A Day in the Life of a Priest-Professor

I woke up at six this morning. By 6:30, I was in the common room with four fellow Redemptorist priests in the community going over the readings for the coming Sunday discussing what we can preach about. We do this homily sharing every Thursday morning. On other days we have the morning prayer.

After breakfast, I went back to my room to prepare for my class. From nine in the morning up to 12 noon, I was in the classroom, teaching a course on Pastoral Leadership and Management. I teach 3 other courses on other days (Fundamental Theology, Sacraments, Theological Synthesis.

After lunch, instead of taking a nap, I retired to the chapel for private meditation and prayer. This is where I get recharged or re-energized.

After meditation, I went to the market to buy some peanuts and have these grounded. When I went back to the monastery, I prepared my home-made peanut butter (mixed with Canola butter, virgin coconut oil, honey).

I spent an hour on the computer, checking my e-mail and going over my book-project. By 4:30 pm I was pedaling my mountain bike up the hills and rough roads. I was back in the monastery by 6:15 pm.

In the evening, I celebrated the Eucharist with the leaders and members of the Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) in San Jose - an urban poor community. There were over 70 people who attended. Within the mass, the Council of Leaders of the community had a ritual of renewing the commitment to serve the community. The mass was over by 8:30 pm. After sharing a meal with the people I drove back to the monastery.

This is a typical day in my life for the last 12 years, since I was assigned here in Davao after finishing my studies in Rome. How much longer will I live like this? I really miss the life of a missionary out in the mountains.

When I was ordained, I thought that I will be spending my priestly ministry in the missions until my old age (may be up to 80). But then after 8 years with the mission team, I was sent for higher studies. So here I am now, living the life of a professor preparing future priests for ministry. I never thought I would end up being a teacher like my grandfather and my mother. So here I am wondering how long will I continue doing this.

At least I have other things to do besides teaching - celebrating the Eucharist with the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) in the parish, biking for peace, giving talks and seminars on BECs in various dioceses). But most of my time is actually spent teaching.

Homily for 18th Sunday C - Being Rich in God's Eyes

This morning I presided at the 10:30 morning mass. The Church was overflowing - there were probably over six hundred who attended mostly from the upper class. This was the homily that I preached:

Many of us are concerned about having more money and possessions so that we can fulfill our basic needs and desires- to eat well, have a nice house, drive a car, provide good education for the children, pay the hospital when we get sick, etc. There's nothing wrong with working hard so that we can live in comfort.

What is wrong is when the accumulation of wealth and material possessions become an obsession and when our hearts are filled with greed. This becomes the sole purpose of our existence. We make an idol out of our wealth - when we think that this is the only thing that matters. What is worst is when we use evil means to achieve this end - when we exploit others, treath them unjustly, engage in graft and corruption, destroy the environment, etc. We become materialisticd and live as if there is no God and as if we will never die. We become like the Rich Fool in the parable we have just read.

In our Gospel today, Jesus warns us: "Take care care, be on your guard against all forms of greed, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of one's possessions."

Jesus reminds us also of the reality of death. We are all going to die someday. This awareness forces us to examine our priorities - about what matters most in life.

There is more to life than accumulating material possessions. When this is all we have accomplised at the end of our life, we will still be failure in God's eyes. To be rich in God's eyes is not just about having more money.

We really do not know how much time we have left here on earth. It could be 24 years, or 24 months, or 24 hours. The most important question we need to answer is not how much more money and possession that we can accumulate.

Rather, how much love and care we can show to our fellow human beings - starting with our own family (your spouse, the children, relatives), our neighbors, the community, the poor in our midst.

We need to answer the question: what legacy can we leave behind after we are gone? What is the good that we have done - how we make this world a better place to live in, our efforts to eradicate poverty, to work for peace and justice, to defend the environment, etc.

Ultimately we need to examine our relatioship with the source of our being - God - who is also our final destiny.

In the end, God will judge us by our love and the good we have done - not by our possessions. The persons who have loved God and people the most are truly rich in God's eyes.

