Dear Clergy and Laity of the Antiochian Orthodox Mission in the Philippines. Reference to the circulating Episcopal decree by Arbsp. Nectarios concerning the excommunication of Felipe Balingit, please be careful in posting any comments if you don't have any complete or back ground information. If you analyze the content of the letter carefully, if your an Orthodox Christians and doing missionary works, and not a member of MHKSEA then your are alluded also as part of the schismatic groups. it was a sweeping statement. -Fr. Kostantine Lautillo, Dean - (From the FB group Filipino Orthodox Christian, posted August 9, 2013)
Blessed is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. I would like to inform the Public that here in the Philippines there are only 3 True or Canonical Orthodox Christian present. 1. Greek or Ecumenical Patriarchate 2. Antiochian Orthodox Christian, Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East 3. ROCOR/Russian Orthodox Christian, Patriarchate of Moscow (Patriarch Kirill).-- Fr. Lawrence Ang Aleria (Antiochian Orthodox Christian in the Philippines)
The Reading from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. (1:10-17)Brethren, I appeal to you, by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissension among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brethren. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispos and Gaius; lest anyone should say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
http://stpaulbrisbane.org/BulletinOfEighthSundayAPAndEighthSundayOfMatthewAndAfterFeastOfDormitionToneSeven18August2013.htmBACKDROP: A Filipino Orthodox Monk Fr. Felipe Balingit, was recently excommunicated by Metropolitan Nektarios of Hong Kong and South East Asia. You can read the original letterhead here: http://www.omhksea.org/2013/08/excommunication-of-a-schismatic-filipino-layman/
The Epistle Reading was quite spot on. If there's anything that has brought me CALM, it's the very fact that the Apostles of God strongly detest the PISSING CONTEST that's now infesting Orthodoxy in the Philippines.
Aside from the personal pronouns used in the Encyclical, the other tell-tale signs tell us just who ALONE got all "butt-hurt" and felt that his eparchy was threatened when other Orthodox Jurisdictions took interest (thank God for that) in spreading the True Faith here in the Philippines. I think the author of such a letter didn't realize that right now the Martyrs for the Faith are turning over their graves. They didn't allow themselves for sacrifice just for this child-like fiasco on the part of the high echelons within the Hierarchy. Certainly, the Apostles didn't preach Christ in jealousy and strife. Why can't our hierarchs do the same?
The common ground should have been our Common Faith established by Jesus Christ, His Apostles, the Patriarchs, the Saints, and the Martyrs.
Let us not forget, that already, Philippines is suffering a spiritual crisis brought about by a religion that presented her to Rome as a pleasing sacrifice from Spanish friars-cum-conquerors. As an Orthodox Christian, it pains me to see that Monk Felipe Balingit has become the Scapegoat for personal Vendetta of an Orthodox big man who felt he was being bypassed... This kind of attitude was very un-Christian and was very chauvinistic, very medieval Catholic.
Perhaps Monk Felipe Balingit is a warning for US ALL that nobody, not even a Patriarch OR a Metropolitan, can ever become Pontifex Maximus and thus exercise a decision based on ones whim or an offense taken. AND CERTAINLY, nobody has the right to scapegoat somebody just so he can camouflage his real issues of wanting to "push back" other Canonical Orthodox Jurisdiction that touches his very own eparchate. He didn't have to call them Schismatic group and latched that word on to a man who obviously wasn't going to respond to an infantile attack hiding behind Encyclicals and seemingly important announcements. Monk Felipe Balingit was smart enough not to stoop down on that level.
The letter's content only backfired when it became obvious to any sharp eyes about the real intention in shaming Monk Felipe Balingit. I think Hierarchs must exercise MORE humility and NEVER drop bombshells, because if they're not successful, they might catch their own.
In the end the encyclical is a rather funny caricature of an injured pride.
In the end, the whole incident just showed who really was more honest and more trustworthy, who really was standing tall and was standing low.
:D FIN
No comments:
Post a Comment