New Year's Resolutions

As the Church ushers in a new liturgical year, it is worth noting two events that have challenged and perhaps brought it to knees. The first was Covid-19. The pandemic has prevented churches from holding public celebration of the sacraments. For a religious country such as the Philippines, this experience was last observed during World War II. And yet, it is heartwarming to observe how creative parishes, shrines, cathedrals, and other places of worship have been through livestreaming of Masses and the outreach programme to those badly affected by the lockdown.
The second was the "Report on the Holy See's Institutional Knowledge and Decision-Making Related to Former Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick (1930-2017). As promised by Pope Francis two years ago, this report aimed at shedding light on how the Catholic Church handled the case of this American churchman who was involved in sexual abuse. The report has exposed how politicized the Church is when it protected one of its hierarchs and dismissed the cries of sexual abuse victims. St John Paul II was not even spared in the report. When Mr McCarrick was rumored to be appointed Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal John O'Connor of New York wrote to the Pope to discourage him from doing so due to allegations of sexual abuse. Despite such alarm bells from a top honcho in the American Church, the Pope did not listen and believed more McCarrick's protestations. Eventually, McCarrick became Archbishop and then later a Cardinal. This was the same pope who praised Maciel Degollado, priest-founder of Legion of Christ despite being involved in sexual abuse and sired children. One could only imagine how the Church railroaded the canonization of this pope when he made calamitous appointments. The process of making someone a saint normally starts five years after an individual died. Pope Benedict XVI waived this in John Paul II's cause for sainthood. 
Moving on, instead of expediting the process of making saints, why not devote more time to discuss, discern, and plan ways of addressing more pressing issues such as shortage of priests (which has been further exacerbated by Covid-19), welcoming families from irregular unions into the Church, making the sacraments more accessible especially in far flung areas, a better system of reporting sexual abuse and holding perpetrators accountable, empowering women, laity, and children in the Church's decision-making process, etc?
Another area that the Church should focus on is transparency in dealing with sexual abuse committed by its clergy, including cover-ups by their superiors. Jesus told His disciples to look after the sheep. Such command is extended to all bishops and priests. It is a must that they take this order seriously. Otherwise, "it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea". (Matthew 18:6).
As we make our Advent journey, let us renew our commitment to be a faithful, hopeful, and charitable people. Faith calls us to believe in God's plan of salvation. Hope prods us to trust in God's providence amidst the dark clouds hovering on the Church. Charity challenges us to stand up for the last, the least, and the lost.

Apostle to the Apostles

During His public ministry, Jesus was supported by the Twelve Apostles and other followers, including women such as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna (Lk 8:1-3).  While Jesus' band of brothers - minus John the Beloved -  fled for fear of the Jewish authorities, Mary Magdalene (and other women disciples) were present in Calvary to be with the Lord in His final moments on the cross. Her role did not stop on Good Friday though. The Gospel for her feast day tells us: "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb" (Jn 20:1-2). The remaining verses tell us how she recognized the Risen Lord and how she relayed Jesus' message to His apostles. Hence, Rabanus Maurus and St Thomas Aquinas gave this faithful disciple  the title "Apostle to the Apostles". 

Way back in 2016, Pope Francis, through the Congregation for the Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, raised the celebration of St Mary Magdalene with a rank of Feast. It was formerly a Memorial. Archbishop Arthur Roche, Secretary for the Congregation, wrote: "[Mary Magdalene] is the witness to the risen Christ and announces the message of the Lord’s resurrection just like the rest of the Apostles. For this reason it is right that the liturgical celebration of this woman should have the same rank of Feast as that given to the celebration of the Apostles in the General Roman Calendar and that the special mission of this woman should be underlined, she who is an example and model for all women in the Church".

Reflecting on the world's current situation, Mary Magdalene's story comes to the fore. As she tended to the Apostles of old in their lockdown, modern Mary Magdalenes - women healthcare professionals and other key workers - brave the invisible enemy that is Covid-19. While most of us stay (and at times complain) at home, these women (and men alike) have been out there to tend the sick, the poor, and others adversely affected. We do not know when will this virus end. The lockdown has engendered other "viruses" such as inequality, discrimination, and indifference. During Mary Magdalene's time, women (as well as children) were treated as second class citizens. In our present time, people afflicted with the virus or those looking after those suffering from the virus have been looked down or even ostracized. There are also governments that, instead of prioritizing this issue have used this for political aggrandizement.

As we celebrate the feast day of St Mary Magdalene on July 22, let us ask for the grace to be new witnesses of the Lord's triumph over sin and death, bringing hope to the downtrodden and working tirelessly so that justice and peace would reign in our society.

St Mary Magdalene, pray for us.

Revolution Against Oppression

Covid-19 has brought the world into its knees. Everything that we are used to has become like a thing of the past. Health and safety as well as economic well-being have been precarious. 

In the heat of the lockdown, Derek Chauvin, a police officer pressed his knee - for 8 minutes and 46 seconds - on the neck of George Floyd, an African-American, who was arrested on the charge of using a  fake bill as payment. According to reports, for the last 3 of those 8 minutes, Floyd lost his pulse. Emergency service was called. Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck while emergency staff attempted to revive Floyd. Floyd did not make it to hospital.

The Philippines celebrates today its 122nd Independence Day. From the window of a prominent house in Cavite el Viejo (now Kawit), Cavite, our forebears declared its independence from Spain. After that declaration, the fight continued. Oppression from other foreign superpowers still occurred. And yet, generations of Filipinos carried on the battle for independence. Filipino leaders were elected; some of which were oppressors themselves. Some were even dethroned (and made a come-back, unfortunately).  Another form of oppression is in the offing with the passage of the Anti-Terror Bill. As of this writing, the President has not signed it yet into law. Meanwhile, protests are happening amidst Covid-19.

Like Covid-19 and racism, oppression brings people and nations into their knees. It is not a pleasant experience. Jesus, in His lifetime, was not spared from such predicament. In carrying the cross, He was literally brought to His knees. 

On the night before He died, He knelt in front of His apostles to wash their feet. In his great love, Jesus accepted oppression so that He could bring back fallen humanity to its dignity as God's beloved people. Jesus' humbling moments gave healing to a humbled world!

In his June 2020 intention, Pope Francis wrote: "Many people suffer due to the great difficulties they endure. We can help them by accompanying them along an itinerary full of compassion which transforms people’s lives. It brings them closer to the Heart of Christ, which welcomes all of us into the revolution of tenderness". 

What is this tenderness, you may ask? In a surprise TED talk way back in April 2017, the Holy Father said “It is the love that comes close and becomes real. It is a movement that starts from our heart and reaches the eyes, the ears and the hands". 

In the same talk, we also mentioned “The future of humankind isn't exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies...Yes, they do hold an enormous responsibility. But the future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a ‘you’ and themselves as part of an ‘us.’ We all need each other.”

As we honour the Sacred Heart of Jesus this month, let us "pray that all those who suffer may find their way in life, allowing themselves to be touched by the Heart of Jesus".