An interview with the composer of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress 2016.

'My people are poor and I am one of them'.         

    This is one of the distinguished statements and probably  the most quoted line when we talk about Pope Francis. ‘We must smell like our sheep!’ Many are lured to him because of his humility and approachability. His continuous and tireless concern for the well-being of the poor, which he claims to be his primary concern, makes everyone attracted to him. Francis is a fulfillment of an ideal leader of the church. He is an authentic manifestation of Christ.

          As a seminarian, it is a great privilege for me to learn such kind of personality is coming over in our very own country. I am very much exited although it is already given that I cannot really come close to him face to face, but anyways. You might ask why I am proud of him. This is because I find Pope Francis a rare type but an ideal one. It is unusual for a Pope to decline such luxurious offer by virtue of his position instead prefer to live a humble and simple lifestyle. Few examples are worth mentioning especially on his first appearance as a pontiff: a.) he chose to reside at the Vatican guesthouse rather than the papal residence, b.) he chose to wear the white cassock instead of the red one, c.) he wore the iron pectoral cross instead of the gold, and d.) he chose to ride on a simple car. And these examples fascinate me the most. His example motivates me to strive harder in my response to the call that I am holding on at this very moment. His person sends a message of hope to me personally. There is an impact that continuously ignites my being, not to lose hope despite the reality of “corruption” of “some” in the church. And this is due to the example that Pope Francis keeps on portraying. Another area of him which I like is his advocacy for social outreach rather than doctrinal battle as essential business of the church. One of the readings that I have about the life of Pope Francis narrates that he has abolished bonuses paid to Vatican employees and Board supervisors opting instead to donate the money to the poor. He visits jails and continue to appeal for peace talks in the whole world. This clearly stresses Pope Francis’ consistency and faithfulness with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

  In the seminary, we are taught of the ideal priesthood that would really represent Christ before the church. Teachings are pretty much structured and presented very clearly to each seminarian. We are given the privilege to orient ourselves to what a life of a priest would look like, from the individual setting of rooms, responsible freedom, standardized academic demands, down to pastoral exposures every weekend. I think we’ve got every necessary tool to function as to what we are ought to be. However, it is truly a sad reality for me to know some of our priests get corrupted when they are already in the field. Some are very idealistic at first, but later on, they cannot sustain it. And then, they choose to be corrupted. But still, thanks to Pope Francis effect to me and to everyone. At least, in this modern time, we still have Pope Francis who is an ideal model of Christ—a man who continues to touch every life no matter who and what he/she is.

And this is a great challenge for me to imitate the example of Pope Francis and hold on to the ideals that I have as much as I can.

Virtual Community is Real Community

            Communication as defined by Webster is the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else. It is the way of sending information by any means to others. Communication in the philosophical perspective is primarily proper to human beings although we cannot also discredit those lower forms of creatures under us whether they too have ‘exclusive’ communication within its kind. We cannot be sure about it since we are not them. However, given that consideration, we are focusing here of communication as one of the essential capacity of man as expression and manifestation of their gifts of reason. Since we have the ability to observe and feel everything around us and we always try to understand its origin and purpose, we perhaps long to share this ideas and theories of ours to others, especially to those who have the same capacity of us. This gives perhaps the birth of the necessity to communicate. Well, this hypothesis, if you may call it, is just based according to my personal understanding of communication. We humans always long to ‘connect’ with others. Moreover, this fact may seem to support also the idea that “no man is an island, no man stands alone!” Given the fact that we always long to connect, physical communication arose. We could see how ‘dialogue’ was of great importance in the past, especially in the era of the philosophers. Through communication, we are able to find truth, although these accepted truths nowadays might still develop in the furure. Through communication we are able to build communities, maintain peace and order within it and its members.

            As time goes by, means of communication has evolved. The world of technology has offered a faster, easier and convenient way of communicating. This was the time when computers and cellular phones were introduced. This paves the way to what we now commonly call as ‘Virtual reality’.

