Thursday, August 21, 2008

We Wish You Well

Now can't you do the same for us?


Friends, if you remember a few weeks back in the Pulp Bits entry, I wondered what the Easter Group was up to, since it appeared they were escalating attacks on GK. I figured it was because they had a competing product and needed to bash GK to raise the profile of theirs. Good business sense? Yes, I'd have to admit, but is it Christian conduct? You be the judge.

Personally, I've always felt that the best way for a product/company to succeed is to let its quality speak for itself. Positive word of mouth after all, is one of the most prized aspects of a good promotional campaign.

So I guess it comes as no suprise when I saw this:

Let me just take you back to the hints that made me feel that something was up.

Lets start with Perry Diaz's "Quo Vadis, Gawad Kalinga" article written in September of last year, which Nonong Contreras felt compelled to respond to. Mr. Contreras does the usual song and dance ("veering away", financial accountability, partnering with pharmas who promote contraceptives, etc.) and then hints at his own future partnership:

WE ONLY HAVE OUR BEST WISHES FOR CFC/GK AND MR. DIAZ IF THEY PURSUE THEIR MISSION WITHOUT CFC. THE ALL INCLUSIVENESS OF GK SHOULD NOT COME AT THE EXPENSE OF PROUDLY UNFURLING ITS CHRISTIAN BANNER AND CALLING IT CFC, THE WAY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HAS BEEN VERY OPEN IN PROCLAIMING ITSELF AS A CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION.
Read complete response HERE.

On Frank Padilla's own Multiply site, a March 31, 2008 article talks about the future partnership:
"Also off site, the RV will benefit 374 families, mostly CFC-FFL members, that will be relocated in 24-square meter lots subdivided from a total area 15,505 square meters. A partnership with Habitat for Humanity is being worked out for the site."

Then, back in May 12, 2008, Nonong released his own article entitled "Where Really Is The Rub", which I guess is his idea of a witty response to Conrado De Quiros, he once again brings up Habitat:
"The rub lies in GK veering away from the life and mission of CFC by overprotecting its benefactors and donors to the extent that CFC members were told to avoid "unfurling its Christian banner in public" (quote from Mr.Esposo in a past column) while Habitat for Humanity proudly proclaims that it is a Christian organization."

Finally, we have the emails from the Salvador Macias and Mario Pareno ghostwritten entities forwarded by the Easter Group, which not only attacks GK, but manages to once again spew unsubstantiated claims. The thinly veiled July 9, 2008 Macias rejoinder to Meloto's I Want To Be A Good Catholic given at Ateneo and covered HERE, and a long delayed response to a dredged-up-from-the-past article by Michael Tan. This was what rang the alarm bells for me. I figure the fabled Mr. Badong Macias had to dig that up because they needed something to base a GK attack on.

There are several points of interest on those Macias commentaries by the way (and those from the haplessly uninformed Mario Pareno) , one of which is the insistence that the IC distributed the supposedly internal GK-3 paper. I don't know why they keep perpetuating the lie, when this email says it all (note the date):

Subject: gk
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 02:47:33 EDT

Because of its real frank nature, Bro. Frank Padilla (the eternal Pacifist and one who would not want to put down a brother) has withheld the all-out circulation of this, his 3rd paper on CFC and GK. We however believe that this paper should really be out especially so That our brethren will know the real score re: why there is tension bet. CFC and GK.

Some GK leaders' propaganda is that CFC leaders are just sourgraping Because of GK success. That CFC leaders are just displaying the typical Filipino crab mentality. That CFC leaders are simply envious of GK fame and Tony Meloto's awards. We believe in bringing out the truth. Unless the truth is out, our CFC members will always be misinformed and confused. So here it is. Frank's 3rd, no holds barred paper --- for the information of brothers and sisters in the community.

Please use your discernment on whether you wish to pass this to others in the community. Note that the date Bro. Frank made it is April 8, Easter Sunday. After two weeks of prayers and discernment on my part, I have decided to share this paper with you. May the truth set us free! May God and His Mother protect CFC!
Let us keep on praying for our beloved community.

Sis. Ding Contreras
But I digress (we'll get more into that later).


Anyway, I don't know if Habitat for Humanity know what they are getting themselves into. I need not mention that GK and Habitat has been peacefully co-existing all these years, until the Easter Group saw it fit to create drama between the two. The object of either group is to improve the lot of those less privileged, and put a roof over Pedro's head while giving him a chance and a vision to accomplish more, not just for himself but for his progeny. I have absolutely nothing against Habitat. None of us should. Before GK came into being, I've always respected what they've done, and still do. I wish the FFL (and their WWP program) well in their partnership with Habitat, may they house many, many poor Filipinos and give them hope and a chance at a good life.

There is however one thing that we all should be made aware of now, because everything up to this point has led to a specific conclusion, and it is this:

We need to finally realize that the conflict between Frank Padilla and Tony Meloto, between the Easter Group and the IC, the supposed veering away, or partnering with pharmas, all those points brought up by Frank Padilla as the reasons for his departure from CFC - ALL OF IT, were fabrications designed to hide the real devil's fruit that made him do it. PRIDE.

Wow, how can I say that, you may ask?

Easy, we've come full circle.

I'll ignore the fact that they are still thanking the anti-life proponent Cynthia Villar for their offices at Star Mall. I mean, they've never acknowledged it or at least tried to explain the hypocrisy blatantly displayed there, so I don't expect to hear any now.

Lets just concentrate on the here and now. Habitat and the FFL are now partners. That's a fact they've established well on their own. Right?

Well, considering all you have accused GK of, how do you now develop a partnership with an organization that works arm in arm with...

Pfizer
http://www.habitat.org/jcwp/2000/sponsors.html

And I quote:

“This joining together of workers within a company to do something outside enhances the sense of teamwork and makes for better relationships while at work.” – Doug Warner, Pfizer, Inc.

Habitat also deals with the Mormons, which if you remember the Easter Group raised a big deal about with GK:
Latter-day Saints joined many other community groups in a project to build two homes for local families. The article describes more about how Habitat for Humanity works.
http://www.mormonstoday.com/000514/D1LDS&Habitat01.shtml

Let me reiterate, this is not an attack on Habitat, I believe they have the right as a CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION to partner with whomever God steers them to to achieve their means. I am merely pointing out a hypocrisy in the Easter Group's actions and in their ability to do exactly the opposite of what they say, and how this has wreaked havoc on the lives of innocent CFC members.


I guess that says it all. Shall we consider the case closed?

(Thanks to Divinos for the links and the heads up.)

149 comments:

Anonymous said...

ah ok! so they'll change the RVs into HfH -- ganun ba?

Anonymous said...

is this the case of...

someone eating his words?

its not the pharma issue...
basta ayaw lang ni FAP ng GK. maiba lang okay na. hindi na tuloy na-check kung may pharma link ito...

oh well...

Anonymous said...

Dear CFC Brethren & GK Workers,

It is very clear NOW that all those allegations of "veering away... & partnering with pharmaceuticals who produce contraceptives" were NOTHING but smokescreen to cover-up the REAL issues about POWER, PRIDE & ENVY!!!
It is SIMPLE as that!!!

I am even more affirmed now of my decision to remain with the original body of CFC because of the glaring acts of inconsistencies in the decisions of the FFL/Easter group leadership. I pity those who were blinded and swayed of what they may have initially perceived to be a real authentic restoration movement but now it's turning out to be nothing else but an insidious facade to promote the selfish interests of a group of disgruntled elders who felt left out in the core of servant leadership. Elders who would "die" with their PRIDE cloak around their bloated egos rather than submit in HUMILITY to the COMMON GOOD of the community they profess to LOVE. Hypocrisy in the highest order.

God bless,
DBC - North B

Anonymous said...

thank GOd i am home..
Truly home only in real CFC...

Anonymous said...

At the outset, this partnership between FFL/CFCFI and HfH appears to be a welcome developement since poor people abound and GK cannot do it alone in providing roof to the poor. But knowing how the leaders of FFL conducted themselves in the past year or more, I fear that this agreement is accompanied by:
- Hidden agendas
- Contraditions
- Confusion with the use of CFC name

What about the financial aspect. I hope HfH should establish the proper accounting system and proper accountabilities.

Abangan....

Anonymous said...

CD,

Baka sabihin matagal na yun, latest for 2008:

PFIZER
http://www.habitally.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95&Itemid=111

Donor : Thomas McCullion, Pfizer Inc. - IT Director? of pfizer see link

http://www.politicalbase.com/groups/pfizer-inc/13635/&page=76


MORMONS
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2007_Sept_10/ai_n19506225

http://www.gomakecontact.com/mesj/local-chapters/calendarMESJ.htm

WillyJ said...

And that my dear friends, writes the fourth and final chapter to Gk-1, Gk-2 & Gk-3. Case closed.

(A gem of a post, CD)

And the title of this concluding chapter is:
"Veering away from the purpose of restoration-kuno"
- by Frank Padilla.

(Yes CD, we have come full-circle with the real issues, while Frank
continues to go around in circles.)

Frank opens up this final chapter by repeating his concluding statement in GK-3:
"The good news is that the solutions are simple. We just have to see the truth, and the truth shall set us free."

(Frank's simple solution is to blatantly contradict himself while maintaining a straight face. We have seen the truth Frank, and we also see you are still chained. At nandamay ka pa.)

There is also a man by the name of G.K. Chesterton who said:
"A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author."

Anonymous said...

Nakakainis talaga!!! Pero napag-isip-ispp ko na walang mabuting magagawa ang ating inis. Maawa na lang tayo sa kanilang lahat na nabulagan sa matamis at masarap na kasinunglingan na ipinakita ng kanilang Propeta (ito ay ayon sa mga sumama sa FFL na ito na daw ang estado ni Frank...na siya na raw ay isang Propeta) sampu ng kanyang mga Sugo.

Sa totoo lang, last year pa lang ay may balita na nanggaling sa isang umalis sa North B5 na dikit sa isang politiko na nagmamay-ari ng isang mall na meron din daw silang gagawaing "GK" at iyon planong iyon pa po ang kanyang ginagamit para manghikayat sa mga katulad po namin na mahirap at nais magkaroon ng sariling tahanan dito sa aming lugar sa Quezon City.

Kaya sa aking pananaw, ipamalita at ikalat na lang po nating lahat sa buong mundo, hindi lang dito sa Pilipinas kundi pat narin po sa ibang bansa, ay pagiging hipokrito ng Propeta at kanyang mga Sugo. Ipagdasal narin po natin na sana maliwanagan ang maraming miyembro ng FFL sa kadiliman at kasakiman ng kanilang "elders".

Anonymous said...

hay anu ba ito, natatawa lang ako sa mga kapatid natin sa kabila,gising mga kapatid wag na kayong magpagamit...

Anonymous said...

Dina ba kami kasali dito

Anonymous said...

Honestly, it just affirms my belief that what has happened in the community is the pruning away of those who are not really into the real mission and vision of CFC, those who have their own political agenda and those who do not want to lose their grip on power. This even affirms my belief that GK is indeed God's work because of the trials the work faces.

There are times, like now, where I am really angry about the hypocrisy the other group has shown by attacking us for ties with Pfizer and the Mormons and yet they partner with the Christian group that is involved in these partnerships. Which really affirms the belief the GK has done nothing wrong with its partnerships with the Pharmas. But thinking about it, its good that those who are left behind are solidly behind all pillars of CFC, including GK.

God bless CFC and all its pillars!

George Fournier
CFC-Calgary

Anonymous said...

CD and ALL:

I have just read this recent expose about FAP and FFL’s RV having a MOA with HfH-Philippines which has partnerships with Pfizer and the Mormons, a patent slap on right-thinking FFL followers who were blinded by Padilla into believing they had an ax to grind against GK for making CFC veer away from its basic Catholic mission due to GK’s alleged scandalous partnership with Pfizer and even the Mormons.

Now it is clear that all the great noise and hullabaloo about disobedience that dragged the hierarchy into acceding to the break-up of the once solid and homogeneous CFC are proven to spring from the cardinal sins of PRIDE, JEALOUSY and LUST, among others.

Yes, this is not about Habitat for Humanity and its projects. THIS IS MAINLY ABOUT THE PRIDE OF FRANK PADILLA!

I bring back the recent comments here as means of also expressing extreme disgust and rejection of FAP and FFL that he created to bash CFC and GK:

“I hope we will have wizened up to the ways of FAP and FFL, and that that this blog will act like the proverbial 'court jester' to regularly remind CFC from being gullible…I believe there were some in the hierarchy who (for their gullibility] were easily kept safely in the 'pockets' of FAP while he bashed and spited CFC.” (August 19, 2008 5:27 AM – by Anonymous, in “The Bill to Beat”)

”There are times, like now, where I am really angry about the hypocrisy the other group has shown by attacking us for ties with Pfizer and the Mormons and yet they partner with the Christian group that is involved in these partnerships.” (22, 2008 5:25 AM - by George Fournier,August 22, 2008, 5:25 AM, in “We Wish You Well”)

”It is implied in 'You're Right' thread, yun na yun. Huwag ng patulan. Kitang-kita naman ang ebidensiya. So, that's it. We just hope a new fervor to discard any form of lies of the Evil One infects all Christians so that there will be a serious, concerted method… of weeding them out, accompanied by a burning hatred of them…regardless of how 'nice' or close we are to the person/s doing them.” (August 18, 2008 4:22 PM – by Anonymous in “Call to Arms ii”)

Thank you, Lord!

God Bless us all!

Joni

Anonymous said...

How can someone like FAP say that the painful separation between families and close friends is justified, and spiritual? I realized now that its painful because FAP agenda/organization was built on lies and deceit. Up to now, it's still difficult to accept that my families and close friends who joined FFL are not the same anymore because of this man. This morning when I was driving to work, and this topic about FFL and HfH never left my mind. I felt bitter and angry because people who are dear to me were used like a puppets to defend FAP's veering away, pharmas, and mormons issues. But somehow God has a way to communicate to me when another car pass by with plate F8NG0D --> "FAITH IN GOD", that's when I felt better. Lord forgive me for entertaining bad thoughts.

Anonymous said...

CD,

Habitat also partnered with Wyeth (http://www.cvhfh.com/about.htm) which produces "Lybrel" & "Anya" (http://thewelltimedperiod.blogspot.com/2005/12/lybrel-anya.html)(http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/05/wyeth_birth_control_pill_gets/)


and Bristol Myers Squibb (http://www.rvhabitat.org/about_us/recognition.html)
manufacturer of Ovcon 35, an oral, spearmint-flavored contraceptive tablet that can be chewed and swallowed. (http://www.obgyn.net/newsheadlines/headline_medical_news-Contraception-20031201-3.asp)




A version of the combined pill has also been packaged to completely eliminate placebo pills and withdrawal bleeds. Marketed as Anya or Lybrel, studies have shown that after seven months 71% of users no longer had any breakthrough bleeding, the most common side effect of going longer periods of time without breaks from active pills.[55](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_oral_contraceptive_pill)

Anonymous said...

CD,

You may want to tabulate these or whatever presentation type, its up to you. But in summary they are the same " Love One Another".

A long list to disect.. Spot the differences, similarities, ironies etc:

Habitat for Humanity (Christian) Ministry Parallelism with GK (Catholic)
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL-
q A nonprofit ecumenical Christian organization
q Dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness worldwide and
q Make adequate, affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action.
q Founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a simple, decent, affordable place to live in dignity and safety.
q Is about tearing down walls and building bridges.
q About bringing hope and transforming lives.
q It is about serving God by serving others.
q A Christian ministry that invites people of all faiths and no faith to join its mission to build and renovate simple, decent, affordable houses.
q Vision of all people will have a decent place in which to live.
q Trust in God propels this movement forward and helps bring hope into the lives of homeowners, volunteers — and even bystanders.
q Has an open-door policy:
q All who desire to be a part of this work are welcome,
q Regardless of religious preference or background.
q Had a policy of building with people in need regardless of race or religion, and we welcome volunteers and supporters from all backgrounds.


q Work is driven by the desire to give tangible expression to the love of God through the work of eliminating poverty housing.
q Mission and methods are predominantly derived from a few key theological concepts: the necessity of putting faith into action, the "economics of Jesus" and the "theology of the hammer."
q Ministry is based on the conviction that to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ we must reflect Christ's love in our own lives by loving and caring for one another.
q Our love must not be words only—it must be true love, which shows itself in action.
q Habitat provides an opportunity for people to put their faith and love into action,
q Bringing diverse groups of people together to make affordable housing and better communities a reality for everyone
q When people act in response to human need, giving what they have without seeking profit or interest, we believe God magnifies the effects of our efforts.
q Donated labor of construction volunteers, the support of partner organizations and the homeowners' "sweat equity" make house building possible.
q By sharing resources with those in need, volunteers and supporters have made decent, affordable housing a reality for more than 200,000 families worldwide.
q a partnership founded on common ground—bridging theological differences by putting love into action.
q Everyone can use the hammer as an instrument to manifest God's love.
q "We may disagree on all sorts of other things ... but we can agree on the idea of building homes with God's people in need, and in doing so using biblical economics: no profit and no interest."
q Welcomes all people to build with us in partnership.
q "God's love leaves nobody out, and my love should not either.


GK-GAWAD KALINGA (GK)-
q An alternative solution to the blatant problem of poverty
q Not just in the Philippines but in the world.
q Vision for the Philippines is a slum-free, squatter-free nation
q Strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry and as a result providing dignity and peace for every Filipino.
q Transforming people and the community.
q Begins with stewardship and moves towards community empowerment.
q Crucial starting point is the appointment of a caretaker team – a group of volunteers committed to visit the community to educate and train but more importantly to build relationships with the residents and learn with them.
q The handholding stage of relationship building, values formation and skills training is absolutely necessary to help the community become independent and sustainable.
q Addresses the root cause of poverty – not simply the absence of money but an absence of shared values, sense of community and higher purpose.
q Begins with ‘padugo’- or ‘to bleed for the cause.’
q Means devoting one’s own time and resources to initiate work within the community without expecting outside funding or support.
q Architects and engineers design houses, doctors and nurses attend to community health care, teachers share knowledge to the young, and business leaders become mentors for economic enterprises.
q Rich and poor, Christians and Muslims, government and private sector, first world and third world nations can work together to uplift the quality of life of the poor, contribute to prosperity and peace to the larger society.
q Funds will help upscale and expand the work.
q Starting point is the heart, not the pocket.
q Not just a work with the poor but more importantly a work of nation building from a simple but daring CFC initiative to a growing multi-sectoral partnership
q Spirit and vision --- a new Philippines with NO MORE SLUMS.
q The problem of poverty is huge but not without end.
q Since it is man-made, it can also be man-Unmade.
q In a world where there is enough resources for all but not enough sharing for all, our motto is “less for self, more for others, enough for all.”
q This country has struggled with poverty long enough.
q Together, we can bring this country out of poverty by restoring dignity of the poorest
q Filipinos and motivating them to help themselves and one another.
q GK builds colorful, durable and secure homes for the poorest of the poor. q Provides other physical structures such as pathwalks and drainage systems, water and toilet facilities, a school, a livelihood center, a multi-purpose hall and a clinic.
q Provides value based education for pre-school children, aged 3 to 6 years old through its program q Provides a support program for street children of elementary age, from 7 to 13 years oldq They are provided with academic tutorials, sports and creative workshops as well as a. scholarships are provided to those with the mental aptitude to pursue higher education. q There is also a strong youth rehabilitation program where juvenile delinquents are provided with a range of activities and counseling sessions to help them live productive lives without committing them to rehab institutions. q They are then integrated into the social mainstream and are eventually gainfully employed.
q Health profile of every family in a GK community is carefully monitored by a volunteer team of doctors and paramedical practitioners; most GK areas now have a clinic.
q Malnutrition especially among children is addressed and arrested not just through feeding programs but also through parent education regarding proper nutrition and hygiene
q Conducts livelihood and skills training, provides start up capital and materials for microfinance and micro-enterprise, and assists in the marketing of the GK communities’ products.
q Food self sufficiency is highly encouraged by teaching technology for backyard farming, urban agriculture and poultry raising.
q Even the very act of building homes and common facilities teaches new masonry and carpentry skills since the poor “pay” for their homes through “sweat equity” or by building their neighbor’s house side by side with the GK volunteers.
q This not only builds community spirit but also contributes to greater peace.
q Community is organized into a KAPITBAHAYAN Neighborhood Association, which is established to inculcate stewardship and ensure accountability, cooperation and unity.
q Guidelines for community living are decided upon by the members, and new leaders who espouse the values of the association start to emerge.
q Is pro-poor and pro-environment.
q We empower the poor to become caretakers of the environment instead of being its exploiters.
q Teams are encouraged to plant fruit-bearing trees in and around GK communities and produce seedlings for tree-planting.
q Also educate the poor in solid waste management in partnership with environment groups and government agencies who provide their expertise and resources in these projects.
q Communities are provided with clean, potable water for consumption and cleaning as a response to providing total quality of life for the poor.
q Peace is achieved not by force, but by mutual adherence to an agreed set of values.


Links: http://www.habitat.org/cr/
http://www.gawadkalinga.org/whatisgk_program.htm

Anonymous said...

mga bros,

im sure FAP will have a way of "twisting" facts regarding Habitat's partnership with these pharmas... the way he justifies his/FFL's partnership with Ms.Cynthia Villar...

watch your Inboxes... im sure he will come out with an email justifying it...

but he likes to eat his own words naman so... what else is new...

Anonymous said...

CD, here's my immediate reaction on the proposed NEW COMMENTS / DEBATE FORMAT (there in a separate thread):

If possible, just leave it as is. I am comfortable with the current one with NO 'DEBATE', i.e., NEITHER THUMBS UP NOR DOWN but a "Christian" effort to build consensus, to "lovingly" oppose. Thanks.

(By the way, how do we 'preview' our comment here?)

Anonymous said...

PAGING MY FORMER CO LEADERS & MEMBERS IN OUR CHAPTER.
1. You said - "Kung saan walang CFC dun kayo pupunta." Why are you in our parish?
2. You said - "Sa FFL evangelization, pag naiwan ka diyan, GK ka." So kakainin niyo na ang mga salitang ito?
3. You said - "Yun GK kasi pumartner sa mga parma na gumagawa ng contraceptives." Kindly check Habitat thoroughly baka hindi niyo alam hindi din nila kaya pag walang
tulong na nanggagaling sa mga organisasyon tulad ng mga parmas at iba pang religious organization. PAGING BISHOP GABBY!!!
4. You said - "Kawawa naman si FP". Hindi ninyo pa ba nakikita ang mga pambobola ni SERVANT GENERAL? ASUS!!!
5. MAGISING NA KAYO! BUMALIK NA KAYO DITO! WELCOME NA WELCOME KAYO AYAW NAMIN NA PATULOY KAYONG MALULON SA MGA KASINUNGALINGAN. TANGGALIN ANG PRIDE CHICKEN!!!

Unknown said...

the story has now come to full circle. "VEERING AWAY" was never the issue for the breakaway. Alam kaya ng FFL members ang ginagawa ni frank? If the FFL members decide to stick with frank its fine with me but sana naman wag na nilang gawin issue ang veering away. Mga FFL look at the issue for what it is. PRIDE, CRAB MENTALITY, ENVY,

GOD BLESS the REAL COUPLES FOR CHRIST.

Bentot said...

It was Frank Padilla who veered away all these years, even during the time he was CFC Director. It was why he was no longer nominated into the International Council and never even got a seat in Board of Elders.

Everybody prayed for the Elder's Assembly during the Elections. Does anyone dare to even think that the Holy Spirit did not guide the decisions of the Elder's Assembly back then?

The Round-Eyed Toddler

Anonymous said...

Frank Padilla is loosing his marbles, he has flipped mga kapatid pagdasal nalang natin siya

Anonymous said...

One of the things we can do about this is make all the information available to the opinion writers at the Inquirer and, yes, the Negros Chronicle. It might be good for Fr. Tulabing to know about this. FAP and FFL may be losing the battle waged in this blog but this needs to get out to the public.

We could also, as private citizens, put our signatures to a letter to the Bishops and the CBCP explaining to them our position on this.

