The Xiphias Gladius Project. It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but it’s not. ”Xiphias Gladius”, a phrase taken from the Greek and Latin words for “sword”, is the name of a team of Neocatechumenal academics dedicated to researching and teaching the theories of Rene Girard, a French-born American academic. Girard is famous for his theory of religious anthropology called “Mimetic Desire.” I will describe this theory and it’s great danger after I describe how we stumbled upon the issue and the discovered the Xiphias Gladius team.
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Excellent article.
ReplyDeleteCan you provide a website for the click here, here, or here. I need translation. By clicking all I get is Spanish.
ReplyDeleteUse the Google Chrome browser to get a passable translation of the Spanish. But remember that Girard's thought is very accessible in English at sites like http://imitatio.org. And he makes his claims about the non-sacrificial interpretation of Christ's Passion in his books: "Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World," "Violence and the Sacred," and "I See Satan Fall Like Lightening" to name a few.
DeleteBut the best overview of his thought can be found in the Girard Reader, which is readily available from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
One last point: Girard held the Gospels to be the ultimate revelation of the Scapegoat Mechanism and its bane. The Xiphias Gladius team cannot avoid teaching that if it is loyal to Girard. And these guys are hard core Girardians.
Just read an article written by David A. and some of his assumptions is false especially on praying the rosary, mass intentions and a year long of mourning for the dead. Maybe this is why the NCW so believe in the saying Let the dead bury the dead. My comment for this section on his writing is for him to tell the Archbishop to have masses said at the cemeteries on Nov. 2 put to a stop.
ReplyDeleteAs far as out legends are concerned one cannot say that this is the cause of suicide on Guam. There are other factors that promote suicide.
It seems to me that the man has not lived long enough on Guam to understand the culture of the Chamorro people.
As far as the Blessed Mother is concerned, we do not only place our trust on Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Santa Maria Kamelin, or Our Lady of Fatima. We have devotions to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Lourdes, The Immaculate Heart of Mary and many more. To say that our devotion to the Blessed Mother is disappearing is entirely wrong. Wrong teaching being done at RMS.
Lord have mercy, doesn't the Archnishop even know what is being taught where the local culture and belief about the Blessed Mother is concerned ? He better get on the ball.
Thankyou, for another excellent article. I feel very sorry for the members of the Way who have been so mislead, and are evidently unable to extricate themselves. Let us all pray for them with great love and understanding.
ReplyDeleteChuck, since the neocatechuminal teachings and practices are BASED ON, ROOTED IN and REFLECT the theories of R. Gerard which are not adhered to nor taught in our Catholic Faith – especially with regard to Gerard’s teachings and belief that Christ’s death on the Cross was not only NOT a sacrificial death but also NOT a PERFECT SACRIFICE (which Catholics belief Christ’s death to be, and which we believe His Sacrificial death means that no other sacrifice could be offered that could replace Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross for our Salvation) – I find it appalling that the ncw can claim their movement to be Catholic!
ReplyDeleteThat Jesus’s death on the Cross is the ultimate and only perfect sacrifice is another one of our Catholic Faith’s core beliefs and teachings that the ncw goes against!
Isn't this enough for the Archbishop to recognize that the ncw movement raises red flags for Catholics? It is anti-catholic! That's all there is to that! Esta!
I don't know whether Kiko was influenced by Rene Girard before he founded the NCW, or whether he and/or his academics are latching onto his thought now to bolster the views that they already teach. We'll see.
DeleteWithin the Popes Parish, there is NCW communities? How would you explain that?
Delete@1:18. Your point is?
Delete"See, see our great numbers. See all of our seminarians. We even have communities in Rome. How could we be wrong?"
DeleteArius was wrong. He taught error, and so do you.
Rather than citing documents, I have seen a few times where someone has offered a quantity of clergy, a quantity of communities or a quantity of members to "authenticate" the teaching of the Way.
DeleteWould the Church ever use polling as the validating factor for the authentication of the Church?
My point is, if we are so wrong wouldn't the Pope have realized it already? Unless you are implying that our Pope is blind and can not notice it. and that you are smarter and wiser than him.
DeleteWill Chucky ur similar with Luther also. Continue to attack your own household.
Delete1:18am
DeleteDon't you just love the Pope, he keeps all his good friends close........and his enemies even closer! That's why.
The Magisterium does not teach error, NCW does.
And 1:18 a.m. Point is no one can do ministering better than the RMS priest, just as Diana states in her column. This is a bunch of **** ****!
Delete1:18AM There are Masons in Rome, too. How would YOU explain that. There are terrorists who live amongst loyal, patriotic American Citizens in the Mainland U.S.A. How would YOU explain that.
