Any prophet could become a pfft

Posted on January 21, 2021 by amijares

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When our Lord says: “A prophet is not accepted in his own country” he means a real prophet like himself, not an accommodating prophet with the ways of profits and profiteers.

I could recall when we attended the installation rites of the leader of a local church, in as much as he was a native of the same province, he shared openly and told the nuncio one of his fears: that a prophet is not accepted in his own country. This is true. And the Nuncio encouraged him to become a good bishop.

But when a bishop gives more emphasis on his “acceptance” in his own country and less on prophetism, then this same and even worse could hold true: he may not be accepted in is own country.

The fear of rejection is inherent in all of us since we all need to to relate. Moreover this is important if it involves a relationship on a community level of a local diocese. Good management they say is based on a smooth relationship to make things run well. This could facilitate God’s dream that we could be one family. We could understand this.

But this should be a relationship based on truth, charity and justice. Jesus is the truth, the way and life, and He knows who He is as the Son of God and a true prophet. He was not afraid even if He was not accepted by His own and even was put to death by the very persons He wanted to love.

When moral truths, justice and therefore true charity for the flock are compromised for the sake of the “good” relationship especially with those who hold positions of power, an attitude of “to please everybody” would be a consequence. Smooth relationships becomes more important than the truth, being the way and the source of life. Moreover, a relationship is really good if it is based on what is “pleasing” to God and not to please anybody compromising what is true noble and good. This opens the way to a certain relativistic notion that what is good is what is pleasing to me.

Here then will the problem start. When some moral truths are compromised, and when one deviates from the line of the collegial body of the bishops, in favor of a pleasant good relationship with some special persons, then, this is unbecoming of a true prophet that Jesus spoke about. Jesus rather should bring fire and division when it comes to justice truth and charity. Yes, He loves the Pharisees, that is why he was very uncompromising in front of their corrupt mentality.

It is for this reason that some false prophets will not be accepted by the people of God because of this compromising attitude. True prophets do not compromise the will of God, they are proclaimers of it. They shun a seeming good relationship for the sake of the truth. Charity is always in the truth and not a lousy substitute for moral falsehood, otherwise it is not really charity, at most it is commaridiere or false inauthentic diplomacy.

We continue to pray to the Lord to give as true prophets and good shepherds.

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Tribute to Fr. Melchor Montalbo, October 16 1958- August 12, 2020

Posted on August 18, 2020 by amijares

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Alex Menez, one of the prioneering good formators of our first year high school class of St. Pius X Seminary, which includes of Fr. Melchor Montalbo, whom we fondly call Boyet wrote me, in our Aklanon language, “Pero seriously owa gid kinyo it ma sueat it tribute? Para imao meteor ng nag hayag pero naduea. Dapat kunta like a star/constellation that brightens the dark sky for a long time. . . .. So brilliant and to die alone. Oh well, solus cum sola – that’s how God wants it”

[Translation] “But seriously will there be nobody among you(r class) to write a tribute? He is like a meteor which brightens up but disappers [suddenly]. He should be like a star/constellation that brightens the dark dark for a a long time. . . “

“So brilliant and to die alone [as Covid-19 positive]. . .”

Yes, he was brilliant, being always the first intellectually in the class and took his doctorate in Rome with the thesis about Carol Wotyla’s (St. John Paul II) philosophy of the acting person and because of his articles, lectures and books, especially on his three volume work about the Theology of the Body, which continue to give much light on human sexuality and marriage. I have to affirm that he is not only a meteor but truly a star that continues to brighten the darkness of this secularistic epoch.

Thirty seven years ago the family of Fr. Boyet with whom we were acquainted with received a gift from God: the gift of the priesthood which was conferred to him by the late Cardinal Sin. This reciprocal self giving between God and the person of Fr. Boyet is a grace based on both the freedom of God who initiated the call and that of Fr. Boyet who responded to that call, “You did not choose me but I chose you” and the constant yes’es which in the final analysis, is culminated in his encounter with the personal God who called him to the priesthood. Truly he died alone with his only Love. “Solus Deus cum anima sola” His “soul alone with God alone”.

I was also graced to be his classmate when we first entered the seminary as first young high school students of 12 years old, together with other classmates whom we fondly remember.

And I could say, being consistently always the first in our class he has been always been our leader and inspiration. Also in my priestly life especially during the years when he got sick with an illness which prevented him from pastoral ministry, he instead has given me strength to go on.

He was our high school valedictorian, and when he enrolled in the University of Santo Tomas to take our philosophical studies, he was consistent to be receiving summa cum laude, with highest honors, and consequently became the rector’s awardee. Perhaps this is the reason why, almost immediately after his ordination, his bishop, the late Jaime cardinal L. Sin sent him to study in Rome to be a professor in the archdiocesan seminary.

In Rome, he graduated Summa Cum Laude with his Doctoral Thesis about Pope John Paul’s Philosophy on the Acting Person. He would later say about the Pope who has “profoundly touched and influenced my life, and continues to be my philosophical and spiritual mentor and guide.” How could I be not inspired by this classmate of mine who does not only excel academically but is nourished spiritually and guided by a man who has also guided the unfolding of the post modernistic history of the world and who could rightly be called Pope John Paul II the Great – and was recently proclaimed a saint.

For nine years, he was professor and Dean of Studies at the Philosophy Department of San Carlos Seminary. He has taught philosophy at the UST Graduate School and the Fr. Hannibal Center of Studies of the Rogationist Father. He published “The Church and Workers, Philosophy of God, The Popes Speaks on Peace, Short Reflections on the Eucharist, Him: Called to Heal, and he has published articles on the personalist philosophy of Pope John Paul II on many journals including the Filipiniana Sacra of UST. He has also finished publishing a three volume book on John Paul’s Theology of the Body. It is no wonder that Fr. Boyet was nominated in the past, as a possible recipient of Catholic Book Awards.

These are some of Fr. Boyet’s ways of saying yes to God, in loving Him with all his mind. I remembered that after teaching in San Carlos, he wanted to give more. He went to Fordham University in the United States to study further.

