Ronnie Tamondong with his wonderful wife. From a confused Catholic attracted to other sects into a very active as well as dedicated Defender of the Faith. He is now a member of CFD Lucena City
G00d MORNING Padre, can I share my testimony in Splendor, thnks…
HOW I BECAME A STRONG CATHOLIC – Ronnie De Mesa Tamondong
BEING AN EASY PREY
I was a confused Catholic then, all the attacks directed to Catholic doctrines lead me to attend other sects like Born Again, Iglesia of Manalo, listening to Eli Soriano’s harsh tirades against the Church,conversing with Mormons,buying magazines of Jehovah’s Witnesses, pamphlets of Chick publications,Pasugo, book of Mormons, even borrowing Islam’s magazine and Koran.
1978 when I attended the Born Again Charismatic movement in Lucena city, Phil.my hometown. The group was very new that time headed by former active Catholic Charismatic group who were deceived by American fundamentalists. These foreign fundamentalists organized worship through ala concert rock songs masquerading as christian songs. Naturally,many were hooked and attended their worship.
Unlike others who left the Church and joined the B.A. group, I analyzed their attacks against Catholicism and did some research.But I continue hopping from one sect to another, During the early 90’s,I almost join the Victory Fellowship because of my inclination to music. I was attracted by their style of worship with bands since I was a band member that time. Luckily, I have my wife who gave me advise to think a hundred times before joining. I continue searching noticing those outside the Church believe that the Catholic Church was one big conspiracy against the Truth, brainwashed to ignore every Catholic explanations. Church history and early Church Fathers’ writings were concealed to them to hide the holes of Protestantism. Digging deeper, I learned there were thousands of denominations all claiming, God founded their church. Who’s the true Church then? Since I was a Catholic only by name, you can imagine how i feel being ridiculed left and right by anti-Catholics, unsatisfied with what I’ve heard from the outside, I seek the answers by buying books from a Catholic bookstore,talked to a priest and eventually find the truth, the Truth that the Catholic Church treasure for 2,000 years.
FLASHBACK: LIVING IN A WILD WORLD
Back in the 80’s, I was a happy go lucky guy. Hanging out with friends skipping classes, drinking wines,smoking maryjane and engage in gang wars. Naturally, I was a headache of my parents. October 1981 came that fateful day,the day that nearly took my life. I was only 21 years old, a member of a band playing in Manila that time. Outside the club, I was involved in a streetfight. A trigger-happy policeman shot me twice without warning in my body. The policeman want to liquidate me but he was pressured to leave the place (after 30 minutes) because people were coming,just looking but no one dared to take me to hospital for fear. I was lying on the floor, bloods flowing from my head and body.
That was the time I called God. I remember saying, ” God! God! I’m only 21 years old,please spare my life!” How I only remember God only in a dangerous situation. Months of recuperation led me to devote my time reading the Bible but still revenge is instilled in my mind. Eventually God’s grace changed my sinister plot accepting it as a lesson for all my sins. I even met the policeman personally without hatred but with forgiveness in my heart.The long agony and tears of my mother has finally ended. She is a regular churchgoer,praying the rosary everyday. I am a changed man although still a sinner,her prayers were answered.
LEARNING CONTINUES
Visiting debate groups, Catholics were presenting sound explanations based on Scriptures and historical facts but anti-Catholics continue ignoring it. It has been a futile effort to give them scriptural verses and early christian writings related to what they commonly accused Catholicism of what they say, Catholic inventions.They will never take a glance to read it,analyze and study. This attitude of non-Catholics appeared in my mind also to study these former anti-Catholic intellectuals who decided to cross the Tiber. Since they are more cruel, fiercest enemy of the Church before, Even a hundred ordinary anti-Catholics would pale in comparison to even a single individual like Scott Hahn, Rumble or Carty. Non-Catholics should ask themselves, why these Protestant bible scholars, pastors and apologists chose to embrace Catholicism? Right now,together with my wife, we are blessed to serve the Lord through singing at the Holy Mass in Kamay ni Hesus Shrine (Hand of Jesus Shrine) Lucban, Quezon, Philippines, doing it for almost 10 years.Praise God!