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Monday, July 28, 2008

Being man (part 4)

“Days in St. Patrick’s were like . . . like heaven, Ken. My best years . . . yeah,” his voice like trailing off.

“Best years! Oooohh, well, I wonder what would have happened to you if I did not leave. St. Patrick could have enjoyed the sweet aroma of Gilbey’s more often! Remember when you blew in the chapel during the lauds? Man, that really made me tremble. ‘Twas a brave brush with the rules, huh. I guess, being there was like always bringing you to danger zones! You should thank me. You owe me those best years!” He gave me an uncertain look. “Just kiddin’.” He held up his hands. “But it hurts to think I was not part of those years.”

“Two years, Ken. My first two years were great because you were there.”

“Adding spice to your life? You’re welcome! At least, my presence did you something good.” There I was mixing things up again. Mark knew my ways. No, not every bit.

“Well, what are friends for?” He grinned. And laughter. We raised our bottles for a toast. A big splash climbed up the shore almost wetting our feet. The sea must have desired to join us in the toast, for along the years of growth, of pain and of joy, the sea was a faithful companion.

“Yup, what are friends for?”

Silence returned to take its place between us. Once more, he cast his gaze far out to the silvery sea. But I did not find anything yonder that should interest me. Perhaps, he saw things my eyes just couldn’t see. Or he might have been looking at things he himself didn’t see. Turning to him, I tendered a friendly tap on his shoulder.

“Something’s bothering you?” (January, 1998)

To be continued...

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Being man (part 3)

He slid his hands into the back pockets of his faded blue Levi’s jeans and started giving himself some leisure steps by the shore. Leaving behind the empty bottle, I made a beeline for the cottage to withdraw beer from the fridge. Three pairs will be enough, I decided. As I went out the cottage, I realized how wonderfully lovely the evening darkness was. I turned back up to the glistening backdrop that outlined the mountaintops. Then something dawned upon me. “There is sure gonna be no bed before midnight,” I told the cold air.

“Your beer, sir,” I said in mock courtesy, laying the bottles on the ground, and seated myself beside them.

Mark grinned. “Thanks, Ken,” he replied as he joined me on the sand. He reached for a bottle then took the cap off by his teeth. “Here,” he said, holding the bottle toward me. I never learned to work my teeth when opening bottles. I smiled back to tell him “Thank you.” He uncapped another for himself. For a while, no words issued from our mouths. Instead, we let the soft rumblings of the waves and the silky hush of the wind fill the silence the seemed to divide us. Suddenly, a shiver ran through my skin. The air as if teasing us to a race had grown colder. Our shadows appeared where the water raged and foamed. I looked over my shoulder momentarily to see that the moon has leapt to a romantic height. Beneath it, the sea sparkled while it inspired an enchanting breath of beauty. Whew!

“What a beautiful place we got here!” he enthusiastically commented after taking a big gulp. “Looks like paradise to me. Thanks for inviting me in again, Ken.”

“Don’t say a word. It’s uncalled for. It always is my pleasure to make you comfortable. I am glad when you are.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to a spot on earth like this. This is one thing I always looked forward to – ‘coming home,’ you know.” I heard a sigh pass out his nostrils. Steadying his sight on the gems of the night for a moment, he exclaimed, “Look at the stars! Aren’t they wonderful?”

“Truly wonderful,” I agreed. “And magical.”

“And somehow, friends are like the stars. They are there unconditionally burning for us through the dark night. Especially on dark, cold nights. Won’t ever choose to leave us cuddled up alone on one corner, frightened and not knowing what to do. Sometimes, we don’t see them. But we’d realize that they were there standing by us all along. Ken, am I so glad I got one true friend in you.”

“There goes the emotional Mark again! Man, I got same words for you. You never let me down. Ever. You saw me through thick and thin. How can I forget the exams I passed because answers rained down on my paper like torrent?!”

A hearty laugh.

“Hey, I lay my life on the line for you on that Science quiz, huh! How did I throw that paper to you over the head of Ms. Antonio again? Goodness, I could have been sent out.”

Honestly, I was mischievous during exams not because I was numb but I was lazy. Modesty aside, I could be on the dean’s list if I wanted it. “They keep the good and intelligent people. They could not have afforded losing a brilliant . . .”

“Cheater!” he cut me. “O, boy, those years seem like yesterday,” his tone nostalgic. He slowly shook his head the way someone does when he lost something that can never be replaced. “I wish they had not dragged on so quickly.”

“Time really flies so fast. Several years more, and you’ll be there.” (January, 1998)

To be continued...

Living the priesthood

“What is great about life is not what we do for God but what God does for us.” On occasions like today, I dwell on thoughts like this. God has, indeed, been good to me every single day of my life. He has given me life. He has caused me to be in a beautiful family, who taught me what it means to love and be loved. He has sown and brought to fruition the seed of priestly vocation in me; he has given me the gift of the priesthood and has sustained me for four beautiful years. Through me, he has touched the lives of many souls. These are great things I need to thank God for.

