Catholics witnessing to Mormons

So I came home from a long 'day' mission on the Big Island and two of my good friends were waiting, in my garage, to ask for some practical ways to speak with the missionaries that come knocking at their doors.

For several years I, with proper catholic spiritual direction, studied the ins and outs of the mormon church. I spent several years 'mormon bashing' and it had very little (if any) positive effect on those I spoke with. . . . I realized that without LOVE, nothing mattered. I also realized though that simply smiling, being super NICE, and 'loving' mormons didnt work either! So what to do? In this 'off the cuff' recording I share some of the methods ive picked up that have had the greatest positive effects so far ;)

'Living Out Loud!' Big Island Confirmation Retreat

This past Monday February 21st, 2011 I had the honor of speaking at the Big Island Confirmation Retreat. There theme was 'Live Out Loud!' with the goal of

"Inspiring and empowering teens preparing for Confirmation to return to their schools and community to “live out loud” their identity in Christ in a culture that encourages otherwise."


Their scriptural themes for the day were very powerful as well. The two that stood out to me were Jn 8:12 "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." and 1 Tim 4:12 "Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

I spoke on several topics including my personal testimony as well as Teen Morality. I believe any discussion of Teen Morality ought to begin on a reflection of who WE ARE before God. As a child of God we have certain expectations to live up to. In my reflection we cover these things and search our hearts and the scriptures of how we are to act toward one another in the spirit of Christ


'Note - The audio was a little choppy. I cut out the parts that were inaudible. What you will hear is the first part of my testimony as well as a majority of the 'teen morality' discussion'

The Biblical Basis for the sacrament of 'Confession'

Listen to the Bible study on the biblical basis for the sacrament of Confession.


* In Summary it says that we must confess our sins to God (1 Jn 1:9). We are to confess to 'one another' in the presence of the presbyters (priests)(Jas 5:16). The OT prepares us for the process of confessing to priests (Lev 5:5-6). We see that Christ has the authority to forgive sins (Mt 9:6-8), gives the authority to his disciples (John 17:18, John 20:21-23) who now are ambassadors for this ministry of forgiveness (2 Cor 5:18 -21)*
Picture from http://www.nasugbuchurch.com/ (Francis Xavier Parish)

Are we saved by 'Faith Alone'? (Sola Fide) (Audio Mp3)

The most fundamental question of the Christian faith is 'How do we get to heaven?' or 'How are we saved?' There has been a recent trend of 'fundamentalist' and 'evangelical' influence on our local church and many catholics are pinned with the question 'Are you saved?' These protestants believe that we are saved by faith alone. Simply have 'faith' and confess that Christ is your savior and you are good to go. . . . Many catholics dont know how to answer the 'saved' question and those who do often do so to please the questioner. What does the Bible say? Are we saved by faith alone? Or is there more to the process of salvation? This audio bible study will take you through what the Bible -


So, catholics are YOU saved?

Yes, we were saved and born again in baptism (Jn. 3:5), We are being saved (1 Cor 1:18) as we work out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) and we will be saved by faith working through love Gal 5:6, as we endure until the end (2 Tim 2:11-12) IF like it says in 1 Jn 2:24-25 what we heard from the beginning abides in us then we will receive what is promised us, eternal life.

Picture from commentsfriendster.blogspot.com

Biblical basis for Purgatory (Bible Study) (Audio Mp3)

Listen to a bible study I led (at OLGC) on the biblical foundation of the doctrine of Purgatory



*In summary the Bible clearly shows that there is the reality of 'heavenly' places (i.e. not of this world) besides heaven or hell (Lk 23:39-43; 16:19-28) It also shows that there is punishment for sins even after forgiveness (2 Sam 12:13-18), that we e need to be perfect as the Father is perfect so that we can be CLEAN to enter heaven (Matthew 5:48 and Revelation 21:27) We know that there is some way that the spirits of Just men are made perfect (Hebrews 12:22-23) We know there is a place besides heaven or hell that you can suffer loss but still be saved (1 Corinthians 3:13-15) where you can be forgiven of your sins from a previous age (Matthew 12:32) and where you stay until you pay your entire debt (Matthew 18:32-35). We also know that we can pray for those going through this process (2 Macc. 12:43–45) This place (or state of being) is Purgatory and the the process if our final purification*