In short we could use the same standards of morality and righteousness that FAP used in attacking CFC.

It would feel good. I mean it would really feel good to expose FAP for the fraud that he is and be able to say to FFL "I told you so". But would it be right? More importantly would doing that make it right?

I once asked myself how I can spot another true CFC member. To answer the question, I decided to come up with a list of attitudes and behaviours a true CFC would have. Here are a few:

1. The true CFC is not a neurotic. He does not see someone's unwanted behaviour as a judgment of himself. He does not believe that someone who wrongs him deserves condemnation. Therefore a real CFC will refuse to see FAP as someone to be judged or condemned. Rather, the real CFC sees FAP's actions and pronouncements as the cry of someone who needs help. Because of this the real CFC is able to see FAP's actions as those of someone who needs conversion. In the same way, the lawmakers who authored HB812 are seen as people needing conversion. Thus the response should be two-fold,(1) campaign to defeat the bill, thus preventing the authors to commit a grave mistake and (2) evangelize them to facilitate their conversion.

2. A real CFC owns himself and takes full responsibility for his behaviour. He does not allow others to determine who he is. He sees himself as someone so valuable who is committed to Christ that he absolutely refuses to give others the power to determine whether he should be happy and content, angry or irritated. When someone insults him or offends him in any way, the real CFC does not lose sight of the higher moral ground. He does not see attack as a justified response to an attack from someone else. He does not lose sight of his commitments to the Spirit and because of this he is able to keep his head and respond in love.

3. The real CFC knows his covenant and his commitment to Christ. Because of this he knows that righteousness is not his for the taking but is only his as the Spirit gives it. He knows that as long as he is faithful to the Spirit and to his covenant the Spirit will grant him righteousness. He also knows that righteousness is of love and is therefore unable to indulge in lies. It can only spread love. The real CFC does not have a need to be right. He allows others to be themselves and does not force his views on others. He does not make others wrong in order for him to feel he is right. Thus he sees others truly without judgment and not through colored glasses. The real CFC is thus able to respond rightly. In this sense he has the ability to respond correctly, that is, response-ability.

4. The real CFC knows that his reputation is what others think of him. If a million people know him then he has a million reputations. The real CFC therefore knows that reputation is an illusion, a chimera created by others as they see him. Some will be bad and others will be good. But because it is an illusion, the real CFC does not concern himself with it. Rather he focuses his thoughts and spends his days in service to the Spirit, totally unconcerned with what others think of him. He lets his commitments and his actions speak for themselves. His commitments and his actions are his witnesses even as he himself is a witness to the will of the Spirit.

5. The real CFC knows that opinions are not important. It is what we do with our opinions, that is, our commitments, that is important. When others give their opinion on his work, on GK for example, he treats them as just that - opinions - while knowing that his GK commitment is true and continues to reap rewards.

6. The real CFC knows that he lives in a temporal world. He therefore knows that it is very rare when everything works according to plan and that he may have to attempt something many many times before it bears success. Like Thomas Edison who made 10,000 experiments before he invented a working light bulb, he perseveres. He is not one of those who see one thing not working and judges the whole thing a failure while forgetting that 10 other things are working well. He does not judge the whole tree as bad just because he saw a worm in one of its fruits. Thus he doesn't see GK and the whole CFC as veering away because of a partnership with a pharma company. He knows that in a temporal world things will have a tendency to go wrong. Engineers know this as entropy. But the real CFC knows that is not a reason to give up on the world and gives himself fully to Pope John XXIII's exhortation at the start of Vatican II to work to bring this temporal world closer to that world which is in heaven.

There are few more of these but I think you all get the message. It is good that this issue came out on the blog because it informs the everyone of what is going on. But I do believe that we should not use this to go into FAP-bashing or start pointing fingers at FFL and try to make them feel they are wrong. I think CFC is on a higher plane than that. A real CFC may look like any ordinary person but he is not ordinary. He is a highly moral person gifted with charisms by the Holy Spirit and trusted by Christ with a mission to love.

I rather think that this is a call to make GK even better than it ever was. It is a call to excellence, not just making good on promises or correcting what went wrong. I believe we are called to make GK even better - more efficient, more effective, more cost-effective and widespread. And after that we improve on it again and again, until this temporal world has been made closer to that of the heavenly one. We let our commitments, our actions, our fruits, speak out for us.

If this were a business, wouldn't this be what you'd do when a competitor comes up with a competing product? While there are those who respond to being challenged by someone by bashing that someone down, the real CFC would respond by honoring that someone and then raise his performance to a higher level. Mga kapatid, let us not lose sight of what GK has done. Realize now, if you haven't already, that we, in CFC and in GK, are the role models. Let us live up to it.

- TE

WillyJ said...

TE,
I am two-thumbs up on all your points. I take emphasis on your item #1 as it puts our motivations in its proper place.
On the matter of the real CFC owning & knowing (items 2-5), I remember Aristotle saying that it is the unexpected that reveals the true person. Precisely when there is no opportunity to think ahead,
the surprise catches us off-guard and our true instincts emerge. I also heard it said, that the greatest sin is the failure to love.

God bless.

Anonymous said...

Sa pamamagitan ng announcement na ito ng Easter group ay nakita nating lahat, lalo na ng mga hindi nagsuspecha, na ano ang tunay na kulay ni SG. Isip naming mga suspechoso na ang tunay na dahilan sa pagkakahiwalay natin sa CFC ay hindi and paulit-ulit na sinasabi nila FAP, bishop na ex-spiritual director at Mr. Contrary. Sa halip, ang aming suspecha ay hindi matanggap ni FAP and ng kaniyang maybahay at ng kaniyang disipulos na "nalalamangan si FAP ni TM sa billing. TM got recognition sa press at sa mga school fora. TM got awards at tunay na lumalago ang followers ng GK maliban sa CFC.
Kaya nga ako ay naniniwala na tama ang aming suspecha kay FAP. Mahirap talaga kapag sa isip mo ay nilalampasan ka na ng estudyante mo!

Haay, nangangailangan si SG ng humility at matuto siyang tanggapin ang ni-lecture nita sa MCG Retreat namin na Loyalty to a Brother sa halip na Envy Your Brother.

Pagbabalik loob ng mga nahakot ng ibang liders natin ay sana ay bago natin tanggapin sila ay ipaintindi muna natin sa mga babalik ang maling halimbawa ng sinundan nilang Servant General.

Anonymous said...

Yea, OK TE... but to avoid feeling shortchanged for not being able to vent some or more anger against Padilla et al, let us see the CFC-IC do the initiative at restoring the dignity of CFC.

Perhaps the first thing is to see the details of the issues raised against FFL in contesting the SEC decision to allow it and Padilla use of the 'CFCFI' corporate entity.

Will be good for all of us if we knew the contents of the petiton it filed with SEC to reconsider the decision against giving course of action to the petition by FAP to revive the CFCFI.

Thank ou.

Anonymous said...

Yea, OK TE... but to avoid feeling shortchanged for not being able to vent some or more anger against Padilla et al, let us see the CFC-IC do the initiative at restoring the dignity of CFC.

Perhaps the first thing is to see the details of the issues raised against FFL in contesting the SEC decision to allow it and Padilla use of the 'CFCFI' corporate entity.

Will be good for all of us if we knew the contents of the petiton it filed with SEC to reconsider the decision against giving course of action to the petition by FAP to revive the CFCFI.

Thank ou.

Anonymous said...

salamat bro T.E.

sa gitna po nang magulo at masalimuot na mga pangyayari sa komunidad... nandyan po kayo to give a very enlightening perspective... i can feel passion and love for community in between your words --and the true mark of a CFC.

God bless u po.
God bless our community.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you 100% TE. Let the leadership do all the necessary legal actions. The best help we can do to support them is with continuous prayers, and going forward with our service to fulfill our mission and vision in CFC.We cannot just stop and wait, let us not be passive,instead we should double time. The harvest are so many,and they are waiting for us.

Anonymous said...

To anonymous...
Bro, it saddens me that some of us think our dignity needs to be restored and feel shortchanged if we can't vent our anger.

I believe our dignity is God-given. It is tied to our standing in God eyes as He gave us our mission. A million FAPs do not have the power to diminish that. I believe our dignity does not need restoration. It has always been intact.

Neither do I believe in giving FAP the power to determine how we ought to feel. Why should we give him authority to decide whether we should be angry or not? Why give him that importance? Why allow him to manipulate us?

I can understand that some of us feel anger because we perceive we have been offended. But I pray that we all see that this is only our perception, a meaning we gave to what FAP says. And because we ourselves created those meanings, we also have the power to change those meanings. I pray, too, that we realize that anger clouds our reasoning and when anger reigns, it is easier to make mistakes. When FAP does something, we all have a choice - to allow him to manipulate us to anger or to see it as his cry for help. FAP, I have realized, needs to be converted. He has strayed and lost his guidance. How lonely he must feel, having driven himself far away from the Spirit of love. I cannot feel anger for such a person. Not even a bit of disdain. There is only compassion and pity. And these allow me to pray for his conversion, for his enlightenment, for his re-evangelization.

I urge you to look beyond your anger, bro. It blocks the flow of compassion and mercy. It tends to make us ruthless instead of loving. And it tends to throw away our peace and teaches us to be unkind. The gifts of the Spirit are too valuable to set aside, even for a moment, just so we can indulge in the satisfaction of venting our anger. If the choices were between anger and keeping the inner peace the Spirit gave you, would you really prefer anger?

In this world perception is everything. Correcting our perceptions allows us to choose the meanings we give to events. When the meanings I chose were those that made me angry, I realized that not only did I opt to uphold the negative, I also gave power to someone else to determine who I am and have therefore surrendered myself to him. After years of such experiences I have reached a point where I refuse to continue to do that. I have learned that who I am, the I that God called forth, is unique. And in that uniqueness, each of us is a masterpiece of God's creation. Each of us is so valuable, so rare and so priceless. Each of us is that image of God, that spark of the divine, worthy and honored by the Father. Herein lies our worth and our dignity. None of us, whoever we are, deserve anger. In a few rare moments of clarity I have felt that giving in to anger or hatred, would be an insult to what God has created. It is as if I would have decided to set aside the gifts that God gave and preferred the anger instead. I just cannot do it anymore. Peace, kindness and love in God's creation is a lot more appealing, more healthy and more uplifting.

- TE

Anonymous said...

Additional:

HABITAT & GlaxoSmithKline PARTNERSHIP


GlaxoSmithKline -GlaxoSmithKline India has introduced a low dose pill Elogen in the Bangalore market and the product is claimed to be an efficient birth control pill with improved safety profile.(http://www.pharmabiz.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=28937&sectionid=45)

HABITAT THAILAND-http://www.habitat.org/intl/pdf/thailand_pdf.pdf

Anonymous said...

Hello!

The amount of hate and sarcasm towards FFL on this site is sad,ridiculous and unnecessary.
If you ("the real cfc") are so sure you have made the right decisions,why do you seem so worried and uncomfortable.
The FFL conference that took place recently here in Vienna,Austria,was filled with pure joy and hope.The last thing people were up to was discussing the split,yet badmouthing brothers and sisters faithful to the IC.
Maybe living out your own belief and following your mission without constantly looking back and insulting your former brethren and leaders will help you regain a state of happiness and peace of mind.Just a thought....

Anonymous said...

Hi Don (sa new comment system being tested...), test ko din to para magtanong kay CD: Is it possible to post a clear copy of the declaration of FFL followers in India about their support for Frank in a formal missive dated August 25, 2008 that uses the CFC logo and letterhead? It is there in their website kaya lang a photorgraph of the declaration lang ang nandiyan. Maybe we can have a clearer copy?

jonitanitayturin said...

Hi CD:

I am sorry, I cannot wish FFL India well for implying that the CFC regular election in June last year (2008) was illegal, or that CFC-India's decision to remain faithful to Frank Pailla is the best way to ensure that 'the rancour and bitterness that has been witnessed in the Phillipines and other parts of the world' will not be 'recreated' in India.

Can some background on this Mr. Anthony Correia, the alleged Chairman of the (CFC) Council in India based in Goa, be shared here? His Official statement consequent to the CFC 'split' in Manila is at best 'BOBO'.

Here are two (2)quick reactions:

1. Mr. Anthony Correia has unnecessarily dragged Vatican into the fray by asserting that it 'recognized' [Frank Padilla] as the 'founder and charism holder of CFC' without citing any proof, and

2. Mr. Anthony Correia has EQUATED the position of an 'International Mission Director' to the person of Mr. Frank Padilla, and thus 'DICTATED' all concerned CFC in India to recognize only Frank Padilla and his 'legitimate successor' (how this successor is legitimized, he will certainly need to explain!).

There are still other STULTIFYING phrases in that so-called "STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST, INDIA ON THE FUNCTIONING OF THE ECCLESIAL MOVEMENT OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST IN INDIA CONSEQUENT TO THE SPLIT IN THE PARENT COMMUNITY IN MANILA" signed on February 12, 2008 (which FFL released only last August 25, 2008 in their website) - in addition to Mr. Correia's shameless use of the CFC logo as well as his paper's blatant 'criminalization' of the whole Church of India by implying her open defiance of the Vatican-approved CFC structure.

I rise to challenge the propriety and correctness of that statement and wish that the IC condemn its depravity especially that FFL cradled it in its website.

GOD BLESS.

TruthShallSetYouFree said...

to anonymous from vienna, austria: (I figure you are now FFL)

our daily grind in CFC is still the households, the monthly prayer assemblies, the teaching nights, MERs, Lord's day, One-to-ones, the CLPs, some weekends for GK and our volunteer work.

We may have discussed the split from time to time but not to bash the FFL brethren or even say negative things about them. We talk about why does it have to come to this separation.

What we read here are reasons, evidences, facts of why the separation happened.

To say that we consume ourselves with hatred and badmouthing is unfair.

One of the many reasons we have this BLOG is that we are trying to reach out to our friends, relatives , brothers and sisters (who went FFL) that it may help them be enlightened. And to clarify that the reasons our FFL friends raised up against CFC then, were ALL INACCURATE.

Anonymous said...

Hi, anonymous from FFL Vienna:

It is very difficult to wake up somebody who's pretending to be asleep. It is very hard to convince somebody who refuses to listen.

Here are my points:

1. FFL partners with Pfizer and the Mormons through the MOA with Habitat for Humanity. Therefore, why follow Padilla's rationale of breaking up CFC because of GK's alleged 'scandalous' partnership with the same entities?

2. Frank and FFL plotted to break up CFC back in 2006 yet (cf: FS FFL submitted to SEC). So, why believe his bashing of CFC in 2007 when he actually plotted its destruction?

3. As the CFC top leader, Padilla was convicted in 2001 by the Supreme Court of a personal, private act of misappropriating a children's public playground. In 1993, he unceremoniously yanked CFC from LNP, which is CFC's real founder. Thus, how can Padilla dispense with the charism or Spiritual gift of a founder?

4. Brod, don't you find it a tall order to take up the Cross, to forgive Frank and all of you whom he has hooked to 'restore the authentic CFC?' I do hope you are able to appreciate this vacillation: on the one hand romping off victoriously if FAP were roasted and fed to the dogs; on the other hand, heeding a higher call to love the enemy. Well, it is better to give, and more, it is better to forgive! So we pray that we will all see and live by the Light of Jesus! Amen.

Anonymous said...

FFL Brother in Vienna:

You are aghast that some brothers claiming to be followers of the "real CFC" can be bitter, especially that your FFL gathering there in Vienna was full of joy and hope.

We'll, let's stretch, give in to you a little further. Perhaps you are looking at FFL in a different perspective. Like the good book, you probably don't mind the cover or name because the content or story will speak for itself. Good!

However, in our case, THE NAME DOES MATTER, Brother. Much more so because FFL claims to be 'CFC', after SURREPTITIOUSLY AND SNEAKILY presenting fictitious documents in order to revive a long-dead and rejected corporate name called CFCFI, that one which was replaced since 1993 by CFCGMFI, the authentic CFC.

Be careful, Brod. It appears like "mababaw lang ang inyong kaligayahan..." (your joy can only be shallow or short-lived...). Let us pray for each other. God bless us all.

Anonymous said...

FFL in Austria said:

The FFL conference that took place recently here in Vienna,Austria,was filled with pure joy and hope.The last thing people were up to was discussing the split,yet badmouthing brothers and sisters faithful to the IC.

Hi brother/sister,

I'm just wondering whether in your reading you have noticed any of the following:

1) Most of the posts on this blog are in direct defense against an action first made by FFL leadership here in Manila.

2) By and large, the posts directly address behaviors or actions carried out by FFL leaders, or their underlings (e.g. the intimidation of GK village residents).

3) The emails coming out of the FFL office constantly attacking CFC, many of which form the basis of content in this website?

If you have noticed these, why such insistence that this website is simply a place filled with hatred towards FFL leaders?

It is simply a place where people are not allowing Frank's version of events to rule without it being subjected to the cold light of day.

Here in Manila we have learned the hard way that this is very necessary. (Whether it is the double-standard on pharmaceuticals - which demonstrates this was never at the heart of things - or the attempts to renew an old CFC organization (CFCFI) using apparently falsified documents, apparently abandoning the FFL name that was proclaimed so important. We must point out inconsistencies where they lie.)

God bless you.

Anonymous said...

The amount of hate and sarcasm towards FFL on this site is sad,ridiculous and unnecessary.
If you ("the real cfc") are so sure you have made the right decisions,why do you seem so worried and uncomfortable.
Is it ok to live with a lie? and to live with a series of lies?I ask you kapatid.

Anonymous said...

Brother TE:

Tamang-taman ang admonition mo tungkol sa 'venting anger'. Talking about repentance as a special HH topic this week, I shared that the tendency to be carried in 'anger', especailly of those closest to me, like my wife and children, is still something that I have to be continually aware of and struggle with. Yeah, anger management is a vital issue... I recall this one ringing in my ear: "Why is it that it is so easy for you to smile at other people as much as it is easy for you to get angry with us, your loved ones..."

Salamat, Brod. As a 'work-in-progress', I'll try to conquer this sin as often as it crops up to take possession of me. I have entered here a suggestion that I'll rejoice, 'romp off' if Frank Padilla were roasted and fed to the dogs, but this is the other side of the vacillation a troubled spirit, like mine, is faced with in managing a situation like what FAP has wrought on CFC -- the other side being the Cross exhorting love and forgiveness of the enemy.

Anonymous said...

To FFL in Vienna,

Just want to share that we had a very very fruitful, joyful, spirit-filled and overflowing-to-the-lobby USA and Canada North America CFC Conference in Miami. There were over 3000 participants. If you are not aware yet, the Manila CFC 27th Anniversary was a success. That is good that FFL had a joyful conference - ilan nga ang umattend sa inyo?
Buti nakakatulog pa kayo sa ginawa ninyo na pagwasak sa magandang pangalan ng CFC at GK pagkatapos eh ngayon ay pinipilit naman na gamitin ulit ang CFC name!
Bloggers here are defending CFC from FFL attacks. O baka naman hindi mo rin alam (at itinatago sa inyo ng mga leaders ninyo) ang mga emails/memoranda attacking CFC?

Anonymous said...

To FFL in Vienna,

Just want to share that we had a very very fruitful, joyful, spirit-filled and overflowing-to-the-lobby USA and Canada North America CFC Conference in Miami. There were over 2000 participants. If you are not aware yet, the Manila 27th Anniversary was a success. That is good that FFL had a joyful conference - ilan nga ang umattend sa inyo?
Buti nakakatulog pa kayo sa ginawa ninyo na pagwasak sa magandang pangalan ng CFC at GK pagkatapos eh ngayon ay pinipilit naman na gamitin ulit ang CFC name!
Bloggers here are defending CFC from FFL attacks. O baka naman hindi mo rin alam (at itinatago sa inyo ng mga leaders ninyo) ang mga emails/memoranda attacking CFC?

Bro. Mero :-) said...

To My brethren in CFC India who aligned with Frank Padilla:

It's sad to hear about your stand, but just allow me to tell you few points:

1. There are no official statements coming from Vatican that Frank is the founder of CFC. (Maybe from Bp. Reyes and Lagdameo?)And if you want to know who is the founder, read the book or article about CFC origins.

2. Brethren in India, the issue is so simple, please do not complicate it:

a.) CFC has its own statutes duly recognized and approved by the Vatican.

b.) That statutes says,

"7.261 CFC Manila functions as the center for the work of COUPLES FOR CHRIST throughout the world. The CFC Council (Manila) is tasked with overseeing the global work of CFC, strengthening the life and mission of CFC throughout the world, and preserving the unity of the worldwide family".

"7.262 The CFC Council accredits CFC groups as officially part of the international CFC community, and may remove such accreditation for any valid reason or just cause".

c.) Frank do not recognize the authority of the CFC International Council...therefore I conclude, Frank can no longer be a CFC.

It is as simple as that.

Please know my Indian brethren that, Frank is not the IC and the IC is not Frank. The IC is composed of seven people with seven different minds. The seven different minds (as for me) serves as a check and balance in all decision making. In fact, if Frank's thoughts does not coincide with the council, he should not worry because that is an affirmation whether he is right or wrong. (But what saddens me, is other members becomes Frank's fanatic by claiming that he is the keeper of the charism, founder and etc.) Never in any CFC teachings that we follow only one charism, nor CFC lives in accordance to the charism of Frank.

Now, since Frank defies the IC, the IC has every right and authority to remove him as a CFC member and even remove the accreditation given to other countries who align with him...this move is legal and in accordance with what is written in the CFC statutes.

Now you will say that CFC is becoming legalistic as what Frank is claiming.

Let me tell you this, the statutes was made so our leaders will have a guide for governance and leadership, especially when conflicts, misunderstanding and etc arise. Without it we can be into a total chaos.

Frank (when he was a CFC before) is even bounded by that Statutes. So he cannot pick/ assign any successor when he leaves or resign or dies. It must be the council.

Try to look at our structure.. The IC oversees everything, but they did not choose themselves. Who chose them? The Elders Assembly.

What a beautiful structure! Different from the rest. Not a one-man rule organization! Different charisms working together for the good of the Church. Different charisms working together for the interest of Christ.

In fact, this is the best structure i have ever seen. No monopoly of leadership, but the responsibilities and accountabilities are shared.

We will be assured that CFC will always be in the right track.

My Indian brethren, CFC is NOT AN EMPIRE, NOT A STATE, NOT A KINGDOM, nor A SULTANATE. It is not even a Religious Order (where there is a founder, a superior or a prioress general and etc.). It is a Private International Association of the Faithful, which each one has a unique charism. So CFC cannot be Frank and Frank cannot be CFC (as what Frank claims that where the founder be, there the charism be, and where the charism be, there the true CFC.)

MAMAMIA! The charism of CFC is not the one of Frank and the charism of CFC is not only one. The real charism of CFC is multiple in nature because it is coming from each and everyone of us who choose to love one another and work together despite our peculiarity! That is CFC charism, unity in diversity!

Now, if Frank is proposing that there can be one main-CFC with many branches...that cannot be. Why? because, CFC's charism is unity in diversity and not UNITY and DUPLICITY.

What FFL did last year was vomitting GK out of CFC (proof?..look for the draft that Bp. Villegas did), and now they are doing GK and calls it a WWP and RV.

To sum these up, two things i want to share for all.

1. The real CFC holds the statutes that the Vatican approved. Not the one that SEC revived recently or the one that was born last year.

2. The real CFC, follows the statutes that was approved by the Vatican.

...and who is that?

It is the CFC that has a legal name registered in the Philippines under CFC Global Mission Foundation Inc., and all the CFC worldwide that are accreditted by them (CFCGMFI).

Now, what about the FFL or the Restoration Movement and whatever group they call to themselves....

Jesus says, whoever is not against us is for us. If FFL is not against the IC, then why you left CFC?

If you are against the IC, then you cannot claim that you are CFC because, the IC is the governing body of CFC as stated in the statutes (and regardless of who sits there).

So, My Indian brethren, are you against the IC, the CFC work, GK and etc? If not, no need to align with Frank. But if you do, then do not call yourselves CFC so as not to confuse others.

