Hindi lamang sa pagkaing nakakabusog sa pisikal na katawan tayo nagugutom.
Ngayong pandemya, maraming uri ng pagkagutom ang ating nararanasan.
Una, nararanasan natin ang pagkagutom dahil sa kawalan ng hanap-buhay na dala ng pagbagsak ng ekonomiya, pagkagutom sa kalidad na serbisyong pangkalusugan, pagkagutom sa tamang solusyon ng pamahalaan sa pagharap sa pandemya, pagkagutom sa pagkilala sa kalungkutan, pagkasiphayo , at marami pang iba.
Ikalawa, danas na danas natin ang pagkagutom sa mabuting pamamahala ng mga pinuno ng ating bansa na nagdadadala ng iba’t ibang uri ng pagkagutom; ang pagkagutom sa katarungan ng mga pamilyang ang mga mahal sa buhay ay pinatay sa ngalan ng war on drugs, pati ang mga tagapagtaguyod ng karapatanang pantao na sinasampahan ng mga gawa-gawang kaso. inaaresto at ang iba ay pinapatay ng tuluyan. Kasama rin dito ang pagkagutom sa respeto ng mga kababaihang sagad na nakararanas ng pambabastos mula sa pinakamataas na pinuno ng bayan.
Ikatlo, ang iba naman ay nakakaranas ng pagkagutom sa tunay na tinapay na makapagbibigay sa atin ng kaganapan ng buhay (Jn.10:10) . Maaring marami tayong pagkain na panandaliang nagbibigay sa atin ng kasiyahan, kagalingan at kabutihan ng buhay. Ang mga materyal at mga hindi materyal tulad ng mga itinuturing nating kayamanan tulad ng kasikatan, kapangyarihan, kalakasan at katalinuhan na madalas ay nagpapalimut ng pakikipag-kapwa tao at pagiging mabuti sa lahat.
Ang mga pagbasa ngayong Linggo ay nag-papaalala sa kung ano/sino nga ba ang nagbibigay sa atin ng kasapatan. Pinapaalala sa atin ng teksto na ang mga ito ay ang mga bagay na nagmula sa Diyos. Ang handog sa atin ng Diyos na kailan man ay hindi tayo pababayaan na magutom pisikal man (nagpadala si Yahweh ng manna at mga pugo) sikolohikal/emosyonal ( pinagaling ni Hesus ang mga sakit) at lalo na ang espiritwal )sinabi ni Hesus, ‘Ako ang tinapay ng kabuhayan: ang lumalapit sa akin ay hindi magugutom, at ang sumasampalataya sa akin kailan ma’y hindi mauuhaw.”)
Ngunit hindi dapat matapos sa sariling pagkabusog ang lahat, dahil bilang mga mananampalataya at tagasunod ni Hesus, mayroon tayong atas na pakainin ang mga nagugutom at nauuhaw. Sa tatlong uri ng pagkagutom na nabanggit sa unahan, anong uri na nga ba ng pagkagutom ng ating mga kapwa ang pinawi natin? At habang pinapawi natin ang pagkagutom ng ating kapwa, anong uri ng pagkain ang ating inihandog? Nakakabusog ba? Masustansya ba? O, basta na lang natin binigyan ng pagkain ang ating kapwa na walang pagpapahalaga sa kanyang dignidad at pagkatao?##
Amidst the pandemic, our country is its darkest situation in all aspects of life -political, social, economic . The moral fiber of our nation is decaying. Our people are seeking ways to overcome the impacts of the pandemic, while already in crisis and even before it hit us.
The COVID-19 is real, the problem lies in the ineptness of the government to appropriately address it. The government has become an expert of mishandling the situation, resorting to militaristic approach in managing the problem.
Hardest hits are the poor, those who live by hand-to-mouth existence.
Come Join me now, let us join the crowd……
There is a huge crowd. They’ve been traveling with Jesus for a while now. Why are they following Jesus? What made them so eager to listen to him. As they follow him, they became hungry and in need of food.
The crowd kept following Jesus, and they have genuine needs.
Genuine Needs
– Liberation from oppression, incarceration, repression, depression and others.
– Assurance that next meals are available
– Genuine and meaningful change
– Meaningful life
– Practical wisdom to live well.
All around us are people with genuine need that longs for genuine change.