But his life is not limited to intellectual pursuits. He has also been a pastor of San Antonio Abad parish in Maybunga, Pasig, Our Lady of Beautiful Love Parish in Merville, Jesus the Divine Healer in Tahanan Village, Holy Eucharist Parish in Paranaque, and served as chancellor of the Diocese of Paranaque. These are his way of loving God with all his strength and with all his heart.

I join the chorus of all who have met him to thank God for the gift of Fr. Boyet to the Church, the Body of Christ, the same Christ who is present with His People even in this pandemic. Even in his illness in bed, Fr. Boyet has given himself to serve since knows that without this sincere gift of oneself, “man cannot become what he is supposed to be” as has always explained by his mentor St. John Paul II. This self giving of Fr. Boyet reflects that Supreme gift of Christ to the Church. When I had the occasions to be in Manila, I make it a point to visit him, and I saw Him slowly being configured in Christ as an alter Christus, not anymore on the altar of the church but on the altar of Calvary. His altar has become his bed and sometimes his intravenous medicines or the tubes for his regular dialysis are like nails inserted to his body.

In our meager conversations which in time would end in a wave of a smile in his eyes, I could always see his heart’s desire to make the Church he loves to be what it is supposed to be. Since Fr. Boyet has a certain facility to grasp the “ideal”, the “what should be” of things – due to his keen intelligence – this very same deep understand of things makes him sometimes impatient to what is happening in the world and in the church because he shares what should have been done. “Sana ganito” – “How I wish it should be like this” is always in the mind and expression of Fr. Boyet.

His advanced knowledge, which sometimes becomes a prophesy, being contrasted with the harsh realities within and outside the church, makes him feel in an intense way – a kind of eschatological tension – which sometimes makes a toll on his body. We could compare him as a lighthouse who gives light to us wayfarers, but this lighthouse is situated at the edge of hope, sometimes battered by strong waves of the sea of confusion of the world.

Fr. Boyet, you are that lighthouse, while giving light, you could be exposed to the storms and the toss of waves as Pope Benedict our pope imeritus would allude: “from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism, and so forth.. . . Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the Church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, . . . looks like the only attitude acceptable to today’s standards. . . which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.” (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Homily at the Mass pro eligendo romano pontefice, April 18, 2005. )

The more the confusion is present, the more grows his suffering as a priest who loves Christ, and his Body, the Church. I am reminded of a wine, which he loves to drink when we are together, that when aged, it emits more its own flavor. Thirty seven years of his priesthood are not very long but it more than enough to thank God for this priest of God.

When we were in high school Fr. Boyet used to sing with his guitar: “In the morning, when the moon as it its rest, you will find me, at the time the time I love the best, watching rainbows play on sunlight, pools of water . . . In the day time, you will find as before, in the tone lights and colors of the ceiling in my room. . . Please be patient, with your life, its only morning and you have to live with it. . . . ” Yes, if life begins at 40, our Fr. Boyet is only twenty two years old.

But let us allow Fr. Boyet to speak from what he wrote on one of his books on the Eucharist and Priesthood published by his former parishioners who love him: It shows his humility, simplicity and the truthfulness of his experience: “They are not the best of men and they themselves wonder why God chose them and called them to the priesthood. They are not necessarily the holiest or the brightest of men, though they know they are expected to guide people in their difficult spiritual journeys through the trials and vicissitudes of life. . . But God in his infinite goodness and wisdom, chose them to be his priests. . . .How do we regard them, how do we relate to them, these priests of God? Do we expect too much from them? Do we expect them to have all the answers of our problems? . . Do we know that they too need us [the laity] in their search for and longing for God’s presence (in their lives?) They too need us [the laity] to mirror to them God’s infinite love and forgiveness. . . Let us not forget one thing: when priests stand on the altar, let us be reminded that behind them is Jesus in Most Holy Sacrament. Let’s look beyond them then, beyond their shortcomings, weaknesses and even sinfulness, not to condone them, but so we can see Jesus who embraces us all, priests and lay people, with his forgiving and infinite love. . .”

In this time of bereavement during his passing here on earth to his heavenly Father, we feel that Jesus embraces us all in his immense and personal love for Fr. Boyet. Let us thank God that this love is made visible to us by God through the gift of the person of Fr. Boyet who for 62 years have been faithful to this love. May our hearts be one with him for he invites all of us in thanking God. But we could surely say: Thank you Fr. Boyet, for your friendship, your generosity, your life, you light and your love. Thank you!

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Would I report a sexual abuse of consecrated persons or not?

Posted on June 18, 2019 by amijares

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The latest Apostolic Letter Issued “Motu Propio” (an edict personally issued by the Roman Pontiff on his ‘own initiative’) by Pope Francis last May 7, 2019 before the “ad limina” visit by the Philippine Bishops which subsequently taken as part of their agenda is “Vos estis Lux MundI” (You are the light of the world, Mat. 5:14)” http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190507_vos-estis-lux-mundi.html

This was written under the light of the recent sexual abuses on minors, which “cause physical, psychological and spiritual damage to the victims and harm the community of the faithful”.

The church does not close her eyes and avoid the responsibility of theses abuses which are also legal crimes, but admits that the “responsibility falls, above all, on the successors of the Apostles, chosen by God to be pastoral leaders of his People, and demands from them a commitment to follow closely the path of the Divine Master. Because of their ministry, in fact, Bishops, “as vicars and legates of Christ, govern the particular churches entrusted to them by their counsel, exhortations, example, and even by their authority and sacred power, which indeed they use only for the edification of their flock in truth and holiness, remembering that he who is greater should become as the lesser and he who is the chief become as the servant” (Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 27).

The bishop therefore are strongly encouraged to report to the civil authorities any crimes committed by priests and religious men or women. By failing to do so, it was clarified that the bishops concerned could be accused of covering up these crimes which makes them legally and even morally responsible.