Anyway, we support and we pray for you in wherever path you will choose to take. But do not drag CFC to where you want it to be, becuase it has its own statutes to follow. If you are against the Statutes then question the Vatican who approved it. But i doubt if you can do that.

The best solution you can do is, leave CFC quietly!

God bless!


bro. Mero :-)

Anonymous said...

To Bro Mero:

What a nice and humble explanation. This applies not only to our Indian brethren but also to FFL bros. around the world. Mabuhay ka Bro!!!!

- CFC Cebu

Anonymous said...

Yes, Brother Mero! CFC IS NOT AN EMPIRE - SO, Mr. Correia, stop from acting imperial...

Besides, 'CFC India' is constituted by the 'usually divisive' Filipinos in India, up until CFC came in as a uniting force, and ironically until Frank Padilla disunited it because he implied he was (CFC). So, pasensiya na lang sa mga citizens of India. The queer sense of megalomania 'conquering' a country as CFC for a household or two was another Padilla humbug! Mr. Correia himself appears to have been bitten by that 'bug', when he appears to have wrapped 'CFC India' into a gift for the landscammer.

The 'boomerang' is a puny instrument compared to the mystifying Indian artifacts, culture and arts that has rapt the genius in Rudyard Kipling.

So, Mr. Correia, huwag pabugso-bugso with your clearly insulting and stultifying logic, debasing a rational mind with a reductive and dictatorial 'nobody-but-Padilla and his successor' fairy tale. 'Lis dyan from whatever 'Council' that also pretends to be CFC.

My mind this early morning is clearly disturbed by your pretnetiousness, Mr. Correia. I sin some more if I say more...so, PEACE na lang brother!

Anonymous said...

It was my first time to visit this blog thru referal of a brother. Frankly mahirap sumabay sa haba at dami ng usapan and the kind and level of discussion is a culture shock to me (CFC can relate here) Anyway offhand the comments coming from certain TE reflects that he is indeed a CFC FIRM but not DEMEANING. God bless to all.

jonitanitayturin said...

SPUTTERING FFL 'GUNS OF AUGUST'

A false 'CFC India' secedes and gifts Mr. Padilla with its sycophancy during the first anniversary of his abandonment of the real CFC (published by FFL this month of August);

an unknown FFL in Vienna brags of joyful European community life and condescends on CFC brethren in Manila for reacting to FFL's calloused disregard of truth as well as false accusations against the mainstream CFC;

JunJ, the capitalist making hay on a GK 'project' in Remarville insists that 'GK' management thereon has been subsumed or taken over by the homeowners' Association, which is indebted to him.

Looks to me like these are "sputtering FFL 'Guns of August'".

Correia's secession has no logic. I suppose the hierarchy in Goa, India, will have already smelled the stench of Padilla's hidden dirt: the insults he hurled against LNP and Father Schneider, SJ, by abandoning CFCFI; the gall and hypocrisy of reviving and claiming ownership to CFCFI in 2006 using fictitious documents; the sneak attack starting February 2007, dragging along three bishops as supporters, assailing GK for a purported scandalous partnership with Pfizer and the Mormons in CFC’s anti-poverty work; the formation of the secessionist FFL that recently signed a MOA with Habitat for Humanity, which is an active partner of Pfizer and the Mormons!

The roots of CFC life in Vienna and Europe are definitely found here in the Philippines. As ‘branches’, the brethren there may not feign joy while their base and main body is threatened with poisonous grounds... or they can be ironically like the local banks that realize hefty profits on a destitute people and a broken economy... too illogical, too removed from reality (oh, pardon for the 'banking' pitch).

Not the least, that 'capitalist roader' JunJ will cry 'Momma!' when Remarville devalues as a cursed land and as our brethren there decide to give it up as a place for any hopeful future (Brothers/Sisters, let's begin to "build" that house inside of us with our prayers lifted so fervently to God Who will make us churn out that prayerful gift of a GK Blogger's Village, through every peso we are able to save...)

Anonymous said...

To the 'neophyte' Brod/Sis:

They say, if you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. There was a time someone was advised that if the entries in this blog made him sinful (i.e.: the contending opinions drove him crazy or made him think ill of the contenders), he did not have to open the blog.

Pasensiya ka na, Brod/Sis. Minsan, in our defense, meron talagang masaktan. Look at this Correiro guy in India who secedes and avers that nobody else will be followed by 'CFC India' except Padilla alone and his annointed successor (what happens then to the elections as provided for in the statutes?). Then, he 'reverently' comes before Padilla to offer him the allegiance of the CFC brethren constituting India! I am sure you will understand if some hurting words can spontaneously come out of here in response?

But thanks, too, that you find there are soothing, firm, brotherly words from bloggers like TE. You can be sure we are all brothers and sisters trying to speak out openly in defense of our beleaguered community; trying to act our Christianity; open for brotherly correction.

GOD BLESS YOU, KAPATID! (Hope you can keep on reading)

Anonymous said...

(CD, I'll make my response re post on Frank's Village, part iii, here, which is more convenient to me. Thank you, Brod.)

About helping one build or finish a housing unit, I thought the HOA will only act on the information 'ministerially'. I mean, can it really stop a project to help a homeowner finish building his house?

When Bro. Tito Santos informed that there will be a BUILD Activity, may the HOA oppose it in a strict sense? I believe not, because the owner has a right to abode and the CFC brethren have the right to help, too. I believe it was a simple act of courtesy to inform the HOA so that the activity will not conflict with others that may also be obtaining in the area. Otherwise, the project was a regular 'GO' activity.

Now, about the assumption that 'they' in 'Global' knew that Remarville was RV rather than GK, JunJ will have to explain this further. As mentioned in one of the comments somewhere, the GK project cannot just be renamed RV, without addressing the attendant issues relative to donors, the sweat equity, turnover of documents with the corresponding resolutions, etc.

Yun lang. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Dapat gayahin na lang ni Bro. Frank si Bro. Mike Velarde! Mas malaking pera ang kikitain nya kong swertehin..Kaya lang baka lalong bagyohin..mababasa ang collection...kong baryabarya lang ok lang..matunog pa...God bless us all!

Anonymous said...

Now that God revealed the true color of Frank Padilla, by all his words and actions, let us all continue to move on and pray that on the judgement day he will realize everything he has done whether good or bad,because the sevants master will come on an unexpected day and at unknown hour and will punish severely and assign him a place with hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
May God Bless us all Real CFC as we continue to work on the vineyard....ELB

Anonymous said...

OK lang yung gaya-gaya, Brod. Like Brother Frank gayahin si Mike Velarde para magkapera ng mas malaki, kaysa barya-barya lang (although mas matunog nga!).

Kaya lang... baka nagising na ang mga tao...

Puede kaya si Sleepless dito? Sori, Brod, ha?

Para kay Brod Sleepless, hind puede yung pa-fool all the time... "Fool me once, shame on you...Fool me twice, shame on me..."

Anonymous said...

...ayun na nga...

see your Inboxes, i told you that the fact twisting prophet will soon justify their partnership with Habitat!!!

it does not change anything Frank, you are clearly eating your words when you partnered with Habitat - its simply PRIDE. every issue you are throwing against GK and its partnership with Pfizer is nonsense. you could have partnered with another organization similar to Habitat - one that is
Catholic and one that does not have partnership with Pfizer or Wyeth. kung tutuusin, puede naman yun...

but now you are swallowing everything you are saying!!!

STOP JUSTIFYING YOUR MOC with HABITAT! aminin mo na, na kahit sino na lang as long as its not GK - thats what you have in your selfish mind!!!!

YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS VEERING AWAY! AND YOU'RE FIRED! thats retroactive to Feb 13, 2007!

- Donald Trump

Anonymous said...

A pleasant day!
We hope there will be more documentary evidences relative to the conflict at Remarville-GK-Village-turned-Restoration Village.

Anonymous said...

THE LAW OF THE HEAVEN APPLIES TO ALL:

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

"Matthew 7

1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. "

Matthew 6
24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.


Matthew 23
Seven Woes
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5"Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'

8"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.[b] 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.[c]

15"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

16"Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' 19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.

23"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!

33"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.

37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'[d]"




The Overstretch in the Habitat-Pfizer-CFCI Alleged Connection: A Case of Ill-logic

It was one of those things we could have passed up as a nuisance blog, and therefore, not worthy of a reply. But the frequency and intensity of the CFC Global bloggers' repeated mention of the " hypocricy of CFCFI" because it signed an MOC (Memorandum of Cooperation) with Habitat which has once partnered with Pfizer made us believe, with amazement, how the bounds of logic can be violated and twisted to the extent that CFC Global bloggers really feel they are right and therefore make sense.


The classical philosophers must be turning and spinning in their graves to hear that since Habitat has partnered with Pfizer and CFCFI has signed an MOC with Habitat, therefore, CFCFI is being hypocritical because it criticized CFC Global/GK's partnership with Pfizer, which manufactures and sells contraceptives---an act which the Church considers morally wrong.


This rather misplaced syllogism carries it too far. Let us examine this overdrive closely:

1. In the first place, the MOC is between Habitat and CFCFI. CFCFI is not partnering at all with Pfizer. ( SO WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE

2. Indeed, at the very beginning in 1999, Habitat partnered with Pfizer in the United States once.
3. However, even in USA, each Habitat organization exists as a separate juridical entity. For Instance, Habitat Florida recently turned down a sizeable lot donation by the Planned Parenthood Organization (a known pro-choice entity) because the proposed donor espouses values contrary to Habitat.

4. In the Philippines, however, Pfizer partnered with CFC Global/GK. Why is CFCFI now being faulted for signing an MOC with Habitat in the Philippines when the latter has no links whatsoever with Pfizer in the Philippines?
5. Now, we have to find out why the Church, through the late Cardinal Alfonso Lopez-Trujillo, made a ruling that prohibits CFC Global/GK from partnering (or to stop the partnership to be more precise) with Pfizer. It is important to understand first that GK is part and parcel of CFC Global. CFC Global, per its statutes, submits itself to the jurisdiction and authority of the Church which considers such partnerships as morally wrong. CFC Global, including GK therefore, cannot be dissociated with the Church. If GK were a stand-alone organization and functions as an NGO, then the Church would not have issued such a prohibition because it will then have no authority at all over GK.
6. Premises considered, let us look closely at the wisdom behind the Church's prohibition by quoting directly from the late Cardinal's letter to wit:


6.1 "The funds offered also come from actions that are morally evil, abortion and contraception." Now, Habitat for Humanity Philippines, the party we are cooperating with, has not partnered with Pfizer. Hence, there is no question whatsoever that Habitat Philippines' sourcing of funds does not come at all from the coffers of Pfizer. Even in the MOC, if funds are sourced by CFCFI and Habitat helps in the build, it goes without saying that CFCFI will not source funds coming from Pfizer. On the other hand, if Habitat happens to source the funds, it also knows that it cannot source funds from Pfizer because CFCFI will reject it anyway.

6.2 " In their advertisements and promotional materials, these companies could say that they help the Catholic Church, and thus give the false idea that their contraceptive and abortion-causing products and services are acceptable." We have said earlier that since CFC is a Catholic organization (and since GK is a CFC pillar and activity), the good Cardinal equates giving to CFC Global/GK as if it directly gives to the Church. Thus, the danger the Church would like to avoid is giving the impression that it accepts donations from Pfizer.
6.3 In the case of CFCFI having an MOC ( it is not even a partnership because both parties are free to collaborate or not to) with Habitat Philippines, could Pfizer now claim in their ads and promo materials that it has given funds to CFCFI?


7. The distinction should also be made that the Church prohibits the partnership with respect to a specific context --- that of Pfizer happening to make and sell products and services which it considers morally wrong. For instance, it does not necessarily follow that Catholics cannot purchase or buy Pfizer products that are life-giving. But what the Church equally stresses is it would like to avoid Pfizer practising a philosophy of compensating philanthropy by claiming that because it helps save lives, it absolves the company from killing millions of unborn children through contraception and abortion. Stretching the same context, should we tell all Catholics to stop using the services of Philippine General Hospital because one of its donors happens to be Pfizer?

It is unfortunate that CFC Global/GK has taken the Church pronouncement out of context again. And we now have to play the role anew of correcting a serious flaw that not only maligns the use of simple logic, but more importantly, the Church and CFCFI.


As we stated earlier, we just would have wanted to move on and ignore this issue. Regrettably, we are again unnecessarily drawn to what is essentially a non-issue.


When blazing guns and loose cannons refused to be silenced, peace and harmony become very elusive.

Anonymous said...

MUSINGS... (while in the dark about the IDOTRCFC blog...)

Even if FFL submitted to SEC fictitious documents about CFCFI’s financial performance at the end of 2006, even if a MOA between FFL and HfH proves the hypocrisy of Mr. Padilla’s attack on GK’s partnership with Pfizer and the Mormons; even if the Philippine Supreme Court convicted Mr. Frank Padilla of a landscam in 2001; and even if a picture proves FFL’s unilateral conversion of Remarville International GK Village into an FFL ‘Restoration Village’ notwithstanding denials to the contrary, I dare anticipate that the real, material world will still bear witness to Frank Padilla’s and FFL’s harvest of ‘faithful Christian followers’ depending on personal efforts (in Filipino, ‘sipag at tiyaga’). I mean, sure The Truth Shall Set Us Free, indeed, but until it does, Mr. Padilla and FFL will have their heydays creating more confusion and havoc...on Catholics and Christians worldwide.

Why do I say so? Well, only a few people really knew the true issues about the split between CFC and LNP, and for most of us back then, we were content not to hear of any talk thereon - they could be ‘divisive’, better if we just continued to ‘carry on for the Lord’. So evil spread and spawned some more until Padilla’s follies caught up with him. (Ironically, though the structure is left intact for him and his minions to keep on with their old antics!)

I really wished the Church came to the rescue and uphold the truth authoritatively... but then it took her quite a long time to review her perceived indifference to the genocide committed against the Jews, or to rectify her misjudgment of Copernicus’ heliocentric theory...

Once I entertained the idea that God’s heaven can be found in this earth, and that we can, in fact, build one here through CFC! The victories won every day showed that this earth can be heavenly --- UNTIL Padilla proved that the mainstream CFC must confront him and the dark, worldly interests pooled by him (but no thanks to at least three prominent Philippine bishops)... must bear witness to a fractious, divisive, and vicious relationship he has embroiled upon an otherwise peaceful and loving Christian community.

Well, well... up to this point of my musing: CRY FREDOM AND ... MANIGAS KA, (let you ice up) TRUTH!

BUT THEN, SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY TERRIBLY WRONG HERE...TE SAYS WHY ALLOW PADILLA TO DOMINATE YOUR CHOICE (or something to that effect)...

Anonymous said...

HEY, THIS IS RATHER MISPLACED!
CFC-FFL RESTORED SERIES No. 21 - "CFC-FFL CONQUERING MINDANAO FOR JESUS!!! - Sep 1, '08 5:44 AM

What GALL by this boy, PJ Gose San Felipe, Missionary-SFL! Hinay-hinay anak. Anong "CONQUERING" Mindanao for Jesus? Looks like you have the MEGALOMANIA of MR. FRANK PADILLA. Here's an advise: Learn to be humble, speak softly, move determinedly, huwag yung few days here in the south and you are having a not-so-humble disposition. There are seminaries here, we produce our own priests, etc. 'Yung "CONQUERING" is misplaced, to say the least. So, kindly get some lessons in good manners...

Now, to the FFL-ELDERS: Pag ganyan ang ugali that you instill in the young going on mission to Mindanao, baka delikado, brothers! Let your young members speak and exhort profoundly, not delusively.

Anak, PJ San Felipe, sana matuto kang maging mahinahon at huwag ilagay sa ulo mo ang 'garbo'.

God Bless you and keep up the enthusiasm for Jesus, as much as you have to be levelheaded in making converts for HIM (be careful you may claim to convert somebody has long practiced his Christianity before you found Him through SFL).Please tell your elders that it is better that you desist from using the name Couples for Christ, which has earned a very respectable and credible name among the Islamic and cultural communities in Mindanao particularly and especially because of GAWAD KALINGA.

You, anak are FFL. It is good that you highlight your activity in Mindanao as SFL CLS. That way, walang gulo na madala o masimulan mo dito sa amin.

We pray for you. Ingat-yabang ka lang! - is this correct? GOD BLESS YOU, Boy PJ San Felipe.

jonitanitayturin said...

The Late Cardinal Alfonso Lopez-Trujillo Must be Turning in His Grave!

So, this 'non-article' by FFL "The Overstretch in the Habitat-Pfizer-CFCFI Alleged Connection: A Case of 'Ill-Logic", Aug 31, '08 10:06 PM, implies that the late Cardinal Alfonso Lopez-Trujillo actually would have affirmed FFL's partnership with HfH and assented to the latter's partnership with Pfizer and the Mormons!

CONSIDER THIS ARGUMENT IN THAT 'NON-ARTICLE':

CFC-GK was condemned by the founders of FFL for partnering with Pfizer and the Mormons. Today, FFL cannot be faulted nor condemned for partnering with Pfizer and the Mormons!!!

HUH? WHAT MIND COULD MAKE SUCH CORRUPT LOGIC? Pray tell, 'Why did the moron throw butter out of the window?' (He wanted to see the butterfly...) Come on, there are plenty of moron jokes. Surely you don't want one of those to be on you, FFL?

BY ASSERTING THAT THIS IS ALSO THE LOGIC OF CARDINAL TRUJILLO, YOU HAVE INSULTED THE LATIN MIND.

As CD: "CASE CLOSED!"

jonitanitayturin said...

ON:
“The Overstretch in the Habitat-Pfizer-CFCFI Alleged
Connection: A Case of Ill-Logic”

(Pubished in FFL’s blogsite, Aug 31, '08 10:06 PM)
-------------------------------------------------------

Here’s a commentary on that FFL-CFCFI article:

QUOTE: It was one of those things we could have passed up as a nuisance blog, and therefore, not worthy of a reply. But the frequency and intensity of the CFC Global bloggers' repeated mention of the " hypocrisy of CFCFI" because it signed an MOC (Memorandum of Cooperation) with Habitat which has once partnered with Pfizer made us believe, with amazement, how the bounds of logic can be violated and twisted to the extent that CFC Global bloggers really feel they are right and therefore make sense.
(COMMENT: This one is an “overdrive”, to quote the term you use there below. Certainly being amazed at the sheer logic of the bloggers, you are bound to conclude they are right and, indeed, make a lot of sense! Right?)

QUOTE: “The classical philosophers must be turning and spinning in their graves to hear that since Habitat has partnered with Pfizer and CFCFI has signed an MOC with Habitat, therefore, CFCFI is being hypocritical because it criticized CFC Global/GK's partnership with Pfizer, which manufactures and sells contraceptives---an act which the Church considers morally wrong.”
(COMMENT: Yes, you hit it right on the head. This is the logic you must not veer away from!)

QUOTE: “This rather misplaced syllogism carries it too far. Let us examine this overdrive closely:
1. In the first place, the MOC is between Habitat and CFCFI. CFCFI is not partnering at all with Pfizer.
2. Indeed, at the very beginning in 1999, Habitat partnered with Pfizer in the United States once.
3. However, even in USA, each Habitat organization exists as a separate juridical entity. For Instance, Habitat Florida recently turned down a sizeable lot donation by the Planned Parenthood Organization (a known pro-choice entity) because the proposed donor espouses values contrary to Habitat.
4. In the Philippines, however, Pfizer partnered with CFC Global/GK. Why is CFCFI now being faulted for signing an MOC with Habitat in the Philippines when the latter has no links whatsoever with Pfizer in the Philippines?”

(COMMENT: You in FFL went to the extent of accusing GK of being party to the murder of the innocent unborn by partnering with Pfizer. Yet, now you want to make the exception that while Habitat partnered with Pfizer in the US, there is no similar partnership in the Philippines – like they have apples there and we have bananas here – therefore the concept of the ‘murder of the unborn’ does not apply! Answer this FFL: “Why was it valid for you to make a general statement about the murder of the unborn anywhere in the world by any Church affiliate partnering with Pfizer as it accused GK of such, and why can not such statement now apply to the particular partnership of HfH with Pfizer?

QUOTE: “5. Now, we have to find out why the Church, through the late Cardinal Alfonso Lopez-Trujillo, made a ruling that prohibits CFC Global/GK from partnering (or to stop the partnership to be more precise) with Pfizer. It is important to understand first that GK is part and parcel of CFC Global. CFC Global, per its statutes, submits itself to the jurisdiction and authority of the Church which considers such partnerships as morally wrong. CFC Global, including GK therefore, cannot be dissociated with the Church. If GK were a stand-alone organization and functions as an NGO, then the Church would not have issued such a prohibition because it will then have no authority at all over GK.
COMMENT: TRUE. But the Church cannot make an illogical prohibition. However, she can make a make its moral position known even if the party concerned is not directly under it, meaning it can also conclude that FFL is a hypocrite because it exempts itself from the same rules it judges others with! But why dig the grave and disturb the peace of Cardinal Trujillo? And why use his solicited advice to exempt you in FFL from being judged as hypocrite? Are you saying the good Cardinal is on your side of the issue, too, that is, that he also absolves FFL or your fake CFCFI from the 'murderous effects' of Pfizer’s partnership with HfH?

QUOTE: “6. Premises considered, let us look closely at the wisdom behind the Church's prohibition by quoting directly from the late Cardinal's letter to wit:
”6.1 "The funds offered also come from actions that are morally evil, abortion and contraception." Now, Habitat for Humanity Philippines, the party we are cooperating with, has not partnered with Pfizer. Hence, there is no question whatsoever that Habitat Philippines' sourcing of funds does not come at all from the coffers of Pfizer. Even in the MOC, if funds are sourced by CFCFI and Habitat helps in the build, it goes without saying that CFCFI will not source funds coming from Pfizer. On the other hand, if Habitat happens to source the funds, it also knows that it cannot source funds from Pfizer because CFCFI will reject it anyway.

COMMENT: (This is apparently part of a two-step process of dancing yourself out of the deep sh__t you’ve thrown yourself into. STEP ONE: MAKE A HAIR-SPLITTING IRRELEVANT ARGUMENT! You make a fool of yourself by arguing about not sourcing or using Pfizer funds when you have discounted it in the first place! What a waste!)

QUOTE: “6.2 ‘ In their advertisements and promotional materials, these companies could say that they help the Catholic Church, and thus give the false idea that their contraceptive and abortion-causing products and services are acceptable.’ We have said earlier that since CFC is a Catholic organization (and since GK is a CFC pillar and activity), the good Cardinal equates giving to CFC Global/GK as if it directly gives to the Church. Thus, the danger the Church would like to avoid is giving the impression that it accepts donations from Pfizer.

(COMMENT: This is clearly a non-sequitur. We are not talking about the Church accepting donations here! But since you have dragged the discussion to it, how do you explain Caritas’ acceptance of donations from Pfizer? You have said a mouthful about the arguments of Cardinal Trujillo. It is a pity you have dragged him too much, literally beyond his grave!

QUOTE: “6.3 In the case of CFCFI having an MOC ( it is not even a partnership because both parties are free to collaborate or not to) with Habitat Philippines, could Pfizer now claim in their ads and promo materials that it has given funds to CFCFI?”
COMMENT: YOUR HANDS ARE STAINED, MISTER! Answer the question yourself! This appears to me as your STEP NUMBER TWO: DROP THE PARTNERSHIP LIKE A HOT POTATO! The “memorandum of cooperation” is not a partnership? Ha,ha, ha! HfH-Philippines, BE FOREWARNED!

