WE have to be more familiar with the concept of secularity. This is because whether we are aware of it or not, we cannot escape from it. And there are good and bad kinds that we have to choose. We have to learn to discern which is which.
Secularity, quite simply, is our attitude towards the world in general. How we see the world in terms of where it came from, what its purpose is in itself and for us, how to deal with it, what we can get from it and what our duties are towards it—these more or less define our idea of secularity.
Lately, the word has acquired some negative connotation. This is mainly due to the trend, perhaps not so much as a professed philosophy or ideology yet in our country, of treating the world simply “as it is,” that is, rid of any relation to the concept of God.
More than secularity, what is actually referred to here is secularization. That’s precisely the process of ejecting God from our human and earthly affairs, like in our business and politics. That process may come in a subtle but effective way.
That’s what’s happening now! The Pope and many other Church leaders, past and present, have warned about our secularized world. Thus, we have to be more aware of the proper meaning of secularity and what its bastardization—secularization—is.
We have to give due attention to this concern, which figures as a crucial aspect of our life, since being attitudinal, it gives shape and form to our whole life, and determines the path we take and the destiny we are aiming at in this life.
Christian faith teaches us that the world, being God’s creation, is good. God is always there and guides it with his providence. It cannot be without God. It cannot be developed outside of God’s designs.
But its development also needs us. “Increase and multiply,” God told our first parents. “Fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.” (Gen 1,28)
God wants us to be stewards of the earth, developing and governing it freely and responsibly according to his designs. It’s the usual Christian phenomenon where our freedom ought to coincide with our obedience to God’s laws.
That is why we have to reconcile ourselves with the truth that our true freedom is when it goes together always with obedience to God’s will. We have to disabuse ourselves from the fallacy that freedom and obedience are against each other.
The Christian concept of secularity considers the world as the place and time God has given us to pursue our goal, both immediate and ultimate. It is the setting of our encounter with God, our work of sanctification and identification with him and his plans.
We don’t have to go out of the world to look for God. We can and should find God there in the world, in the midst of our human activities and earthly concerns. And we ought to bring God also to these human affairs of ours.
Christian secularity, then, has a very positive attitude towards the world. It asks us to love the world. We should not be afraid of it, thinking that it separates us from God. We have to be wary of certain religious mentalities that pit the world against God.
Obviously, we do not deny that there are dangerous elements, millions of them, in the world too. We have to understand though that evil came to the world because of sin, first, that of our first parents, and then those of ours.
“By one man, sin entered into this world, and by sin death. And so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned,” (Rom 5,12) St. Paul said, affirming the character and history of our present world.
But not everything is lost. Precisely, Christ, the son of God who became man to redeem us, has given us the proper way of handling the world. We have to identify ourselves with Christ, follow his teachings, now taught by the Church, so we would know how to behave in the world.
We have to master Christian secularity—its teaching on respecting the autonomy of earthly things, respecting freedom of all, purifying them and infusing them with true Christian spirit.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Population issue the nth time
SORRY if I have to bring up this issue again. I’m actually tired to death talking about it. But there are just some people, even senators and others who tout themselves to having not only high IQ but also sharp human sensibility, who just don’t get it.
I must say that if I were not a priest and have not studied this matter thoroughly, most likely I’d be like them. Perhaps, even more rabid than them, more sharp-tongued and critical, since I too used to have strong anti-clerical sentiments, I do have a temper and I’m quite capable of creating a mess.
Now though when I hear positions contrary to that of the Church about this issue, I tend to be very compassionate, because I know very well what the practical and concrete difficulties are when one has a big family to raise and he’s poor.
I come from one such family, and I’m in touch with many other such families. I am fully aware of their situation. It’s never a bed of roses. In fact, to survive is a daily concern. All sorts of suffering come.
And so, I try to reach out, to explain and clarify things as patiently as possible. Of course, these are just the consequences. What truly takes place before anything else is a lot of prayers and sacrifices to make people see the wisdom of the Church’s teaching.
This is not easy at all, especially if one has to contend with a party who’s both combative and articulate. One such party that has figured recently in the media is Senator Lacson who openly said the Church’s position is “parochial” and “downright stupid.”
No problem. Everyone is entitled to his opinion. No matter how much I disagree, we should respect the freedom of everybody else in expressing his views. My respect for him and his view has not diminished one whit.
I just would like to invite him to study the matter more thoroughly, and consider or reconsider an angle, so crucial and basic, that he seems to have missed, or worse, to have derided.
And also, if he can be more refined in his choice of words. We can always register our contrary views in a civilized way. We have to presume we are all honorable men. To mock anyone, let alone the Church, is below the belt.
The angle I’m referring to is that of morality, of faith, of the spiritual and supernatural reality that also governs us. We have to go past the purely economic, practical, convenient or popular arguments. These do not give us the ultimate answer.
If we would get stuck there, we can always come up with the most effective ways, like just killing the old and handicap. Of course, that may be illegal, but I’m sure if one is clever enough, eliminating these people without getting entangled with the law should not be a problem. There, lamentably, had been precedents.
