Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Worthy

I DID take note of the last two "rejoinders" issued by the FFL in its blog here and here, but i really felt that there was no more need to respond to it. The council led the way by giving a succinct explanation of the Pfizer issue, and keeping it to that without bringing up any of the FFL's shortcomings, quite contrary to the FFL's unChristian war agenda. I didn't see a reason to keep responding to their constant rejoinders, back scrambling, and hand-washing, as it was prone to deteriorate to a "you did this, you did that" type of exchange.

The one glaring fact of the matter is, while they continue to beat on and obfuscate a tired old subject that has already been effectively "rejoined" (to borrow a term) here, here, and with a silver bullet here, the FFL has not made one single legitimate excuse for why they themselves are almost inextricably attached to an outspoken anti-life politician.

I haven't even brought up their incredibly unChristian behavior...

...or, asked Frank what he did as the self-proclaimed LEADER and founder of CfC to prevent the partnership of GK with supposed anti-life companies, after all, the buck stops with the guy at the top, right?

Until then, all these rejoinders from the FFL become...white noise, you know, that hissing, non-sensical, staticky sound that emits from TV's with no antennas?


Here are a couple of comments posted that you shouldn't miss. I'll repost them in full because they are very worthy of a cut-and-paste.

Here's one taken from the Peace entry:

Dear Brothers & Sisters In CFC and FFL,

First of all, I would like to greet Bro. Frank Padilla a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY last Oct. 4, 2007. May our Lord Jesus continue to give him strength and blessings to truly serve Him and Him alone.

Second of all, it has been awhile since I last replied to Bro. Frank's answers to my list of 21 questions. Unfortunately until now, Bro. Frank still has not responded and it is very unlikely that he ever will, although I am still hoping that he would. I have seen my reply being posted at a RestoreCFC blogsite but after a while it got deleted. Someone re-posted it and it got deleted again, which made many bloggers wonder, is FFL really after truth and fairness, or is FFL hiding the truth at the expense of fairness?

Finally, in response to Bro. Frank's "The Way Forward # 4" document, instead of broadcasting an email to everyone, I e-mailed him directly because he had always complained why people do not just email him directly. I just had to express my DISAPPOINTMENT directly to Bro. Frank because I COULD NOT EVER BELIEVE that the man all of us have held in VERY HIGH REGARD, could be capable of such VERY CLEAR DECEPTIONS which he does WITH SUCH BLATANCY, as if sure of himself that people will not be able to spot them.

You see my dear brothers and sisters, especially those in FFL, there is simply NO TRUTH in what he has been spreading in all the Restoration Assemblies and other places that he has recently been to. I asked Bro. Frank for clarifications but it seems he was NOT INTERESTED anymore in giving any. I am therefore turning over these issues to ANY of his followers hoping that they might be able to shed light on his actions and of FFL in general.

These are the issues that Bro. Frank REFUSES to address:

He continues to accuse CFC of "VEERING AWAY" yet he was also a part (even the head) of that veering away. In fact in 2005, he approved the partnership of Gawad Kalusugan with Pfizer, a company he now accuses to be producing anti-life products. He still continues to INSIST that he ALONE (together with his FFL supporters) can restore CFC to its true charism. Isn't this ARROGANCE? He ignores the fact that CFC is now actively correcting whatever needs to be corrected in order to put us all right back on track. He shot down IC's invitation to stay and work with them and to keep the community united by not leaving and forming FFL. He continues to ignore the pleas of thousands begging him NOT to keep dividing the community since there is NO MORAL REASON to do so.

He continues to accuse all of CFC and all of GK of veering away when this is not widespread but only in isolated cases and is currently being corrected. If I may ask my FFL brothers and sisters here in Manitoba, what is there to restore here? How about in other places? Can you honestly say that there is anything to restore?

He continues to accuse CFC and GK of veering away by partnering with anti-life corporations yet his very own household member and benefactor, Senate President Manny and Rep. Cynthia Villar, are openly pro-choice. Isn't this HYPOCRISY? WHO IS VEERING AWAY NOW?

He continues to accuse CFC of conducting a "WITCH HUNT" against Bro. Lachie Agana, even though this is merely an administrative and pastoral function that CFC is performing. This is NOT wrongdoing . They are in fact the ones investigating if Bro. Lachie Agana is guilty of any wrongdoing. And besides, these delicate matters should remain only at the level of the IC yet Bro. Frank is spreading this around. Why? What for? Wherever Sis. Gerry Padilla goes, she is also bringing up the issue of the alleged inappropriate relationship ("love affair") of Bro. Lachie Agana and Sis. Maribel Descallar. Isn't this what we would normally call as "tsismis" which in itself is a wrongdoing?

He continues to accuse CFC of "DISOBEDIENCE" to the Bishops yet the Bishops have already made it known to everyone that this is NOT the case and has even forgiven the IC for whatever hurt that has been caused.
He continues to spread the lie that there was an agreement to postpone the elections when in fact that agreement was still up for the CFC Elders Assembly's approval and ratification.

He continues to HIDE the fact that his actions places him ABOVE the authority of the CFC Elders Assembly, by his refusal to accept the mandate the EA have validly given to the present IC. He even recognized the validity of the election and congratulated the elected IC, yet later he did not accept the results. Why?

He continues to HIDE the fact that his actions places him ABOVE the authority of the Bishops, by his arrogant demand for the IC to resign or else he would pursue division, yet the Bishops have not made any such demands.

He continues to HIDE the fact that his actions places him ABOVE God Himself, because he has not followed the example of the Bishops (who speaks for God) in giving a chance to the present IC to prove themselves.

He continues to spread the lie that the IC has defied the Bishops yet it is him who defied the CFC Elders Assembly (by not following the mandate they gave the IC) and the Bishops (by not following their example of supporting CFC in its restoration efforts).

He continues to claim he and his FFL followers are still CFC when they do NOT even subject themselves to the highest authority in CFC which is the CFC Elders Assembly. Can anyone tell us if the CFC Elders Assembly veered away too?

He continues to claim he and his FFL followers are still CFC when they do NOT even adhere to the CFC Statutes and by-laws that Bro. Frank himself has helped formulate. These are the same statutes that are now registered in the Vatican. FFL has no statutes of its own and is in no position to claim the CFC statutes as theirs since they don't adhere to it anyway. FFL has still to formulate its own statutes and has still to be recognized by the both the Vatican and CBCP.

He continues to HIDE the fact that he used to warn everyone that CFC might lose recognition which really alarmed a lot of the brethren (including me), some of whom readily affiliated themselves with FFL. But it turns out that FFL is the one that doesn't have any recognition from both the Vatican and the CBCP.

He continues to confuse everyone by inventing terms such as CFC-GK and CFC-FFL when there is only one CFC and his group is simply known as FFL.

