Bro. Mars explaining the purpose of his visit when interviewed by AITV5 reporter.
More than a week before the actual event Bro. Mars already informed me that he is going to take his vacation. He will be going home in Daraga, Albay and he will visit me here in Sorsogon. That piece of news was music to my ears and I immediately requested Bro. Mars if it is possible for him to appear on our TV and we do apologetics together. Brother spiritedly answered in the affirmative saying: "Sige Father. Mag-Talataan tayo."
Bro. Mars in front of Casa Miani Orphanage in Our Lady's Villae, Pangpang, Sorsogon City. The lady is Mrs. Criselda Despi Goingo, the good social worker of Casa Miani in Sorsogon. We've found out that Bro. Mars and Bimbee are schoolmates of the same year in Bicol University.
After confirming the date of his visitation on April 1, 2009 I immediately contacted Chris Sesbreno, one of my staff on AITV5 and directed him to announce a special edition of THE SPLENDOR OF THE CHURCH on the said date. The live program will be from 1:30-3:30pm. Mars was planned to arrive in the morning but I wanted to tour him around the school so that he will have a look on our facilities especially our College of Law and of our Station. Then I also wanted to bring him to our Orphanage in Sorsogon for both boys [Casa Miani] and girls [Jardin de Maria].
Bro. Mars and Fr. Abe in front of the Chapel of Casa Miani Sorsogon
For a week the coming of Bro. Mars was being announced on radio and TV so that his visit became a much anticipated one. Our media, despite our limitations, is the only station of its kind in Sorsogon. So, it is really being patronized by the locals since we give them daily and weekly news in local dialect and the local events in the city.
Bro. Mars in front of the newly established Jarden de Maria, the House for Needy Girls of the Somascan Sisters in Sorsogon.
Mars finally arrived on the assigned date. He was a dashing matinee idol looking lawyer in black pants and violet polo. He was supposed to arrive at 8:00am but due to heavy rainfall in Daraga their trip was delayed for an hour and a half. By 9:30am he finally arrived with his mother, aunt and cousins. After paying respect to his beloved mother and aunt I've been informed that his mom and relatives have decided to take a dip into the Rizal Beach in Gubat, Sorsogon and will return later in the afternoon to fetch him.
Fr. Abe in front of Jardin de Maria building
With our prized guest with us, I started touring Mars around the school and introduced him to our school director Bro. Eugene Libut, CRS. He got the chance to see our gymn, our chapel, the under renovation Conference Hall, the Technical Institute, the College classrooms and our TV Station. Despite the simplicity of our materials and facilities Bro. Mars seemed to be satisfied with what he was seeing.
Bro. Mars with the only Sister present then because the rest attended the Annual Retreat in Tagaytay City. Also with them are some of the few children who were present then.
Then while resting in the AITV5 Waiting Area Bro. Mars was interviewed by our reporter Ms. Salve Villanueva and Mars showered her with his U.P. English dictions and phrases. When later Mars spoke in fluent Bicol language the girl and the staff was so surprised. The more they will be surprised later on when they will further see that Mars' English is Ciceronian, his Tagalog is lyrical as the late Senator, and also Catholic Apologist, Francisco 'Soc' Rodrigo and his Bicol is pure and unadulterated.
Fr. Abe in the Chapel of Jardin de Maria in the middle of the Second Floor. It's a simple but very beautiful Chapel for the girls.
Sir James Arevalo was kind enough to drive us around Sorsogon City. The we visited Casa Miani, the House for Orphans and Needy Youth run by the Somascan Fathers in Sorsogon where we have more than 50 boys. Unfortunately, the boys with the entire religious community administering it were out for an outing. Only the social worker and the staff were present. Bro. Mars was surprised to see Bimbee, our social worker, because they belong to the same batch. They know each other because Bimbee was an active Social Work student in Bicol University involved in many social and academic activities. On the other hand Bro. Mars was also the same in Political Science department and they used to see each other during gathering of students.
Bro. Mars inside the same Chapel. He is standing near the image of St. Jerome Emiliani.
After roaming around the Casa Miani we proceeded to Jardin de Maria and St. Jerome Academy run by the Somascan Sisters. Only Sister Jane was around then because the rest of the Sisters were in Tagaytay City for their Annual Retreat. Most of the girls were also away either with relatives or foster parents but some were still in the house.