DeleteMy explanation: it simply means that there are bad apples and there are good apples who exist and LIVE side by side in the same places -- including in Rome where our Holy Father LIVES.
BUT, the GOOD APPLE members in the Roman Catholic Church and Faith DO follow the Magisterium and DO NOT have a NEED, DO NOT have the INTEREST nor the DESIRE to alter, refashion, misinterpret nor to add on to ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING ABOUT the Teachings and Traditions already taught and handed down by Jesus Christ, which Jesus Deposited in The Church He Instituted, Himself. Esta.
1:18AM So how do YOU explain the neo's NEED, DESIRE AND PENCHANT for altering, refashioning and misinterpreting and EVEN CONTRADICTING what Jesus Christ, Himself, ALREADY TAUGHT, DEPOSITED AND ESTABLISHED as the Catholic Teachings for Church He instituted?
DeleteHow about an explanation of the ncw DRAW, RECOGNITION and EXTOLMENT of Kiko (the community organizer, leader and interpreter of the “teachings” of the Catholic- wannabe-ncw-church-movement), by-passing the Magisterium who is the SOLE LEADER of The Roman Catholic Church and has the SOLE AUTHORITY for determining the authenticity of Catholic Teachings bestowed to him by Jesus, Himself?
I don’t see Kiko and Carmen mentioned in Scriptures, even! How would you explain that?
1:18
DeleteHeheh...that's like saying; "Jesus chose Judas, how do you explain that?" Judas=Kiko=the betrayers, get it!
That's how you explain that.
9:16AM Rather, the point is: Pope would already have PUBLICLY announced it; even heralded the news-worthy Catholic tidings of revealed new interpretations and refashionings of “Catholic teachings and practices" by now. The NCW catechism would have been distributed (widely) for all Catholics to benefit from, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church by now, would have been revised. Did Jesus mean for the “Good News” and the “Ways to Salvation” to be kept a secret and available to only a choice few? What an absurdity that would be!
DeleteThe Catechism of the Catholic Church (when completed) was universally announced, published, distributed, made easily accessible for all Catholics; in fact, we’re allowed to have our very own copies and share it with even those outside our Faith. Do you have one yourself? You should get one, if not.
Why the secrecy about the NCW catechism?? Why does one have to wait and attain a certain level of membership before being given the complete and full NCW truth hidden in the pages of an elusive NCW catechism?
What if one dies before having attained the next necessary level in the NCW and missed out on how to prevent the perdition of his soul!! Just ponder over that. Esta.
Why would you Judas as an example. calling us betrayers. The Pope is fully aware and is allowing the practice of the NCW world wide. How would you explain that? if what you claim about our "illicit" practices and teachings going against the Roman Catholic faith, why would the four past Popes let it go? Apparently you have no faith in your leadership. This does not only mean our Archbishop but the Pope himself. The Pope oversees all Catholic action.
DeleteAren't we all betrayers of Christ?
Delete3:54pm As usual, neo responses evade issue and topic.
DeleteSo the neo's claim to authenticity is the silence of our Magisterium! What an absurd observation and reasoning. It appears that wishful thinking is the basis of neo reasonings and teachings. And then they bank on the non-response or the silence of the Magisterium as The Formal Confirmation of the Magisterium's Approval!
It's no wonder the neos cannot provide any written formal documentation of this imagined approval from the Magisterium.
Non-neo authentic Catholicism adheres to, follows and is loyal to the Magisterium -- not to Kiko. Do you see the difference here? You all just don't get it.
But then, again, how can you if you all believe and rely on imagination.
Your "Do you think you're smarter than the Pope?" and your "Why did the the last four popes allow the practice of the NCW?" questions are pure evasion.
DeleteI laid the problem out very simply:
1) A group of hard core NCW Girardians are associated with more than one RMS seminary, including ours.
2) A central tenant of Girard's thought was his non-sacrificial interpretation of the Gospels, and Christ's Passion in particular.
3) No committed Girardian could teach Girard's thought and avoid teaching the non-sacrificial meaning of Christ's death.
4) The Church unambiguously teaches that Christ's death was an expiatory sacrifice on behalf of us sinners.
5) David Antienza and his colleagues teach this to our seminarians or have done so in the past.
6) This will have disastrous theological and pastoral consequences for us.
You don't have to be smarter than the Pope to understand this, and I am not.
If you want to reply to my accusations, please do so, but using your real name, as courageous men and women with an adult faith do.