One of the first messages I received through text ran: “You’re another year older. Thanks for all that your priesthood has shared to my family. Your priesthood made possible unbelievable things in my life. Your priesthood is both a miracle and a mystery. I’m sure it did so many great things to other souls, too. A lot of times you may be sad also. But as you often tell me, God suffices. Don’t forget that every time I remember you, I also say a little prayer. It’s because you taught me how to love life, to love, to love more and to love a little more.” That text message caused some kind of a feeling of relief to surge within me. It certainly is great to have people say that I have been making such impact on their lives. With such words, people might consider me successful as a priest. But for me there is no such thing as ‘successful priesthood’. Using the words of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, God did not call me to be a successful priest. When he called me to be his own, all he asked of me was to be faithful to him through thick and thin. For it is only on ‘faithful times’ that my priesthood can be meaningful.

How has my four years been like? Forty days at the Bishop’s Residence, two years five months and 12 days as assistant parish priest in San Nicolas, one year five months and six days as Prefect of Disciple at St. Mary’s Seminary. I smile when I remember how my humble word or silence, or action or non-action made a difference in a person’s life. I sigh of regret when I remember those times when I could have done better but didn’t. I strike by breast and say mea culpa as scenes from my life that I am not happy about flash in my mind. How I wish I could relive those wasted or unfaithful times and live up to what I promised – that I would feed God’s sheep. But what’s done is done. I cannot go on regretting and sulking; I have to forgive myself for the times I failed God, for the times I hurt people, for the times I hurt you. I believe this is what celebrating anniversaries is all about. I get to start all over again with a renewed spirit and fresh vigor. I am given a second shot at living a meaningful priesthood. And what’s more, I have you all to help me.

I realized more and more in my four years that priesthood is really about listening. Listening to God, listening to people, listening to myself – in that order. Yes, I have to listen to the feelings and emotions, dreams and aspirations, needs and wishes of other people even before I listen to my own. I have to put myself in their shoes to feel what they feel, to share their dreams, to understand their need. This is the beginning of charity. This must be the only way towards a faithful, meaningful priesthood. A priest who doesn’t know how to listen wouldn’t know how to live his priesthood. A priest who doesn’t listen will never be a good priest. Such priest will only think of himself, of his own feelings and emotions, dreams and aspirations, needs and wishes. He will not talk kindly and will raise his voice at the littlest irritation. He will not care whether people get hurt with his words because he thinks he is always right or even has the monopoly of truth. I am afraid that when I look at myself in the mirror, I’d be looking at such priest. I think it’s this inability to listen as I should or in the order above that has largely caused the wastage and unfaithfulness in my priestly life. Perhaps, by listening less and less to myself, I’d grow in the thought that what is great about priestly life is not what people do for me but what I do for them.

Thank you all for celebrating this great day with me. But allow me to thank foremost my parents. I owe them my life; there is no Fr. Tom without them. The person who texted me said, “You taught me how to love life, to love, to love more and to love a little more.” I would not have been able to teach people about love if I had not first felt it from and seen it in my parents. They are people who truly know how to listen and do listen. I thank Fr. Lester, Fr. JV, Sr. Catalina, the teachers, the personnel and the seminarians for this great journey together. My gratitude, too, goes to my relatives and friends for teaching me about life in many ways.

My priesthood is what I make it. Please continue praying for me especially that I may always have that listening attitude like the Blessed Mother’s and make each day of my priestly life count. (St. Mary's Seminary, Laoag City, November 21, 2007)

MY BEST American Idol: David Cook

He's only "the world I know" right now (in music, that is)

He dreamt big, and he got it!

He still hasn't found what he's looking for. Well, not me!

Soothing, his vocals will make the "little sparrow" dance in the air

His voice's really "the music of the night"

You wanna know my answer to his question?

He'll "always be my baby" in the concert hall

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Being man (part 2)

The sun had sunk lower than when I saw it playing with the birds earlier. It was doomed to be robbed out of sight by the nebulous things hanging in stripes of gray and pale orange a little above where the sky kissed the sea. I observed him intensely fixed, although perhaps unthematically, on the sun in anticipation of its wrestle against the clouds. I was sure he was wishing they did not show up that afternoon, for he wanted well to behold the drama which the western horizon was about to unfold as the sun would finally allow itself to sink, surrendering its will to the waters. Then the color of gloom gradually invaded the place, and the pain that the problems that were weighing him down caused surged again intensified. But he liked it that way. For him, it was as though the twilight sympathized with him. When the twilight with which he had struck a brand of friendship left, and the night pushed its way in, he would not feel that the beings which heard his secrets in the sun would leave him in the dark, alone, because the twilight would leave behind the stars, scattered in magical artistry across the horizon and send the moon to brighten up the night. The sundown was a natural phenomenon that gave him courage and inspired in him hope. It vividly taught him that there still lingered sparks of hope amid all the darkness in his world. Hope for the sun.

As the stars began to glisten like diamonds sprawled upon velvet blackness, I judged it was then safe to shake him out of his solitude.

“Mark!” I called out to him, who at that time had its back on the sand. He remained lying and showed no hint of having heard his name. That’s typically him, I thought. “Mark!”

Slowly and with obvious reluctance, he got to his feet. He waved back to me but did not say a word. I took several steps to get nearer so that my voice could reach him quite audibly. By now, the movements of the wind filled the distance between us.