Promoting a New Way of Being Church - the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs)

For the last four weeks, I have been engaged in what I consider my life's primary mission - promoting Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) as new way of being Church. It is not really new - it is the vision of the Church as a community of disciples where the members live in communion (unity, friendship, sharing, partnership) and participate in Christ's mission as a worshipping, witnessing and serving community. This is a Church patterned after the first Christian community in Jerusalem as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-35). This is the vision of the Church that was retrieved by the Second Vatican Council that called for the renewal of the Church. This is the same vision of the Church promoted by the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines.

I have been involved in the formation of BECs for over thirty years - first as a seminarian and later as a newly ordained priest. I wrote a licentiate thesis on this phenomenon while studying in Berkeley, California (1989-1991) and while studying at the Gregorian University in Rome, I also wrote my doctoral dissertion on the Ecclesiological Perspectives of the BECs in the Philippines.
Since 1995 up the present, I have been giving talks and seminars on BECs in 17 dioceses and in various regional and national conferences.

Four weeks ago, I was in Bangalore, India to attend a theological conference on BECs. When I arrived back in the Philippines, I immediately proceeded to Calbayog, Samar to give a talk during their diocesan BEC congress. When I came back to Davao, I gave a BEC seminar to the trainees of the Philippine Catholic Lay Missionaries. A few days ago, I was in Bacolod to share my experiences with diocesan seminary formators from all over the Philippines. I was amazed when I learned that in many seminaries, the BEC culture is being lived among the seminarians and that many have exposure and immersion program in BECs. All of these are signs of hope for the Church which for a long time have been dominated by the image of the Church as a huge, bureaucratic institution. We continue to implement the vision of a renewed Church which Vatican II promoted. I consider it my life's mission to promote this vision of the Church.

The Gift of a New Mountain Bike

I am feeling very ecstatic. Yesterday, I received a new mountain bike! Its a Merida TFS with all the high end components. It cost P60,000. There was a discount when the bike shop owner learned that it was for me.

After he read the news on the Philippine Daily Inquirer about the loss of my bike, Patrick Deakin called me and told me that he and his friends wanted to give me a bike so that I can continue my mission to bike for peace around the country.

A few days ago Patrick texted me and told me that the bike was ready and all that was left was to deliver it to me. I told him that I will be in Manila on July 6 since I will leave for India to attend a BEC theological conference. So he delivered the bike yesterday here in Baclaran, a few hours after I arrived from Davao. I am so grateful to Patrick and his friends for their generosity. They are now part of this mission.

There were actually three other offers for a bike donation (from Brionne, Dolly and the Philippine Cycling Network), but Patrick called me first. So I had to decline the other offers. Just the same, I am thankful to them for their generous offer.

What has happened has convinced me that no matter how bad things look like some good will still come out of it. The theft of my old bike was a blessing in disguise. I got a new bike which I could never afford. This bike is capable of negotiating all kinds of roads in the Philippines- including the rough roads of the Cordillera mountain ranges.

God is good - and people like Patrick and his friends have proven it.

I will be leaving for Bangalore, India this afternoon. When I come back next week, I will bring the mountain bike back to Davao.

What's wrong with my heart?

Yesterday I had a CT angiography at the Davao Doctor's Hospital. My cardiologist had asked me to go through this high tech procedure to find out definitely if I really have atherosclerosis and myocardial ischemia as the stress test had reported. This morning I got the result of the angiography and discussed it with the doctor. So, I tested positive. While my heart is strong, the arteries that deliver blood and oxygen to the heart have become narrow due to the plaques and the cholesterol deposit. My only consolation is that although I may occasionally experience angina, the risk of heart attack is not too high.

The doctor has prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs (lipitor) and some multivitamins. He also urged me to continue my diet and exercise program. I will go another stress test after six months to see if the ischemia will still be there.

So my marathon comeback is on hold. I am not sure if my "Bike for Life and Peace Around the Philippines" will push through this summer.

Attending a golden jubilee of ordination, losing my mountain bike

Last Thursday afternoon, after seeing my cardiologist, I rode the Honday 125 XS motorbike all the way to Iligan to attend the golden anniversary of ordination of Fr. Ramon Fruto. It was an eight hour drive across the mountains of Davao and Bukidnon. Last December it took me 2 1/2 days of pedaling to cover this distance by mountain bike.