QUOTE: “7. The distinction should also be made that the Church prohibits the partnership with respect to a specific context --- that of Pfizer happening to make and sell products and services which it considers morally wrong. For instance, it does not necessarily follow that Catholics cannot purchase or buy Pfizer products that are life-giving. But what the Church equally stresses is it would like to avoid Pfizer practising a philosophy of compensating philanthropy by claiming that because it helps save lives, it absolves the company from killing millions of unborn children through contraception and abortion. Stretching the same context, should we tell all Catholics to stop using the services of Philippine General Hospital because one of its donors happens to be Pfizer?
(COMMENT SO, IT HAS COME FULL CIRCLE. Now you see the foolhardiness of your arguments by mouthing our arguments, except of course that one about criminalizing a partnership with Pfizer as a participatory instrument in the “killing [of] millions of unborn children”. Since you have argued the Church and Cardinal Trujillo into this proposition, you must find a way to get out of it. That is the reason why, even as you try to tag along our lines, the bad, hypocritical aftertaste remains. SUGGESTION: Review all the bloggers’ arguments there in “Faith and Reason” thread of the IDOTRCFC blog, and even before it when you accused GK of a scandalous partnership with Pfizer, and you will find that you are leaning to the logical arguments we have always maintained. Tell us, how come you did not raise a howl at the plight of Pfizer employees who were wondering if the money they raised from parting with their monthly pay could still be “partnered” in building a GK village? Well…)

QUOTE: “It is unfortunate that CFC Global/GK has taken the Church pronouncement out of context again. And we now have to play the role anew of correcting a serious flaw that not only maligns the use of simple logic, but more importantly, the Church and CFCFI.”
(COMMENT: JUST AS I ANTICIPATED! Hey, you brought in the Church argument here in the first place, which I said is non-sequitur! Now you use this same unfortunate and misplaced views as reason for our taking the Church pronouncement out of context! How funny! By the way, how come no one from among you dared answer our query through IDOTRCFC about Pfizer and Caritas? How come you even tried to quash (but oh boy your arguments and reasoning were puny) the opus of His Excellency, Bishop Emeritus Francisco F. Claver, S.J. and are now singing his tune about “The CFC Controversy About The devil”.

QUOTE: “As we stated earlier, we just would have wanted to move on and ignore this issue. Regrettably, we are again unnecessarily drawn to what is essentially a non-issue.”
(COMMENT: As CD expressed in our blog: CASE CLOSED. Thank you.)

QUOTE: “When blazing guns and loose cannons refused to be silenced, peace and harmony become very elusive.”
(COMMENT: NICE TRY, FFL. THE BLOGGERS DEFENDING THE ORIGINAL CFC ARE AT PEACE!)

Anonymous said...

Gandang Araw po!

Para po sa Habitat for Humanity, (sana may makabasa na taga-Habitat)

We wish you well!

Sana naman magiging okay ang partnership ninyo with FFL.

Pero ibayong ingat lng mga kababayan ko sa Habitat, nagpapartner kasi kayo ng Pfizer at iba pang anti-life company. Bka lng masabon din kayo ni Frank. Kawawa naman kayo.

At ingat lang din ulit...dahil baka kapag nagkalabuan kayo later on, tiyak ilalaglag kayo ng FFL.

Kung sa CFC nga eh, brother and sister na ang turingan, ipinagkanulo pa kami, kayo pa?

Wala namang masama sa kanila, pero ingat lng talaga! Bka kasi hindi ninyo kakayanin ang mga talent at powers ng mga iyan.

At higit sa lahat, prayers po mga kapatid ko sa Habitat! Sa bawat araw na magkakasama kayo ng FFL, magdasal kayo na hwag bumaligtad ang mga pag-iisip nila!

Salamat, again INGAT kayo Habitat!

:-)

Anonymous said...

hewow mga kaputols,

try to read my comment with smiling face all the way to the end. smile first then read even if your smile is a pretend smile. here goes:

i m so scratching my head for the big words that i read from here, like "whoa!" what is the meaning of that?

it is also so head scratchy whenever these big words are delivered either as a basher or a praiser blog, the commenters here seemed to have been hypnotized to follow and praise or bash as well.

scratching my head also for the big fuss whenever a deeply researched topic seemed to belittle a skin deep happiness found in any of your assemblies. everyone here is bright or pretending to be bright. not to mention a lot are fast in googling.
(bah! new word yan "googling")

wondering and scratching my head why the exchange of bashing would not happen between CFC and other Christian group or FFL and other Christian group. does this mean that knowing something is an essential requirement? oh c'mon, post your brightly comment on this point.

about to scratch my head why blogger TE's reprimanding points to CFC brethren which are actually well representation of the tiny blogs made by albeit small members of this community, were reacted to like a freshly issued item. noon ko pa gyud binabasa ang mga blogs ng maliit nating kapatid threshing out how we should behave.

will scratch my head if the commentaries of frank, nonong, et.al. gets straight to this blog so that apple reaction matches an apple issue. i am one representing the low IQ group, a brain-challenged person who needs no effort to confuse. i keep short nails so my hair is still intact (unlike CD, errr, i mean no offense brother, peace be to you :) even if i scratch my hair every so often.

blogging brethren, go figure!

Dan - the scratcher

Anonymous said...

I just want to mention that as far as I know Pfizer Phils did not carry depo provera when they bought Pharma/ or that its under Pfizer USA.And although it was originally meant to be a contraceptive Pfizer's it is now widely used to treat unusual bleeding among young girls, my niece included. It is used by reputable obgyne doctors, even from Catholic hospitals. This is not the kind of drug that you just give away to the poor as a contraceptive. And Pfizer would not have used it at all.The Pharisees condemn the employees of Pfizer, its company as if they have tainted hands. Please stop using the name of Pfizer as if contraceptive drug is the only drug they manufacture - with thinking like this, we will not bring people closer to church/God but further away.
Hypocrites? Legalistic? May God be the judge. I just feel bad for my friends in Pfizer!

Anonymous said...

Hi Dan, the scratcher!

It takes a particular talent to exploit the compulsive power of the human word, though it can take hours for a poet to capture a universal reality in a line or two, after some stitching and unstitching of the words...

I tried to "scratch beneath the surface" of your comments here, but then...wala talaga, Brod Dan! Ewan, mukhang dejado... tama, may "druff" ata, Dan...(Very sori, Brod, cannot really hold up this pun! Pasensiya na!)

Why do you have to smile and scratch your head while wondering at bloggers admiring the "poetry" and "music" of TE's lines, the truths in which you say have already been expressed in 'bits and pieces' by other 'insignificant' (maliit') bloggers early on in their comments here?

I know not TE, personally, but I am one of those who firmly believes that due consideration must be given for appreciation of a good prose, or to the profound expression of what is; that such attitude must not discriminate nor establish any boundary; that, instead, it must encourage each person to be constantly aware of, as well as be directed and able to cross, the all-season bridges connecting to TRUTH, LOVE, KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, BEAUTY, NATURE --- TO GOD HIMSELF!

In our college days, our ROTC commander would sternly quip at us cadets to "CUT THAT SMILE!"

I would like to say the same to you, Brod Dan, that you cut that smile and be real! But thereafter, do SMILE GENUINELY, AS YOU MUST, because God allowed us to share our thoughts here.

Have a nice day, brother. GOD BLESS.

WillyJ said...

Joni, I second the motion. More along your drift:

1. In the first place, the MOC is between Habitat and CFCFI. CFCFI is not partnering at all with Pfizer.

CFC/GK is not partnering and has never partnered with Pfizer in the promotion and selling of contraceptives (either).

2. Indeed, at the very beginning in 1999, Habitat partnered with Pfizer in the United States once.

What's the point here? GK partnered with Pfizer (for building houses) once, likewise. No substantial point driven.

3. However, even in USA, each Habitat organization exists as a separate juridical entity. For Instance, Habitat Florida recently turned down a sizeable lot donation by the Planned Parenthood Organization (a known pro-choice entity) because the proposed donor espouses values contrary to Habitat.

This is only part of the story.
In early May, Sarasota FL Habitat had agreed to buy a piece of land from Planned Parenthood for $10 and agreed to build multi-family housing on the land (clearly a donation - nobody sells land for a measly 10$). This agreement allowed Planned Parenthood to fulfill a zoning requirement it needed in order to get an occupancy permit for a new abortion facility it is building in Sarasota (that's the PP agenda). American Life League worked with local pro-lifers and publicized this fact across the country, resulting in a large number of phone calls to local Habitat offices as well as Habitat for Humanity International offices. Because of this pressure, the HfH Florida board was forced to disengage itself from the partnership with Planned Parenthood. Check out the whole story here. This is not to judge HfH, but this is to expose CFCFI's penchant for skewing half-truths to prop up its questionable premise.

4. In the Philippines, however, Pfizer partnered with CFC Global/GK. Why is CFCFI now being faulted for signing an MOC with Habitat in the Philippines when the latter has no links whatsoever with Pfizer in the Philippines?

CFCFI simply doesn't get it. It is not about questioning the partnership with Hfh, it is about questioning the deceitful bias of CFCFI. The sinful act in question is promoting and selling contraceptives. CFC Global/GK partnering with Pfizer = Mediate Material Cooperation; remote to the sinful act in question. CFCFI partnering with HfF = Mediate Material cooperation; remote to the sinful act in question. Same banana, see?. "Why is CFCFI being faulted?" This question is answered by "Why is CFC Global/GK being faulted?" We fault CFCFI because it does not apply its questionable standards (by which it judged CFC vis-à-vis Pfizer) to itself. Again, this is not questioning the partnership with HfH, this is questioning the bias of CFCFI. (Modern-day "classical philosophers" (hi Nonong!) might want to check out the ethical principle here, which was articulated by the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life.)

Items 5-7 dwells at length with the late Cardinal Lopez-Trujillo's statements. If we look closely, the admonition (on compensating philanthropy) is applicable to Pfizer, not to CFC/GK. The directive given to CFC was to disassociate itself from any partnership with Pfizer, to avert potential scandal. Let us read (hay naku, again) Cardinal Trujillo's ruling: "It was also important that you have realized that much scandal and confusion is being provoked by the fact that Couples for Christ received funds from pharmaceutical firms producing contraceptives. We appreciated the explanation on your part and your sincere willingness to correct this. In this regard, it is important that you follow the recommendations that the ecclesiastical authorities have indicated.". Now these words by Cardinal Trujillo is what FFL refuse to acknowledge, and in fact if we remember correctly, were the words that were mysteriously deleted from their copy of the Vatican statement. They never tire of beating a dead horse again and again. So lets repeat it again for the umpteenth time: confusion and scandal was being provoked, the explanation was appreciated, and CFC-IC already followed the recommendations.. Now, the connection to killing millions of unborn children, with respect to GK, is the one that really over-overstretches the imagination. Please lang, superduper over na yan ha.

Now where is the "serious flaw that not only maligns the use of simple logic"?

Anonymous said...

Eto yong mga officers ng Habitat Phil. Buti na lang wala diyan si Frank kundi umagaw na naman ng eksena:

http://www.habitat.org.ph/portal/about_nbot.php

National Board of Trustees
Serah Grace M. Arcolas
Roger Bartholomew
Francisco H. Bautista
David Bonifacio
Todd Bradshaw
Felipe L. Gozon
Raul C. Hernandez
Corazon Alma G. de Leon
Catherine P. Maceda
Rebecca F. Maronilla
Francisco F. del Rosario, Jr.
Luz C. Sianghio

Executive Committee
Francisco H. Bautista
Chairman

Francisco F. del Rosario, Jr.
Vice Chairman & Audit Committee Chairman

Rebecca F. Maronilla
Vice Chairperson

Roger Bartholomew
Treasurer

Catherine P. Maceda
Communications Committee Chairperson

Alberto L. Jugo
President & Chief Executive Officer (ex-officio)

Bilas ni Musang

Anonymous said...

Joni's and Willy's comments are spot on. I just wanted to add these:

- Partnership between two organizations is one thing but as FFL points out (in 6.1): "The funds offered also come from actions that are morally evil, abortion and contraception". It is not partnership, per se, that is questioned but the source of funds. Pfizer, Merck, Wyeth, Bristol Myers, etc. do not have to be in partnership with HfH. All they have to do is donate funds to HfH for FFL's quoted statement to apply.

And if you surf the net enough, you'll find Pfizer and Merck do give funds to HfH.

In the other direction, FFL's quote would also apply to itself. FFL tries to get out of this by stating that "Even in the MOC, if funds are sourced by CFCFI and Habitat helps in the build, it goes without saying that CFCFI will not source funds coming from Pfizer". Note that it would be next to impossible for HfH to separate funds from Pfizer once the monies are in their accounts. So what FFL is saying is that no funds will be sourced from HfH.

This obviously depends on what help HfH provides to FFL. If it is limited only to forms of help where HfH does not spend any of its money, then FFL could probably make the claim that its programs did not source any funds from HfH. Note that HfH must not spend a single centavo here. This is because any expense incurred by HfH for FFL builds would be treated by HfH books as outgoing money for FFL projects - in short they are donations to FFL projects, even though the money did not pass through FFL hands. Technically speaking this would even include travel expenses to and from the build site. Of course, FFL can always shoulder all expenses so that HfH's contribution to their builds would be limited to providing bodies and time.

What happens when HfH provides bodies from faraway places? HfH has international build teams. Would FFL spring for their airfare? So the MOC is local? What about builds in other regions in the Philippines? Since FFL also point out that HfH organizations are separate from each other, will they also have separate MOCs with HfH affiliates in other provinces? That way, the HfH would be local, further avoiding the possibility that HfH would spend a centavo on behalf of FFL projects.

Do you see how absurd the whole scenario is? FFL just dug its own hole deeper.

- FFL attempts to justify its move by implying that the MOC is only with HfH Philippines and that each HfH organization is a separate juridical entity. This seems to be a deliberately narrow interpretation based on their past standards. When they brought up the issue of Pfizer and GK last year, they consistently rejected the fact that contraceptives were not manufactured and sold by Pfizer in the Philippines. They were manufactured by another Pfizer entity and imported into the country by distributors. I remember that the argumenation was that Pfizer Philippines belongs to the global Pfizer organization. The bloggers took this standard that FFL posited and used it here. HfH Philippines belongs to the Global HfH organization and Pfizer, Merck and the Mormons either have partnerships with HfH or donate funds to it.

- Notice that the author chose to say that CFC and GK cannot be dissociated from the church. So much so that FFL claims that the Cardinal equated giving to GK as giving to the church. I wonder if the author knows the implications of what he wrote. Does he realize that, based on his premise, an attack on GK and CFC also equates to an attack on the church? Or does FFL logic only limit this equation to donations? FFL selective logic? In trying to dismiss the bloggers as a nuisance by trying to prove superior logic, he might have just shot himself in the foot.

The argumentation sounds as if they rest on solid ground. But they only sound that way. As with FAP's moves in the past year, it is just another attempt to win by force or deception what he cannot win by sweet persuasion.

The author thought that he defended FFL's position. In truth, the argumentations he used have only served to strengthen our stand. It actually adds more clarity to our position and should be seen as an unsolicited encouragement from those who have sworn to be against us. Bloggers, be advised - even the opposition has acknowledged the rightness of our cause. Sometimes when the opponent shows you his weakness he shows you your strength as well.

- TE

jonitanitayturin said...

GREAT, BROD WILLY! BUT BATTLE NOT WITH 'CFCFI', ONLY FFL?

WillyJ, your diligent intellectual ‘spadework’ always brings newer insights that enliven the discussion. Thanks for pointing out the undercurrents in Habitat Florida’s rejection of a land donation from pro-choice Planned Parenthood Organization. Like that veritable ‘half-empty or -full’ water-filled glass, FFL wants to highlight the autonomy of an HfH as a ‘juridical entity’ asserting the espousal of pro-life values – even as the ‘other side’ of the story shows that the rejection was motivated by other factors. (For a breather -- well, a ’non-sequitur’, I agree if you say so there, FFL -- may I digress: In the Philippines, the virtual sponsorship of an independent Bangsamoro (Islamic or Moro nation) ‘juridical entity’ through the recognition / grant / donation’ of an ancestral domain in a controversial MOA/MOC is now being scrutinized by the Supreme Court – the same one that convicted the FFL leader of a landscam sometime in 2001. By the way, you FFL are wont to ‘stretch’ a discussion; here’s one: Be careful with having a ‘MOA’ and/or MOC. A young housewife who has been fondly belting out the “Mwaahhh, love you” French-type ‘beso-beso’ or ‘terms of endearment’, as the lead administrative staff of a southern congressman, was murdered by a jealous husband, a celfon technician, who was said to have discovered so many of such terms embedded in the memory card of his wife’s celfon. Said husband fatally shot himself, too.)

Once more, it’s the FFL ‘spinning wheel’ at work with a ‘holier-than-thou’ argument a-la Cardinal Trujillo…Willy says you’ve deleted keywords and phrases! Ha, ha, ha! ‘Careful, careful… you are on the spot!’

Brother Willy, I am not yet comfortable with criticizing an entity called ‘CFCFI’ because that was our identity before Frank et al cast it out in favor of our current CFCGMFI (now dubbed by FFL as ‘CFC-Global’). Besides, there is a pending protest by the CFC International Council relative to SEC’s approval of FFL ‘revival’ of the ‘CFCFI’ name (that was based on questionable and fictitious documents). That is why, even if the article has virtually made ‘CFCFI’ the ‘party-in-interest’ so to speak, I have intentionally refused to acknowledge it. To me, the author of the article is not CFC nor CFCFI but FFL, pure and simple. I do not want to give any hint of recognition or acknowledgement of FFL’s usurpation of the CFCFI name until CFC-IC’s protest shall have been settled with finality.

So, kung puede sana, let the defense in the this blog continue to be against FFL, Frank Padilla and his minions in FFL who continue to dishonorably wear the CFC ID. Let it not be against CFCFI at all.

I hope this were OK, Brod, Willy and all. GOD BLESS.

Anonymous said...

Having said that mouthful in the previous post, I realized that I wrote about the rightness of our cause. So it is time again to remind myself what this whole thing is all about.

It is not about being right. It is about standing up for truth. More than anything else, I realize we all must not lose sight of this distinction. I reminded myself that seeking to be right requires making the other wrong while standing up for truth allows me to let the other be who they want to be.

The rightness or wrongness of a thing is judgment. And judgment never defines the other. It is rather a reflection of the person making the judgment. Yet being right is so alluring. It makes us feel good about ourselves and gives us a sense of affirmation, of being justified. This is the pitfall that is so easy to fall into. While being right is so glowingly tempting I now remind myself that not all that glitters is gold.

But standing up for truth is a different thing. Unlike judgment truth has the quality of being eternal. It cannot be changed no matter how much twisted logic and convoluted arguments one poses. Truth surpasses time. And one thing really great about truth is that its triumph is already secure. Truth can never lose because Truth is always the same. One can pretend it is otherwise and the act of pretending swiftly turns into a burden. One can deny truth and the act of denial also becomes a burden. A burden that grows heavier the longer it is carried until finally, we give it up, lay the burden down and truth comes out, ever the same, unchanged. Truth is as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Truth always wins and we can always trust truth. Truth simply is.

By its nature truth does not need defense. Because it cannot be changed, it cannot be harmed or damaged. It cannot be threatened. Truth retains its purity no matter how much mud we sling unto it. Ang ginto, ilubog mo man sa putik ay ginto pa rin.

Standing up for truth does not mean fighting to defend it. It certainly does not include making the other wrong. Standing up for truth means upholding it. It means showing the world what it is about. It means practicing its virtues. It means we proclaim it. It means we never deny it, we never lie about it, we never show only half of it and it means we never deceive the other. It means showing proof and evidence. Truth stands on its own and lies cannot exist in the same space truth holds anymore than darkness can exist in light.

Look what Willy did to the HfH Florida story. By laying the whole story open, he upheld the truth. The truth did not need to be defended. It only needed to be exposed in its entirety. The unknown author who told only half of it now finds himself on the defensive. In his effort to satisfy his need to be right, he did not tell the whole truth of the story. He judged it and in the process proclaimed who he is to the world. Thanks Willy for exposing the whole truth.

I urge everyone to not judge or attack the other. Do not even try to make them wrong. Let us simply expose the whole truth of all the issues. It is not about being right. It is about embracing what is true. And let us not allow them to anger us either. The truth about ourselves, about who we are, is all we need to embrace. We are CFC. We are a loving community. We are people who love. We love truth, peace and tolerance. We love to practice forgiveness. We love to follow our Master and respond to the urgings of the Spirit. We love to let love reign.

And love is far stronger than whatever machinations man can imagine making. And if we should falter now and then, let us simply pick ourselves up and reaffirm our commitment to truth. As I pick myself up again I remember that it is not how we stand that defines us, it is how we stand up again after we fall that does.

God bless everyone.

- TE

jonitanitayturin said...

SALAMAT, LORD!

Truth can hurt…especially the ‘unspeakable’ ones that we carry…Truth that reveals the rightness of a point-of-view is helpful and upbuilding, good for and food of the soul. Truth can also teach us not only about what we have done but about what can be done and their consequences….

That’s a good self-test you have shared, Brother TE. Indeed, some kind of ‘ego-trip’ can grip any defender, which may cloud the truth about the entirety of our defense works. And yes, the all-compassing Truth must always caution us against Her enemies: pride, morbid delusion of righteousness, anger, jealousy, etc.

I pray, IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS, that only the Truth about helping the poor as espoused by CFC and GK, only the TRUTH about the pro-life intent of any partnership for poverty alleviation, and only HIS Light, Life, and Love possess all of us, CFC brethren then and now, who are working hard to the point of ‘locking horns’ ironically in HIS defense! May we be “a true [CFC] family” again. IN TRUTH, MAY WE LOVE AGAIN. AMEN!

Anonymous said...

Mga kapatid, let us reflect Sept 5 In His Steps Psalm.

Maski anong gagawin nila FRANK, hindi na mababalik ang Respeto ko sa Kanila.

Nakakaawa sila.

TAINTED, CONVICTED, Signed FICTIOUS Documents to SEC.

Nakakawa ka FRANK Nakaka awa kayo FFL,

PSALM 37 verse 1-10

1
Of David. 1 Do not be provoked by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong.
2
Like grass they wither quickly; like green plants they wilt away.
3
2 Trust in the LORD and do good that you may dwell in the land and live secure.
4
Find your delight in the LORD who will give you your heart's desire.
5
Commit your way to the LORD; trust that God will act
6
And make your integrity shine like the dawn, your vindication like noonday.
7
Be still before the LORD; wait for God. Do not be provoked by the prosperous, nor by malicious schemers.
8
Give up your anger, abandon your wrath; do not be provoked; it brings only harm.
9
Those who do evil will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD will possess the land.
10
Wait a little, and the wicked will be no more; look for them and they will not be there.

Anonymous said...

mga brad, my view is by trampling frank, you are glorifying his image. nako-chronicle ninyo bawat galaw niyang mali (and known to his constituents are his goodly deeds) therefore buo ang kwento. hindi ako magugulat, magiging pelikula or nobela ang buhay niya pagdating ng panahon. sana shift tayo lahat ng focus away from him. kase ang isdang bilasa, nilalangaw while ang isdang sariwa, pinagaagawan. nagiging "rose" si frank "trampled on the ground." hala kayo, ang punto ko lang, let the misdeeds be exposed and later let it funnel-in into the brainchild BAM! one hit lang and the name goes with the tainted reputation. although there could be a chance that he'll read this anyway but still his name is highlighted just once. hindi yung lagi na lang nababanggit at kulang na lang mag pa presscon tayo para sa upcoming movie niya. ewan ko lang ha.

and to brad or sis anonymous. salamat sa blessing mo. isa ka pala sa dumadakila ng mga mortals na may abilidad gumawa ng magagarang salita. at isa ka din pala sa mga yumuyurak sa ming maliliit na tao dahil makitid ang mga pariwarang isipan namin. sana righteous sa mata ng Panginoon ang ginagawa mo sa akin dahil mahal kita, brad, sis.

Dan the scratcher

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Bro Max. Praised be the Spirit that led you to post your piece!

I was just reading the household reflection piece posted in the CFC global website. It says that God wants us to endure in a life of obedience to His will. I just realized that I wasn't ready to accept that statement as it is.

I do not see a life of obedience to His will as something I have to endure. The word endure connotes hardship. My own experience is the opposite. I endured through hardship when I was not obedient. But during the times when I was obedient, life was actually easier. When I was "enduring" I had problems which somehow resolved themselves when I shifted to obedience. The book of Job is an inspiration to me. Job had to endure hardship as long as he was questioning God. But when he gave it up, when he let it go God made his hardships go away. And when he finally started to pray for others, God restored to Job twice what he lost during his hardship. Obedience is not to be endured. It is by nature a joy. It is like some people who have jobs that are commensurate with their purpose in life. For them, it is not a job. It isn't work. It is a joy.