He claims he has updated Archbp. Rylko about the crisis in the community, yet he has not confirmed if he had informed Archbp. Rylko that he is no longer the head of CFC, and as such, he should not be representing CFC anymore.

He continues to proclaim he is a man for God, but where is his patience, tolerance and forgiveness for the IC who not so long ago were also his close friends and his dear brothers in Christ?

He continues to proclaim he is a man for God, but where is the man who wrote "We may give our own opinion, argue forcefully about our position, raise questions for clarification, but at the end of the day, we must be willing to accede to the decision of those over us, especially if that decision is not a matter of wrongdoing?" By his actuations, this clearly shows that Bro. Frank thinks he is above the authority of the CFC Elders Assembly. Isn't this ARROGANCE?

He continues to proclaim he is a man for God, but where is the man who told a couple contemplating of leaving the community "That's part of our life together but there really is no reason to leave the community, never. No reason at all?"

He continues to proclaim he is a man for God, yet he has become the very FULFILLMENT of the vivid and clear warnings he has been giving in his books, in his articles and in his talks, about elders who will be used by Satan to sow conflict and division, that will eventually lead to the break-up of our beloved community.

He continues to use his God-given talents and whatever gifts of the Holy Spirit he has received, to destroy (instead of build up) the spiritual body of CFC by these lies he continues to spread around and his continuous acts of sowing hatred and mistrust.

As long as these issues are NOT clarified, the only truth that Bro. Frank and the FFL has (which they are hiding) is this: THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR DIVIDING CFC AND CREATING FFL . Is this why Bro. Frank continues to peddle these LIES? Is he doing this because if he doesn't, NO ONE will follow him? Is it fair to say that those who still continue to follow him in spite of all the reasons above not to, are merely doing so, out of BLIND LOYALTY & BLIND OBEDIENCE to the "man of God" and to the "prophet of our times" that they believe he is?

I've been getting some emails mostly from FFL members asking me to stop "fueling" the fire, respect their decision and instead move on and move forward. All I can say is CFC respects their decision , CFC is moving on and CFC is moving forward. However, part of its moving forward is to defend itself from the LIES that Bro. Frank is peddling. As for Bro. Frank and the FFL, how can they say that they are moving forward when all they have done is to attack CFC wherever they go and in whatever they do. This is actually expected and understandable since, in order to justify its very existence, they have NO CHOICE, but to ALWAYS, ALWAYS put CFC in a bad light. It is NO DIFFERENT from the Born-Again Protestants or the Iglesia Ni Cristo churches spreading lies about the Roman Catholic Church, in order to get converts.

THIS IS JUST SO BACKWARDS!

Which makes one wonder: Are the CFC members who they say moved to FFL without being coerced really aware of the issues above? Or is FFL PURPOSELY HIDING the above issues, as proven by their deletion of critical entries in the RestoreCFC blogsite?

I have also been accused by one FFL brother that I am helping to burn the bridge of possible future reconciliation. On the contrary, the issues above are the building blocks of this bridge because these should make both CFC and FFL brethren realize whether they are on the wrong side of the bridge or on the right side of the bridge. And if one should realize that he or she is on the wrong side of the bridge, one can always cross to other side with a new and final conviction.

In closing, Bro. Frank speaks of FFL as a sheepfold, I therefore humbly request of him, that I and many of us who decided to stay in CFC be considered as "lost sheep" that badly needs to be "found" and be counted among the sheepfold of FFL. Considering the above issues, please enlighten and convince us that FFL is indeed the right place for us to be. And for those already in FFL, in light of the above issues that Bro. Frank refuses to address, in light of the fact that you know who the father of lies is, and in light of the fact that you know Who is The Way, The TRUTH and The Life, ask yourselves the question: Is FFL really where you want to be and why?

May God bless us all.

In Christ,
Fortes In Fide

"Couples for Christ is about our very life. And because this is about our very life, let's participate in protecting it, in defending it , in building it up, in giving our all. This is our life. This is our destiny. This is our future and the future of our children and their children's children." - Frank Padilla

And another brought to my attention in the Peace entry but taken from the fulfillingthemandate.org site:

We, in CFC, Love and Forgive

October 3, 2007
My Journey In Search of the Truth
“WE, IN CFC, LOVE AND FORGIVE”

“When information which properly belongs to the public is systematically withheld by those in power, the people soon become ignorant of their own affairs, distrustful of those who manage them, and 'eventually' incapable of determining their own destinies." (Richard Nixon)

Mothers would usually seal their lips to maintain peace in the family. Then there are those who would rather give the other cheek and chose silence in the name of love and forgiveness. In both cases, there is accountability.

I chose to use the quotation above instead of verses from the Bible because it reflects the difficulties I personally experienced in my search for the truth. Those in power withheld information upfront so I went beyond visiting two WebPages, as instructed, to “search” for the truth. I even joined in teleconferencing to hear confirmation of answers to my questions. I gave myself many chances to change my mind and I entertained the possibility of joining the other side. I found the other side copying everything in CFC, so I asked myself … why separate … why go away.

Two months ago, I was requested to write an article about love and forgiving with further instructions to email the article to our Manila Elders. In obedience to my superior’s request and through the Holy Spirit I was able to share the lessons I learned from CFC on loving and forgiving within half an hour, after I received the email request to write. I did email a copy to our Manila Elders through the webpage: fulfillingthemandate.org. I also sent a copy to the other side’s webpage CFCUnited.com. It was published at fulfillingthemandate.org. I did not get courtesy of a reply from the webmaster of the later webpage.

I was an avid follower and admirer of Frank Padilla. I also have great respect for Tony Meloto. For a long time I truly believed our work in CFC and its child GK are anointed. Then shock of all shocks, they resigned and I felt like I was in a big bubble that burst and down and down my hopes disintegrated. Everyone seems to be scrambling and in the midst of this chaos we were asked to choose. I know now that God called me to focus on Him and not on those two leaders.

In retrospect, I was angry because I was not allowed to share the information I have on both sides upfront when the crisis started. Again, in obedience, I humbled myself and I followed directives in blocking communication. In my frustrations, I even saw this crisis as an opportunity to let go and leave CFC because I do not want to inflict pain on my fellow brothers and sisters in Jesus name.

I was angry because we in GK never denied we are CFC; we even say “without CFC, there is no success in GK”. We did not veer away from the vision and mission of CFC. What might have happened in Manila is not true in the United States and other parts of the world. To extrapolate is to judge and that privilege is exclusive to God alone. It is not for any of us to pass judgment by portraying isolated cases as standard practices of CFC workers on the ground doing GK.

So, who is this brother who professed to be a Christian yet did not walk the talk of loving and forgiving?

