Just some relevant information.
Did you know that the image of Guadalupe paradoxicaly belongs not to the church but to the laicist and masonic State?
And did you know that they sold the rights to the chinese, yes the own the image trademark! and the church did not recieve a dime!
So I guess the telefone company will have to be careful from lawsuits the chinese may want to make.
And for one thing why is this so wrong, at least the are not using the image for blasphemy, as many “artists” have done and getting away with it since it is considered “art”.

Joe — I hate Catholics? Since when? That’s news to me considering two of my closest friends are devout Catholics with whom I frequently (respectfully) debate issues of faith, the church and related matters. But, neither of the friends that I am speaking of, while followers of the church, is in blind agreement with everything it does.

Yes, I “admit” not being a Catholic. Wow, is that a crime? I was born into the church but it’s precisely this type of focus on commercialization (among other things) that has distanced me from it. I have not lost respect for Catholicism, however, or my faith for that matter. Oh, and on that note: your insults are not very Christian and show the ire that makes a lot of people like myself feel isolated from your religion.

Sonia — interesting information, and I think the points you make are valid. However, while it may not qualify as “blasphemous”, some people might think it’s a bit sketchy to use a holy image and a high-ranking member of the church to promote something that’s not holy, but just a phone card. But hey, that’s just my take.

Tom — Thanks for taking a more respectful path towards making your point. Actually, like I mentioned above, I come from a Catholic family and have many Catholic friends, so I’m well aware of the fact that people want and need to have images of the Virgin Mary on their person. The reasons you give for this being so important are the same reasons why I feel that the place for such images (or for endorsements by the church) is not on a commercialized product. Having had my early education in a traditional Catholic school, I know that the priests, nuns and other educators that I grew up around frowned upon this type of thing. But again, you’re right — I’m not a Catholic, you are, and if you are comfortable with it, great. But this is a blog where opinions are shared, people get to know each other, and hopefully good rather than bad comes from it.

J.M.J.

I am a Catholic, and I can understand the Writer’s concerns, and I thank you for your defense.

Our Lord, and the Blessed Virgin…the Catholic Church, her beliefs & teachings…all of it, are under constant attack….as they have been for a couple thousand years or so. To a Catholic, to make this basic, it is an attack on God himself.

Without knowing what motives exactly behind this, we can go off in any direction. Money….we should never do anything just for money.

Since money is how things are done…most people would rather that some of the money that they are going to spend anyway, will be going into the church….giving back to God.

When the laity/regular people like you and I, give to the church……we are giving to the poor, the more we can give, the better we feel we are taking care of the poor.

Most large companies give to charity, there is a growing trend to allow people to choose to whom that part of whatever they pay that will go to a charity.

For example, I use a cell phone. If I had a choice of where 10 cents on the dollar went…such as either Unicef or The March of Dimes….or St. Judes..or whatever.. It would be great to know for sure that my choice got the donation.

Hearing Fr.’s voice, and receiving a blessing…is one way to let those who purchased the card know that the Church is getting that money…..and….we need/want all the blessings we can get. We are told that we should never talk to anyone or make any decisions without praying first…this is a good reminder of that, and takes care of that if we forget, or are not in the habit.

But, again, thank you for being so concerned as it seems like so few people are. Please, when you see something like this….bring it to our attention. Because next time, it may be as bad as you think.

A.M.D.G.

Dear Jennifer,

Wow! You are Catholic! You go girl! You know, once Catholic, always Catholic. You’ve just been resting for a while! *S* With those treasured memories of your upbringing, think fondly of your first communion and ask Our Lady to reveal to you the truth about this great Sacrament. St. Gertrude the Great (a female Doctor of the Church)said, “anyone in heaven would come back to earth and live UNTIL THE END OF TIME WITH ANY SUFFERING THE LORD WOULD ASK OF THEM . . . if . . . they could receive communion worthily, one more time.”

No matter where you’ve been, what you’ve done, no matter how much distance you’ve put between yourself and the Church, the Lord seeks you that you may experience His joy and that “…your joy may be complete.” Perfection comes through sacrament. Mary knows where the “treasure” is buried. You go girl! Really, put an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe near your heart and ask her to reveal to you this great mystery. Everything else pales by comparison. I’ll be praying for you that you find the buried treasure.

God bless you,
Tom