“Will you care for some more beer?” I asked, raising my bottle after which I drank what little remained in it. Of course, it was unnecessary to raise the question.

“Hey, what do you think?” he returned my question. “Come on, bring them here.” I then knew that the two he brought with him earlier had gone to his stomach.

“Alright, in a minute.” (January, 1998)

To be continued...

Monday, July 21, 2008

My favorite movies

In random order -

1. The Passion of the Christ
2. Titanic
3. Unfaithful
4. Intersection
5. Gladiator
6. Brokeback Mountain
7. Before Sunset
8. The Patriot
9. With Honors
10. Under The Tuscan Sun

Most played songs on my Ipod

1. The time of my life by David Cook
2. Hello by David Cook
3. Always be my baby by David Cook
4. Home by Michael Buble
5. Arthur's theme (The best that you can do) by Christopher Cross
6. Collide by Howie Day
7. On my own (live) by Lea Salonga
8. You and me by Lifehouse
9. The music of the night by David Cook
10. Wait for you by Elliot Yamin

Being man (part 1)

I found him picking pebbles and throwing them with some dexterity into the sea. A smile took over my face as I remember how he used to do copycats of the antics of a hunk from the American League he watched on TV for some time, with little success. That was when we were several years younger. I did not think he really dreamt of running on the diamond professionally. He simply wanted to get a feel of being like that man he appeared to idolize. When the picking and throwing ceased, he planted himself on the sand. I noticed, however faintly, the two bottles by his side. Had he already downed them both? He stretched his hands back, palms on the sand, to support his body, and with bended knees, he started gazing up. I raised my eyes to the direction on which he darted his attention and saw the three brown, winged creatures fluttering about against the fading blue sky. I could not hold myself from admiring how gracefully those creatures of heaven fanned their tools as they went up to the west toward the sun, switched to the right and glided down as if to chase the waves. Apparently, he enjoyed the show being staged, for not a moment did he withhold his eyes from them to lay his sight on anything else.

I have known him as one of the few people among my acquaintances who took great pleasure in just being on the spot where sea and land met. Removed from the exhaustive stir of society, the shores provided him a haven of peace and always had a way of lending him a good measure of freedom. The freedom to let himself be. I understood that it was only during these times when his feet touched the sand that he could think out loud. The company of others did not allow him much time of repose. On the beach where the firmament, the birds, the blue water, the crawling things on the sand, were the only beings who knew him, he could shout out in pure honesty the things the troubled his heart and unsettled his mind. And the cool air tumbling around rushed to him to ease him of his problems by embracing him tightly as though it understood all he was going through. To him, God, who eternally understood him well, visited him under the guise of the wind. And he loved the wind. (January, 1998)

To be continued...

Mary at the foot of the cross

I would have been 22 years dead last March 19. When I was yet a first grader, I figured in a motorcycle mishap, which left me fatally wounded and totally unconscious. I could picture myself, as though dead, in the middle of the highway. My mother must have been hysterical and cried a river over my fate, and hers. My father, who was about a couple of hundred meters away, must have sensed that something was wrong with his family, and ran like a meteor to where he almost lost his only son. The left portion of my skull was bashed in, and three blankets could barely help reduce the bleeding. They knew my situation was very precarious and that they could lose me any moment.

But by God’s singular graciousness, I survived what my father and my mother might count as the hardest blow in their life as parents. For two or three days, I was like down for the count. When I regained consciousness, my body both sore and numb, I was being carried along a corridor by my father. I could see my mother, who was a couple of meters behind, and all the sorrow and the pain on her face. From hindsight, I could say that she looked and walked as though she were a mater dolorosa following her son. Of course, figuratively speaking, it was not yet her time to see her son to his Calvary and reenact the pieta.

That must have been how the Blessed Mother had felt, and much more. Already almost immediately after the Blessed Mother had given birth to her child, she learned the bare truth about the dreadful destiny of her son and that her heart would be pierced by the sword. It must have taken time for the prophecy of Simeon about the sorrows to come to sink in her. But certainly she came to realize that accepting that prophecy was fundamental or central to the fiat, to that “yes” she professed at the Annunciation. Given this, it is not amiss to claim that in some sense the passion of the Blessed Mother already began at Jesus’ birth. Isn’t it true that the anticipation of some horrifying event is more dreadful than that event itself? The expectation of death, for example, would be more terrifying than the experience of death itself. Naturally, thinking about the future brought much misery and pain to the Blessed Mother in regard to her son.

As teacher, the Blessed Mother exemplified in her life how graceful dealing with suffering and pain can be beneficial to our Christian discipleship. I would think, the Blessed Mother carried that misery, that pain, from her child’s birth unto the foot of his cross. Look, not long after the prophet Simeon told her of what was coming, she, together with St. Joseph, had to protect their child from the deadly hands of Herod, and so they had to run to Egypt for safety. Consider, too, the hysteria losing her child in the temple must have caused. And when her child, now grown-up, returned home after being away doing great things every high and low in support of his battle cry that the Kingdom of God was at hand, he was rejected. I wonder how she must have felt on hearing this, and the news that their townmates even wanted to push him over the cliff to have him killed. And what could be more painful than seeing her son, carrying that heavy cross towards Calvary, his face like a workshop of blood, of sweat and of derisive saliva? But she patiently endured everything unto the foot of the cross. This was her martyrdom.

