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MANILA, Jan. 23, 2012— There will be no great need for fortune telling nor future prediction if one is firm in the faith, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) advised the faithful during the on-going celebration of the Chinese New Year. [A pagan celebration by the way.]
Fr. Conegundo Garganta, executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Youth, said living life should not be grounded on what one’s zodiac signs or horoscope say but on what one’s faith tells him to. [I always find it stupid that most people would start their day reading about their horoscopes than praying. Well, each his own morning rituals, eh? But astrology is dumbest one of them all.]
“If only we are firm in our Catholic faith and practice it, there will be no more time for us to entertain other beliefs or practices,” he said. [Divination and Geomancy are pagan practices. Ergo, a no-no for Catholics!]
Although the Catholic Church respects other beliefs and traditions, such as the Chinese’s, Garganta said it is unhealthy for one to rely heavily on superstition that he already disregards his faith in God.
“Let us be more rooted in knowing what God’s plan is for us because it is Him who calls us to life and he has a unique plan for every individual,” he added.
Garganta urged those who try to reconcile their superstitious beliefs with their Catholic faith to discern and meditate on how they could “put to good use” whatever gifts their belief and faith give them.
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Instead of consulting your horoscope or your feng-shui or charms expert, why not consult your God?
PRAY.
It really works.
Try Catholic medals instead. They really work.
And the Church gave Her approval for these medals.
And if I hear another one of those who say "Wala namang mawawala kung susubukan mo." (Nothing bad will happen if you just try it.) NO. A LOT WILL BE LOST. You just showed to us how you lost your trust in the Lord by trusting charms and paganistic rituals for your blessings to come.
The blessings come from God Himself who is the source of all that is good and holy. They will never ever come from placing your furniture on which direction on which hour...for hanging which charm on which time on which direction...for marrying which person with what birth sign....for engaging in a career with a compatible element or animal for yours....
No. Geomancy and Divination is NOTHING but TRASH compared to the power of Jesus Christ.
So, Bishop Jaucian, try one of those stupid things you said during the Chinese New Year once again and you'll see your name on top of Archbishop Tagle soon!
Thank you. I have also reflected on this especially due to the news reporting Feng Shui, prosperity and good luck charms and bracelets, and of course, astrology.
ReplyDeleteWhile we respect other beliefs, especially since that these Chinese are Filipinos also, we should not tolerate too far that we lose sight of our own Christian faith. As we all know, this is a violation of the First Commandment.
Thank you for mentioning those medals (and of course these include other sacramentals) and the emphasis on prayer. News yesterday put emphasis on these astrological stuff are just guides, it will be up to us how will we decide on our lives. That is quite ambivalent, don't you think? Besides, you can be the decide on your life (but under God's providence, of course), however still within the confines of a proper Catholic faith.
And, why do we need to go "over the bakod" and explore other beliefs. Aside from the possible danger of "overexposure", our Faith is rich in itself. We have equivalents to what Buddhism is teaching and giving out. [This goes to the subject of similarities between our faith and that of other, pagan beliefs, but as you mentioned in a previous blog post, the similarities lie on a simple fact that Christianity conquered paganism.]
I became quite mad and worried yesterday about a news item saying that a certain food is not only offered to a statue of Buddha, but to a statue of the Santo Nino or
I'm quite sad that no news agency reported the side of the Philippine Catholic Church regarding the issue. I might have missed it, but I have been wishing for the side of our Church expressed through newspaper or online articles.
I think this serves as a challenge to our bishops and priests, and to us lay people as well. We need to constantly remind our fellow Catholics (and non-Catholics and non-Christians) about our position on such issues. We need to reclarify our Faith and purge our folk Christianity of superstition.