AN OPEN LETTER TO CFC-FFL WORLDWIDE

April 30, 2008

My dear brethren,

Grace and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ!

The turn of events

Events have moved quickly since an article entitled “Vatican admonishes CFC over GK” appeared on ABS-CBN online news last April 16 (note: we had nothing to do with that article, and the writer is unknown to me/us). Then the letter of Cardinal Rylko of the Pontifical Council for the Laity (Vatican) to Joe Tale dated March 11 surfaced on the Net (note: this did not come from us as we had no copy, but came from them as they tried to downplay the ABS-CBN news item). The letter told Joe about going back to the essentials, and the priority of building up the family, in fidelity to the Church. It talked about counterbalancing the overemphasis on the social work. It talked about the public scandal due to the mistakes committed, and the need to correct them. It urged Joe to issue a public declaration in the Philippine newspapers recognizing the errors and publicly apologizing. It directed CFC to stop receiving funding (from those producing or marketing contraceptives) .

The reaction of some on the CFC-GK side was fast and furious. Boy Montelibano, the right-hand man of Tony Meloto in GK, issued a series of writings, basically maligning me, Bishop Gabriel Reyes, Cardinal Rylko of the Vatican, and the Church hierarchy in general. He used strong words such as Pharisees and hypocrisy. Other newspaper columnists such as Esposo and de Quiros, connected with Boy, joined in on the personal attacks on me and on the hierarchical church.

http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=2008042699&type=2
http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=2008042866&type=2

We are in a time of intense spiritual warfare!

God’s action in our lives

Last year, the Lord brought us to Lamentations, to teach us a stern lesson, that we would lose it all if we are unfaithful to our covenant, just as what happened to His people Israel. I took command responsibility for our collective guilt, and made a spiritual offering of resignation from the Int’l Council. That should have brought us back to God’s grace, if we all repented and turned back from unfaithfulness to our covenant and veering away from our calling. But that did not happen, as there was disrespect and disobedience to our bishops, and there was maligning and attacks against those who wanted to restore CFC to its authentic charism.

We all allowed the enemy (the devil, our common enemy) to enter our gates, with the result that CFC plunged into deep crisis and then split.

But given that bringing us to Lamentations did not have the desired result, since there were those with hardened hearts who would not repent and turn away from errors, God then allowed the split to happen. If we had not split, CFC would soon have disintegrated, as the enemy wanted to destroy us all. With the split, the tensions between the social and the spiritual dimensions of our work were eliminated. We in CFC-FFL, the restored CFC true to its authentic charism, moved on, with great joy and starting to experience the return of God’s anointing.

The enemy, thinking he had succeeded in seriously weakening CFC with the split, now saw God bringing victory out of seeming defeat. He now saw the emergence of a restored CFC, once again totally focused on the charism given it. Once again God’s work of family renewal and evangelization could proceed in the power of His Spirit. And once again the enemy raged.

Since many bishops have recognized CFC-FFL, and since the Holy See, through the Pontifical Council for the Laity, has recognized the errors committed by CFC, so now it is the hierarchical Church herself that is under attack.

This is where we see that indeed we are into more intense spiritual warfare. The devil rages against the Church and her authentic work. The conflict is not just about us in CFC, but about the whole Church.

Call to prayer

What should we do?

First, be not afraid. The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church.

Second, rejoice in persecution for the sake of righteousness, for you are blessed (Mt 5:10-12). Such is God’s way of purifying us and moving us on to holiness.

Third, do not retaliate in kind. Continue to love your “enemy” (the only real enemy is the devil).

Fourth, pray hard. Prayer is our lifeline to God, who is merciful, kind, just and loving. We are His children. He is committed to care for us. He knows our pains. He allows crosses into our lives. But He has a great plan for us, not for woe but for a future full of hope.

Let us pray for God’s protective mantle on us all. Let us pray for our brethren who are in CFC-GK. They are our brethren and not our enemies. And let us pray for Mother Church, especially our bishops who guide and pastor us.

I ask every member of CFC-FFL, in addition to your regular daily prayer and Bible reading, to look to frequent participation in the Eucharist (daily if you can), to regular family prayer of the rosary (daily if you can), and to Eucharistic adoration (if you are able). The different CFC-FFL groupings (households, chapters, districts, etc.) should look to communal prayer and intercession. The intercessory groups should intensify their prayers. Let us also pray the chaplet of the Divine Mercy.

