You hear it all around, through the radio, in TV, in print: Cardinal Sin is terribly missed. I imagine Cardinal Sin leading throngs of seminarians, nuns, priests and lay people in the Makati rally today. I am sure his call for the end of corruption, for the resignation of GMA, would be the loudest.
This afternoon I was watching on TV the events happening in the Inter-faith rally in Makati. Nuns and priests were speaking before the crowd, nuns and priests whom I do not recognize. They were ordinary, unkown to media, unknown to many. Then, it hit me. Cardinal Sin may not be around but to all those whose lives he has touched, he has left a legacy of watchfulness, passion for social justice, and a sensitivity to the signs of the times. The spirit of Cardinal Sin has been passed on to us. We are called to be the new Cardinal Sin's of today. There may not be one towering personality who wields the respect of high heavens, or the ears of the sleeping middle class. But Cardinal Sin has touched many. And his spirit is alive! So, you who arrogantly wields political power in deception and greed at the expense of the poor, beware! The spirit of Cardinal Sin might just haunt you!
Friday, February 29, 2008
MANALANGIN, MAGBITIW, MAGBAGO
Magulo na naman ang Pilipinas. Maingay na naman sa kalsada.Nagpapaalala sa atin na ang korupsyon na nilabanan sa EDSA 1986, ang katiwaliang nilabanan sa EDSA 2001, ay nandyan pa rin. Tahimik na inuubos ang kaban ng bayan. Tahimik na pinahihirapan ang matagal nang naghihirap na bayan.
Ano ba ang puedeng gawin?
Unang-una, pinakamahalaga sa lahat, MANALANGIN. Magdasal para sa katotohanan. Magdasal para sa katapatan. Magdasal para sa liwanag ng Diyos. Magdasal para hindi panghinaan ng loob, para hind mawalan ng pag-asa. Magdasal para sa sarili at para sa lahat ng Pilipino. Magdasal para sa bayan at sa lahat ng nasa puwesto.
Subalit huwag nating kalilimutan na ang tunay na panalangin ay hindi natatapos sa pagpapatirapa sa harap ng Diyos. Ang tunay na panalangin ay namumunga ng pakikisangkot, namumunga ng pagkilos.
Kung sa inyong pagdarasal ay natanto ninyo na ang sagot sa ingay at gulo ngayon laban sa masama ay ang pagbabago mula sa itaas-pababa, mula sa pagbibitiw ng nasa itaas, sige ipaglaban ninyo. Humayo kayo at isigaw ang pagbibitiw ng nasa itaas. Pero siguraduhin nyo lang na ang inyong pagkilos ay hindi para sa sarili, kundi para sa kabutihan ng lahat. Siguraduhing mapayapa at walang gulo. Siguraduhing ang inyong pagkilos ay galing sa pagdarasal.
Kung sa inyong pagdarasal ay natanto ninyo na ang sagot sa ingay at gulo ngayon laban sa kasamaan ay ang pagbabago mula sa ibaba-pataas, mula sa pagbabago sa maliliit na bagay papalaki, sige simulan nyo. Simulan sa inyong sarili, sa inyong pamilya, sa inyong pamayanan, sa inyong kapitbahayan. Siguraduhin nyo lang na ito ay para sa kapakanan hindi ng sarili, kundi sa kapakanan ng lahat. Siguraduhing hindi ningas kugon. Siguraduhing ang inyong pagkilos ay galing sa pagadarasal.
Tayo ay mga anak ng Diyos, mga Kristiyano, kung tayo ay kikilos ng hindi galing sa pagdarasal, ng hindi galing sa pakikiisa natin sa Diyos, tayo ay kikilos ng walang ugat, walang tanglaw, at walang malinaw na patutunguhan.
Maingay na naman ang Pilipinas. Magulo na naman sa kalsada. Kung akala nating sa gitna ng ingay at gulo ay puede tayong hindi makialam, tayo ay nagbubulagbulagan. Wala tayong pinag-iba sa taong bulag sa ebanghelyo. Kilangan natin si Jesus. Kailangan natin ang kanyang pagpapagaling. Kilangan natin ang kanyang liwanag. Kaya, makisangkot. Makialam. Sige humayo kayo, manalangin at kumilos ayon sa tanglaw ng liwanag ni Kristo.
Malaki ang pasasalamat ko sa Pastoral Letter ni Bishop Soc para sa pagninilay na ito. Salamat po.
PASTORAL LETTER OF BISHOP SOC VILLEGAS
Sulat Pastoral ni Bishop Soc Villegas
Maingay na naman ang bayan. Kailangan nga tayong mag-ingay sapagkat ang nakawan sa kaban ng bayan ay tahimik na nagaganap nang hindi natin namamalayan. Dahan dahan tayong nasasanay sa mga gawi ng mga sinungaling. Tahimik tayong nadadala sa mga gawi ng mga mandarambong. Ang nasa kapangyarihan ay halos ginawa ng hanapbuhay ang pangungurakot. Ang mga kalaban naman ay parang naglalaway na naghihintay sa kanilang panahong mangurakot din kapag napatalsik na ang kasalukuyang pinuno.
Ang may paningin ay tumingin at magmasid. Pati na marahil ang mga bulag ay alam ang kurakot sa ating pamahalaan. Ang hindi na lamang nakakaalam ang mga nagbubulag-bulagan.
Marami nga ang nagbubulag-bulagan na lamang. Wika ng mga nagbubulag-bulagan: "Marami namang gumagawa niyan. Tumutulong naman sila sa amin kahit nangungurakot sila. Wala naman silang masamang ginagawa laban sa pamilya ko. Matagal ng ganyan yan. Hindi na mababago yan".
Ang masama ay nagwawagi sapagkat ang mga taong may paningin ay nagbubulag-bulagan.
UNA SA LAHAT, MANALANGIN!
Sa harap ng dilim na hatid ng pagiging bulag, ang ating unang lunas ay panalangin. Lumapit tayo kay Jesus na liwanag at sabihin natin "Nais ko pong makakita" Maaari nating ibulong kay Jesus na buksan ang mata ng lahat upang makakita. Tingnan
Hindi sapat ang panalangin. Ang panalangin ay dapat na magbunsod sa atin upang magpakasakit. Hindi rin sapat ang pagpapakasakit. Ang pagpapakasakit ay dapat na maghatid sa atin sa kawang gawa at pagmamalasakit sa kapwa. Ang tunay na palanangin ay dapat na maghatid tungo sa pag-aalay sa kapwa.
TUNGO SA PAKIKISANGKOT!
Ito ang kailangan ng bayan—panalanging may pagkilos. Ang pagkilos ay bunga ng matiyagang pag-aaral at pagninilay. Ang pagkilos na hindi nagmumula sa panalangin at pagninilay ay madalas na mahina ang ugat at mapait ang bunga.
