Straight From Pastor Ey

Image credit What is a saint? In his commentary to Romans, Reformer theologian R. C. Sproul wrote, The word for saint in the New Testament is the word that means “sanctified one,” one who has been set apart by the Holy Spirit and called inwardly by Christ to himself. If you put your trust in Christ, you are right now a saint. You are set apart. You are part of the invisible church, which is beloved of God. [1] In fairness, Father Abraham Arganiosa (“Splendor1618” of “The Splendor of the Church” blog) clarified in his reply that For us Catholics the term saints refers not only to the believers here in earth but also to the saved, justified and glorified spirits or souls of the believers in heaven. If they are saints here on earth then they will be saints still and much more in eternal life with God in heaven. No more, no less. ( You may download his reply  here .) I believe that Father Arganiosa and me are in agreement that the term “saint” also refers to belie...

I feel both honored and humbled that well-known Catholic apologist and priest, Father Abraham Arganiosa (“Splendor1618” of “The Splendor of the Church” blog), took the time to respond to my blog article about Mother Teresa .   (You may download his reply  here .)  Father Arganiosa is the honorary spiritual  adviser of the strongest Catholic apologetics group in the Philippines, “Catholic Faith Defenders.” I am thankful for this privilege. He even called what I wrote as “very interesting and worth reading.”  Thus, having said that, I don’t intend this reply to his response to end up as a running debate. Instead, I value reasonable and respectful dialogues regarding faith issues. However, before I answer the arguments he raised in favor of “praying to the saints,” I would like to make a very important clarification. Image credit I’m surprised that Father Arganiosa wrote, “It is too much stretch of imagination my dear Pastor Ey to deny the exist...

Gonxha Bojaxhiu a.k.a. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Image credit Gonxha Bojaxhiu of Skopje, Yugoslavia, who is famously known as Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), will be canonized as a Catholic saint this coming Sunday (September 4, 2016) at Rome. Due to her popularity even among non-Catholics, the road to her sainthood was expedited. “The process leading up to the beatification has been the shortest in modern history.”  [1] Her canonization or declaration as a saint is part of the supposed “historic Christian practice of asking our departed brothers and sisters in Christ—the saints—for their intercession”. [2]   Image credit The “Catholic Answers” website quoted passages in the book of Revelation as one of their defense for the Catholic practice. As Scripture indicates, those in heaven are aware of the prayers of those on earth. This can be seen, for example, in Revelation 5:8, where John depicts the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God u...

Image credit Bane comes with the boom in call centers here in the Philippines. Earning so much money from these high-paying jobs at a relatively young age can be so overwhelming to many call center agents. Such windfall could lead to binge spending. One concerned personal finance adviser, Efren Cruz, commented, They tend to spend, not regularly, but on expensive things. Like buying things from a 24/7 store which sells more expensive things. They ride cabs to work or going home… Because they’re young, there’s a tendency to compete with each other, not just in the way they work but in the way they dress. I’ve heard stories like, in one call center, many of the ladies there have extended eyelashes. That will cost you… [1] Noting the spiraling student loan and credit card debts, Beth Kobliner, author of the New York Times bestseller “Get a Financial Life,” offered this advice: It’s pretty clear that adults don’t know much about money. To help the next generation avoid the ...