Bro. Mars inside the Meeting Room of our AITV5 right after the program.
Sis. Jane toured us around the house even the second floor which I have visited for the first time. Then, we got the chance to see and pray inside the Chapel upstairs which is simple but very beautiful. The Chapel is located right at the center of the second floor dividing the dormitories of the girls making Jesus the center of their life and activities.
Bro. Franz, my staff apologist and co-host in The Splendor of the Church, with Bro. Mars.
Before leaving Sis. Jane offered us merienda. A very delicious Italian Pasta. It is indeed Italian because our Congregation is Italian in origin and we received the cooking technique from Italian fathers and sisters. Bro. Mars was mouthing superlative praises for the pasta and it was indeed excellent.
Bro. Franz happily listening to the 'TALATAAN'... the private lectures on apologetics given by Bro. Mars after the program.
From Jardin de Maria we went ahead to Mango Grill for our lunch because it takes time to order. From there Bro. Franz met us. He arrived there ahead of us directly from DENR provincial office. And we got the chance to enjoy our stories and apologetics exchanges while waiting for our meal. When it arrived we enjoyed the sea foods to the full.
Bro. Mars during the TALATAAN. After the two hour TV program Bro. Mars was still on fire. He is shown here lecturing Bro. Franz on Apologetics, giving him more ammunitions for a man to man combat.
Then we returned to the Studio for the much awaited program. Bro. Mars removed his polo and replaced it with white long sleeved one. I also prepared my collections of Bibles and Bro. Mars stayed for a while in my Office while we were awaiting Bro.Franz' return. He checked my collections of books on various topics and he enjoyed scrutinizing the text messages and questions we have received from the audience for the past 4 years.
Bro. Mars as our guest during the TV program: The Splendor of the Church.
When Bro. Franz arrived we were all set. The TV staff were fortunately inspired to put the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary right at the side of Bro. Mars while the statue of St. Paul was put beside Bro. Franz who is deeply studying Paul's Letters to the Romans and Galatians for his on-going debate with the Bereans on issue of Justification.
I decided to act as host of the program and for that will not answer the questions sent but directing instead the discussions. I asked Bro. Franz to answer questions with Bro. Mars and he readily agreed. I wanted Bro. Mars to hear and see Bro. Franz doing apologetics on the spot and live so that he can measure his talents and for that further help him in his training.
The first two questions are my own. First, I asked Bro. Mars to relate to us his reasons why he abandoned the Catholic Faith of his childhood and became a Born Again member. And the second, what prompted him to abandon his being Born Again and returned to the Catholic Faith. In connection with it I also inquire how he incorporate his being a Catholic apologist with his being a lawyer since many lawyers are known to be denying the existence of God. This is in line with our Program Title for that episode: "APOLOGETICS WITH ATTY. MARWIL LLASOS of Defensores Fidei Foundation".
Bro. Mars opened his mouth and started answering my questions like D'Artagnan swishing his sword on air. He was eloquent, precise, articulate, fluent in both English, Tagalog and Bicol and he spoke with confidence that only the creme de la creme of U.P. College of Law possess. Indeed, as one of my staff exclaimed 'he is an extraordinary speaker - serious but bright, witty and full of passion for the truth.' Of course, Mars is famous for that and for that as well he is a feared opponent of the enemies of the faith. You can ask the Bereans for that!
In answer to my question Mars narrated his journey of faith. I am not presenting here a verbatim, blow by blow narration of what Mars said in the program. This is my recollection of the event of which I'm trying to be faithful but this is already a paraphrasing of what was actually delivered:
After finishing his political science studies narrated that he wanted something new in life. He wanted to find God in a way that is lively and meaningful and it seems that the usual Masses in the Catholic Church couldn't provide. So, he decided to join the invitations of his friends and joined the Victory Fellowship where prominent even prominent personalities in the showbiz world are attending. However, being inquisitive that he is Bro. Mars later on found out that most of the talks of the pastors were dealing only on mere feelings and they started also preaching some things that are not founded in the Bible even though they proclaim themselves as Bible-Only Christians. One day he asked his Pastor why they are rejecting Mary and the Pastor responded that Mary is not necessary for Salvation. Bro. Mars was shocked of the answer because it contrast with the Biblical passage of Luke 1:28 wherein the Word of God states: "Magalak ka, Ikaw na totoong pinakamamahal, ang Panginoon ay sumasa iyo." Mary is specifically and specially loved by the Lord and yet here is this Pastor rejecting the highly beloved of God. That encounter lead to his lost of trust in the teachings of their pastors.