The moral-religious angle is indispensable, and no one, much less, a senator, who is still at least nominally a Catholic or Christian, can claim exemption from such consideration simply because it’s supposed to be a civil matter only, not a spiritual or religious one.
This is actually the underlying problem we have nowadays. People are not living by their faith. They are just keeping themselves afloat simply by using their reason and human abilities. Faith is just a word, and not much else.
Without faith, it makes no sense to have many children when these can only mean troubles, sufferings, frustrations, etc. Without faith, there’s no point talking about a morality that goes beyond what simply is practical and the like.
Without faith, the negative things in our life possess no meaning, serve no purpose, and the only proper thing to do with them is to hate and discard them.
Some women even have the temerity to say they are losing their religion because of the Church’s position. Some have called themselves “Catholics for choice,” which means their Christianity is first and foremost theirs and not Christ’s.
They play their own God. They fail to see the link between God, Christ, Church and personal conscience.
I wonder if they have a religion to lose in the first place, since it would seem their religion is just an illusion, a religion where God and his moral teachings are what they want them to be, not what God has revealed to us.
I must say that if I were not a priest and have not studied this matter thoroughly, most likely I’d be like them. Perhaps, even more rabid than them, more sharp-tongued and critical, since I too used to have strong anti-clerical sentiments, I do have a temper and I’m quite capable of creating a mess.
Now though when I hear positions contrary to that of the Church about this issue, I tend to be very compassionate, because I know very well what the practical and concrete difficulties are when one has a big family to raise and he’s poor.
I come from one such family, and I’m in touch with many other such families. I am fully aware of their situation. It’s never a bed of roses. In fact, to survive is a daily concern. All sorts of suffering come.
And so, I try to reach out, to explain and clarify things as patiently as possible. Of course, these are just the consequences. What truly takes place before anything else is a lot of prayers and sacrifices to make people see the wisdom of the Church’s teaching.
This is not easy at all, especially if one has to contend with a party who’s both combative and articulate. One such party that has figured recently in the media is Senator Lacson who openly said the Church’s position is “parochial” and “downright stupid.”
No problem. Everyone is entitled to his opinion. No matter how much I disagree, we should respect the freedom of everybody else in expressing his views. My respect for him and his view has not diminished one whit.
I just would like to invite him to study the matter more thoroughly, and consider or reconsider an angle, so crucial and basic, that he seems to have missed, or worse, to have derided.
And also, if he can be more refined in his choice of words. We can always register our contrary views in a civilized way. We have to presume we are all honorable men. To mock anyone, let alone the Church, is below the belt.
The angle I’m referring to is that of morality, of faith, of the spiritual and supernatural reality that also governs us. We have to go past the purely economic, practical, convenient or popular arguments. These do not give us the ultimate answer.
If we would get stuck there, we can always come up with the most effective ways, like just killing the old and handicap. Of course, that may be illegal, but I’m sure if one is clever enough, eliminating these people without getting entangled with the law should not be a problem. There, lamentably, had been precedents.
The moral-religious angle is indispensable, and no one, much less, a senator, who is still at least nominally a Catholic or Christian, can claim exemption from such consideration simply because it’s supposed to be a civil matter only, not a spiritual or religious one.
This is actually the underlying problem we have nowadays. People are not living by their faith. They are just keeping themselves afloat simply by using their reason and human abilities. Faith is just a word, and not much else.
Without faith, it makes no sense to have many children when these can only mean troubles, sufferings, frustrations, etc. Without faith, there’s no point talking about a morality that goes beyond what simply is practical and the like.
Without faith, the negative things in our life possess no meaning, serve no purpose, and the only proper thing to do with them is to hate and discard them.
Some women even have the temerity to say they are losing their religion because of the Church’s position. Some have called themselves “Catholics for choice,” which means their Christianity is first and foremost theirs and not Christ’s.
They play their own God. They fail to see the link between God, Christ, Church and personal conscience.
I wonder if they have a religion to lose in the first place, since it would seem their religion is just an illusion, a religion where God and his moral teachings are what they want them to be, not what God has revealed to us.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Evangelization
LIFE, of course, goes on regardless of whatever circumstances define our present time. We continue, even unknowingly, to exchange things with everyone else here and now, and also with those before and after us. This is how life goes.
We always feel the need to communicate. This is how we transmit customs and traditions, cultivate cultures, wage an ongoing process of education, of socio-economic development, etc.
As we gain more hindsight about the world in general and ourselves, we can readily discover that all these aspects of communication comprise a unity, a dynamic one that has a beginning and an end, and that has a meaning and dimensions that transcend our earthly, material and temporal yardsticks.
This is where we realize there’s a mysterious world out there with which we are unavoidably related. This is where we also notice that within ourselves a certain tension exists that needs to be relieved and given due attention.
If we reflect a little more, we are bound to realize that we are actually a vital part of a very dynamic overall composition—an eternal plan—where there is God and we are creatures, and where, whether we are keenly aware of it or not, we—God and us—are bound with each other in a living relationship.