There is no need to point the finger to the former seminary formation of these abusers. They were usually the products of the age of contestation which in the church was highlighted by the disobedience to the letter of Saint Pope Paul VI “Humana Vitae”.

However, as what Pope Benedict wrote the church of Ireland, the whole church is co-responsible in preventing if not solving this problem on March 19, 2010. (http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/letters/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20100319_church-ireland.html). Lay faithful therefore are encouraged strongly to help the bishops prevent or immediately report these crimes.

Art. 3 reads: “whenever a cleric or a member of an Institute of Consecrated Life or of a Society of Apostolic Life has notice of, or well-founded motives to believe that, one of the facts referred to in article 1 has been committed,

[i.e., a) delicts against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue consisting of:

i.        forcing someone, by violence or threat or through abuse of authority, to perform or submit to sexual acts;

ii.       performing sexual acts with a minor or a vulnerable person;

iii.      the production, exhibition, possession or distribution, including by electronic means, of child pornography, as well as by the recruitment of or inducement of a minor or a vulnerable person to participate in poI wish to point out two things: first is the rnographic exhibitions]

that person is obliged to report promptly the fact to the local Ordinary where the events are said to have occurred or to another Ordinary.”

I wish to point out two things: first is when a lay person “has notice of, or well-founded motives to believe” that a consecrated person has committed a crime, and second, that person “is obliged to report promptly the fact to the local Ordinary where the events are said to have occurred or to another Ordinary. . .”

We are used to think that we could gather evidence. Our minds are accustomed to think in cliche like “Innocent until proven otherwise”. This, in itself, has legal value, so much so that before reporting we must and be sure about the crime committed and its evidence like that presented in civil courts . Instead the Pope simply says that if one has “notice of” or has “well-founded motives to believe” of the crime, he or she is “obliged to report promptly” to the bishop.

Of course this has to be done in charity and without judging the victimizer but only to help the church and the bishop to prevent or to exercise investigation, due process and justice with charity to all the parties involved, even fo the victim, for the sake of the Body of Christ, the Church.

In fact, the Motu Proprio is not only about the above mentioned. But it is part of justice and fairness to encourage our lay faithful in being co-responsible in making the church more beautiful, prevent her from being defiled, and to do justice to her to her members and he leaders, out of charity and for the Church.

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A Month of Equilibrium in doing God’s Will in the Hospital and Elsewhere

Posted on May 18, 2019 by amijares

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This picture was sent to me when a kind soul visited my mother in Ibajay Hospital after Holy Week. What a combination of ups and downs, in these past weeks, a spiral or linear movements, a great balancing act in deciding on every present moment and yet the fulcrum of all moments was always the desire to discover and do what is the will of God. This was an enriching experience of this month. With a sick elderly old hospitalized mother, the search for a caregiver, vis-a-vis many scheduled masses – funerals, fiestas and vespers – a one week retreat in the capital town; life seems to be a roller coaster within this month after after the Holy Week when we celebrated with intensity the passion-death-resurrection of our Lord. The paschal mystery seems to by its best in the concrete in living always in every moment the death to my plans and life in the will of God starting with the hospitalization of my mother due to convulsions caused by infection and pneumonia on Holy Saturday.

It was the day before Easter! Christ’s resurrection was the source of peace and forgiveness. We know, it was an experience which was unforgettable to those who tried to be with him, apostles and disciples alike, when He showed Himself to them after the Kairos event of the resurrection. He lived at that moment beyond time and space, not anymore imprisoned by the limitation it impedes. This is so since love escapes the boundaries to time and space. It is only in this reality, inserted in love and therefore in a life of the Holy Trinity especially when I believe that other persons and good friends are tying to live not outside but inside this reality through our mutual love. It makes us live and transcend beyond created time and space which seem to disappear and one enters into the other realm of peace and joy when one passes through the decision of dying to oneself and living in the will of God.

In this month the words of Jesus that the door to heaven is a narrow one seem to be more concerete. In trying to do God’s will you are in fact trying to enter into that narrow door and once you pass through this door you enter into the big compound of the palace of heaven where there are many rooms and mansions. This door is a passage but the end result is the entrance to paradise. Unbelievable but it could be already experience “here on earth” as it is in heaven.

This is not to spiritualize events and experiences. Instead, one could also begin to understand what Jesus told us: “My food is to do the will of my Father”. His existence and subsistence depends on this doing the Will of his Father. The final test was of course in Gethsemane where he has chosen not his own will but the will of the Father. But what a test.

In trying always to do what is the will of God and therefore in discerning with the Holy Spirit always in the spirit of love, the peace that is coming only from the prince of peace is experienced. For me, this is a new set of experiences. When I have to decide to leave my mother alone in the hospital for a mass, for example, an equally elderly cousin would come to spend some time. When I have to give a rescheduled retreat in a retreat house away from the hospital which necessitates that I have to stay in that retreat house for six nights, the husband of my cousin tried to do everything so some of my relatives could take their turn day and night so with the kind nurses who assuring presence made Nanay to brave the feeling of being alone.

When Nanay has to leave after more than two weeks in that hospital room, may nephew and his wife prepared a better room in the previous house of my sister so my mother could be free from the dusts from our home which is being delayedly renovated so that she could have a confort room. Precious time was also gifted to me to secure a good air conditioner and a time with my grandsons to have a short trip to the capital town for a good merienda for free in Shakey’s, courtesy of a credit card which I have to use sometimes.

But the most troublesome are the concerns of the finances. Timing is of great importance since someone was willing to let us use his/her money for some days and give it back on other days. Providence is never wanting and comes incredible at the right time and right place.

The divine adventure of doing God’s will is really also a human adventure which is of course full of surprises which sometimes I forget to receive as gifts from God’s hands. Even some inevitable misunderstanding, seeming immaturities which could illicit some judgements and blame pointing, and especially on my impatience to my mother who is becoming senile and forgetful, are occasions to love deeper.

