Malice making use of power

THE fiasco of the PCSO officials accusing bishops of receiving Pajeros from them exposes the ugly reality of how law and any earthly power and authority not vitally connected to morality and sanctity can easily be manipulated to allow malice to play its dirty tricks.

These man-made institutions and systems, which by themselves are always imperfect and in need of higher and deeper principles, can leave a lot of room for evil plottings and schemings to take place.

This was quite clear when in the Senate investigation of the so-called Pajero bishops, it was found out that there was no Pajero involved, that the SUVs were mostly second-hand utility vans used for rural ministry, that there was nothing unconstitutional in bishops getting some aid from PCSO, that if there was any legal violation, the fault would lie more on the PCSO officials than on the bishops, etc.

Malice is all over the place. Mrs. Margie Juico is now the face, the poster girl of that vastly orchestrated malice that now appears to have been participated in by some parts of the media (the Inquirer in particular), some members of the Senate, and a public relations office. She thought her ‘gotcha’ plan would fly. It crashed on her!

In spite of being confronted by the tremendous amount of evidence showing lack of basis for their accusation, those involved have not emitted even a fart of an apology. Some continue to be defiant and recalcitrant, going deep in their unfair views.

“The bishops were given kid-glove treatment by the Senate,” bannered a newspaper headline. Some commentators simply went ballistic with showing what could be inside their heart and their personal status—traces of liberalism, atheism, agnosticism, utter disrespect for Church authorities, etc.

Even gay writers, livid in their uncontrollable bitchiness, pitched in, pouring scorn and insults on the bishops. The issue must have been a eureka and a screaming glee moment for them, showcasing their almost inherent creativity and artistry, honed up by their penchant to live in a fantasy world.

Of course, we have already been warned in the gospel that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If one only has malice in her heart, it will definitely show in her words and actions.

If one has no faith or only has a badly digested faith, that condition will also show sooner or later. It will express in forms of ignorance and error, confusion, doubts and suspicions, fear, sarcasm, irony, superstition, bias and prejudice, etc.

All these can be expressed in bitterness, unrestrained hostility, rigidity and inflexibility. Narrow-mindedness assumes prominence. Words become daggers. Arguments come equipped with fangs, claws and poison.

There is indeed a great need to remind everyone that we have to examine where our mind is constantly engaged and where our heart is grounded. Are they with God or simply with ourselves? Are they filled with good things, inspired by God, or are they rather swamped and held captive by purely personal interests?

We have to look into our motives and intentions, because they give the trajectory of our thoughts, words and actions, and indicate the goal we want to reach—God or ourselves.

To a large extent and together with the moral object, they define the moral quality of our human acts. How they are determines the morality of our acts. In a sense, they determine the kind of person one is, whether he is with God or simply by himself.

When intentions are not deliberately purified and made to orient properly to their ultimate goal, God, then they become easy prey to our passions and to the many deceiving allurements of the world.

They influence the way we see and understand things. An old philosophical adage expresses this well: “Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur.” (Whatever is received is received according to the manner of the receiver.)

If a commentator, for example, has malice or has an axe to grind against another person, or is an atheist, an agnostic, a liberal if not a libertine, then he will filter and arrange all the data and information he gets according to his mentality.

Let us remember that objectivity, the attainment of truth and justice, etc., depend on one’s adherence to God who is the ultimate and providential author of all reality. We can only become objective, truthful and fair to the extent that we identify ourselves with God.

We cannot rely on our reason and our senses alone. Not even on our popular consensus on things. These can go anywhere, and can become a tool for malice.