   Applying this new means of communication to the work of evangelization, which is the promotion and rebuilding of the kingdom of God here on earth, I personally has no problem with it. Perhaps, this is one of the many signs of the times that call our attention, to dwell more and be sensitive about it. Technology makes it easier for the church to evangelize. Perhaps some might contend or argue for the elimination of the value of sacrifice within the process. But it is not always the case. In fact, you’re making extra-sacrifice when doing this stuff. We are just trying to multiply the recipients of evangelization. We are just expanding our range as preachers of God’s mercy and goodness. Practically, if we are really true to our goal of evangelization, we are widening our scope through this technology. At the same time, it lessens the scope of our manual effort, that is, to go to the place of those individuals who don’t know technology yet, especially on the mountainous areas. In this case, it initiates a holistic approach to evangelization. What matters here is how we utilize technology to reach and connect with others. What matters is how we use it to bring God in a faster and easier way. Beside, technology is designed for humans. No lower form of creature can access technology by itself. In this case, to whom we are connected in the virtual world are real individuals. There’s no sense of doubting their existence. Virtual community is a real community!

4 POSSIBLE CAUSES THAT HINDER ONE TO EXERCISE SACRIFICE

The virtue of Sacrifice nowadays is a rare fact. Laying one’s life for a friend nowadays seems like very alien to us. It sounds like an old-school mentality. As you may have noticed, this is probably the reason why such expression like, “Wa nay uso paka-hero ron bai” come into its birth. Perhaps we might be confused about my proposition (the first sentence in this paragraph) but what I mean here is the genuine sacrifice that we have learned from Christ’s example. Yes we may claim that we have been practicing this particular virtue in our life, most especially in our day-to-day existence, but we focus only in, to, and for ourselves. We don’t even bother to extend our concerns to others. As to what I observe in the society today, we seem like going back to the primitive mentality of Survival of the Fittest—the time when man treats another man as wolf as Hobbes would say it. Man is only concern for his own survival and anyone who attempts and becomes threat for his goods, he kills. This animalistic tendency of man appears so dominant nowadays. Perhaps, based from your observations with regards to the current issues in our country would somehow support my argument—reality of corruption  in our government and church leaders, rampant cases of rape and drugs, never ending massacre and bombings in Mindanao, incurable poverty, and the like. Perhaps, if all men are just like Christ, firm and consistent in his principles and virtues in life, we would have lived a better and harmonious life. We would have lived a selfless environment. This may sound exaggerated, but this is the ideal thing to do. If man just knows how to value sacrifice and make it part of him, then, it wouldn’t be a chaotic world.

From here, let us try to reflect and exhaust all the possible causes why the virtue of sacrifice seems like vanishing in the realms of the majority today. First, it could perhaps be the emerging situations and circumstances that one faces in his day to day life—situations which are very dynamic in nature. Second, it could be the ‘trend’, in the sense that most of the people prioritize those that could make them happy, even if they are temporal and immoral. Third would be ‘insecurities and pride’ which are very innate in us. Fourth, it could also be the lack of Prayer and discernment. These are just some of the possible causes which I think hinder and which create barrier for one to exercise the virtue of sacrifice.

LIFE AND SCHOLASTICISM

            Asking question is probably the most obvious similarity among human beings. This capacity comes directly from our essence as rational beings. The most distinguished topic often times questioned by the majority, if not all, is the existence of God considering individual situations and experiences in this world. This is probably the reason why an emergence of different positions and justifications of thought, religions and sects, and even testimonies about private revelations had come into our realms. And from here, human beings are now confronted with countless choice of ideas to decide on what would best suit their lives, comfort them from crisis, and most likely would make them better persons.

From my younger years, ‘Faith’ was not a big deal for me. Having been brought about by religious parents, I don’t bother myself questioning whether that ‘faith’ that I was practicing was a genuine one. And besides, the moment that I arrived at my conscious stage, that was already what my family was subscribing on. It was only then when I reached my college years and when I was enrolled in the seminary that I begun to question things most especially ‘life and faith’. In the seminary I was thought to value more of questions rather than the answers from my questions. At first I cannot figure out the value of this methodology. It seems ironic for me because from my elementary years until I reach high school, I got used to searching for answers rather than questions. However, when scholasticism came across into my life, I realized that exhausting all possibilities before accepting such teaching was definitely an important one especially in the realities of life.