For all these, I am grateful to the Holy Spirit! I am also grateful to my parish priest who understands me when I have to hurry after my schedules that I have to go back to be with my mother. To the attending physicians and nurses who took extra efforts to be present when at times my mother was inevitably left on her own and those who took turns. How could I not be grateful the patience of my mother to my many bouts impatience which teaches me how to be patient in return? How could I not be grateful to a neighbor who faithfully brings her breakfast, lunch and supper believing that perhaps I’m out for a mass or a previous appointment. She even contacted a “trisikad” to bring her to church and back when she saw that I have to accompany my mother to church and bring her home. (It’s also an occasion to visit the priests in my home parish or do some physical exercise while waiting for her); or to the family of my nephew in thinking about fresh clothes and beddings for Nanay and especially their two sons who would visit and bring youthful joy? or my brother in law and his new good wife in thinking about the cleanliness of the house?

And to all of you who have assured me of your unity and prayers, those who contacted persons to act as caregivers after her hospitalization, even though they are themselves facing physical sickness. But above all I give thanks to the great Consoler of all who soothes all my pains, both physical and spiritual, who is acts like a balm of my soul and body.

As we continue the divine adventure, let us allow always the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. He is the person of love. By loving now, in whatever situation we are, His light would shine giving us equilibrium and peace.

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Ecumenical Dimensions of the Encyclical “Laudato Si”

Posted on February 9, 2019 by amijares

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“What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” (160). This question is at the heart of Laudato si’ (May You be praised), the famous Encyclical on the care of the common home by Pope Francis. “This question does not have to do with the environment alone and in isolation; the issue cannot be approached piecemeal” but require a dialogica solution and cooperation from many sectors and angles.

If we try to revisit it, we could discover a perhaps forgotten element which is its ecumenical dimension, a dimension which perhaps without it this encyclical would be incomplete. Already in presenting this rather urgent encyclical to the media with the presence of scientists, among others, His Eminence, the Metropolitan of Pergamo, John Zizioulas, was around representing the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church. He spoke of the theology and spirituality with which the Encyclical opens and closes.

There were also other perspectives, important as well, like climate change and its impact, economic and financial, and of course the environmental and human issues. In a sense the spirit of dialogue, a necessary element in Ecumenism, is the spirit of the Encyclical. These different perspectives are really are intertwined and complementary: the ecumenical riches of faith and of spiritual tradition, the seriousness of scientific research, the concrete efforts at various levels, all for an equitable and sustainable development.

This type of dialogue with and among many sectors and institutions was also employed as the method of preparation that the Holy Father embraced in the writing of the Encyclical. He relied on a wide range of contributions.

In fact this is what the Pope himself said on the plane flying to Manila. He said, “[It] is already known: Cardinal Turkson and his team prepared the first draft. then, with some help, I took it and worked on it, then with a few theologians I made a third draft and sent a copy to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to the second section of the Secretariat of State, and to the Theologian of the Papal Household…”

“Some, in particular those from many Episcopal Conferences from all the continents, are mentioned in the footnotes. Needless to say that others who participated in the various phases of this work[1] all the way to the complex final phases of translation and publication, remain unnamed.”

As noted, the framing question asked by Pope Francis in his encyclical is a simple one: “what kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up”? This question surely resonates with everyone in the world.

The Holy Father continues, “This question does not have to do with the environment alone and in isolation; the issue cannot be approached piecemeal.” This leads us to ask ourselves about the meaning of existence and its values that are the basis of social life: “What is the purpose of our life in this world? Why are we here? What is the goal of our work and all our efforts? What need does the earth have of us?” “If we do not ask these basic questions” – says the Pope – “it is no longer enough, then, simply to state that we should be concerned for future generations” (n. 160).

These questions arise from an observation: today the earth, our sister, mistreated and abused, is lamenting; and its groans join those of all the world’s forsaken and “discarded”. Pope Francis invites us to listen to them, urging each and every one – individuals, families, local communities, nations and the international community – to an “ecological conversion” according to the expression of St John Paul II, that is, to “change direction” by taking on the beauty and responsibility of the task of “caring for our common home”. He does this using the words of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, who was represented by His Eminence, the Metropolitan John Zizioulas: “Human beings … destroy the biological diversity […] by causing changes in its climate, […], contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life – these are sins (n.8).

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople Patriach Dimitrios, the successor of Athenagoras, has been the first one in the Christian world to draw the attention of the world community to the seriousness of the ecological problem and the duty of the Church to voice its concern and try to contribute with all the spiritual means at its disposal towards the protection of our natural environment. Thus, back already in the year 1989, he issued an Encyclical to the faithful Christians and to all people of good will, in which he underlined the seriousness of the ecological problem and its theological and spiritual dimensions. This was followed by a series of activities, such as international conferences of religious leaders and scientific experts, as well as seminars for young people, Church ministers etc., under the auspices of the present Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, aiming at the promotion of an ecological consciousness among the Christians in particular and more widely in the community of men and women.

In number 8, in fact, the Encyclical acknowledges what “Patriarch Bartholomew has spoken in particular of the need for each of us to repent of the ways we have harmed the planet,” for “inasmuch as we all generate small ecological damage”, we are called to acknowledge “our contribution, smaller or greater, to the disfigurement and destruction of creation”.[14]

Pope Francis was in unison with him when he said: “[Patriarch Bartholomew] has repeatedly stated this firmly and persuasively, challenging us to acknowledge our sins against creation: “For human beings… to destroy the biological diversity of God’s creation; for human beings to degrade the integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate, by stripping the earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands; for human beings to contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life – these are sins”.[15] For “to commit a crime against the natural world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God”.[16]

“At the same time, Bartholomew has drawn attention to the ethical and spiritual roots of environmental problems, which require that we look for solutions not only in technology but in a change of humanity; otherwise we would be dealing merely with symptoms. He asks us to replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing, an asceticism which “entails learning to give, and not simply to give up. It is a way of loving, of moving gradually away from what I want to what God’s world needs. It is liberation from fear, greed and compulsion”.[17] As Christians, we are also called “to accept the world as a sacrament of communion, as a way of sharing with God and our neighbours on a global scale. It is our humble conviction that the divine and the human meet in the slightest detail in the seamless garment of God’s creation, in the last speck of dust of our planet”.[18] (n. 9)

The encyclical therefore offers the shared Ecumenical Points: Ecology and Theology.