Max talks about provocation, or more precisely, the Psalm talks about our reaction to that provocation. In contemplation I realized I have endured two kinds of these many times in the past - the ones I caused and the ones others caused. The ones I caused were usually because my own judgment provoked the other, who then reacted and provoked me in return. The one good thing about the ones we cause is that we can generally correct them ourselves.

But the ones that hit us out of nowhere are something else. In those times I have often asked why they occur. After these many years I realized that provocations are there because we still need them. They, too, are stepping stones to improvement much like the many falls a child experiences as he learns how to walk. As long as provocations still affect us, there are still lessons God wants us to learn. When the lesson is learned, the provocations go away to be replaced by another set, designed for a higher level lesson on our path back to Him. And on and on it goes, as if our path back to God is a spiral that goes upward closer and closer to Him.

I once read a book that said "peace does not lie in the world; it lies in the man who walks upon it." I believe that God wants us to integrate and live out in our lives the fruit of the Spirit, regardless of whether there are troubles and provocations or not. Peace is supposed to lie within us. We are supposed to be peaceful even though a storm ravages our lives. We are supposed to be loving even when we are surrounded by hate. We are supposed to be generous even when we are surrounded by greed, perhaps especially more so. We are supposed to be joyful in the midst of all the sorrows. It's just as St. Francis' prayer says. We are supposed to be Godlike inspite of and even in the midst of provocations.

In this way, provocations do not really matter. They are not important. Their only purpose is to provide us with an environment to train ourselves in. The true Christian is one who keeps his peace in the midst of provocations. Meaning: they do not bother him at all. They do not matter. Provocations lose their importance while peace and love become paramount. Provocations and troubles are part of our lives in this temporal world. And their purpose is to help us raise ourselves to become closer to God. John 16:23 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

We need the provocations so we can practice and measure how far we have come back to God. Practice makes perfect and we do need the practice. God sends us trials to give us hands-on experience. The trials and troubles are not there to beat us down to submission. Neither are they there to threaten us or frighten us back to God. They are there so we can learn the discipline, the inner strategies and develop the skills of practicing the fruit of the Spirit, inspite of the troubles. When we achieve this mastery, we see that the provocations may still be there but they don't affect us anymore. In other words, our reaction to the provocations becomes as the Psalm says, to be still before the Lord and to make our integrity shine like the dawn.

- TE

Anonymous said...

i think ok lang naman ang partnership ng FFL with Habitat. and they are also right when they say that it's a non-issue.

it's in their blood. remember that they also have a strong presidentiable supporter whose PARTNER is a co-author of a pro-choice bill.

non-issue nga naman yun.

Anonymous said...

K, Brod Max. Hope FFL notes this!

Anonymous said...

MR. DANDRUFF (there you have it straight in an 'uncoated' spelling!), THESE WERE YOUR OWN WORDS, NOT MINE:

"...noon ko pa gyud binabasa ang mga blogs ng maliit nating kapatid threshing out how we should behave."

"...i am one representing the low IQ group, a brain-challenged person who needs no effort to confuse. i keep short nails so my hair is still intact (unlike CD, errr, i mean no offense brother, peace be to you :) even if i scratch my hair every so often.

Brod, huwag lang natin maliitin ang mga sinusulat dito, either under the pretense of being mentally-challenged or by not pretending at all. May you have the wisdom to see the difference.

Once more, and may no evil hitch a ride on this missive: GOD BLESS YOU, BROTHER.

Anonymous said...

YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN THIS, MR. DANDRUFF:

"...let the misdeeds be exposed and later let it funnel-in into the brainchild BAM! one hit lang and the name goes with the tainted reputation."

What is that? Akala ko may laman ito. Wala talaga, Brod. So, huwag padalos-dalos. English is a very percise language, too, even as there are idiomatic expressions...So...

CD, bantayan mo nga naman ang mga pretentious statements like this poor entry by Bro. Dan (sorry, Brod, you started it by judging other as "maliit", so, yes, that was no "brainer" your latest entry here). Sa bagay, Brod Dan is also trying hard to express something, in the hope perhaps of being considered cerebral din...pero, wala, eh.

Brain callenged naman daw siya talaga... so better put him in the kitchen brigade na lang, Brod CD; but then, let him wear a hairnet, baka mahulugan pa ang niluluto as his hair is blown...

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Brod TE for this important reflection on provocation.

On ‘unprovoked’ provocations, i.e., provocations we have not initiated or which were not of our own making as far as defense of the real CFC is concerned, these may be:
- those we have reacted to in a larger perspective (like our reaction to FP's condemnation of GK and eventual break-up of CFC)
- those specific entries here in IDOTRCFC expressing defense, offense, or nuisance.

How do you react to the “brain-challenged” “Dandruff”? He doesn’t provoke one into defending CFC or advancing against its enemies. He draws attention to himself and his ‘brain-dead’ prose... Like in the days of President Cory Aquino, which apparently hinted “isang litik lang” on that haughty fly on top of the carabao... may that sore scale in the scalp be banished...

Athrun Atreides said...

Hey, I noticed that cfc.gerimie.com is now inactive. Any word why?

Anonymous said...

Brother Dan:

I didn’t mean to belittle you. Here are parts of my comments:

“...wondering at bloggers admiring the "poetry" and "music" of TE's lines, the truths in which you say have already been expressed in 'bits and pieces' by other 'insignificant' (maliit') bloggers early on in their comments here?”
(Anonymous, September 4, 2008 12:58 PM)

The word “maliit” and related pejorative terms were originally yours:

“...about to scratch my head why blogger TE's reprimanding points to CFC brethren which are actually well representation of the tiny blogs made by albeit small members of this community, were reacted to like a freshly issued item. noon ko pa gyud binabasa ang mga blogs ng maliit nating kapatid threshing out how we should behave.”

"... i am one representing the low IQ group, a brain-challenged person who needs no effort to confuse. i keep short nails so my hair is still intact (unlike CD, errr, i mean no offense brother, peace be to you :) even if i scratch my hair every so often.”
(Dan – the scratcher, September 3, 2008 1:33 PM)

Brother Dan, I think the following lines from you will not need any more embellishing for your better digestion and satisfaction – (surely, you will not want that as rumen ...):

“and to brad or sis anonymous... isa ka din pala sa mga yumuyurak sa ming maliliit na tao dahil makitid ang mga pariwarang isipan namin. sana righteous sa mata ng Panginoon ang ginagawa mo sa akin dahil mahal kita, brad, sis. (Dan the scratcher September 7, 2008 2:17 PM)

Anonymous said...

Thanks Brod Athrun Atreides for the info on cfc.gerimie.com being now inactive.

Yes, any word why?

Gerimie effectively provided a factual, reliable, and objective perspective on the CFC split last year (2007). May it return.

Anonymous said...

KUMAKATI ANG ULO KO DAHIL SA IYO, DANDRUFF!

Eto, humanap ka ng kaaway o kalaban mo sa ibang grupo o gumawa ka ng sariling isyu mo dun. Bakit mo idamay ang iba dito. Tsaka, nagpapansin ka lang sa kabaluktutan ng isip mo. Mahiya ka naman. Kala mo malaki ka na dahil minamaliit mo kami. Ibig mong sabihin pag binabato ako ng FFL hanap ako ng kalaban sa ibang grupo (na hindi FFL) na wala namang kinalaman sa gulo? Ano ka, hilo? Sori Brod, masakit ito pero dapat talaga sa iyo ay mapait at masakit na gamot, para sa kalusugan mo. Ayan, at para matsuhan ka na nga!

Tingnan mo nga nang maigi itong iyong sinasabi:

"wondering and scratching my head why the exchange of bashing would not happen between CFC and other Christian group or FFL and other Christian group. does this mean that knowing something is an essential requirement? oh c'mon, post your brightly comment on this point."

Anonymous said...

DANDRUFF says: "... i am one representing the low IQ group, a brain-challenged person who needs no effort to confuse."

OF COURSE! WHEN YOU TRY TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF IN YOUR LOW IQ, THEN YOU CONFUSE YOUR BRETHREN HERE IN IDOTRCFC, EFFORTLESSLY, THAT IS.

YOU DO HAVE A BRAIN, BROD DAN, BUT YOUR CAPACITY TO MAKE USE OF IT SENSIBLY IS NOT PROBABLY ENOUGH, MEANING, YOU ARE REALLY MENTALLY-CHALLENGED. IN VERNACULAR, MAY UTAK KA NGA, BROD, PERO HINDI MO GINAGAMIT!

Caution, Brod Dan: I have not initiated the use of pejorative words here, in contrast to your twisted allegations about pangyuyurak... I pray you will mellow down.

You see, even before you have started counting the frequency of the mention of the name Frank Padilla in the bloggers' comments, his name has already been written in his many books and scripts; so, what is there to crow about (at least that is how you have hinted this) if the bloggers' frequent mention of him as culprit will constitute another book?

And why should such "discovery" by you (I venture it is really humbug on your part) be a basis for "provoking" or insinuating that TE "reprimanded" the bloggers with the same words that trickled in "small" bits of advices (say "wisdom"?)from them, as you said you have culled from their earlier blogs... Brother Dan, why such a bad taste which, in your kind of presentation portends jealousy? Kailangan yata dito some brushing up on teachings about our emotions as Christians and similar ones that are extant in our community.

Anonymous said...

Dear Bro Dan,

Don't worry. You have not provoked me to negative thoughts. If anything, your words provoked a certain sadness, a kind of longing that says, how I wish my brother Dan would not see himself so small. Even now I hesitate to post a response for fear of starting a painful thread. But I was taught that CFCs see Christ in each other and I cannot accept that the Christ in you is as small as you have judged it to be. I believe you are an immensely greater person than how you see yourself. Let's just say that I may have a greater faith in you than you do yourself and that faith won and convinced me to post this. If I were to be a witness to you, then I offer you my testimony.

There was a time when I was convinced I was small. Being my own worst critic made it easy for me to look down on myself. I projected my own inadequacies and looked down on others, making them small and judging myself to be better than they were. During those times I was struggling with building a career in a foreign country and I had friends who would regularly tell me to lower my goals. They told me I was a dreamer and I would never achieve what I set out to achieve. Like Don Quixote they told me all I had were windmills turning in the wind. Their words only spurned me on to strive more. I told myself that I would be better than what they thought of me. I would show them. Later in the process I started to feel superior towards them. But inside of me, every failure, every step that did not turn out as I wanted it to became frustration.

And I castigated myself for it. I worked myself up to the point where I could not accept making errors. And I complained against life, railing at my limitations and many times blaming others why things were not working out for me. I did not realize I was in a downward spiral of judgment that was doomed to failure. Every time I berated myself I lowered my own image of who I was. Before long I found myself feeling small, acutely aware of my limitations yet still having those big dreams. I was lost and needed to be found.

I do not know how God did it. But one day I found myself reading the Book of Proverbs. 23:7 starts with "for as he thinks in his heart, so is he...". These words somehow stuck and I found myself poring over books and articles and even poems. One book pointed out that over the centuries poets and wise men have tried to teach us that "as a man thinketh, so will he be." And of course, as I thought myself small, I was. Small and petty. And I justified it by saying na humble yung magpakumbaba. I used to say, anong magagawa ko? Ganito lang ako. Ito lang yung naabot ko. On rare occasions when someone would give me a compliment I would deny it thinking myself showing humility. Every time someone said I did something really well my reaction was invariably "'di naman. Nasuwertehan ko lang."

But slowly I began to understand that those words from Proverbs also meant that if I thought myself great then I will be, that it also works in the other direction. Perhaps I was not that powerless, after all.

Our Lord Himself said that the works that He did we will do also, and even greater ones besides. He also taught us to seek first the kingdom of heaven and all the rest will be added unto us. And Luke 17:21 says "for indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you."

How could I continue to belittle myself after that? Should I insult the kingdom of God within me by judging it to be just maliit? Isn't it arrogance on our part to judge what God has created to be small and limited? And Christ, who is God Himself, is in each of us. In you, too, brother Dan. How can we belittle others and look down on them when God Himself resides in the other? How dare I judge what God has made?

The paradox of this whole story was that, the things I was striving so hard to achieve started to come in adequate amounts when I gave up running after them and started to focus on God. Don't get me wrong, I am not that perfect. I lose focus on Him as often as anybody else. I still make errors and fall just like everyone else. I feel pain and shed tears just like you. It's just that I've noticed that I can somehow keep my balance better inspite of the failures and mistakes. I found that I could rise up again after I fell where I used to be reduced to a despairing wreck. I do not feel so driven to achieve things as much as I used to. But I do feel it is important that I bring the spirituality I've found into whatever it is I decide to do.

I looked back on those dark days of despair when I used to raise my fists against life and found myself asking: "How did I come to have this quarrel with life?" When did I start trading hope for despair? When did I start seeing only the bad things that people did. Was I not the little kid my mother used to praise for the schoolwork I brought home and held high hopes for? What happened to that child who never knew how to question life but was so sure that he was going to be somebody when he grew up?

The child has grown. The child has realized he cannot have a quarrel with life. The child has realized life is a gift from his Creator. This child has learned some simple lessons with far reaching impacts. I have ceased to quarrel with life and am learning to accept it as God gives it. It means that, even though I don't know them, I accept that God has His reasons for giving me limitations. But it also means that I accept the talents He gave, develop them and use them in service.

Kapatid, we all know that each of us is unique. There is only one of
you as there is only one of me. God wanted only one version of each of us. Though that is a very good reason for me not to force others to become like me, that statement has a much deeper meaning. Like a work of art, each of us are rare examples of God's work. And because He is God, His work cannot be less than masterpieces. Each of us is a masterpiece He made for a reason. I believe that each of us has a purpose. And that purpose includes the specific mix of limitations and talents that God has given us. Each of us is this fabulous work of art that God decided to create. We cannot glorify God if we would not accept His creation, if we would rather relegate ourselves to this small powerless creature. I believe that our life should be an unfolding of this work of art. We glorify God by fulfilling our purpose, developing and using the talents that He gave. Perhaps that is one of the things He meant when He said that we are the light of the world and that we should not hide our light in a basket but put it up for all the world to see.

Bro Dan, you are greater than you think. We have not seen each other but I know that in you lives that spark of the divine, the immense power of God, wholly perfect and beautiful, capable of moving mountains and raising the dead. You are a child of God. You are not maliit.

- TE

Anonymous said...

Bro TE, Kahilak man sad ko sa imong mga pulong.

Bro. Dan Kaspahon, Kawot sa uko bro hangtod mga Opaw.

Bitaw Bro Dan, libog ko nimo. You be little us (ang mga Bogo Ba) First then when somebody challenges your wisdom, you be little yourself(nag papa awa ka lang Bro, I call it arrogance).

Max

jonitanitayturin said...

ON THE UNFORTUNATE DROFF:

Brod Max, tan-aw nako naay KUSOG NGA HANGIN. Basig walay nay dahon ang mga kapayas dinhi, puerting kusoga gayud! (Look, Brother Max, looks to me like there's an arrogant wind...and the papaya leaves are gone...such tempest!)
NOTE: 'Kapayas', the Filipino-Visayan word for the 'papaya plant' also refers to a penchant for posing an 'air' of superiority, arrogance, or pride. 'Kapayason' is somebody who is proud or arrogant.

Anonymous said...

Brad TE, mga kaayo
Thank you gyud sa paginspire sa akin. Once again I honor brothers (or sis) like you. Thanks too to jonit. and Max. There's fire in your words but I would have to accept them. I am almost done serving as a CLP team leader here in San Mateo; we are harvesting 36 warm souls by Dedication Day. In the midst of the hardship our team are experiencing, I do not know why I still have the time to read and comment on this blog. But nevertheless, it has attributes that give me inspiration to serve in the CLP and that's probably the reason why. I was hesitant to serve because in a little more than a month's time, my wife and my little daughter will be leaving Philippines to migrate to Australia. I will then have to condition myself to dampen a painful "goodbye" to my team and the graduates who have all gelled and whom I have established an unusual bonding (from a team leader's perspective...this is my 12th as a team leader and 32nd CLP my wife and I have served). As I serve in the CLP and at the same time digest the blogs here, I felt like I am getting embattled by a fierce "storm."

Thank you brad TE for pointing that each of us has a purpose in life. That is very true. I figured that these things are happening to my family because He wants me to be stronger...anchored to Him. I appreciate your beautiful words.

Well, like when a storm passes, merong kasunod na calmness, peace, clean air (but dirty ground though hehehe) and I am happy to say to a dozen or so anonymous bloggers whom I either irked and ired and stirred crazy that this blog is a free ground for expressing thoughts. Whether it has come to your senses that I am one crazy, senseless, confused and baseless blogger, I don't care and I do not mind. Now, if i offended you, I offer my apologies. Patawarin mo ako, kapatid. Joni, Max, kaayo, I maybe arrogant and kapayason in your mind but I am glad there's a great offset. A brother sees me as a child of God.

Magandang araw, mga kapatid.

jonitanitayturin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Bro Dan, Max, Joni, everyone,

Bro Willy talked about the community as a mosaic composed of many pieces. Each of us is a piece of this mosaic. I imagine the whole mosaic shining with incredible brightness when each piece shines with his own light.

I continually remind myself that each of us was called by no less than God Himself. I did not choose each of you to be my brother or sister. God did. And He did it with a purpose. I think it is part of our awakening when we begin to perceive what it means to have a brother. I feel privileged to be a part of this mosaic. I feel greatly assured to know that you are all there, and I feel it is an honor for me to accompany you all on this journey of awakening. And I feel I have to do my best because you all deserve the best of me, not the worst.

Bro Dan, your piece of the mosaic shines afire! Thank you for shining through. It is you who inspire us all by sharing with us the best of you. I look up to you brother because I know that God will never give anyone a challenge he cannot handle. That God gave you a lot of service tells me that He trusts you with so much. You are one of those in the mosaic given to shine brighter than the others.

Let me just share with you a couple of short poems to go by. The first is by Rabindranath Tagore:

I went to sleep
and dreamt that life was joy;
I awoke
and saw that life was service;
I acted
and behold I found that service was joy.

This second was written by an astronaut's wife during the days of Apollo. I feel it fits for those of your team you will be leaving behind when you go down under.

I could have sworn by wit or wile
your bright hopes to dim and yet
If I had swayed you with a smile
My reward would be regret

So for once you shall not hear
of the tears, unbidden, welling,
or of the nighttime stabs of fear
these, for once, are not for telling

So take my prayer now intended
fill it with the joy you feel
take my courage now pretended
you, my love, will make it real.

Make it real, Bro Dan. We all love you.

- TE

Anonymous said...

Bro Dan Droff (Kaspahon),

I salute, bow down and hats off for your PATIENCE and HUMILITY.

Pasensya na rin if I offended You and hurt you. Patawad din. ahuhuhu kakaiyak tayo nito Bro. 'Wag kang lilipat sa FFL.

Anyway, Take care, ingats sa Australia and God Bless you and your family.


Max

Anonymous said...

IS TAT YU, MR. DROFF?

Sabi ni CD you spoof this blog. So, tama, you have been following the "maliit" and "otherwise" entries.

Now you sound parang kawawa while bragging about serving in 32 CLPs! Wow, this means if your particular group had a high average of two CLPs mounted every year, you had been doing this for the last 16 years, and boy must you have been a supergroup to have forcibly thinned out as leaders and DGLs were "farmed out" and yet continued to mount 2 CLPs a year! - looks to me as "mission impossible" and that you are an INVETERATE LIAR! - Sorry Arthrun, this liar deserves more than this kind of emphasis.

Let me figure this out some more but let it stand as an initial reaction, Droff.

CD, may you allow an in-depth diagnosis. Kasi, if one has seen 12 CLPs as team leader, he may not have the tone and drift of this dandruff...

Anonymous said...

Droff, you used to say, “...go figure.”

Given you were a team leader of 12 CLPs, and served a total of 32 CLPs, then:
- if you had an average of 2 CLPs per year, you have served for 16 years (mounting 2 CLPs per year may be a high average based on our experience);
- if you had 3 CLPs per year (a remarkably excellent performance, I say), then you were heavily involved in CLPs for the last 10 years.

Bother CD, can we please check out the "incredible performance" of this brother? If we consider him responsible for graduating eight (8) batches 2 years ago with an average of twenty (20) couples per batch, then praise God for his having been instrumental in raising about 160 CFC leaders ranging from household heads to cluster heads and sector coordinators! The tenor of Droff's comments does not attest to the "sanctity" of his service in CFC, his "talk" does not prove his "walk". Hope some brethren from "San Mateo" can corroborate the truth or falsity of the claims made here.

Meantime, Droff, I go by Max and Joni (sorry, Brethren, I sense something so negative in this guy, so...): “KAPAYAS!”

Anonymous said...

Brother TE, Max, all:

Having seen the ‘spoof blog’, dating back from November, 2007, of Butoy, Dandruff's 'spitting image', I believe so; and after subjecting the volume of the latter’s alleged CLP services to a "reality check" based on how we've conducted our own CLPs, I decided to withold the warm embrace I offered and deleted my conciliatory comments here.

I still forgive Mr. Dan in case he did make mental reservations about his public act of contrition, and I pray, that in due time, the whole Truth about his person will sift out the gold that is in him, and will empower us to take him as a true brother, as we claim in faith our Loving God’s healing and deliverance.

Anonymous said...

Mga Kapatid,
Why so fast in judging? What happened to "giving the benefit of a doubt"? Consider, Bro Dan said he and his wife had served in 32 CLP's in total, of which he was the team leader in 12. Do we know in what capacity he and his wife served in the other 20 CLPs? Could have been as speakers or even part of the service team. If someone serves as a speaker, in how many CLPs could he speak in in a year? What if they gave talks in CLPs in other areas? Maybe not talks but in the music ministry. Maybe in training the CLP teams. Are we so sure that Bro Dan and his wife only served in San Mateo? Maybe they also went on missions. The only sure thing we know is that he and his wife were involved in 12 CLPs full time, from beginning to end. Why couldn't this have happened in the last 16, or even 12 years - one CLP a year lang yun, di ba? Do we know him enough to know how long he and his wife have been in CFC? How old is the chapter in San Mateo?

Mga Kapatid, kung hindi nyo kilala si Bro Dan, I think you should withhold judgment until you know the answers to these questions. For those of you who know him, you make your own decision. Dapat ba talagang hatulan si Bro Dan? Does he truly deserve our ire? Should we, as Kahlil Gibran says, treat someone who has done a wrong as if he was a stranger unto us and an intruder upon our world? Does not, as one blogger reminded us, the sun shine on both the good and the bad?

As for me, my default attitude towards brothers and sisters in CFC is to accept their statements at face value. I always assume that they are telling the truth dahil nasa CFC tayo. Some of you may call this naivette but to tell you the truth, I'm just lazy. Accepting a brother's statements without judgment entails less work for me. I don't have to expend energy guessing or worrying about whether I was being lied to. I'm don't have to work to put up any resistance to a brother's statements. I don't question them. I don't have to add anything to them. Neither do I automatically put them under suspicion. I am not a blog site that requires moderating whenever a brother "posts" to me. I just take the path of least resistance. This, I learned, is what nature does. Everything in nature, in God's beautiful earth, follows the path of least resistance. Electricity, wind, water, you name it, they all follow the path of least resistance. When waiting on the Lord or in relationship with a brother, I strive to do the same. The path of least resistance.

The paradox is that this is probably one of the hardest things to do. And it is a paradox because what we see as difficult actually entails less work. It's like that email going around the world about how many muscles it takes to smile compared to how many it takes to frown. Frowning entails more work. Smiling is the path of least resistance. But damn if it isn't difficult to do.

So bottom line mga kapatid. I have no right to admonish any of you. Neither am I taking Bro Dan's side against you. What I'm doing is defending your right to joy and non-judgment. Because I see that as part of the real CFC. Rising together in defense of the real CFC means letting go of judgment and upholding truth and joy. I found that one way to do that is to follow the path of least resistance.

