God's Children

First off, I'd just like to say that I was trying my best to do as the IC had requested when they asked us to be still, and Love One Another. I was praying for things to settle down, for the FFL to do what they are supposed to be doing and maybe find their calling. Truth be told, I was sincerely hoping that the blog could be retired, having done its work. Don't get me wrong though, retired is different from tired, which I am not. It seems, there is much, much more work to do. I am now hoping that, after all the support we have shown in helping to put our house in order, we can all step up to form a united front to face the latest threats against CFC.

As the cliche goes, here we go again.

I've changed the colors of the blog just to get the attention of those who might have gotten used to the lack of updates lately. Also, it also signifies the same important reason why the Philippine flag is sometimes turned upside down.

(Don't worry, we'll be back to blue soon enough, lets just say that the present colors are reflective of my mood, in light of the current situation.)

So...where do I start?

Well, I was supposed to be posting the concluding 2nd part of the What's in a Name entry. It's been composed for a while now, and in fact it has evolved through the weeks, but for some reason I didn't feel ready to post it. Now I know why. I believe I was meant to wait for the latest events that have transpired.

To update everybody on just a small part of what's been happening:

The Archbishop of Jaro, Most Rev. Angel Lagdameo has issued a pastoral directive addressed to all Couples for Christ members in his Archdiocese of Jaro, basically stating that he accepts both the CFC and the FFL in his archdiocese. He goes on to exhort both groups to "...support each other in their respective apostolate."

The decree itself is normal, since if you all can recall Bishop's Reyes' official statement after the dialogue, he points out that the FFL, "...in order to to get official recognition from the Church...should start as a diocesan organization..." So, Bishop Lagdameo is only following the natural progression of things, as the FFL has probably applied for recognition, and he is approving it. Simple, right? Ah but there's the rub....

Bishop Lagdameo is the President of the CBCP, and as such, appears to carry the weight of the whole organization behind him. At least that's how the FFL would like for it to appear. He has also inserted some specific wording in his directive, that, among others, "orders" the CFC to recognize the "...peculiar role of the Founder of Couples for Christ, Frank Padilla."

(As an aside, I thought the "founder" point had already been made abundantly clear, HERE.)

This has since triggered a flurry of cyber activity, obviously with the FFL who have understandably reacted with glee, and with CFC members, who are seeing a new rift beginning because of the added confusion this is sowing worldwide.

Here are both pages of Bishop Lagdameo's circular:






I've wondered long and hard about how I should respond to this, actually, how any of us in CFC would, considering the seeming weight of the "orders." I know this situation has given more than a few of us headaches and lost sleep, caused mainly by, frustration.

Because how does one tell the president of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines that his action can possibly cause more harm than good? The answer? Good question.

If you need any more proof that prayer works though, look no further. Sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways, and sometimes, He just makes you wait. Turns out I didn't have to tell the good Bishop anything, I just had to show.

So here then, is my open letter to:


MOST REV. ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO,

My most respectful greetings dear Bishop, I hope this letter finds you well and at peace.

This open letter is in response to your Circular No.209/04/2008, addressed to the members of Couples for Christ, both in the CFC and the FFL.

I would like, first of all, to thank you for the love and affection you so obviously show your flock, and in your resolve in pursuing peace and unity among the members of both the FFL and CFC. The example you have set should serve as a shining beacon for both groups, since the future and survival of either group rests in the resolution of their differences. It would be a shame to see the continued division and eventual dissolution of a religious organization that has so successfully brought thousands of people closer to God and the church.