Like a child thirsting for milk Bro. Franz was all ears and all eyes to the explanations of Atty. Mars.
That encounter led to his decision to read and re-read the Bible from cover to cover and by doing so he found out that the Sacred Scriptures favor Catholicism more than the claims of Born Again cults. Now, being a lawyer he thought it his moral and spiritual duty to defend the Biblical Faith that is being attacked by Pastors and followers of these newly invented fellowships.
In the rest of the program Bro. Mars answered qeustions about our Veneration of Mary, the existence of Sacred Images in the Catholic Churches, Purgatory, followed by the Sign of the Cross. Then at then he was also asked what can he say about those who claims to be the true faith such as the Iglesia ni Cristo and the Dating Daan of Eli Soriano. And Bro. Mars answered them all with erudition and humor that made us laugh from time to time.
Bro. Franz also answered the questions and I was very happy that he did very well. Bro. Mars told me later: "He is a bright young man Father. Let us train him further. I know a talent when I see one." Indeed, Bro. Franz has improved so much in such a short period of time. Not only that the Lord blessed him not only with powerful memory and analytical mind, he is also a very good person inside and out. I am seeing in his person the same state of soul of our DFF Chair Bro. Henry Siy.
Bro. Mars the Catholics of Sorsogon especially the faithful audience of THE SPLENDOR OF THE CHURCH together with our staff are singing one song for you these days:
SANA'Y MAULIT MULI
PRAISED BE JESUS CHRIST, NOW AND FOREVER!
AVE MARIA, PURISSIMA!
To see Bro. Marwil's Blog dedicated to the Blessed Virgin wherein he also posted about this event you can see it here:
HERE IS THE NARRATION OF ATTY. MARWIL LLASOS WHICH HE POSTED IN HIS BLOG:
After our visit to the orphanage, Fr. Abe treated me to a sumptuous lunch in Mango Grille in Sorsogon City. The food was heavenly! All my favorites (seafood) were served! Bro. Franz joined us during lunch. Over lunch, we all exchanged notes and tips on apologetics. I was extremely delighted during our "talataan" portion.
My visit to Fr. Abraham in Sorsogon culminated in my guesting in the top-rating local religious TV show in Sorsogon - The Splendor of the Church - aired at AITV5. Local cable providers carry AITV5. Fr. Abe has been in this TV apologetics ministry for some years now. So far, he is the only Catholic priest in the Philippines who host an apologetics TV program. Fr. Abe has been doing a great job for Our Lord and the Holy Mother Church. Fr. Abe is such a wonderful blessing from God to the Church. His witness both as a minister of God and the dispenser of the mysteries of the Church is indeed very precious. Keep up the good work, Fr. Abe! Continue inspiring us and challenging us to defend and live the one holy Catholic and apostolic faith!
Fr. Abraham is ably assisted by our beloved brother Franz as co-host of The Splendor of the Church. Bro. Franz graduated with the degree of BS in Geothermal Engineering, cum laude from Bicol University. This highly intelligent yet deeply humble guy (and good looking, too!) is a very promising apologist. He does his homework very well. He is so fired up and zealous in defending the truth against the inroads of heresy. He was such a help to me during my TV guesting. He answered questions very well and was very kind enough to serve as my "tagabasa."
I was very at home during the TV program. I never felt nervous at all. Maybe I am just very comfortable with Fr. Abe. Being surrounded with apologists like Fr. Abe and Bro. Franz definitely put me at ease. There were three of us who would take turns in defending the Church. We really had fun during the program. It was a no holds barred apologetics show! It seemed that we were more offensores rather than defensores. In a sense, we merely exposed the false doctrines of non-Catholiv sects and cults. We were such a live wire!
First, Fr. Abe asked me about how I got into Catholic apologetics. I mentioned that I became a "born again" Christian when I was in law school. I was active in Law Christian Fellowship and attended Victory Christian Fellowship. I said that I've read the Bible from cover to cover to prove Catholicism wrong. In the end, I was the one proven wrong. Then, I narrated how I went back to the Catholic fold and became a defender of the faith.