I also call on fasting twice a week. We, and the whole Church, are into intense spiritual warfare. Certain demons “can only come out through prayer (and through fasting)” (Mk 9:29). We are on spiritual war footing. Be fit for the fight.

Finally, keep your hearts pure and humble. “‘God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.’ So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” (1 Pt 5:5-7).

Rejoice in the Lord

It is appropriate that we in CFC-FFL have taken on the theme of joy for this year. God loves us, God has a great plan for us, God will never abandon us, God turns our pains and crosses into sanctification and holiness. And God is already victorious over the enemy. What more could we ask for?

I leave you with Peter’s wise words.

“Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.” (1 Pt 3:13-17)

Mama Mary, please pray for us and keep us in your loving embrace always.

God bless us all.

Your brother in Christ,

Frank Padilla

The Daily Gospel

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68 Wednesday, 30 April 2008 Wednesday of the Sixth week of Easter Today the Church celebrates : St. Pius V Saint Silouan : "When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth" Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 16,12-15. I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Commentary of the day : Saint Silouan (1866-1938), Orthodox monk Spiritual writings "When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth" If you want to pray in your heart and are not able, be content to pray with your lips and keep your mind attentive to what you are saying. Little by little the Lord will also give you the grace of interior prayer and then you will know how to pray without distractions. Don't try to bring about prayer of the heart by using techniques; you would risk harming your heart and, in the end, you would only be praying with the lips. Acknowledge the rule of the spiritual life: God grants his gifts to those who are humble and without guile. Be obedient; don't overdo things, whether in food, speech, or whatever you undertake. Then the Lord himself will give you the grace of interior prayer... Spiritual silence is born of the desire to fulfil Christ's command: «Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul... with all your strength,» (Mk 12,30). It is a silence brought about by the search for the living God in anyone who wants to be free from this world's temptations so that they can find our Lord in fullness of love and live in his presence in pure prayer. Lord, how could I not seek you? You have revealed yourself to my soul in such an amazing way! You have made it a prisoner of your love and it cannot forget you. Indeed, the soul recognises its Lord all at once in the Holy Spirit; who can describe this joy, this consolation? The Holy Spirit acts within the whole man, mind, soul and body; even so is God acknowledged, on earth as in heaven. In his infinite goodness the Lord has granted this grace to me –sinner that I am – so that men might know him and turn back to him.

The Daily Gospel

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68 Tuesday, 29 April 2008 Tuesday of the Sixth week of Easter Today the Church celebrates : St Catherine of Siena Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] : "It is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you" Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 16,5-11. But now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. Coming of the Advocate Commentary of the day : Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] (1891-1942), Carmelite, martyr, co-patron of Europe From a Pentecost Novena, 1937 (©ICS publications) "It is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you" Who are you, sweet light, that fills me And illumines the darkness of my heart?... Are you the master who builds the eternal, cathedral, Which towers from the earth through the heavens? Animated by you, the pillars are raised high And stand immovably firm (Rev 3,12). Marked with the eternal name of God, They stretch up to the light, Bearing the dome That crowns the holy cathedral, Your work that encircles the world: Holy Spirit – God's molding hand!... Are you the sweet song of love And of holy awe That eternally resounds around the triune throne, That weds in itself the clear chimes of each and every being? The harmony That joins together the members to the Head, In which each one Finds the mysterious meaning of being blessed And joyously surges forth, Freely dissolved in your surging: Holy Spirit – eternal jubilation!

KFC Kid's Day 2008

The Daily Gospel

Monday, 28 April 2008

Monday of the Sixth week of Easter

Today the Church celebrates : St. Louis Mary Grignion, St. Peter Chanel

Saint Antony of Padua :

The Spirit of truth... will testify to me"


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 15,26-27.16,1-4.

When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you. "I did not tell you this from the beginning, because I was with you.

