QUEZON City, Jan. 27, 2015—The Catholic Faith Defenders-Quezon City (CFD-QC) held its first apologetics training class at the Sta. Catalina Convent’s Mother Francisca Formation Hall, Siena College Quezon City, Sunday, Jan. 25, during which they learned the proper context of the Bbiblical prohibition on idolatry, and shared pointers on how to effectively debunk one of the most common Catholic myths of all time—the alleged “worship” of images—citing Scripture.
With at least 60—mostly college students and young professionals—trainees wearing “Pope Francis shirts” attending, CFD-QC Chairman Marwil N. Llasos exhausted the Bible, enumerating the many verses that not only support, but endorse the Catholic practice of the making, as well as the veneration (dulia) of images for religious purpose.
Catholic Faith Defenders-Quezon City (CFD-QC) hold its first training on Jan. 25, 2015 at the Sta. Catalina Convent’s Mother Francisca Formation Hall, Siena College Quezon City. (Photo: Raymond A. Sebastián)
A lawyer, Llasos warned against the danger of individual private interpretation, stressing how taking a book as ancient and as complicated as the Bible “too literally” and out of its context have led many to have biases against the Catholic Church.
In doing this, the chairman provided the correct historical and cultural background of verses “Bible-alone” anti-Catholics use to malign the Church Jesus founded.
An open forum followed the lecture, where questions related to the topic were raised and answered.
The first-ever CFD Quezon City Catholic apologetics training session was consecrated to Mary, Untier of Knots, the favorite Marian title of Pope Francis who visited the Philippines recently.
Llasos entrusted CFD Quezon City to the “maternal protection of her who unties the knots of evil, sin, malice and all kinds of persecution and difficulty.”
He said, “Before the mighty name of Mary, Untier of Knots, the forces of Satan tremble: ‘O loving Mother, before your mighty name the forces of Satan tremble. You are the lily of eternal valleys, the sure path. Fill us with your love, take us into your comforting and loving arms, let the light of your face shine upon us.” (Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCP News)