There were over five hundred guest for Fr. Ramon's jubilee celebration which was held last Friday evening. Two bishops (Cabajar and Galido) graced the occasion. I made it a point to attend this celebration because Fr. Ramon has been my mentor. He was the director of St. Alphonsus' Seminary when I entered in 1968. He was my novice-master in Lipa in 1976. He was our prefect when I was a theology student in Davao in 1977. After my pastoral year, he was my superior in Iligan in 1982. We were together in the missions in Jimenez and Hinatuan, Surigao. He was also my vice-provincial superior who sent me for higher studies in Berkely and Rome, in 1989-1995. We were together in Davao in 2004 - and I took over as parish priest when he was appointed as apostolic administrator of the diocese of Iligan. Seeing him celebrate 50 years of ordination is very inspiring. I imagined myself celebrating my golden jubilee 24 years from now.

Last night, I also had dinner with my sisters (Noni, Inday, Mely) and their families to celebrate our late father's birthday and the 55th wedding anniversary of our parents.

I came back to Davao this afternoon. The first news that greeted mye was that my mountain bike had been stolen. It was the mountain bike that I used to bike around Mindanao last summer and the bike that I used when I went home to Iligan after Christmas 2006. I felt sad, but I took the news stoically. No need to get depressed over it. I hope I will get a new one this Christmas. Meanwhile, I will just run and train for the marathon. Actually, I still have a road bike that I can use - but I will miss biking in the mountains and rough trails. I need a mountain bike when I bike for peace around the Philippines in the near future.

World Environment Day - The Struggle Continues

This morning I joined the interfaith prayer rally to celebrate the World Environment Day. The prayer rally was held in front of the hall of justice and was attended by various religious groups - Catholics, Protestants, Quiboloy's Sonshine movement, Ananda Marga. After the prayer rally we went inside the hall of justice where a hearing was conducted. The Philippine Banana Growers Association (PBGA) has filed a case against the local government for passing an ordinance banning the Aerial Spraying in Davao.

Reunion of Class 1971

I just came back from Cebu where attended a class reunion. Thirty-six years ago (1971) there were 22 seminarians who graduated from high school in St. Alphonsus' Minor Seminary. The class theme song was "The first of May" which was popularized by Jose Feliciano. We had our first reunion on May 1, 1980, when we were just entering adulthood - most of us were 26 years old then. We gathered this time, past midlife (most of us are now 53 years old). We found it difficult to recognize each other - some have grey hair, others have lost their hair, many have put on weight. Even those who have migrated to the U.S., Canada, England and Bangkok, came home to attend the reunion. It was supposed to be four day- affair, starting on May 30, but I came late because I was in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, giving a seminar on Christology, Ecclesiology and BEC. I'm glad I was able to attend the last two days because we spent our time in reminiscing about the good old days and sharing with one another our life-journey. We had a concelebrated mass and special dinner on the evening of June 2. Out of the 22 who graduated, only three were ordained priests. We agreed that we will have our next reunion 11 years from now when we will be 64 years old. The theme song this time is a song by the Beatles - "When I'm Sixty Four." By then we will be senior citizens.

Pentecost Vigil

Yesterday, I was in San Julian, Eastern Samar, giving a talk to 280 delegates of the 2nd BEC (Basic Ecclesial Communities) Congress of the Diocese of Borongan. The topic of my presentation was "The Promotion of Growth and Sustainability of BECs in the parish." The talk was in waray-waray - the Samarenyo language. The delegates were mostly lay leaders and members of parish formation teams involved in forming BECs in the parishes of the Borongan diocese. It was a whole day affair.

At 8:30 in the evening, I gave an hour's talk to over five thousand faithful gathered in the San Julian school ground. They came from all the parishes of the diocese led by their parish priests for the annual diocesan Pentecost vigil. Most were members of BECs and lay organizations and movements (e.g. Couples for Christ, Charismatics, Neo-Catechumenates, etc.).