We don’t have enough to meet those needs…..
The young boy had enough food only for himself; the food was the food of the very poor – the barley loaf. The small offering of the young boy fed the people became the inspiration for others to share.
The boy with the small lunch seems to have had little to offer, but what he brought fed the crowds. We often feel that we have little to offer in the service of Jesus. His work now depends on our co-operation with him. What is offered in love – though it looks small – can have large effects. Our prophetic task, our daily offering of love and care for others in the immediate circle of our lives and a connection to the larger neighborhood, country and universe is a great challenge and calling for us to be like of that little boy.
Philip is worrying of the expense that will be incurred. It would be enormous. Andrew is right that there was a little compared to the need.
Little is much when Jesus has it…
There is not enough to feed even a fraction of the people. But, as the saying goes, little is much when God is in it. Here, Jesus performs a miracle of multiplication, taking the little available food and transforming it into enough, plus twelve baskets of leftovers.
This is, I believe, a major lift that we need to carry on, multiplying our little things into a bigger efforts (One nation, One faith, One voice ) joining hands together in unifying our prophetic calling, of our social responsibility, of promoting our church response (PCPR), conquering our fears, limitations, and compartmentalize solutions.
Jesus could have just made the food magically appear in front of the crowd. Jesus could have just made their bellies full. There are numerous ways He could have done the miracle.
But Jesus chose to use the disciples for the distribution. Let us emulate what has been done, and continue to care for the people; assert life so that life in its fullness will be realized.
It seems like this comes at the right time. An apropos time. I thought of writing a prosaic piece, but no. After reflecting on my calling as an (urban) monastic, after thinking over and over again, I finally asked… “ O Spirit, Divine Reality, O God of Life, inspire me. For you alone my life lives in contemplation, for your people my life lives in service”.
And so, I invite you dear reader, to pray with me. Reflect with me. Walk with me. Cry out to God with me, and sing our song of anger, lament and hope. Yes, we are angry. But we wait. And breathe. We wait and nurture our anger to transform. We transform this anger to lament, our cry, our tears; and these tears transform into hope. The apropos time is that time of the State Of the NAtion. That address of the highest seat in the land to a nation suffering. We deserve to suffer, we deserve to die, he says to church people. (And he means that to all people who oppose him.)
And so we deeply pray…
We come before our God of Compassion to hear our cries, because we love this God who stays with us, who sits with us, and comforts us even at the hour of darkness and death.
Our beloved country is replete with suffering, oozing with death-dealing encounters, and depleted of its strength and hope to see light and savor joy.
Our country’s leaders have left us to suffer hunger to nourish our body and spirit. They have left many of us to pieces and rot at the expense of their whims and hunger for power, sowing terrors of injustice and oppression to advance their greed.
We come before you O Jesus of the Hungry Crowd, feed us with your life-giving body. Nourish us with justice and peace.
We stand before you, O Jesus of the Loaves and Fish, feed us with your compassion. Nourish our bodies with the love you gave to the people hungry for love.
We sit with you O Jesus of the Table of Fellowship; we sit with you as you feed us with your mercy. Nourish our souls with strength and resilience to continue this struggle among your people.
We drink with you O Jesus of the Company of the Poor; we drink your wine of vigor. Nourish our spirit with the courage to face our oppressors and defeat them with the truth.
We eat with you O Jesus of the Feast of Those Pushed to the Margins; we eat with you of the Bread, the Body you offered in oblation at the Cross. Nourish our lives with your own Life, as we stand with One Voice to speak the barbarity of injustices committed against your beloved poor.