Who is this brother who just walked nonchalantly in the midst of peace we have in our brotherhood and sisterhood in the United States and boldly asked us to choose yet denied divisive actions?

Who is this brother who without compunction did not even consider to look beyond his personal agenda and reflected on future results of his actions … that relationship will be broken, families and friends would be saying goodbye and all because he hardened his heart and did not forgive, yet with vengeance, proclaimed his actions to be what God intended for us?

The truth is: while the Bishops forgave the International Council, the other side did not. This brother put aside love and with relentless passion himself “defied” the Bishops, came to the United States (international not “diocesan”) and created havoc of misinformation that caused many tears and pain brought about by disunity in the families and placed friendships as the basis of choice. I want to scream, I want to confront, yet the Lord called me to look through the eyes of Jesus and that’s when I realized that in CFC we give love, we give support, we humble ourselves to reflect on the sufferings of Jesus on the cross in our daily life. We in CFC forgive.

I received many negative emails yet there was something so transparent in that the International Council was quiet and Tony Meloto was quiet, as well. If I could have hammered them, I would have done so. They should defend CFC that we love. Then I realized that they are walking the talk of our faith: they have been giving their other cheek while the other side was relentless in their campaign/propaganda of misinformation; which up to this writing is still going on.

YES, the other side said they have the same programs like we do including GK, etc. And our brothers and sisters get confused by the seconds as they went back and forth vacillating with their choice. It is obvious that their focus was taken away from God and instead now the focus is on the past GK issues that were all discussed during the past Global Pastoral Congress. True to its commitments, the International Council called for a Global Pastoral Congress to address the complaints of the other side. It was a positive action in moving on; yet, the other side chose to get tucked in the past.

I do not want to entertain the notion of having a modern-day Hitler in our midst in terms of systematic brainwashing -- touching the Achilles hills of our brothers and sisters right where it matters.

What made me decide to stay in and with CFC is so simple as to say: I also chose to walk the talk of loving and forgiving. And, as the song says, “My sufferings are my offerings; my offerings are my sufferings” to Jesus Christ on the cross.

I chose to align my loyalty to “one” God and not to a person. I believe as many believe that no one else owns CFC but God. The other side could, as they continue to do so, say whatever they want to say. This is alright; after all, the burden of proof is on the other side’s shoulders. We in CFC must not worry; God is enough!

CFC is anointed because it is fulfilling the mandate to bring glad tidings to poor via our work in GK.

The other side did not walk the talk of loving and forgiving. We, in CFC, love and forgive! Praise God!

Jesus, I trust in You!

Ligaya Olivera Kraemer
CFC Member, GKOM, Missouri, USA
October 1, 2007
Ligaya Olivera Kraemer


Now when I think of last words...I think of these.









26 comments:

Anonymous said...

nice, nice, nice...

i hope we can also share these emails to our other brethren both in CFC and FFL - first the email of Sis. Ligaya and then that of Fortes in Fide.

i will share these with my brothers and sisters.

God bless us all... JoPen-SA

estelito.iii said...

God Bless you both, sis ligaya and Fortes in Fide.

Anonymous said...

We too have tried our best to reach out to our FFL brothers and sisters who we believe decided to join FFL without bothering to educate themselves on the issues as presented by IC. One brother claimed to have read everything but then what he's read is "everything from FFL". While many have stood up to declare their reasons for staying with CFC, I have yet to read an FFL member's statement that does not merely parrot what FAP says. That is the difference between CFC and FFL followers. We in CFC do not say that we chose to stay in CFC because of what Joe Tale said or the IC said... brothers and sisters that we thought we knew well are now acting like strangers... what spell has the evil one cast over them that they refuse to see the truth? We have gotten our share of persecution for standing up for what we believe in and trying to make our FFL brethren to at least see the view from the other side ... as the saying goes, "mahirap gisingin ang nagtutulug-tulugan"... God's grace and mercy be on all of us...

Anonymous said...

Rightfully so Bro C.D. Last Words indeed.

God bless us all!

Anonymous said...

I thought it was the IC who wanted the members not to know all the issues! Ano ba talaga ang katotohanan? Iyon bang mga kapatid na umatend doon sa Restoration Movement ni FAP ay malaki na ang kasalanan to merit being "loyalty checked" samantalang gusto lang makarinig ng panig ni Frank? Isa pa tahimik ang IC noon. Noong magsimulang lumipat sa FFL ang mga miyembro ayan , nagkukumahog na mag-explain ng side kaso huli na ang lahat. Ano ba nag loyalty check na pinauso ng mga taga Malacanang? Is it our CFC way to check on the loyalty of members who had been in the community for more than 20 years at wala namang ginawa kundi tumulong, magpadugo sa GK, magdonate ng bahay, tumulong sa mga namamatay sa GK sites, magpagamot ng may sakit, magbigay ng pang-livelihood? Fair ba yon mga kapatid? Pagkatapos sasabihin ninyo na si FAP ang nagdivide ng community samantalang ang IC ang nagsimula to check on the loyalties of the members? Any loyalty check in my opinion is divisive. I am a simple member though I adhere to our Filipino values of "Usapan" or agreement and the basic right of every person to have information. Bakit kailangan ma"paranoid" ang IC pag may gustong makinig sa Restoration assemblies? Pag may usapan dapat sinusunod hindi ba mga kapatid? Nangyari yan mga kapatid at please dont kid yourselves na hindi ang loyalty check ang isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit umalis ang ibang miyembro at lumipat sa FFL. Sinasabi ninyong hindi dapat mag-recruit sa global ang FFL, paano yong nagdesisyon na lumipat at hindi na kinailangan i-recruit. Marami ang ganoon mga kapatid!! Kusang lumipat.

Uulitin ko uli ang aking challenge sa mga kapatid sa GK. Asan na ang mga miyembro ng kapitbahayan sa maraming GK sites na matapos magkaroon ng bahay, ay hindi na sumama sa kapitbahayan? Kung ganoon ang mangyayari ay maging Habitat na lang ang GK. Pinagod ninyo pa nag mga CFC members ng Caretaker Teams.
Bakit hindi ninyo sabihin yan sa mga donors na umaasa na ang mga programa ng GK na palagi ninyong hina"hype" ay marami na ang hindi sumasama. Examples- Prayer Mountain, Hapay na Mangga, Jansenville. Asan na sila ngayon?
Lalong magiging maganda ang GK kung masasagot ninyo yan at baka magdonate uli kami ng bahay. Sa ngayon dito na lang kami sa aming communidad magdodonate.

