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Loving one’s neighbor involves a righteous indignation against injustice that causes suffering to its direct victims. It is alarming when humanity starts to be numb and indifferent to the situation of poverty, joblessness, no access to clean water, and basic and social services.
The story and history of our society is likened to a tree.
I have often heard that if you’re far enough to the right, everything will look left to you–even shepherds and their sheep.
This encounter or solidarity with the people in with their pains and struggles helped me understand more the meaning of my being a religious. That I’m supposed to go out and tell the good news of the Resurrection which is the forgiveness of sins, that all is forgiven; nothing is held back.
There is nothing normal in letting the poor remain poor, in letting people get denied healthcare, in letting the activists and human rights defenders being called terrorists and get killed.
We are all called to be prophets of our time; called to denounce injustices and announce the good news; called to offer our lives in the service of humanity, especially the deprived and the oppressed. It seems too ideal, but the fact is, some were already ahead of us in giving testimony. Think of those human rights defenders who dared to speak and defend those who have been deprived of their fundamental rights.
Yesterday was Palm Sunday. It is also called Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. Jesus triumphantly enters the holy city of Jerusalem. It is in Jerusalem that the paschal mystery will happen. Jesus rides on a colt like a king. However, the kingship of Jesus is not of power but humility; not to reign but to serve.
As I read the Gospel this Sunday, I remember a song from our theatre play production in 2014 about the struggles of the indigenous people in the defense of their ancestral domain.
Instead of accumulating fortune, fame, and power for ourselves, we divest our life in service for others, especially for the poor. This descent is to be continued in making ourselves servants and purveyors of care and nurture in order to deliver the maximum impact of unconditional love for others.
On this feast of a martyr for God, let us remember the love of mothers who lost their sons and daughters to this nonsensical war on drugs, those healthcare workers serving the frontlines risking their lives out of love and care for Covid patients, the homeless, hungry and needy, the children suffering in desperate conditions, the women and children victims of domestic violence whose numbers have risen in the advent of the lockdown, the rising number of out-of-school youth and adults, the LGBTQ community pushed to the margins of society, and many more who suffer a martyrdom, a loss of the sense of self, a loss of a sense of hope.
Working in a school environment is such a tough, demanding and challenging mission, yet a gratifying one. It presents me with great joy and also with great challenges as well as frustrations and pains. My work allows me to encounter people from all walks of life, the learned and unschooled, the rich, powerful and famous, and those at the margins of society who are victims of impoverishment and social justice neglect.
A true leader goes to the people. That is what Jesus did when He went to Capernaum. He did not wait for people to go to Him. He was the one who went to the people. A true leader knows where to go -in the synagogue where people are. A true leader knows what to do -teach. A true leader knows how to do it -with authority.
The world we live in today continues to be a hostile place, especially for the majority who are deprived of the basics in life. Statistics would tell us that most of the world’s resources are held only by a few and the aphorism “the rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer” continues to be true. If we take a look at what’s happening around us, we can see that this is due to the fact that those who are in power wield such power with impunity, and those with wealth continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the ordinary people. This indeed is a hostile world for God’s people.
An immersed church is very much capable of taking the side of the poor, and those who have been wronged by the system. We need a Church that denounces the powers-that-be who have entitled themselves to an exclusive right to accumulate properties, profits, and personal benefits at the expense the poor.
As we become the living testament of God’s epiphany in a broken world, let us rise up, and speak up, and be silent no more. Let our light uncover new and radical alternatives that usher new and better possibilities for the people. Let Jesus’ light hover our lives to eliminate the darkness that has blocked peace out of our land.
"...the life of our brothers and sisters in this huge family is still in such agony of waiting. Waiting for this pandemic to cease, waiting for the end of this seemingly unending terror attacks in many forms and waiting for families to get reunited because there is no more migration due to hunger and poverty. "
As Mary is portrayed as a woman that committed to the fulfillment of the Savior’s birth, Reina Mae and Amanda are among the many young women that carry-on Jesus’ mission. They have embodied love and service to God’s people- the poor and the marginalized. They are channels of God’s grace and salvation to those who are oppressed and disenfranchised.
As a forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist was an activist during his time. He dared to defy the system and talk against the status quo. He challenged the authorities to straighten their crooked ways of doing things. He preached justice and social transformation. His daring stance landed him to prison which led to his tragic death. He was decapitated for speaking the truth.
The season of advent calls us to continue to participate in the establishment of God’s kingdom in the here and now of the Philippine society, to be firm in our resolve to live in righteousness by being vigilant, ever awake and responsible of our God given duties to nurture and protect his household – the Philippine society from the evil schemes of the fake “Lords.”
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