In my talk I traced the origin and inspiration of the BECs to the Christian community in Jerusalem that emerged on Pentecost Sunday with the coming of the Holy Spirit and the start of the evangelizing mission of Peter and the apostles. Unfortunately, through the centuries, the communitarian model of the Church was supplanted by the Institutional model. The formation of BECs which started after Vatican II is part of the post-conciliar effort to renew the Church and to re-emphasize the communitarian spirit of the early Church.

I also talked about the problems encountered in building BECs, the lessons learned, the challenges and prospects. I emphasized the need for renewed evangelization as an essential process in the formation of BECs, and also the need for developed BECs to work for total human development, address the problem of poverty, work for peace and justice and defend the environment.

I challenged the leaders and members of the lay organizations and renewal movements to be involved in their respective BECs and contribute in their growth.

After my talk, we had the celebration of the sacrament of penance and reconciliation. There were over 30 priests who heard confession. We were able to start the vigil mass at 11:30 pm (presided by the diocesan administrator). We finished the liturgy by 3;30 am, and the people dispersed and journeyed back to their respective parishes (riding buses, trucks and jeepneys).

Coming down the mountain - continuing my mission

I have just ended one month of solitude in my hermitage in the mountain of Busay and I am now back to civilization. I feel that one month was so short - but all the same, I am grateful for the opportunity to relax, reflect prayerfully, read, write, and run. I had a great time running the mountain trails. Last weekend, I ran down to the city in the morning to attend an ordination, and in the afternoon I ran up back to the mountain. It took me one hour and thirty minutes to ascend the steep mountain from the monastery. The last time I ran up this mountain was 18 years ago while preparing for the marathon - and it only took me an hour. Well, at least, I can still do it at the age of 52, although at a slower pace. I have decided to make a marathon comeback and to start my training program during my stay in Busay. I have 9 months of training for the Philippines International Marathon this February 24, 2008. The last time I ran a marathon was in 1995 - twelve years ago - in Rome.

Tomorrow, I will be travelling to Samar. I have been invited to give a one hour talk to the Diocesan BEC (Basic Ecclesial Communities) congress in San Julian on May 26. They are expecting 250 delegates for the congress. In the evening I will give a 90 minutes speech during the Diocesan Pentecost Vigil. They are expecting six thousand people from all the parishes of the Borongan diocese. From there, I go back to Cebu and fly to Davao to give a seminar on Christology and Ecclesiology on May 29-31 in Tacurong.

This is going to be very busy school year. But my stay in Busay has recharged me to continue my mission.

Going up my mountain - Becoming an Occasional Hermit

Once again I am living the life of a hermit up in the mountain of Busay overlooking the city of Cebu.

I came up here six days ago and I will be here until May 23. Two years ago, I spent five months here, during my sabbatical. Now I can only spare a month.

This is my sacred space. I fell in love with this place when I was still a seminarian. I made a promise that I will come up here regularly (at least for a month) and spend time in solitude, silence and prayer. This is what I have been doing since my ordination - except for the six years that I was away for higher studies in Berkeley and in Rome.

This is a very relaxing time for me. Besides praying and meditating , I have enough time to jog along the trails and to practice Taichi. I set aside time for spiritual reading. I also do some writing (I am trying to finish my book projects). I cook my own meals and wash my clothes. Usually after supper, it is music time (playing the flute, violin or the guitar). When I am inspired, I compose some songs or write poetry.

Once a week, on Sundays, I go down to the monastery 12 kilometer below and have dinner with my confreres. This is also the time to check my e-mail, catch up on the news and get food supply.

Even though I live alone, I really don't feel lonely. I am in a flow, time goes so quickly. I feel re-energized. For now, I have to be contented with the little time I can spend here. When I reach 70, I would like to spend my remaining years here.

Consoling the mother of a Davao Death Squad (DDS) victim

I went over to Bangkerohan this evening to condole with Clarita - the mother of Fernando - and lead the prayer service which was held at the barangay hall. Fernando was only 15 years old. He had been warned by some Barangay officials that his name was on the list of the Death Squad. He was in hiding for several months but got homesick. A few days after returning home he was killed by the DDS. Three of his elder brothers were also executed by the DDS, several years ago. Clarita was inconsolable after losing her fourth son.

