Thursday, August 29, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Rebuilding the Threshold of their Dreams and Hopes
It was a two-hour travel from the city of Davao and a two to
three-hour walk from the nearest barangay before we could reach Sitio Side 4 where
the community of Matigsalug tribe reside. They were greatly affected by the
typhoon Pablo that hit Mindanao last December 2012. At that time, tress fell
down, mountains eroded and houses turned upside-down that made their dreams
seemed dark as well. The elementary school which moulds the hope of the future
of the children was never excused; it was flown away and totally destroyed by
the horrible wind of Pablo.
Yet after 6 months of struggles, hard work and sacrifices
the hope that makes the future glitters for these poor children of Side 4 has
been rebuilt. Hence, 12 of us from the Redemptorists and 2 from BALSA Mindanao
(Bulig Alang sa Mindanao) started crossing the river, following the streams and
trekking an 80 degree mountain slope to meet and support the people of Side 4,
the tribe of Matigsalug. Indeed, the journey was seriously tiring and
exhausting yet as we reached the God-forsaken place, we were welcomed with
warmth, with grateful smiles and greetings of “Maayong Buntag” both from young
and old, men and women.
As soon as we were settled in the area, we had a meeting
with the tribal leaders particularly with Datu Dianggo, the Datu of internal
affairs. By afternoon, we had the inauguration of the new school building with
two classrooms made of good hard wood. The celebration was exquisite for we had
the primitive way of blessing the building aside from the Roman Catholic rite
of blessing. Most of the people were in their tribal dress in which the colour
red dominates. Four women and a man in a corner produced a distinct sound by
beating a log. A hen was sacrificed as well and its blood was used to bless the
classrooms by letting its blood drop around. Prayers were chanted and spirits
were called to bless and protect the people and the building which the children
will be using. However, it wasn’t yet the end. A boar was sacrificed through a
spear the pierced through the body of the boar. And so blood abundantly flowed
and the pain of cry of the boar echoed. And when the boar finally expired, the
people, both young and old, men and women began to dip their fingers into the
blood and made a mark into their palms or foreheads.
As the whole community gathered around the school plaza
where the National Colours waved as the wind blew and the new stage of the
school solidly built, speeches of leaders and representatives brought the
audience to be inspired and to find hope amidst these struggles. The children,
who seemed to prepare their presentations a month ago, gracefully shared their talents
in singing and dancing; and the richness and the beauty of their culture shines
all the more as we have come to know them better. Nevertheless, these singing
and dancing were not merely as to entertain the audience but to articulate
their dreams, to shout their struggles and to tell their own stories as people
who had been marginalized and deprived. Moreover, they have able to portray as
well how much blessing they have received through the people who showed care
and love for them. And this ignited all the more into the hearts of these
people the hope of the future as their school is being rebuilt once again. The
parents and their children and the whole community were brought into
consciousness that EDUCATION plays a vital role in realizing and owning what
they are dreaming of – to know and defend their rights as people (Filipinos),
to cultivate and preserve their culture, to have a better life without losing
their identity as Matigsalug people.
At supper, we feasted together the Lechon and all those
viands with their special upland rice. It was truly a feast for everybody. By early
morning, we had the ground-braking for another new school building that would
cater more students for a better and good academic environment. And it was
wonderful and amazing to see that everyone gathered again for this event not
just to witness the ceremony but also by committing themselves as people to
inspire and bring their children and the following generations into the
graciousness of education, “the threshold
of their dreams and hopes.”
Jomil
Baring, CSsR
June 25, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, at the Inauguration of his Papal Ministry 19 March 2013
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| http://media2.wxyz.com//photo/2013/03/19/Pope_Francis_20130319052242_320_240.JPG |
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude.
I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the priests, deacons, men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I thank the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial Communities, as well as the representatives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities, for their presence. My cordial greetings go to the Heads of State and Government, the members of the official Delegations from many countries throughout the world, and the Diplomatic Corps.
In the Gospel we heard that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: “Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model” (Redemptoris Custos, 1).
How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus.
How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own. This is what God asked of David, as we heard in the first reading. God does not want a house built by men, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan. It is God himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!
The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!
Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are “Herods” who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women.
Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives! Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!
Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!
Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!
In the second reading, Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, who, “hoping against hope, believed” (Rom 4:18). Hoping against hope! Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock which is God.
To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly. Let us protect with love all that God has given us!