During the two-hour program, we tackled the common objections to the Catholic Faith. First, we discussed Catholic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I pointed out that we love Mary because we love Jesus. We love whoever Jesus loves and that certainly includes Mary His mother. Bro. Franz noted that the prophecy made by the Blessed Virgin Mary that all generations shall call her blessed (Lk. 1:48) is fulfilled in the Catholic Church. Generations after generations of Protestants do not call Mary blessed. I made it clear that since God pronounced Mary blessed (Lk. 1:28, 42) she is therefore blessed forever as it is written: “For thou blessest, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever” (1 Chron. 17:27); and “And he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it” (Num. 23:20). Citing Luke 1:41-41, I emphasized that honor given to the Blessed Mother is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
We tackled next the long debunked yet oft-recurring accusation of “pagsamba sa dios-diosan ng mga Katoliko dahil sa kanilang mga larawan.” I explained that the Bible does not prohibit the making and use of images per se otherwise God Himself would violate His own commandment. God cannot contradict Himself (cf. 2 Cor. 1:17-18). He cannot utter what is false (cf. Heb. 6:18). Thus, what is prohibited in Exodus 20:4-5 and its parallel in Deuteronomy 5:8-9 is the making of images to be worshiped as gods.
Fr. Abe, Bro. Franz and I took turns explaining that not all images are idols and not all idols are images. In fact, we pointed out that the Lord God commanded the making of religious images (cf. Exo. 25:18-19) where He would meet Moses to give him His commandments for the Israelites (Exo. 25:22).
I made a detailed discussion of the idealized temple in Jerusalem as pictured by the prophet Ezekiel in Chapter 41:15-26 of his book. The temple is replete with various images all over it. I concluded that like Catholic churches, God’s temple has images.
After a lengthy and delightful discussion on sacred images, Fr. Abe asked me about the Biblical basis for the sign of the cross. He read a text message from a televiewer asking for an explanation for the Catholic practice of making the sign of the cross. I made the observation that Christianity is essentially the religion of the cross. Jesus commands every Christian to “take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Lk. 9:23).
For Catholics, each prayer starts - and ends - with the sign of the cross. It reminds them of what the cross means in their Christian life – it is by His cross that Jesus redeemed the world. Jesus reconciled us to God through the cross: “and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility” (Eph. 2:16, NIV).
When Catholics make the sign of the cross, they are merely boasting in the cross of Christ: "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal. 6:14, NIV).
By tracing the sign of the cross in their body (forehead, heart and shoulders), Catholics testify, like Paul, that we bear in our body the marks of Our Lord: "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" (Gal. 6:17).By making the external sign of the cross, Catholics are actually preaching the crucified Jesus: "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:23-24).
Of course, there are those who, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Iglesia ni Cristo, Ang Dating Daan, etc., oppose the cross. The Apostle Paul tells us that “they are the enemies of the cross of Christ” (Phil. 3:18). St. Paul reminds us: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18).
The cross is the sign of our salvation. In the Old Testament, it has been foreshadowed that those who are saved have the sign of the cross in their forehead. This is clear in Ezekiel 9:4-6 -"And he said to him, “Pass through the center of the city, through Jerusalem, and trace a cross on the forehead of the men who sigh and groan because of all the abominations committed in it.” I heard him say to the others, “Now you may pass through the city after him and strike. Your eyes shall not look with pity; show no mercy! Do away with them all – old men, young men, virgins, children and women – but do not touch anyone marked with a cross" (Ezek. 9:4-6, Christian Community Bible [Catholic Pastoral Edition]).
“He called the man in white with a scribe’s ink horn in his belt and said, ‘Go all through the city, all through Jerusalem, and mark a cross on the foreheads of all who deplore and disapprove of all the filth practised in it.’ I heard him say to the others, ‘Follow him through the city, and strike. Show neither pity nor mercy; old men, young men, virgins, children, women, kill and exterminate them all. But do not touch anyone with a cross on his forehead. Begin at my sanctuary” (Ezekiel 9:4-6, New Jerusalem Bible).
"Make thy way, the Lord said to him, all through the city, from end to end of Jerusalem; and where thou findest men that weep and wail over the foul deeds done in it, mark their brows with a cross. To the others I heard him say, Yours it is to traverse the city at his heels, and smite. Never let eye of yours meet with pity; old and young, man and child, all alike destroy till none is left, save only where you see the cross marked on them. And begin first with the temple itself” (Ezekiel 9:4-6, Knox Version).