As ONE NATION, ONE FAITH, ONE VOICE…
we denounce a multiplication of GREED, and laud a multiplication of JUST DISTRIBUTION
we condemn a multiplication of INDIFFERENCE and extol a multiplication of CARE AND COMPASSION
we rebuke a multiplication of INEQUALITY and applaud a multiplication of EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
we decry a multiplication of DECEPTION AND LIES and acclaim a multiplication of TRUTH
we condemn the multiplication of SUBJUGATION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN and applaud a multiplication of WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
we denounce a multiplication of ILLEGAL ARRESTS AND DETENTION and celebrate a multiplication of the FREEDOM to work for the good of all
we condemn a multiplication of FORCED EVACUATIONS and applaud a multiplication of the RIGHT TO HOUSING
we decry a multiplication of EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLINGS and extol a multiplication of LIFE-GIVING LAWS
we rebuke the use of schools, medical, religious and other public places FOR MILITARY PURPOSES and
celebrate the use of all spaces FOR UPLIFTING HUMAN DIGNITY
we denounce a multiplication of RED TAGGING AND FABRICATED CHARGES and laud the multiplication of RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
we condemn a multiplication of BETRAYAL OF NATIONAL INTEREST and applaud a multiplication of RESPECT FOR SOVEREIGNTY and PATRIMONY
we decry a multiplication of CORRUPT PRACTICES IN GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS and extol a multiplication of the use of FAIR AND JUST METHODS
we rebuke the multiplication of FAILURES IN A MILITARISTIC PANDEMIC RESPONSE and celebrate the multiplication of RESTORATION of health and employment of the people
Oh God, you have given us Jesus of the Gospels, the Bearer of the Good News, the Resurrection and the Life, the Bread of Life, Food for the hungry, Health of the sick, Life to the dead. Grant that we, having One Faith, One Nation and One Voice may truly be witnesses of the Good News. May we have the courage to face adversity and bear its difficulties. May we have the resolve to speak the truth in the face of deception and lies. May we stand with the poor as Jesus did. So that we may feast in a table fellowship of peace based on justice.
Amen.
(We bring this prayer in our hearts and cry out to our God at the SONA on July 26, 2021. The last SONA of Mr. Duterte. God, have mercy…)
This Sunday, the readings remind us that God knows our predicament and has not cast a deaf ear to our cry. He sent His Son to care for us as a good shepherd would his sheep. As Christians, our baptism admonishes us to be like the Good Shepherd in our simple ways so as to contribute to the building of communities and a society that truly reflects the kingdom of God that Jesus preached.
There is a Tagakolu elder in one of our communities who reminds me of the Good Shepherd. This elder is always ready to help. As one of the healers of the community, he immediately attends to those who come to him with their sick loved ones. He does not ask for anything in return for his services. He told me once that his ability to heal illnesses was a gift from Tyumanem (God) that he now shares with people. Before the pandemic, he would teach the school children of the IP school of the mission station located in their community about how the Tagakolu work on the land and the rituals that are to be performed. He said that it was his way of sharing with the young the knowledge he learned from his elders. Once news spread that their IP school would be closed by the government. He was the first to speak out in the community against it and expressed willingness to speak to government officials not to close the school. The news became the cause of much unease in the community. To our relief, that news turned out to be merely gossip. But at that moment of crisis he spoke his mind in defense of the school unmindful of the consequence of such statements to himself especially in Davao Occidental. Quite recently, he was very active in the installation of a water system in the community even if he would not directly benefit from it. This elder to me is a good shepherd in his community. His name is Bakleg (Elder) Balabay, a frail looking man whose infectious smile could light up a room.
Amidst the fear, confusion, mistrust, and disinformation that the current leaders of this nation thrive on, I cannot help but think that Jeremiah’s words in the first reading today are addressed to them: “You have let my flock be scattered and go wandering and have not taken care of them.” This is our experience in the mountains of Malita in Davao Occidental. The Tagakolu people continue to suffer the utter neglect and subtle but incessant abuse of the reigning political dynasty; the change that had been promised never came. These shepherds continue to sow fear among and take advantage of the Tagakolu people. Because of the poverty that has never been properly addressed, many of the people leave their land to look for work in the cities. Formal education and social media have become tools to further colonize the minds of the young Tagakolu, deceiving them into believing that money and urban life is the highest good. In the midst of all this mess there are the Tagakolu elders like Bakleg Balabay who remind me that God keeps his promises, albeit in places where we least expect it. “I will raise up shepherds to look after them and pasture them; no fear, no terror for them any more…” He may not say it, you may often find him in the side lines during important discussions but his very presence is an assurance to the members of the community that there is someone who will stand with and will stand up for them. His presence is like that of a lighthouse in rough seas. Bakleg Balabay is indeed a good shepherd.