Ano ang mga pagkilos na dapat natin gawin?
Ang lahat ng pagkilos ay dapat na maghatid sa atin sa paghihilom ng ating lipunan. Ang lahat ng pagkilos ay dapat na umakay sa atin sa pagpapanumbalik ng pamumuhay na marangal at malinis. Ang anumang ating pagkilos ay dapat na maglantad sa buong katotohahan.
Kung napag-isipan ninyo na ang panawagan para sa pagbibitiw ng mga may kinalaman sa nakawan sa pamahalaan ay siyang lunas, maaari kayong manawagan nang gayon subalit gawin ito sa paraang mapayapa at makatotohahan at ayon sa batas. Kung udyok ng inyong konsensiya na mag noise barrage o mag rally, humayo kayo at gawin ito subalit tiyakin nating malinis ang kalooban.
Kung ang inyo namang pananaw ay itaguyod muna ang pagpapanibago at huwag manawagan para sa pagbibitiw, maaari rin ninyo itong gawin subalit tiyaking ang inyong panawagan ay pinakikinggan, ang mga pangako ay natutupad at hindi napaglalaruan lamang.
Anuman ang inyong ipasyang pagkilos, tiyaking ito ay galing sa panalangin! Tiyaking ito ay may may paggalang sa batas at hindi marahas! Tiyaking ito ay para sa bayan at hindi para sa sariling kapakanan.
Liwanagan nawa ni Jesus ang ating pananaw at paningin! Paghilumin nawa ni Jesus ang sugat ng ating bayan. Kailangan natin ng liwanag! Amen!
Mula sa Katedral ng
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Obispo ng Balanga
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
FORGIVE AND HAVE PEACE
Jesus tells us to forgive not seven times but seventy-seven times. Ang pagpapatawad ay hindi binibilang, hindi dapat natatapos, hindi dapat nauubos. Ito na marahil ang isa sa pinakamahirap na utos ng ating Panginoon. Ano ba ang kailangan para makapagpatawad?
Tunay na pagtititwala. Ang taong makakapagpatawad ay iyong may matibay at malalim na pagtitiwala sa Diyos. Nagtitiwala na kahit mahirap magpatawad ay ipagkakaloob sa atin ng Diyos ang lakas para makapagpatawad. Nagtitiwala na kahit mahirap magpatawad, kahit masakit sa kalooban magpatawad, dahil ito ang kalooban ng Diyos, ang pagpapatawad ay mabuti sa ating kalooban.
For many forgiveness means sacrifice, giving of self, surrendering. For many it may be something good, but very difficult, or even impossible, to do. What Jesus tells us is that forgiveness is good for us, forgiveness means survival for our faith. It may mean sacrifice and surrender at first, but in the end, eventually, forgiveness would mean peace in our minds, in our hearts and in our relationships.
CBCP Statement released last night
Seeking the Truth, Restoring Integrity
(A CBCP Pastoral Statement)
Beloved People of God:
Greetings in the peace of the Lord!
Today in the midst of restlessness and confusion, we come to you as pastors, for that is our precise role. We do not come as politicians whose vocation it is to order society towards the common good. Our message contributes to the flourishing of a democracy which must not be built only on political formulae.
We face today a crisis of truth and the pervading cancer of corruption. We must seek the truth and we must restore integrity. These are moral values needing spiritual and moral insights.
Therefore, we address this pastoral statement to everyone particularly you our beloved people and in a special way to our political rulers and officials.
We are convinced that the search for truth in the midst of charges and allegations must be determined and relentless, and that the way to truth and integrity must be untrammeled, especially at the present time when questions about the moral ascendancy of the present government are being raised.
For this reason, we strongly:
1. Condemn the continuing culture of corruption from the top to the bottom of our social and political ladder;
2. Urge the President and all the branches of government to take the lead in combating corruption wherever it is found;
3. Recommend the abolition of EO 464 so that those who might have knowledge of any corruption in branches of government, may be free to testify before the appropriate investigating bodies;
4. Ask the President to allow her subordinates to reveal any corrupt acts, particularly about the ZTE-NBN deal, without being obstructed in their testimony no matter who is involved;
5. Appeal to our senators and the ombudsman to use their distinct and different powers of inquiry into alleged corruption cases not for their own interests but for the common good;
6. Call on media to be a positive resource of seeking the truth and combating corruption by objective reporting without bias and partiality, selective and tendentious reporting of facts;
For the long term we reiterate our call for “circles of discernment” at the grassroots level, in our parishes, Basic Ecclesial Communities, recognized lay organizations and movements, religious institutions, schools, seminaries and universities. It is through internal conversion into the maturity of Christ through communal and prayerful discernment and action that the roots of corruption are discovered and destroyed. We believe that such communal action will perpetuate at the grassroots level the spirit of People Power so brilliantly demonstrated to the world at EDSA I. It is People Power with a difference. From the grassroots will come out a culture of truth and integrity we so deeply seek and build. We instruct our CBCP Commissions to take active role including networking for this purpose.
May the Lord bless us in this sacred undertaking to build a new kind of
For and on behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
+Angel Lagdameo, D.D.
Archbishop of Jaro
President, CBCP
February 26, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
JESUS AND THE SAMARITAN WOMAN
The season of Lent gives us lessons on renewing our faith in God, the faith we have been blessed in baptism.
Noong unang Linggo ng Kuwaresma narinig natin ang kuwento ng panunukso kay Jesus sa ilang. Isang paalaala sa ating nakiisa ang Diyos sa ating pagkatao. Sa pagkakatawang tao ni Jesus, ang Anak ng Diyos, niyakap ang buong buo ang ating pagkatao, maliban sa kasalanan. Inampon ng Diyos ang ating kahinaan sa pagkalinga at pagmamahal. Pinili tayo ng Diyos upang maging mga anak niya sa gitna ng ating kalagayan bilang tao. Sa pagkatao ng anak ng Diyos, ginawang banal ang ating pagkatao, tinanggap at pinili ang kalagayan ng pagiging tao.
Noong ikalawang Linggo ng Kuwaresma narinig natin ang kuwento ng Pagbabagong Anyo ng Panginoon sa bundok ng Tabor. Isang paalaala na ang kahinaan ng tao, ang kalagayan ng taong inamapon ng Diyos ay kanyang papanibaguhin sa buhay na walang katapusan. Ang pagparito ni Jesus ay ang pagdadala ng buhay na ganap at kasiyasiya. Niyakap ni Jesus ang buhay ng tao, pati ang kahinaan nito, upang panibaguhin ang buhay na ito sa walang hanggang liwanag ng buhay ng Diyos. Ito ang biyaya ng sakramento ng binyag.