Maganda kung sa maganda ang GK, nawala nga lang ang moral authority ng mga leaders ng instead of talking about issues ay nakipag-away sa pamamagitan ng mga unchristian words. Sabi nga ni Jessica Soho, "ang issue ay pinag-uusapan, hindi tinatalikuran" . For the sake of argument, okay nasaktan si TM sa mga lumabas na balita o concerns ni FAP( na matagal ng nadededma ng mga taga GK). Ang sabi ni TM last January sa Mall of Asia, "In my 25 years sa CFC community, kahit kailan hindi siya nagtampo". Ano yon, double speak?Pagkatapos sasabihin nya na "I am hurting" kasi nainvolve na ang familya nya? Hindi mo ba naiisip na nasa limelight ka na? parang artista at pag nasa limelight o sikat ka na ay talagang may babato o pupuna ng yong mga kakulangan. Si TM narin nagsabi na "mayabang siya" hoping na maiintindihan ng mga kapatid sa CFC ang kanyang weakness. Pero paano yong mga hindi CFC, siguradong matu-turn-off sa mayabang. Hindi ba mga kapatid?

I challenge you, CD to publish this comment and not delete it tulad ng mga nauna kong blogs.

Sana maintindihan din ng mga kapatid na naiwan sa Global na hinbdi "pag aari ng CFC ang mga miyembro. Kahit nga ang Panginoon ay binigyan tayo ng freedom to choose. To do right or wrong. Kaya wag ninyong husgahan ang mga lumipat sa FFL, kagagawan ng mga actions ng IC yan at ng ibang leaders na gustong maipakita na sa kanilang nasasakupan ay tahimik at Pro global. Kaya ayan nagkawatak watak na tayo. Aaminin ko na sa simula lungkot na napalitan ng inis sa mga pangyayari. Tao lang ako mga kapatid. Gusto ko mang intindihin ang mga actions ng IC re Bishops pagkatapos mag i expect kayong maging loyal ang mga miyembro samantalang hindi naman kayo naging truthful sa mga statements ninyo na palaging kino-correct ni Bishop Reyes? Bakit kami sasama sainyo? Pag ganyan ang mga actions ninyo, don't expect na tatahimik ang mundo ninyo, siguradong magugulo.

Aber sige nga, Ilan ang natira sa Global? Magkano na nag natitirang tithes sa CFC. Hindi ba kayo nahihirapang i-maintain ang Greenhills office? May pang sueldo pa ba kayo? Ano ang totoo. Kaya kayo nagagalit sa mga lumipat sa FFL.

Assuming may kamalian si Frank, marami sa amin na lumipat sa FFL ay tumingin sa mga actions ng mga IC leaders at mga leaders sa bawat area kaya yong mga gustong mag-lie low na lang o Chinese ministry ay nasa FFL na. Totoo rin na maraming lie low ang bumalik na at sumama na sa FFL.

Sana maintindihan niyo at respetuhin ang aming desisyon tulad ng pag respeto namin sa desisyon niyo na maiwan sa global. Sana iyong mga salitang, nanggagapang, namimirata ay huwag niyong gamitin. Hayaan ninyong makapag isip nag mga miyembro. Saka huwag ninyo rin sana gagawin yong mga sinasabi ninyo na nangagapang ng miyembro. Ang pangagapang ay yong hindi invited bigla na lang dumadating sa househols meetings kahit hindi invited. HINDI NATIN SILA PAG -AARI!!.

Peace mga kapatid

Ernie said...

Hey Guys,

Check this out, right in our backyard....

http://www.restorecfc.blogspot.com

Ernie said...

Guys, Take a look at THIS...

Cut and Pasted from restorecfc.multiply.com

What is CFC FFL? Aug 3, 2007

ATTENTION: THIS SITE IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION DISSEMINATION FOR THE CFC FFL MEMBERS.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR WANTS TO SET UP A ONE TO ONE DISCUSSION email inquiries@cfceastergroup.org or call (+63)922.466.5973 or (+632) 718.2213.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR TITO FRANK EMAIL HIM AT fapcfc@gmail.com OR VISIT OUR HOME OFFICE AND WE WILL GLADLY ENTERTAIN YOUR QUESTIONS.

ALL COMMENTS AND DISCUSSIONS WILL BE DELETED. THANK YOU!

THAT DOES IT FOLKS, the EASIEST WAY to answer your COMMENTS. D E L E T E , the WAY to GO!!!

Bold letters are mine,

Ernie S

Anonymous said...

amen...

C.D. said...

To Anonymous from FFL:

There you go brother, posted as you wish. I have no doubts your questions will be addressed by people here. If not, I'll try and see if it can be forwarded to someone who can. Fair?

Anonymous said...

CD,

In one of the trainings I attended on Statistics, the lecturer said, "Without data, you are just another person with an opinion."

The same goes to blogger "Anonymous from FFL". There is nothing new and substantial to what he his allegations. No need to respond point by point because he has no point anyway.

Legitimate questions have been asked to FAP and FFL but zero response was received. Sabi nga ng 3 year old daughter ko, zero means nothing. Yun, nothing, walang sagot.

CD, my apology to everyone for being rude and harsh in our posts at restorecfc blog. Thanks for the reminder and brotherly correction.

Anonymous said...

to Ernie S.,

thats what i did. i emailed FAP and also inquiries aboiut their Truth Series in contraceptives and Pro-life last Sunday. [i included CD here in my email to ensure that my emails goes through] but up to now i have not gotten any reply yet. i just could not visit their office... hehehe

baka marami na rin kayong mga tanong ah... anyway, why dont you do the same - email them your questions. tutal naman they send us email without aking us. we can do the same.

thanks - jiggs

Ernie said...

Jiggs,

This is FAP site in Multiply. If you have a multiply account you can PM (personal message) him directly or leave a comment in his Guestbook.

Sleepless in NJ said...

You mean that Mr. Padilla owns the site. I thought it was an FFL press secretary. I cant wait to post on his guess book or maybe not... Best i can do is pray for the site and hope it gives peace to many, especially from Mr. Padilla.

---
now, from all those sharks smelling blood in water... Be kind... Be respectful... he has the right to his opinion... etc...

Anonymous said...

Hi CD,
Just wondering, if you posted the continuation of the Gigi Maipid's video
Thanks
from North America member

Anonymous said...

to anonymos..ganon nabago ang isip mo?sayang,we still love GK,and we will be a GK worker for life...

Anonymous said...

Kapatid na anonymous from FFL,

Salamat sa iyong salaysay.
Mawalang galang na, pero marahil ay hindi nga naman masundan ng maigi ng ating mga kapatid na blogger dito kung ano ba talaga ang mga sentral na "points" na nais mong ipahayag at panindigan, kahit na napakahaba nuon. Ang maganda siguro ay pumili ka ng "premise" sa isang sentral na isyu, salaysayan mo ng ebidensya hinggil dito, at magbigay ka ng konklusion na naayon.
Kung mamarapatin nyo: main idea/ thesis, tapos evidences, tapos konklusion, at nang mapagusapan po natin ng maayos at mahinahon, yan maganda para sa lahat. Mabuti itong
mayroon tayong mga "contrary views" naman. Ang katotohanan ang magpapalaya sa atin. Pwede ka rin siguro magpatawa ng konti.