Life is so cheap in our country. They want to cleanse society of juvenile delinquents -without giving them a chance to reform. Meanwhile, the corrupt politicians, police and military men who have stolen millions and responsible for the suffering and death of so many of our people go unpunished.

Another victim of the Davao Death Squad (DDS)

I just received a message that Clarita Alia's teenage son, Fernando, was killed by the Davao Death Squad (DDS) yesterday. They stabbed him to death to make it appear that it was just another gangland killing. But Clarita insited that it was the handiwork of the DDS. Several months ago, Clarita was featured in the ITV-CNN documentary on the Davao Death Squads in Davao. She had already lost 3 sons to the DDS. And now she has lost her 4th son.

Over the last few months, the DDS have changed their tactics. Instead of shooting their targets, they now stab them. Thus, the killings are no longer reported in the media because they make it appear that these are the usual gangland killings. But their goal is still the same. To cleanse society of social misfits - petty thieves, drug addicts and pushers, etc. There are ove 500 victims of these summary executions. Many believe that the perpetrators are former communist-Sparrow Unit assassins and off-duty policement encouraged, supported or tolerated by the local government executive and the police. Even the US state department and the UN Rapporteur have expressed concern about these killings.

Elsewhere, the killings continue. In some areas the targets are petty criminals, in other areas the targets are members of alleged leftist legal organizations like Bayan Muna.

What is alarming is that in face of this culture of death, there is a culture of silence. This present government has not done anything to stop the killings. This government is in a state of denial, as the UN Rapporteur Allston reported. The ordinary citizens do not care. There is no public outcry. They keep on electing people who have blood on their hands.

We are just a few lonely voices, crying in the wilderness.

Celebrating Easter Among Poor Peasants

The other day I biked for 97 kilometers to a village up in the mountain of Talaingod to celebrate Easter with the members of the Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC). It took me over six hours to reach the place. The Redemptorist seminarians have been in the mission area for two weeks and they had invited me to preside at the Easter vigil celebration with the community composed mostly of poor peasants. After supper with the leader of the BEC, we begin the Easter vigil at 8 pm. The most powerful symbol of the liturgy was when the people accepted and shared the light from the paschal candal. In the midst of darkness, the candles the people were holding were bright enough to fill the the chapel. I reminded the people that the risen Christ - the light of the world - has conquered the darkness of sin and evil by his resurrection. We need to accept Jesus and live in the light. This requires dying to sin and living a new life - a life freed from sin and evil.

We finished the liturgy at almost 10 pm. After a light snack with the leaders, I went to sleep in the hut of the BEC leader. By 3:30 am, I was already awake. The people were ready by 4 am to celebrate the traditional "Sugat" - the ritual enactment of the encounter between the sorrowful mother Mary and the risen Jesus. It started with a procession - the men following the "risen Jesus" and the women following the "sorrowful mother." When the two processions met ouside the chapel, the angels took the veil of the sorrow mother, and her sorrow was turned into joy. The "Sugat" was followed by an Easter morning Mass which was over by 5:30 am. After breakfast, I biked for another six hours back to the parish.

Hearing Confession

I spent almost three hours listening to the confession of our church-goers after the mass this evening. Over 500 people turned up for the communal penitential celebration followed by individual confession. There were only 5 of us priests to hear the confessions of the people.

Well, I was not suprised by the big turn out. We are after all in the middle of the Holy Week and tomorrow is Holy Thursday.

Many of those who came to confess were people who had not been to confession for a long time. I was overwhelmed by the heavy and serious sins that they confessed. After almost three hours I was tired and I had a headache.

Many of those who confessed were in tears as they unburdened their guilt that they have been carrying for quite some time. I sensed that going to confession was an expression of conversion - the desire to change or renew their life. It was also the opportunity to communicate to them
God's mercy and compassion.

Fighting for Land

Last night, I celebrated the Eucharist with the people whose homes had been demolished. We had the mass in a temporary chapel amid the ruins of the houses that had been destroyed. Out of 140 families, 70 families remained and they live in makeshift home while the case is still being fought in the Court of Appeals. They have set up barricades, to prevent the demolition team from coming back. After the mass, we had agape. The people shared with one another the food that they brought.