- TE

jonitanitayturin said...

TE:

Kailangan ka talaga dito (You're needed here). You are Godsend!

I agree with ALL your points, Brod (although you will see I am making some other kind of "judgments" somewhere). The path of least resistance is also trod when smiling with confidence that the truth will out...

Here's my favorite from you:

"What I'm doing is defending your right to joy and non-judgment."

CD must be smiling that this can become the by-word of this blog...

A BLESSED DAY!

jonitanitayturin said...

(Let me digress...TE, I am making some judgements here in a different perspective, that is. Hope this is OK?)

-----------------------------------------------------


"WE WISH YOU WELL, CFC-EFI"

This bulletin:

"CFC-FFL, RESTORED AND REFOCUSED, MOVES ON UNDER THE ANOINTING OF THE SPIRIT", as CFC-FFL Restored Series No. 23: CRADLING THE DAY CARE CENTERS (Sep 8, '08 1:32 AM)

is generally OK, I guess.

I believe you are tops there, CFC-EFI, verifiably and legally CFC compared with your surrogate mother FFL’s pseudo-image. No amount of persuasion by Frank Padilla, as ‘pater’ father of CFC given his claims as its “founder”, can legalize your being in bed with FFL, because the formal statutes of CFC as a religious organization are legitimately and "theologically" (may I?) anchored on the Holy See in Vatican City that recognizes the CFC-GMFI as the only rightful bearer of the CFC name.

Therefore, CFC-EFI, much as we wanted and wished:

- that you stayed put while the domestic issues sorted themselves out internally;
- that you could have upheld intellectual honesty, else put out a serious, technical paper that explained your bias for ‘an education in CFC life’ under the auspices of FFL;
- that the principles of CFC education among the tender minds were liberally contexted or premised, so to speak, and not constricted to the contentious “restoration” world view of Mr. Frank Padilla;
- that CFC-EFI would have retained its eclectic and egalitarian approach, particularly towards the “pedagogy of the oppressed” among the poverty-stricken in GK communities had it stayed, neutral and unperturbed, with CFC-GMFI, or had not the personal biases of its pivot personalities been clouded to “veer it away” from its original corporate vision;
- that if CFC-EFI stayed put, the same egalitarianism will have effectively helped in the healing process, unlike now when, even if the mainstream CFC can warm up to the good news about FFL’s education initiatives at the day care centers in Caloocan City, we can only heave a sigh that such victory would have been sweeter if FFL immediately established itself as a separate entity without the CFC name, and if CFC-EFI took the moral high ground of neutrality as the protector and dispenser of CFC’s collective wisdom; for, arguably, by casting its fortunes behind the breakaway FFL, neither can it now freely and more directly dispense with the same collective knowledge and wisdom to the children of mainstream CFC, nor can we – the senior ones(?) there - offer it (at least not now) the usual structural and institutional support;


I believe that, powered by your legal standing as CFC, you, the prime movers in EFI could have switched to “armed neutrality” – that strategy that has made the tiny country of Switzerland the financial haven of Europe. Sayang… Your intellectual pre-eminence will have made you also the "educational haven" of all contending interests claiming to be CFC.

Discounting the incumbent personalities, and given the above considerations, I think you are “less neutral” if you bed with FFL and “more reliable and neutral” if you “divorce”, sorry, dissociate from it. Towards this distinct persuasion, and being the foundation for CFC’s education, why not attempt at a technical paper “exploring” the CFC conflict and extensively discussing the context, veracity and objectivity of the various positions taken for and against it, particularly yours. You may want to put out the paper’s proposed outline and initial hypotheses here for enrichment. An “agreed outline” of it will not only be very educational but will certainly mark a big step towards reconciliation.

Please think about it, CFC-EFI. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Joni! I served 5 CLP's in my first year as CFC member being with the Trans-parochial Cluster! I did it every Saturday and Sunday with my TAMBURINE! It is not impossible for those who are Fired-up! I never refuse a Talk whatever and wherever! So brothers and sisters I believe Dan because with the Holy Spirit we can do greater things! Some of us guage someone base on what we can do! Remember what Jesus said to the first disciples? God bless us all!

jonitanitayturin said...

Butoy, he who spoofed the IDOTRCF blog as "Offense" rather than "Defense", etc. since November, 2007, appears as a spitting image of Dan, which clouded my judgment of the latter’s alleged service in CFC. I am so sorry for this. I offer my hand of conciliation to DAN...Please forgive me, Brother. To the rest of you there whom I have offended by that clouded judgment, I pray you forgive me, too.
GOD BLESS.

Anonymous said...

Brod Dan, sana hindi totoong 'binastos' mo ang IDOTRCFC as Butoy in a spoof. Kung totoo man, dapat aminin mo upang ma-cast out na rin ang mga negative spirits that lurked in that spoof blog mula nung November, 2007. Tsaka, huwag kang matakot,Brod. This may be part of your stormy life and we hope you will come out triumphant dahil nakakainfluence talaga ang anumang negatives in our discourse, including the evil intent of the spoof (if it were true), sa iyong pagserve as CFC Team Couple in San Mateo. Brod, kung ano mang ang desisyon mo tungkol dito, please remember that todotodo na 'to towards the Light. I am holding on to you, Brother, keep up! It is at once Calvary... and the Resurrection! Darkness...and LIGHT! It is there...AT THE CROSS.

GOD BLESS.




g anumang negative spirit

Anonymous said...

BROD TE,

MARAMING SALAMAT SA IYO.
GOD BLESS YOU, BROD.
SEE IN MILAN, ITALY.

EUROPEAN BROD

WillyJ said...

This Dandruff episode reminds me of the issue of fraternal correction that was the topic of last Sunday’s Gospel (Mat 18:15-17). I subscribe to TE’s position in refraining from judging people while upholding the truth at the same time. We are careful not to condemn the person, however, we can and should judge certain actions based on objective standards. Whereas we cannot know a person’s deepest striving and therefore cannot judge a person as good or bad, we can know whether one’s way of acting conforms to the standards we set as right or wrong. Going back to DanDroff’s first two comments, they can rightly be evaluated as sarcastic and offensive to the bloggers here in general. Noting that sarcasm itself may have been used as a literary style to point out constructive criticism, I tried my best to draw out the constructive points in those two comments, but sadly found none. Sarcasm just for the sake of sarcasm itself, is sorely out of place in a venue that upholds the truth. The matter about spoofing this blog (if proven true) should be taken in the same context. The object of parody is to ridicule its target to draw out the truth. Again if the substance is purely malicious ridicule, we can rightfully judge the conduct as wrong, to rebuke and apply fraternal correction. While on this note, it is important that we remember the ultimate motive in fraternal correction- and that is to correct our brethren in the spirit of charity and evangelization.

We now come to DanDroff’s third comment where he expressed solidarity with our community by relating his outstanding service in CLPs. Here, it is proper to ascribe the benefit of the doubt to a kapatid as a priority. To do otherwise would be to resort to unfounded conjectures as TE rightly points out. I also accept his proffered apology in the same vein, as a false apology only condemns the originator. Does his last comment absolve him of the affront caused by his two earlier comments? As an example, when a father errs in certain acts while disciplining his children, does that error mean he is less of a loving father? No, he is not less of a loving father, but his errors are rightly pointed out as errors and must be corrected on its own terms.

Our God is a God of love, but He is also a God of order and discipline. Discipline in the community makes our collective service a harmonious response to the compassion of God in our midst. To create space for God among us requires the constant recognition of the Spirit of God in each other - as we blend together to portray the face of Christ.

As a footnote, I welcome this off-tangent episode as a growth experience personally for me (and I hope for others as well). All the related comments gave me insights and instructions in the Lord’s wisdom.

Happy weekend all!

jonitanitayturin said...

A Little Tricky Analogy

Willy says of the Dandruff episode here:
“Does his last comment absolve him of the affront caused by his two earlier comments? As an example, when a father errs in certain acts while disciplining his children, does that error mean he is less of a loving father? No, he is not less of a loving father, but his errors are rightly pointed out as errors and must be corrected on its own terms”.

Brod Willy, I find the analogy quite tricky, so please allow these 'clarifications':

- A father errs in disciplining ... he is not less of a loving father but must rectify errors;
- Dan apologizes (on the 3rd)... does not make him less sarcastic but must rectify errors (or: the sarcasm of his first two comments stays… )


If the above analogy approximates the true situation, may these subsequent statements be valid?

- The loving father who errs remains a loving father but needs to correct himself;
- The sarcastic Dan remains as such even as he corrects himself.


How do we make of this tricky analogy and the 'sticky' sarcasm?

Well, Brother Dan, I must say this tricky analogy simply suggests to all of us to stop doing evil and for you to stop being sarcastic ANYWHERE. If you are one who can just “pop out and fade” (as in: lulubog, lilitaw), then stop resurfacing, say in a spoof (if, that is). Okay, Brod? Now, about your new life in Australia ... keep the beautiful poems quoted by TE and the fond wish of Bro. Max (not to join FFL) at arms length to warm and inflame you for the most passionate of CFC services there… May the blessing of Almighty God be upon your family.

A blessed Sunday to all of us!

WillyJ said...

Brother Joni,

Allow me to rephrase your question:
Can DanDroff offer a sincere apology here, yet continue to spoof this blog elsewhere?

Here is another question by another analogy:
Can Frank continue to accuse GK of veering away by partnering with Pfizer, at the same time that he himself leads FFL to partner with HfH who openly partners with Pfizer?

At any rate, we wish brother Dandroff well in his migration to Australia. In the same vein,
we also wish FFL well in their partnership with HfH.

Anonymous said...

Judgment is a necessary part of this temporal world we live in. Judgment, used properly, is a valuable tool. It keeps us from touching a hot stove, from driving too fast and from getting into all sorts of trouble. It helps us choose schools for our kids, which movies to watch and what music to listen to. We use it to judge material things. We use it decide how clean or how dirty a spoon is and to decide between high and low, beautiful or ugly, tall or short, ahead or behind, mahal o mura, payat o mataba, even good or bad. It is a tool that belongs in the world of form and it should only be used on things that are of this world.

But our true selves are not of this world. Our Lord declared that his Kingdom is not of this world. That kingdom is our true home. While our bodies, being material, are of this world, our true selves, our souls are not. As the psychologist, Dr. Dyer puts it "we are not human bodies having a spiritual experience, we are spirits having a human experience."

While judgment is rightfully used on form, we should not use it on people. People, being beings beyond form, are beyond our judgment. To judge someone is to deny his soul as self because it treats that someone as just a body. Perhaps it helps to remember what the danish theologian Kierkegaard said: "If you label me, you negate me."

Imagine for a minute that each of us is a ball of energy. When I communicate with another person I send that person waves of energy of a different type - could be sound waves or light waves. Each time we interact we send each other energy. Imagine sending the negative energy of judgment to another. Unfortunately, judgment is not on the same energy level as we are, judgment being something that belongs to the world of form. What happens to the judgment energy we send out?

Nature always seeks the point of balance, of harmony and its underlying principle is economy. As water always seeks its own level, natural forces interact until a point of balance, a harmony is reached. And it does this economically. Not a single quanta of energy, not a single quark is wasted. Every force, each molecule of matter, each conversion into energy is accounted for.

So what happens to the negative judgment energy we send out? Being usable only in the world of form, it could not be used in the realm of spirit. So like undelivered mail, it gets returned to the sender. It comes back in the form of self-righteousness, guilt, arrogance and a strong need to be right. Physically it generates higher acidity in our gastric juices and increases the concentration of certain chemicals in the blood like adrenaline. Over time we get ulcers and high blood pressure. A wise man once said that we will not be punished for our anger. We will not be punished for our judgment. We will be punished by our anger and our judgment.

The negative judgment energy we send out must be negated by the positive energy of forgiveness, in order to spare the sender eventual suffering. Forgiveness is not only an act of love and a CFC teaching. It actually does wonders for our mental health.

If we must judge, then judge only things or actions, as much as possible never people. But if we have to judge people, then do not judge negatively, judge postively instead. So when that judgment comes back to you, it will be positive. Try this experiment: look for something good to say about everyone you meet during the next 30 minutes. When you can do it for 30 minutes, stretch it to 40, then 50, and so on. Remember only good thoughts, good judgment. If a single negative one comes, you start counting again from 1. I know its hard. I've been trying it on and off since 1992 and I haven't stretched it yet to an hour.

- TE

jonitanitayturin said...

HI there, TE, Willy:

Once more, tama lahat, spot on!

That one on thinking only about the good things in people for the next 30 minutes is a real challenge, what with the personal biases and predispositions that have been inculcated for a long time now. I tell you, Brod TE, you are truly a fountainhead of profound words and ideas to live by...God be praised for you coming in handy...

Brod Willy, thanks for your added analogy and simplification of the issues. Hats off ako dun. Really, that 'Droff episode' may also have also been about constancy, about consistency, about fidelity.

SALAMAT!

Anonymous said...

WillyJ, Joni,
Those tricky analogies of yours sent some synapses crackling. I love a philosophical conundrum or two.

I don't want to rain on your parade but...if we use the word "can" then we would need a constraining standard, because "can" refers to capability. I suggest "Can DanDroff offer a sincere apology here, yet continue to spoof this blog elsewhere without compromising his integrity?"

Assuming he is actually spoofing, my answer is no, he can't. The key word here is "continue" isn't it?

I suggest using the exactly the same constraining standard on the Frank question. Alternatively we can replace "can" with "ought" because the question refers more to the propriety of the actions in question and not to the person's capability to do them.

But what makes these questions interesting for me is not the analogy. It is the implied comparative morality.

Let's assume for a minute that Bro Dan did spoof. If he stops it, does not his apology, published in this blog, also imply an apology for spoofing? The apology, after all, negates whatever spoof he may have done before. So if he stops he shows true repentance.

In comparison, Frank has never apologized. While Bro Dan saw a need for repentance, Frank continues not to. Frank does exactly to his own group what he continues to spoof GK about. Here is where the two cases diverge and the analogy stop. Remember that we are only speculating about Bro Dan spoofing. But we know for sure that Frank is spoofing. Which of the two has compromised his integrity? Which of them hold a higher moral ground? Who deserves mercy and who deserves pity? What did Jesus do to the two thieves on the cross?

- TE

Anonymous said...

TE, Ayaw jud undang bay ha? Continue sharing to us what is in your mind! The Holy Spirit is strongly manifesting in you! Praise God! He send His messenger to us! God bless you!

Anonymous said...

Brother TE, dito muna ako...

Talaga, Brod,napakaraming "convergencies" ng science and religion, kaya siguro, for all the world, dapat i-reimphasize ang academic thrust towards philosophy, which is the "mother" of science...it is another interesting debate, indeed. However, it may be good for some younger minds out there to consider following the "a priori" or philosophical approach than the "a posteriori or scientific approach.

I want to thank you for highlighting a "new" (for me this is) concept of "calibration" vis-a-vis kinesiology. While being open-minded to scientific approaches, I realize that faith or religion has steadily embedded in most anything, like they have in studies and investigations regarding:

- the psychologist Carl Jung's treatise on the subconscious and the numinous experience of the "mysterium tremendum et fascinans"
- Russian scientists' study on parasychology and energy
- cybernetics and religion
- quantum physics, nanotechnology, prayer and healing
- the tiny atom being somethow a replica of the planetary order of the unknown universe that moves not just mechanically but by a "great mind"
- psychiatry visa-vis spiritual healing (as in our CLP Talk #9), etc.

GOD BLESS.

Anonymous said...

WELL-WISHES (AND RELATED) ON FFL’s PARTNERSHIP WITH HfH-PHILIPPINES

“We Wish You Well”
“Wish there are no hidden agenda, confusion, contradiction on the CFC name.”
“...sana naman wag na nilang gawin issue ang veering away...
“...While there are those who respond to being challenged by someone by bashing that someone down, the real CFC would respond by honoring that someone and then raise his performance to a higher level..”
“...let us all continue to move on and pray that on the judgement day [FP} will realize everything he has done whether good or bad...”
“...the provocations may still be there but they don't affect us anymore... be still before the Lord and ...make our integrity shine like the dawn.”
“Wish you well, CFC-EFI.”
“...we wish brother Dandroff well in his migration to Australia. In the same vein,
we also wish FFL well in their partnership with HfH.”

--------------------------------------------------------

CD, thank you for directing the defenders’ attention to the self-inflicted faux pas by FFL and Frank Padilla. Wish them well, indeed!

Anonymous said...

Can somebody compile all blog posts of TE?

Ang galing talaga, puwedeng discussion materials sa mga HH. Puwede ring maging talk. Sobrang lalim ng galing at spirituality.

Puwede ka bang maimbita Brod TE sa teaching?

Bilas ni Musang

Anonymous said...

The calibrated experiments pertinent to kinesiology discussed in another thread by TE may actually prove the pre-eminence of philosophy. “At the end of the day”, faith and religion appears to be the recourse of a rigorous, scientific mind, meaning science may have only validated what has all along been established by philosophy or else (science will) have recourse to faith as it falls short of ‘tangibles’ to explain its experiments.

Thus, the “a priori” approach is ahead of the “a posteriori” scientific thinking while the two converge, as may be apparent in the following contexts:

- the concept of the numinous as “mysterium, tremendum et fascinans” vis-a-vis the psychologist Carl Jung’s discourse on the subconscious mind;

- the Russian studies in parapsychology alluding to the world as a “great mind”;

- cybernetics and religion

- prayer and healing referenced to quantum physics and nanotechnology; and

- psychiatry and spiritual healing (as discussed in CLP Talk #9).

There are also other areas where faith is the recourse of a finite, rational and scientific mind, and where the permanent values of peace,love, and forgiveness are validated as independent variables.

TE that is a very welcome news-discussion about experiments in the “calibration of values” (there in “Of Comments and Reactions” thread). GOD BLESS.

Anonymous said...

Kapatid Bilas ni Musang, you give me too much credit. The truth is, it is not as you think it is.

Almost every time I go into the blogsite and read the comments from all over I feel something come over me. First I start to get a feeling of community. I thought that it was because there is a certain thrill to corresponding with people I have never met, the thrill of the unknown so to speak. But it wasn't that. Here in this blog I sense a connectedness to everyone, a kind of deep fellowship with others who are on the same path as I am. I feel I am in communion with kindred spirits. The feeling starts as a warm glow in the pit of my stomach and gradually grows.

As it grows, I feel a quickening, a silent thrill, a quiet joy that suddenly becomes an urge to respond. I open up notepad and I just start typing. Almost right away an idea forms and is followed by another, sometimes so fast that I have a hard time catching up. Many times the flow goes too far ahead for my typing speed to keep up that I have to stop, reread everything written from the beginning just to get back into the flow again.

This happens to me as well when I give talks and even during household discussions. Many times I have prepared talks and when I give it, that same something takes hold of me and something different than the talk I prepared comes out. Of the things I have posted about my only contribution to them are corrections to mispellings and grammar. The content came from somewhere else.

As I write the words, I learn them as well. Perhaps the saying that goes "You learn what you teach" is really true. I am also learning something else - surrendering. Even now, as I write these words, I know that they do not come from a store of knowledge inside me. It does not feel like it comes from my head. It feels like they come from my heart. If I struggle against it, it stops. If I surrender to this urging, the words just flow. If I do it on my own power, I know I could never have come up with those pieces.

So Kapatid, while your invitation to a talk is flattering, I must tell you that I honestly do not know if I can do it. I am not a discoverer of truths and neither am I a solver of mysteries and riddles. I am only an ordinary guy, just like you, just like millions of others, who has surrendered himself to the path, seeking the way back to my source, to the God who created all. There is nothing spectacular about this. Please do not enlarge me to something I am not.

In truth, the meaning that you found in the words I wrote did not come from me. They came from you. The words that you read, the combinations of letters you saw, are just symbols that impart, in their limited way, some thought that originated somewhere in this omnipresent intelligence in which we all find our being. How you read them, the images that you held in your mind as you read them, the meaning you drew from them, are all yours. If you thought there was wisdom in the words then know that that wisdom was yours all along. If you felt a certain spiritual depth in them, I rejoice in you. It wasn't my depth that you found, it was yours. The words I wrote were like a lake into which you looked and saw it mirroring the summits of your own heights.

We humans operate through pattern recognition. We only recognize something because of thought patterns we've already had. If someone points to a table and tells you "Tisch" you would not understand unless you've been exposed to German and have already stored the thought pattern "Tisch" to mean table in your memory. That's why learning is done best through repetition because each repetition brings up the previous thought pattern until familiarity is achieved. The reason why you saw meaning in the pieces I wrote is because the meaning was already in you. You recognized it because it was already familiar. What you needed was a mirror, a point of reference to provide the necessary focus and contrast to make the meaning clear. All the words did was make you aware of what you already knew.

As you experience your own meaning so I experienced mine. And in this we become one. We become a community. And in this oneness is our salvation. It is not a oneness made by a meeting of two separate entities. It is a oneness of spirit. One may say that I gave and you received. But if we are all one in this community, then the giver and the receiver are one and the same. Like the river and the sea you and I have met, shared our depths and became one in this CFC community.

God bless,

- TE

Anonymous said...

REACTION:
Wasn't the SMS system non-prejudicial either for or against FP and FFL, nor for or against CFC-GMFI and that that bible-based, early childhood education was/is crucial to the foundation of CFC education? If so, why leave CFC-GMFI?

This is part of my judgment, and I am just TIRED of sensing something is terribly not right...Still, wish you well, CFC-EFI.

WillyJ said...

TE,
Those detailed nuances of yours really illuminate this episode. The analogy also stops as Frank denies to the death (his inconsistency in partnering with HfH) while DanDroff chooses to remain deathly silent (on his inconsistency by apparently continuing to spoof this site). Silence can go either way. However, in spite of the lack of absolute confirmation, the speculation about Dan being the same spoofer rests on very a strong basis, specially when you notice that your comment has been reproduced in its entirety in the spoofer's blog post here.
As I browse further through the whole site, the "benefit of the doubt" gets stretched to the threshold of incredulity. As I step over this threshold, the analogy converges again and I guess the question begs to be
answered. Brother Dan, why are you doing this? Brother Frank, why are you doing this? I pray that when it comes, anyone's repentance is sure and leads to a change of heart, otherwise it condemns the person even more.

Anonymous said...

Compile ko na ang mga sulat ni TE..gamitin ko to sa HH discussion topic...GALING!!!! dina bali iniwan tayo ni Bro. Frank! God send TE for CFC! Praise the Lord! Bro. TE, pwede translate nako binisaya para masabtan sa ato mga kaigsoonan diri sa amo? Thank you! God bless you!

jonitanitayturin said...

CAN’T (YET) LET THE LORD JESUS HANG WITH THEM

Oh, the ‘PARADE’! Hi, TE! No rain Brod, not a drizzle; in fact, you have let the sunshine into it!

Yours: “Remember that we are only speculating about Bro Dan spoofing. But we know for sure that Frank is spoofing. Which of the two has compromised his integrity? Which of them hold a higher moral ground? Who deserves mercy and who deserves pity? What did Jesus do to the two thieves on the cross?”

I think: MERCY for Brother Dan and PITY Frank for spoofing GK. To Frank also goes this quote (on pity by Francois Ignace Dunod de Charnage): “Let us pity the wicked man; for it is very sad to seek happiness where it does not exist. Let our compassion express itself in efforts to bring him gently back to sacred principle, and if he persist, let us pity him the more for a blindness so fatal to himself.”

With due respect, Brod TE, let me respond to your last question about Jesus and the two thieves on the cross by raising this rhetorical question:

“ If Dan and Frank hanged as ‘thieves’ for spoofing, is it worth that the Lord Jesus carried His Cross and hanged with them?”

He-he. Medyo mahirap din yata ito (this is quite complicated).

GOD BLESS.

jonitanitayturin said...

A 'SUMMATION':

WISH THEM WELL in resolving these recent issues:

1. BY FP: “Can Frank continue to accuse GK of veering away by partnering with Pfizer, at the same time that he himself leads FFL to partner with HfH which openly partners with Pfizer, without compromising his integrity?”