Not only does Bakleg Balabay remind me that God looks after us even in dire situations but he is also a reminder that the call to be good shepherds, to be like Jesus, is offered to each and every one of us. Our Christian baptism is a reminder that we are not only members of God’s flock but also called to be good shepherds whatever our status in life is. What is important is that we have a heart for others like Jesus. It is only then that we shall be able to see the world that we live in as God sees it. Bakleg Balabay, and many Tagakolu elders like him, are good shepherds in their communities. In their own simple ways, they make time so that they could be of help to people. In the gospel reading today, Mark narrates how Jesus gets off the boat and comes ashore and ministers to the people who had come from every town on foot. That simple action of leaving the boat in the reading speaks of the whole ministry of Jesus: he leaves behind what is rightfully his and goes to where people are and stays with them. That boat was supposed to bring Jesus and his apostles to some lonely place where they could rest. They had worked hard and deserved some rest. But even that Jesus set aside, he stepped ashore and took pity on them and he put himself to task to teach them. In many ways, many Tagakolu elders do this not because they have to but because it is the right thing to do.
If we are to declare with the psalmist, “The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want,” we should not only look for people who are good shepherds like Jesus, we should also be open to be like good shepherds in our own simple way. In this manner, we contribute to the building of a community and society that reflects the kingdom of God that Jesus preached and strived to become a reality. Today’s readings not only remind us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd but also admonishe us to be good shepherds in our own simple ways. In trying times like this, we should not be content with being sheep but strive to be good shepherds just like Jesus.
“And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them.” So they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them” Mark 6:7-13
Today’s gospel reading is not hard to understand. It’s like being reminded by Deuteronomy 30:1-15:
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.
Jesus, a community organizer, has a tip for us as church people doing mission. His familiarity with the people and genuine intent to serve them well has nurtured and molded him. He has a concrete analysis of the concrete situation. He gets this from his integration (salt of the earth) with those whom he would like to identify with and from the clarity of the mission (light of this world).
He does not presume to be ahead of the people, and assume that he is better, more righteous or more “scholarly” than them. He is also not just tailing them, adopting their views either to please them or not offend them. He blends with people and keenly listens to them, their deepest pains and fears, their hopes and dreams.
He goes to the most disadvantaged – the social and political barometer of how and where the people are. He knows by heart what is going on, so he knows what should be done. By aligning himself with the most victimized, he could preach about blessedness – with all its radical and deeper meanings. THE POOR are the blessed ONES because ONLY THEY can see and envision and work for a society where justice reigns. Anyone is invited to be identified with them. Jesus makes a radical option to be with them.
The evil and the oppressors do not share this blessedness because they do not want to lose their power and wealth. Logically, they would never envision a just world. “Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not seek justice” (Jeremiah 5:27-28). The very system that breeds this kind of entitlement is the same system that today maligns, red-tags and punishes by the power of laws the “blessed” ones.
Jesus, with all his humility, has learned from the people. He has shared with his disciples the practical tips in doing the mission. It is not easy. If you were born poor, raised poor, there would be little adjustment. If you have the little privilege and have been provided with little comforts in life, there would be more adjustment. But the privilege could be a temptation because, in the difficulties and hardship, there would be a moment to give up because you have a backup – the connection (influence), comforts and the convenience await. The poor have no back up being in the most marginalized situation. Their salvation and liberation rest upon the grace of struggle . Jesus never left them in their plight, and certainly Jesus will remain faithful to the poor until the final day of their redemption.
We are thankful that our country is not running out of dedicated community organizers and mass activists on the ground who dare go to difficult situations and arduous roads less travelled. They have the highest and deepest dedication to the poor, risking their lives to fulfill the dream of all the blessed ones. They do not have salaries to speak of and only some live by allowances.
They may not have read the tips Jesus gives his disciples, but they are living out the lifestyle Jesus has taught. They starve with the masses, cry with them, struggle with them; they feast with the masses in the immediate victory they get from their struggle like the lowering of interest rates of debts (peasants in rural areas).
We honor the dedicated community organizers, the mass activists on the ground, the missionaries for prophetic and pastoral missions and evangelical work. They neither look for fame nor compete with politicians and co-workers in the institutional positions of power and prestige. For them, the greatest that they can do is to serve. They share with the people in shaping the envisioned society.
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Today, July 11 , 2021 marks the 36th year of the abduction and disappearance of a Redemptorist priest Fr. Rudy Romano, CSsR.