At para sa ating lahat sana, mayroong tama at maling pamamamaraan ng pagtatalo. Pero dapat manatili pa rin ang pagmamahalan, kahit na may pagkakataong magtunggali sa mga pamamaraan. Hindi kailangang maghiwalay itong dalawa. Sa lahat ng ito ay marapatin nating bigkasin ang katotohanan kakabit ng pagmamahal ayon sa pagsunod sa halimbawa ng ating Panginoon. Ang katotohanan ang siyang tunay na nagpapalaya sa atin. Mahirap din pala magtagalog. Ingles, Talagog, Taglish, whatever, ok lang siguro ano CD?. Importante ay makabuluhan patungo sa katotohanan, at ialay sa Diyos lahat.

Peace.

Anonymous said...

to anonymous of ffl,

the way i read your comment mukhang galit na galit ka.ang sarap sanang sagutin ng mga question mo kasi kahit yata hindi cfc na nakapanood ng cfc split news sa tv patrol kayang sagutin ang mga tanong mo. relax anonymous!

regarding na lang sa hinahanap mong kapitbahayan.punta ka sa expo!magsawa ka sa mga hinahanap mong KB,kung ayaw mo naman attend ka ng YFC metro con sa cavite same date ng expo.manood ka ng mga YFC creative competition and bilangin mo kung ilan ang entry ng SIGA YFC!tapos interviewhin mo na din sila kung ano ang nagawa ng CFC/YFC sa buhay nila.

God Bless!

CFC West C Sector said...

CD... tumaas BP ko eh.. sori (bahala ka na kung kailangan i-post)

To anonymous….

Kapayapaan ay sumaiyo kapatid!

Para sa kaalaman mo din, merong mga umatend ng Restoration na disappointed sa mga nadinig kay FAP kaya di na bumalik sa kahit anong Restoration Assembly. Walang nakitang dahilan para iwanan ang community na nakamulatan.

Loyalty check? – kung hindi ka pa-swelduhan (na galing sa tithes) ng CFC me tama ka. Hindi kailangan mag check ng loyalty, pero kung ginamit mo ang structure ng CFC at pa FFL ka, tatamaan ka ng tanong… san ka ba talaga kuya?

Tungkol sa GK, paki bilang na lang yung mga sites at dami ng mga kapitbahayan na hanggang ngayon ay nandyan pa.. kahit sa metro manila na lang, pero kung kaya mo ibilang mo na rin ang probinsya. Kung napagod, pwede naman mag pahinga, that’s the beauty of community, nagtutulungan!

About the tithes, hindi nag remit yung iba sa mga kapatid natin dahil merong mga FFL na pa-swelduhan (galing sa tithes) ng CFC na nag discern pa daw….

FYI -- mag remit na ang tithes ulit ang mga kapatid...

Respeto? no one demands respect, it is earned!

Anonymous said...

to the anonymous ffl

re: disobedient to the bishop

mukhang taga east ka kapatid kasi east ang mga site na nabanggit mo, this is my question to you.who do you really think disobey the bishops?baka kwentong antipolo lang ang alam mo re bishops.do you know the story of the bishops in cavite and batanggas regarding the issue?by the way my bubwit tells me na JT and bishop soc meet in bataan during the cfc aniv there.nabasa mo ba ang message ng mga paring pro life?e yung spiritual priest adviser ng ontario?

by the way im not from east but i know a little about the situation of some GK there.madami kasi ako kilalang SIGA from your sector and very active CFC and SFC GK volunteer there.also i know that there are some YFC members there na at their young age nagpapaaral ng kapatid nilang SIGA. Praise God!

kapatid i think you need to apologize on this people!

Anonymous said...

Noon daw pong CFC conference sa LA, CA. Humingi daw po ng tulong (monetary donation) para sa mga missionaries at ftw na nasa Africa. Bale ba, yung perang na raise, malamang na nasa $15,000 ay tinago ng kabilang US council at hindi na nakikipagkita o nakikipagusap man lang sa present CFC council dahil ayaw ng ibigay yung pera. So gagamitin na nila yun sa FFL. Bakit naman po ganun.

Concerned CFC member

Anonymous said...

Brothers,

In our case our head wanted us to lay still and did not expound on the issues. We wanted to know all sides of the picture but it was only FAP who wrote his concerns and comments. If you ask me brothers, when FAP wrote his piece, he stood by his comments unlike TM who did not want to talk and kept his silence( because he says its an agreement not to talk ). The problem was that GK workers kept on giving unchristian comments( to my face brothers as I heard it first hand. I used to be a GK volunteer myself. What are these comments?. " Frank is experiencing his second childhood, Frank is becoming senile( in tagalog, ulyanin na si Frank). Frank is insane, he is a bigot, isinusuka na ni Luis at Issa si Frank, coupled with charges propagated here in our area that Frank malversed the funds of CFC. Frank is immoral".
I believed a brother( there were 4 of them who heard TM) when he said that when asked when he was going to meet with Frank, his answer was, " How can I approach my brother and friend( referring to FAP), when those around him seemed to have been bitten by a rabid dog".( referring to Nonong and Roland??, ha, ha, ha.)

Seriously,brothers, at the face of all these maligning, what was I supposed to think? That is why at first I was very sad that all of these had been happening. Then I got angry and I wanted out of the community. I thought , how come our leaders are not practicing what they are teaching? How come they cannot reconcile? Are the charges against each other that grave that reconciliation is not possible. Then I remembered what TM said at the Mall of Asia.I am sure many of you who were there heard his statement. That in his 25 years or so in the community, he never felt bad against any brother or the community. I can't forget what he said brothers as I thought he was referring to me, having had some unresolved issues with a brother( the brother spoke about a dogma of the church which I did not agree with).

I thank CD for posting my, as other brothers said, "angry words". I wanted to vent out my frustrations.I do not want to keep these frustrations inside my system, lest the stress becomes unbearable and my cholesterol count will increase. I apologize to those brothers whose BP's rose with what I wrote.

To those who thought( brother Manu) that my words were just opinion, I respect your comments brothers. It was not my intention to ruffle your feelings. I know that like me you are also "a victim" of misinformations that have clouded our judgments. An unknowing victim of the "quarrel" of our leaders. If this is not substantial, then I don't know what is substantial in your opinion. I am sorry you just have to wait for FAP's answer to your questions as only he can answer them. If you want to see the documents pertaining to the rebates and the juggling of funds, I can ask the brother who had kept a record to contact you. With all of these, I don't want to blame the leaders of GK for the isolated(I hope) case I have presented, but these things had happened and some members of the Caretaker teams had said that " parang mga maaamong tupa tayo na ipinadala sa mga lobo".