For over 30 years, they have been occupying a piece of land owned by the government at the back of the Davao Medical Center. In spite of a memorandum of agreement, the director of the hospital wanted to drive them out and transfer to them to a distant relocation site. Half of the community resisted while the other half gave in. Those left behind were determined to fight for the land that they have be occupying for a long time. They are asking the government to include the land in the government urban housing program.

There are several Basic Ecclesial Communities in our parish that had successfully fought for their land. The first ones where in the Buhangin area several decades ago and the latest was in Spring Valley last year. These communities had to resort to both legal and extralegal means to defend their homes against the demolition teams. In the end the government acceded to their demands.

Recovering from Cancer

I met Alice after mass this morning. She looked very well and felt well. She told me that she is recovering well from cancer. I cannot claim full credit for that but she told me I have been a big help.

Several months ago, she came to me feeling hopeless and helpless after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. She seemed like a woman who had just be handed the death sentence.

During our previous healing sessions I prayed over her and taught her a healing meditation to deal with the pain, visualize the cancer dissolving and visualize herself living up to 80 years old. I helped her go through the process of inner healing - dealing with the recent pain of feeling abandoned by her son which triggered the childhood pain of being abandoned by her mother. Being able to forgive her son and mother and letting go of the hurts and resentment contributed to the healing process. I also advised her to do the things she loved doing (she liked to sing) and to exercise. After a while the cancer stopped spreading and she decided to undergo surgery.

So it seems that she is not going to die yet and she may live up to 80.

Priestly Ministry and forming Basic Ecclesial Communities

I just got back from Catarman, Northern Samar where I conducted a seminar for the clergy. I had to travel by air, sea and land to get to that remote diocese. There were 45 priests in attendance together with Bishop Trance and Bishop-emeritus Hobayan.

Ten years ago, the diocesan pastoral assembly decided to adopt as a diocesan thrust the formation of Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) in all the parishes. As part of the tenth anniversary of the BEC program, I was invited to conduct a BEC re-orientation seminar to the clergy.

These were the topics that I presented during the three-day seminar:

1. The BECs: Phenomenological and Ecclesiological Perspectives
2. The priestly ministry vis-a-vis BECs
3. Building BECs: Pre-requesites and Strategic Framework
4. Evangelizing BECs
5. Organizing BECs
6. Mobilizing BECs for Social Transformation
7. Approaches to Building BECs
8. Developing a BEC culture

I emphasized that BECs are considered as new way of being Church. The BECs can be regarded as the Church at the grassroots, the Church in the neighborhood, the Church in the village. The vision of a renewed Church - a community of disciples where the members live in communion and participate in the mission of Christ as witnessing, worshipping and serving communities and as the Church of the Poor - may be experienced by the ordinary lay faithful in the BECs.

The priestly ministry must be understood and exercised in the context of the BECs. A new of being Church, requires a new way of being priests.
According to the Second Vatican Council and the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, the ordained ministry cannot just be understood and exercised in cultic terms. Priesthood is not just saying mass or administering the sacraments. It also includes the pastoral ministry, the prophetic ministry, the social ministry.

As shepherds or pastors, the priests have the responsibility to gather and lead the flock - this means a ministry of forming a truly genuine Christian community and leading it. Since the parish is so big, this means forming a network of small Christian communities or BECs. Thus, the formation of BECs can be considered as a constitutive dimension of the priestly ministry.

Celebrating EDSA People Power

Today, 22 years ago, the dictator, Ferdinand Marcos was ousted peacefully by hundreds of thousands of Filipinos that gathered at EDSA - the highway between Camp Aguinaldo and Fort Bonifacio. I was at that time in a distant barrio in Mindanao - hearing the good news on the radio. I had been grieving over my mother's death (she was killed by military men) and was wondering whether it was time to leave the priesthood and join the armed struggle against the government. The ouster of Marcos through non-violent means made the armed option unnecessary. Deep within, it affirmed my faith in the reality of God's liberating presence in the history of our people. Out of joy, I wrote this poem:

Psalm of EDSA

Ring the bells, blow your horns
light the fireworks, let the dance begin
in the barricades, streets, camps and homes.
Proclaim to the whole world the good news:
the dictator has finally fled to Hawaii!