The reason I am writing to you now though, was brought on by what seems to be confusion in interpreting your directive. I am re-printing your words here:

"I would like to make it known to everyone my pastoral directive for all the members Of Couples for Christ in the Archdiocese of Jaro:"

Please forgive my presumption but I understand this statement to mean that your directive covers only your Archdiocese of Jaro. It seem to me that this may have not been made clear enough to certain members of either community. A case in point, if I may bring to your attention certain emails referring to your directive and are now currently circulating in the communities, I quote here:

"let us fan out this attachment in the email so that all may know what the truth and nothuing but the truth, says. seek the lie-lows and third forces in your area and discuss this freely with them, and ask for a decision - if in the face of this document they still have reservations, then not even the Holy Spirit can help them.. when we talk "discernment" in CFC, it is spiritual discernment, as distinguished from human processes. if in the face of this, they still are skeptics, warn them that they could be sinning against the Holy Spirit which the bible says is unforgivable. every Christian, when confronted by the truth, can no longer hem and haw but proact on it with the free and unencumbered conscience."

*bold highlights mine

I think it is fairly plain to see how your noble intentions can be used to "persuade" and pressure people into an unprepared discernment, esp. under the threat of supposedly "sinning", when in truth, they've done nothing wrong.

Also, I'd like to point out the possibility, in their zeal to spread your esteemed directive, that some people could be missing a very key portion of it that states:

"3) That both groups must be faithful to the vision, mission and charism of the original Couples for Christ. They must support each other in their respective apostolate. They must refrain from destructive criticisms, competition and jealousy and manipulative behavior to destroy the other. This is not inspired by the Good Spirit."

*bold highlights mine

Contained in the same email, you may find that they might very well have skipped that section of your directive:

"...with it, let us go into the offensive. flush them out of the parish scene, exposing them as charlatans, if they continue to peddle lies and half-truths just to suit their their evil intentions."

*bold highlights mine

Bishop, I know that they do not mean to speak this way, especially in reference to such an inspired decree, it just may be that they might need the additional clarity that only you can provide.

I hope that I haven't taken too much of your valuable time, I write this open letter only in the hopes that this can be brought to the attention of those directly involved in these emails and in the spirit of brotherly correction, be reminded of the true spirit with which your directive was written.

Your Humble Servant in Christ,

C.D.

Ps.
The full text of those emails can be found below or download from HERE:

http://www.zshare.net/download/81213228ebcd1d/

I personally don't know how the good Bishop will take such a letter, but really, it can't possibly be any worse than the FFL's Ado Paglinawan's gleeful email, can it? I wonder why they didn't copy the Bishop on it? Surely if it referred to his directive, he should be at least notified of their actions. It would be the most respectful thing to do.

Speaking of Ado's email, the way I received it, it had already been responded to by some of our brethren. One of the responses was very worth posting, so here it is in its entirety:

On 2/25/08, Norinna Palad < > wrote:

Thank you for this email, which came to my attention because you passed it on through friends and it finally got to my email.

First, I have to tell you that whatever circular Arcbishop releases as the Archbishop of Jaro is not binding on the other Archbishops of the Philippines. His being president of the CBCP is purely administrative and coordinative. He has no power over other bishops. Any pastoral decision affecting a nationwide scope has to be deliberated and voted upon by the entire CBCP.

First, for a statement to be officially issued in the name of the CBCP, it must have the approval of the majority of the members of the CBCP during plenary session. The "statements" often issued by Archbishop Lagdameo are not official CBCP statements because these were not voted upon during plenary session. These are simply his personal statements.

Second, simply because the CBCP has approved a statement does not mean that it is binding upon the consciences of the faithful. In order for a CBCP statement to command internal assent from the Filipino faithful (meaning, we can't disagree with it), it must have the following characteristics:

1) It must be UNANIMOUSLY approved by ALL members of the CBCP. If there is even only one bishop who doesn't approve, then the statement does not bind

2) If there is NO UNANIMOUS approval, the approval of the Holy See must FIRST be sought. No approval of the Holy See, no binding power.

This can be seen in the final paragraphs of "Apostolos Suos", a document issued by Pope John Paul II to rein in the abuses of the various national bishops' conferences throughout the world.