I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis, that the Holy Spirit may accompany my ministry, and I ask all of you to pray for me! Amen.
http://en.radiovaticana.va/articolo.asp?c=674758
WITNESS AND PROCLAMATION and HEALING AND RECONCILIATION
Witness and Proclamation
Truly, it is through the gift of the Spirit that the
Church will be able to become a witness
and thus, could proclaim the Gospel
ever anew. It is impossible to proclaim the word of God without first becoming
God’s witness. So, what is then a witness to the Gospel? To be a community of
witnesses is to experience the message of the Gospel. Experience here is more
than hearing the Gospel but rather living the message, walking the message and
doing the message. To be able to become a witness involves vitally the aspect
of being evangelized and being converted. It means that we have let ourselves
open and let the Gospel touch our lives and hence, our very being. This affirms
our very identity before God as beloved people.
To
go deeply, it would be important to reflect what kind of Gospel that a person
should be a witness of. Of course, there is only one Gospel and that is Jesus
and His Kingdom which goal is communion with the Father. So, the Gospel is
basically the person of Jesus, the God-made-man who suffered, died and
resurrected. It says also that Jesus is a God-with-us, Emmanuel. Jesus is a God
who is not far or somewhere out there but rather near to us and with us. Jesus
is a God who is not completely incomprehensible and totally alien to human
experience but rather a God who is truly human yet truly God. He is a God who
is close to humanity.
Definitely,
it says that Jesus, this God is not alien to any human suffering, to any human
pain or to any human agony. He is a God who could relate well to these human experiences.
And it is when we realize and experience that Jesus is experiencing with us,
not only that, but accompanying and sharing with us in our every human
experiences. It is in this experience that we become a witness to this grace
that brings us to liberation. It may not be materially but from the shackles
and hurdles that makes our hearts insensitive and strange to others’ struggles.
Hence, this image is not only limited to the poor or to the oppressed but it is
universal for this experience could touch the hearts and lives of the rich and
even the oppressors. This whole grace-process of being a witness is truly the
work of the Holy Spirit that Jesus has promised. It is something that everyone
could receive with an open and willing heart.
It
is by this experience and through this life in the Spirit that we could
proclaim what we have received. Being able to receive the person of Jesus and
his Kingdom in the life of the Church, this makes us as a Church to proclaim
Jesus, the God-made-man, the God-with-us and His Kingdom. So, proclamation is
also an aspect of giving and sharing what we have received to others. In
return, to be able to proclaim and share would allow us to be more open and
thus, to be enriched by others. This spirit of giving-receiving and receiving-giving
is actually a counter-culture image in a world divided by selfishness and
self-interest. But I am not saying that this kind of attitude of
giving-receiving is completely absent in the world today. In some way, it is
still present, but, this will be more enriched through faith.
In
particular, proclamation can be done in varied ways. Personal contact with
another person is a possible way where a sharing of faith could take place.
Reaching out to individual families would be a powerful way of proclaiming the
Gospel. Reaching out to different sectors of the society such as the youth,
professional men and women, workers and labourers are also other ways of
proclaiming the Gospel. The use of our current technology could be best
employed in our evangelization. The mass media through music, movies and
inspirational programs can be created to make people aware as a re-awakening of
the message of the Gospel. And there are still other ways of exercising our
identity as witnesses in proclaiming the Gospel ever anew. The proclamation of
the Gospel message is precisely should not just be only intellectual.
Nevertheless, it should be something that everyone could understand and in due
course touch their hearts. This would surely lead to conversion and commitment
in the Gospel message.
Furthermore,
as an important element of this proclamation, it would be very essential that
this mission in the 21st century would still carry out Jesus’
effective way of proclaiming the Kingdom that it would be manifested through healing and reconciliation. Hence, as
we experience Jesus, we would surely experience the healing and reconciling
image and presence of Jesus.
Healing and Reconciliation
By the insecurities of conflicts politically,
religiously, racially or economically which result to violence, estrangement
and indifference cause so much division in the community. Nonetheless, this is
not to overly emphasize a pessimistic perspective of the world as being in
division and always in trouble. This is rather to recognize a reality of the
situation of the world otherwise if this is unrecognized and denied the
relationship we would have will be unrealistic. Accordingly, a difficulty on
how to approach this situation inevitably arises. Mediation through dialogue
seems too difficult as well. However, dialogue is the only best way of
approaching these insecurities and never through war or of closing ones door
otherwise it would only create deep and more distance. Hence, the most possible
way of dealing these insecurities is again through the dialogue of faith that
would promote or bring healing and reconciliation within and between community
of cultures, races, nations and religions.
Hence, it is on this part where the
Church as a missionary is most vulnerable also. In order to bring healing and
reconciliation, at first, the Church has to recognize her wounds and the
divisions within the Church. This one is difficult and not an easy task. This
is very much true even to a person. A person is first called to deal and face
the wounds and pains which cause traumas in him or her. It is through healing
that there would be a true reconciliation and also the other way around,
through reconciliation that there would be a true healing. This makes the
person a healer – a wounded healer and an advocate of reconciliation. Hence, as
a community of faith, the Church as a missionary is called to be a healer with
a very positive hope of bringing reconciliation. Thus, in order for the Church
to become a healer and advocate of reconciliation, the Church is to experience
and re-experience the healing and reconciling mystery of the incarnation of
Jesus as well as his paschal mystery.
