Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Of Saviors and Filipino Catholics

Waking up on a Sunday takes a lot of effort and willpower, especially when your job requires you to report for work even on Saturdays. It would have been easy if you're not enrolled in a university for an MA degree. How does it feel waking up early every Saturday so you don't get late for your 7:30 AM class, then take a quick snack later before your 10 AM class which ends at 1 PM? Then off you go to the office by 2 PM to report for work until 9, or even 10 PM? Tsk, tsk.

But Sunday of February 8, 2009 begged to be different. The night before, my wife asked me to wake her up early because she has to teach piano lessons to her student in San Juan City. So, I thought I'll wake up early too so I can go to Mass at Sto. Domingo Parish. I used to attend Mass either in the afternoon or in the evening. Blame me for being slow, I missed the First Reading, but I was able to reach half of the Second Reading. The Gospel reading spoke of Jesus entering the house of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever. Jesus went over to her and grasped her hand and helped her up, and the fever left her. She immediately began to wait on them.

The Gospel then recounts how Jesus healed the sick who were brought to Him and also those possessed by demons. Rising early the next morning, He went off to a lonely place in the desert: there He was absorbed in prayer. Later, when Simon and his companions managed to track Him down, He said to them: "Let us move on to the neighboring villages so that I may proclaim the good news there also. That is what I have come to do." (Mark 1:29-39)

Looking back to the Gospel, Jesus practically gives us a "template" to a perfect day – ministry or work + prayer = mission. Most of us, myself included, work ourselves to death. We barely pause for awhile, and pray. Worse, we plod on day in, day out, carried away by life's burdens, with no clear purpose what we are living for. Mark's Gospel puts us back to God's orbit.

The priest began his homily by saying what the words "savior", "salvation", "save" mean for us Catholics. It forms part of the basic tenets of our Christian Faith. Just as the Dominicans pledge to be faithful to their mission of salvation of souls, Christ wants us to follow His footsteps of saving others. There's talk within the Church about being saved. Before, it was often heard that "outside the Church, there is no salvation." Today, Church authorities would rather say that, outside the Church, one may be saved to a lesser or greater, degree. Why? Today, there are more non-Catholics who are better witnesses of Christ's teachings. The Dalai Lama, for one, inspires people from all walks of life to follow the path of peace and non-violence.

For us, Catholics, in the Philippines, it is no longer relevant to boast of our country as the only Christian country in Southeast Asia. How true have we been to the teachings of Jesus our Savior, in terms of salvation for all? If we have been faithful to Christ's teachings, then why are we branded as a "corrupt" country? Why are there many children in the streets knocking on car windows begging for alms? Why do we have children dying of hunger? Why do we have senseless crimes? Why are we forced to borrow money abroad and condemn our future generation to a debt-ridden life?

"Savior" not only means saving souls: it also means healing the body (the sick, hungry, etc.) and the mind (of ignorance, injustice, etc.). Jesus wants us to be saviors. If the people of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Kuala Lumpur, or Thailand rose to progress, let us rise up to the challenge that the Filipino can! Change we can!

2 comments:

Chubby Singson said...

I agree with you sir, as much as I hate to admit it myself but it's kind of embarrassing sometimes when Filipinos act inappropriately in many ways.

I also do think that the only way for us to save our country from this continuous downward spiral is to help one another and have God as the center of our lives.

Unknown said...

Thank you, Erwin, for your comment. Yes, the only path to economic and moral recovery is putting God at the center of our lives.