He was deeply engaged in justice and peace work. During the martial law years, he was one among the many priests who dared to challenge the Marcos dictatorship and its atrocities. As a religious, he sided with the victims of human rights violations and remained steadfast in pursuing the cause of justice. He was known to be a defender of exploited workers. He journeyed with slum dwellers and fought alongside landless peasants and other sectors of society that were made poor and oppressed by unjust structures.
We remember Fr. Romano as one of the martyrs of our land. His life is a testimony of taking seriously the work and mission of the Church during one of the darkest episodes in our nation’s life. He spoke out when it was safer to stay quiet and pray. He stood with the poor and struggling people when it was more convenient to limit one’s commitment to meditation and reflection.
Along with Fr. Romano, we remember and hail the religious, the nuns, pastors, priests, deacons, deaconesses and laity who offered their lives for the sake of others. They let their feet be soaked in the muddy path going to where the masses were; to where the sweat, the tears and the blood of the poor, marginalized and oppressed are real.
Certainly, it is not surprising if church people of today would blend with the people who struggle and hope as they oppose Duterte’s tyranny. It is not only rational to do so, but moral and ethical. Likewise, it must not shock us that, when they fulfill the work of shepherding the flock, they would stand with the masses in favor of democracy, human rights and peace based on justice. May God continue to see us through. AMEN.
The call and the commission of the prophet Ezekiel are recounted in this brief passage. Ezekiel was a prophet during the period of the Exile in Israel’s history. This was a tumultuous time for the Israelites as their identity was stripped from them by the foreign superpower of Babylon. The exile was a consequence of the people’s rebellion against God. In the midst of the rebellion of most of the nation of Israel, Ezekiel was called to proclaim the truth of God to them. Today’s first reading recounts the call of Ezekiel. It was not an easy mission to which he was called. God warned Ezekiel that most of the people would not listen to him. God said to Ezekiel, “whether they heed or resist…they shall know that a prophet has been among them.” This illustrates that Ezekiel’s role was not to change people’s hearts. It was simply to convey the message. It was up to the recipients to respond either with reception or rejection. Still, Ezekiel was to proclaim the word of the Lord to the people, regardless of whether they heeded it or resisted it. He courageously accepted that mission.
In our second reading from 2 Corinthians 12, we see St. Paul asking God to take away his weakness. But Paul comes to understand that God wants to use him, not despite his weakness, but because of his weakness. Because of his weakness God’s power can more clearly shine through him without being obscured by Paul’s natural talents and gifts.
In the four short verses we see Paul break open the meaning of his own apostleship by situating it squarely within the paradox of the cross of Jesus. He does this by trading paradoxes. He turns the contrasts exalted/humbled and power/weakness upside down, stripping them of their customary guise and clothing them with startling new meaning. Paul was not complacent in his suffering, he did not unquestioningly accept this hardship. He prayed to be relieved of it, not once or twice, but three times. All his correspondence shows that his ministry and not his personal advantage was uppermost in his mind. For Paul came to know that real power is to be found in vulnerability, the more powerless one is, the more open one can be to God’s power. When Paul is the weakest, enduring insults, hardships and persecutions and constraints, he is strong with the power of Christ.
In today’s gospel we hear about Jesus returning to His hometown of Nazareth after performing the magnificent miracles we have heard in recent weeks, including the calming of the storm and the raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead. Despite these powerful signs and the authoritative teaching Jesus conveyed in His hometown’s synagogue, the people there still expressed disbelief.
This Gospel passage that describes conflict and rejection has also confounded its interpreters down through the centuries. Jesus returns to his hometown and he is identified as the son of his mother. It is precisely because he originated from these people that he is rejected by them. The presence of his disciples suggests that the visit is more official than casual. Jesus comes as a teacher. Adult men took their turns explaining the Scriptures in the Synagogue. Thus the fact that Jesus did so was extraordinary. What upset the crowd was the content of his message. Theirs was not the kind of astonishment that gave birth to faith. It was the kind that grew out of disbelief, scepticism and developed into rejection.
The point of the story is the rejection by those who knew Jesus the best but apparently understood him the least, a situation not uncommon for those who have been drawn by God from out of the group to speak God’s word to that group. The people in this story lacked the faith required for the power of God to be effective in their midst.
