Ang Santo Papa ng Iglesia ni Cristo - ang Iglesia Katolika sa Egypt

Rappler: Ex-INC members alarmed over 'disappearances'

MANILA, Philippines – At least two former members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) have gone missing, in two separate incidents that occurred within days of each other.

Danilo Patungan, a security guard for a condominium in Bonifacio Global City, has been out of touch since leaving for work the afternoon of April 11, according to his wife Delia.

Days later, another expelled INC member, Felix Villocino, also went missing and has not returned to his Quezon City residence for days.

Several excommunicated INC members told Rappler they fear this is a repeat of the reported abductions of expelled church ministers back in 2015, when the family feud between INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo and his estranged siblings, Angel Manalo and Lottie Manalo-Hemedez, came to light. (READ: Revolt in the Iglesia ni Cristo)

Both Patungan and Villocino have links to the INC leader's estranged brother, Felix Nathaniel "Angel" Manalo.

Patungan had been a security guard for Angel for 16 years, before moving to his current job at the Taguig City condominium 3 years ago. Villocino, meanwhile, has long been delivering food and other supplies to the Manalos' residence in Tandang Sora, Quezon City.

Missing since April 11

In a phone interview with Rappler on Tuesday, April 25, Delia Patungan said her husband left for work on April 11 for his night shift duties. She said Danilo had a habit of sending her a text message to inform her that he had safely arrived at work.

But the text message never came. Delia tried calling his phone, but could not reach her husband. She called up Danilo's workplace, but was told that he had not appeared for work that day.

"Kinabahan ako noong sinabi ng OIC na hindi siya nakarating," she said. (I got nervous when the officer-in-charge from his workplace told me that he didn't arrive at work.)

Delia said she could not think of any reason for her husband to go missing. He had no quarrel with anyone, she said, and he was not involved in drugs or any illegal activities. While he is a former INC member, she said Danilo no longer has any connection or communication with the church or with the Manalos.

"Biglaang nangyari...Wala akong makapa, kahit 'yung motor niya di namin makita," she said. (It happened so suddenly. There's nothing for me to hold on to, even his motorcycle can't be found.)

Danilo's family has filed reports with the police, scoured hospitals around the route he takes to work, and asked highway police if they had seen anything unusual on the night he went missing. They also got CCTV footage around the Tandang Sora area where he usually passes by, but Delia said they've had no luck finding him. [Read more...]

I AM ONE WITH EVM (Ever Virgin Mary)

Ang buong Iglesia ni Cristo ay kaisa ni EVM (Ever Virgin Mary)! Tayong lahat ay dapat na makiisa sa pagpaparangal sa kanya sapagkat siya ay INA ng ating Panginoong Jesu-Cristo na siyang manunubos - tunay na Diyos at tunay na Tao!

Alam Niyo Ba na si Apostol San Pablo ay Isang Katoliko?

Ni Dr. James Taylor, Isang Nagbalik-loob sa tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo - ang Iglesia Katolika!

Many protestants make the mistake of claiming St. Paul as the first protestant, instead of Martin Luther? Why? Well Paul was not one of the original 12 apostles, and seemed to go around the country planting churches. Some claim that each of these churches was autonomous, with no central authority like Peter, and that is certainly the model of many modern protestant churches. But that is not the correct assumption to make about St. Paul, who is VERY Catholic in his writing. Let's take a look at some his writings to see.

First, St. Paul did get his commission directly from Jesus Christ, on the way to Damascus. St. Paul didn't just stand up on his own one day and decide to become a preacher. Like Peter and the other 11 apostles, Paul was sent forth by Jesus Christ Himself. St. Paul even says in Romans 10:15 that no one can preach unless he is SENT. Sent by whom? Well, either by Jesus Himself, or one with the authority of Jesus Himself, which would be Peter. We know this from John 20:21, where Jesus says to Peter and the other apostles (the Church on earth), "As the Father has sent Me, so I send you." Jesus also gave Peter the Keys to His Kingdom, in a sign of authority, in Matthew 16:19, where Jesus says that whatever Peter and His Church bind on earth, or loose on earth, will be bound and loosed in heaven. In recognition of this, after Paul had spent 3 years in Arabia following his conversion, he went and submitted himself to the chair of Peter, in Galatians 1:18.