Don’t we call the Blessed Mother the “Queen of Martyrs”? Indeed, she is. To be a martyr, the Blessed Mother did not have to submit herself to an executioner’s sword. But she did suffer, in the words of St. Bernard, a most bitter sorrow of the heart. This she endured in obedience to God’s will. And if not a moment in her whole life did she break loose from her original fiat, then she endured her martyrdom throughout her life. Her standing at the foot of the cross testified to her total submission to the will of God, in whose love and faithfulness she trusted so much.

Sorrow is an inseparable reality in our earthly life. It is the consequence of the ills that befall us either from within or without. When we lose a loved one, when we fail the bar or board exam, when malicious tongues destroy our good name, when the people we expect to understand us do not seem to care, we suffer outwardly. My mother has had a big share in this. When we are humiliated, when we are tempted, when we think we have caused God pain by sinning, we experience interior suffering. And when we suffer and are down with sorrow, there is the temptation to think that after all God is not infinitely good and loving. But God never intended that we experience pain and undergo hardships. The truth is, He wanted us to be happy. By one man’s disobedience, everything crumbled, and happiness was turned into sorrow. By the Blessed Mother’s obedience as well as, and more importantly, her son’s obedience, happiness is man’s once more. The Blessed Mother’s obedient disposition teaches every Christian soul how to deal with suffering and sorrow.

We should be on guard against the many false ideas about suffering. Many of us might erroneously think that Christianity exalts suffering for its own sake. Our Father in heaven, who loves us so much, does not rejoice to see his children suffer. But if, in fact, we do suffer, we must use our suffering as a means of virtue, to turn evil into good, to accept pain as an atonement offered for the Body of the Son of the Blessed Mother. Suffering is not good in itself; it is indifferent. It can prove to be either a blessing or a curse. It can do or undo a person. What makes suffering good or evil is our attitude towards it. The Blessed Mother valued her own passion as participation in the suffering of her son. She, who kept everything in her heart, perceived God as visiting her through her every cross. And she was purified and refined by the sorrows she patiently endured for the love of God.

As mother, the Blessed Virgin stood by her son the Lord Jesus to the bitter end. The blessed Mother stood near the cross. We do not know how near but we can be sure she stood as near as the soldiers would let her. She might not have been able to touch or caress her son or wipe his bloody face, but she could stand where he could see her and take comfort from her presence and her encouraging and understanding looks. From her fiat at the Annunciation to her fiat at the foot of the cross, she was in solidarity with Jesus and his mission. Isn’t this how mothers – and fathers – should stand by their children? The Blessed Mother was silent all throughout the passion; not a word issued from her lips. In like manner, there are times when all that parents can do is to stand in comforting presence when their child is on his or her times of sorrow, pain or tragic news. It may be all they can do but it may be the best they can do when words do not come or are empty.

The Blessed Virgin is our teacher and our mother. This Lady of sorrows is our mother. And so we can be sure that we are not alone in our sufferings, in our moments of sorrow. She, who endured much suffering, would understand us and intercede for us before her son, who suffered much for the salvation of the world. (July, 2004, inspired by Terence Cardinal Cooke)

On labor (Rerum Novarum by Leo XIII)

INTRODUCTORY NOTES

The Industrial Revolution that swept, first, Great Britain in the early 18th century, and then Belgium in the 1820’s, France in the 1830’s and Prussia in the 1840’s and then United States toward the end of the 18th century, transformed traditional into modern societies by industrializing the economy. It changed agrarian into urban societies. The per capita production dramatically increased as a result of the mechanization of manufacturing and other processes that were carried out in factories.

That the world benefited greatly from the fruits of the industrial revolution cannot be denied. But neither can the fact that it also brought misery to numerous souls be discounted. From the eyes of economic optimists, the social effects of industrialization may be summed up as short-term misery for long-term gain. However it is called, it did make many men, women and even children suffer.

Factory labor was often more disciplined, tedious and dangerous than work in agriculture or domestic industry. Women and, until the introduction of child labor laws in most countries by the early 20th century, children were exploited. Many skills were rendered obsolete and made workers dependent upon fluctuating market forces. People often felt that they had less control over their destiny as machines, although created by humans, seemed to become their masters.
Life in the 19th century city was unpleasant. The environment was often polluted with filth and smoke, and housing conditions were crowded and unsanitary. Basic amenities such as water supply and sewage disposal were deficient, and as a result, disease and death rates were high. So common were these conditions that it was claimed all industrial cities were the same, whatever the country.

Two developments improved conditions. First, both national and local governments, perhaps fearful of social revolution, began to introduce ameliorative measures such as factory legislation, sanitary provisions and social welfare programs. Second. The workers themselves often found ways to improve their working conditions. Finding strength through common experience, they developed labor unions and political organizations to protect their interests and achieve a greater share of the profits of industry.

It was against this background that Pope Leo XIII wrote and published Rerum Novarum, The Condition of the Working Class, his first encyclical on social problems, on May 15, 1891. It took more than a year to complete.