Consequently, aspects are to be
affirmed here also (in the Theology of Reconciliation). It is by looking at
healing and reconciliation not merely a human work. Healing and reconciliation is first and foremost the work of God –
this is ultimately a grace. The Church as a missionary is basically an “agent”
of God to bring healing and reconciliation in the world. As St. Paul would say,
“we are ambassadors of Christ, as if
God were appealing through us (2 Cor. 5: 20a).” God is the One who can give
this grace to the world. That is why the Church is called to be healed and
reconciled first that she may become and effective agent. Further, God’s reconciling work begins with the
victim. This simply upholds that God is a God who looks and hears people in
suffering. It is good to remember that Jesus agonized, suffered and cried. This begins by restoring the dignity of the
victim as a human being which had been violated or destroyed in the act of
wrongdoing. However, God cannot be indifferent with the oppressor. God is
also concerned with the other party. Indeed, God wills healing and
reconciliation to both. Hence, God makes
the victim and the wrongdoer a “new creation.” Healing here does not
entirely mean of recovering what was there before in the victim. Reconciliation
does not mean also as merely lifting up what burdens the person. Nevertheless,
healing and reconciliation is God’s way of recreating the victim and the
wrongdoer, thus, to a new creation. This is what St. Paul says, “So whoever is
in Christ, is a new creation; the old
things have passed away; behold new thing have come (2 Cor. 5:17).” And by this
new creation, suffering is placed inside
the story of Jesus’ suffering and death with the hope of resurrection. This
is really an assurance that God is never indifferent to human suffering. In
fact, God is inviting us to place our
suffering in the framework of Christ’s own suffering. Again, St. Paul
effectively says, “to know him [Jesus Christ] and the power of his resurrection
and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death (Phil. 3:10)”
– by placing ones suffering is knowing Jesus and the power of his resurrection
– liberation. Therefore, as we place our suffering in Jesus, we share in his
suffering; yet, Jesus is also suffering with us. This is, again, God’s power of
incarnation. Essentially, we are to remember also that the healing and reconciliation that we are going to experience in this
world through the grace of God is not yet in its fullness. This gives us
even a very positive hope that there is beyond and there is more than this in
God. It reminds us too that though we have the capacity but entirely we are dependent
on God’s grace of healing and reconciliation in its fullness. This makes us as
a missionary Church humble and open to the Spirit of God.
Besides, another characteristic is
worthy to be expected and admitted in this area. Healing and reconciliation is
not something that can be reached immediately. Healing and reconciliation
follows a process. As there is a process, it means that it could take time.
This might be frustrating to the Church who proclaims healing and proclamation.
But, it is more frustrating and even more painful for the ones who are
victimized and oppressed. Accordingly, a great patience with sympathy and
solidarity for those who are suffering is needed. This is surely giving the
Church as a missionary to affirm her role as a companion, a friend and a
co-sufferer. It gives the missionary Church a place in the midst of division,
of indifference and of violence. It is again giving flesh to the Gospel
message. This gives also a bigger horizon for the Church on how to dialogue
with the world. She will surely not become irrelevant.
Henceforward, as I refer to the
missionary Church, I do not simply refer to the priests, religious brothers and
sisters or the bishops and the Pope and the whole hierarchy of the Church.
Essentially, the missionary Church is the entire people of God that is every
believer of Christ both women and men, young and old, rich and poor, the
uneducated and intellectual, the employer and the labourer - yes, everyone
else, the people who affirms the grace of God in their lives, thus, are called
to give witness and proclaim the message of love. And here, the Magisterium
that is the teaching authority of the Church guides the people of God in
carrying out faithfully the mission entrusted to the Church.
Saturday, March 02, 2013
KAIROS (The Opportune Time/ Time of Grace)
The opportune time has
come
To let the heart filled
with tears
Be drained to breathe
the new birth
Symbol of an end to a
new beginning,
Letting the pain of
birthing
Turn into joy and not
mourning
To turn into smiles not
gasping.
This is the opportune
time
Of the new birth that I
said,
Not of a little child
But, behold, of the
adult.
He is the adult, man
enough
To accept the child
whose past so tough,
To embrace the child
whose past so hard
And to love the child
with all his heart.
The opportune day has
arrived
To conquer the darkest
night
By tasting the fresh
sweet light
That soul will be
revived,
A symbol of a great
rising
From the grave of
shame,
The child within the
man’s dwelling.
This is the opportune
day
Of the revival that I
said,
Not of the child’s
shame
But of the adult’s
claim
Of his preserved
innocence
Making the man fully
convince
Of the love this life
contains,
Neither of fear nor
shame but of confidence.