But being sent by Christ to preach to the Gentiles and being submissive to Peter were not the only Catholic things that Paul did. Paul was very keen on oral tradition, something that Catholics today say is just as important as sacred scripture. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Paul says to "hold fast to the traditions we taught you, either written or by WORD OF MOUTH. Most protestants today disagree with Paul, saying that all tradition in the Catholic Church is somehow evil.

Paul was also very outspoken on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. In 1 Corinthians 10:16-21, St. Paul says that the cup of blessing is a participation in the blood of Christ (not "symbolic"), and the breaking of the bread is a participation in the body of Christ (not "symbolic"). He then goes on to compare the Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ with the Jewish sacrifice on the altar, as well as with the pagan sacrifices on the altar. Now either Paul doesn't know how to write properly and is using false comparisons with other altar sacrifices, OR the Eucharist is indeed a true sacrifice on an altar. Why else would Paul compare the Eucharist to other altar sacrifices? Most protestants don't even have an altar in their church (but they do have altar calls!). As if to emphasize his belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Paul continues talking about it in the very next chapter, 1 Corinthians 11:23-30, where he says that whoever eats and drinks the Eucharist in an unworthy manner is guilty of profaning THE BODY AND THE BLOOD OF JESUS (if it's just a symbol, then this would be impossible.) This is why Catholics who practice artificial contraception or who commit other mortal sins such as looking at porn HAVE TO GO TO CONFESSION FIRST before receiving the Eucharist. Otherwise, they are guilty of yet another mortal sin. Paul goes on to say that anyone who does not discern the Body of Christ in the Eucharist (therefore, NOT A SYMBOL) eats and drinks judgment on himself, and you could get sick and die. This is why non-Catholics are not invited to the Catholic Eucharist, because they do not believe it to be Jesus Himself. Just like in marriage, where the husband and wife become one flesh, in the Eucharist, Jesus becomes one flesh with us. And just like in marriage, there is a preparation before. In marriage, there is the Pre-Cana preparation; with the Eucharist, there is the RCIA preparation.

So what about the sacrament of confession? Did Paul ever say anything about this? Well, yes he did, in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. Paul says that the ministry of reconciliation (forgiveness of our sins) was given to him by Christ. On behalf of Christ, Paul urges us all to be reconciled with God. Many protestants believe that they can confess their sins directly to God, and not go through a minister, but this philosophy is only to be found in the Old Testament, not the New Testament. For instance, we have St. John the Baptist hearing the people's sins prior to baptism in Mark 1:5, and in John 20:21-23, Jesus gives his priests the power to forgive sins. In James 5:16, he says to confess your sins to one another. And in Acts 19:18, many people came forward confessing their sins and evil practices. Confessing one's sins to a minister of reconciliation is very New Testament. Confessing your sins to God directly is the Old Testament way, and is no longer in force.

Paul also believed in personal mortification, like Catholics do during Lent. In Colossians 1:24, Paul says that he rejoices in his personal sufferings, and completes WHAT IS LACKING IN THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST, for the sake of the Church. Now this doesn't mean that Paul thinks that Jesus should have hung on the cross for 4 hours instead of 3 hours. What it means is that we, the Church Militant, in the true imitation of Christ, have to suffer with him, albeit not near as much. Why, because it helps build up the church. It is only through suffering that many people meet Christ. After all, when we are well off and well fed and healthy and living the good life, most people put their confidence in the things of this world, not Christ. By suffering, we come to know Christ as He came to know us - in bodily suffering. Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 9:27 that he mortifies his flesh, so that after preaching to us, he himself will not be disqualified. This not only reinforces the self-mortification aspect of Paul's teaching, it also refutes the heretical "once saved, always saved' teaching of protestants.

And speaking of the false "once saved, always saved" theory, Paul directly refutes it in Hebrews 10: 26-29, when he says that if you deliberately sin after being sanctified by grace, then you can expect nothing less than an ordeal of fire, because you have profaned the blood of the covenant (the Holy Eucharist) by which you were sanctified, and outraged the Holy Spirit. That certainly doesn't sound like once saved, always saved, and in fact, backs up St. Peter in 2 Peter 2:20-22.

St. Paul also believes in praying for the dead. He prayed for the dead Onesiphorus in 2 Timothy 1:16-18, asking not only blessings for his household, but for Onesiphorus to receive mercy at the final judgment.

