Friday, August 8, 2014

MY REPLY TO MR. PABLO AGLUBAT IN TODAY'S PDN

Mr. Aglubat's letter: 

My reply:

Dear Pablo,

You are smarter than that. There are over 10,000 comments published on my blog, most of which express dismay at the practices of "the Way". There are a total of 14 adults who regularly attend the Latin Mass and two members of the Catholic Evidence Guild of Guam. Yet you say that these two groups are from where most of the criticism of the Way comes from? No. Chuck White and I have been just the few people willing to put our name to our comments. 

The blessing of four popes? "The Way" is but one of over a hundred "movements" (a title you reject) overseen by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, all of which have the blessing of the popes, and many, being older, by more popes than yours. However, only "the Way" translates "blessing" into "permission", permission to regularly violate its own statute.

As you said, your "statute" was approved in 2008. If only your leaders would adhere to it. As an attorney you must understand what a statute is. Apart from your statute, your Way has no legitimacy. Yet the Way departs from its statute regularly especially in the celebration of the eucharist, its core activity. 
  • You stand at the consecration, whereas the church instructs us to kneel.
  • You sit to consume the eucharist, whereas the church instructs us to kneel or stand.
  • Your presbyter distributes the consecrated bread BEFORE he receives his own communion, whereas the church instructs otherwise.
  • You regularly celebrate your eucharist in unconsecrated spaces.

There is no exception in the statute for these practices and as an attorney this ought to be very obvious to you, yet you not only privately embrace these violations you now defend them publicly.

Also, though the statute requires your "eucharists" to be open "to the other faithful" there is no publication of those times and places as is published the regular schedule of Masses - making them NOT open "to the other faithful".

You also happily run through the usual mantra of how many prelates welcome and approve you, but there are just as many or more that don't. Would you mind telling us why in 2010, the Japanese bishops en masse petitioned Rome to rid their country of "the Way" entirely? Or would you tell us about the crisis in the Philippines that caused at least one Archbishop to shut down "the Way" entirely, noting:

“There is a prevailing sentiment of superiority among the community members...resulting in a disdainful attitude towards those who are not walking the Way or have stopped joining the meetings. Besides, disdainful and disrespectful remarks about my predecessor, about some priests and even about my own person, have been repeatedly heard from the catechists of the communities contrary to good manners, upright conduct, filial respect and Christian charity.” ( Archbishop Socrates Villegas)

The sad part is that "the Way" has done much good and certainly is capable of doing much more good. But if smart people like you do not hold your leaders to account and demand that they stay faithful to the statute imposed on it ,or as Pope Francis recently termed it "your charter", the Way will ultimately implode taking many souls with it. 

Meanwhile, tell the Archbishop to stop trashing the rest of us. 

P.S. Pablo, we have long known each other and have always had an amicable relationship. You are welcome to contact me and set up a meeting if you would like to show me where my observations are in error. 

3 comments:

  1. At the end of all this what matters the most is the soul. The devils uses our life experiences to turn something bad into good but the devil is working hard to make it appear s" the way" good when its actually bad teaching. Its all mental condition conditioningv thst leads them to think act feel that way cuz its the onl way in and out.


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  2. I have another observation, Mr'. Aglubat, you mention that there are many other crises on Guam which need attention, which is true, however I have yet to see the ncw going to seek out the lost. They are not in our churches, where the ncw does it's fishing, which says to me that the ncw sees those who attend regular Sunday Mass as "lost".
    As a man who seems well versed in matters of the church, you must know that there is a double standard here on Guam with regards to the ncw. Tim has mentioned a few of them in his comment to your article.
    Many in the ncw talk about the "fruit" of this movement, however I would rebut that even the Mormon church can make such a claim, and it's numbers would dwarf the ncw's, yet we can both say that they are not the true church.
    This is getting long so I will cut it here with a final thought, The concerns of Fr. Zoffoli, as enumerated in his book, in my opinion, have yet to be addressed officially by the church.

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  3. Just one word for Mr. Aglubat. IMPOSITION. That is the root cause of all these problems (as beautifully and clearly pointed out by Chuck White). For the Way the leaders of the Way, believe and let you believe that it is THE only Way. The only Way that should be imposed and can be imposed on the Catholic Church of Guam is the Way, the Truth and the Light. I would like to thank a previous commenter for this thought.

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