2. BY DANDRUFF: “"Can DanDroff offer a sincere apology here, yet continue to spoof this blog elsewhere, without compromising his integrity?"

3. BY CFC-EFI: “Wasn't the SMS system non-prejudicial either for or against FP and FFL, nor for or against CFC-GMFI that it constitutes the crucial foundation of CFC education? If so, why leave CFC-GMFI?”

4. BY TE OR ANY BLOGGER: “ If Dan and Frank hanged as ‘thieves’ for spoofing, is it worth that the Lord Jesus carried His Cross and hanged with them?”

Anonymous said...

Aha! Confounding conundrums continue casting colorful characterizations. But bewailing bloggers beware before berating blogbusters. Detractor Dan, desist. Disharmonious discourses draw distant destiny's dark denouement. Avast! Another altruistic avenue always allays anger away.

Sorry about that. Couldn't help it. Bro Willy, it's okay. Let the spoofer rant. His neurosis does not have to be ours. The truth always has a way of coming out. We can always trust that certain triumph. People who attack and hurl abuse are usually covering up their own inadequacies. They have to put others down so they can feel good about themselves. It is usually a sign that the person secretly does not like himself so much. As Blaise Pascal says; "all of man's troubles come from the fact that he cannot sit still and silent in a room alone."

I kinda liked how Joni phrased his question, though. One can choose to interpret it as a veiled put down of someone's worth but I'd rather not. I guess the answer would be that Jesus would always go out looking for that one lost sheep. He carried the cross for all of us, even when we were still His enemy. With even one lost sheep, the Sonship is not complete. He is the Lord who completes us all. He is our God and the Source from whence we all came. All of us are just on a journey to find our Source so we can be complete. It is a journey of remembrance, of going back.

“We shall not cease from exploration; and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started, and to know the place for the first time.” (T.S. Eliot).

We all seek to go back to our origins so we can find out who we truly are. And our true selves are there, in our Source, in our origins, just waiting for us patiently and unchanging and in communion with God. That's what we pray for when we entone: As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.

Rest assured that one day Bro Dan and Bro Frank will find their way back. We are not in a contest to find out who's right. Neither are we in contest to find out who gets there first. We are not meant to spend each moment that passes in purposeless meanderings. We are meant to experience them as God would have us do, each as a holy moment. Every second counts because each of them holds the opportunity for us to experience our Saviour. Our call is to see Christ in each other, to experience God in each moment and to help others have their holy moments as well. William Blake puts it best:

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
(William Blake, Auguries of Innocence)

- TE

Anonymous said...

Yes, TE, Willy J, the bare-faced reality is that Frank spoofs GK while Dan is suspected of spoofing IDOTRCFC. Of course Frank may frown if he were likened to the little-known Dan, as in having them hang together, but then that is the essence and limitation of analogy, and a rational and intelligent person that he is, Mr. Padilla may really just ignore its rough edges. May he?

Makes me wonder now… Having ‘successfully sequestered’ the CFC name as CFC-FI, isn’t Frank or FFL only a step away from LNP? Now that he could just breeze through the SEC processes, why not go all the way to possess or take over LNP? After all, the Lord’s ‘Ligaya’ is the Foundation for Family and Life, no? What about an ‘intellectual push’ – or ‘ploughshare’ - towards that direction, EFI? Haaayyy…(musings galore…) Wish you well, Frankie Boy.

Anonymous said...

MEDYO SABOG, PERU MASAYA pa rin (QUITE TOPSY-TURVY BUT STILL JOYFUL). CD, as you steer this blog using the traditional and new 'wares' for our comments, other interesting topics popping up and being commented on can lead to different directions, and the precipitation of important issues may be offset by their diversity. Nevertheless, as this kind of exchange gels, I think we are still able to wade through all the issues, with each input and comment becoming part of a well-knit, beautiful fabric waving high a trademark of our CFC life. BLESS YOU BROTHER AND ALL CFC.

C.D. said...

LOL! Absolutely loving the alliteration. TE you truly are a gem and a Godsend to this blog and the community. Please keep it up!

CD

ab_Iliad said...

Ditto to CD. Bro TE, please continue enriching us us your words of wisdom and spirituality.
God bless and more power from the Holy Spirit.

WillyJ said...

Haha. If Dan "the scratcher" is still lurking around, he must be reading all the comments "with smiling face all the way to the end". As I take the time to reread his first comment it just hits me even funnier than ever. If only our dear Tito Frank had half the humor, then he would not have taken himself too seriously and we would all be singing and laughing on the narrow road together. Oops, I might have hit another tricky analogy there. All of these are intensely enlightening and funny at the same time (thanks all!, specially TE and Joni), and as anonymous says: "we are still able to wade through all the issues, with each input and comment becoming part of a well-knit, beautiful fabric..." . And brother Dan -- thanks to you too, really. We wish you well in Australia. Hope you don’t stir up our brods Down Under to intense bewilderment :-) Just remember what TE says that "you are not maliit", for "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise.."
GOD BLESS ALL.

jonitanitayturin said...

Brod TE:

Your highlight of the Sonship of the Divine Shepherd eclipses a condescending option to ridicule Dan and Frank as thieving duos hardly deserving the crucified Lord Jesus’ empathy.

Instinctively, and in an attack mode, I wanted to phrase my offensive query like: “If Dan and Frank hanged as thieves for spoofing IDOTRCFC and GK, respectively, why should the Lord Jesus carry His Cross and allow Himself to be hanged with them?... I mean, what for, and what are their rewards for it?” I thought it was pointless to compare (in short, no analogy for) the thieves of Calvary with the these ‘thieving spoofs’ and that it would be ‘blasphemous’ to make the Lord Jesus’ Cross a proximate cousin of their idiocy (? - sorry, this is harsh but apt, i think). Would it have been worthwhile if, instead of hanging with them, Jesus threatened to smash them with his own Cross...? Etc…etc…

Admittedly, all these were strayed thoughts, Brother TE, until your very convincing and inspiring lines here.....which I quote to constantly remind us to be generous and charitable (thank you for this, too, Brother WillyJ):

”…We are not in a contest to find out who's right. Neither are we in contest to find out who gets there first. We are not meant to spend each moment that passes in purposeless meanderings. We are meant to experience them as God would have us do, each as a holy moment. Every second counts because each of them holds the opportunity for us to experience our Saviour. Our call is to see Christ in each other, to experience God in each moment and to help others have their holy moments as well.”

Anonymous said...

I'm trying to imagine Frank frowning for being likened to Dan. What makes us think he would? Would it be because he considers himself higher in stature and position? If he does, that tells us a lot about him. I think though, that if God made an organizational chart of the human race, it would look like a flat matrix organization, not a pyramid as we humans would have made it.

It would be a chart with lines all over the place connecting billions of little squares representing people. And each would have a direct reporting line to the Guy at the top! Everyone bypassing millions of "managers", "leaders" anf "Franks"! That would really look chaotic. Sabog, like Bro anonymous says.

But behind the chaos we know there is an organizing intelligence. The chaos we see is just an external perception. It's like watching people at the airport, or train station. You look around the terminal and you see people crisscrossing, going hither and thither, the whole mass of movement looking randomly chaotic. But watch when the gate is announced and you see people suddenly move as one going to a specific gate. Suddenly you see the order behind the chaos. The random chaos was just an external perception. Behind the mass of movements was an organizing thought, a hidden intelligence that gave order and purpose to every movement.

Just like this blog. Bro anonymous saw the seeming chaos but discerned the hidden organizing intelligence, the spirit that gave everything here meaning and purpose. That spirit is timeless and exists everywhere at once, omnipresent, silent, ubiquitous, all-knowing. It is what Robert Frost refers to as the secret when he wrote; "we all sit around in a circle and suppose, while the secret sits in the middle, and knows."

The question is, are we making choices that recognize this Spirit? I use a simple process to test my discernment. I think we all agree with the following statement: Whatever is life-affirming is preferred to what is life-negating. So we would prefer faith to doubt, honesty to deceit, honor instead of dishonor, happiness instead of sadness. In other words we prefer life, not death. Add to this list as many things as you want. Like, we prefer love not hate, peace not strife, harmony not discord, and so on.

The things we would prefer are life-sustaining. But notice that they are all truths. Think about it for a minute. The things we prefer do not need evidence to prove they are true. They are self-evident. But those we rather won't have require proof. Declare someone is honest and he won't ask you for proof. Declare him to be deceitful and he'll demand you prove it. Truths are truths. They don't need proof. They just are. And they're there for all time, i.e. they are timeless, omnipresent, silent, ubiquitous and all-knowing.

Here's the first test. Who has to provide proof of the rightness of his actions - FAP or the IC? Who has the need to convince people that his actions were right, moral and honest - FAP of the IC?

Here's the second test. Truths, being self-evident and unchanging, cannot be attacked. Because we can't change it, it cannot be harmed or damaged in any way, no matter what we do. Truth cannot be threatened and therefore does not need to be defended. Who has need to defend his position - FAP or the IC? Who has the need to defend the rigthness of his actions - FAP or the IC?

Here's the final test. Is your being in CFC life-sustaining or not? Are the things you read in this blog life-affirming or not? Are the things you do in CFC life-sustaining or not? Now turn it around. Was FAP's decision to break away life-sustaining? Are the things you hear from FAP and FFL life-affirming? Are the things that FAP is doing vis-a-vis CFC life-sustaining?

What is the hidden intelligence, the Spirit that gives purpose and meaning to everything we do, telling you? Are you on the right path?

- TE

jonitanitayturin said...

Huh? A confounding conundrum?

Brod TE, let’s say it’s just a feel-good, peter-patter banter about some things that, while being cheerfully clarified, also animate and feed our hunger for more good words.

So, let me start with this quote from you: “Declare someone is honest and he won't ask you for proof. Declare him to be deceitful and he'll demand you prove it. Truths are truths. They don't need proof. They just are.” (Brod, nakakatuwa – Funny, I am reminded of Fido Dido, the "Everyman" carton character: “Fido is justice, Fido is freedom, Fido is love, Fido is everything, Fido is Fido... He-he.)

Now, let me share these personal insights: A dishonest person may not contest someone swearing on his honesty; he certainly loves to be truthful, but JUST CAN’T. That, as I see it, is one truth; the other truth is, that guy who swears by him may be dishonest. Yet, let me wonder about half-truths. Surely, one part of that dishonest man (the first one) will not demand proof; however, he will need to prove himself ‘as a whole’ because he can’t just joy in a half-truth. Now, Brod, you and the others here, may please blow this draft away... I prefer peace of mind, joy, an extra sense of caution not to hurt someone’s sensibilities, even in an objective or academic discourse like here. I don’t need proof for this. It is what I want, and it is GOOD, and it is TRUE.

THANK YOU, TE. May I also say that your matrix organization brings the modern-day complicated hierarchical organizations back to the original, Stage One, flat structure, under a ‘hands-on’, ‘all-knowing’, ‘all-around’ leader-OWNER-manager. No wonder we can speak in tongues!

”What a difference a day makes” to bloggers who will have read your ‘head-filling’ and heart-warming inputs any day.

GOD BLESS ALL OF US, BROD TE. Thank you, CD.

Anonymous said...

Mr. TE,

Please STAND UP and PROCLAIM your real identity to the world wide web. So are so good,just,kind and full of wisdom that set you apart from the rest of bloggers.

God bless you kapatid.

Anonymous said...

Dear Everybody,
This must be out of the topic, but I just would like to share to you all that the Filipino Catholic Community of Vienna is celebrating it´s 25th Anniversary (Sept. 21 - 28). There are ten priest since 1982 who served the chaplaincy and one of them is now a Bishop. His Eminence Cardinal Rosales, two Bishop (Tagle and Arigo) and five Priest coming from the Philippines and representative of Archdiocese of Vienna will con-celebrate this occasion.
Yesterday, we have a mass with one of the former chaplain of the community and he shared that all the priest serving the community have different charism and likewise the parishioner, which hold and keep the Chaplaincy going on until now.
So there is no reason that only one can be the keeper of the charism.
So it was very wrong to say by FFL that FAP is the only the keeper of charism.
The Catholic Church is full of charism and all of us is a part of this.
Please pray for us.

Anonymous said...

Bro Joni: "A dishonest person may not contest someone swearing on his honesty; he certainly loves to be truthful, but JUST CAN’T."

Question: FRANK PADILLA, I PRESUME?

Anonymous said...

Kapatid, please, I beg you, do not set me apart. I don't want to be placed somewhere else, alone, even in a metaphorical sense. Let me just be one of that group of faithful people called CD's bloggers. I would not want to be somewhere else. I sense love, honor and loyalty in this group. These are infinitely more life-sustaining than being alone. I would rather be here. Moreover, I'm convinced that I am not superior to you in anyway and I am no more special than you all are.

Exalted positions are not important to me. I am convinced that the pursuit of position is as just an illusion as to insist that I am small and unimportant. And my name is not important either. And lest you think I am saying this so you will think me humble, let me tell you right now that the reasons I am doing this are selfish ones. Allow me to tell you my proof of why I am convinced all this is so. Please bear with me, it's going to be a bit long.

We all grew up being taught that some are better than others. Some are gifted and talented and some not so. Some are average and some live their lives believing that some people are stupid. We are experts at making these distinctions and judgments because we've been doing them for such a long time that they have become part of our "normal" way of thinking. But these are the teachings of the world. Why do I say that?

Antoine de Saint Exupery wrote in the Little Prince that what is important is invisible to the eye and it is only with the heart that one can see rightly. How right he was! If we look around us, all we see are the results of the invisible. Each building we see started as an idea. It is said that the ancestor of every action is a thought. Trees we see but can we see what makes them grow? We see light bulbs but can we see electricity? We see books but can we see the ideas that they embody? We have teaching outlines but can we see with our eyes the values they talk about? All we see are effects. Our eyes do not see the real thing. The world we see is a world of effects. What is truly real, the cause, is invisible.

Our eyes even lie to us. We think leaves are green but no, they aren't. It is every other color but green. We learned in Physics class that the leaf absorbs (takes in) all color frequencies except green. The leaf reflects (rejects) green and so it is the only color that enters our eyes. But we believe what our eyes tell us - that leaves are green. The world has convinced us so well that "to see is to believe". We've learned to identify with the material.

So we see each other as bodies and our language reflects this. We never say somebody's body is sick. We always say someone is sick. We do this because we identify with our bodies. As we see our bodies having limitations we conclude we are limited, worsening the situation because now we have identified with the limitations as well. We look and notice that our bodies have boundaries. We see where our bodies end and someone else's begin. As I am here and you are there, so we must be separate.

Our identification with our bodies, with the material, taught us to compare. Our eyes taught us that some are tall and some are short. Glorifying our bodies taught us to consider some good looking and others downright ugly. We developed a definition of what we though good and what was bad. And from there we learned to consider others better than others. We admire those we consider good and ignore those we consider not likeable.

But the true reality of things is not visible. Even in the written medium we often have to read what is between the lines to find the meaning. We are not our bodies. Ephesians 1:4 tells us God had chosen us even before the foundation of the world. And we know scripture is true. None of our bodies were born then. So how could we be our bodies? As something that is part of this world, our bodies are just effects, a physical manifestation of the invisible.

Spirit is formless, boundless and unbound. We all are spirits, God-created and infused with the divine. None of us is higher or lower than the other. None is better or worse than the other. Only our perceptions of our true nature are different. But that's ok. We spirits, born out of God's love, cannot escape our nature. And our nature is love. Romans 8:37-39 tells us that nothing can ever separate us from the love of Christ. Love binds us all into one. Love is what holds everything in the universe together. Kapatid, separation is an illusion. We are all connected by love, branches of the same vine, one with our God. Separation is not real.

We must not fail to honor that spirit in each of us. We must honor that invisible part of us that gives us life. This is our true self. The organizing intelligence that commands our heart to beat in a constant rhythm 39 million times a year and controls our breathing without us consciously giving commands. This is the spirit that makes us love and makes us intuitively distinguish between that which is life-affirming from that which isn't. It is the boundless in us, formless and divine. The piece of God that is our self.

No earthly position, no matter how exalted, could ever compare to that which God has given. We are all equals and we are all equally loved by God. So please don't set me apart. Please don't make me someone I am not. You can see all I'm doing is selfishly looking out for my own welfare here.

As we are all God-created spirits, we equally partake of what God offers. He is the Source of us all. The source of all intelligence. When you saw wisdom in what I wrote, it was not my wisdom you recognized. When you recognized love and kindness and spirituality in what you read, it was not my love or my kindness you recognized. You recognized them because you already knew them. They are as much a part of your spirit as mine. I have written nothing new. All I did was put into words that which you all already know. That's why you recognized them. Recognize, after all, means "to know again" - to re-cognize.

So you see there is no reason to set me apart. You see that I am only as special as everybody else. Again kapatid, please don't enlarge or glorify me. There is only one who deserves all our glory - He who gave each of us His spirit. If you set me apart you deem yourself somehow lesser. That I cannot accept. I have met many people like that and they remind me of the cripple who hates dancers. You are not cripples. You are infinitely greater, holy and worthy in the eyes of the Lord.

"You have been told that, like a chain, you are as weak as your weakest link. That is but half the truth. You are also as strong as your strongest link. For to measure you by your smallest deed is to reckon the power of the ocean by the frailty of its foam; and to judge you by your shortcomings is to cast blame upon the seasons for their inconstancy." (K. Gibran, The Prophet).

- TE

Anonymous said...

" I entrusted to them the message you entrusted to me, and they received it. They have known that in truth I came from you, they have believed it was you who sent me." To them I have revealed your name, and I will continue to reveal it so that your love for me may live in them and I may live in them." " Now it is finished." Then he bowed his head and delivered over his spirit." John 17: 8 , John 18: 26 and John 20: 30.

" The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant and I had to show myself their master says the Lord. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the Lord. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and kinsmen how to know the Lord. All, from the least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more." Jeremiah 31: 31-34.

" I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees" Ezekiel 37: 26-27.

" I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God leading everyone who believes in it to salvation, the Jew first then the Greek. For in the gospel is revealed the justice of God which begins and ends with faith; as Scripture says, " The just man shall live by faith" ". Romans 1: 16-17.

" But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who has done good. With God there is no favoritism." Romans 2: 10-11.

Faith is believing the gospel of Christ

GOD is the giver of Faith. It is only through Him that we have this Faith. It is God who decides whether He will give this Faith to us or not. No one else can give Faith except GOD.

What do we do with this Faith once we have received it?

We ask God to nurture it through prayer. A christian is to have a personal and loving relationship with God{ Talk 3 CLP}. The more we give to God our personal lives the more God will nurture and make our Faith grow. As our Faith grows internally, by the freedom which God has given us, it will manifest an outwardly response to the people surrounding us. Faith cannot be contained within if it comes from God. We now become witnesses to the Faith which God has given us. Witnessing to this Faith gives God an opportunity to give that same Faith to the people who surround us. It will still be God who will give the Faith, not us, depending on the condition of the hearts of the people we witness to. It is as simple as that.

Through the course of time, a lot of people, and still up to now, try to contain or control that Faith which God has given freely by imposing on man their own understanding of that Faith, thus resulting in so many disagreements and divisions among the believers. True Faith cannot be contained nor controlled by anyone except God, being the giver of such Faith. We are mere stewards of that Faith or anything from which God has given us. To be used for His glory. Nothing should come between God and man when it comes to matters of Faith that is why His new covenant is to be written in the hearts of men by Him through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is given to all believers, from the time of the apostles, up to now, and until the end of time. The same spirit which was given to St. Peter and Paul is the same spirit which God has given us. All the prophets of old including the apostles and saints are all witnesses to the Faith which God has given them, and through them, being Gods instruments, has touched our lives, because God has bestowed on us that same Faith which He gave them because with God there is no favoritism. We are all equals in the eyes of God.

We can never impose or control the Faith which God has given us. It is like putting Faith in a box limited to our own understanding. The Faith which our Lord gives is boundless or limitless. As quoted in John " I solemnly assure you, the man who has faith in me will do the works I do, and greater far than these." By putting boundaries on our Faith, which a lot of us do, we limit the blessings of Faith which comes from God.

Religious organizations are basically good because it brings people of Faith closer to God through fellowship. We all believe in the sacrifice our Lord Jesus Christ made when he died and rose again for the redemption of our sins. We also believe that our Lord sent His Holy Spirit to guide and teach us through the witnessing of the believers as was given to them by God. The problem arises when these organizations start imposing their rule over the believers. When the so called elders of the organization start acting as if they were God thus putting the organization between the believers and our Lord. This has happened so many times in the course of history and is still happening now. What happens is that when rules are made in the organization, it is passed on as rules of Faith thus negating the fact that these rules or laws were written in our hearts by God and now have been replaced by rules written on a piece of paper.

" Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, body and soul and love your neighbor as you love yourself ". These simple words of our Lord Jesus Christ summarizes all that can be said about our Faith. It cannot get any simpler than that. We have complicated these simple words by rules and traditions. It is not that I am putting down all religious organizations. I am part of them. I have great respect for these organizations because I have learned a lot by their witnessing. I would never be where I am now with regards to Faith if not for the witnessing of these organizations. God has touched me through them. But my Faith is between God and me. I am a Roman Catholic by religion, a Filipino by nationality, a member of CFCGMFI by organization, but more importantly I am a Christian by Faith.

This past year of conflict in CFC has truly been a learning experience for all of us. It has tested our Faith to the limits. It has brought out the worst in us but has also shown the best we can be with regards to our Faith and Love. All of us are mere witnesses to the Faith which God has given us. Our prayer is that by our witnessing, our Lord God will touch the people we witness to and give them the Faith and Love which he has given us. When the people around us seem not to care, then God has a different plan for them, we should not force the issue.

Titus 3: 2-11
" Tell them not to speak evil of anyone or be quarrelsome. They must be forbearing and display a perfect courtesy toward all men. We ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and far from true faith; we were the slaves of our passions and of pleasures of various kinds. We went our way with malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us; not because of any righteous deed we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the baptism of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he lavished on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, that we might be justified by His grace and become heirs, in hope, of eternal life. YOU CAN DEPEND ON THIS TO BE TRUE."
" I want you to lay great weight on the things I have been saying, so that those who have committed themselves to God may be careful to do what is right. This is what is good and advantageous for men. SEE TO IT THAT YOU ABSTAIN FROM STUPID ARGUMENTS AND GENEALOGIES, AND FROM ALL CONTROVERSIES AND QUARREL ABOUT THE LAW. THEY ARE USELESS AND HAVE NO POINT. "

Its been more than a year now since all this started and its about time now to move on. Everything that has to be said has already been said. The TRUTH has already been revealed.

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY

I wrote this more than 5 months ago and really did not know when to post this in the blog. But after reading TE's last comment in We Wish you Well I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit to post this.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous on TE: "[You] are so good, just, kind and full of wisdom that set you apart from the rest of bloggers."

Call it 'jealousy, but I thought this line could hardly be! No need to particularize us 'bloggers', and, may the plaudit stop at "from the rest"? YES, TE, you may decline that ‘loaded’ invitation, although we are with Anonymous in admiring your distinctively-inspired and inspiring comments.

Brod/Sis Anonymous, let TE be where he is, to remain like you and us comprising, empowering and inspiring this blog of the real CFC. Anyway, he can, and will always stand out with his Spirit-inspired lines...Thank you. GOD BLESS.

Anonymous said...

AN ADVISORY

From Alexander Pope's poem, "An Essay on Criticism":

"Words are like leaves;
and where they most abound,
Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found."

Anonymous said...

BROD ANDY, PUEDE SEGURO GANITO NA...HUWAG MO SANANG MASAMAIN. MAGANDA NAMAN...SALAMAT.

“This past year of conflict in CFC...has tested our Faith to the limits. ... All of us are mere witnesses to the Faith which God has given us. Our prayer is that by our witnessing, our Lord God will touch the people we witness to and give them the Faith and Love which he has given us. When the people around us seem not to care, then God has a different plan for them...(cf: Titus 3: 2-11).”

“Its been more than a year now since all this started and its about time now to move on. The TRUTH has already been revealed. TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY”

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the advisory bro. You are absolutely right. Unfortunately we can only use words here. This is, after all, a blog...

