The Narrow Door

The Bible says that it's the ONLY sin that God will not forgive (Mt 12:31) so obviously we need to stay as far away from it as possible...but what is it? 😅 Sounds like there are slightly different understandings of this sin but one thing seems for sure - it is a willful rejection of God with full knowledge. Which shouldn't be taken to mean maybe it's better not to know. As Tina Ryan so eloquently put it - bawal papetiks-petiks!

Our listener JC has had quite the roller coaster faith journey ride and he's now at a point where he wonders if heaven is even real. Heaven is the hope that we all have in common as Christians no matter your stripe but how much do we really know about it? And what's with this language about heaven being "up there" and heaven "coming down" - where is that exactly and what does that even mean? Admittedly, we feel like we barely scratched the surface on this episode and we're taking that as a nudge to dig deeper in our journeys. In the meantime, we extend our sincerest condolences to our listener JC who lost his mom shortly after we recorded this episode. In a poignant turn of events, he reports that after seeing the way his mom lived and died he now wants heaven to exist if only to reunite with her someday. We dedicate this episode to her. May she be in a place that is infinitely more wonderful than what we attempted to fathom on this episode. 

Our listener Doc Carmela has been diagnosed with depression in the past and almost took her own life. She has recovered thanks to psychotherapy and medication but now she wonders - where do the souls of those who take their own life go? Do they go straight to hell? But what if they were good and kind-hearted people? Tough questions but someone's gotta do it! Thank God we got Brother JPaul, Insta Harry and Pastor Neil.   

This episode includes a discussion on suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please know that there is help available. The National Center for Mental Health crisis hotline operates 24/7 to provide assistance. You can reach them at:  

0917 899 8727 (USAP)   0917 989 8727 (USAP)

Our listener Luigi is wondering why and how we can have chaste relationships when hookup culture abounds. Our guest pastor Neil Germo is currently in a relationship, Brother JPaul and his wife courted chastely for 3 years prior to getting married and Insta Harry is single so they all bring different angles to this beautiful virtue. We also touch on chastity within a marriage and spiritual chastity, oh whut? You know what they say. Keep chaste (in every way) and carry on.

It's Part 2 of our conversation with Edwin Valles! What it says in the title is exactly what's going down on this episode + we get to know our friend Brother Edwin more in the process. Don't forget to catch his podcast as well! Be Not Afraid is on YouTube (https://miniurl.li?s=xO) and you can check out Courage Philippines on their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/COURAGE.Philippines).   

If you have any questions or topic suggestions, let us know via the interwebs! Get in touch through our personal socials or email us at [email protected] 🥳  

And if you're a little shopper, feel free to use our links! 

Lazada - https://www.podlink.co/y8d 

Shopee - https://www.podlink.co/1uz

Same-sex attraction has been a highly requested topic on this pod and today we finally have someone who can tell us what it's like to journey in the faith with this struggle. Edwin Valles is president of Courage Philippines (https://www.facebook.com/COURAGE.Philippines), a Catholic apostolate that supports persons who experience same-sex attraction. He is also the host of Be Not Afraid (https://miniurl.li?s=xO), a podcast that features the stories of our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters in the faith. On Part 1 of this interview, Sam and Tina sit back to listen to Brother Edwin's beautiful and compelling story which he tells with candor and humor.  

Your questions on SSA coming up on the next episode! In the meantime, you can e-mail us for anything else at [email protected] 😊

Our listener Sarah's question is something that's come up many times on the show - why should I be part of a church when leaders have been falling left and right, when I've met some of the most judge-y people in church? Do I really have to belong to a community and what is the purpose is that? Then there's our other listener Cristell who's Catholic-who-joined-a-Born-Again-cell-group-who-wants-to-transition-back-to-being-Catholic. But how to do it peacefully and honestly without ruffling feathers? Big thanks again to our new friends Fr. Albert Garong, SSP (The PadsCast 👉🏼 https://tinyurl.com/2s47pxss) and Pastor Sonny Aparicio of World Harvest Church Manila (shorturl.at/bpvKO) for joining us today! 💕  

If you have any questions of your own, let us know via the interwebs! Get in touch through our personal socials or email us at [email protected] 🥳  

Hey little shopper, feel free to use our links! 

Lazada - https://www.podlink.co/y8d

Shopee - https://www.podlink.co/1uz

Pastor D and Insta Harry are away being busy bees so we invited Catholic priest Fr. Albert Garong, SSP and pastor Sonny Aparicio to discuss our listener question for today  🎉  Pads Albert is host of the hilarious The Padscast and Pastor Sonny is with the non-denominational church World Harvest Church Manila. Today's listener is a friend of Tina's and the question is something that came up mid-conversation - we all have desires to look younger, shinier, thinner, taller (insert desired adjective here)... errmmm is it a sin to avail of cosmetic procedures to do something about that? What are the deeper issues to figure out here and how do we even go about doing that? And for the record Tina, we think you're gorgeous just the way you are 😍

Our listener Cams is a Catholic living in Canada. If you've been following the news, 'Catholic' and 'Canada' in one sentence should give you a pretty good idea about her concern. For Cams, it's been crisis-inducing. What exactly went down over there and how are we to respond as a church, as a religion? Because the sad truth is, scandals are not just a Catholic problem. Join Sam, Tina, Bro JPaul, Insta Harry and guest Bernz Caasi of Unboxing Catholicism as they discuss how to weather a faith crisis and what we can do to get to a place where nothing can shake us. 

Our Catholic listener Chewy is confused about the church's stance on homosexuality and he's also wondering how he should treat our bothers and sisters who are experiencing same-sex attraction. Joining Sam, Tina, Brother JPaul and Insta Harry for this discussion is Bernz Caasi, creator and host of Unboxing Catholicism yay! This is not a deep dive into the faith's teaching on homosexuality (we'll save that for another episode). Rather, it turned out to be a reflection on how we are ALL sinners and how we can all walk together toward God with love and respect. 

If you have any questions of your own, let us know via the interwebs! Get in touch through our personal socials or email us at [email protected] 🥳