In all of these, we have to remain vigilant especially when invoking the Holy Spirit, lest we grieve Him by making or passing on statements given by others, to which individuals are ASKED to commit or agree to, LEST they commit the "unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit".. This is plain and simple HERESY. We ALL have the power to call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance and discernment., in order to make wise and individual decisions. No person can say that he has the sole prerogative of speaking for the Holy Spirit. Not even the Pope makes that claim, and not even the Pope says that those who disagree with him can never be forgiven..

Let us all be guided by the Holy Spirit at all times.

Your sister in Christ,
Nori Palad

Thank you Sister Nori, I couldn't have said it better myself. No really, I couldn't. I'm very glad I received that email after you've had your say.

So folks, it looks like it's back to the battle stations. Are you all ready?

I am.

Big Hugs in Baguio

You can try to mislead,
You can send a venue astray,
You can even confuse the issue...

But one thing is for sure:

There was no stopping the LOVE in Baguio...

And, just a little teaser before I post all the pictures, someone got himself a new shirt!

We are the Couples For Christ,
We're with the Spirit, UNITED!

Thanks for the video, you know who you are. =)



So Baguio was a blast! Who was there? Share your experiences?


Stay Tuned, More later...

Awe-Inspiring

UPDATE:

For those who wanted to watch the whole event, here's a message from the CFC Multimedia Center on how to:

Hello, brothers and sisters!

Great news! You may watch the complete proceedings of the Leaders Conference held at the Araneta Coliseum last Saturday, January 12 starting early Saturday morning, January 19. The entire 4-hour show will be replayed over a 48-hour period starting Saturday all the way to Sunday, January 20.

Again, here is how you may watch it:

1. Go to www.tvunetworks.com

2. Download Windows TVU Player

3. Go to Channel 63256 (the Philippine Events Channel)

or via the CFC webpage

1. Go to cfclc.couplesforchristglobal.org

2. This is an interactive site and you can simply follow instructions that will allow you to see the live feed of the event as well as to continue sending comments/messages.

We know that many of you were frustrated that the reception was spotty during the live feed due to technical difficulties. This weekend, you can watch it uninterrupted. God bless you all and happy viewing!

--
CFC UGNAYAN MULTIMEDIA CENTER
COUPLES FOR CHRIST Global Missions Foundation Inc.

Here are the pictures from the Leader's Conference at the Araneta Coliseum. I know they're a few days delayed, hehe, but I had to compile the pictures that I took and were sent in to me, as well as upload the vids. Also the songs, wow, THE SONGS! I added a couple of them that I was able to find to the music playlist on the right. I have to say...they have a very different meaning to me now.

Here are some shots from inside Araneta:








I'm only posting a few of the crowd pictures, as most of you have probably seen the crowd shots in the official site that were taken from within Araneta. I hope that you all agree with me that the Spirit was with us in a massive way that day. You can SEE and FEEL the Araneta Coliseum filled to the rafters, and that's just the leaders!

I did receive more pictures that really help to illustrate how inspiring it was in there. Here, we feature our leaders defining CFC's Mission/Vision:

Joe Tale



Joey Arguelles

Joe Yamamoto


Roquel Ponte


Melo Villaroman

Lito Tayag
Ernie Maipid

*I'll be updating with more pics of the Clergy and others later.



To sum it up, I was INSPIRED. MOVED, and REVIVED.

We don't even have to talk of anointments, of divine rights, or even of keepers of charisms. One thing was certain:

I now have a renewed faith in our leadership to lead us with transparency, accountability, and honesty. Most of all, I know they do all this selflessly. With our mission/vision in our sights, I believe there's nothing that the CFC community cannot accomplish.

Was CFC the right choice? The answer my friends, is a resounding 18,000 strong, YES.


We do still have our trials ahead. There are battles to be fought, whether we like it or not. There will be a struggle ahead for our identity and more importantly, for the community that has nurtured us all these years. There will also be battles to protect what is ours. I think, like the OTBT campaign, we're going to keep chugging merrily along, seeing small miracles along the way and thanking God for them.