To the brother who said that respect is earned, I agree with you. What I am saying is that if a brother has joined FFL, with or without the complete picture on the situation, you must respect his decision. What is your criteria of respect? Does one need to donate a house or two to GK to gain your respect? Does one have to work in a GK site traveling hundred of kilometers to a GK site to gain your respect? Does one have to pay for the surgical expense of a beneficiary as his life was already being threatened with infection to gain your respect? I have done all that brothers.

To the "loyalty check" issue, brother it was not done only to those who are receiving renumerations from CFC global. It was also done to us. ( na nagpapadugo sa GK). " The statement" Make your stand known" is also a form of a loyalty check, in my opinion.

Going back to renumerations, what is the real salary of your council?( I have to ask this to Frank also since he was a part of this issue) I remember when a brother wanted to become a full time worker, he was asked how much was needed by his household, how much was the salary of the wife, if any, then the net was the amount given to the full time worker. Aren't our council members also full time workers? ( may be with the exception of bros Joe Yamamoto and Lito Tayag. This is to dispel insinuations that" ayaw mag-resign kasi malaki pala ang kita". What is the truth brothers?

On the kapitbahayan issue, yes I agree that many are still joining the kapitbahayan meetings. There are many "feel good stories" in GK. However, quoting a brother in CFC Global,"Up to when are we going to take care of them before the beneficiaries feel that they are in a cage" Nabigyan nga ng bahay, parang hawak sa ilong na karay-karay sa mga assemblies. The point is, are the GK leaders coming out with a program to address the problems in the GK sites?( First hand info ito mga kapatid, hindi hearsay) How does one address the problem of a PD getting rebates from a supplier when expressly told not to do so? How does one solve the problem of a beneficiary threatening to run after a member of the Caretaker Team with a bolo or a gun? What will one tell that member who was threatened not to carry his gun to the GK site?. There are many problems, brothers, prayer will help but the leaders must be prepared with answers to these problems, lest what happened to Hapay na Mangga will happen to many GK sites- Luis O had to offer a price or reward for the beneficiaries to clean their surroundings.

I spoke about " usapan" .Here in our area, an agreement that the whole province will be neutral( meaning no movement, no "gapangan", no namimirata but still under the structure of CFC Global). Just like what Thailand did, neutral and will be under the protection of the bishop. It was announced in an MCG gathering. The MCG members applauded the decision of the Provincial Council and were happy that the council gave that decision. Three or four days after, the decision was reversed and brothers were asked to make a stand. What resulted was the split, as many members got irked with the new decision. That is what I ws referring to brothers- " May usapan na tapos binago agad". Afterwards, brothers in global were saying that those who opted to join FFL caused the split. Yes I agree but it was the result of the change in the decision of the council not to be neutral anymore. Just like a car, neutral means no movement, D or R are opposite. Hope you understand my explanation.

To brother WillyJ, the above are also for you. Though I feel still some anger, I have confessed this anger to a priest, as suggested by brother Raffy Blasco, whom I respect. My respect for him did not diminish, even with his sarcastic presentation in the video "which I did not bother watching completely lest some of that respect is lessened" I followed his suggestion brother and went to a priest and confessed my anger. Of course he forgave my sins of anger, as I am sure Bishop Reyes will also forgive those who have "trespassed" against him.( This is an opinion brothers, you may agree or disagree). Though I agree with TM's statement, that the Church did not give him faith, only religion( in my case not even religion), one must be tactful when to say and not say this in public much more during a conference. It shows the respect one have for the other person.( Siguro isasama ko na rin yong nagsabi na miyembro ng EA na nagtanong kay Bishops na bakit ngayon sila nakikialam sa affairs ng CFC, wala naman sila for 25 years). Narinig ko lang ito at hindi first hand kaya opinion ito mga kapatid.

Okay ba brother WillyJ ang English ko ha ha ha ha.Pasensya ka na high school english lang ang alam ko. Please forgive my lapses in grammar or spelling.

PEACE MGA KAPATID.

Just consider those in FFL as your "separated" brothers and give us the respect that you would give to our brothers EL Shaddai, Ligaya ng Panginoon. Living Waters, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Masons( kapatid ba natin sila?). Cursillo, ME. etc

Anonymous parin.

Thank you (in advance) CD for posting again this long comment.

CFC West C Sector said...

To anonymous pa rin

Question: who drew first blood? (not to justify their comments)

To the issue of an unknowing victim of the quarrel of our leaders : Why prepare a life raft, let the ship sink then abandon?

Respect: are you soliciting respect?
FYI – I let be (lifetime) friends who moved to FFL, without questions. Only when, they step into CFC structure that they hear from me.

Loyalty check: are you posturing to be neutral but already made up your mind. (di nga lang nagsabi kaagad)

You said you did not bother watching the whole video of brother Raffy so as not to diminish your respect for him. Why not watch the whole video and then tell us you still have respect for him.

To consider FFL as a separated brother, yes I will. Just don’t pose yourself like you are still CFC because, as you said, you are separated now.

PEACE Kapatid!

Anonymous said...

mga kaputol, i read and reflected on this article sent to me by a fellow cfC leader. the message is somehow relative to what is happening to us. however, given the timeframe and magnitude of impacts, our cfC scandal dwarfs in comparison. here's a sharing:

Ferments of Church reform were at work for two hundred years before the Protestant Reformation. Suffice it to mention English reformer John Wycliffe (c. 1328-1384) and Bohemian reformer Jan Hus (c. 1369- 1415), both of whom largely foreshadowed Luther’s theses.

It must also be remembered that a number of contemporary Catholic saints endeavored to renew the Church from within, for instance, Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419), Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444), and John Capistrano (1386-1456).

The Fifth Lateran Council (1512-1517), convoked to condemn the abusive council (conciliabulum) of Pisa (1511), also tackled the question of Church reform. In his opening address, Augustinian Giles of Viterbo called for personal renewal as a way toward institutional reform.

In 1513 two Camaldolese monks, Paolo Giustiniani and Vincenzo Quirini, drew up a lofty and concrete reform program and presented it to the new Pope Leo X urging him to intervene. However, the Pope was not up to the task.

In 1537, two decades after the failed Lateran Council, and as the Protestant tide had risen beyond the falling-point, a commission of cardinals, appointed by Pope Paul III, drew up fresh reform proposals. In the same year, a general council, open to both Catholic and Protestants, was supposed to convene but never did. At long last, to his enormous credit, Pope Paul III was able to convoke the council that opened on December 13, 1545, in the northern Italian city of Trent, with some thirty Catholic bishops in attendance. On and off, the Council of Trent lasted until 1563.

