MAHAL NA INGKONG

DISCOVERING THE CHARISM OF THE APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC CHURCH

Wikipedia defines Charism as

"In Christian theology, a charism (in Greek: χαρίσμα; plural: charismata) in general denotes any good gift that flows from God's love to man. The word can also mean any of the spiritual graces and qualifications granted to every Christian to perform his or her task in the Church. In the narrowest sense, it is a theological term for the extraordinary graces given to individual Christians for the good of others.These extraordinary spiritual gifts, often termed "charismatic gifts", are the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, increased faith, the gifts of healing, the gift of miracles, prophecy, the discerning of spirits, diverse kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). To these are added the gifts of apostles, prophets, teachers, helps (connected to service of the poor and sick), and governments (or leadership ability) which are connected with certain offices in the Church. These gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to individuals, but their purpose is to build up the entire Church.
The charismata in this narrowest sense are distinguished from the graces given for personal sanctification, such as the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit."

In its Social meaning, Charism is:

"The word is also used in secular circumstances within social psychology. In that context, charism is defined as personal influence on other people individually or as a group.

Religious orders (generally Catholic) use the word to describe their spiritual orientation and any special characteristics of their mission or values that might be exhibited as a result of the vows that they have taken and the orientation of the order to which they belong. An example might be the works of a teaching order as compared with that of a missionary order or one devoted to care of the poor or the sick."

I would take its social meaning applied as a Religious Organization or being the Church founded by Beloved Ingkong, God the Holy Spirit. This will be, the spiritual orientation and special characteristics of ACC's mission and values geared in building up the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

UT OMNES UNUM SINT

Apostolic Catholic Church (ACC), from its very beginning, is geared towards the unity and cooperation of Christian churches professing Trinitarian belief and or those having verifiable Apostolic succession. ACC is fulfilling the prayer of our dear Lord Jesus Christ prior to His passion and death on the cross; "UT OMNES UNUM SINT" ie. "THAT THEY MAY BE ONE" found in the holy Gospel of St John 17:6-19

The Lord foresaw that gradually human will and frailties will creep in His church in as much as evil crept in one of His disciples who traded Him and His whereabouts for thirty pieces of silver coins. Given the uniqueness and varied backgrounds, personalities of the Apostles and all the disciples, Christ knows and so He prays that all His followers may be united and become One, as He and His Father are ONE.

Call no man your Father

Christ have sufficiently instructed the Apostles that they have to treat each other as Brothers and call no one among them as their Father for they all have one Father - the Father in heaven. He told them as well that HE, the Lord, is the VINE and all of them are His branches, EGO SUM VITES VOS PALMITES. And each one of them, as Apostles and founder of its local communities, i.e. churches are its Patriarch and head. Apostles are Patriarchs, fathers of their community and not father of their own brothers. As to each other's treatment they are brothers, as to their communities they are its Fathers and Patriarchs, as to one Lord and Master - they are His friends and Apostles.

Pentarchy

Hence, in this configuration, the Catholic Church recognized five great Patriarchates, that of Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, Alexandria, and Constantinople. This setup is called Pentarchy. The One Catholic and Apostolic Church having Five and United Churches professing One and the same faith. Five Patriarchates, each is governing its own community independently of the other and yet one and the same in core faith varied in expressing the same mystery.

The True Substitute of Christ on Earth

But this setup was destroyed, for one of the five insist itself to be the highest, the strongest and the privileged. Instead of having Christ in the apex and in the middle being the true Cause of Unity and Strength, power derived from politics and wealth were used to replaced Christ by saying itself as Vicarius Filii Dei - the Substitute of the Son of God. There can be no human to substitute Christ on earth for it is the Holy Spirit as the true Substitute of Christ on earth. It is the Holy Spirit who descend from Heaven during Pentecost who took the office of the Lord whom shall fulfill the words of Christ that He will not leave the Church orphan and He will stay with the faithful till the end of time.

Papacy

It was Rome, equipped with the imperial political power and wealth and its claim for supremacy with apparent references to the martyrdom and grave of St Peter and Paul in Rome succeeded in replacing the setup initiated by Christ. The Bishop of Rome insist that he is the rightful owner of the see of Peter who is called the Prince of the Apostles hence he must be accorded the same privilege. He can no longer act as brother but rather insisted to be treated Father. This is in violation of the commandment of the Lord - Call not any man your Father and the words - I am the vine and you are the branches. Now, Rome would like to become the vine wherein all other Patriarchates are but his branches.

Filioque

Another blow to the unity was the doctrine of the "Filioque" that subordinates the Holy Spirit to the Son whereas the original profession is that ALL EMANATES FROM THE FATHER. The Son comes from the Father, and the Holy Spirit comes from the Father as well.

The Divided Christendom

What happened next were history. The Christendom was divided into two, the Western Rite composed by the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Rite composed by the Orthodox Catholics. The Western Roman Catholicism was further divided into two, Roman Catholics and the Protestants on the other side. Protestants were further divided into smaller groups and so on and so forth.

Given the above situation, how can the divided Christendom be ever united when each other claims to be the in the right position and no one would dare humble as that would mean for them the acceptance of defeat.

Vatican II

The desire for unity of the Christendom was expressed in holding the Vatican II, where Christians from all sides, Roman Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox and other denominations were invited. And to reflect the genuineness of the intention of the Roman Patriarch, significant changes were made in the rituals and practices of the Roman Catholics. This changes were made so that the reasons for disunity can be removed in the rituals and practices of the church. What happened was false unity in one side and true separation and further division on the other side.

The Ladder and Bridge Church

Man cannot unite and bind a box of which he is also part and one inside it. Some one from the outside that is not part of the package must unite and bind it. Man cannot reach the heaven by its own effort in the same way that people of Babylon erected a tower to reach God - It is God Himself who will reach mankind. A mortal cannot reach the immortal for these two are like heaven and earth, someone with the characteristic of having mortal and immortal qualities can accomplish this.

A bridge or a ladder; one end touches the earth and the other end touches the heavens. One whose feet standing on earth and whose hand is touching the heavens. A bridge is needed. A ladder is required. A church of the Holy Spirit, being the true substitute of Christ on earth is required. A Church that is at the center of the tied strands of all the apostolic line of successions, and having the mandate of the Holy Spirit. The Church whose one end is tied to the heavens - i.e. the Church Triumphant, and one end is tied to the Suffering Church on purgatory, and other end is tied on the Militant Church on earth.

The Church where the true doctrine of the Holy Spirit is defined and understood as against the cause of ancient division - the filioque. The Church where the saints in heaven and the man on earth are united in fulfillment of the hidden plan of God. The Church where the Western Rite and the Eastern rite find its unity through its Patriarch's having all the apostolic line of successions of the Apostles whose blood runs in East and West. The Church whose Ecumenism is evident in its existence and as advertised of its official logo.

The only church having a Matriarch and Foundress as its first saint holding the symbols of East and Western Catholicism.

The only church whose clergies are vested to be missionary of the Holy Spirit and missionary of unity and collaboration among churches of different traditions.

"The Charism of the Apostolic Catholic Church, hence, is the unity of Christendom, the unity of all things on earth and in heaven under the Lord Jesus Christ."