Purgatory? St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:12 -15, that a man's work will be tested with fire on his judgment day. If the man has good works, then he will receive an immediate reward. if it is burned up, then he will eventually be saved, but only through fire. Since people who go to hell are never saved, then this can only be referring to the cleansing fire of purgatory.

St. Paul also didn't preach that the bible alone is his philosophy. Rather, in 1 Timothy 3:15, St. Paul says that the Church is the pillar and bulwark of truth, rather than sacred scripture, which many protestants hold up to be the pillar and bulwark of truth. Catholics agree completely with St. Paul here.

And St. Paul was not only celibate, he recommended celibacy. Many protestants mistakenly believe that celibacy leads to child abuse, which is crazy, because Jesus, St. John the Baptist, and St. Paul were all celibate. St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:8-22, that marriage is ok, but IT IS BETTER TO REMAIN UNMARRIED, because then you are trying to please the Lord, not your wife.

St. Paul didn't believe that good works were useless, filthy rags either, like some protestants preach. Rather, he believed that they were the fruit of our faith, like he says in Colossians 1:10 - "We should live a life pleasing to God, bearing fruit in every good work." Paul does condemn the useless works of the law like circumcision, in Romans 3:28. Luther mistranslated this "works of the law" into "good works," which does not agree with other scriptures like James 2:24, where God says that we are justified by works, and not by faith alone. It's sad how so many people today still believe Luther and not James. As if to emphasize his belief that salvation is not a one time decision, but a continuous journey until death, Paul says in Phillipians 2:12 to "WORK (there is that word again) out your salvation with FEAR AND TREMBLING." (This is not the cocky self assuredness that most protestants preach today!).

And finally, what about the Rapture? The rapture is a mistaken protestant belief that Jesus will come in secret, and snatch believers up to heaven, leaving everything else behind, including their clothes. Then there will be a 7 year tribulation, where the rest of us will get a second chance to be saved. This is NOWHERE to be found in scripture. St. Paul mentions the second coming of Jesus in 1 Thessalonians 4: 15-17. But Paul says that the dead will rise first, and that there will be a huge trumpet blast. So this event doesn't appear to be some secret snatching away of believers. Seeing the dead rise first with a huge trumpet blast is nowhere to be found in any of the "Left Behind" series of novels. And since the dead will rise first, we know that this will be the last day of human history. This is confirmed by St. John in John 6:40.

So don't let anyone try to hold St. Paul us as some kind of Protestant. St. Peter says in 2 Peter 3:16 that many of his writings are hard to understand, and many do so to their own destruction. This was true in the first century, in the 16th century when Luther and Calvin got it wrong, and it is still true today with all of the TV preachers preaching health and wealth as the Christian message..

Matapos ang debate, ang kasinungalingan ng mga kaanib ng INC™-1914, inilantad at sinagot ni Dr. James White

A Quick Refutation of an Internet Lie

By Dr. J. White

I was sent the attached graphic earlier today as I was going to preach on Philippians 2:5-11 at a local Southern Baptist Church here in Rapid City before returning home tomorrow to Phoenix. Here is the English translation that was provided to me:

"The proof that INC won the debate:

After the heated debate between Dr. James White and Joe Ventilacion of INC, Dr James White has made up his mind to study more on teachings and faith of the Iglesia ni Cristo. This is due to the fact that he has by himself witnessed that all the teachings of INC is plainly stated in the Bible.

No wonder that even if the debate was already over, James White, out of his curiosity, continues to ask questions to Joe Ventilacion, because it was his first time to hear these teachings from INC. Most importantly, Dr. White has concluded that there is no Trinity in the Bible and that there is only one God, the Father, which has to be known and worshipped by men."

The picture was taken by an INC member we had chatted with while waiting for Mr. Ventilacion to arrive for the 5pm Q&A session (which was very lightly attended). As I had other things to get to I went straight to JV and asked my question. If we need to, I can provide a full transcript and recording of the conversation. Here is what we discussed:

When I do debates, I attempt to accurately represent the other side by studying their primary source documents. Hence, when I debate Mormons, I have a very large LDS library from which to quote. Same with Jehovah's Witnesses. When I debate Islam, I quote from their primary source documents as well. And when someone wants to represent me fairly, they surely can do so, as my books are available for anyone to read, and the confessions of faith used by my church are public and readily available.