THE CONDITION OF THE WORKING CLASS

The Situation of the Poor and Workers

The moral degeneration that came with the industrial revolution paved the way for the exploitation of workers. Because they were not protected by laws or associations, the workers were easy prey to the greed of the businessmen who were only concerned with fattening their monetary output. Such greed and the production process as a whole created a situation where the very few rich enslaved the masses of workers who did not own the means of production; hence, the sad condition of labor.

The evils that issued from that greed of unrestrained competition were pressing cruelly on the working classes. A remedy needed to be found quickly.

The Socialist Solution and the Defense of Private Property

The Socialists saw the abolition of private property and the award of the same to the State as the solution to the problems of the suffering workers and (3, 7). But this solution was futile because it was unjust, and it would ultimately be the workers themselves suffering from such remedy. Rerum Novarum condemned the proposal of the Socialists of putting private ownership to rest and defended the rights of workers to possess goods through their hard work. This is a natural right of men and women. Curtailing such right is a violation against the rights of lawful owners (8, 9, 23).

The right to possess private property. As effect follows cause, so it is just that the effects of labor should belong to the laborer. The right of private property, then, is found in the study of nature, in the law of nature, in the laws of peoples from the beginning of history, and in the divine law, “Thou shall not covet.”

A man is naturally entitled to the fruit of his labor. This is precisely why he works: to acquire property. Relative to this right is the right of disposal. Because he owns his property, he also has the right to dispose what he owns according to his will. The Socialists struck at this right by depriving the worker of the right of disposal as well as of ownership in attempting to transfer all he owns to the State.

The right to use and to possess. It is not enough for man to have the right to use property. He must also have the right to own it. Man, unlike the animal, has reason; he has the capacity to foresee. Not only must he have things for temporary use, like the animal, but also for future use.

Man’s personality and the property right. Man holds his claim to the earth by his own industry and the laws of the individual peoples. Everyone, either directly or indirectly, lives of the soil. The earth only yields its wealth to man’s labor and skill. This is how he makes it his own. On that portion he cultivates he leaves the impress of his personality. It belongs to him because of what he has done with it.

The argument from man’s social and domestic obligations. Ownership is not only an individual right, but belongs to man as head of the family. As head of the family his duty is to provide not only present but also future family needs. In no other way can he meet his obligations as head of the family except by the ownership of property which he can transmit to his children. The family has at least equal rights with the State to provide for its own needs. As it is prior in existence, so are its rights prior. For man does not come from the State. The State comes from man, who freely made it.

The State has no right to invade the family. However, in case of extreme necessity the family has the right to call on the State for aid, for each family is part of the State. Only when the family fails in its duties does the State acquire the right to intervene. Be that as it may, the State, in intervening, should only regulate, strengthen and safeguard family interests. Beyond this, the State loses its authority. It has no right to abolish or absorb paternal authority.

The error of Socialism is that it sets aside paternal authority in the family. And this runs contrary to natural justice for such usurpation results in slavery. It levels man down to the role of a mere part in a machine. Socialism, by advocating the community of goods, would injure those it intends to benefit, by violating their natural rights. Its consequence would be a state of injustice, confusion, disorder, slavery.

Thomas Aquinas on private property. For Thomas Aquinas, it is lawful for man to hold private property. In fact, it is necessary for the carrying on of human life. However, concerning the use of one’s possessions, Aquinas holds that man should not consider his outward possessions as his own, but as common to all, so as to share them without difficulty when others are in need. He clarifies, saying, that one is not required to distribute what he has when he has not kept up becomingly his condition. But once his necessities and those of his family have been supplied, it becomes his duty to give to those who are wanting (19).

Jesus on the use of money. The Lord Jesus pronounces on the right use of money. The use of money should be guided by charity. It is a duty of charity to give to those who lack after one has satisfied his needs and his family’s. Jesus strongly says, “As long as you did it to the least of my brethren, you did it to me.” Hence, whatever that one has received from the providence of God has been given him not only to perfect his nature but also for the benefit of others. It is giving according to one’s means. (19)

The Solution of Rerum Novarum

Pope Leo XIII offered a three-fold solution to the problem of poverty and, specifically, of labor. He thought that the problem would only be remedied if the Church, the State, and the employers and the workers worked together and each conscientiously did its duties. But he put primacy on the role of the Church. For him, no remedy could be found apart from Religion, from the Church.

The Role of the Church

The Church has the right to speak out on social issues, for these affect religion and morality. (24) She enlightens by her teachings and directs human conduct by her precepts. The Pope, for his part, has the responsibility to pronounce on the question of labor because he is the Supreme Teacher of Christ’s revealed truth. As the Supreme Interpreter of divine law, he must voice the principles that must govern the relationship between capital and labor.