What does ecology have to do with theology? In the traditional manuals of theology, there is hardly any place for ecology and the same is true for the academic curricula of the theological schools, Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. The Encyclical devotes a whole chapter (ch. 2) to show the profound ecological implications of the Christian doctrine of creation. It points out that according to the Bible “human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships with God, with our neighbor and with the earth itself” (par. 66). This third relationship, i.e. with the earth, has been very often ignored by Christian theology. (to such an extent that the American historian Lynn White, in a now famous article in the periodical Scientist (1967), would accuse Christian theology for being responsible for the modern ecological crisis. For it is true that in Christian theology the human being has been so exalted above material creation as to allow humans to treat it as material for the satisfaction of their needs and desires. The human being has been de-naturalized and in its abuse and misuse of the biblical command to the first human couple – “increase and multiply and subdue the earth” (Gen. 1.28) – humanity was encouraged to exploit the material creation unrestrictedly with no respect for its integrity and even sacredness.)

This attitude to creation did not only lead to a misuse of the biblical doctrine but at the same time contradicted fundamental principles of Christian faith, namely:

a. Incarnation of Christ. In assuming human nature, the Son of God took over material creation in its entirety. Christ came to save the whole creation through the Incarnation, not only humanity; for according to St. Paul (Rom. 8.23) “the whole creation groans in travail and is suffering” awaiting its salvation through humanity.

b. Eucharist. The other fundamental principle of Christian faith that has important ecological implications relates to the very heart of the Church, which is the Holy Eucharist. In the celebration of the Eucharist, the Church offers to God the material world in the form of the bread and the wine. In this Sacrament space, time and matter are sanctified; they are lifted up to the Creator with thankfulness as His gifts to us; creation is solemnly declared as God’s gift, and human beings instead of proprietors of creation act as its priests, who lift it up to the holiness of the divine life. This brings to mind the moving words of St. Francis of Assisi with which the Encyclical opens: “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth.” As St. Gregory Palamas and other Greek Fathers would put it, the whole of creation is permeated by God’s presence through His divine energies; everything declares God’s glory, as the Psalmist says, and the human being leads this cosmic chorus of glorification to the Creator as the priest of creation. This way of understanding the place and mission of humanity in creation is common to both Eastern and Western Christian tradition, and is of particular importance for the cultivation of an ecological ethos.

The Spiritual Dimension

As it emerges clearly from the Encyclical, the ecological crisis is essentially a spiritual problem. The proper relationship between humanity and the earth or its natural environment has been broken with the Fall both outwardly and within us, and this rupture is sin. The Church must now introduce in its teaching about sin the sin against the environment, the ecological sin. Repentance must be extended to cover also the damage we do to nature both as individuals and as societies. This must be brought to the conscience of every Christian who cares for his or her salvation.

The rupture of the proper relationship between humanity and nature is due to the rise of individualism in our culture. The pursuit of individual happiness has been made into an ideal in our time. Ecological sin is due to human greed which blinds men and women to the point of ignoring and disregarding the basic truth that the happiness of the individual depends on its relationship with the rest of human beings. There is a social dimension in ecology which the Encyclical brings out with clarity. The ecological crisis goes hand in hand with the spread of social injustice. We cannot face successfully the one without dealing with the other.

Ecological sin is a sin not only against God but also against our neighbor. And it is a sin not only against the other of our own time but also – and this is serious – against the future generations. By destroying our planet in order to satisfy our greed for happiness, we bequeath to the future generations a world damaged beyond repair with all the negative consequences that this will have for their lives. We must act, therefore, responsibly towards our children and those who will succeed us in this life.

All this calls for what we may describe as an ecological asceticism. It is noteworthy that the great figures of the Christian ascetical tradition were all sensitive towards the suffering of all creatures. The equivalent of a St. Francis of Assisi is abundantly present in the monastic tradition of the East. There are accounts of the lives of the desert saints which present the ascetic as weeping for the suffering or death of every creature and as leading a peaceful and friendly co-existence even with the beasts. This is not romanticism. It springs from a loving heart and the conviction that between the natural world and ourselves there is an organic unity and interdependence that makes us share a common fate just as we have the same Creator.

Asceticism is an unpleasant idea in our present culture, which measures happiness and progress with the increase of capital and consumption. It would be unrealistic to expect our societies to adopt asceticism in the way St. Francis and the Desert Fathers of the East experienced it. But the spirit and the ethos of asceticism can and must be adopted if our planet is to survive. Restraint in the consumption of natural resources is a realistic attitude and ways must be found to put a limit to the immense waste of natural materials. Technology and science must devote their efforts to such a task. There is a great deal of inspiration and help that can be drawn from the Encyclical itself in this respect.

The Ecumenical Significance and ecumenical “Loci” of the Encyclical

We could say that there are three dimensions to ecumenism and ecumenical dialogue.

a. The Dialogue of Doctrine. Also referred to ecumenism in time, an expression frequently used by one of the greatest Orthodox theologians of the last century, the late Fr. Georges Florovsky. By this we mean the effort of the divided Christians to unite on the basis of their common Tradition, the teaching of the Bible and the Church Fathers. This is the object of the theological dialogues which are taking place in the Ecumenical Movement of our time and it seems to be the predominant form of ecumenism.

b. Dialogue of common concern. Could also be called an ecumenism in space. It is also practiced through various international institutions, such as the World Council of Churches and similar ecumenical bodies which bring together the divided Christians so that the different cultural contexts in which they live may be taken into consideration in the search for unity. This has brought together Christians from Asia, America, Europe, Latin America etc – an expression of the universality of the Christian Church.

c. To these two dimensions which have dominated the ecumenical scene for the last hundred years we must add, a third one which is usually neglected, namely what I would call an existential ecumenism, also called a “dialogue of life and action”. By that I mean the effort to face together the most profound existential problems that preoccupy humanity in its entirety – not simply in particular places or classes of people. Ecology is without doubt the most obvious candidate in this case.