Scholasticism has contributed a lot in my life especially in the path that I am trying to respond right now. The method of scholasticism has helped me purify all the absorbed ideas and teachings that are with me since the day that I arrive at my consciousness. Scholasticism has taught me not to become parrots which accept and register ideas even without understanding them. In relation to my faith, through scholasticism I have realized that my faith is reasonable. Scholasticism has presented ways how to rationalize my faith even in the most practical sense. In relation to my seminary life, scholasticism has taught me not to be mediocre instead motivated me to put all the best that I can in searching for truths of this life. It has taught me how to subject all my desires and aspirations to question and gradually answering them through dialogue (thesis, definition of terms, explanation of thesis, refutation of those who deny the thesis, etc.).

These are some of the main areas of my life wherein scholasticism has played a major part. At this time, I have observed that I am more careful with every ideas/teachings that come across my life. I have more organized thought compared from the past. And this is due to scholastic methodology. However, I also have observed that there is a danger of being trap to absolute doubt. But be that as it may, allow me to quote one of our professors; “Whatever you cannot understand, you pass it in silence.” At least we have attempted to be critical individuals. This is one way of actualizing our true nature.  

OLD  TO  NEW TESTAMENTS: WHAT FOR?

“One can never understand the New Testament if he/she has not familiarized the Old Testament!” This is the very statement that I always remember whenever time there is an argument with regard to the connection between Old Testament and the New Testament. That statement was acclaimed by my professor in Bible Literature class. In our salvation history, we have learned that the New Testament passages are the fulfillment of the Old Testament. In Fact, we have heard from the gospels many citations from the Old Testament in order to justify the Messianic nature and mission of Christ—that he is the promised messiah according to what the prophets have been foretold in the past. Many ‘parallelism’ also that we can find in the bible that would somehow proves the link between the OT and NT like: By a woman (Eve) and by tree (Tree of Knowledge) we break our relationship with God and become outcast from paradise because of disobedience; thus, by a tree (the Cross) and by a woman (Mary stood at the foot of the cross) shall we be redeemed from our sins. Another is the concept of the covenant which later on refers to Christ as the new covenant. Moreover, we also have found out that Christ was interpreted too as the “Lamb of God” who takes away the sins of the world which coincides to the story of the Jewish Passover meal. We are able to understand the New Testament because we can establish a connection of it in the Old Testament. Therefore, denying the OT would never make sense at all. It would just distort the proper understanding of the Bible. It would just result to rampant misinterpretations that would pave way to subjectivism/ extreme relativism. And it is also inconceivable that writings would just “pop-up” from nowhere without history at all. Everything and everyone has its/his own history. One is understood and evaluated from his past, for it will always have a great impact of what he is now and what he will become. Thus, it is just right and proper to thank our ancestors for the great contribution they have bestowed in our faith. Perhaps, some would doubt the connection between the OT and the NT because of the ‘Time-gap’ and contradictions that can truly be found in them. But, as to what the readings suggest, we should understand them based on their historical and literary context. In the liberationist perspective, on the other hand, ‘revelation is not revealed at once’. Revelation depends on the signs of the time. We do not have a static belief but a progressive one. We are progressive but always referring to the original source. From here, we could somehow affirm the value of the Old Testament. If it were not because of the OT, we would never be aware on the evolution that is happening in the sacred scriptures. How interpretations evolve through time. We would never be challenged to brainstorm what God wants to reveal in this particular era which is very useful for evangelization and bringing the people of God closer and closer to his kingdom. We should be ‘opportunity-based’ individuals rather than ‘deficit thinkers.’ We must eliminate that ‘anti-Jewish’ or ‘anti-Christian’ mentality. Instead of hating them, why not try to look for means that would initiate peace to both parties—Christians and Jews. As St. JPII would exclaim in the readings; ‘We (Jews and Christians) must work together to build a future in which there will be no more anti-Jewish feeling among Christians, or any anti-Christian feeling among Jews. We have many things in common. We can do much for the sake of peace, for a more human and more fraternal world”. Besides, we are just adoring and serving same God. We might vary on how we express our faith, but we are just the same in our conception about Him—a finitely understanding of Him, treating Him as always Supreme over His creation.