claims Christians live in freedom.” Protestant Christians, along with many other religious minorities, do not enjoy religious freedom in Iran and in the past eleven months at least 137 Christians have suffered arbitrary arrests and interrogations and nearly forty have been kept in prison for several weeks. One Christian from Tehran, Fashid Fathi-Malayeri, has been imprisoned for nine months, several weeks of which were spent in solitary confinement. He has had no access to a lawyer and still has not been informed of the exact charges against him. His wife and two small children have fled Iran for their own safety.

CSW’s Chief Executive Officer Mervyn Thomas said, “The threat against the eleven Iranian citizens in the Diaspora is an appalling and vicious move by a group suspected of close association with the Iranian security forces. It is vital that countries hosting Iranian refugees and asylum seekers ensure these vulnerable people receive adequate protection, and make it clear to the Iranian authorities that cross-border assassinations are wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated. In addition, with regard to the pastor, CSW is in possession of original court documents which clearly state that the charge against him is apostasy, and that the death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court. Iran’s efforts to fabricate fresh charges against Pastor Nadarkhani this late in the day reflect badly on the ruling regime and will only serve to bring the Iranian legal system into disrepute and occasion further questions regarding the independence of the judiciary.”

Join ROME REPORTS Club to watch "The World Seen from the Vatican"

2011-10-01T06:20:00.000+04:00