CFC STATE OF THE MISSION

CFC STATE OF THE MISSION

CFC Director Joe Tale delivered his State of the Mission address last night, January 15, 2008 to the Mission Core members of Metro Manila, some members from Saudi Arabia, Australia and other countries, provincial leaders and ministries coordinators. The Xavier School Gym was filled to overflowing, rapt in attention as Joe detailed the community's experiences in the year that was and outlined the community's goals and targets for the year that has begun.

Also in the audience was His Excellency Bishop David Kamau of the Diocese of Nairobi, Kenya, who is here upon the invitation of the International Council. Bishop Kamau arrived last Saturday, January 12, just in time to witness the annual leaders conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

The following are excerpts from Joe Tale's address:

We are off to a good start in 2008, judging from the very positive indicators manifested in the first gatherings of the year, and even including the highly successful And A Time to Dance celebration last December 2, 2007. We saw unity and vibrancy in the overflow crowd at the first Mission Core Gathering at the Ateneo last January 6 where the traditional first fruits offering was held; the January 12 Leaders Conference which was truly spirit-filled, reflecting a new refreshing spirit and a new springtime in CFC, attended by 18,000 leaders from all over the world; the January 13 meeting of the Metro Manila sector governance teams and provincial area councils at the Mary the Queen parish hall; and the January 14 gathering of the MM sector heads, regional heads, provincial area heads and provincial area directors at the Innotech Seameo. In all these gatherings, what was very evident was the vibrant atmosphere and the willingness to truly move forward in our work of evangelization, pastoral formation, family renewal and total Christian liberation.

2007: THE YEAR THAT WAS

Ecclesiastes affirms that for God, everything has a season and a purpose. 2007 was our time to mourn. 2008, however, is our time to dance and to indeed hope in the Lord, leaving behind the lamentations, the pains and the hurts of the past year. But this season of rejoicing should not be reason to forget the lessons of the past year. I would like to cite five lessons that we would do well to remember:

1. The CFC community is not ours, but God's. It is not our will that should prevail but what God wills for our community.
2. The past year taught us, to an amazing extent, that we are indeed totally dependent on the Lord.
3. We should embrace the cross, accepting fully the experience of pain, not running away from it but standing firm in the face of it. There are no shortcuts to the Promised Land and God is guiding us through the wilderness.
4. A very important lesson of the past year was our community's obedience to God's call for us to "be still." Even in the face of adversity and deep hurts, the lesson of being still taught us that we should continue using our faith values as Christians.
5. The most important lesson of all is for all of us to let our light shine. When we allow the Lord's light to shine through us, we dwell not on the weaknesses of others but we build on our strengths.

With all of these lessons truly taken to heart, I am confident that we will reach the Promised Land, stronger and ready for something greater that the Lord has in store for us.

Indeed 2007 was a blessed year. The Lord allowed the events and the storms of the year so that we as a community may experience many new things. As early as when there were only four of us in the International Council, we already began to exercise collective leadership; the Council became a collegial body, moving as one. Another new thing was the use of consultative governance -- the Council recognized that the Lord speaks to all of us. The Pastoral Congress was a step that allowed the Council and other elders to hear the viewpoints of others. The Council, as a result of the events of 2007, also saw the need for greater transparency and this has led to the regular release of financial reports. This has also made the Council, and everyone else in the community, realize that we have to exercise individual and collective proper stewardship of our funds. The One Time, Big Time Campaign was an offshoot of this realization -- the target of a Debt-Free CFC is not simply a desire to pay off our debts, but a step towards managing our community's resources better. And lastly, beginning also from the time when there were only four Council members, we already recognized the need to have spiritual direction from our shepherds, the clergy. At these turbulent times, the prayers and guidance of the clergy sustained us and allowed us to be strong in facing the challenges that confronted us.