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| Mandala: The Journey Within
The word "mandala" is from the classical Sanskrit language. Loosely translated to mean "circle," yet far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself--a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.
Describing both material and non-material realities, the mandala appears in all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community. http://www.mandalaproject.org/What/Index.html
|
Indeed, this moment of
the opportune moment
The man brings no more
of torments
But the heart of the
soul that commends
To love this life well
By going back to the
well
To have a drink of the
beloved’s identity
The wellspring of his
story.
This is the moment of
the opportune moment
The Kairos of the new
birth,
Kairos of the soul’s
revival
To welcome the rays
Which bring forth the
grace
Of singing and dancing,
Rejoicing the rising
Springing from within.
03-13-12
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The Happy Little Boy
I want you to hear a happy little
story filled with lively memory. It is of this happy little boy who makes his
day full of joy. He infects everyone to join that even the birds begin to tweet
with the fragrance of the flowers so sweet and causes the tiny insects to
compete. In this way, he begins his joyful day by kneeling first to pray
thanking God for a wonderful day. And he kisses her mom on her cheek after
licking the last drop of his milk. And he runs around and around with his arms
outstretched like a kite flying in the sky.
Here
and there, everyone could see that this happy little boy is on his way. And he
goes to his friends to play. And talking and laughing, jumping and dancing and
singing and running, all the way giggling of the never ending tickling and
teasing.
Indeed,
he really loves to laugh as if a day is not enough. Yet when he smiles with his
two bright eyes and then shows his precious teeth, though broken, but so sweet;
they become the gift to a friend he would meet. And then he runs for more fun,
and as fast as he can, not minding the cuts that he would get. All of these are
just a naughty part of this little boy’s heart.
Yet,
he continues! He begins to sing a song with the music of his little gong, the
cauldron of his mom at home. He beats it hard at the very bottom with a stick from
his sister’s broom. Aloud and clear, everyone hears the song he’s trying to
adhere into the heart of the dearest of the little boy, full of cheer. And tong, tong, tong… it is the music of the
little gong and with his little song; he makes the day sing along.
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| http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium/jesus-and-little-boy-1-richard-w-linford.jpg |
And
from his soul, the words come, “O joyful
day sing with me to celebrate His love for me. Oh, what a lovely day for me,
for he comes to embrace with his gifts and his grace. He takes away all my fears
and dries up all my tears.” Indeed, this makes him giggle and wiggle that
breaks the shackles and hurdles changing them into love and affection. These complete
his aspiration to have a day for his soul’s exultation.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The Influence of Culture in Moral Development
Culture has been
with us since the dawn of human existence.[1] Significant
as it is, a culture considerably shapes its members on how they live and relate
within themselves and with other cultures. However, one culture would differ
from another in terms of its principles, beliefs, traditions etc. Consequently,
the culture of a particular society is very integral to the development of the
human person. Yet, a culture would not always be absolute in raising its
members into its full development. This is a reality that a culture’s system of
beliefs or principles would be wrong or inadequate in the universal perspective
of human development.
Nonetheless, this paper would look
and explore on the influence of culture specifically in the moral development
of the human person. As this paper progresses, I specify the word “influence”
as I am concerned in exploring the culture’s impact and significance in moral
development. Further, I relate the influence of culture to Moral Development as
I refer to the basic or to the process of the moral dimension of a society.
There
are three questions at least that serve as the guiding points of this paper.
First, what is culture? Secondly, what is moral development? And finally, how does culture influence the moral
development of its members? These questions set the scope of this paper
that would help to bring the study into its conclusion.
Culture
Culture, as I use this definition, “is the integrated pattern of human
knowledge, beliefs and behaviours. This consists of language, ideas, customs,
morals, laws, taboos, institutions, tools, techniques, and works of art, rituals
and other capacities and habits acquired by a person as a member of society.[2]”
From this, culture is a social environment in which a person is born and
wherein he or she lives together with other persons. Hence, culture has a great
impact in the development of the human person in varied ways; may it be in
physical, knowledge, thought, relationship, religious or moral development.
Moreover, culture is a person’s
social heritage that has been passed from one generation to the next basically
through the relationship that binds the society together. It necessarily says
on what are the things a member of the society must do, what to do and how to
do things. And teaches and conditions members on how to relate and live with
the other members of the society and even to people outside of their own
culture.
At its fundamentals, culture has important
characteristics. As I would emphasize, culture is rooted from the collective
“human experience[3]”. Culture is always
transmitted, shared or acquired through learning. Culture satisfies human needs
as a social being. And culture tends towards the participation of the members
of the society.
Therefore, culture functions to
mould and establish a social identity that brings people as well to the
knowledge of common objectives which members would try to achieve. Culture,
indeed, provides norms, customs, laws, and moral demands that are to be
followed. So to speak, in general, in a culture there is consistency and
systematic patterns of behaviour.[4]
Nonetheless, these standards that
would differ from one culture to another or from one generation to the next do
not possess the absolute truthfulness. A culture’s standard or judgment may be
inadequate or mistaken. Indeed, there are positive as well as negative
influences a person would acquire in his or her culture. And it is always a
challenge that when a culture’s judgment or standard hinders and becomes an
obstacle in promoting well-being, order and harmony – it needs modifications or
adjustments.
Hence,
in general the development of the human person, culture plays a vital role. In
every aspect of the human person, the cultural background can be very visible.
In particular, culture has an essential influence on the moral development of
the human person since morality is just one of the cultural aspects.
Moral Development
Moral development refers to the “process through which a human person gains
his or her beliefs, skills and dispositions that makes him or her morally
mature person.”[5] Yet this definition does
not tell on what are those beliefs, skills and dispositions. Nevertheless, it
focuses on the acquisition, understanding and most probably of changing the
principles of morality of a person from infancy to adulthood. This moral
development is fundamentally rooted in the very experience of a person, in his
or her relationship with others in the community[6].
As ones moral development begins to
emerge through a person’s experience of relationship (relationship with him/herself and with others), morality can be
best seen as principles that govern individuals’ behaviour in living, relating
and treating one another with respect to justice, rights and other’s
well-being.[7] In this development the
concept of good and bad, right and wrong is intrinsically developing also as
integral to this moral development. The morally good or right actions or
behaviours are those that promote relationship, welfare and harmony. On the
other hand, the morally bad or wrong actions or behaviours are those that
hinder and impede an honest and good relationship with one another.
Moreover, I would like to explore
more on the process or stages of moral development. I employ the theory of the
“stages of moral development[8]”
of Lawrence Kohlberg, a research psychologist as I find it helpful and
essential in this paper.
Hence, the moral development of a
person basically develops when he or she is still a child. The first stage is
called by Kohlberg as the Obedience and
Punishment Orientation – a child sees and grasps morality in terms of its
physical consequences. Powerful authorities, as a child would perceive it,
handed down a set of rules that must be obeyed. So, if doing something only
leads to punishment, then, it should not be done. Stage 2 is the Naively Egoistic Orientation – a child
begins to realize that in conforming to rules it would not just avoid him or
her from punishment but also it can bring rewards. Stage 3 is the Good Child Orientation – the child
progresses to have a sense of right and wrong behaviour and that by conforming
to the standards of the people around him or her, the child gains approval and
thus, pleasing others by being good to them. Stage 4 is the Maintaining and Social Order – this
emphasizes the “doing the duty” that obedience to the social order is the right
thing and deviance to it is wrong. Stage 5 is the Contractual Legalistic Orientation – the person defines duty in
terms or contract or social rules and that it is important to follow these. Yet
the person begins to challenge the existing social rules for the sake of
promoting the welfare of the society. Thus, the person recognizes that it is
possible to modify or change such rules or principles if they would benefit the
majority. And lastly, stage 6 is the Universal
Principle – a person lives the principles of justice and compassion and
adapts these principles to social standards. Hence, when a law of a society is
unjust and dehumanizing in the judgment of the person, a civil disobedience
would be seen as the invitation to this.
The Influence of Culture in Moral Development
Culture would tell, as I have mentioned above, the
members on what to do, how to do things and what are the things that should be
done as well as those things that should be avoided. So to speak, culture
imprints the existing moral principles into its members, thus, shapes the
character of its members as well. Indeed, this is a process from infancy to
adulthood, effectively presented by Kohlberg in his theory on the stages of moral development. Hence, at
this point I would somehow particularize on how culture influences the moral
development of the people. The points below are the following:
- Culture is always social and communal by which the relationship of the people towards one another and their experience as a people are the culture’s meadow. It is in this relationship and communal experience that culture influences the moral development of its members. It is important to note that morality as principle is promoted because primarily of the relationship within the community. Laws and rules and standards of attitudes and behaviours are set and promulgated by the community to promote that relationship that binds them together as a people. And culture as it is being handed down from one generation to another forms as well the morality of that particular generation. Yet, the kind of morality may not be absolutely the same with the previous generation due to changes that would inevitable occur.
- The culture defines the normative principles and behaviours of the society. It defines which particular principle and behaviour that should be kept that would serve the best interest of the community. There would be a definition on what are the principles and behaviours also that should not be promoted or rejected. This kind of influence of culture in moral development is best seen in terms of relational level. Again, it is basic that it is in the relationship within the community and in their experience of that relationship that the community would able to form certain normative principles and behaviours. These defined normative principles and behaviours inform and indoctrinate the members as they live and relate with the community. These would shape also the kind of moral judgment a person has, which is most of the time congruent to the general moral judgment.
- Moreover, a culture, as best exemplified in the experience of the people, develops restrictions and sets boundaries and limitations as they live and relate with one another. These restrictions and boundaries serve as protection among themselves. These would create an atmosphere of promoting the welfare of the community. Indeed, anyone who tries to step beyond these is subject to punishment or consequences set by the community embedded in the culture. Culture here, draws this consciousness into the moral development of its members.
- As culture helps in generating the character and identity of its people, it also includes their moral character. Culture conditions the mind – the way people think and the way they perceive the world and their relationship with one another. Henceforth, a culture which characteristic is aggressive tends to be aggressive in terms of its relationship with one another or with other cultures. Yet, the character that is being shaped by a culture may not always be just and rightful. A culture like many others may shape a character that is unjust and mistaken in the general perspective of human morality.
- The culture identifies the authorities or the governing individuals or groups. They are the symbol of guidance and control. In many cultures, men are always regarded as the leaders who oversee the order of the community and give guidance, which is true in patriarchal societies. Through their roles and responsibilities in the community within the given culture, may it be patriarchy, matriarchy or whatever; people submit themselves to their authorities. By their very authority as they represent the general populace, the members look at them as people who promote and keep the set of rules and laws that govern the community. Their moral judgments are considered essential in moral issues of the community. In particular, in domestic level the parents of a child are the first authorities who set and teach the child essential for the moral development of their child.
CONCLUSION
Evidently,
culture is very significant in the development of the human person and in moral
development particularly. Furthermore, as one would look at it, culture has a
tight grip on the moral development of the people. Culture is the conditioning
principle of the moral development of its members. Nevertheless, culture as the
principle that surrounds the moral development of the people may not always
promote what is good and just for all. It is certain that sometimes there are
principles, attitudes and behaviours that actually hinder good relationships
and violate the welfare of the others. These are indeed difficult to eliminate
immediately in a culture, yet, they should be subject to people’s discernment
that proper changes and modifications have to be done for the sake of the
welfare and justice for everybody.
[2] From
the words of Sir Edward Taylor, an English Anthropologist quoted in Epitacio
Palispis, Introduction to Sociology and
Anthropology, (Manila: Rex Bookstore, Inc., 2007), 41.
[3] Daniel Miguel, The Moral Choice, (New York: Doubleday and Company, 1978), 72.
[4] Palispis,
Introduction to Sociology and
Anthropology, 50.
[5] Daniel
Pekarsky, PhD, “The Role of Culture in Moral Development,” Parenthood in America: University of Wisconsin-Madison General Library
System, accessed 11 January 2013 <http://parenthood.library.wisc.edu/Pekarsky/Pekarsky.html>,
1998.
[6]
Sean Fagan SM, Does Morality
Change?, (Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1997), 40.
[7] Ibid., 40-42.
[8] Taken mainly from second sources, see C.
Ellis Nelson, ed., CONSCIENCE:
Theological and Psychological Perspectives, (USA: Newman Press, 1973), p.
242 and Palispis, Introduction to Sociology and Anthropology,
126-127.
“Take up your cross and follow me”
When I was in
elementary school I would always complain to my mother why I should have to
bring my bulky books and notebooks in my bag pack which size was almost half of
my height. Everyday this would be my routine going to school which was almost a kilometer away from home. I would go back and forth twice a day since my mother
would not let me take my lunch at school since home was just quite near. So, I
would go to school in the morning with my bag almost half of my size and would
go home for lunch and go back for afternoon classes and come home again. And
when my younger brother began schooling, (he is two years younger than me); I
had now two things to complain to my mother. First, is my heavy-bulky bag. And
second my crying-baby younger brother of course with his own heavy and bulky
bag. So, while carrying my bag I had to mind as well my younger brother in
going to school and coming back home.
And for quite
some time this had been my recurring complain. My bag and my brother were a
burden for me. When my classmates and I would compete of who would arrive at
school first or at home, I just couldn’t run faster. I was always the last. Yet
I tried really once to unburden myself with all those stuffs that prevented me
from running faster and to be the first one to arrive. I left my bag as well as
my younger brother. But OOPS! The prize I got was a whip on my butt and a
litany from my mother that seemed to have no end. What a bad move! I left my
heavy-bulky yet lovely bag and my crying-baby younger brother to receive a whip
and an unending litany.
Nevertheless,
Jesus says, “"If any want to become
my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow
me. (Lk. 9:23)” It is Jesus’s invitation to anyone. It is an invitation
that is certainly heavy and demanding. It is an invitation that entails
sacrifice. Looking at this statement alone, it appears dull and unappealing.
For what reason that someone would do that? However, in the Gospel, Luke
presents the promise of Jesus and it is the promise of eternal life in the
Kingdom of God. And this is what makes the invitation of Jesus meaningful and
relevant.
Hence, to be a
follower of Jesus or so to say to be a Christian demands this self-denial and
taking up this cross daily.
Consequently, it tells about suffering. And truly this is no easy task to take
up ones cross or crosses. It was not even easy for me to take up my heavy and
bulky bag and my younger brother. However, I survived and I grew up
particularly in my relationship with my younger brother. And now that I have
grown up and chose a life of my own (I hope according to the will of God), I am
called and invited continuously not anymore by my mother but by the Lord to
take up my cross-es. And there are many of them, small and big ones, thin and
thick ones.
Thus, I have two ways of living with my crosses
of suffering. It is either to sit down under them and feel like a victim or I
can take them on my shoulders and try to walk with them. Yet either of the ways is not easy. If I would choose the first, I would seem to
run away from suffering and that when I cannot escape from it I treat it as an
enemy that has defeated me. Then, choosing this is running the risk of becoming
full of complaints and self-pity. This is surely the harder way: harder for
myself and perhaps for everyone around me. Nevertheless, I see the wisdom of
the Gospel quite different. And this is what the latter choice says – taking them
on my shoulders and walking with them. It tells to face suffering, not to treat
them like an enemy but like a friend, to learn, unlearn and relearn from them, to
let them draw away from my self-centred thoughts and feelings, and ultimately
to see them as a sharing in the Passion of Christ. Amen.
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Reflection
Every morning I would face the
mirror, obviously, I would see my face there. My eyes were always half-open,
with a messy hair and an oily face. The reflection from the mirror greets me
that way. Since, that was also my greeting to the mirror. And it is a
“reflection.” A reflection, in this sense, is an action that comes back from its origin. It is
like what I have given, I receive; what I have shown, I see. In Matthew’s Gospel,
Jesus in a personal way says, “and the measure you use for others will be used
for you (7:2b).” This phrase is similar in saying; “the things that I have done
to others will be done unto me.”
And
there was a story about a dog which mistakenly got into a room which walls were
all mirrors. Suddenly, the dog saw itself surrounded by many dogs. This dog got
angry, bared its teeth and snarled. And all those dogs around in the same way
bared their teeth and snarled too. At this time, the dog became terrified and
started to run around the room. But all the dogs ran also after him. Finally,
the dog stopped very exhausted and frightened. However, the dog saw at once
that it was also the reaction of those dogs around. The dog wondered and
started to wag its tail and immediately this dog saw that those dogs around
wagged their tails too. This dog saw a friendly picture around.
When
I relate to others showing an ignoring and unfriendly face especially in the
missions, I, too, experienced an ignoring and unfriendly faces. But when I showed
a warm attitude, I received a warm welcome from them. Truly, anger begets anger
but kindness enjoys kindness. And this is what I have experienced with the
people especially living in a community of brothers. And that’s what the dog has
experienced. When the dog showed anger in the same way he received anger. But
when friendliness was shared by wagging its tail, the dog enjoyed a friendly
atmosphere. When the dog saw at once those dogs around him then hated them, actually
the dog hated itself. Yet, it was just a reflection. This is also my own attitude
and behavior. Sometimes I could see things in my brothers and sisters which I
really hate. By this, it makes me jump into judgment that I hate him or I don’t
like her. But actually, those things I found not nice and culpable were
actually the reprehensible things in me (most of the time). Those were things
that I hate about myself but I just have this tendency to blame others for that
to cover my own frailties. Because of this, the relationship I have with them
is very much affected. However, when I let myself to be humble and showed
kindness, I obtained acceptance and kindness from them.
Saturday, February 02, 2013
Evangelical Vows: Knots that bind or loosen?
(on the occasion of the World Day of Consecrated Life - 2 February 2013)
“The essence of the evangelical vows is not in the
result of the living but in the living of that love expressed in one’s
commitment.” It has been emphasized by Sis. Ella,
O.P. during our module on Vows in Context
(Novitiate Modular Class). It is very important for me to understand deeply
what these vows signify in my life as I aspire in the religious life, a
Redemptorist in particular. Indeed, what has moved me to continue to discern
and reflect and at the same time aspire with intent the religious life is my
deep longing for God. I have experienced God in my life both in sorrows and
joys and so I even long more for this God. I feel that this is a kind of hunger
for God. However, I didn't come into this point in an instant but in a process
also as I journey in formation. Through my experiences in the missions, with
the Redemptorist community and with myself I have able to discover and recover
bits and pieces of my person that simply long for this God. That is why I was
really moved knowing that “consecrating
one’s life is not self-denial but actually welcoming and reclaiming one’s self,
the whole-self.” And I yearn for consecrating my life to this God, who
longs to make my life complete and whole. Thus, I have taken the risk to
reclaim myself by seeking the help of my mentors and the guidance and wisdom of
my formators to lead me in reclaiming myself. Nevertheless, reclaiming one’s
self is not that easy anyway. It entails a lot of struggles on the way.
Moreover, reclaiming one’s self is a life-long process and the most important
thing here is the desire and the initiative to begin the reclaiming of the
self.
Besides, consecrating myself to
God necessitates the three fold evangelical vows which are very integral to
this life. And these vows of poverty, obedience and celibate chastity would
help me “to be formed, to conform and to
be transformed into the person God has designed it.” Certainly, if I would
put myself into the attitude of the post-modern world, it sounds crazy and
unrealistic. Embracing this radical choice of living in poverty, obedience and
celibate chastity is somewhat contradictory to what the world of pleasure
promotes. And I see a very big challenge in me as I belong into this
generation. However, according to the Father of Existentialism Soren Kierkegaard, “I don’t have to follow the crowd, to what the society tells
for it would only bring me into melancholy and untruthfulness.”
Furthermore, as I have
understood the vow of poverty, it is first integration.
It is a call to kenosis or self-emptying as God has emptied himself
by giving us his son, Jesus who emptied himself also by dying on the cross.
It is to make myself empty so that God could fill it with fullness. And
secondly, it is liberation from my
excessive preoccupation that tells detachment and availability. Definitely, it is not an easy life to
commit and it is a challenge for me to be liberated from my attitude of being
possessiveness. My possessiveness is not actually of material things but also
of other aspect in my life that includes my thoughts, desires and priorities
which are not easy to let go. But, this is the call and I have to commit to
detach myself from unnecessary things recognizing my poverty before God so that
I would be more available and freer.
Likewise, the vowed obedience
means a commitment to rest in God’s liberating love, a call to koinanoia. In this vow listening and
attentiveness to oneself are very much important and fundamental. It is through
self-knowledge that I will be able to know my needs and strengths that will
help me to respond the call. It is by listening and being attentive also that I
will be able to identify what holds me back and what motivates me to do a
particular thing. In other words, self-knowledge is a means to embrace God’s
liberating lobe by committing myself to Him, submitting my will as what Mary
did. This is how the vow of obedience demonstrates the most perfect freedom, a commitment to God. Personally, it is very
hard to understand this part for me. As I think of it given with the context of
this world, it is difficult to embark into the meaning of this vow as liberation.
Obeying someone in this world means being inferior and low, thus, not able to
assert yourself. However, the dynamic that is presented here is very
contradictory because this obedience brings not slavery but freedom, an
expression of the perfect freedom. And this is the challenge for me to be
prophetic who is to renounce God, denounce my selfish desires and announce
liberation as what Jesus did, obeying the Father. And I know that it is very
hard but I believe that it will bring me into that liberation. That’s why it is
very important to listen and to be attentive to myself to ask myself if what I
am doing leads me to God or to myself which is a selfish act.
And the third, the vow of
celibate chastity is an expression of God’s giving love, a call to metanoia (going beyond). It calls to total availability and itinerant mobility
or simply as inclusive self-giving. It is a manifestation of the dedication to
God with an UNDIVIDED LOVE. Here, it is so selfless yet the self is so full of
love. This vow recognizes how abundant the love of God to me is. And so it is
calling me to be inclusive in loving and in extending myself to others as a
gift. This is the beauty of this vow for it does not only tells about
abstaining from sexual or any intimate relation with a person but in fact
making the whole self, heart and soul available for the mission and for the
Kingdom of God. However, it is not an easy one for it beckons me to go beyond
from myself, from particular people I know, and from my comfort zones. It is to
consecrate my whole life into an inclusive love, a self-giving love as what
God’s Spirit works. Personally, it is a kind of a radical charity that by
nature gives, a love that is not possessive but very generous. And I see the
difficulty also here for I am a possessive and stingy person and I have the
tendency to be exclusive. Hence, it challenges me to be more charitable, to be
a generous and joyful giver not just with the familiar people but even to
strangers without any biases or prejudices, for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
In truth, these
vows bind not loose. They would lead me to fully be myself, to reclaim and
recover my very self so that I will have something to give. This is also a
reason why I desire to dedicate my life because I believe that I can give more.
Despite of the shadows I have in my life, underneath those shadows lays the
abundant love of God. There I would find true freedom as well as my true self
as what God has designed it to be. Undeniably, as I have promised to live these
evangelical counsels I have encountered problems and struggles on the way. In
one way or another, I have become selfish but to be true to my promise I
resolve myself to stand whenever I fall, to reconcile with myself and with God
by bring it to prayer. Amen.
- from my Novitiate Journal: 10 October 2011
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