During our debate, JV said I was misrepresenting INC. But he also invited me to do a second debate (we discussed doing this in San Diego next year during this conversation). So I raised one main issue to him. There is a book I would like to obtain. It is titled _Fundamental Beliefs of the Iglesia Ni Christo_ by Eranio G. Manalo. It is their primary ministerial text. And it is secret. They do not allow public distribution of it. And so I was asking for a copy, as that would be the only way to accurately represent INC's positions in a debate. I was told it was only for ministers, and that I would be provided with articles from magazines, but not with the official publication that defines their beliefs. I pointed out that this secretive stance is not only problematic for people who claim to be Christians, but it makes it next to impossible to fairly debate INC. But I was not given the book.

JV and I exchanged numbers and email addresses so we can have contact regarding the possibility of a debate in San Diego (where he is moving). I wrote to JV earlier today to ask him to comment on this falsehood being spread through the Internet, but I have not received a response from him.

Now, the fact is, whoever posted this lie is engaging in CLASSIC cultic behavior. Such a person shows not the slightest concern for truth and is willing to fabricate falsehoods for the service of a false religious system. This is the very essence of the cultic mind.

Once again, everything in the article is an utter fabrication, a lie, *and we possess full documentation of every word spoken in the exchange by which we can prove this.* Only a person who feels a very strong need to do damage control would produce such a dishonest post. And that says a great deal.

By the way, anyone with any information on how we might obtain a copy of the above mentioned book, please contact Alpha and Omega Ministries with that information. We are surely willing to pay for any copy of this work. Thank you!

Magpapa-doctrinal na sa INC si Dr. James White pagkatapos ng debate nila ni Ventilacion ayon sa isang INC™?

Debate ng Dalawang Protestante: South Dakota Apologetics vs Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC)-1914

DR. JAMES WHITE (SDA) vs JOSE VENTILACION (INC™)

Buong Pentecostal Congregation, Umanib sa Tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo!

Source: FrancisMary.org

Entire Pentecostal Congregation In Arizona Including Pastor & Wife Converts To Catholicism

The phrase “Swimming the Tiber” has been used to describe Protestants coming into the Catholic Church. But a group of Pentecostals in Arizona are coming “home to Rome” through Constantinople, leaving their Assembly of God church for the Byzantine Catholic Church.

Joshua Mangels, a pastor at a Tucson Assembly of God church, felt in his heart a growing desire to join the Catholic Church, which culminated with his resignation of his position at the church in September and entering the catechumenate a month later at a local Byzantine Catholic parish. Along with him and his family came several in his flock, all taking the plunge together into the Church.

Mangels’ first experience with Catholicism was as a teenager in South Seattle. He was in a crisis of faith at the time, he said, “running with the neighborhood kids,” and while playing basketball, an elderly Catholic woman named Karen asked him to help her with a Bible study she was running at the community center.

“It renewed my faith in God, and instead of running in the neighborhood, I went back to church and felt the call to reach souls and evangelize,” Mangels recalled.

He entered ministry, eventually taking a position in Tucson as a pastor at an Assembly of God church. Although he loved ministry, he said, he began to get “frustrated with the changing winds of doctrine and the fads and pressures of church marketing.”

On his way home from a conference of pastors that left him feeling disappointed, he began listening to a Catholic apostolate a friend had pointed out to him. The preaching was on mortal sins, Mangels said, and although he didn’t know the speaker was Catholic, he was impressed.

“It was like a drink of fresh water,” he said, as he listened to the teaching of the Church Fathers and Church history that he had never before encountered.

“I listened to this for two and a half hours as I drove home, and when I got back, my wife asked me how the conference was, and I said, ‘It was terrible, but you have to listen to this.’”

Conversion of the Heart and Mind

That began their journey of looking into the Catholic Church. Mangels began looking into other Assembly of God pastors who had entered the Church and explored early Christian teaching. He ordered a set of the writings of the Church Fathers, too.

“When I read the Church Fathers, that’s when the sacraments began to open up to me, and I began to see how central the Eucharist was to the early Church,” he said. He realized that “if the Eucharist was commanded by Christ, I want to receive the Lord.”

He and his wife, Teresa, would stay up for hours in the evening, reading about Catholicism and talking about what they had learned.