All men are created equal in regard to the ultimate end, but they are not born equal. This fact of inequality does not preclude God’s providence. Neither is it correct to believe that class is naturally hostile to another class. Each needs the other. Capital cannot do without labor, nor labor without capital. The Church, through the use of Gospel principles, can help reconcile and unite classes. She promotes harmony among the social classes, i.e. employers and workers, rich and poor. (25, 27, 23, 41)

The Church can educate people to act justly. (40, 41) For instance, the encyclical teaches that workers are not to be treated as slaves; justice demands that the dignity of the human person must be respected. To use men and women for profit is inhuman and shameful. It is wrong to see them merely as muscle and energy. (31)

The Church also teaches that this present life is only a preparation for eternal life. The things of the earth can only be valued correctly when viewed taking into consideration the life to come. This is because without the idea of futurity, the very notion of what is good and right perishes. These things must be used wisely, “justly” and “charitably.” The Lord Jesus desired that those who have more be inclined to generosity. He wanted every one to remember that all share the same Father in heaven, who alone can satisfy every need. (21)

The Role of the State

The State is bound by laws to serve the common good; this is the reason for its existence. Its primary duty is justice: justice for all or distributive justice. It should protect the well-being of all and be concerned with the interests of every one. (48, 49, 71)

The State must also defend and promote the rights of individual families. (21) It can interfere only when the protection of individuals and the common good warrants it. But it should allow the individual and the family free action, unless such action directly violates the common good. (52)

Basically, the rights of every man must be religiously respected, anytime, anywhere. It should protect every person’s private property. In fact, this is the chief thing that the State must make secure: it should support the right to property and to possess private property. (55, 56) However, it must pay special attention to the weak and the poor because they do not have the means to protect themselves. (52)

The State must also uphold the rights of associations or unions and the religious. (72, 73, 75)

The Role of Workers and Employers

No violence. The role of the worker and the poor is to work well. He is not to damage the property of his employer, for any act against such property would be a violation of the employer’s right to his property. Even in protecting his own interests, the worker should avoid violence. (30)

The Dignity of workers. The employers and the rich must always keep in mind that their workers are human beings whose dignity ought to be upheld. Therefore, they should treat them as mere machines, as mere slaves. They would do them injustice if they ground them by excessive labor stupefying their minds and wearing out their bodies. They should also allow them to see to their families and religious obligations. Moreover, they should give work that is suitable to the workers’ strength, sex and age, and consider the place and time of work. As already enunciated, the workers are not machines. Their powers are limited, and beyond their limits they cannot go. Also, the savings of the workers must be protected. The Pope urges the rich to give to the poor after their own needs have been met. (31, 32)

On just wage. But the most important duty of the employer is to give the worker his just wage. Free consent on the part of the worker does not determine a just wage. There are two attributes of the labor of the worker: personal and necessary. By personal is meant that labor (or the exertion of individual power, belongs to the person who puts it forth. Hence, it is within his choice to accept any rate of wage or even not to accept remuneration. But labor is also necessary. Because man needs to procure a decent livelihood, it follows that a just wage must procure that decent living. The employer should remember that he is never allowed to oppress the workers for his profit. (34, 32)

Mutual implication. Each party needs the other; the employers need the workers, the workers need the employers. Labor needs capital and capital needs labor, to produce. Labor and capital are the wheels to progress.

The workers’ unions. It is natural for workers, men and women alike, to join unions that benefit them; recognizing their own weakness, they realize the need to seek help from others. The encyclical deems it an advantage for workers to form associations or unions. Associations or unions help promote mutual understanding and cooperation. They help individual members enjoy an increase in the goods of body, soul and prosperity. Together, the members assume a louder voice and are able to fight for their rights better. (72, 73, 75)

The Principles of Rerum Novarum

A few guiding principles of Rerum Novarum can be listed:
i. The ability to reason is part of human nature. Humans rule themselves by reason. Therefore, each person can see the things needed for the present and the future. So, each person has the right to possess things to be used.
ii. Workers have the right to the fruits of their work, but should use them to benefit all.
iii. All people have the right to private property, yet private property must serve the common good.
iv. Men and women should use their possessions to meet the demands of their life. When these have been fulfilled, it is their duty to give to the poor.
v. There is a difference between the just ownership of money and the just use of money.
vi. Laws are to be obeyed only in so far as they do not go against right reason and the eternal law of God.
vii. Natural inequalities exist among people, but God has gifted all with equal dignity. This benefits both individuals and community: community life needs the different talents and services of individuals.
viii. Since all have been created and redeemed by God, divine grace and the goods of nature belong equally to all.
ix. Common good is the end of any society. Therefore, each and everyone has the right to participate in his society.


CONCLUDING REMARKS

The publication of Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum increased the Church’s awareness of the miserable living and working conditions and the unjust wages of workers.

There is no doubt that Rerum Novarum played a positive role among Catholics. It has also influenced the social teaching of the Church from that time on.

Ako, ikaw . . . isang himala

(The administrator adapted the following story from a PDI column. He simply put words into the mouths of the characters.)

Two brothers, one about ten, the other barely five, walk through the smokey mountain. And there occurs a miracle.

