One day me and Angel went to hear mass in our neighborhood. In that church, most worshippers were either celebrities or members of Metro Manila's business elite. Parking spaces outside the church are as cramped as Greenhills on a Holiday sale, and you can feast your eyes with the best cars money can buy. Along the long sermon of the priest, he uttered words like... "it is unacceptable to the eyes of God to be wealthy because one forgets praising God. Blessed are the poor because they constantly pray and needs God". Does he know what he's saying? Does he see and know the social classes of those who goes to his church? Does the priest realize that the wealthy gives huge and significant amounts of money to his church? The wealthy are the ones who support the maintenance of his house of God. I get his point, but he should have said it in a unoffending way. The statement was very discriminating.
This way back, on my way to see a friend, I went to light a few candles on the "candle praying" part of the church . There was a mass going on, and I silently lit a candle and said my prayers. All of a sudden, the priest just made a momentary comment on how catholics must not support a certain politician because that person is corrupt and and if ever that person is running again for a seat in the local politics, nobody should vote for that person. "That" politician won a seat in the past election. Isn't judging a person bad? We can accuse any politician as corrupt, but like any criminal, they are innocent until proven guilty. That priest just judged a person.
While I was waiting for a ride home, I was in front of a popular church. I heard the priest say "we are not to support the RH bill because it promotes sin! It is against the words of God, humayo kayo at magparami!" ...It was a Sunday. The church was already overflowing with mass goers, multiply that crowd three to five times, and there can a huge number of heads to feed. I made a comment in silence... "who is going to feed the children of those families, multiply, can you multiply their income?"
i respect and understand your opinions. ang mahalaga nalang ngayon ay kung paano mo Siya laging naaalala, hindi lamang kapag may problema ka kundi lalo na sa masasayang araw na nakukuha mo.
ReplyDeletehave a nice holy week sayo. :)
AMEN...
ReplyDeletethat RH bill is really a big debate..
ReplyDeleteCatholic po ba kayu? Mejo nalungkot ako sa post na ito. Nakakalungkot dahil ganyan ang tingin nio sa ating Simbahan. Yes, we are all entitled to our own opinion, pero ang masasabi ko lang, no offense, the way you've written this article is in no way different than your bitter perception of the Catholic Church.
ReplyDeleteMaraming mababait sa Simbahan, maraming mga liturgist na priest ang ginagawa ang lahat mabago lang ang buktot na pananaw ng mga kapatid nilang naturingang Katoliko pero wala namang effort na ginagawa para magdelve deep sa faith na ibinigay sa kanila nung binyagan sila.
Have you tried attending other Masses at other parishes? Have you tried following a specific priest because of his gift of preaching? Have you tried attending/joining a charismatic community? How about going on a pilgrimage at famous sites? Or even care to take a peak at the Cathechism, basic Catholic theology or apologetics?
Marami pong Catholic organizations - parish-based man, charismatic, or religious ang nagke-cater sa iba't-ibang klase ng Catholic demographic - couples, teenagers, singles, babae, lalake, bachelors, young professionals, or even members of the LGBT community. There are so many ways and people that can help us in becoming an active and fruitful member of the Body of Christ.
Wag po sana tayung mag-generalize. Stop complaining. Look for answers. Study your faith and live your faith :)
And regarding the RH Bill, I believe you have only seen one side of the story. If you've any background about the Theology of the Body na teaching ng Simbahan o ng Covenant perception of our faith, mas maiintindihan mo ang ipinaglalaban ng ating mga authorities.
Pasencia na kung ang dami kong sinabi. Few Catholics stand up to defend their own faith. I've dealt with the pain coming from the words of other Christians. pero mas masakit pa rin talaga kapag sa kapwa mo Katoliko nanggagaling ang mga ganitong bitter statements.
Again, stop complaining. Look for answers. Reach out. STUDY your faith and live your faith.
In my opinion, and sorry to those who believe, they are hypocrites that also thirst for power. How they meddle in politics, how they try to influence people and the government... What they are doing now are the very opposite of what they really should do.
ReplyDelete@Kyle: Correct, having faith in God is what really matters.
ReplyDelete@Keatondrunk: I do believe in the good things the RH bill can do for the people in this country specially the masses. It is control over ignorance and rising population of our country.
@Nowiytzki: I don't practice any religion or any religious faith in particular. I am not bitter about the Catholic Church, I have big respect on different religion and religious views. I was raised a catholic and I do have a strong roman catholic background. However, if you see what some priests preach, you may know what I'm saying. There a lot of imperfect religious leaders not only in the catholic community but in most other religions. A lot of christian leaders have been involved in scandals and mass murders in the past. Like what happened in the People's temple in Guyana or Heaven's Gate in California. I just want to spread a message across, that being one of the most powerful religious group in the world, they have to be also responsible enough to tame their black sheep. Regarding the RH Bill, what I like about it is its practicality, it encompasses beyond many religious views and social classes. I do understand the catholic church's end of the debate and their opinions, but this is bill is long overdue. Through the years, poverty in our country just gets worse. It is time to put aside differences and just put a solution and eradicate ignorance among the masses.
@Xall Perce: I strongly agree on what you said.
My two cents: Any human institution is flawed. Even more so, any form of organized religion. Its flaws are just more evident because its main existence is to drive people away from flaws.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, for me, it's all about the message and not the messenger. I try to distance myself from judging personalities and vendettas and just focus on the key points, and make informed decisions about the issues.
In the end, Faith trumps Religion. We don't have to be Catholics to live fruitful lives, after all.
ReplyDeleteOh, also, it is -our- personal faith. What others decree ought not count, especially if it doesn't help us grow. Just my second set of two cents.
ReplyDelete@Papa Jay: I agree with you on that... It is the message.
ReplyDelete@Spiral Prince:Faith, is what maters most.
pano naman makakarelate ang pari eh bawal sila magkaroon ng asawa at anak
ReplyDeleteMuslim ako.. pero nalungkot ako sa post mo.. marahil.. ako mandin.. nagtataka sa pagbabago ng panahon ngayon.. marahil.. na corrupt ng ang mind ng tao sa makabagong technology ngayon at nawalawa na ang makadyos na ugali...
ReplyDeleteYou don't practice any faith in particular pala. Ahehe. Kaya pala parang magkaiba tayu ng language. And I don't mean anything by that ha.
ReplyDeleteMahirap at mainit na usapin talaga ang paksang may kinalaman sa faith and religion. Gets ko na yung point mu :) Pasenya na uli sa napaka-HAAABAAANG comment ku.
@Milch: of course, makakarelate sila kahit wala silang anak. The church is always involved in matters regarding the sanctity of life :)Ang mahirap lang talaga sa mga argumentong ganito ay ang magkakaibang defintion ng tao sa mga salitang, 'buhay', 'pamilya', at lalong-lalo na sa salitang 'moralidad.'
pahabol lang. Ang sabi nung isang pari sa parish namin, hinde naman talaga mahirap ang Pilipinas. kaya daw isang malaking kalokohan na naghihirap tayu dahil sa overpopulation.
ReplyDeletemarami lang talagang tiwali sa gobyerno. Korapsyon ang totoong sakit ng ating lipunan. ampf.