A Reflection on the Beatitudes

            The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness. He connects this joy and the Law in the Sermon on the Mount. These Beatitudes reveal the goal of human existence, the end of human acts: to be with God. However, this beatitude with God confronts us with decisive moral choices. They differ in their presentation, but their content are one and the same: to be merciful, to be pure of heart, to detach ourselves from material possessions, to desire to do the will of the Father, to be a means of unity, to despise worldly power and honor, to be ready to face persecution and trials for the sake of the Kingdom.

            Christ came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. This New Law or the Law of the Gospel is the perfection of the Old Law. It is the work of Christ and is expressed in the Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes, the New Law fulfills the divine promises. It fulfills the commandments of the Law. The Sermon on the Mount releases the hidden potential of the Old Law and has new demands arise from them. The world tells us to seek power, honor, wealth and pleasure. These are considered to be sources of happiness. All of the Beatitudes reject what is contrary in attaining true happiness: merciless life, ambiguities in heart, hunger for things lesser than God, material things and possession, pleasure, power and honor.

            Jesus on the cross is the authentic image of a truly blessed and happy man. He Himself, on His sacrifice on the cross, put into concrete action what the Beatitudes say. If one wants to be happy, he/she must despise what Jesus despised on the cross: wealth, power, honor and pleasure. On the cross, Jesus showed how it is to become truly happy. He was merciful to all of humanity by showing unconditional love. He was pure of heart because He has no ambiguity in His heart to do the will of the Father. His ultimate concern and hunger was not the material things of this world, but righteousness and the will of God. He was the ultimate peacemaker who has the definitive power to unite. He detached Himself from material things and wealth symbolized by His nakedness on the cross. He was not addicted to pleasure because He freely accepted suffering and death. He was not addicted to any worldly power signified by His crucified Body. He was the persecuted One who received mockery instead of honor. The Crucified Christ is the perfect exemplary of the Beatitudes.

Justice and the Modern-Day Filipino

              We cannot deny the fact that our beloved country has experienced the scourge of injustice and inequality all throughout the course of its history. Perhaps, injustice has been our country’s deep-seated dilemma since time immemorial. Gone are the days when our grandparents would told us that their time was called “peace time”. Today’s society is harassed by heinous crimes, innumerable death tolls, unjust contractualization among workers, widespread corruption in the government, unstable economy and many others that, as St. John in his  Gospel would tell us, “If these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.”[1]

            How does the contemporary Juan and Juana view justice nowadays? What is the Catholic response to this contemporary view of the Filipino about justice?

Justice and How Contemporary Filipinos View It

            Filipinos are known to be a conservative people. Filipinos are known to have a good value system. That was before. Today, when we speak about justice, there are really a lot of opinions emerging from different points of view. Some are still inclined with what the Church teaches about justice. Still others are too radical in their understanding about justice. As a preparation for this reflection, I have come across an article which expresses the anonymous writer’s view of the needed “justice” in the Philippines nowadays.

The present system of justice in this country is too slow and far too lenient. Too often the punishment given to criminal offenders does not fit the crime committed. It is time to stop dragging out justice and sentencing and dragging our feet in dispensing quick and just due. All punishment should be administered in public…Murder should be punished in a manner similar to the way it was committed…Second time offenders of sex crimes such as rape should be castrated and emasculated slowly with a dull, rusty knife. The criminal should be revived every time he passes out from pain. This heinous crime deserves this much at the very least. After all, this person has violated another person and taken something away, a trust that can never be fully restored. The victims of these crimes never fully trust again.[2]

            Nowadays, we are afflicted by numerous crimes and violations. Dead bodies of people, both guilty and innocent, are thrown on creeks or on the road after they have been shot dead. Many Filipinas are engaging into cybersex and prostitution. Until now, contractualization among workers is rampant. We have been unjust with the use of our environment and its resources. Still others risk their lives to become drug mules because of their sole reason: matinding pangangailangan. Unfortunately, most of the Filipinos are losing the sense of morality and justice in order to sustain their living.