Subalit kailangang alagaan ang buhay na ito. Kailangang bigya ng sustansiya. Kung baga sa halaman, kailangang diligan. Ito ang paalaala ng ebanghelyo ngayong ikatlong Linggo ng kuwaresma -- ang kuwento ni Jesus at Samaritana sa may balon. Sinabi ni Jesus sa Samaritana, "Ang uminom ng tubig na ito'y mauuhaw, ngunit ang uminom ng tubig na ibibigay ko ay hidn na muling mauuhaw. Ito'y magiging isang bukal sa loob niya, babalong, at magbibigay sa kanya ng buhay na walang hanggan." [Jn 4:13-14] Ang tubig na magbibigay ng sustansiya, lakas at buhay na walang hanggan, sa buhay na inampon at pinapanibago ng Diyos ay magmumula kay Jesus. Siya ang magkakaloob ng tubig na magiging bukal sa kalooban ng tao.
Paano natin matatagpuan ngayon ang tubig na ito na nagbibigay buhay? Hayaan ninyong magbigay ako ng tatlong bukal.
Una, ang bukal ng salita ng Diyos. Ang salita ng Diyos ay pagpapakilala ng kanyang pagmamahal sa tao. Ang salita ng Diyos ang kuwento ng wagas na pag-ibig ng Diyos sa kanyang bayan. Ang salita ng Diyos ang liwanag na tangalw natin sa ating daan.
Pangalawa, ang bukal ng Sakramento, lalung lalu na ng Sakramento ng Eukaristiya at Sakramento ng Pakikipagkasundo. Kitang kita sa banal na misa kung paano ang katawan ni Kristo ay tinapay na nagbibigay buhay at ang kanyang dugo ay kalis na nagbibigay ng kaligtasan - mga pagkain ng diwang Kristiyano na magbibigay ng lakas at sustansiya sa buhay pananampalataya.
Pangatlo, ang bukal ng kapwa tao. Minsan ng ipinangako ni Jesus na kung sinumang nagkakatipon sa kanyang pangalan, siya ay kasama nila. Ang pagkakabuklud-buklod, pagkakaisa, pagmamalasakit, pagdadamayan, ay mahahalagang balon ng supporta at pagtutulungan upang mag-akayan tungo sa kandungan ng Ama. Nagiging bukal ng lakas at tibay ang kapwang humaharap sa pagsubok at nagpapasan ng krus araw-araw.
God has become one with our humanity in Jesus Christ, complete even in the face of temptation. God takes on our humanity and transforms it into the life of God, thant knows no end. A transformation that is sustained by the living water that nourishes the divine life in us. Today, we are nourished through his Word, through the Eucharist and Reconciliation, and through our neighbors.
May we not let this season pass without finding the well of Jesus' life-giving water - his Word, his Sacraments, our neighbors. Amen.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
TRUTH
Sa dinami-dami ng sinabi ni Jun Lozada ito ang hindi ko makakalimutan:
"I do not anymore defend the truth. The truth is defending me."
Sinabi niya ito sa programang Harapan sa ABS-CBN kung saan pinagharap-harap sina Lozada, Abalos, Razon, at iba pang nabanggit sa NBN-ZTE scam.
When we choose the truth, in the beginning we have to defend the truth from those who are out to distort it, but in the end eventually, the truth will defend us. The truth will set us free.
PRAYING FOR AMONG ED
I have always been interested in the journey of Among Ed Panlilio since he declared, in the face of seemingly invincible political rivals, his candidacy to the gubernatorial race of the province of Pampanga. I was curious of his reasons for running, the reaction of Kapampangans, and the reactions of the clergy especially of the bishops, particularly bishops in the Archdiocese of San Fernando, where Among Ed belongs. Now, I always look forward to reading news about him as governor of Pampanga. I have been interested not only because Among Ed is a brother priest, but more importantly because I want him to succeed. I wish that Among Ed delivers to his constituents a kind of governance free from self-centeredness and filled with authentic concern for the least, the last and the lost. Let us include Among Ed in our prayers.
This interest I share now in my multiply site. From now on the Masigasig site will have a particular interest in news, articles, and whatever write ups regarding Among Ed Panlilio and his quest for genuine service through good governance. Masigasig beleives that if good governance triumphs in Pampanga, through the selfless efforts of Gov. Panlilio, his journey will be a light shining brightly for the national government - a light that will give hope beyond our imagination; a hope that will change the landscape of Philippine politics. Masigasig is praying for Among Ed.
SC orders Pampanga vote recount stopped
MANILA, Philippines -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the recounting of votes for governorship in Pampanga stopped.
In its resolution, the high court issued a status quo order until it resolves the petition filed by Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio and gave the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Panlilio's rival, former Pampanga board member Lilia Pineda, 10 days to comment on Panlilio's petition.
Panlilio, through his lawyers Romulo Macalintal and Ernesto Francisco Jr., urged the high court to issue a temporary restraining order and/or writ of preliminary injunction to stop the Comelec from implementing its order for the revision of ballots from 4,847 precincts in Pampanga in response to the election protest Pineda filed last year.
The case was elevated to the high court after the Comelec dismissed Panlilio's motion for reconsideration.
Panlilio said Pineda's suit is based on bare and general allegations of fraud and irregularities which, under existing jurisprudence, had already been held as "virtually impossible" in view of the presence of watchers stationed at the back of election inspectors.
"[That] she was cheated in all these 4,836 precincts without any objection from her watchers or without questioning before the Boards of Election Inspectors in the said 4,836 precincts...is a very incredible and unbelievable claim indeed." Panlilio’s petition said.
Pineda, also employed a "shotgun approach" when she include all possible grounds for an election protest without any regard of the fact that they are absolutely without any factual basis and understandably, cannot be substantiated," the governor’s petition added.
DIALOGUE BETWEEN CIVIL SOCIETY AND SOME BISHOPS
Civil society asks bishops to lead ‘communal action’
MANILA, Philippines -- Civil society groups that have been organizing ‘communal actions’ against the Arroyo administration are urging the country’s bishops to lead the protest movement.
Groups from various sectors -- religious, business, politics, and the academe -- gathered for a dialogue with Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz, and Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez on Tuesday in a bid to ask for a “clearer leadership” from them.
The civil society groups in the meeting included representatives from the Black & White Movement, Bayan, the Makati Business Club, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Kubol Pag-Asa, Gabriela, Muslim Legal Assistance Foundation (MUSLAF), Bangon Pilipinas, National Council of Churches of the Philippines (NCCP), United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP), Solidarity Philippines, and the La Salle Brothers.
“They want clearer guidance and leadership. They want to see us with them,” said Cruz, when asked what the civil society groups sought from the bishops.
He said the Bishops listened to the various groups in order to know the "what, how and when" of their planned communal actions.
But even Lagdameo’s presence in the meeting did not signify that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has already joined the mass movements.
Lagdameo, the current CBCP president, clarified in an interview on Tuesday that he attended the meeting only as the archbishop of Jaro.
