Bilang isang bayan,

sama-sama nating buoin ang proyektong ito.

A WORKER'S PRAYER TO
ST. JOSEPH

ANO BA TALAGA ANG DA BEST HIGH SCHOOL SA GAGALANGIN?

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Reality Check

I was reading with interest Claire de la Cruz’s email where she opined for priests to be taxed and/or undergo a lifestyle check. She even mentioned a priest who has been living in sheer luxury.



Way back in the early 90s the Church in the Philippines, after convening for a plenary council participated by priests, nuns, and lay people, came up with a radical approach or vision: Church of the Poor. This came at a time when people have been living in abject poverty and, at the same time, have fallen prey to the exploitation of the high and mighty. The council’s participants thought that the Church has to do something for these people who represent a large proportion of its membership. The Church must fight for their welfare.



This vision has been blurred every time we hear news of priests not living up to their vocation. It’s a shame to think that there are members of the clergy who do not walk their talk. These men, sad to say, have caused a scandal among believers and a wound in the Mystical Body of Christ. Come to think of it, Jesus was a model of poverty. Needless to say, He was born in a manger and later on lived from one place to another because some envious king thought that the world couldn’t accommodate them both. He worked as a carpenter which obviously is not a lucrative job. When He began preaching He depended on the goodness of people who would welcome Him and His followers in their abodes or give them financial assistance. He even mentioned that foxes and birds that have their own homes, while He doesn’t have a place to lay His head. And when He died, His tomb was actually somebody else’s.



Why have some men of the cloth become too materialistic? Could it be that they were deprived of possessions during their pre-ordination years? Did they equate the priesthood with money? Or have they been spoiled by the “Amen” parishioners – those who are too “cooperative and generous” to priests? We could only guess and, sympathise.



If the Church wishes to show to its poor members that it is their defender and friend then it’s high time for an examination of conscience or a lifestyle check as Claire has proposed. In one of my email messages to Bob Garon, an ex-priest himself, I voiced out a similar view. He told me that lay people must demand priests to live their calling. It’s useless to keep silent or do any cover up.



This is one concern that, I hope Benedict XVI, our newly-elected pope, will look at. I pray too that he will whip the Church into shape - that includes punishing erring priests and rewarding those who have been true to their remit – making it live like Christ who identified Himself with the poor.



In the mean time, for as long as we see priests making a business out of their ministry, then “Church of the Poor” will remain a farce.

***

Many thanks to Hyacinth de los Santos, Rick Valdes, Arnold Vidar, and Al Reyes who have assisted me in collecting Hail Mary in various languages/dialects. I already have Bicolano, Bisaya, Bontoc, Hiligaynon/Ilonggo, and Ilocano versions. Versions in other dialects would definitely be welcomed.

THE SHIPWRECKED

from Hidalgo del Arrabal

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert-like island.

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to GOD.

However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive GOD's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a Voice from Heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the Voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."

"Tell me," the first man asked the Voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

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(Wholesome gimik tayo, Gagalanginenos!!!)

Tulungang makalaya ang cute na kangaroong ito sa pamamagitan ng pagsagot sa mga katanungan.

Madali lang 'to!

posted by Tanghalang Anluwage, Inc. @ 11:00 AM