            As I see it today, there are three (3) main descriptions about justice in the Philippines. First, justice is as slow as a sick and dying turtle. As I browse over the broadsheets some days ago, I read an article that mercilessly tagged our country’s justice system as the “slowest in the world.” It is sad to hear but what can we do? Let us take some instances about this. Still remember the Ozone Disco tragedy? How about the Maguindanao Massacre? Or the Mamasapano incident where forty-four members of the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were cruelly killed by rebels? How about the recent Marawi siege? These are just some of the thousands and thousands of unresolved cases of injustices in the history of the Philippines. Perhaps that columnist was right in telling us the upsetting and inconvenient truth.

            Second, justice is only available for those who have gold bars for lunch. The more money you have, the more justice you acquire. The truth can be sold with shining price tag on it. Justice is commonly portrayed with a blindfolded person holding a balance scale. Unfortunately, the person holding the balance scale is blindfolded – with money. Only those who can afford paying so that the truth may be concealed are the ones justified. As the song goes, Hangga’t marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan, at ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayaman[3]

            Lastly, justice is something unimportant as a fly on a pile of dung. When asked about what we should do in order to maintain justice in the society, there are a lot of opinions coming from others. Some react negatively, saying that the offenders should be punished right away with death. Some say that now is the proper time to restore capital punishment. Some say that this revival of the death penalty will be of great help in maintaining order in the society. But the worst part is that many other Filipinos do not care about these things that are happening in the society! Many Filipinos would say, “Eh ano ngayon kung marami silang pinapatay? Buti nga ‘yan sa kanila!”, “Ah basta ako, nakakakain ako ng maayos at natutulog ng masarap sa aking higaan. Wala akong pakialam sa mga palaboy.” We must remember that not doing anything in order to alleviate the sufferings of others is itself injustice.

What Should We Do?: The Catholic Response

            After describing the present situation in our country and the contemporary Filipinos’ perspective about justice, what now is the Church’s response to the distorted belief about justice?

            First, we cannot talk about justice without considering the main subject of it: the human person. Man is created to be a free and intelligent being, created in the image of God. He is the crowning glory of creation. He has a dignity immensely superior than any created thing. Along with this dignity are the rights which are inviolable and sacred. Justice, then, requires that all persons should have the enjoyment of all their rights. Furthermore, man does not appear only as an individual; rather, he stands in relation to his fellowman and to other living creatures, and he can act responsibly.

            Second, we need justice in order to reach the fullness of our personhood. When God created man and woman, He bestowed on them the faculties of freedom, free will and intellect in order to use these to attain fullness of life. Despite sin, violence and injustice, God is there for human beings. People (not just in our country but also) in the world should regard themselves as a community and accept certain differences between individuals and peoples, since this variety is to be seen as wealth.[4] Everyone should look upon his/her neighbor as his/her another self, with the same inalienable rights. In recognizing our neighbors’ rights, we do not only render justice but we also fulfil Jesus’ commandment of love. In fulfilling this commandment of love, we become more human like Jesus.

            Third, laws are indispensable means of maintaining justice and are never optional. Justice is the constant will to give men due to God and neighbor.[5] The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that the society must ensure social justice, the conditions that allow individuals and associations to gain what is their due.[6] The beloved St. John Paul II supported this by saying that social justice demands respect for the dignity of the person and that what is at stake is the dignity of the human person.[7] That is why there are existing laws, whether they are promulgated by the government or by the Church. Laws help us maintain order in the society. Laws are of great help in ensuring that justice is served in the society. Justice without law is not justice in the same manner that law without justice is not law.

            Lastly, no one has the right to take away one’s rights. Not even the government or any cruel leader has the authority to violate the rights of its subjects. If the state does this, then it clearly commits injustice. That is why the Church is very vocal in expressing its concern whenever justice is not granted and rights are violated. We have to be clear that the Social Teachings of the Church are not political strategies or ideals. What the Church calls for is not the adoption of some rebellious outline. The Catholic doctrine of justice is one of the main protectors of order, peace, and progress in a country. It gives the State the authority for the realization of its end, while at the same time blocks the road to oppression and violence. It helps us to build a just society and assists us to live holy lives in the midst of modern-day challenges.