“That’s why I attended this meeting, because I will bring this message to my brother bishops,” said Lagdameo.
Cruz said that no clear action resulted from the meeting.
Both sides, he said, only committed to a continuing dialogue and will definitely come out with a more concrete agenda soon.
“This is not the end of this. Our agreement does not stop here. And this will not be just talking but definitely there will doing and acting,” said Cruz.
On Monday, Lagdameo lauded the successful string of “communal action” initiated by civil society since last week in response to the bishops’ call.
He said when the bishops called for “communal action” as part of their moral guidance to their flock, they wanted civil society to do its part in identifying steps to achieve good governance.
He told reporters on Tuesday that the challenge to Filipinos now was “how to express its new brand of People Power.”
Lagdameo said he was optimistic that the civil society groups the bishops met with on Tuesday may have already found some of the answers to this challenge.
He said the new People Power should also provide the satisfying result that the first People Power Revolution gave the country.
Lagdameo said EDSA2, unfortunately, brought the Philippines “from one frying pan to a worse frying pan.”
“It disappointed us because People Power 2, with the help of the Church, installed a President who was later on judged by the SWS survey as the most corrupt President,” said Lagdameo.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
THE UNIVERSE IS A MYSTERY
I have been reading this book by Albert Nolan for my spiritual reading. The way he presented how the universe has been considered to be a mystery even to scientists made me more conscious of the creative power of God and the wonderful way it is gleaned in this world. Hanep! Read on and be enriched.
From Albert Nolan, Jesus Today: A Spirituality of Radical Freedom, Jesuit Communications Foundation Inc., 2006, 39-40.
It is not for nothing that Einstein’s name has become a household word for exceptional intelligence. He was a genius like no other. What he and many others during the last hundred years have been able to demonstrate is that the mechanistic worldview that we call science is simply unscientific. And while it took some time for the consequences of his discoveries, and other similar discoveries, to be appreciated, today the vast worldwide community of scientists, with few exceptions, has moved beyond the mechanistic view of reality. […]
One of Einsten’s great discoveries was that energy and matter were, in the words of Bill Bryson, “two forms of the same thing: energy is liberated matter; matter is energy waiting to happen.” Nor was this some kind of vague theory. Einstein actually measured the amount of matter (its mass) that would be the equivalent of a particular amount of energy. Hence the world’s most famous formula: E=mc2.
This could simply not be reconciled with the mechanistic model of physics because energy was supposed to be an activity or movement and matter was supposed to be a thing. How could a thing become a movement and how could an activity become a particle of matter? […]
When Einstein and numerous other scientists “opened up” the atom and analyzed its “content” into electrons, protons, neutrons, and numerous other “particles” right down to infinitesimally small quarks, they soon realized that they were not in fact dealing with particles, nor waves, or any other recognizable objects. They were dealing with patterns and relationships. But how can you have patters and relationships with nothing that is being patterned and related?
The mystery only deepened when the great physicist Niels Bohr cam across the quantum leap. Electrons which we have to treat as particles moving around in an orbit, sometimes jump from one orbit to another without passing through the space between the two orbits. How is it possible?
There are any number of other puzzles that defy explanation, not because we do not have enough evidence but because in the subatomic world the empirical evidence is self-contradictory. There seems to be no logic or rationality down there. It is, to us, a very strange world. […]
The universe is not what it used to be. It is not a machine. It is a mystery.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
BISHOP CLAVER'S COMMENTARY ABOUT PEOPLE POWER
SOS: Calling Cardinal Sin
Cardinal Sin, where art thou?
Exasperation, now and again, is expressed at the Catholic bishops by interest groups who want them to come out strongly against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. They have been deeply disappointed that there is no Jaime Cardinal Sin among the bishops today to lead a “people power” movement to boot her out.
The exasperation, I’m afraid, is badly misplaced. We actually have had no lack of would-be Cardinal Sins in the past few years since the “Hello, Garci” tapes started the political pot boiling over crazily. There have been at least four or five such bishops; one in fact explicitly called for the people to join a rebellion in one of those strange hotel capers, others supported impeachment moves in Congress, and still others contributed their names to statements and manifestos calling for the President to step down. But nothing has happened. And amazingly, nobody is asking why.
Most simply, the reason is that the people did not respond. Period. Hardly anyone took to the streets in answer to their calls. And I don’t think the reason was that those bishops were not cardinals of Manila.
A closer look at our experience of people power in the past -- and the fast-approaching 22nd anniversary of EDSA People Power I is an opportune time to do so -- brings out this little fact: On the surface it looks like it was Cardinal Sin who was responsible for EDSA I. Likewise for EDSA II. I would say he helped -- and helped tremendously. But he wasn’t the real decision-maker for their occurrence. The people were -- a fact which supports what I pointed out in an earlier column: that the real king-makers (or -un-makers) are not the bishops but the people.
Thus, in the first EDSA, the snap elections that preceded it made clear what the people wanted. The bishops supported their will and Cardinal Sin followed the lead of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. At EDSA II, it was the texting students gathered at the EDSA Shrine who asked for his support, and he gave it. In both instances, it was clear where the people stood. In 1986 they voted for change in a real electoral exercise. And in 2001, they voted with their feet. Only after they clearly expressed their will did the cardinal come in. If people power succeeded both times, it was because the people wanted it to.
All this is to point out that the exasperation of those who are worked up uselessly about the bishops’ failure to assume the kind of leadership being urged on them for another people-power overthrow of a sitting President should be directed at the non-responding people. And they should be asking seriously: Where are they? And why don’t they come out to answer their calls?
Indeed, where are they? They are out there, watching, waiting, going about the hard business of daily living. And thinking. Their concerns are not those of would-be revolutionaries. The bishops equivalently said as much in their reading of the national situation in their last pastoral statement.
Commentators on that statement zeroed in critically on what they saw to be the bishops’ faulty reading of the differences between Manila’s perceptions and the provinces’ regarding the current political problems of the nation. Not much was said about the statement’s more substantive conclusion that those problems, though diversely perceived, had one common cause: the subordination of the good of the many to that of the few. Which subordination, the bishops said, is our besetting sin as a people.
And they asked that this Lenten season we do something serious about it. They asked for a very simple thing: that at every level of the Catholic Church we form “circles of discernment,” reflecting and praying groups of the faithful coming together to see how we can by ourselves attain a form of self-conversion, not just of ourselves as individuals but as whole communities.
It hasn’t occurred to anyone of our commentators yet, it seems, but those discerning groups, if they take place in sufficient numbers all over the country, may well in effect be a massive teach-in regarding our unyielding culture of corruption and a veritable referendum on our present crop of politicians and the most recent scandals. What happens after they have conscientized themselves?
