“When
you hear of wars and troubled times, don’t be frightened; for all this must
happen first, even though the end is not so soon” (Lk 21:9). We are admonished to “watch at all times and
pray that we may be able to escape all that is bound to happen” (Lk 21:36).
The
floods in Luzon, the earthquake in the Visayas and the war in Mindanao and all
other ontic and moral evils are all part of the bad and negative life
experiences of the Filipinos. The
message re: “few (acronym for flood,
earthquake and war) are praying” spread in the social media. “Few are praying” most likely because “few
believe”. “Prayer and faith go
together”. According to St. Augustine, ”believers strengthen themselves by
believing”. God is calling us to repent
and believe in the Gospel, the Good News of our Salvation.
Pope
Emeritus Benedict XVI in his apostolic letter, Porta Fidei for the Year of
Faith has the following significant information and milestone. The Year of Faith started October 11,
2012. It commemorated the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second
Vatican Council. It also marked the
20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The Year of Faith concluded
last November 24, 2013 at the end of the liturgical calendar (Weekday Year I,
Sunday Cycle C) and the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Universal King,
the King of kings. In 1967, the Year of Faith was announced by Pope Paul
VI. It was celebrated to commemorate the
martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul.
I
attended the Regional BCBP men’s breakfast fellowship at Montebello garden
hotel, Cebu City last August 31, 2013. It was God’s
divine providence that I briefly met and interacted with Fr. Peter Uchenna
Nwanowanye, C.S.Sp. He is the author of Hegel’s Metaphysics and the Problem of Evil. Although heavy and relatively indigestible (“nose-bleeding”
to my young blog followers), I understand bit by bit the philosophies of life,
why good and evil go together. I am introduced to the term dielectic, the conflict of opposites. “The experiences of evil are necessary,
albeit negative elements in the unfolding of history to show that suffering and
pain which constitute the elements of human existence are part of the creative process”, according to Fr. Peter.
 |
| A pose with Fr. Peter (Hegel's Metaphysics and the Problem of Evil) with Bill Granert of BCBP Cebu Central. |
During
the Year of Faith, we experienced
the dielectical drama of our Philippine history. Dramatically, I finished reading Fr. Peter’s
book with the aid of a candle light in the evening after super typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan) lambasted Samar, Leyte, Northern Cebu, Iloilo and other provinces of
the Visayas. Applicable to the Philippines’ progressive dielectical processes,
Fr. Peter concluded, “The good and the bad, the positive and the negative
experiences of life are part and parcel of the dielectical processes which are
necessary and constituent elements of God’s
creative intentions”.
In
the Year of Faith, we encountered moral and ontic evils. “Moral evil is an act of man’s
inhumanity to man. It is an evil action done with qualified intentions and
circumstances.” This is exemplified by
the most celebrated and well-noted ”pork barrel scam” with the fall guy, Janet
Lim Napoles (JLN) because “Congress is the Phils’ biggest criminal syndicate”
(Tony Lopez).
Another significant moral
evil was the war in Zamboanga City. The
delay of the distribution of relief goods and the inhuman substitution of
imported canned goods with the local ones are immoral. Highly immoral and immeasurably inhuman is
the reported selling in Malls of the sealed and ready to eat packed meals intended
for the typhoon victims.
On
the other hand, “Ontic evil could be
an experience of a thing, event or action that annihilates or causes pain,
suffering and death to living things including plants, animals and human
beings. It is the lack of perfection in
anything. Accidents such as plane/car
crash or shipwrecks that have no direct relation to a moral agent are ontic evils. It cannot be strictly ontic when natural calamities are the
result of human carelessness and violation of nature by human beings like
today’s global warming and drastic climatic change”.
Why and
how do these ontic and moral evils contribute to the creative process or creative
intention of God? Take note that the Philippines is second
to the Vatican City and the only remaining Christian nation that do not legally
succumb to the “culture of death” (divorce, euthanasia, abortion, termination of life and homosexuality) depending on the
developments of the reproductive health (RH) bill. .