“Early on, my wife and I would make these handshake agreements not to read any more Catholic literature or watch any more apostolate preaching, as the loss of my job and housing was imminent if we continued,” Mangels recalled. “Once we even put all our books in the back of the garage and agreed ‘no Catholic talk’ for two weeks.

“But we ended up staying up night after night discussing the Fathers, sacraments, the early Church and everything else.”

In July, he began teaching his congregation on Wednesday nights about the early Church, going over St. Polycarp, St. Justin Martyr, the Didache and other parts of early Christianity. For several young adults in the congregation, these lessons catalyzed their own discernment of joining the Catholic Church.

Rebecca McCloskey, a former member at Mangels’ Assembly of God congregation, told the Register that she had earlier begun investigating Catholicism and that the Wednesday night classes furthered this desire in her heart. She remembered her surprise in listening to him preach and how much it lined up with what she was learning about the Catholic faith.

“I was thinking,” she said, “Doesn’t my pastor know what he’s teaching?”

Lisa Gray, another member of the congregation, who was pursuing becoming a credentialed pastor herself, remembers how, after Mangels mentioned there were 40,000 Protestant denominations, she thought, “If there’s 40,000 denominations, are we part of the problem or part of the solution?”

“I loved pastoring; I loved preaching. I was preaching camp meetings and revivals: I was having the time of my life, but I was Catholic in my heart,” Mangels said. And the pressure began to build to make a life-changing decision.

In September, he told his congregation that he would be resigning as pastor and entering the catechumenate of the Catholic Church with his family.

Looking to the East

While the Mangels family had decided to become Catholic, they had not decided where to start. The organizer of a pro-life rally they went to suggested they speak to Father Bob Rankin, the pastor of St. Melany’s Byzantine Catholic Church.

They met for breakfast, Father Rankin said.

“He was trying to wrap his mind around becoming Catholic, and the first priest he meets doesn’t belong to the Roman rite,” the priest told the Register. “I used sugar packets on the table to explain dogmatic theology and ecclesiology.”

Father Rankin explained that, despite the superficial differences between a Pentecostal style of worship and Divine Liturgy, “they came to the right church for the type of spirituality they had.”

“They come from that Pentecostal background, so they have that experience of conversion and giving their lives to Christ. They wanted a liturgy that was demonstrative, and in the Eastern liturgy, it’s zesty, adorational: You’re meant to experience God; you’re meant to break into tears.”

McCloskey agreed, saying that Divine Liturgy “feels like heaven on earth.”

Teresa Mangels also had a similar experience. She told the Register that she is overwhelmed that Christ “would give us his real Body and Blood — every liturgy I’m in tears, and these little children will come up and ask me if I’m okay. I’m just so happy.”

Father Rankin said that his new catechumens bring an admirable zeal to his church. While he does get fired up during the homily, he wasn’t used to hearing his parishioners say “Amen” during his preaching. He also appreciates how devoted the catechumens are to stewardship.

“The first thing they kept asking is: ‘When do we get our envelopes?’” Father Rankin said. “I’ve had people here 20 years who haven’t asked that.”

Easter Triumph, Easter Joy

Bishop Gerald Dino, emeritus bishop of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, told the Register that he was “thrilled to be given the honor” of receiving the catechumens into the Church at St. Melany, and in that way “fulfill the word of Jesus to make disciples of all nations.”

The Mangelses and the other members of their former congregation are looking forward to their new experience of Easter joy. McCloskey said that in comparison to previous celebrations of Easter, “We’ll really be reliving the Crucifixion and Resurrection. It’ll be completely different from anything I’ve experienced before.”

“I cannot express my anticipation of receiving the Eucharist,” Josh said. “I am looking forward to the Pascha season and a season of rejoicing, as Lent has been especially solemn.”

Teresa said this Easter will be one they will “never forget.”

“This will be one of the best years of our lives, because of all the things [Jesus has] brought us through up to this point,” she said.

“Now, we’re really entering into his passion, and it’s just beautiful and amazing: I’ve waited my whole life to partake of the Lord’s Body, which I didn’t even know.”

SI CRISTO'Y NABUHAY NA MAG-ULI! TAYO'Y MAGSAYA AT MAGDIWANG! ALELUYAH!

Sabi ni JOSE VENTILACION NG INC™...