2008: A NEW BEGINNING: ON TO OUR JOURNEY FROM SILVER TO GOLD

1. The Call to Mission

As we start our work in 2008, I am very pleased to announce that CFC is on solid footing both in the Philippines and internationally. The events of 2007 caused only a very minimal dent in our membership. As I earlier mentioned during the A Time to Dance event, "nabulabog man tayo" (we may have been shaken up a bit), but CFC remained one, CFC remained strong. On the global front, while some countries declared independence or allegiance to the splinter group, latest reports show that CFC is strong in the continents of Africa, Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East.

In spite of the difficulties of 2007, what was amazing was that the Philippine Mission and the Metro Manila Mission went about its evangelization and pastoral formation work.

2. The Pastoral Congress

The Pastoral Congress was launched on August 25, 2007 and consultations were made in September on the international structure and on clergy relations. A total of 66 provinces and 11 MM sectors have already submitted their final reports on the congresses held in their area. The Philippine Congress report has been submitted to the International Council which has approved the global vision and mission statement. Other recommendations in the report, such as structural changes, are under review and will be presented to the Elders Assembly sometime in April, for implementation in June.

Congresses were also held in some foreign countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with other congresses scheduled in the United States and Canada in March.


3. Clergy Relations

Relations with the Philippine clergy have been strengthened and indeed, our relations with the clergy have never been better than at this time.The Council has had regular meetings with Bishop Gabriel Reyes, our spiritual director. We note the close relationship of Bishop Angel Lagdameo with CFC in his diocese in Iloilo. The IC has had an audience with Bishop Soc Villegas and we are pleased that the bishop has warm relations with CFC Bataan. We have also had audiences with Cardinal Rosales and we had him as our guest at the MC teaching night. We are grateful for the support of other bishops in CFC gatherings such as the Leaders Conference where Bishop Honesto Ongtioco extolled the good works of CFC. We are particularly grateful that CFC was invited to conduct the recollection for priests in Cebu by Ricardo Cardinal Vidal. He sent a video-recorded message during the Leaders Conference at Araneta but unfortunately it did not reach us in time. We shall show it now.

4. Governance, Stewardship and Accountability

At the Home Office, the emphasis is on service. The new look of the Center reflects this philosophy, with the Ugnayan Hall now open for meetings of up to 60 people and the personnel ready not only with their smiles but with assistance. Our vision for the Home Office is this: That the Home Office is sacred ground (because God reigns there); that it is a real home (because love reigns); and a model of service (because the people at the HO are both efficient and effective.)

The One Time Big Time campaign, as of January 15, has netted P10.56 million which will be used to pay off our bank loans. This is more than half of our total indebtedness. If we as a community were able to generate this much in less than a month, then it is a certainty that if we continue with this effort, that we will be debt-free by the time we celebrate our 27th anniversary in June.

Three times over the past months, I have heard one particular prophecy repeated-- that we will have our very own Center from where we can more fully expand our work. Please pray for this to happen.

The events of 2007 also revealed to us one need -- to make use of communications and technology in reaching out to more people. I would like to announce that we have created at the Home Office the Ugnayan Multimedia Center, which will take care of the communications requirements of the IC and CFC. We would like to put out a call for writers to help us in our communications work.

CFC is now in 160 countries. This is a vast number. And so we also recently created the International Missions Office, headed by Clarke and Cynthia Nebrao, which will fill a long-felt need to monitor and address the concerns of our foreign missionaries as well as to expand our mission work to more areas.

5. Gawad Kalinga

We now have a more proactive GK Board, one that is more involved in the Management Committee and Executive Committee of GK. There is now stronger coordination between CFC and GK. This is deliberate because we would like everyone in CFC to fully embrace GK and to follow the call of the Lord for us to build the Church of the Poor.

WHAT LIES AHEAD

I would like to stress that CFC is a global community but the center lies here, with us, the Metro Manila Mission Core. Any change, any improvement that we would like to see must start with us.

What are our basic directions for 2008?

1. Deepening our Spirituality

We would like to see a deepening of spirituality in all of us. To this end, we envision the creation of Bible study groups among our members. The Council has just gone through an Ignatian retreat - it would be good if the members can experience this too. In the midst of our difficulties, the Council went into contemplative prayer. The community would benefit from practicing this.