The significance of the Papal Encyclical Laudato Sí is not limited to the subject of ecology as such. It is an important ecumenical dimension for it brings the divided Christians before a common task which they must face together. (We live at a time when fundamental existential problems overwhelm our traditional divisions and relativize them almost to the point of extinction. Look, for example, at what is happening today in the Middle East: do those who persecute the Christians ask them to which Church or Confession they belong? Christian unity in such cases is de facto realized by persecution and blood – an ecumenism of martyrdom).

The threat posed to us by the ecological crisis similarly bypasses or transcends our traditional divisions. The danger facing our common home, the planet in which we live, is described in the Encyclical in a way leaving no doubt about the existential risk we are confronted with. This risk is common to all of us regardless of our ecclesiastical or confessional identities. Equally common must be our effort to prevent the catastrophic consequences of the present situation. Pope Francis’ Encyclical is a call to unity – unity in prayer for the environment, in the same Gospel of creation, in the conversion of our hearts and our lifestyles to respect and love everyone and everything given to us by God.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is our hope that new consciousness and awareness could arise from this signicant and urgent encyclical. From a right consciousness one could attain a right conscience, from right conscience to “ecological” conversion, from conversion to commitment, from commitment to upright, solid ecological and ecumenical practice and conduct.

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Politics and Peace: Good politics is at the service of Peace

Posted on January 17, 2019 by amijares

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In his annual message, during the 52nd year of Peace, Pope Francis dedicated his theme on good politics at the service of peace.

This has a significant importance in our country. A political analyst on President Duterte, Amado Picardal wrote: “What has become obvious is that Duterte is waging a war against the Church.” . . . . “the extrajudicial killings that has reached more than 27,000 victims, [and counting] the unchecked entry of tons of drugs into the country . . . the collapse of the peace process with the NDF” and, we could include, that since the bulk of the national budget is not on education or health but on the military, the beating of the drums for war, certainly goes away from peace. He opines that “Duterte’s war on the Church may (also) be traced to a mixture of fear and anger vis-a-vis the Church which he believes has the capacity to resist him and bring him down.” This mental framework of the present leadership is not for peace but on a dialectics of war even if so far it remains a “war of words”. If this kind of dialectics underlines our political environment, then it would rather serve war rather that peace. This is a very dangerous trend especially that Filipinos seem to be apathetic to what is happening.

This theme “good politics at the service of peace is a challenge” for all Filipinos. “In sending his disciples forth on mission, Jesus told them: “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you” (Lk 10:5-6).

Pope Francis explains that: “the “house” of which Jesus speaks is every family, community, country and continent, in all their diversity and history. It is first and foremost each individual person, without distinction or discrimination. But it is also our “common home”: the world in which God has placed us and which we are called to care for and cultivate.

We know that the thirst for power at any price leads to abuses and injustice. Politics is an essential means of building human community and institutions, but when political life is not seen as a form of service to society as a whole, it can become a means of oppression, marginalization and even destruction.

So the Pope reminds that “political office and political responsibility (thus) constantly challenge those called to the service of their country to make every effort to protect those who live there and to create the conditions for a worthy and just future.”

He continues, “if exercised with basic respect for the life, freedom and dignity of persons, political life can indeed become an outstanding form of charity.”

This is not only for politicians however but for all vocations. Pope Benedict XVI noted that “every Christian is called to practise charity in a manner corresponding to his vocation and according to the degree of influence he wields in the pólis… When animated by charity, commitment to the common good has greater worth than a merely secular and political stand would have… Man’s earthly activity, when inspired and sustained by charity, contributes to the building of the universal city of God, which is the goal of the history of the human family”. (Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 7).

In our country “This is a programme on which all politicians, whatever their culture or religion, can agree, if they wish to work together for the good of the human family and to practise those human virtues that sustain all sound political activity: justice, equality, mutual respect, sincerity, honesty, fidelity” Pope Francis suggested.

One could readily see that this is a good framework for those who wanted to run and serve the common good.

On the other hand, in this war against drugs, for example, the Pope gave us an insight that: “peace can never be reduced solely to a balance between power and fear. To threaten others is to lower them to the status of objects and to deny their dignity.” Pope Francis’ words are clear against the tendency to sow fear: “We state once more that an escalation of intimidation, and the uncontrolled proliferation of arms, is contrary to morality and the search for true peace. Terror exerted over those who are most vulnerable contributes to the exile of entire populations who seek a place of peace.”

“There is a need to reaffirm that peace is based on respect for each person, whatever his or her background, on respect for the law and the common good, on respect for the environment entrusted to our care and for the richness of the moral tradition inherited from past generations.”

Our thoughts also turn in a particular way to all those orphaned children currently living in areas of the infamous war agains drugs, and to all those who work to defend their rights and take care of them.

Peace is a high ideal but attainable. It “is the fruit of a great political project grounded in the mutual responsibility and interdependence of human beings. But it is also a challenge that demands to be taken up ever anew. It entails a conversion of heart and soul; it is both interior and communal; and it has three inseparable aspects, which the Pope himself enumerated:

– peace with oneself, rejecting inflexibility, anger and impatience; in the words of Saint Francis de Sales, showing “a bit of sweetness towards oneself” in order to offer “a bit of sweetness to others”;

– peace with others: family members, friends, strangers, the poor and the suffering, being unafraid to encounter them and listen to what they have to say;

– peace with all creation, rediscovering the grandeur of God’s gift and our individual and shared responsibility as inhabitants of this world, citizens and builders of the future.”

We end with the so-called “Beatitudes of the Politician”, proposed by Vietnamese Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyễn Vãn Thuận, a faithful witness to the Gospel who died in 2002 which Pope Francis wrote in His message:

Blessed be the politician with a lofty sense and deep understanding of his role.