It strikes me that one of the worst things about our national practice of corruption is that hardly anybody ever admits culpability and says “mea culpa” as Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. did in his Senate testimony last week. Yet admission of wrong-doing and being sorry for it is the first step to the self-reform that the bishops are asking of all of us. There is a great need for more Lozadas. That is why the bishops requested that the kind of discerning they are pushing for should be done also by Malacañang, Congress, and provincial, municipal and “barangay” [village] governments.
A quixotic quest? It most probably is, but it shows how desperate things are and how there is all the more need for all of us to work our own hope out, as the bishops insistently ask, together, everyone doing his/her own little share.
That’s what people power is all about.
INQUIRER'S EDITORIAL REGARDING THE ROLE OF BISHOPS IN POLITICS
Checkmated bishops
Editorial
Now that Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. has pried fully open the can of worms that is the ZTE national broadband network (NBN) deal, it should be clear to everyone that the whole thing is not a lone, sordid attempt at wholesale corruption by the highest authorities in government. Even worse, that it has turned into another episode in the otherwise ambitious but notorious attempt by the administration to undermine constitutional democracy, which started with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s highly dubious election in 2004.
Because Ms Arroyo’s legitimacy has been placed more and more in severe constitutional doubt, the administration has become more and more constitutionally reckless -- undermining civil liberties, banning executive officials from cooperating with congressional inquiries, handing out bags containing hundreds of thousands of pesos to local government executives (God knows where Malacañang gets all that money), inventing nonexistent government items or positions to which she can appoint her supporters to appease and flatter them, and compromising civilian supremacy by appointing loyal military officers to civilian posts.
All these instances of constitutional affront may be traced to her appointment of Benjamin Abalos as chair of the Commission on Elections in 2002, as the nation geared up for what has turned out to be a much-discredited 2004 presidential election. And now Abalos finds himself deeply enmeshed in a scandal involving what seems to be a grossly overpriced multimillion-dollar communications deal.
So should we wonder why the President’s men would go all-out to keep Lozada from testifying at the Senate hearing on the ZTE-NBN deal?
If the administration has become a constitutional wrecking crew, then what should people of conscience do?
If there’s any sector that should have the intellectual sophistication and moral conviction to make clear to the populace what should be done, it should be the Catholic bishops.
But what do we hear from the bishops? Right after nuns and other religious bravely shielded Lozada from the talons of the state, all that the bishops did was to hail Lozada, saying he could save the government from “scandalous and immoral kickbacks.” Could there be anything more lame and shallow than that? Worse, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, commended disgraced then-Speaker Jose de Venecia for lashing out at the government that the latter himself had propped up.
Lozada at least pleaded “mea culpa” to his transgressions as a government official; his confession was an intrinsic part of his remorse and his resolution to come clean and tell the truth. But has De Venecia even dropped by the confessional box? By now the bishops should have appreciated that the ZTE issue, more than just another instance of corruption, is an episode in a vast tapestry of abuse of power, constitutional deception and subversion -- a stark evil right in the corridors of power.
But still the bishops hem and haw, even deny they have the duty to lead the people. An instance of this is Bishop Francisco Claver’s revisionism of Jaime Cardinal Sin, the bishops and people power. He wrote in a commentary on Feb. 13 in this section: “[Cardinal Sin] wasn’t the real decision-maker for [the] occurrence [of EDSA People Power I and II] ... the real kingmakers are not the bishops but the people.”
Claver’s argument is platitudinous, if not misplaced. It overlooks the fact that in the long dark years of the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship, it was Sin who boldly spoke out against the strongman and his depredations, even without the people visibly or resonantly protesting. EDSA People Power I came to pass because of the activism of Sin and later, of the bishops, who kneaded the critical mass. The people may not be marching in the streets now, but it is because they’re waiting for the clarion call of our bishops.
But the bishops seem to have jettisoned their moral and pastoral duty. They’ve become spiritual and moral illiterates. They seem unable to read the signs of the times. Perhaps checkmated by their own prudence and discretion, they’re now inspired less by the Holy Spirit and more by moral stasis. Worse, they seem to have made themselves a party to the grand constitutional larceny. Perhaps Lozada was referring to them when he quoted St. Thomas Aquinas freely, “The worst corruption is the corruption of the best.”
RANDY DAVID'S ARTICLE ABOUT CLERGY ROLE IN A DEMOCRACY
Should bishops lead political actions?
MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine Daily Inquirer’s editorial Friday, titled “Checkmated bishops,” sharply rebukes the Catholic bishops for refusing to take up the activist role that the late Jaime Cardinal Sin had played in past political crises: i.e., “to make clear to the populace what should be done,” and “to lead the people.” The editorial echoes a popular, if dangerous, view. I am sure the editors will not mind this rejoinder in the spirit of democratic debate.
But, first, a disclosure. My younger brother, Pablo Virgilio David, is auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of San Fernando City in Pampanga province. He is also a member of the permanent council of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). The proper role of the clergy in the modern world has been a recurrent topic of our conversations. We have looked at the question critically from the perspective of social theory and of Catholic doctrine. I can say in all candor that my bishop-brother is more open to the idea of the clergy playing an activist role in Philippine political matters during crucial moments, than I am willing to concede as a secular democrat.
The Inquirer editorial states: “If there’s any sector that should have the intellectual sophistication and moral conviction to make clear to the populace what should be done, it should be the Catholic bishops.” I grant the intellectual sophistication and moral conviction of many of our Catholic bishops, but I would not want them, as religious leaders, to tell me what to do or what to believe in politics, or law, or science, or art, etc.
To beg them to tell us what to do or to lead us in the fight against an abusive regime is to authorize them to substitute their judgment for the public’s own evolving opinion. It is one thing to welcome a reading of events from the moral standpoint of the clergy, but it is another to allow that interpretation -- for all its sophistication and conviction -- to dominate the entire horizon of our understanding of the world. I am glad that today’s bishops no longer treat us like children. They have prodded us to form “circles of discernment,” to draw strength from the solidarity we can offer to those who risk their lives as they speak the truth, and to decide as a community what forms of action we should undertake. It is all they should do in a society that aspires to be a democracy. That is not an abdication of their moral duty; it is a prudent recognition of the limits of their authority.
Nations that put religious leaders at the forefront of the State are becoming a thing of the past, notwithstanding the resurgence of a kind of religious fundamentalism that seeks to colonize every sphere of society. Our break from such a tradition was decisive at the very moment of our birth as an independent nation -- in the drafting of the Malolos Constitution. We cannot return to it. No doubt, we continue to feel the influence in our modern lives of a moral code supplied by religion. As an element of our moral identity as a people, it has a positive impact on our society. Be that as it may, I think it is a great setback to be waiting for new Cardinal Sins to make clarion calls summoning us to the EDSA highway [site of people power uprisings -- Editor] or to anywhere else, just as I think it is a setback politically when religious leaders dictate government policy to those they have helped install to power.