Our meditation of Jesus continues, for this week he wears the heavy mantle of the prophet. The readings sketch the broad outlines of this messenger of God. They also describe the kind of rejection the prophet must face. One would think that Jesus’ extraordinary abilities and liberating teaching would have been readily accepted by the people who were anxiously awaiting some revelation from God. Such was not the case, in fact, many people struggled with the prophetic dimension of Jesus ultimately rejected him because of it. It is not easy to recognize a true prophet. Just because someone makes claims in the name of God there is no guarantee those claims are authentic. There may be signs that can help us recognize the true prophet, but even they are not always clear-cut.
To be a prophet is difficult because the message of the Gospel is challenging and sometimes controversial, but it’s a message that people need to hear whether they want to hear it or not. The prophet’s message will always be countercultural. The spirit of the prophetic voice and values of today is often at odds with the values of the Gospel. It is especially difficult to be a prophet in one’s own hometown, in our family and among other people who know us well, yet that is what we’re called to do. It is difficult to be prophets because sometimes we fail to live up to the high standards of the Gospel. How many of us, for example, struggle with forgiving our enemies. But there are two ways to avoid hypocrisy. One is to lower your standards. The other is to change your behaviour.
Another reason it is difficult to be a prophet is that no one wants to be seen as self-righteous. But the wisdom of the Gospel is not our own. We must not claim that it is the product of our own excellent minds or immense life experience. We proclaim what we have received ourselves. Not to proclaim it would be unfaithful and ungrateful to God who revealed it to us. We need to pass on the heritage that has been passed down to us. Without a heritage, every generation has to start over.
It is also difficult to be a prophet, it is because we’re afraid of appearing to be judgmental. Anyone who wants to live an authentic Christian life will struggle against the alluring call of the flesh and sin. We know we’re not perfect people and so we must avoid casting moral judgments on persons, but we must clearly speak out against injustice. We must clearly speak up for what is right and denounce what is wrong.
This is especially so in our time when there are so many threats to human life from the pandemic, hunger, controversies on vaccine roll out and availability, poverty, economic inequality, social injustices and climate change. The ever present and persistent problem of modern attack on our democracy, when our sovereignty is controlled by foreign powers, while our nation is engulf with crises which those in power created and where the same power, uses crises as alibi to curtail civil rights of those who gave them power, at this time, where even religion is used invoking the name of an unjust, racist, meta-physical god, where they create terrorist brands, those that opposes as axis of evil. It demonizes all oppositions by quoting the Bible, “He who is not with me is against me.…We should be …in our faith and deeply rooted in the Gospel so that we may be ready to analyse our present situation without a priori dogmatic prejudices…”
We are called to be Moses, prophets, and to be the Church, we have ears but hear not. Many of us fail to see the evil in our present society nor correctly interpret the signs of the time, we are blind. Many of us remain bystanders or audience to a drama of life where we have no part. We do not care…When we run to the Lady of Perpetual Help, let us also be ready to help when those who need us run to us for help…She offered her Son to be broken that the Kingdom maybe established.
Death threats, red-tagging, trump-up charges are common menu in the ministry of many leading bishops, priests, pastors, lay ministers, community workers and organizers. It is an instrument to stifle the mission and ministry of the nationalist, progressive churches and clergy by tagging them as “enemy of the state” for allegedly supporting the revolutionaries and communists. It’s not easy to be prophetic or to be a modern day prophet. It never has and it never will be, but nevertheless that’s what God calls us to be and he promises a prophet’s reward for fidelity to our mission. On the other hand if we prefer not to rock the boat, as Aristotle says “To avoid criticism…say nothing, do nothing, and be nothing.”
Carrying ones cross and to sacrifice is truly difficult. A prophet is not a fortune teller but somebody who has the courage and boldness to tell the truth in a particular context by announcing the good news and denouncing the evil that plagued that society. This is the basis where a true prophet can project something about the future. What is left to us are Jesus’ valuable words and guiding thoughts to learn the path of true service for the poor and the oppressed. Jesus is more than a prophet, but part of his mission was prophetic. He proclaimed a message of moral reform, mercy, justice, compassion and salvation. When we were baptized into Christ we were called to share in Christ’s prophetic mission. May we be a prophet that give voice to the voiceless and a light to those who are experiencing darkness in their lives. God bless us all.
BalikTanaw Sunday Gospel Reflection 