It’s a relationship that has to be maintained by both parties—God and us—in the way each one of us is, that is, God as God, the fullness of being who loves us and continues to deal with us, and us as persons with intelligence and will and as God’s children who have to learn to love him in return.
That is why we have to understand that our urge to communicate is a vital part of this endless, universal communication that is the source and end of all our earthly communications.
God takes the initiative to share things with his creatures, and with us, he shares nothing less than his own self. Thus, he is not contented with creating us and endowing us with the best of things. Even if we sinned and continue sinning, he keeps loving us, and loving us to the full.
Though we can know and start to love him just by observing things around us, God reveals himself directly to us. This revelation reaches its fullness in the coming of his son who became man like us except sin, Jesus Christ.
He, Jesus, showed us the way to be like God. That way is a living way, no less that Jesus himself who becomes alive to us in the Holy Spirit, and who will continue to be with us up to the end of time.
But we have to do our part. Among the things we need to do is to fulfill what our Lord asked us—to evangelize, since he said: “Go therefore, teach to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt 28,19)
This duty of evangelization has been studied in the Church through the ages. It may just be worthwhile to echo some of the salient points involved, like:
- To evangelize does not simply mean to teach a doctrine, but to proclaim Jesus Christ by one’s words and actions, that is, to make oneself an instrument of Christ’s presence and action in the world;
- Evangelization is not only done through public preaching or works of public relevance, but also and always by means of personal witness;
- Evangelization enriches both the recipient and the giver;
- Every Church activity has an evangelizing dimension. It can never be separated from the commitment to help everyone to meet Christ in faith. We should not limit ourselves only to giving people knowledge, ability, technical competence and tools. These are not enough;
- Evangelization proceeds by dialogue and respectful proclamation. Coercion or improper enticement that fails to respect the dignity and religious freedom of people has no place in evangelization.
There are more, but these suffice for the moment. What is important to realize is to effectively carry out this duty, one has to take care of his own spiritual life and continuing formation.
These will insure a living identity with Christ, accompanied by the appropriate attitudes, supernatural instincts, virtues, skills and competence. These will turn us into Christ’s witnesses and bearers of his teaching and spirit.
We always feel the need to communicate. This is how we transmit customs and traditions, cultivate cultures, wage an ongoing process of education, of socio-economic development, etc.
As we gain more hindsight about the world in general and ourselves, we can readily discover that all these aspects of communication comprise a unity, a dynamic one that has a beginning and an end, and that has a meaning and dimensions that transcend our earthly, material and temporal yardsticks.
This is where we realize there’s a mysterious world out there with which we are unavoidably related. This is where we also notice that within ourselves a certain tension exists that needs to be relieved and given due attention.
If we reflect a little more, we are bound to realize that we are actually a vital part of a very dynamic overall composition—an eternal plan—where there is God and we are creatures, and where, whether we are keenly aware of it or not, we—God and us—are bound with each other in a living relationship.
It’s a relationship that has to be maintained by both parties—God and us—in the way each one of us is, that is, God as God, the fullness of being who loves us and continues to deal with us, and us as persons with intelligence and will and as God’s children who have to learn to love him in return.
That is why we have to understand that our urge to communicate is a vital part of this endless, universal communication that is the source and end of all our earthly communications.
God takes the initiative to share things with his creatures, and with us, he shares nothing less than his own self. Thus, he is not contented with creating us and endowing us with the best of things. Even if we sinned and continue sinning, he keeps loving us, and loving us to the full.
Though we can know and start to love him just by observing things around us, God reveals himself directly to us. This revelation reaches its fullness in the coming of his son who became man like us except sin, Jesus Christ.
He, Jesus, showed us the way to be like God. That way is a living way, no less that Jesus himself who becomes alive to us in the Holy Spirit, and who will continue to be with us up to the end of time.
But we have to do our part. Among the things we need to do is to fulfill what our Lord asked us—to evangelize, since he said: “Go therefore, teach to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt 28,19)
This duty of evangelization has been studied in the Church through the ages. It may just be worthwhile to echo some of the salient points involved, like:
- To evangelize does not simply mean to teach a doctrine, but to proclaim Jesus Christ by one’s words and actions, that is, to make oneself an instrument of Christ’s presence and action in the world;
- Evangelization is not only done through public preaching or works of public relevance, but also and always by means of personal witness;
- Evangelization enriches both the recipient and the giver;
- Every Church activity has an evangelizing dimension. It can never be separated from the commitment to help everyone to meet Christ in faith. We should not limit ourselves only to giving people knowledge, ability, technical competence and tools. These are not enough;
- Evangelization proceeds by dialogue and respectful proclamation. Coercion or improper enticement that fails to respect the dignity and religious freedom of people has no place in evangelization.
There are more, but these suffice for the moment. What is important to realize is to effectively carry out this duty, one has to take care of his own spiritual life and continuing formation.
These will insure a living identity with Christ, accompanied by the appropriate attitudes, supernatural instincts, virtues, skills and competence. These will turn us into Christ’s witnesses and bearers of his teaching and spirit.
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