The humanistic mentality, characterized by a historical and above all critical point of view, gave rise to an authentic Christian Humanism. Its major representative was Erasmus of Rotterdam (c. 1466-1536), who devoted his life to laying the groundwork for a new theology based on the study of the sources: Scripture and Church Fathers, especially. The principal spiritual current of Christian Humanism is without a doubt Devotio Moderna. Born in the Netherlands, it spread to Western Germany. In Italy, its influence was limited, except in Venetian territory. Devotio Moderna called for a return to

Christian interiority and emphasized the affective dimension of Christian life. An outstanding contribution to the work of such personal renewal was made by the Canons of St. Augustine of Windesheim and the Brethren of the Common Life. They owed their beginnings to Geert Groote and Florentius Radewijns. The masterpiece of Devotio Moderna is the Imitation of Christ, a work ascribed to Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471).

In France, a pre-Lutheran and orthodox reform movement was represented by the so-called Evangelism. This movement, akin to Christian Humanism and Devotio Moderna, called for a return to the spirit of the Gospel. Its center was the Circle of Meaux, founded about 1521 by Bishop Guillaume Briçonnet (1472-1534) and made famous by his vicar general, Jacques Lefèvre d’Etaples (c. 1461-1536).

In Italy, as well as in other parts of Europe, and reaching back to the 14th century, the so-called Observances took hold. In older religious communities, Observance meant returning to the original ideals of the order. For instance, the above mentioned Bernardine of Siena and John Capistrano were members of the Franciscan Observantines. In 1404 the general chapter of the Servites decreed the revitalization of eremitical life at Monte Senario in Tuscany under the direction of Blessed Anthony of Siena. Through the energetic leadership of Nicholas of Perugia, superior general, (d. 1460), the restored eremitical life at Monte Senario gave rise to the Congregation of the Observance.

The Camaldolese experienced this renewal through the Congregation of Hermits of Monte Corona founded by the above mentioned Paolo Giustiniani. Serafino Aceti da Fermo (1469-1540) led a similar renewal for the Canons Regular of the Lateran Congregation. Other religious communities who experienced the same revival were: the Augustinians, with the above mentioned Giles of Viterbo and Girolamo Seripando; the Dominicans, with Sebastiano Maggi in Lombardy and Girolamo Savonarola in Tuscany; above all, the Franciscans: in 1517 the separation between Conventuals and Observants became final and complete and in 1528 the new Franciscan Order of the Capuchins was formed.

In Spain (in the wake of the Council of Trent) the Carmelites were reformed through Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross.

Reforms associated with the diocesan clergy are still inadequately known, but, for instance, historians list a number of reforming German bishops of the 15th century.

Still other reform movements were the Oratories. The main idea of their members (clergy and laity) was to achieve personal sanctity by means of good works on behalf of others. Self-reform was to precede Church reform. In 1497 the Oratory of Divine Love, the first organized form of this movement, was founded in Genoa, by a layman, Ettore Vernazza (d. 1524), a disciple of St. Catherine of Genoa (d. 1510). Similar groups were then formed in Rome, Naples, and in the Venetian territory. In 1500 the Augustinian Giovanni Antonio Bellotti (d. 1528) founded the Oratory of Eternal Wisdom in Milan, which was eventually led by Venerable Arcangela Panigarola (d. 1525). An outstanding manifestation of this movement was the Roman Oratory that rose around St. Philip Neri in 1552. By 1575 a new religious community was established, the Congregation of the Oratory (Oratorians or Filippini).

The ground where the Observant and the Oratorian movements met gave rise to new religious orders. On the one hand, the revitalization of Monastic and Mendicant orders appeared to be inadequate for Church reform; on the other hand, Oratorian communities seemed to be too elitist and inward looking. There was a need for new associations. They would keep the basic values of traditional monasticism and would build on the Oratorian experience. In addition, they would adopt innovative forms of spiritual and apostolic activities.

Thus it was that Oratories, unawares, primed many of their numbers for future religious foundations. At times, the Oratories themselves evolved into new religious orders.

This was the case of the Clerics Regular (Theatines), founded in Rome by Saint Cajetan Thiene in 1524; the Sons of Saint Paul (later known as Clerics Regular of Saint Paul or Barnabites), founded in Milan by St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, in 1532; the Servants of the Poor (later known as Clerics Regular of Somasca or Somascans), founded in Venice by St. Jerome Emiliani in 1534; the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), founded in Paris by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1534; the Reformed Priests of the Most Holy Virgin (later known as Clerics Regular of the Mother of God or Leonardini), founded in Lucca by St. John Leonardi in 1574; the Clerics Regular Servants of the Sick (Camillians) founded in Rome by St. Camillus de Lellis in 1582; the Minor Clerics Regular (Caracciolini) founded in Naples by St. Francis Caracciolo in 1588; the Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (Piarists or Scolopi), founded in Rome by St. Joseph Calasanz in 1597.

Similarly, women felt the need for new forms of Gospel living that would enable them freely to serve God and neighbor outside the confines of the cloister. In the early 1530’s the Angelics of Saint Paul were founded in Milan by Countess Ludovica Torelli of Guastalla and St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria. The Society of St. Ursula (Ursulines) was founded in Brescia by St. Angela Merici in 1535.

Conclusion

Two points can be made:

First, in the words of an American Catholic historian: "The general picture of reform activity before Luther shows a number of bright spots. Individual Christians - laymen and priests - anxiously pursued reform in many and various ways" (Thomas Bokenkotter, A Concise History of the Catholic Church, 185). A Catholic Reform was underway before the Protestant Reformation.

Unfortunately, in the words of a German Catholic historian, "The Protestant Reformation owed its success to the fact that the attempts at reform which sprouted from the soil of the Church did not come to maturity" (Hubert Jedin, A History of the Council of Trent, 2.165).

i apologize for the lengthy sharing, sana hindi kayo inantok

truthseekingparin
hanggang ngayon

Anonymous said...

to my generous brother anonymous...

i really honor you for doing a lot ang giving a lot to the poor, gk house/s,
travel hundreds of kilometer to go to gk,give surgery fee for the poor,make padugo,etc...truly The Lord in heaven see all your good deeds.and thats the more important thing.its ok that other people cant recognize it,but im sure God above knows it all,everything that we give or do to others just to gain respect would be worthless if our purpose is to gain respect only.if we give with love then we dont seek respect or recognition in return.1 cor 13:3 " I MAY GIVE EVERYTHING I HAVE, AND EVEN GIVE MY BODY TO BE BURNED - BUT IF I HAVE NO LOVE,THIS DOES ME NO GOOD."