Commentary of the day :

Saint Antony of Padua (c.1195-1231), Franciscan, Doctor of the Church
Sermons

"The Spirit of truth... will testify to me"

The Holy Spirit is a «stream of fire» (Dn 7,10), a divine fire. As fire acts on iron so does this divine fire act on hearts that are soiled, cold and hard. When it comes into contact with this fire, the soul gradually loses its blackness, coldness, hardness. It is transformed entirely into the likeness of the fire with which it is enflamed. Since, if the Spirit is given to a man, if he is inspired by it, then it is so that he might be transformed into its likeness so far as possible. Beneath the action of this divine fire a man is purified, warmed and melted. He attains the love of God, as the apostle Paul says: «The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us,» (Rom 5,5).

The Daily Gospel

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68 Sunday, 27 April 2008 Sixth Sunday of Easter Today the Church celebrates : St. Zita of Lucca, St Liberale Saint Hilary : "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always" Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14,15-21. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." Commentary of the day : Saint Hilary (c.315-367), Bishop of Poitiers, Doctor of the Church The Trinity 2,31-35 "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always" «God is spirit,» the Lord said to the Samaritan woman...; since God is invisible, incomprehensible and infinite, it is neither on a mountain nor in any temple that God is to be worshipped (Jn 4,21-24). «God is spirit,» and spirit cannot be circumscribed or contained. He is everywhere by force of his own nature nor is he lacking from any particular place; everywhere himself, he overflows in all things. Hence we must worship in the Holy Spirit the God who is spirit... The apostle Paul spoke no differently when he wrote: «The Lord is spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom,» (2Cor 4,17)... So let those who deny the Spirit refrain from their disputes. The Holy Spirit is one, poured out everywhere, illuminating patriarchs, prophets and the whole chorus of those who played a part in setting down the Law. He inspired John the Baptist from his mother's womb and, finally, he was poured out upon the apostles and all those who believe so that they might know the truth conferred on them by grace. What is the working of the Spirit in us? Hear the words of the Lord himself: «I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now... It is better for you that I go. For if I go, I will send an Advocate to you... the Spirit of Truth who will guide you to all truth,» (cf. Jn 16, 7-13)... Both the will of the giver and the nature and function of the one he gives are revealed to us in these words. For our weakness does not allow us to know either the Father or the Son; the mystery of God's incarnation is hard to understand. The gift of the Holy Spirit, who becomes our friend by his intercession, gives us light... But this special gift, which is found in Christ, is held out in its fullness to us all. It lacks nothing but is given to each inasmuch as he wishes to receive it. This Holy Spirit abides with us until the consummation of the ages. He is our consolation as we wait, the measure of good things in the hope that is to come, the light of our minds, the splendour of our souls.

The Daily Gospel

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68 Saturday, 26 April 2008 Saturday of the Fifth week of Easter Today the Church celebrates : St Marcellinus Saint Polycarp : "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you" Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 15,18-21. If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. Commentary of the day : Saint Polycarp (69-155), Bishop and martyr Letter to the Philippians, SC 10, p.215-217 (©Penguin Classics) "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you" Let us never relax our grasp on the Hope and Pledge of our righteousness; I mean Jesus Christ... Let us imitate that patient endurance of His; and if we do have to suffer for His Name's sake, why then, let us give glory to Him. For that is the example He set us in His own person, and in which we have learnt to put our faith. I appeal now to everyone of you to hear and obey the call of holiness, and to exercise the same perfect fortitude that you have seen with your own eyes in the blessed Ignatius, and Rufus, and Zosimus; and not in them alone, but in a number of your own townsmen as well - to say nothing of Paul himself and the other Apostles. Be very sure that the course of these men was not run in vain, but faithfully and honorably; and that they have now reached a well-earned place at the side of the Lord whose pains they shared. Their hearts were not set on «this world of ours» (2Tim 4,10), but on Him who died for our sakes and was raised up again for us by God... May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus' Christ, and the eternal High Priest Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God, help you to grow in faith and truth, in unfailing gentleness and the avoidance of all anger, in patience and forbearance, and in calmness and purity. To you, and to ourselves as well, and to all those under heaven who shall one day come to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Father who raised Him from the dead, may He grant part and portion among His saints. Pray for all God's people. Pray too for our sovereign lords, and for all governors and rulers; for any who ill-use you or dislike you; and for the enemies of the Cross. Thus the fruits of your faith will be plain for all to see, and you will be perfected in Him.