Photo credits to aboutcagayandeoro.com Yes, I am a hypocrite and I thank you for saying so. But one reminder my dear Lord of the Iglesia ni Digong, my Church is not. Dear Mr. President-elect:
Good day and may the God of the hypocrites continue to bless your ever shining righteousness! I am a hypocrite. I confess to be so. I attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass without even understanding a word from it. Indeed, I could have understood Latin more. Whenever I got out of the old-bricked parish, I still see the world as I do before I enter the “House of God”: I still consider beggars and the poor as people to pity but not to help. I profess the value of chastity yet I still indulge in fleshly allurement. I follow the Way while my actions draw people to another ways. I want the Truth but I lie in order to survive. Indeed, I also believe in the “survival of the fittest”. I want to gain eternal Life but not yet as I do love my present life of flesh and bones. Yes, I am a hypocrite and I thank you for saying so. But one reminder my dear Lord of the Iglesia ni Digong, my Church is not. Allow me to explain this: By “Church” we mean the Iglesia, Simbahan, Ecclesia from the Greek “ekklesia” which means the community of believers. We do not mean the Gothic or modern abstract structure. Rather, the Church is a conglomeration of individual hearts that have the same pulse – that great credo to the eternally invisible, known yet unknown, the Ultimate Absurdity, the coincidentia oppositorum. One thing most people think is that the Church is the bishops, the priests, deacons, seminarians, nuns and the pope. This is both right and wrong. Yes they are the Church leaders but they are not THE Church. The Church according to Saint Paul (I forgot where; and this is another hypocrisy I have), the Church is the “Body while Christ is her head”. What does this instigator/persecutor-turned-believer mean by this? St. Paul tells us that the Church is not only its leaders, rather it is the entire “family of God here on earth,” the entire people of goodwill along with Christ as their head. But since you said that the ancient scrolls no longer matter then let us not use it as reference (I myself do not like to be a bible scholar). By definition the Church is not only its leaders but also everyone who professes the same creed, the same yes to the Absurd. The Church is composed of every single I who believes. Thus like me there are more hypocritical I’s who go to Quiapo every Friday and afterwards fornicate with another illegally, buy pampalaglag, lie, steal public funds, go to the nearest fortune-teller and the lists go on and on. But the Church is not hypocritical. What about the rare breed of us, Mr. President? The rare breed we call the holy ones? Remember the Church is not only the living on this earth. Ecclesiology would tell us that the Church is composed of the militant (we, present on this earth), the suffering (i.e. in purgatory but sure of heaven) and the glorious ones (the Saints and the saints). Where then is the merit of a Mother Teresa who cared for the sick? Of a Don Bosco who cared for the youth? Where then is the merit of our beloved dead whose memory is still in our hearts (note: in our hearts not just minds because we remember how they fared well and cared for us and loved us). Where then is the merit of your own parents? But of course you might say you do not believe in ecclesiology’s business so allow me to cite others examples that are “flesh and bones”. I would just like to ask you Mr. President-elect, where are you when the priests defended the rights of the black slaves in America? Have you read of the real reason why the Church became so powerful in Europe? After the Fall of Rome and facing different attacks from the Vandals, the Visigoths, and other like, the temporal responsibility of protecting the people fall to their supposed to be spiritual guardian. Have you heard how the French Revolution committed genocide of a French Town just because the people there are still loyal to the Catholic Church. Yes, women and infants included. Or else let us go to recent history. Do you know Bishop Romero of El Salvador? Who died because he defended the rights of the people against the dictatorship? Have you read how many priests were hung inside their parishes, nuns raped and killed in their convents during the glorious “Religious freedom” in Mexico (watch: For Greater Glory) and the Revolucion Española just because they wear their habits? Do you know that Pope Pius XII allowed the printing of fake baptismal certificates to Jews during the Second World War? Do you know Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe who offered himself to be killed in Hitler’s gas chambers in place of a father? Let’s go closer to home. When the Spanish authorities were abusing the natives did not the Synod of Manila condemned it? Who were the original founders of schools and towns? Ever wonder why most of our localities were named after saints? Where are our great politicos when your great Hero to be interred in the Heroes’ Cemetery declared Martial Law and rampant human rights violations were committed? All of them flee abroad. Even the Yellow martyr did. Who was left here? A Sin and his brother priests (and they are all sinners; another hypocrisy of ours). And after the Dictator’s fall, who pleaded the nation to have mercy and compassion to the fallen criminal and his gang… er, family? And the hypocrisy can still go further… Another thing your faithful ones would counter (even if it does not prove the point) is that the Church is “Yellow”. Bishop Soc is “Liberal”. Father so and so is “Aquino”. And the litany of Ad Hominems continue! I wonder how could that be sir since I myself did not vote for their appointed heir. Did the Nation forgot that the current oligarch in the palace when welcoming the man-in-white criticized the bishops for criticizing him? Did the Nation already forgotten the bitter war of words over the controversial RH Law the Second Aquino Administration so profoundly wants to be passed? Most importantly, who is there to defend the rights of farmers (especially of the Hacienda Luisita) against wealthy hacienderos (e.g. Cojuangcos, Aranetas, and the like… most of them Liberals)? No the Church is not yellow. Gold we might be since it is a liturgical colour in place of white. But yellow we are not. Yes, Mr. President-elect, most of us are hypocrites who do not have the right to kiss the sandals of your feet. Your community of believers are far superior to us in matters of righteousness. What with a Panelo who said that the Mamasapano Massacre (I prefer it be called the Ampatuan death eating) is a hoax. Surely we are of no worthiness to stand before your ever glorious righteousness. But Mr. President-elect, we might be hypocrites but the Church is not. If so, then she could just have broken her ethical and moral stands in order to gain your eyes of mercy turned toward us. Lastly I invite you, there is still one more seat here. As the song says, “All are welcome!” One more hypocrite is welcome. Love, The Hypocrite |
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"The absolutely other is the Other" Archives
September 2018
"There is only one corner in the universe that you can be certain of improving and that's your own Self" |