But let's get back to the thread of wishing them... well. Privately, I believe this HfH partnership will fail. So will that anti-life bill as well. This is my own view of history, so it may be skewed. It seems to me that the side that upheld truth and life-affirming priciples always won.

Hitler had the best army and blitzed his way across Europe. He had the best equipped air force and the most advanced weapons. But the British defeated him with plywood skinned spitfires. Hitler deceived the German people by disguising his megalomanic plans as national socialism. Churchill espoused the values of courage, freedom, liberty and justice. Stalin went the same way, deceiving the Russian people by disguising his tyrannical dictatorship as "communism". The communists tried to negate God, prohibiting the practice of religion. Both Hitler and Stalin ruled by fear, Hitler with his Gestapo and Stalin with his KGB. But when someone with humility, a leader who admitted his own faults came to power, Mikhail Gorbachev, communism fell apart. Gandhi defeated the mighty British Empire with total non-violence and the supreme belief that God resides in every man. Nelson Mandela did the same. Lech Walesa of Poland espoused solidarity and communism could not stand up to it. A humble teacher did the same in what used to be Czechoslovakia - Vaclav Pavel. And closer to home we had people power.

History shows that the side that stood on God-centered values - respect for life, justice, the belief in the innate goodness of man, honor, courage and liberty triumphed in the end. And the side that espoused tyranny, dictatorship, deceit, fear and the subjugation of people to achieve the intents of a dictator always lost.

For a while the forces of tyranny gained the upper hand and those who succumbed were subjugated. But there will always be those who stand up to defend that which is good. There will always be those who refuse bondage because they value liberty more. And there are those who remain steadfast because they stand for loyalty, faith and obedience to God. These people, history tells us, will triumph in the end.

And history repeats itself.

That's why I think this Hfh thing won't work. This HB 812 will not succeed. This breakaway group, founded on pride and vanity, will not succeed. One Fr. Tulabing called it the child of CFC but it is really the offspring of pride, the vehicle needed to achieve one man's wish to stay on top. This Remarville affair of JunJ will not last. Whatever is founded on deceit is founded on sand and will not stand long.

Our job is to make sure we are standing on the very values inherent in our covenant - peace, love, justice, faith, obedience to the Spirit, devotion to the community of brothers and sisters and a deep respect for the human heart. And that's what I think this blog should be declaring across the world. Mga kapatid we must witness to these beliefs.

- TE

Anonymous said...

BROTHER TE, can you share your insights into callousness or being benumbed to some universal truths?

In terms of ‘longevity’, one who believes that truth ultimately triumphs has a deeper reservoir of hope and reason to keep on. Put the liar and the honest together in a 'contest of hoping for fulfillment of dreams', and I say the latter will ultimately win the race, his fervent hope that ‘truth will prevail' giving him a viably distinct reason to withstand all trials and difficulty… There’s the Divine inside that honest man that reverses the secular concept of time so that in him, ‘hope springs eternal’. I hope and pray the real CFC is constantly possessed of this reality.

Why?

I am bothered by the thought that callousness due to dishonesty or its capacity to benumb a situation (’deadma’, in vernacular) can lull one into an ‘apparent sense of truthfulness' within a ‘reasonable’ period of time.

How?

The defeat of Hitler's and Stalin's megalomania, or the victory of Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent approach 'fortunately' happened ‘within a lifetime’, so to speak. Now, what if the ‘less truthful’ about the real CFC in the current conflict will prevail long enough beyond our present lifetimes? What if wishing FP and the rest of his minions well will indeed yield for them some ‘reasonably true and good fortunes’ in the next 50 years, with the 'converse misfortune' of the real CFC (them defining us!?) being completely overcome, and TRUTH being triumphant only beginning the 51st?

Don’t you feel stuttered by this thought? When will Frank and his minions learn? "When [and how] will we ever learn?"

Thanks. A Happy Sunday!

Joni

Anonymous said...

CD:

Kamusta na kaya ang issues re FFL's asssumption of Remarville as Restoration Village, pati si JunJ? Wish the beneficiaries well...And matauhan sana all of them involved in the delisting of existing beneficiareis.

Anonymous said...

Bro Joni, everyone,

Hitler began his rampage in 1939. The good guys only started opposing him 2 years later. But from then on it took the good guys 4 years to win. It took Walesa 10 years to triumph in Poland. Gandhi took longer from 1916 to 1946. The Czech people's velvet revolution was triggered when police broke up a student demonstration on Nov 17 1989. A mere 11 days later, the communist government announced that it will dissolve itself. Vaclav Havel became its first president.

Joni, it doesn't take lifetimes for truth to triumph. How long did it take us to topple Marcos after Ninoy was shot? Granted that those events were the rallying cry that spurred the good guys to get their act together. But once the good guys got united, once their passions got aroused, it did not take long for truth to triumph.

I sense, though, your concern that the resolution may come after our own lifetimes. Don't worry about that Bro. Be assured that truth will always triumph. Besides, don't forget that you cannot die. Christ has conquered death and that means the real you is immortal. Rejoice in this, Bro. Longevity has become meaningless.

But if you really want to see this triumph soon, then here's what I think we can do. History tells us the good guys had 4 things going for them. First is an unwavering loyalty to truth. Second is an unwavering belief that truth will triumph. Third is an intense, united and untiring effort that reflects an unwavering commitment to their cause. And fourth is an unwavering willingness to do whatever is necessary without compromising their loyalty to truth. Note the word unwavering.

We must not waver. Not even when storms come our way. Here's what I think we have to do. Please feel free to add to this.

(1) everyone in this blog must not waver in its truth. We must consistently and constantly declare and uphold it. People have a natural disposition not to repeat the issues. But do not forget the power of declaration. We must not stop declaring the truth to the issues just because the truth as already been said. Do not let a single issue become forgotten or buried in the hundreds of blog entries. And for every issue won, let us rejoice. I apologize for this analogy but if this were a war, there will be many battles we must all face. Let this blog be always on the side of truth.

(2) The bloggers must not doubt in the triumph of truth. This is where our prayers and our faith are most powerful. Faith, St Paul says in Heb 11:1, is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Post your thoughts on truth, love and other life-affirming principles. Let us strengthen each other so that we will never waver. For example, Bro Andy posted his treatise on faith and Bro Willy shares his knowledge on the Magisterium and you share your insights unfailingly. Many of us were strengthened by it all.

But let us take it even further. Its like riding a bicycle. In the beginning you needed the faith that you can do it. After you've learned it, you did not need the faith anymore because you knew. You have gone beyond faith and into knowing. This is the challenge we all face. Can we go beyond faith, beyond believing that truth will triumph? Can we reach that state of mind when we stop believing and start KNOWING that truth will indeed triumph? We need the faith because somewhere in us resides doubt. But once we get to knowing, doubt will cease to exist. None of us need to believe that 2 and 2 make 4, because we know it does.

Consider the following: (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (1 Timothy 2:3-4) "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (Ephesians 4:12-14) "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming."

St. Paul talked about knowing God and knowledge of the truth. I suggest this goes beyond faith. I suggest St. Paul reached a point where he not only had faith in the promises of the Christ but he knew they were all true. I suggest that it is this knowing that we all have to work to achieve.

(3) This blog must get even more intense. We must be untiringly committed to truth, to Christ, to CFC. CFC people must not be silent. Douglas Hyde once commented that there are people out there who declare from the rooftops the worst creed that man invented and too often, those of us who have the best creed are silent. CFC people must let the world know how passionate they are for CFC. We must be united in this cause. And, as one ...

(4) we must be willing to do whatever is necessary without sacrificing our loyalty to truth. It might take discussing the issues with others and then sharing it on the blog, openly writing our own private thoughts, doing background research to find documentary evidence or even building that bloggers' village. Whatever it takes we must all be willing to do it.

Then we can never fail.

-TE

Anonymous said...

Thank You TE. Indeed we must continue to let people remember the truth...people have short memory, and oftentimes, in the name of " being Christian", everything else is forgotten.
There are very few of us who know the real issues of why this long time ex CFC leader chose the path he took.
I attended a friend's birthday recently and some of his guests were from a Protestant/born again community.I tell you they have their own leadership problems too.
They of course asked me what happened in CFC. I just told them it's a long story. Sabi nila, sad daw. And they are asking when FP and TM will reconcile? Hard to tell but maybe not so soon, di ba?
But of course, we don't know God's plan and how the Holy Spirit will move them.
The perception outside the community is it's FP's group vs. GK. Some even suggested for us to give up the name CFC and just use GK since it has good brand name. They , of course , don't understand
we all are CFC first...

jonitanitayturin said...

TE, GD, All:

Aside from ’letting things be forgotten in the spirit of Christianity’, I think there is also this thing here about ‘familiarity not breeding contempt’. In the separation of CFCFI from LNP towards the mid-90s, the ordinary CFF members did not seem to so much mind which community they followed provided the ‘ever familiar’ and ‘reliable’ leaders were there. Thus might it be said that the top leaders could rest in the relative safety of the CFC structure; after all, the ‘flat matrix organization’ that has made everyone ‘speak in tongues’ directly to the Father, was the backside of the hierarchical one through which the Father’s ‘institutional’ responses passed.

Which raises a serious paradox about the CFC conflict (include that one when FP was still head of CFC – and please pardon the rather strong import; Pader Tulabing, hindi ka muna kasali dito - Father Tulabing, you are not yet to dip your fingers here ).

Could our loving organization be also dense? Might it encourage direct dialogue with God while suppressing His ‘flowback’ to men through a hierarchy? Put in another way: Might not a democratic means of petitioning God be matched by CFC leaders, the likes of FP, not ‘playing God’?

In other words, it is all about Truth and Openness, about sharing and upholding them unreservedly. And in no other words but this: IT IS ALSO ABOUT DEFENDING GOD’S FEEDBACK TO HIS PEOPLE IN A SECULAR, HIERARCHICAL ORGANIZATION MADE ‘FLAT’ BY THE HUMILITY OF ITS LEADERS.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if Frank and his fellow FFL leaders are happy that the latest developments - Remarville, the pharma issue with HFH etc - are taking focus of the ethical issues with their attempts to pilfer the CFC name through their dodgy dealings with the SEC...

Anonymous said...

A SELF-REFLECTION

“What if wishing FP and the rest of his minions well will indeed yield for them some ‘reasonably true and good fortunes’ in the next 50 years, with the 'converse misfortune' of the real CFC (them defining us!?) being completely overcome, and TRUTH being triumphant only beginning the 51st?”

If our well-wishing is pure and well-intentioned, then it matters so much to us that our wishes or prayers are granted; yet, the consequences of such answered prayers are really immaterial (and will not matter!) because they cannot be anything but good. Two things here, though: One, FP and FFL cannot define us (thanks, Bro TE), and Two, grace may only be considered in its timelessness and boundlessness, in its meaningfulness and joy. I believe that God’s gift cannot be treated ‘discretely’ or disaggregated in discrete terms like, if it is given to some then we are deprived of a similar opportunity; if it is good for others, then it is past us momentarily; if others can enjoy it for some more years, then we can also do the same after they will have enough of it, etc. I mean, grace can be for one-and-all at the same time and can only be good! If the good wished well upon someone indeed happens, then it also means well for all, one way or the other, especially for the one praying for it. So, why worry? Di ba?

Joni

Anonymous said...

Joni,GD,everyone,

What a wonderful insight, bro! I wholeheartedly agree with your synthesis. It's about defending that feedback, too, regardless of the implications. As we go from insight to insight, I get the feeling that this business of learning God's ways is a lot like peeling an onion. You peel off one layer only to find another and you find yourself going from one layer to another until you get to the heart of it all. And you'll be shedding tears the whole time. Hopefully, tears of joy.

When leaders start to consider a name as a "brand name" as GD shared, I think it's a sign for their members to start defending against what you are warning us about.

- TE

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the GOOD NEWS, FLM!

A parish-by-parish testimony by those involved (at least three 'sharers' from CFC, FFL, and PPC/FLM) followed by an open forum will certainly go along way toward the peaceful resolution of the current CFC conflict.

Surely we will have, or we can raise the funds to support the operating expenses for a one-day activity? May we call this 'The CFC Solution Roadshow'.

If not, how about a one-page documentation of that event as a special feature of the CFC supplement in CBCP Monitor? Will go a long way toward the "education" of the other dioceses and parishes.

Calling on our CFC-IC.

Anonymous said...

At the rate the bloggers have scoffed at ‘connubial unions’ like: “Pfizer-cum-HfH-cum-Padilla-cum-FFL; Remarville-cum-CFCFI-cumRV-cumJunJ; SEC-cum-Padilla-cum-pilferage-cum-sequestration, et alii...”, makes one wonder how much longer will it take to prevent the FFL functionary from appropriating the CFC ID and thus ensure a “peaceful’, parish-based evangelization work. FLM has described how an assertive parish council can swiftly do it.

How much longer?

I think as long as the PC and the parish priest (or the bishop) want to draw the line and put their feet down on FFL’s irregular appropriation of the CFC name. Perhaps this is all we need to know about solving this problem called “CFC-FFL”... perhaps... because some may like to also assert that in some areas in the Philippines, CFC’s evangelization then was effectively swift “in spite of the bishops” (are you still there, FP?)

Anonymous said...

FLM: “…the reasons and capability behind serving does not rest on appending the CFC tag…”

(INTERPRETATION: If FFL intends to do evangelization at the parish level, its dedication should not be affected if the ‘CFC name’ is given to the original CFC that follows the Vatican-approved statutes. Therefore CFC welcomes FFL as a co-parish-based partner in evangelization in like manner that FFL does not use the CFC name to avoid confusion.)

Let the success story be bannered. Let the proposed “CFC SOLUTIONS ROADSHOW” by the group of FLM begin ASAP. GOD BLESS.

Anonymous said...

Joni, at the dawn of self reflection...
Your reflection mirrors the queries of man since the beginning of time. There is something in us that dearly wishes to know the future. Over the centuries people have yearned for this and thus created a need for fortunetellers, crystal ball gazers, scryers and prophets of all shapes and shades.

Several posts back GD talked about God's plan. Truly none of us know the full extent of this plan. But God must love us all equally because He gives his gift of life to all and lets the sun of His creation shine on everyone, both the good and the bad. If so, then there can be no part of His creation that is somehow less loved. Or less blessed.

We can wish and pray for us to win, but wouldn't this require someone else to lose?
We can wish and pray for our triumph to occur in our lifetimes, but what if God's plan calls for it to take longer? That doesn't mean God's justice would be denied, would it? It may mean that God's plan for our lifetime may not include experiencing this victory. And that, by itself, may tell us that His plan may be calling for us to concentrate on other things as well. What I'm saying is that our work involves proclaiming the Lord's triumph, and that His victory is more important than ours.

Are you concerned that if FFL flourishes people would think that God would have given them victory and that therefore CFC lost? This is worldly thinking, bro. In this world, someone's victory is always someone else's loss. Worldly thinking is the opposite of what the Lord teaches, bro. Here are some more examples. In this world giving is associated with loss - i.e. if I give something away, I now have that much less. But the Lord teaches us to give even more than what is asked for. He teaches us to go that extra mile. And He told us that what we get back is more than what we gave - siksik, liglig at umaapaw. The world teaches that love is relative. Some people are lovable, others are not. And of those we love, there are some who we love more than the others. But the Lord teaches us to love equally, even our enemies. The world teaches us what scientists call left-brain linear thinking, meaning the world operates in cause and effect. A causes B, which causes C, and which, in turn, causes D. We are so caught up in this that to get to D, we have to do A, B and C first. But the Lord teaches us that He is beyond this world and causality does not have to apply to Him. Meaning A does not have to happen before B and C. They can all occur simultaneously. How else does healing occur? How else do miracles occur? There is no linearity in them. If God gives me a miracle today and I suddenly have a million dollars, He does it in nanoseconds. I would probably need 20 years to do it, following A, B, C and ten thousand other steps in sequence. God takes the time element away, suspends the linear causation of physics and does it in the blink of an eye.

What I'm saying here is that the battleground for God's victory, bro, is in our hearts and minds. I believe we should work to make God's kingdom be manifest on earth. We start out as humans but God calls us to be divine, to "be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect." We often ask what is God's will for us. I believe that God's will for us is the live a life in which we have miracles every day. He wants miracles to be normal occurences for us. He wants us to love unconditionally, give without counting, rejoice without limit and bless each other without prejudice. When this victory is attained, then the world loses its meaning and only God remains. Think about it. Forgiveness would not be needed when there is nothing more to forgive. Generousity becomes meaningless when everyone gives everything away. The words lovable and "more loving" will not mean anything when everyone loves everyone unconditionally. Even beauty will be meaningless because there will be no ugliness left to compare it with. This, bro is our challenge. How faithful can we be to it?

At the practical level, consider what Bro FLM did. I don't think he "won" in the sense of "winning" and "losing". His "victory" was inclusive, it did not exclude FFL. Nobody lost. FFL still gets to do its work and flourish just as CFC does. Bro FLM did not do it by just following A, B and C. I believe he achieved his "victory" by being faithful to the Lord's teaching - to love without condition and respect everyone as a child of God. The A, B and C steps were just the worldly tools but what he really did was be a witness to God's grace. In other words, someone else doing A, B and C but without the love in his heart will probably fail. The Lord must have His victory in our hearts first.

Think about it, stay still for a moment and just meditate and contemplate the unimaginable dimensions of God's love and mercy. Here is the Source of our peace. Jesus reigns, bro. Let His victory be assured.

- TE

Anonymous said...

You are right, TE. Thanks FLM. Hello Brothers and Sisters!

If our brethren in FLM’s CFC Chapter were able to move the local PPC to dispel FFL’s threat of confusion using the parish structure, then perhaps CFC-IC can forge the best lessons, 'learnings' and practices to ‘instititute’ a similar outcome initially among the stronger and ‘strategic’ PPCs, through a ‘workshop’ or ‘teaching module’.

In addition to the ‘guiding principles’ mentioned here, I think the ‘logic’ or ‘key factors’ involved in FLM’s ‘PPC solution’ are: FFL’s level-headedness and PPC’s ‘objectivivity’ and assertivensss (there will always be different ways at looking at facts but a cold, mature and detached assessment of events by a purposeful and truly parish-oriented council can ‘save the day’ in favor of the real CFC).

I believe that using our usual evangelization initiatives, the ‘thoughts’ shared here in this blog can already be ‘operationalized’ or implemented by the various CFC sectors and chapters especially in ‘conflict’ areas, or in areas where FFL insisted on evangelizing as CFC. Meantime, it may be good if CFC-IC issues a policy statement about resolving the CFC conflict at the parish level using a ‘brochure of facts’. With this ‘brochure’, Truth marches with our brethren at the PPC.

(TE, thanks a lot for your thoughts about man's 'primordial' desire for answers to uncertainty, which I've just read. Like that veritable onion, you have pealed a part of God's revealed piece (peace, too) that washes with copious tears of joy. Once more, you are making our day! Wish you all a peaceful Sunday.)

Joni

Anonymous said...

Rappings on the door of the soul... wishing all of you well.

Summer is slowly fading and the days have started to get cooler. But the past three days brought clear blue skies and not a single speck of cloud. The sun was soft on the grass and gentle, as if caressing the air. It was not the blazing white of the dog days but an exquisite baby's touch of gold that suffused everything. The birch tree behind the house ceased to look forlorn beside the oak and firs but with leaves already starting to turn shouted its praises to God in bursts of yellow and gold. Outside my window little insects circled around in the garden and dust motes floated like gold dust in the afternoon sun.

The garden reminded me of my trove of worries. The trellisses that need mending, the railings that need a new coat of paint and the hedges that need trimming. With autumn's inexorable advance the leaves have started to fall and they will soon need raking. There are the days spent in the office, trying to impose order and form on an uncharted future. I thought of the bloggers' concerns, of CFC and FFL issues, of Remarville and the anti-life bill. I thought of the frustration and helplessness of the delisted and the indignation we all felt. I thought of FAP submitting questionable documents to try to justify the use of a name. Yet here and now, they all seem so distant. Here, in this moment of utter silence with just my soul for company, I seem to hear the sunlight speaking its message of perfection. Now, in this moment of exhilarating existence, I feel the throb of life and a connectedness to everything around me. As if God used the sun to whisper His assurance. And with His whisper the thousand cares I carry all seemed so small. Yet did He whisper or was it just my imagination? Perhaps His whisper is there all the time and it is only now that He opened my eyes enough to hear it.

Funny but it seems that through my opened eyes I heard God's whisper of peace. But then God was never a respecter of physics. When His spirit moves we can feel the sound of His words and can hear His voice in the sunlight.

I think, too, of how fragile our lives seem to be, of the temporariness of what we see and that this impermanence allows us to see their value. Soon the grass will stop growing and the early morning dew will give way to frost. Summer ends and warm nights will surrender to creeping cold. The sun will wane and already the autumn equinox has gone. I remember my days as a boy growing up back home. The marbles in my pocket were more important than the sun. The slingshot I made from a guava branch allowed me to become the fierce hunter and the macopa tree behind the house was the castle whose top branches were the ramparts from where I surveyed my kingdom. Days were the containers I used to hold the laughter I found. There was no time for worries and cares. Back then I never minded the sun for I knew it would always be there, never waning, constant and unwavering. But now, in this moment of utmost clarity, I am reminded that the things we have everyday are easily taken for granted and it is only when we lose them that we realize their value. The sunlight today is an exquisite treasure but when I was growing up, I didn't realize it was such. And I think of my wife and children and am reminded that they, too, are sometimes taken for granted.

Today, the 29th of September 2008, at sundown, the Jews will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, their new year. And for the next 10 days, they will do their best to be reconciled with others. These are the Days of Awe, the 10 days of Repentance. It will end on Yom Kippur, on the 9th of October, the Day of Atonement. The Jews believe that on Yom Kippur the sins against God are erased but the sins against others are not. They also believe that during the 10 days of repentance, God opens the book of life and writes in it the fortunes of all men. It is therefore the time to reconcile with others and so offer up reasons for God to write something good for the coming year. It is said that God closes the book on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when man is reconciled with his God. Perhaps it is no accident that the word can also be read as at-one-ment.

It may be fitting that today I find myself reconciled with my God and learned once again the need to reconcile, not just to wish them well, with those I've taken for granted. A silent call for repentance and atonement delivered by the golden rays of a waning sun.

So I knew God wanted me this day, in this tranquil afternoon, to know His will, the next step on the path of forgiveness that He has ordained. Here, in this moment, I went beyond faith and had an inner knowing that God was there with me in the garden, in the sunlight, in the yellowing leaves and in the lazy dance of the dust motes in the still air. He spoke through the sunlight and I somehow knew what to do. And as I say yes to the message, peace and joy enveloped me, a feeling so exquisite it is almost painful and I felt like that boy again just before opening his christmas present. And for these brief moments I understood what David felt when he wrote in the Psalms: "this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

- TE

jonitanitayturin said...

TE, I am inspsired. Let me attempt a free verse. This comes as a spur of the moment and the poet fades…


GOD WHISPERING CARES IN THE SUN
(MERRY CHRISTMAS!)

Comes the cooler days…hot summer exiting,
Autumn advancing this garden leaves’ fall
As the birch tree bursts out yellow and gold.
Here in the silence of the afternoon sun,
And the throb of life around to keep me company,
I hear the sunlight speak, God whispering
A thousand cares for my eyes to hear.

I opened my eyes to hear God's whisper of peace
In the morning dew and the frost; of Home…
Of marbles and a slingshot, of more aplenty!
Of temporariness and impermanence…
But most, of the sun in my childhood
That I thought could neither wane nor waver,
Whose exquisite treasure I took for granted
Just as I sometimes would my wife and kids.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year now begins
Ten days of awe and repentance culminating
In reconciliation with God and fellowmen
On Yom Kippur, the tenth, the Day of Atonement,
When God writes men’s fortunes in, and closes
The Book of Life for the coming year…

Today I reconcile with my God
And wish them well, them I've taken for granted.
A silent call for repentance and atonement,
For peace and joy, indeed, for CHRISTMAS!...
Delivered by the golden rays of a waning sun.

"This is the day that the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

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