Indeed, the Biblical testimony is clear that the sign of the cross is the symbol of our salvation.
I noted with profound sadness, if not consternation, that Protestant translations do not mention the mark of the cross in Ezekiel 9:4 and 6. They simply state “mark the forehead,” “put a mark” or “mark a mark.” Any reference to the cross has been omitted.
The Vulgate renders Ezekiel 9:4 with “signum Thau.” The Douay-Rheims Version, following the Vulgate, renders it “mark Thau.” The New American bible renders it “mark an X.”
Fr. Luis Alonso Shökel, S.J., renowned Old Testament scholar and exegete (Professor of Old Testament Studies in the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome), explains that “[t]he mark, in Hebrew, is called a tau, that is the letter tau which in ancient times was written with two cruciform strokes [+]. The scribe marks the tau, the cross, on the forehead; it is a sign that means ‘faithful to the Lord,’ by virtue of which those marked are saved from destruction. It is a clear guarantee which the executioners must respect…” [Fr. Luis Alonso Shökel, S.J., Celebrating the Eucharist (Makati: St. Paul’s, 1991) 13].
The annotation on Ezekiel 9:4 in Knox Version says: “Literally, ‘with a tau.’ This was the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and in the old script a cross was a symbol for it (Knox Version, p. 750). On the other hand, the annotation on the Douay-Rheims Version states: “Mark Thau. Thau, or Tau is the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and signifies a sign, or a mark; which is why some translators render this place ‘set a mark, or mark a mark,’ without specifying this mark was. But St. Jerome and other interpreters conclude it was the form of the letter Thau, which in Hebrew character was the form of a cross.” The New American Bible’s annotation reads: “An X: literally, the Hebrew letter taw, which had the form of a cross.” The annotation (c) in the New Jerusalem Bible (p. 1169) says: “Lit. ‘a tau.’ In the ancient script, this letter was cruciform.”
Catholics, while making the sign of the cross, invoke the name of the Blessed Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – the name revealed by Our Lord in Matthew 28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Finally, Fr. Abe, Bro. Franz and myself answered questions regarding non-Catholic sects. Our televiewers asked us if the INC interpretation of Romans 16:16 is correct. I exposed the falsity of the INC’s puerile and totally misplaced reliance on Romans 16:16 as the basis of their claim that the INC is the true religion. I explained that the INC has never followed St. Paul’s words in Romans 16:16 while Roman Catholics do. Anent the question where “ang dating daan” is in the Bible, I showed that such expression does not appear “letra por letra” in Jeremiah 6:16 but rather in Job 22:15 that says that “ang dating daan na nilarakan ng masamang tao.” There was a considerable guffaw in the gallery and in the set when I read that verse!!!
It was indeed an unforgettable, wonderful and joyful expression to explain and defend the Faith on TV – especially defending it together with such gallant faith warriors as Fr. Abe and Bro. Franz.After the TV program, I stayed in the conference hall of AITV 5 for the “talataan” (sharing Bible verses) with Fr. Abe and Bro. Franz. We shared tips on how to better defend the Faith of the one, true, holy, catholic and apostolic faith – the faith that is once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).
My gratitude to Fr. Abraham P. Arganiosa and his Somascan Order as well as Aemilianum College and its AITV-5 TV station. My thanks and appreciation also goes to Bro. Franz for being a promising knight in shining armor for our Holy Mother the Church – ang Sancta Yglesiang Yna Natin.
Cagurangnan, caheraki cami!
Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia, ipamibi mo cami!
San Pedro asin san Pablo, ipamibi nindo cami!
San Ramon Nonato, ipamibi mo cami!
San Geronimo Emiliani, ipamibi mo cami!
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![ST. JEROME EMILIANI [1486-1537]](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6dKQTchkJaA/R0lo013dyBI/AAAAAAAAB_4/XzUAPDESwwQ/s1600/St.+Jerome+in+prayer,+small_1.jpg)
IDOL!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDATI PALANG VICTORY MEMBER ITONG SI ATTY. LLASOS!
KULANG PA ANG ISANG MILYONG HALLELUJAH PARA PAPURIHAN ANG DYOS SA CONVERSION NITONG SI ATTY. LLASOS!!!!!!!
FEELING SPARTAN NAKO!!!!!
AWOOH!!!
AWOOH!!!