Yes your right.theres are lots of problems and chalenges in GK.but its not a reason for me to give up or even blame anyone or any persons or leaders.if i will focus on the leaders who are just like us humans who commit mistakes, then i will be angry with them and look for every mistakes that a GK sites have, the way you are doing and questioning.but i decide not to focus on this people weaknesses but focus on the real mission of jesus and to be inspired to the goodness that i see from others.

you enumerate some of the GK problems,is that all you know brother?have you heard of a benefeciary who is asking for his old barong barong to be get back to him?yes its true theres a benefeciary who run with bolo to a PD,have you heard of a GK fulltime worker who have been abducted by NPA's for 3 days becouse of GK (SURIGAO)? same with gk worker in CAMARINES SUR, a gk ftw who recieve numerous deathreats by arm groups in albay, 2 yfc ftw sisters who almost die on their way to a gk site in mindoro?.these people continue their mission up to now,and yes they also feel that they are sheep in a wolves land, but they chose to be there, they are happy with what they are now.


these are reasons for me to quit serving GK.but just like jonah i dont wanna be swallowed by a big fish,so i to will continue to go where God wants me to go.focus more on the mission of jesus and to the poor and not to the leaders and their mistakes.

i dont wanna comment na regarding FAP and TM,FFL CFC gapangan,etc...
kahit ano mangyari mabubuhay pa din naman tayo.

Anonymous said...

To anonymous parin,

I would like to honor you for a very calm post. We need other bloggers like you regardless of what side you are in. This is proof that we can have a brotherly dialog.

On GK workers giving unchristian comments, I don't doubt that this would not ever happen. However, it would also be unfair to generalize all GK workers to have that kind of attitude. Thus, it would be sad to make a decision based on this. However, I cannot blame anyone if that is one of the basis for deciding.

On maligning, yes, I also don't doubt that this never happened. I would not doubt that there's enough human beings on both side capable of this.

On respect, yes everyone deserves the chance to be respected. I respect every people who moved to FFL regardless of the reasons. I think it's possible to move forward and treat each other the same Christian way we treat BLD, Focalore, etc. However, there are still issues that make this difficult such as:

The continuous criticism of the FFL group on the workings of CFC - This criticism is actually mutual. CFC members criticize FFL leaders while FFL leaders criticize CFC leaders. (I'm referring to official statements and not anonymous comments). This is just my impression though. I could be wrong. As an analogy, BLD does not criticize CFC on how its system works. No matter how right BLD is if so, it's just improper for them to criticize other Christian groups.

The name issue - On previous occurrence of separations, when CFC separated from LNP, it didn't use LNP as part of its name. When the group of Urgino separated from CFC, it didn't call itself CFC. In our current case, the name issue becomes a stumbling block for moving forward because it will always open up old wounds. I am actually hoping for FFL to have its own name and identity and for this name to be eventually popular because it can stand on its own merit.

On loyalty checks, I don't have a clear grasp on why it was done. I'm hoping the Council can explain. If I were to guess though, this could be why: Some leaders were using their position and CFC resources to invite CFC members to the FFL fold or to conduct non-official restoration assemblies. For continuity of governance and to maintain integrity and stability of the organizational structure, the only choice is to ask for commitment from people in position. Think of it this way: if you are elected president of the Philippines and you are aware that there is a faction in the military planning a coup d'état, the citizens which gave you the mandate to govern expects you to protect the integrity and stability of the government. Your choice in that case would then be to ask those in position in the military to show their true colors and re-affirm their continuous commitment to the chain of command.

On why the change in policy from neutrality to asking for commitment, it's hard to maintain a policy of neutrality when there is one side that is actively campaigning for defection (again, that's just a guess).

I will share with you my opinion. I've always believed that CFC is guided by the Holy Spirit. And so I believe that the leaders are anointed. I also acknowledge that they are imperfect and will sin or will commit mistakes. I also have full faith on the capacity of each person to have the gift of discernment when voting for or appointing a leader, by virtue of our baptism with the Holy Spirit. At some point, when a leader no longer has the favor of God to continue serving in a position or if a leader becomes corrupt, I always believe that God will rectify the problem and remove such leader.

This is the reason why I uphold the CFC organizational structure, because I have faith in the power of God to correct problems. If the International Council does not deserve to be there, God will remove them in His time. We cannot pass judgment on the morality of the International Council specially if they've been elected via the collective wisdom of the Elders Assembly.

It's unfortunate that some of us has the tendency to make decisions based on personality and mistakes of men and not on the mission and vision of CFC or FFL. I honor those people who moved to FFL with the genuine conviction that FFL offers a better approach of or platform for evangelization. I give them my blessing.

May the Peace of the Lord be felt in all our hearts. God bless.

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous of FFL:

I think it was St Augustine who said: "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity". During these trials, non-essentials appears to have overrun the essentials, while charity seems to have been largely overrun as well. The normal hazards of any job, and especially for those in service to the Lord, perennially holds the possibility of getting hurt in some way. When one becomes at the receiving end of a deliberate or accidental offense, the crushing feeling of an inner hurt is just as normal, even to good men in the Lord’s service. In 2 Tim 4, Paul relates for example that "..Demas..has deserted me..and..Alexander did me great harm,...at my first defense no one supported me..". Even one as steadfast and as bold as St Paul expressed his anger and hurt, though we all know it did not affect his service, and may have strengthened him in fact, for further he says in verse 17:"For the Lord stood with me and strengthened me...". Take a pencil,for it to be more useful, it needs to be cut and sharpened occasionally. Take the branches of the vine, for it to be more fruitful, needs to be pruned. Though hurts are normal, they are subordinate to the essentials, which is love of God and of neighbor. Indeed, if we magnify the Lord, everything else seems so small and trivial. This is why up to now I cannot come to terms with the need for a split. Under what justifiable grounds? Insurmountable? Essential or non-essential? Lets have some incontestable proof. When you make this kind of a major decision, you answer these questions. I hope I do not appear to sound too much like a pastor here, as I am guilty myself of magnifying my hurts at times. As the split is now under the bridge, going forward I always pray that all hurtful and specially unfounded accusations cease. If we cannot remain together, at least let us not hurt each other, best that all of us devote our energies to where the real battle is.

Ang galing mo pala mag-Ingles e bakit pinahirapan mo pa kami nung una. Of course you are still our brother. I don’t want to use the term "separated" though. Sa mga Protestante lang ginagamit yun "separated brethren", hindi sa mga kapatid at community under the one true Catholic Church. Catholic Masons? I am not aware of them, kung kapareho yan ng FreeMasons, these were already banned by the Vatican. But all of us, in communion with the Catholic Church - under one God. And that's the way it should be. Not for Apollos, not for Paul, not for Peter..

PEACE, be also with you.