I share everything else that the Inquirer editorial expresses in urgent tones. “If the administration has become a constitutional wrecking crew, then what should people of conscience do?” the Inquirer asks. We should trust that conscience is not a monopoly of the bishops. Pope Benedict XVI once said that the role of the clergy is to form and educate consciences, and not to substitute their conscience for that of the laity’s. In the face of a political crisis, many of us will find this papal reminder conservative. But, insofar as it springs from a respect for the autonomy of functional spheres, it is correct, modern, and democratic.
To ask the bishops to instruct us to do more, on account of the moral influence they wield, is to follow a shortcut. It is analogous to begging the military to launch a coup to topple a government, using the armed power that the Constitution has placed in their hands. These are shortcuts because they bypass the longer and circuitous route of political conscientization and organization. Consequently, the regime change that is the fruit of the journey cannot be the achievement of the people themselves. They are brought to where they are without knowing where they are. The journey does not teach them anything about themselves or about politics. A new government is formed in their name, but they cannot see themselves as its authors or its stewards.
If all this sounds familiar, it is because we’ve been there before. In our impatience, we, who think of ourselves as intellectually sophisticated, lead the march for change and leave the rest of the people behind. When the dust settles down, seeing that the people are back to where they came from, we ask, perplexed, why they have gone back to their old ways. The fact is they never left. We did not give them the chance to think for themselves, find their own way, and free themselves.
It bothers me to have to write like this when we appear once more on the verge of a regime change, and all that is needed, it seems, is to get our moral elders to lead the way. I beg to disagree. At the risk of being misunderstood, I consider political action resulting from the slow boil of the people’s anger ultimately more enduring than any dish we can cook with microwave heat.
TRANSFIGURATION, TRANSFORMATION
Last month the bishops of the
For we live today as a people almost without hope, it would seem. We look at our landscape and see darkness everywhere. […]
To journey to the light, we need first to realize that we have contributed not a little to the common malaise—because of decisions we have made, decisions that flowed from what we have become and because of our unconcern, inaction, apathy, often thinking only of our interests. And so with little sense of the future of our country, we vote for people we should not vote for.
Therefore, in the much needed regeneration of our politics and social life, this is where we have to start: with ourselves, as individuals, families, communities. We have always put the blame on people we have chosen to govern us. Today we have become more aware that despite efforts, successful or not, to remove the incompetent or corrupt, our problems have remained. We have looked at the enemy as only outside of us.
But now we ask: In the face of the many persistent and unresolved crises of today can we together make a determined start, by making a conscious effort at changing our mind-sets towards a greater and more efficacious concern for the good of the nation? (Emphasis mine.)
Thus, in the face of the many persistent and unresolved crises of today we are to make a determined start, by making conscious effort at changing our mind-sets towards a greater and more efficacious concern for the good of the nation.
In the light of the gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent, we are reminded that if we want transfiguration, if we want transformation, we begin with ourselves, as individuals, families and communities.
Ang pagbabago na nais ni Jesus hindi nagsimula sa pagbabago ng Emperador ng Roma, o sa pagpapatalsik kay Poncio Pilato o kay Herodes o sa pagapapalit ng mga saserdote, eskriba, o pariseo.
Ang tunay na pagbabago ay hindi magsisimula sa pagbabago ng iba. Ito ay magsisimula sa ating mga sarili, na dapat makita ng ating mga kasama sa bahay hanggang magbago ang buong pamilya, na dapat makita ng ating mga kapitbahay hanggang magbago ang buong komunidad. At kapag marami ng pamilya at komunidad ang nagbabago, wala ng makakapigil sa atin para baguhin ang ating lipunan, ang sistema ng ating pulitika, ang sistema ng gobyerno, ang mga taong namumuno sa atin. Ang tunay na pagbabago dito dapat magsimula, sa ating puso, sa ating pamilya, sa ating kapitbahayan, sa ating parokya.
May misa sa La Salle Gym kasama si Jun Lozada at ang kanyang pamilya. Gusto ko sanang pumunta at maki-misa para ipaalam sa kanila na gusto ko ring malaman ang katotohanan. Pero nagbago ang isip ko. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, “Hindi ko kailangan pumunta sa La Salle para hanapin ang pagbabago dahil ang tunay na pagbabago kailangan magsimula saan man tayo naroon. Ang pagbabago ay dapat hanapin unang una sa ating sarili, sa ating pamilya, sa ating mga kapitbahay, sa bawat kalye, eskinita at looban ng ating barangay, sa ating parokya.”
Kung gusto nyo sumama sa rally karapatan ninyo iyan. Kung ipaglalaban ninyong mag-resign si Gloria, opinyon ninyo iyan. Pero ito ang paalaala ng Panginoon:
à kung gusto natin ng tunay na pagbabago, dapat magsimula sa sarili.
à kung gusto natin ng katotohanan sa gobyerno, dapat magsimula sa ang katotohanan sa ating pamilya, sa ating mga kapitbahay, sa ating barangay.
à kung gusto nating mawala ang pandaraya sa pulitika, dapat mawala ng panlalamang natin sa kapwa.
Ang pagbabagong bigay ni Jesus ay nagsimula sa pagbabago ng kanyang anyo sa bundok, tapos pagbabago ng mga apostol na kasama niya, tapos pagbabago ng lahat ng sumusunod sa kanya, hanggang maging pagbabago ng lahat ng naniniwala sa Diyos.
Kung gusto natin ng tunay na pagbabago, dapat magsimula sa sarili, tapos sa pamilya, tapos sa mga kapitbahay, tapos sa ating parokya, tapos sa ating lipunan, tapos sa ating gobyerno, tapos sa buong bansa.
Genuine change begins in our hearts. Without a change of heart, we may change our leaders, or even our citizenship, but selfishness will continue to reign. Transfiguration happens in our hearts. Transformation begins with you and me.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
TUNAY NA NAGTITIWALA
Ang Panahon ng Kuwaresma ay panahon ng pagpapanibago - pagbabanibago ng mga ipinangako natin sa Binyag; pagpapanibago ng ating pagiging anak ng Diyos.
Bilang mga anak ng Diyos tayo ay tinatawag na magtiwala sa Ama. Kaya't magandang pagkakataon ang kuwaresma na kamustahin ang pagtitiwala natin sa pag-ibig at pagkalinga sa atin ng Diyos.
Sino ang tunay na nagtitiwala sa Diyos? Ang tunay na nagtitiwala sa Diyos ay hindi lamang yung tumatawag sa kanya sa panalangin. Ang tunay na nagtitiwala ay iyong pagkatapos sabihin sa Diyos ang kanyang hiling, pagkatapos magdasal sa Diyos, ay handang tanggapin ng walang pag-aalinlangan ang sagot ng Diyos, Oo, o Teka, o HIndi. Ito lang naman ang maaring isagot ng Diyos sa mga dasal natin: oo, teka, o hindi.