Little Brother(his eyes glued to his brother’s pocket): Kuya! Kuya! Ano’ng nasa bulsa mo? Patingin naman, o.
Big Brother: Mamaya na. Ipapakita ko naman sa ‘yo ‘to pagdating natin do’n. ‘Wag kang mainip.
Little Brother(runs around his brother, his voice close to pleading): Sige na, Kuya. Pagkain ba ‘yan? Patikim naman, o. Isang tinapay lang ang nakain ko kanina. Gutom na ‘ko. (his eyes sincere)
Big Brother(stops, his face changes): Okey, Hintay. (Slowly, he removes from his pocket the ‘treasure’. He sees the look of eager anticipation in his brother’s mouth.)
Little Brother: Wow, gatas! Yehey! (He reaches out his hands for the bottle of milk.) Inumin na natin, Kuya!
Big Brother: Oooops! Upo ka d’yan. (He points to the rubber tire. Little Brother complies immediately and looks intently on his brother.) Masarap ‘to. Pero ako muna. (he says in a regal manner. He lifts the bottle and drinks. But he closes his lips too tightly so that no milk entered his mouth.) O, ‘kaw naman. Dahan-dahan lang, ha.
Little Brother(he pulls the bottle away from his brother and sticks it to his mouth): Mmmnn. Ansarap, Kuya! Isa pa.
Big Brother: Hep, ako uli. Mamaya, ‘kaw naman.
Little Brother: Sige, para patas tayo, di ba?
Big Brother: S’yempre. O, ‘kaw na.

For five or six times, this happened. But each time his turn came, Big Brother pretended to drink.

Big Brother(holding the bottle upside down): Inubos mo na! (His voice like angry. Little Brother is struck silent, waiting an action from his brother.) Ha! Ha! Ha!
Little Brother: ‘Di ka galit?
Big Brother: Ba’t naman ako magagalit sa ‘yo? Okey, lang ‘yon. Utol ‘ata kita. Kahit anong mangyari, ‘andito pa rin ako para sa ‘yo.
Little Brother(showing his widest smile): Ambait ng kuya ko!
Big Brother(smiles back at him and strokes his brother’s hair) O, tara na. Baka wala na tayong mapulot. (He throws the bottle away, and several younger kids go about scavenging for it.)

The kiss

Your eyes on mine
I breathe your breath
Bodies close
One world

Silence
The world closes in
I belong to you, you own my world
Lips burning with love
The universe is ours

I bring my love upon your lips
You drown in my tenderness
The world stands still
Time stops
We see eternity

Alive and idle

After all, the bridge is still there. And now more than ever, I feel that Christians from both sides do desire to cross the bridge to the other side.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an opportune time to live up to the desire of Jesus: that all may be one. Despite our differences, we can still be united as children of the One God. This week, we made the prayer of the Lord our own. We realized that, indeed, the divisions and tensions that the world witnesses from us Christians do not reflect our being – our being Christians. We scandalize the world because we profess that we are children of God, that we believe in Jesus, and yet we separate ourselves from one another, sometimes even throw stones on one another. Now, the world can see who we truly are.

Openness and willingness to change. These broke down the walls that wrapped us up in isolation from one another for so long. With openness, we saw that the God of our brethren is the same God we adore and love. We were willing to change our distorted perception that the Holy Spirit is only working in our Church. More importantly, we learned to accept that we do not compose the Church of Jesus individually, but together, we are that Church.

“How good it is to see when brothers dwell as one!” the world may exclaim as it witnesses the oneness that we are, as we pray together to God as his children for the needs of the world. We no longer scandalize the world – that much.

There are still stepping stones ahead before we reach the end. We are challenged to keep on moving, to push ourselves even farther.

As a Catholic participating in the religious gathering of another sect, I realized more and more the beauty of our liturgical celebrations. Appreciating the liturgy of the other sect, I got to think that our liturgy is far more meaningfully ordered. Somewhere in their liturgy, I felt uneasy because, in a very limited, human sense, the Holy Spirit seemed idle. He seems to be more alive in the Catholic Church. Of course, this is not to insult the Holy Spirit working in them.

Probably, these ideas of being alive and being idle can also be instructive of the whole work of ecumenism. We cannot let our desire for Christian unity remain idle but alive. Only then can the end be in sight. (January, 2001)

Clerical controversies in the eyes of a young cleric

Much ink has already been spilled on the issue of clerical “sexual” misappropriations. For a good number of times, this has been the dish of the broadsheets, and the broadsheets sold like hot potatoes. When the issue on Apo Bacani came up, it took the front page and was even the banner for a few days straight. The bishop “unwillingly” enjoyed a good share of airtime, too, on TV. And so he, who, I suppose, would be better known to the masa as the spiritual director of Velarde of the El Shaddai group, became a household name in an instant. The press, and mass media as a whole, has the power to do just that. It seizes people, noble or not, and uses them to spice up its otherwise dull papers, before it lets them go. Once they are let alone, breath would seem the only thing they have left. What’s a name without credibility? Good for them if they have no integrity to worry about. It’s really ironic to see how the press may disserve the truth. Noble people are killed before they are tried.

The wake of such clerical hitch usually sees the resurgence of the question whether priests should be allowed to marry, even as reasons for keeping to tradition, stretching from spiritual to practical, have time and again been presented. Abrogating the law on celibacy has often been put forward as the solution to the sexual misconducts of priests. Whose proposition? Mostly lay and a few clergymen. Like flaming liberals, these lay people who choose to see a non-celibate Catholic clergy forget that their priests chose to be celibate, in the first place. When they entered the priesthood, they knew full well the kind of life they were to live – a celibate life. And presumably they recognized its nobility and meaning, so they set their will to it. It’s the priests themselves who understand better than anybody else the whole import of celibacy to priestly ministry. I find it amusing, then, that the lay people should suggest “what would be good” to priests relative to their ministry. They are saying like, “I scratch your arm because it’s itchy.” Probably, they mean well. But I think they would be of better help if they just pray for their priests and create a nurturing atmosphere in which to do their ministry.