Blessed be the politician who personally exemplifies credibility.

Blessed be the politician who works for the common good and not his or her own interest.

Blessed be the politician who remains consistent.

Blessed be the politician who works for unity.

Blessed be the politician who works to accomplish radical change.

Blessed be the politician who is capable of listening.

Blessed be the politician who is without fear.

The coming election in our country and those who wished for re-election, in every stage of public life, “is an opportunity to return to the original points of reference that inspire justice and law. One thing is certain: good politics is at the service of peace. It respects and promotes fundamental human rights, which are at the same time mutual obligations, enabling a bond of trust and gratitude to be forged between present and future generations.”

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Politics and Sanctity

Posted on January 15, 2019 by amijares

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A Mode of living as Presbyterium

Posted on June 28, 2018 by amijares

ImageSt. Ireneus of Antioch fought against the Gnostics because his main priority was the unity of the Church and therefore of the presbyterium. He become famous through his words that priests should be united with their bishop as strings to a lyre. Therefore harmony in thought and heart is necessary in Presbyterium as a good melody which could come out from this unity – a beautiful musical prayer to God.

On his time as a bishop of Lyons he was especially concerned with the Gnostics, who took their name from the Greek word for “knowledge.” They are those who claiming access to secret knowledge imparted by Jesus to only a few disciples. To know this “secret” for them is a gateway to heaven.

The Pope in his recent letter Gaudete et Exaltate presents the danger of neo-Gnosticism. Together with Neo Pelagianism these are “false forms of holiness that can lead us astray” He says the “Gnostics think that their explanations can make the entirety of the faith and the Gospel perfectly comprehensible. They absolutize their own theories and force others to submit to their way of thinking.”

This could take varied forms. Perhaps what could be opined is even without realising it, this form of false sanctity could exist with those who are near the confines of a limited group of priests around the bishop. They are those considered as an elite group, the confidants or the cordon sanitarie around the bishop who could think that to attain joy and happiness is to enter within this confines as if their knowledge assures them of their internal joy. They could develop themselves into an “ecclesiasical click” and have the air of being better than the other priests since they know something better which only they enjoy and could become closed to the other ideas and opinion of their other brother priests. Moreover, deviated competition among its members could creep in, in order that one could consciously or unconsciously fall in the ambit of the bishop’s graces, at the expense of other brother priests. This becomes worst if it motivated by careerism and love of financial gains. On some cases, there is the element of secrecy and the seeming knowledge of these secrets appear to be the key to salvific joy.

Of course, as was noted, this is only the least manifestation of neo-Gnosticism. Other forms could be more dangerous like the theoritical ones: the pharisaical resort to extreme traditionalism that freezes the gospel from being creative and active in today’s time. The Pope says: “when somebody has an answer for every question, it is a sign that they are not on the right road.” Indeed, “someone who wants everything to be clear and sure presumes to control God’s transcendence.” He insists, that “doctrine, or better, our understanding and expression of it, is not a closed system, devoid of the dynamic capacity to pose questions, doubts, inquiries… The questions of our people, their suffering, their struggles, their dreams, their trials, and their worries, all possess an interpretational value that we cannot ignore if we want to take the principle of the incarnation seriously.”

This is not the unity which St. Ireneaus of Antioch is talking about. In the local church, his words are normative even to the bishops, priests and the consecrated persons: “It is impossible to live without life, and the actualisation of life comes from participation in God, while participation in God is to see God and enjoy his goodness.” Why are some of us do not enjoy or experience the true joy? Why is it that among the priests and religious there is “in-groups and out-groups”? Priests who are in the graces of the bishop and outside the circle of the the bishop’s circle of love? Why is it that even among priests there is a glaring disequality even in terms of standard allowances? How could we ignore “questions of our people, [also our priests or consecrated persons], their suffering, their struggles, their dreams, their trials, and their worries?”

Actualisation of our lives comes from the participation in God. This participation could not but be presbyterial and communal. The first and original community is the community of the divine persons in the Holy Trinity which is the true model of any authentic community and local churches. Participation in God is participation inside this Trinitarian life: a life of equal dignity if freedom and joy. This process of actualisation in the life of the presbyterium based in the life of God, is the process towards equality in dignity, not so much in authority (for authority is service), but a working out together – priests and bishops alike – in humility and mutual respect towards true equality in dignity that eliminates “clicks” and a tendency towards neo-Gnosticism or at least its manifestation.

“Life in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God”. Some would translate this phrase as: the glory of God is man fully alive. In the face of death and the threats of death towards priests, it seems that the reality which our saint wishes us to live is the best antidote in our present times where even those of our brothers are killed twice by more deadly malignant propaganda.

The words of the former bishop of Antioch reechoes even to his brother bishops of today: “The glory of God gives life; those who see God receive life. For this reason God, who cannot be grasped, comprehended or seen, allows himself to be seen, comprehended and grasped by men, that he may give life to those who see and receive him.”

We are all invited to live as shepherds and encourage our own shepherds to discover if we are all giving this life to one another; others wise, we allow the spirit of death to conquer the local church from the center through petty intrigues, malicious slander and sometimes even through the sin of detraction.

True unity in our local churches depends so much on the true unity of the bishop and its presbyters where they could together participate in the life of the Trinitarian God and enjoy His goodness. In this, we could be glad and be joyful and even death in all its forms could not separate us from Him who continuously gives us true unity and life.

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Images of Blessed Mother

Posted on November 14, 2017 by amijares

Many paintings and images of the Blessed Mother Mary are worthy of appreciation. They illicit admiration, awe and devotion. They are themselves art pieces sometimes having a worth beyond any price.

On the other hand – much that they are beautiful, attract a lot of devotion, lighted candles and even equally beautiful flowers and could command religious appreciation on the part of the devotee – they could likewise fail to convey what is essential: to imitate Mary and her virtues.

The church has always and has been presenting Mary as the first disciple of Jesus. She is in fact the first fruit of salvation who is suppose to be imitated by all those who love Jesus her Son.