Ang tunay na nagtitiwala sa Diyos ay iyong pagkatapos sabihin sa Diyos ang gusto niya, ay tunay na hinahangad na matupad ang gusto ng Ama. Di man lubos na nauunawaan ang gusto ng Diyos, nagtitiwalang laging mabuti ang laman ng puso ng Diyos.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
CBCPNEWS ON MOTORCADE TURNED PRAYER RALLY
News account of the motorcade turned prayer rally from CBCPNews, February 12, 2008. Pictures are from masigasig site.
Cubao rallies faithful vs. ordinance on reproductive health
CUBAO, February 11, 2008—The Diocese of Cubao led by Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco rallied its faithful to a motorcade early Monday afternoon from the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice at the University of the
In an appeal aired over Catholic-run Veritas 846, Bishop Ongtioco called on all well-meaning citizens to support their protest action against the ordinance scheduled to its third and final reading today at 2:00 P.M.
Earlier, 36 Catholic churches in the diocese read during Sunday Masses the pastoral statement signed by Bishop Ongtioco which thoroughly discussed the reasons for their aggressive protests. He added there are certainly anti-life provisions in the ordinance which may appear pro-poor but in reality runs counter with the very teachings of the Catholic Church.
He said at first glance the ordinance appears to have noble intentions but at closer look, it would manifest the very provisions earlier proposed at the House of Representatives.
“When they failed to get their legislative measures passed at the House of Representatives due to the pro-active, pro-life lobby, they have shifted gears towards local government units,’ Bishop Ongtioco said. (CBCPNews)
Sunday, February 10, 2008
REJECT ALL THREATS TO FAMILY AND LIFE
It has passed the second reading. Eventhough there is still the third reading, technically, the Quezon City ordinance establishing a Population and Reproductive Health Management Policy is already a done deal. The local church of Cubao has strongly expressed it reservation on questionable issues regarding the ordinance from the very beginning but it seems nothing happened. What we await now is the veto that will come from Mayor Sonny Belmonte.
Here are the list of the city councilors who voted "yes" to the ordinance: Juico, Lagman Jr., Hipol, Castelo, Borres, Medina, Banal Jr., Delarmente, Ferrer, De Guzman, Sotto, Inton Jr., Suntay, Belmonte, Malangen, Matias.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
TUKSO
The gospel for the first Sunday of Lent talks about the temptations Jesus had while in silence and solitude in the desert -- an experience that is shared by all of us.
Sabi ni San Igancio ng Loyola na ang tukso ay parang isang napakagandang babae, kaakit-akit.
Ito ang naranasan ni Jesus habang siya ay nag-iisa sa ilang, nananahimik, nananalangin at nag-aayuno. Ang kaakit-akit na tukso na papawi sa gutom at mabusog. Ang kaakit-akit na tuksong maranasan ang kamangha-manghang kapangyarihan ng Diyos sa pamamgitan ng kanyang pagliligtas. Ang kaakit-akit na tuksong matamo ang lahat ng kapangyarihan at kayamanan ng sanlibutan kapalit ng pagsamba sa diyablo. Kaakit-akit ang tukso, subalit hindi naakit si Hesus.
Lahat ng tukso kaakit-akit. Walang tuksong pangit, o hindi maganda. Dahil kung hindi maganda ang tukso, kung pangit ang tukso, kung hindi kaakit-akit ang tukso, walang bibigay sa atin sa tukso. Walang papayag sa tukso. Kaya lahat ng tukso kaakit-akit, kaya lang ang tukso sinungaling. Ang tukso mapagkunwari. At kung matatanto lamang natin ang pagkukunwari at kasinungalingan ng tukso walang hindi tayo bibigay sa tukso.
Paano ba natin mapaglalabanan ang tukso? Dalwang bagay lang. Una, sa pamamagitan ng pagdarasal. Kung tapat tayo sa pagdarasal, kung tapat tayo sa pakikipag-ugnayan sa Diyos, may pagkukuhanan tayo ng lakas para mapagtagumpayan ang tukso. Kung aasa lang tayo sa sarili nating lakas, aminin natin, na madalas mahuhulog tayo sa pangaakit ng tukso. Pero kung malakas ang kapit natin sa Diyos, ang kapangyarihan ng Diyos ang magiging lakas natin laban sa tukso. Ikalawa, sa pamamagitan ng katotohanan. Dahil sinungaling ang tukso, dahil mapagkunwari ang tukso, makikita lang natin ang tunay na mukha ng tukso kung nabubuhay tayo sa katotohanan. Kung nabubuhay tayo sa patung-patong na pagkukunwari darating ang panahon na tayo mismo hindi na natin alam kung alin ang totoo, magiging mahirap sa atin makita ang pagkukunwari at pagsisinungaling ng tukso, at madali tayong bibigay sa mapang-akit na tukso.
May mga tuksong madali lang labanan. May mga tukso namang kahit na anung pilit natin layuan ay laging nandiyan. Anumang klase ng tukso, huwag sanang kalilimutang gaano man kaakit-akit ang tukso laging nagkukunwari at sinungaling. Kung makikita lang natin ang tunay na mukha ng kaakit-akit na tukso sigurado ako hindi tayo bibigay. Sikaping mabuhay sa katotohanan upang di malinlang ng tukso, at sa pamamagitan ng seryosong buhay panalangin, sa biyaya ng Diyos, alam natin ang tukso kayang-kaya nating mapagtagumpayan. Amen.
Friday, February 8, 2008
NO BUCKET LIST FOR ME
I just watched the movie "Bucket List," starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. The movie is about two old men [Carter and Edward] who were ill with terminal cancer. They share one hospital room. They were both diagnosed to live only upto several months. And so, Carter [Freeman] started to make his bucket list, i.e. a list of things he wanted to do before one kicks the bucket, before one dies [like, helping a stranger to become better - which in the end was fulfilled for helping his roommate in the hospital]. Edward [Nicholson] started to add his own to the list [like, kissing the most beautiful girl in the world - which in the end was crossed out for kissing his own granddaughter after not seeing his own daughter for a long time]. And they both decided to do the list before they die. The movie ends with a monologue by Carter describing how Edward died, "He died with his eyes closed, but with his heart open." The bucket list is a list of things to do where one will find joy.
Today I am 35. I do not wish to arrive the dusk of my life and would have to make my own bucket list, for I intend to live my life in such a way that I fiind joy in my everyday. But I wish I would die like Edward, yes with eyes closed, but with my heart open. Amen.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
DUMI SA NOO
Sa pangkaraniwang araw nililinis natin ang ating mukha; ang dumi inaalis. HIndi tayo lumalabas ng bahay hangga't hindi naghihilamos. Napakaraming itinitinda na ginagamit para linisin ang mukha: ponds, nivea, oil of olay, eskinol, etc. Pero sa araw na ito, isang araw na di-pangkaraniwan, dinudumihan natin ang ating mukha; lalagyan natin ng abo ang ating noo. Bakit?