A recent study on American priests who have been 10 to 30 years in the ministry revealed that if they were to have a second shot at being a priest, they would choose to be celibate. If for some priests celibacy leads to a life of loneliness, the priests in the study attested that celibacy does not preclude warm friendships and intimate relationships. In fact, some of them even spoke of the freedom that celibacy gives them to have more such relationships than married couples. These relationships are the “I-Thou” kind, which enable them to be more effective, helping, enabling and loving. The priests I have come in contact with share the same sentiments. How, then, could the lay suggest, with a certain insistence, that the Catholic Church lift the celibacy law to solve the so-called clerical misappropriations? Of late, even an Aglipayan bishop figured in such sexual hitch, and he was very much married!

As a young cleric, I think there’s no better way to un-invite myself to such issue than choosing “to have a life.” I have to enjoy being a deacon, and being a priest later on, embracing the celibate life. I am convinced that being God’s minister is a significant way to spend my life, that what I do is important to the Church and to society. This conviction is sustained by a relationship with Jesus, by an active spiritual life involving prayer, scripture and liturgy. Looking at the days ahead, I will try to be authentic and form close relationships with my family and build a strong supporting network of priests. I will try to draw life from the people I serve, so that I will be able to serve them better. Listening first, I will allow my ministry to be characterized by service, compassion and empowerment. I will maintain a sense of balance and give myself a moment of repose. This is the life I see. (October, 2004)

Proudly for dogs!

I felt a certain pride - and, yes, hope - surge within me the first time my eyes came across a local food product labeled “Proudly, Made in the Philippines.” Definitely, the taste was great. It was comparable to a foreign counterpart. I sighed from relief and said to myself, “Now, there’s another thing I can be proud of.”

Today, I see many other local food products bearing the same tatak. And this tatak is yet to fail me. It has become the guarantee of the satisfaction I always want to derive from a product. It is good choice.

I believe that there is something more in these “proudly” products. I cannot escape thinking that they must have passed the careful scrutiny of quality controllers. They are prepared satisfactorily, and packed artfully and skillfully. They are made perfect for consumers - perfect for me! – so that there’s no more entertaining second thoughts. Choose them, and you choose well.

No, I don’t wish to round off those who do not bear this label as defective or of low quality. In fact, there are many of these which are “quality”. But of course, one cannot tell unless he tries it. I did, and my tongue can testify to it. I myself could label them “Proudly, Made in the Philippines.”

But products marked “Export Quality” hardly attract me. I find the premise a bit offensive to me as a Filipino consumer. Come to think of it: The producers seem to reason that by labeling their products this way, the Filipino consumer, realizing that these products were somehow intended for more discreet palates (Pease, excuse me.), would pick them. Oh-huh. The producers would seem to tell local consumers: “Now, these products are made available for you. Buy them. This is your chance to taste what is really proposed for foreign tongues.” By golly! Why, are Filipinos not entitled to use or eat delicious things? Do we only deserve something less? Hey, Filipinos are not dogs waiting for the crumbs to fall from strangers’ table.

I don’t think this is simply a question of tatak. “Export Quality” reflects the kind of mentality certain producers have. They produce this quality because they are meant for local consumption, anyway. But they manufacture that quality because they are intended for “greater” races. Hah! From another angle, such tatak only bespeaks the ordinary or, better, real general quality of Filipino products: they are not export quality. The “Export Quality” items, then, seem to be some desperate move to attract buyers. Probably, their producers would like to bank on the colonial mentality of their target market, which, good for them, appears still as the order of the day.

You may say I am overacting. Maybe, I do. Let me think . . . There! Maybe, this sort of labeling is index to some fact that Filipino products have improved. Considerably, if I may say. Now, that’s really good news. Such tatak may be to shout to Filipino ears that local products are no longer inferior to their foreign counterparts, or at least, they are no longer lagging far behind. The Filipino product is export quality, or superior quality. But wait, what about those I tried which can barely pass the “good quality” mark? Wouldn’t this lend support to my earlier claim? So you see, labels may be used indiscriminately. To mislead or deceive, not excluded.
Ouch! My dear label could be guilty of it! Well, at least, as I said, “Proudly, Made in the Philippines” items have always satisfied me.

To the producers using the “Export Quality” label, can’t you come up with a better strategy? In the very least, don’t use it unless your products really are.

For all this, call me non-sense. Go on, suit yourselves. (I say this deferentially.) But I stick to what I think. Just don’t say that my thinking is just for dogs!

American-Canadian-Pacific Vacation 2008 (September-October), Part 1

American-Canadian-Pacific Vacation 2008 (September-October), Part 2

American-Canadian-Pacific Vacation 2008 (September-October), Part 3

American Vacation 2007 (September-October)

American Vacation 2007 (September-October), part 2

American Vacation 2006 (California-Nevada-Hawaii, April-May))

American Vacation 2005 (California-Hawaii, April)