3:54, Ay yai yai yai yai...Judas=kiko=betrayers, no one called you a betrayer, unless you're kiko arguello. You're only a follower of kiko so I can't really blame you if you were misled. I have faith in our Pope but not in Guam's archbishop that's for sure. Your question about the "Popes letting it go" has been answered many times over in this blog, please review them.
DeleteI agree with Chuck White. Letting people like Atienza and others continue teaching those heresies is going to be truly disastrous for our people. The NCW will only stop doing what they're doing when the truth is exposed and the people take these grave concerns to Rome. Why Rome? because as Anon @3:54pm said, we have no more faith in the leadership of Anthony Apuron. His motives are clear - power and lording over the people.
DeleteThe Church does not exist without her ministers. Even if they are wicked.
DeleteYou cannot say I believe in God but not in the Achbishop. This is a contradiction in the Catholic Church. See CCC and Gospels.
You sure as HELL can say I believe in God and don't believe in the Archbishop. More neo-think.
Delete10:41...I just said it and there was no contradiction. See CCC, Gospels and the Saints
Delete"The floors of HELL is paved with the heads of Priests and the Bishops and the head of the Bishops as the post!" St. John Chrysostom.
I believe in God but not in the Archbishop of Guam for his actions, and teachings are of a strange new gospel not from the Magisterium or the Apostles but from Kiko Arguello who portrays himself as The New christ and savior.
To Anon 4/08 @ 10:41am and to all neos who try to defend the actions of Tony ... read the real Catechism of the Catholic Church -
DeletePara 873 - "in the Church there is diversity of ministry but unity of mission." When Tony or any other bishop goes off on his own teaching and separates himself from the unity of the Universal Church he no longer follows the order of bishops and cannot be followed by well-informed Catholics lest they also be lead to the fires of hell (my words not the CCC)
Para 879 - it talks about a bishop's pastoral responsibility for his church. By Tony's hiding and silence he has chosen to remove himself from this function which is key to his authority. Instead he allows the village idiots who preach a gospel of Kiko to try and speak on behalf of the Church. These idiots espouse a notion that if no one says it is wrong, then it must be right. Reasonable Catholics look at the teachings of the Church and say if this is how the Mass is to be celebrated per Church magisterium, then THAT must be right and any deviation must be wrong. All people ask for is documentation of your odd beliefs, and you cannot provide it...show us a document that allows your practices. Tony can only remain stupidly silent because he KNOWS what is right and wrong, but chooses to do wrong. Then he forces otherwise good people to try and defend his false teachings for him. If I were you lay people, I would be very pissed off at him for such cowardly acts. I respect true leaders, which is why I have absolutely no respect for the man on Guam with the mitre.
Para 894- direct quote regarding bishops "govern ... by the authority and sacred power which indeed they ought to exercise...". Note importantly that they "OUGHT" to exercise, but not that they are divinely guided to always exercise sacred power. In the case of Tony, I think the majority of clear headed people will agree that indeed Tony ought to exercise that sacred power, but that he has failed in many, many ways. The power of infallibility does not rest with the bishop of Guam or any other bishop. Go to para 891 to find where this unity of God and bishop rests.
Para 891 says "The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office..." Only the Pope can declare infallible teachings in faith and morals.
It is not possible for true Catholics to believe in God but not believe in the teachings of the Church...I am called to believe in both, absolutely. But I am certainly within my conscience to believe in God but not in Tony and his stooges. Para 891 further states: "The infallibility promised to the Church is also present to the body of bishops when, ..., they exercise the supreme Magisterium."
In simple english most seminarians will certainly understand: you no playa by the rules, you no getta my respect!
To all lay neos - for your benefit I urge all of you to do an examination of conscience and decide if Tony is leading you in all the teachings of Christ and His one true Church, or is he merely being a typical cafeteria Catholic and choosing to follow what he likes and to ignore that which he finds distasteful? Even worse, has he subjugated his teaching authority to the wacky theology of Kiko and Carmen, David A, and a whole slew of others who think they can improve on what Christ has built for us?
Ponder this point deeply when you are in your separate Easter vigil in a gym, house or hotel. Easter is the highlight of our liturgical year, and a time when all true Christians should unite to worship the one true God who conquered death. Instead, you celebrate an alternate liturgy, isolated from your other brother and sister Christians. Are we really that repulsive to you?
The informations given by the Raven foundation is very interesting. It talks of the purpose of the Raven given inner peace, scapegoating the preying of those that are vulnerable, and the mimic theory.
ReplyDeleteArchbishop KREBS. Can you HEAR us??? We are suffering at the hands of our non-shepherd and are asking does Rome care???????????
ReplyDelete