Conclusion

            We are now encouraged by the Church to stand for justice. Justice transcends the letters of the law. Justice should be complemented with love, mercy, forgiveness and solidarity. As members of the society, we must ensure that social justice is observed and protected by respecting each person’s rights, by eradicating any form of discrimination, by the exercise of human solidarity especially among the poor, by just distribution of goods, by proper and equal compensation for work. Through all of these, world peace finds its realization.

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                [1] New American Bible, John 21:25.

     [2] "The Problems with Our Justice System" retrieved from http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=14075 accessed on 18 Jul 2017.

                [3] From the song “Tatsulok”  sung by Bamboo.

                [4] DoCat: What to do? The Social Teaching of the Catholic Church, nn. 235-236.

                [5] Ibid., n. 108.

                [6] Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1928.

                [7] John Paul II, Sollicitudo rei socialis, Encyclical on The Concern of the Church for Social Order, 30 December 1987, n. 47.

Reflection on the Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat

        A story was told about a very devout Catholic couple. They actively serve their local parish as officers of the Parish Pastoral Council. In addition, the wife is a pious member of the Catholic Women’s League, while the husband is a staunch member of the Knights of Columbus. However, despite their devoutness in serving, they had difficulty in bringing their own son to the church. Every Sunday, the couple tries their best just to invite their son to come with them to church and attend the Sunday liturgy. And Sunday after Sunday, their son continuously expresses his reluctance in attending Mass. His reason? Because there are lots of hypocrites going to church! He further said that he knows a lot of these people who appear to be holy inside the church but afterwards are little demons in their homes. His father, after hearing the son’s “reason” why he does not want to go to church, said, “Oh yes! There are really a lot of hypocrites in the church. And don’t worry son, there is still enough room for another one.”

Just like the field in this Sunday’s Gospel reading, the Church, even during Her early life, has been composed of wheat and weeds, of saints and sinners, of sheep and goats, of holy people and of hypocrites. And true enough, there is still sufficient room for more!

What, then, is the Lord’s invitation for us this Sunday?

Our faults are blessings in disguise. In the individual level, we, too, are fields of our own. God has sown the good seeds of faith, hope and love in our hearts. On the other hand, the devil painstakingly sows the seeds of doubt, despair, indifference and many other unpleasant things. Just like the workers in today’s Gospel who want to pull up the weeds right away, which seem to be reasonable, we also want to get rid of our weaknesses and sins right away. Most of the time, we even find ourselves discouraged and disheartened when, in confession, we find ourselves confessing to the priest the very same sins we confessed last time. Gusto nating bumait pero ang hirap magawa. But still, in the parable lies a certain consolation for all of these weaknesses and sins: weeds exist side by side with the wheat. Perhaps our weaknesses and sins have some “benefits” too! If and only if we have recognized that we have these “weeds” in us, then that may become a blessing for us. In recognizing these weaknesses, we become humble before the ever-loving God. In recognizing our sinfulness, we become aware of our need for repentance and conversion. In recognizing our powerlessness, the amazing power of God’s grace becomes perfect (Cf. 2 Corinthians 12:9).

The Church is not only a museum of saints but also a hospital for sinners. The Church exults in Her sons and daughters who lived exemplary lives such as Lawrence of Rome, Agatha, Maximillian Kolbe, John Paul II, Teresa of Calcutta and many others who are included in Her long roster of saints. She is glorified by these saints’ genuine witnessing of the faith. However, the Church is also grieving because of the many wounds inflicted to Her by Her very own sons and daughters. The field of the Church has been bountiful in Her harvest of saintly lives but also suffers drought from sinful lives of many adherents. We must admit this: not all members of the Church are saints! Not everyone in the Church are fruitful wheat. But again, the parable offers consolation to us. The farmer did not immediately order the uprooting of the weeds. He gave time, a lot of it, so that when the time for the harvest comes, he is sure that what the workers will uproot are really weeds and not the wheat. Perhaps, the farmer is also hoping that the weeds may become wheat! God wants every one of us to go to heaven, to be with Him for eternity.