Mula sa Questions & Answer - Christian Apologetics

SABI NI JOSE VENTILACION NG INC, ANG IGLESIA NI CRISTO NI FELIX MANALO DAW ANG TUMUTUPAD NITONG NAKASULAT SA ACTS 2:46.

"Araw-araw, sila'y nagkakatipon sa Templo at nagpipira-piraso ng tinapay sa kanilang mga tahanan, na masaya at may malinis na kalooban."(Acts 2:46, MBB)

ANG TANONG, SILA NGA BA?

1. Ang nakasulat sa Acts 2:46 ay ARAW-ARAW SILANG NAGKAKATIPON SA TEMPLO. Araw-araw silang nananalangin. Ang INC ay 4 Times a week lamang sumamba at nagkakatipon sa kanilang kapilya. IBIG SABIHIN, HINDI ARAW-ARAW. Ang Catholic Church ay may araw-araw na Misa.

2. Ang nakasulat sa Acts 2:46 ay ARAW-ARAW SILANG NAGPIPIRA-PIRASO NG TINAPAY. Ang Iglesia ni Cristo ay may tinatawag na Santa Cena at ginagawa nila ito Once a Year. Ang tanong meron bang araw-araw na once a year? Sa araw-araw na Misa ay tumatanggap ang mga sumasamba ng katawan ni Cristo.

3. Ang nakasulat sa Acts 2:46, sila ay "MAY MALINIS NA KALOOBAN", halos araw-araw na sinisiraan ng INC ang Catholic Church sa kanilang pagtitipon at pangangaral, paano magkakaroon ng "malinis na kalooban" ang mga taong may galit sa kanilang mga puso?

Sabi nga ni Cristo," Sapagkat sa loob, sa puso ng tao, nagmumula ang masasamang isipang nag-uudyok sa kanya upang makiapid, magnakaw, pumatay, mangalunya, mag-imbot, gumawa ng kasamaan tulad ng pandaraya, kahalayan, pagkainggit, paninirang-puri, pagmamayabang, at kahangalan."(Marcos 7:21-22).

4. Ayon mismo sa Book of Acts ang mga unang kristiyano ay nananalangin ng 3 O'CLOCK PRAYER (Acts 3:1), ang tanong ito ba ay ginagawa ng INC? Ang mga Katoliko ba ay nananalangin ng 3 O'CLOCK? Of course, alam na alam natin iyan na ginagawa ito ng mga Katoliko!

5. Ayon din mismo sa Book of Acts ang mga unang kristiyano ay LUMULUHOD kung sila ay nananalangin, si Apostol Pedro (Acts 9:40) at si Apostol Pablo (Acts 20:36). Ang tanong ang mga member ba ng INC ay lumuluhod sa tuwing nananalangin sila?

A prayer for the new martyrs of the Palm Sunday massacre in Egypt

Source: Aleteia

O New Martyrs, slain at worship as we enter into our holiest days, you now number among the ancient holy ones. Before the throne of the Almighty, we beg you to keep us particularly in your prayers. Once again we are focused on the mysterious geography where humanity first came into being, and then into contact with the Reality of the One God — the lands where all will someday finally be revealed.

Today, we ponder why it is that our attention is continually turned to this region in gasping sorrow, all due to a malevolent force as old as Eden. We know that Christ Jesus is the Victor over death, and the Victor over evil, but we acknowledge that the victories come only by way of His Cross. O New Martyrs, you and the people of your region share in that Cross and we, in spirit, share it with you. In the presence of the Perfect Wisdom — the Holy, Mighty One who imparts all that is True, teach us to pray the words that will bring peace, if peace is possible, or to pray the words of pure worship, contrition and trust, if it is not.

Pray that we may learn how to become the peace we seek.

Pray that we may put aside all that is irrelevant to the moment and, looking forever to the East, prepare our spirits for the engagements into which we may be called, whether we live amid these places of ancient roads and portals, or in the most modern of dwellings.

Mary, the God-bearer, pray for us,
Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us,
Saint John the Forerunner, pray for us,
Saint Charbel Makhlouf, pray for us,
Saints Mariam Baouardy and Marie-Alphonsine of Palestine, pray for us,
Blessed Charles de Foucauld, pray for us,

All Holy Men and Women, pray for us.
Amen, Amen.