Masses and commencement exercises will take place. Graduation speakers
will do their best to give their go-go speeches. Families of graduates
will happily get some high, a salutary lift.
In all this, I wonder if the fresh batch of university outputs would
be up to par as to the challenges of the times. In fact, we can ask
if everyone in the schools who will move up to the next level can
competently handle the increasingly complicated world.
How about the schools themselves? Are their programs and curricula
attuned to the times? And the teachers who are not supposed to give
technical information only to the students, but should also be
involved in the wholistic process of human formation? And the parents?
Are they adequately equipped to take on the new challenges?
There are now many crossroads to face. And the choices are getting
subtler and subtler. Even the distinction between good and evil that
was quite clear and sharp before now seems to be obliterated.
Just the other day, I noticed that there seems to be a drift toward
legalizing same-sex unions in many so-called developed countries.
Their leaders have openly endorsed it, describing it as good for
society or that its time has finally come. Some have described it as
one giant step toward progress and human maturity.
One former US president even wrote recently an article explaining why
he has changed his mind about gay marriage. He previously signed into
law a Defense of Marriage Act, but now wants to overturn it,
practically branding that law as intrinsically discriminatory.
He said that the country has met this crossroads often enough that it
would already know the right path to choose. Nice words, but always a
politician’s words, which means they should be taken with a grain of
salt.
In our country, the enactment into law of the notorious RH Bill is
making an opening for the legalization of abortion, divorce and God
knows what else. In fact, many politicians are already sounding off
and stirring public opinion. We have to be wary of politicians.
Politicians, by choice or circumstance, usually take the social pulse
no deeper than the surface. They obviously serve some purpose,
alright, but it would be dangerous and wrong to entrust our entire
destiny into their hands.
We need leaders whose vocation, vision and skill go beyond the
skin-deep. That means that together with politicians who have to be
regarded in their proper place and role in society, we need other
leaders who can lead us especially in the more important aspects of
our life.
Thus, we need to recognize the importance of spiritual leaders. No
point disparaging them, in spite of their own share of defects and
mistakes, just as we cannot totally disregard our political leaders.
Obviously we have to be discerning always. Let’s hope the modern world
can disentangle itself from that unfair bias against spiritual
leaders.
In these times of many controversial and hot-button issues, we need to
be very clear and well-grounded on the doctrine of our faith, if we
still believe in our Christian faith.
Yes, we need to study the doctrine thoroughly and assimilate it such
that we can live our daily life also under the light and guidance of
our faith. Toward this end, the study of the Catechism of the Catholic
Church should be an ongoing affair.
We have to remember that the doctrine elucidated there are not merely
ideological theories, but truths that can bring us to our ultimate
end. We need the proper dispositions to study and imbibe it into our
life.
In this regard, we have to be well focused on the example of Christ
whose unwavering teaching of the truth was pursued always in the
context of humility and charity, of obedience to his Father’s will and
abiding compassion for everyone.
It was this attitude that ultimately led him to his death on the
cross, something that we too should be ready to take, if we really
want to follow Christ, which is what an integral life of faith would
entail.
This is the only way that we avoid the pitfall of self-righteousness
that often becomes the reason many people get alienated from Christ
and his Church. Unless we are ready to take on what Christ faced and
suffered, our efforts to proclaim and defend the truth about ourselves
would just be futile.
We need to go all the way, the way of Christ!
will do their best to give their go-go speeches. Families of graduates
will happily get some high, a salutary lift.
In all this, I wonder if the fresh batch of university outputs would
be up to par as to the challenges of the times. In fact, we can ask
if everyone in the schools who will move up to the next level can
competently handle the increasingly complicated world.
How about the schools themselves? Are their programs and curricula
attuned to the times? And the teachers who are not supposed to give
technical information only to the students, but should also be
involved in the wholistic process of human formation? And the parents?
Are they adequately equipped to take on the new challenges?
There are now many crossroads to face. And the choices are getting
subtler and subtler. Even the distinction between good and evil that
was quite clear and sharp before now seems to be obliterated.
Just the other day, I noticed that there seems to be a drift toward
legalizing same-sex unions in many so-called developed countries.
Their leaders have openly endorsed it, describing it as good for
society or that its time has finally come. Some have described it as
one giant step toward progress and human maturity.
One former US president even wrote recently an article explaining why
he has changed his mind about gay marriage. He previously signed into
law a Defense of Marriage Act, but now wants to overturn it,
practically branding that law as intrinsically discriminatory.
He said that the country has met this crossroads often enough that it
would already know the right path to choose. Nice words, but always a
politician’s words, which means they should be taken with a grain of
salt.
In our country, the enactment into law of the notorious RH Bill is
making an opening for the legalization of abortion, divorce and God
knows what else. In fact, many politicians are already sounding off
and stirring public opinion. We have to be wary of politicians.
Politicians, by choice or circumstance, usually take the social pulse
no deeper than the surface. They obviously serve some purpose,
alright, but it would be dangerous and wrong to entrust our entire
destiny into their hands.
We need leaders whose vocation, vision and skill go beyond the
skin-deep. That means that together with politicians who have to be
regarded in their proper place and role in society, we need other
leaders who can lead us especially in the more important aspects of
our life.
Thus, we need to recognize the importance of spiritual leaders. No
point disparaging them, in spite of their own share of defects and
mistakes, just as we cannot totally disregard our political leaders.
Obviously we have to be discerning always. Let’s hope the modern world
can disentangle itself from that unfair bias against spiritual
leaders.
In these times of many controversial and hot-button issues, we need to
be very clear and well-grounded on the doctrine of our faith, if we
still believe in our Christian faith.
Yes, we need to study the doctrine thoroughly and assimilate it such
that we can live our daily life also under the light and guidance of
our faith. Toward this end, the study of the Catechism of the Catholic
Church should be an ongoing affair.
We have to remember that the doctrine elucidated there are not merely
ideological theories, but truths that can bring us to our ultimate
end. We need the proper dispositions to study and imbibe it into our
life.
In this regard, we have to be well focused on the example of Christ
whose unwavering teaching of the truth was pursued always in the
context of humility and charity, of obedience to his Father’s will and
abiding compassion for everyone.
It was this attitude that ultimately led him to his death on the
cross, something that we too should be ready to take, if we really
want to follow Christ, which is what an integral life of faith would
entail.
This is the only way that we avoid the pitfall of self-righteousness
that often becomes the reason many people get alienated from Christ
and his Church. Unless we are ready to take on what Christ faced and
suffered, our efforts to proclaim and defend the truth about ourselves
would just be futile.
We need to go all the way, the way of Christ!
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