Our Lord Jesus compares all of these to the pilgrim Church aiming for perfection in Her journey towards the realization of the Kingdom of God. True enough, the Church is already holy but still needs constant conversion. The Church is already saved by the Paschal Mystery of Christ but still in need of repentance. The Church is so much loved by Christ but still strives to be ever-faithful to Her Spouse. The Church is already glorious but still wounded and afflicted by our sins. May God continue to bless His Church so that we may in turn become fruitful wheat in time of harvest.

Reflection on the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A Year II - "Parable of the Sower"

One of Jesus’ strategies in preaching the Good News is the use of parables. Parables are realities about the Kingdom of God expressed in human experiences. These parables of Jesus are making the truth about the Kingdom more concrete and understandable. They are vivid pictures of the abstract truth about the Kingdom. These parables open our minds and hearts by beginning from where we are and what situation we are in. They also attract the attention and interest of those who listen to them, and in doing so, the hearers are compelled to discover the truth and meaning behind the story. Thanks to Jesus’ parables, we are now able to understand (though still up to a certain limit only, because Jesus is God and therefore His mind is a way beyond our minds, a tiny speck to the vastness of His boundless knowledge) His teachings through our own experiences.

            As a child, I was very fond of listening to stories. I had this illustrated Bible given to me by my late grandfather. One of the most memorable illustrated stories which had a great impact on me is the Parable of the Sower. I live in a barrio where majority of the residents are farmers, and so, even just through observation, I know how it is like living in the fields: rising very early in the morning to pasture the carabaos while at the same time sipping hot coffee from a big tin mug, going out to the field to check if there is enough water flowing to the rice paddies, and of course, especially now that the rainy season has begun, the sowing of seeds like rice and corn. Similarly, those who were listening to Jesus surely knew how it is like sowing seeds when He told them the Parable of the Sower.

            Many exegetes and biblical scholars have given many good interpretations and in-depth reflections about this parable, most of which focused on the different kinds of soil presented in the story. In this reflection, I would like to focus on the work of the sower in sowing the seeds and its significance in the Church’s mission as the primordial sower of God’s words.

            The parable is directed to both the hearers and those who preach the Word. There are diverse ways of accepting the word of God, and as the parable describes it, the fruit which it produces depends on the kind of soil, that is, the kind of heart of the person who accepts it. The parable is not only meant to say something to the listening crowds, but it is also meant to reach those who preach the Word, then the disciples and now the Church.

            Jesus surely is the Preacher par excellence. He is the wisest and the most dumbfounding preacher who ever walked the earth. But we should admit it: He had very little achievement in His preaching. Most of the time, He was banished from synagogues. The Pharisees and the religious leaders were His most hostile critics. They even put Him to death because of His preaching! Many crowds followed Him in many places just to listen to His teachings. There were many people who witnessed and received His healing power. But then, there were so few of them who changed their way of life. Many of them went away and forgot whatever He taught. What, then, is the parable teaching us?

            The yield is sure to come. In the parable, some seeds may have fallen on the rocky road, thorny soil and shallow soil. All of them did not produce any fruit. But then, in spite of all these, the harvest surely came (as seen on the climax of the parable). Reason would tell us that not all seeds grow and bear fruit. Some may have the same fate as those seeds in the parable. But despite this, the farmer does not stop sowing the seeds. Neither does it make him lose hope for the coming of the harvest. Even if some seeds are wasted, the harvest will surely come.

            We do the sowing and God will guide the growing. As ministers of the Word, priests have the mission to preach it in its entirety and certainty. As the alter sower of God’s living Word, the priest’s job is to get busy sowing. But again, the seeds of God’s Word may have reached different kinds of soil. We are commissioned to sow the seed out on the wide fields of humanity, to sow it everywhere, unhindered by the birds waiting to take away the seeds, or the weeds ready to choke it. What is important is that the priest is faithful to his task, that is, to continue sowing the seeds and to leave the continuity of growing in the hands of God.