Dahil meron tayong inaamin. Meron tayong ipinapahayag. Una, inaamin natin na tayo ay hindi pa lubusang malinis; hindi pa tayo lubusang maayos; hindi pa tayo lubusang mapayapa; hindi pa tapos ang pakikibaka. Malinis at maayos man sa labas, meron pang dapat isaayos sa kalooban. Sa paglalagay ng abo sa ating noo, inaamin nating hindi pa lubos na malinis ang ating puso, ang ating kalooban. Ikalawa, inaamin natin na tayo ay may pag-asa pang luminis; may pag-asang magbago. Sinasalungat natin ang mga nagsasabing ganito na talaga tayo; wala na tayong magagawa. Inaamin nating sa tulong ng Diyos meron pang pag-asa sa pagbabago, at ngayon ang tamang panahon para magsimula.
Walang saysay ang mga abo sa ating noo, kung walang pag-amin na di pa tayo lubusang malinis, at sa tulong ng Diyos may pag-asang maging malinis. HIndi pa lubos ang ating pagbabago at sa biyaya ng Diyos may pag-asa pang magbago. At ngayon ang tamang panahon.
Monday, February 4, 2008
VOTING FOR THE COMMON GOOD
As I write this blog, our representatives in the House continue to vote whether to proclaim the seat of the speakership to be vacant or not [it seems only formality awaits the triumph of ousting the present speaker]. All throughout the voting process, some representatives opt to explain their vote, countless of times what comes up are issues of friendship, of emotional connections, of being ninangs and ninongs. For the most part, votes were cast for personal reasons, not for or against any issue. And they do this without any qualms, without any shame, or even remorse for holding on to personalities and relations rather than voting for the common good. Nakakainis!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
HAMAK, WALANG HALAGA, WALANG KABULUHAN
Pinili niya ang mga itinuturing na hamak, walang halaga, at walang kabuluhan sa sanlibutang ito upang pawalang-halaga ang mga itinuturing na dakila ng sanlibutan.
Anu-ano ba ang itinuturing na mahalaga ng sanlibutang ito? Narito ang ilan: Kapangyarihan [kaya nagpapatayan sa eleksyon], Kasikatan [kaya milya-milya ang haba ng mga pumipila
Isinulat ni San Pablong ang mga ito ay pinawawalang-halaga ng Diyos dahil pinili niya ang hamak, walang halaga, at walang kabuluhan. Kaya’t walang sinumang makapagmamalaki sa harap ng Diyos.
Hindi kailangang may kapangyarihan sa lipunan para tumulong.
Hindi kailangang sikat para maglingkod.
Hindi kailangang mayaman para magbahagi.
Sino ang nagpapaaral sa 62 na scholars ng ating parokya? Mga pulitiko ba? Ang Barangay ba? Hindi. Ang mga karaniwang parishioner ng Transfi na may kusang loob sa pagbibigay kahit na kaunti upang makatulong sa mga nangangailang mga estudyante. Sa mata ng sanlibutan sila ay hamak, pero sila ang mga hamak na pinili ng Diyos.
Sino ang nag-aayos linggu-linggo ng mga bulakalak, at gumagawa ng mga dekorasyon sa simbahan? Kilala nyo ba? Hindi, dahil hindi sila sikat at sigurado ako hindi nila kailangang sumikat. Sila ang mga karaniwang parishioners na boluntaryong ibinabahagi ang kanilang pera, kakayahan at panahon para sa simbahan. Sa mata ng sanlibutan sila ay walang halaga, pero sila ang mga walang halaga na pinili ng Diyos.
Sino ang mga nagdonate ng pera para maipa-granite natin ang ating sanctuary? Ang mayayaman lang ba? Hindi. Hindi nyo alam na tuwing manghihingi ako ng donasyon para sa mga gawain dito sa parokya laging may dumarating na sobre na mga barya ang laman galing sa mga tindera sa palengke. Hindi mayayaman yan. Pero marunong magbigay. Sa mata ng sanlibutan sila ay walang kabuluhan, pero sila ang mga walang kabuluhan na pinili ng Diyos.
We do not need to have power in order to help.
We do not need to be popular in order to serve.
We do not need to be rich in order to give.
What we need is a humble heart, ready to heed the call of the Lord.
Ang kailangan ay isang pusong mapagpakumbaba dahil ang pinipili ng Diyos ay ang hamak, ang walang halaga, at walang kabuluhan.
May mga taong gagawin ang lahat para sumikat, at kapag-sikat na tatakbo sa eleksyon para maluklok sa poder ng kapangyarihan at doon ay magpapayaman. Nasa kanya na ang lahat ng mga bagay na pinahahalagahan ng sanlibutang ito. Pero hindi sa mata ng Diyos.
Paalala ng pagbasa na hindi kailangan ang lahat ng ito para sumunod kay Kristo. Ang kailangan lang isang pusong mapagkumbaba, dahil pinipili ng Diyos ang mga payak at hamak.
Pipiliin ka kaya ng Diyos?
IGUIG, CAGAYAN PROVINCE
In the film "Santa Santita", Johnny Delgado plays a priest who was sent to Quiapo from an isolated parish in the province because of his fondness for alcohol. I remember the scene when Johnny was being told of the decision that he was to pulled out of his parish and was to stay in Manila, took place at the back of a very old church, with rolling hills and greens as background, including shots of what seemed to be a life size depictions of the stations of the cross. "Where is this?" It doesn't look like the grotto in Bulacan. I have been there many times as a child with Inang Ina and Tata (my father's parents). It doesn't have the vastness the movie scene had. I don't think it is the one at the back of the Divine Mercy Shrine, again in Bulacan. I remember that it was a little bit less than life size. So, where is this? Somehow the answer came: Iguig, Cagayan province.
Then came this invitation from a parishioner to take a vacation in Cagayan province, and stay at his farm, of all places, in Iguig. He had me at hello. It was in perfect timing; a vacation right after the Christmas season and before Ash Wednesday. It was in Cagayan Valley, a place I have never been to. It was in Iguig; to do a Johnny Delgado (hehe), to see the way of the cross, which I came to know later was called Calvary Hill. The accommodation was free; all I need to do is to prepare a one hour talk for the lay ministers of the parish in Iguig.
We arrived at the farm around 4 pm. We got to visit Calvary around 6 pm. I was afraid that the darkness will somehow impede our appreciation of the place. I was dead wrong. We arrived there for a perfect sunset; a sunset over Cagayan River. It was enchanting.
Yes, this is the place I saw in the movie. The magical colors of the setting sun made it even extraordinarily special.
Now, the pictures of the Calvary HIll does not come with Johnny Delgado, they come with the best sunset I have yet experienced. [And the bonus part is that my nikon captured it, yes.]
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