My
limited mind and “finite existence” looks at the investigation of the “pork
barrel scam” as God’s creative process to correct corruption in our government
and private business leadership. Tony Lopez (Congress is the Phils’ biggest
criminal syndicate) has a substantial data about the billions of pesos looted
by 3 gov’t departments and 4 gov’t corporations from the taxpayers’ money resulting
to “greater penury (poverty), misery and economic enslavement” of the Filipinos
including myself being an honest taxpayer.
I
remember proud comments of multi-cab drivers declaring, ”Malunod na jud ang
Bohol!” meaning, ”Bohol must be sinking!”.
It was when the 28th BCBP National Anniversary Celebration
was held in April 4-6, 2008. What they jokingly
predicted happened last October 15, 2013.
The earthquake with its 7.2 intensity destroyed a number of historic
Catholic Church buildings to rubbles in Bohol.
With God’s creative intention, new, more durable and more beautiful but
restored historical values of church buildings will rise as far as I can see.
During our action group meeting (AGM) that evening after the earthquake, Kuya Ben Sangco dubbed that prayer meeting as ”stress debriefing”. We shared our respective fears and trauma. Our spiritual renewal through the BCBP nurtured and strengthened our faith. We believe that in whatever circumstances, we are protected when we totally trust and be holistically dependent on God.
We were spared from the terrifying devastation of super typhoon Yolanda. The local and international media brought us to empathic tears looking at our brethren from directly affected areas. Thousands were injured, missing and died. We pray for them with empathy, faith and charity. Individuals, religious communities, private corporations and government agencies concerned responded to the varied immediate needs of the thousands of victims. However, there were many observable “moral evils”.
As a
family, we respond to the recovery needs of our identified “social
responsibility”. Twenty-three (23)
households in “Kalubian ni Lolo” in Lugo, Borbon, Northern Cebu are recipients
of several cubic feet of coco lumber to repair their respective damaged houses. The cost of chain-sawing a considerable
number of old coco trees that fell is handled by us with free delivery to their
respective damaged houses. Our copra
dryer (repaired after the May 2005 accidental burning) was not spared by super
typhoon Yolanda. It was a blessing they did not take refuge in it because if
they did, “matacluban sila!!” (being covered by the heavy roofing that
collapsed).
The
Year of Faith is coined and concluded as annus
horribilis (horrible year). It was a
purposeful and forceful call for a “time of profound change, to profess our
faith in fullness with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope” (Porta
Fidei. p. 12).
What
the Indian prophet, Sadhu Sundar Selvaraj prophesied came to pass. However, relieving
and inspiring is the “Cinderella-like” story of Ms. Abby Watanabe. In the
dielectic process of Philippine history, she represents the “good and positive” side of our life experiences. She changes the
image of OFW’s in Japan. From being a
GRO, she is now a big time businesswoman motivated by her good-natured Japanese husband. For the relief and recovery operations,
they are giving back. I know there are
more compatriots doing the same for a “new Philippines”.
“Uwa asaala anya” is
an Igbo tribe language of Southeast Nigeria that Fr. Peter used to hear from an
old woman when he was still a child. It means, “the world has opened its eyes”. The immediate inflow of relief goods,
voluntary humanitarian services and millions of dollars in aid from all
charitable nations are concrete indicators that the eyes, hearts and hands of
the whole world are ever ready to lift up and rebuild a “new Philippines”. We,
ourselves need to be awakened, repent and turn our ways to God.
I
attach the creative and timely audio-video
presentation by the Red Lions, Unlimited Network of Opportunities, Inc.
(UNO) Cebu City prepared by our daughter, Marianne Claire. For me, it is “touching,
awakening and life-changing realities of life and living, death and dying”. Click this link to see the video, Tribute to Yolanda Victims.
“Cleansing”,
“healing of the land" and "purification” in whatever form are continuing dielectic processes or “God’s creative intentions”.
God has His Eyes on Cebu, the humble cradle of Christianity in the Philippines.
Cebu will be the venue for the International Eucharistic Congress by the year
2016. Mabuhay Cebu!! God bless the
Philippines!!!! nmg
