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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Discovering prayer and Jesus	Vega	Thursday, July 29, 2004
Question: Dear Bro. John, In regards to my post dated November 2003[ prayer.rosaryshop.com/discoveringPrayer.pdf Jesus, OPL You -- ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, OLSM on November 24, 2003 Dear brother: You will have to forgive me for not saying "Dear Jesus" and I hope you are not offended. I know this is a cultural thing and that it is common in some parts of the world to name children "Jesus". I think personally that such practice is misplaced devotion as the name of Jesus is suppose to be a "name above all other names" as the bible tells us. Thus I am sorry for my bias, but I can call no one Jesus except He who is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity. ------------------------------------------------ Dear Bro. John, I am not offended at all with your statement, although I disagree with your term of " misplaced devotion ". Perhaps there is still some of that convert within you, no ofense intended... You must remember in some parts of the world catholic children are named after saints, but in my case is somewhat different. I was consecrated by my mother to the Sacred Heart of Jesus a birth...that I considered an honor and I admired my mother's devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, whether I live upto the expectations that is entirely a different story. Hope yu are feeling better. Your brother in Christ and St. Dominic, Jesus Vega, OPL
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Mr. Vega: My dear Vega, the practice of naming children after saints is in ALL parts of the world. Jesus, however, is not a saint, He is GOD -- that is a BIG difference; and it is no different naming a child Jesus than it is naming a child "God" or "Yahweh" or "I am". Jesus is GOD, not some patron saint. I believe that naming children "Jesus" is most certainly a misplaced devotion, among many other misplaced devotions in those cultures that do this, that unintentionally violates the economy of God. Names mean something in God's economy and the name of Jesus is above all other names. This is a name reserved to Jesus the Christ. You and those others with the name of Jesus are not above all other names. However, that is not the problem here.... The problem is your sin of rash judgment that what I said is a result of "still some of that convert within you". Such an ignorant statement is highly offensive and uncharitable and spits in the face of God who has graced Protestants to come home to the True Church. We should be rejoicing that conversion, not using it as a weapon against the convert for daring to say something you disagree with. In addition, many if not most "converts" tend to be more knowledgeable about the Catholic faith, and live out the Catholic faith more fully, than do many "cradle" Catholics, yet there is still this pervasive and evil prejudice toward converts among many cradle Catholics. Don't we have enough prejudice from non-Catholics that cradle Catholics must marginalize convert Catholics with their sinful prejudice? St. Paul was a convert (not among the original apostles), and some of the greatest saints who have ever lived were converts from Protestantism. In any event, to bring out the "still some of that convert within you" card when one disagrees with something that the "convert" says is abject bigotry and rash judgment and is grave matter. In fact, such a statement is what is called a "Liberal Tactic of Obfuscation". Shame on you. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Discovering prayer and Jesus

Vega

Thursday, July 29, 2004

Question:

Dear Bro. John,
In regards to my post dated November 2003[ prayer.rosaryshop.com/discoveringPrayer.pdf
Jesus, OPL

You --

ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, OLSM on November 24, 2003
Dear brother:

You will have to forgive me for not saying "Dear Jesus" and I hope you are not offended. I know this is a cultural thing and that it is common in some parts of the world to name children "Jesus". I think personally that such practice is misplaced devotion as the name of Jesus is suppose to be a "name above all other names" as the bible tells us. Thus I am sorry for my bias, but I can call no one Jesus except He who is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity.
------------------------------------------------

Dear Bro. John,
I am not offended at all with your statement, although I disagree with your term of " misplaced devotion ". Perhaps there is still some of that convert within you, no ofense intended...

You must remember in some parts of the world catholic children are named after saints, but in my case is somewhat different.

I was consecrated by my mother to the Sacred Heart of Jesus a birth...that I considered an honor and I admired my mother's devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, whether I live upto the expectations that is entirely a different story.

Hope yu are feeling better.
Your brother in Christ and St. Dominic,

Jesus Vega, OPL

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Mr. Vega:

My dear Vega, the practice of naming children after saints is in ALL parts of the world. Jesus, however, is not a saint, He is GOD -- that is a BIG difference; and it is no different naming a child Jesus than it is naming a child "God" or "Yahweh" or "I am". Jesus is GOD, not some patron saint.

I believe that naming children "Jesus" is most certainly a misplaced devotion, among many other misplaced devotions in those cultures that do this, that unintentionally violates the economy of God. Names mean something in God's economy and the name of Jesus is above all other names. This is a name reserved to Jesus the Christ. You and those others with the name of Jesus are not above all other names. However, that is not the problem here....

The problem is your sin of rash judgment that what I said is a result of "still some of that convert within you". Such an ignorant statement is highly offensive and uncharitable and spits in the face of God who has graced Protestants to come home to the True Church. We should be rejoicing that conversion, not using it as a weapon against the convert for daring to say something you disagree with.

In addition, many if not most "converts" tend to be more knowledgeable about the Catholic faith, and live out the Catholic faith more fully, than do many "cradle" Catholics, yet there is still this pervasive and evil prejudice toward converts among many cradle Catholics. Don't we have enough prejudice from non-Catholics that cradle Catholics must marginalize convert Catholics with their sinful prejudice? St. Paul was a convert (not among the original apostles), and some of the greatest saints who have ever lived were converts from Protestantism.

In any event, to bring out the "still some of that convert within you" card when one disagrees with something that the "convert" says is abject bigotry and rash judgment and is grave matter. In fact, such a statement is what is called a "Liberal Tactic of Obfuscation". Shame on you.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary