What will be my own commitment to end injustice?

21st Sunday of Ordinary Time

August 25, 3013
Gospel (Lk 13:22-3)

Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.
And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”

REFLECTION: 

After some years of exposure in my ministry, especially the years that I spent in our parish in TONDO, MANILA, I cannot help to ignore the impending issue regarding the PORK BARREL SCAM.  It blasted my brain to think about all this wasted money in BILLIONS.  And thanks to Mrs. Janet Napoles who mastermind and systematically executed the stealing of our national fund. 

Every day, millions of Filipino works so hard so that they will have something to bring for their family. Thousands of them are homeless not counting those who are living in shanties in the squatter areas all over the country.  How many are left without a job. All of them are too busy to look for what they can share for every day meal, so busy that they don’t even know that their money in the government are siphoned to these few bastard who doesn’t even think about the poor but on how they can steal the money in our government so that they can satisfy their own greed.  

The long existence of poverty in our country is a sign of decayed system within our government. Janet Napoles may well be poster or a face of this of this Pork barrel scam, but behind that face is massive corruption in our government.  All of the Presidents, after Marcos, promised to end poverty but to no avail.  The problem I guess is not the program, but the system that allow corruption in our government. The current President adapts the slogan of “Matuwid na Daan”, but barely gives an effort to dismantle the culture of corruption plague almost all of government agencies.

As COA and BIR gradually bare even more astounding value of properties owned by Napoles, the more I become restless.  Something has to be done. I cannot do it myself but certainly WE can do it together. Do we let ourselves be passive of what is happening in our society today?  As Christians, we are responsible not only with ourselves but also with our “neighbor”.  Let us not pretend to be “blind” of what is happening but let us take side with the poor and challenge the structure that exploit the poor. I invite you, to be present in Luneta this coming August 26 as a sign of solidarity to end all of the corruption in our government. Let us remains steadfast what is happening in our government and hopeful that one day, the poor my experience relief in their struggles.

Our Gospel today speaks about entering the narrow gate of heaven.  The door policy will be determined our fidelity to God’s Word and how we uphold the Truth in our life. Upholding the Truth means also upholding Justice.  My dear brothers and sisters let not remain silence of what we see in our society today. Let us join our hand in building the “Matuwid na Daan” in our society. Pope Francis shared with the youth, (after his visit in one of the notorious shantytown in Brazil) that each one of us must make a personal commitment to end injustice in our society. 

Let us then ask ourselves: What will be my own commitment to end injustice? Mangyari nawa..