A tribute to Pinoy Catholics from a convert

Today, I’m giving this space to a wonderful couple who’s in Cebu City for a short visit with their friends. Stephen and Janet Ray once belonged to the Baptist Church and these brave souls went on an adventurous albeit perilous journey to Catholicism and ended up having the greatest time of their lives. Steve Ray is the author of the best-selling book, Crossing the Tiber where he shares with his reader his difficult journey into that void called "truth" and ended up with the true Church that Jesus Christ founded (Matt 16) and he is here to share this journey with Catholics so that they would understand the fullness of the Catholic Church and more importantly… that Catholics would be able to defend their faith in face of those who seek to destroy her.

Last Sunday, a new group called Mary’s Catholic Apologists (MCA) was formed in Cebu City and quite coincidentally during the celebration of Mama Mary’s Immaculate Conception… and what kind of gift does our Blessed Mother prepare for this group? The presence of Steve Ray, America’s foremost apologist and defender of the Catholic faith! Who best can defend the church but a person who used to be a Protestant? Since he wanted to reach out to as many Filipinos as possible, allow me to reprint Steve Ray’s Open Letter to the Filipino people and I’m indeed blessed that he chose me to be the vehicle to reprint this marvelous letter which makes us Filipinos proud! Here’s the open letter in full:

"To the Filipino people,

We stepped into the church and it was old and a bit dark. Mass had just begun and we sat toward the front. We didn’t know what to expect here in Istanbul, Turkey. I guess we expected it to be a somber Mass, but quiet and somber it was not – I thought I heard angels joyously singing behind me. The voices were rich, melodic and beautiful. What I discovered as I spun around to look did not surprise me because I had seen and heard the same thing in other churches around the world. It was not a choir of angels with feathered wings and halos but a group of delightful Filipino Catholics with smiles of delight and joy on their faces as they worshiped God and sang his praises.

I had seen this many times before in Rome, in Israel, in the United States and other countries. Filipinos have special traits and they are beautifully expressed as I gazed at the happy throng giving thanks to God. What are the special traits, which characterize these happy people? I will share a few that I have noticed – personal observations – as I have traveled around the world, including visits to the Philippines.

First, there is a sense of community, of family. These Filipino Christians did not sit apart from each other in different isles. They sat together, closely. They didn’t just sing quietly, mumbling or simply mouthing the words. No, they raised their voices in harmony together as though they enjoyed the sense of unity and communion among them. They are family even if they are not related. Second, they have an inner peace and joy, which is rare in the world today. When most of the world’s citizens are worried and fretful, I have found Filipinos to have joy and peace – a deep sense of God’s love that overshadows them. They have problems too, and many in the Philippine have less material goods than others in the world, yet there is still a sense of happy trust in God and love of neighbor.

Third, there is a love for God and for his Son Jesus that is almost synonymous with the word Filipino. There is also something that Filipinos are famous for around the world – their love for the Blessed Mother. Among the many Filipinos I have met the affectionate title for Mary I always hear from their lips is "Mama Mary." For these gentle folks, Mary is not just a theological idea, a historical person, or a statue in a church – Mary is the mother of their Lord and their mother as well, their "Mama!"

The Philippines is a Catholic nation – the only such nation in Asia – and this wonderful country exports missionaries around the world. They are not hired to be missionaries, not official workers of the church. No, they are workers and educators, doctors, nurses and housekeepers that go to other lands and travel to the far reaches of the earth and everywhere they go they take the joyous Gospel of Jesus with them. They make a somber Mass joyful when they burst into song. They convince the pagan of sin as they always keep the love of Jesus and the Eucharist central in their lives.

My hope and prayer, while I am here in the Philippines sharing my conversion story from Baptist Protestant to Roman Catholic, is that the Filipino people will continue to keep these precious qualities. I pray that they will continue loving their families, loving the Catholic Church, reading the Bible, loving Jesus, his Mother and the Eucharist. As many other religions and sects try to persuade them to leave the Church, may God give them the wisdom to defend the Catholic faith. As the world tempts them to sin and seek only money and fame and power, may God grant them the serenity to always remember that obedience to Christ and love for God is far more important than all the riches the world can offer. May the wonderful Filipino people continue to be a light of the Gospel to the whole world!"

Now, here’s a former Protestant who now defends the Catholic faith! Steve Ray spoke before the Sons of David at the Cebu Country Club last Monday morning. He was before the Bukas Loob sa Diyos (BLD) at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Redemptorist Church and with the Oasis of Love at the Sacred Heart School for Boys on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. We’d like to thank Mr. Dodong Limchua for his effort in bringing over Steve Ray and his family to Cebu. Steve Ray was here last year and he loved the Philippines so much, he’s back to share with us his intriguing journey.

Incidentally, the N.A. Limchua Foundation, Inc. launched the Cebu Catholic Television Network (CCTN) yesterday, officiated by his beloved eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal. CCTN is dedicated to the advancement of truth as defined by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Call it the Philippines’ equivalent to the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). It had to happen in the only Catholic nation in Asia!

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com. He also hosts a weekly talk show entitled, "Straight from the Sky" shown every Monday only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 on SkyCable at 8 p.m.