CEBU, Philippines - Several of my Graduate School students in philosophy, upon reading my previous article on the Catholic Church Preparing for the Parousia, or CCPP, asked for further clarification on this movement.
One asked why the word “Catholic” in the movement’s title. The word means “universal,” meaning all-embracing. The CCPP embraces all humans – not just the Christians, but the non-Christians and even the pagans as well. Not only the Roman Catholics but also the Filipino Catholics, including the roaming Catholics.
The word “Church” comes from the Greek word “kyriakos,” which means belonging to the Lord. In the case of the CCPP, it does not refer to a building set apart for public worship because this movement does not construct any structure in which to worship God. The Almighty God is in each and every human being whose body is referred to as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Neither does “Church” in CCPP refer to an organized worship with a hierarchy, but to a group of worshippers looking upon God as their Father.
“Preparing” means to put oneself or things in readiness. Why should the Catholic Church be ready? Because there have been many signs lately that we must now be at the end times. Everyone should be ready because whether we like it or not, sooner or later, we are going to die. We have composed the following 3/8 rhyme (3 lines with 8 syllables in every line):
“Sa gusto ka o sa dili
Sadugay o sa madali
Sa abog ikaw pauli.”
“Parousia” refers to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as Judge, whether at the Particular Judgment (at the moment of one’s death) or at the General Judgment (at the end of the world). When each one of us will be judged, there is only one question; namely, the one contained in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, chapter 25, verses 3–46. We will not be asked to which religious denomination we belong, but on whether we fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, sheltered the homeless, visited the sick and the imprisoned, and buried the dead.