In modesty, I tried to do this. And for further explanation of this said image, a statuette, in fact – easily portable in any trip and could serve as a gift this Christmas, click https://unumsint.wordpress.com/2017/11/06/congratulations-please-take-care-of-this-madonna-and-child-this-statuette-could-outlast-you-and-could-serve-as-inheritance-for-the-next-generation-2/

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Masbate, the heart of the Philippines

Posted on October 10, 2017 by amijares

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Those of you who are experts in Church history especially those from Masbate or interested in Masbate could have heard from your elders the explanation why Masbate is quite multilingual and multicultural. Perhaps because it is because its extremities are facing different locations with different cultural and even linguistic background. But I was struck by an explanation of Sister Salvina Cataldi, an Italian Sacro Constato Sister who in her stay in Masbate has been serving the diocese with the presence of their religious community with their “Fr. Eustachio Montemurro” school for children, in a span that extends to three bishops. While explaining some stained glass in the diocesan St. Anthony de Padua Cathedral, she said that the Spaniards before forced many men from neighboring provinces of Bicol, Panay, and even as far as Mindanao in order to build boats for them. (Of course, this has to be confirmed, and I invite those interested to place their comments).

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This is not my first time to be in Masbate, but the third one. The previous two were to give a recollection to the members of the Sacro Costato Lay Associates and to visit the parish priest of Aroroy, Msgr. Ismael Misolas, the second one was to attend his sacerdotal anniversary and to visit the Fazenda da Esperanza, a 200 hectare drug rehabilitation center which serves also to those who have certain addictions; and  this time, the third – again invited to give a recollection to the parents and teachers of the Montemurro School and to the recent members of the same mentioned association.

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When they brought me to my room I saw a sign placed on my table “Welcome to Masbate”. I wished that ‘the heart of the Philippines’ could be added. I have my reasons: first the heart by nature is at the center of man’s body because of its function – the pumping in and the pumping out of the blood to sustain the life of the body. Perhaps, in a symbolic way those men who were kidnapped were forced to come also for intermarriage with the local women. The second is obvious: if you look at the map of the Philippines, Masbate is really the center.

When we visited the local bishop, already their local diocesan media uses this beautiful caption and was happy to learn about it.

Unfortunately, it is not a healthy heart. In as much as its people speak a lot of dialects, depending on which part of Masbate they come from and in which direction they are geographically facing, these differences are carried on to a certain diffidence, mistrust, and even fear among themselves. But this is not all. Masbate is, it is known to many, is a place where the political conflicts are brought into the open with killings and violence among the political clans. It is sad to know that there seemed to be an intent to use these violence so that many investors would be afraid to come to Masbate. Masbate then has failed to accelerate its economic and infrastructure development. Though the Catholic Church has been a significant sign of unity and reconciliation among these clans, much still has to be desired even on the part of the clergy so that visible unity, fraternity and solidarity could be more evident in the province. The diocese is doing a great part with the leadership of their able bishop: Jose Bantolo who came from the same island where I came from.

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Those who are familiar with Masbate could not deny that it is very rich of its scenic beauty and natural resources which seem to deteriorate in time. One could just think of the mining in the town of Aroroy. This uncontrolled exploitation has its consequential effects which are not very desirable both for the health of the locals (as far as mercury is concerned) and on the part of preserving the landscape. Destruction of the mountains in that town becomes very ugly, unpleasant and even undesirable to look at.

Masbate prides itself to be called a city even there is not one traffic light. However, to be in this city, one could dream of or pleasantly think about lake Geneve in Switzerland with all the posh expensive hotels and residential areas which near the lake, and these places seemed only to be reserved for the rich. The water of Masbate are not by substance different from Lake Geneve, in fact, in its shores are appealing to look at from the Sacred Heart Hill embellished by the Sacro Costato Sisters.

But wait! If you go near, I pity, instead of envying those living near the calm but sparkling waters because, there are a lot of plastics floating. I found out the the garbage pit/s are near the sea where they throw all the dirty garbage but during high tide, the waters would simply carry them as far as many kilometers away, polluting all the seashore with its beautiful beaches including where the resorts are located far away from the city. What a pity. I say, if the heart is dirty and unhealthy, then also the body.
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Well, as far as health is concerned, now the diocese is building a hospital at the foot of the hill where the bishop’s residence, the seminary and some houses of formation are located. But this is not yet finished and it still need good and generous doctors to offer their time without charging a lot from the inhabitants. Another one in this aspect is the Fazenda da Esperanza in Banggad in the town of Milagros, founded about twenty  years ago but its relevance now is being felt both within and outside the church as a rehabilitation center that could save and heal a lot of lives. Healing not killing is the solution that it offers for this drug plague which truthfully or untruthfully is claimed to be the most important problem of this beautiful country.

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What perhaps would be a gift to many is precisely this central location of Masbate, the heart of the Philippines. Usually the hub, be it in economics, tourism, transportation, shipping, etc., is always in the center. It is not difficult to understand this. I believe first of all, the airport has to be improved or its piers in order to let the life giving “blood” could flow in and flow out. The inhabitants, in as much as they are varied, have the capacity to welcome businessmen and visitors in their own multiple culture. They have been existing together in Masbate for centuries as a society characterized by plurality. They are very hospitable by nature, hence good hotels and lodging houses could be built.  But  what is in fact necessary for this heart is: to learn on the part of the political clans and varied multiple cultures, to be in harmony with one another in a manner like the right and left ventricle of any heart, even if there are several “chambers” within.

The disastrous political or even economic divisions of the past, which has bled this heart almost to its self-destruction must end. The new era has come to make this heart – a symbol also of warmth, love, harmony which is never lacking in the people of Masbate – be more evident even if perhaps, some are still enclosed in their own individual chambers and therefore block the flow of the life-giving blood. The church has always been its partner in their history which more than ever, is bringing this same warmth, love and harmony in Masbate, the heart of the Philippines. Before leaving, I wish to join my prayers for those who love Masbate and has the desire to make this God-blessed province, to be so.

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