2. Strengthening our Relationships

Our theme for 2008 is "Love one another." This theme must not be something that we pay mere lip service to. 'Love one another" must be in our hearts. Thus, we shall conduct teachings on this theme of loving. We intend also to continue the MER (Marriage Enrichment Retreat) series, and to revive the FER (Family Enrichment Retreat). We see the strengthening of MC household with the quarterly gathering of all MC household heads.

3. Resurgence of Evangelization

When I say evangelization, I would also like to include the wider meaning of it -- evangelization through the witness of our lives. Even if the people we witness to do not move on to the Christian Life Program, the example of our lives would enrich them and that constitutes evangelization as well. The Christian Life Program will be given a boost by the renewed and concerted effort of all of us to bring God's invitation to more people.

GK has a wonderful potential for evangelization. We would like everyone to embrace the potential of GK and the Social Ministries in the work of evangelization and nation building.

4. Communications Technology

We intend to focus on the use of the tools of technology to further the work of the kingdom. Among these tools are the use of emails to spread information and SMS technology.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, I would like everyone to see on screen CFC's vision and mission as refined and deliberated by the Pastoral Congress. We should memorize these and internalize them so that we do not just mouth them but live them.

Our vision remains the same: we are to be FAMILIES IN THE HOLY SPIRIT RENEWING THE FACE OF THE EARTH. But we have expanded it to express the elements that form part of it, so that everyone will know and understand what is meant by this vision.

VISION:
"Moved by the Holy Spirit
One with the Catholic Church
Blessed to Witness Christ's Love and Service
Couples for Christ is a United Global Community
Of Family Evangelizers
That Sets the World on Fire
With the Fullness of God's Transforming Love."

Our vision expresses who we are and what we should be as a community. In order to achieve the vision, we are called to DO something. Our mission statement has been restated as follows:

MISSION:

'Building the Church of the Home, Building the Church of the Poor."

We are called by the Lord for family renewal and for social renewal through total Christian liberation. This is the expression of what "the fullness of God's transforming love" means for us.

Again, I would like to reiterate that all these start with us! Let us be the change we want for CFC. Let us be the CFC we want the community to be! May God be praised.


CFC UGNAYAN MULTIMEDIA CENTER
COUPLES FOR CHRIST Global Missions Foundation Inc.

CFC Leaders Conference

This much anticipated event is even more exciting because it is going global via the internet! The new CFC website has all the information you need, but I'm giving it here too for all of you:

Here are some reminders:

1. Area heads, council members, country heads and coordinators who will be in Manila for the activity are part of the parade and are expected to be at the Araneta Center at 9 AM on Saturday for the rehearsal. Please submit your names to Gina Nagrampa at the Home Office (7270681/7270707) not later than 12 noon of Wednesday, January 9. You will have reserved seating at the courtside. Please enter through the South Gate. The gate will be closed at 10:30 AM and latecomers will not be allowed to enter after this time. They will have to join the rest of the assembly when the gates open at 12 noon. Please remember that only those in the list of submitted names will be allowed to enter at this time.

2. Please bring your provincial/country CFC flag and a flagpole

3. Those who cannot come to Manila will still have the opportunity to be part of the activity. The event will be beamed via Internet Protocol TV worldwide. There are two ways by which the event can be viewed:

1. By downloading your TVU player:

a. Go to tvunetworks.com

b. Download TVU player

c. Go to Channel 63256 (the Philippine Events Channel)

2. Via the CFC webpage

a. Go to cfclc.couplesforchristglobal.org

b. This is the CFC official web page.

c. This is an interactive site and you can simply follow instructions that will allow you to see the live feed of the event as well as to email comments/messages that will be projected on the giant screen on stage.

You would need to log in between 1 PM to 6 PM, Manila time.

I'll be trying to send a message online as well. =) Hope to see you all there!