Picture from christtotheworld.blogspot.com


Introduction to Online Learning

It is ESSENTIAL for us teachers and catechists to integrate with new technology to better serve our students! This video will introduce you to HOW to use technology to teach ;)
The Password is: learn

*Please note that you must go to http://catechisttraining.blogspot.com/ in order to receive certification credit for this particular class*

Morality Lecture at OLGC (RCIA) 2/6/2011

Listen to a morality lecture I gave to the RCIA class at OLGC yesterday. The lecture is about 1 hour long. It will satisfy the requirements for CC110 (Intro to Morality) for the BOL certification


Introduction to Catholic Morality (TF110)

The course below fulfills the required class for the Diocese of Honolulu Theological Foundations Certification titled 'Introduction to Catholic Morality' (TF110). Be sure to contact your DRE or catechist after taking the course in order to get the proper credit towards your certification. 



Be sure to visit the Diocesan Website HERE  for the list of the courses required for the Theological Foundations Certification. Also visit http://foundations.nativecatholic.com for a link list of all the courses I offer to fulfill the Theological Foundations Certification 

Creating a landscape of reality

By Dallas Carter, MPT

Understanding Catholic Theology may be a life-time task. It is Important , however, to equip ourselves with a template of Christian theology, or a ‘landscape of reality’ as my favorite Theologian Frank Sheed coins it, that prepares each young catholic for that life-time task of contemplation and constant theological reflection.

So where does Catholic Theology start? Where does it come from? All of it must start from a Christian explanation of who God is and how he relates to mankind from the very beginning. God’s plan starts from the very beginning of creation which was done as a sheer act of goodness. As the Catechism states: “God, infinitely blessed in Himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in His own blessed life.” (CCC1). So God, out of His love created us to share in the innermost blessed life of the trinity. He created all things and disclosed the call to worship. He created the angelic spirits in aveternity, then he created the material realm (in time), the created order, in which the human person is on top. He created humans in His image and likeness (Gen1:27) and blessed them with the powers of the mind: memory, intellect, and Will. This blessing granted mankind to be able to have the desire to share in God’s blessed life and the ability to either choose or even reject this life.

So God called our first parents (Adam and Eve) into this intimate communion with him and by their original sin they shattered this unity. God however, promised a redemption of humanity and sought to save humanity part by part. This part of God’s plan was worked in the Old Testament in the Magnalia Dei that God blessed mankind with. It was manifested in acts like the Exodus, the gift of the promise land, the birth of Isaac, the election of David, etc. God constantly sought to bring his people back to Him, but each time they fell away. These great works and the fullness of the revelation of His very self to mankind , and his plan for mankind, culminated in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ Christ’s life, death and resurrection, discloses God;s plan of bringing us to Himself. Jesus discloses mystery of the plan of salvation in the Old Testament. Christ “bought us back” the ability to once again share in the innermost blessed life of the Trinity. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In his coming he discloses the Way to the Father in the fullness of the Truth that lie in him, and he shows us the Life we ought to lead on our way back to the Father.

Christ, in teaching us the Way to the Father and showing us the Life, institutes the Church, which is the “sacrament of Salvation” (CCC740). Through the Church, Christ makes it possible for us to participate in the life of grace. Through baptism we are granted the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. We strive to live out these virtues through the Christian life set forth by the Church. By participating in the sacramental and prayer life of the Church we participate in the worship of Christ through the exercise of our memory (anamnesis); we live the truth of the Creed in fulfillment of our intellect, and we follow the Code through the Will by the Holy Spirit. By participating in this graced life through the sacraments, we engage our very selves into the plan of salvation, on our way to the blessed life of the Trinity.

(Picture from flickr.com ,a 'Matt Mcgee' photo)