This is the moment we have longed for
the moment of our deliverance!

They who put their trust in their armies
have been put to shame
by the multitudes of men, women and children
emboldened by the power of the cross
led by the frail widow of the man
who gave his life on the tarmac.

The instruments of terror
have unwittingly been converted
into forces for freedom
embraced and protected by the people.

The armalites, tanks and helicopters
were powerless against the risen people
ready to offer their bodies and blood without taking life
armed with their prayers, tears,
rosary beads, carved images of the Mother and Child,
crosses, flowers and food for the bewildered troops.

Let us praise and thank the Lord,
the God who is never blind, deaf nor powerless,
the subversive God
who has always been with us in our struggle
throughout the archipelago
who is present at EDSA
and who will accompany us on our journey
to the land of promise - a land flowing
with peace, justice and prosperity.

Let this moment be etched in our hearts
for we have shown to the world
the saving power of God!

______

Twenty-two years later, the euphoria is gone. It was a brief moment in our history when we were proud to be Filipinos. We thought that it would be followed by a transformed society. It was an Exodus, but we have not reached the promised land -- we are still wandering in the desert.

As I look at our society today, the situation has not radically changed. The dictator is long gone and dead. But the problems that plagued the people remain - widespread poverty, inequality, foreign domination of our economy, corruption in government and the military, the spiral of violence, extrajudicial killings, the culture of death, environmental degradation. Most of our politicians have the same attitude as the politicians during the time of Marcos -- greedy, corrupt, self-serving. Our president is no better than Marcos.

We have changed the political system , we have changed our leaders but we as a people have not undergone a process of conversion. The spirit of EDSA - of people power - seems to be gone. How long do we have to wander in the desert? When will we ever reach the promise land?

The desert is place of purification - a place of growing up as God's people. It is a place that we need to go through before we can enter the promise land.

Christian-Muslim Dialogue of Life and Faith

This afternoon I attended a gathering of Muslims and Christians belonging to the Silsilah Dialogue movement. This is a group that come together occasionally to engage in an ongoing dialogue of life and faith. We prayed together, shared our faith and experiences and ended with a meal - table-fellowship.

I was impressed by the friendship and mutual respect among the members of the group. I liked the sharing of Ustadz Muhammad, a Muslim scholar and religious leader. He talked about Islam as religion of peace and how the terrorists misrepresent true Islam. He spoke about Jesus in a very reverent manner and the need for Christians and Muslims to live in harmony and peace. He seemed to be well versed not only with the Qur'an but also with the Bible.

I also shared my own conviction that Christians and Muslim have so many things in common in spite of differences. We believe in the one God, in Abraham as our father in faith, in Jesus the Son of Mary (Isa ibn Maryam) as the prophet (al Nabi) and the messiah (al Nabi) whose birth was announced by the Angel Gabriel (Jibril), who suffered on the cross, and ascended to heaven and who will come again in the last days. Jesus does not only belong to the Christians but also to the Muslims (although they do not believe in his divinity). Thus, Christians and Muslims are not just neighbors and friends, they are also "relatives."

I have been actively involved in Christian-Muslim dialogue for the last seven years. It started during the height of the armed conflict between the Government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Together with Ustadz Mahmoud Adilao and Monsignor Jimmy Afable, we organized a Caravan for Peace across the war torn area. Over a thousand Christians and Muslims abourd trucks and buses journeyed towards Cotabato and set up a peace camp to pressure the negotiators to come to a peace agreement. During the journey for peace, we prayed together and shared meals together and established a bond among ourselves. Because of that Ustadz Adilao and his family became my close friends. Last year, I visited his home during the Eid Fitr and shared a meal with his family.

Another unforgetable moment was a visit I made to a mosque in Davao. I was accompanied by Sr. Marianella and Zuhaira. We entered the mosque during the midday Friday prayer and stayed at the back and prayed silently. The Imam - Eldio - invited me to speak to the Muslim worshippers after his sermon. I spoke for five minutes about our common religious heritage - the One God, Abraham, Jesus the Son of Mary - and how Christians and Muslims are should live in peace. Afterwards, we went to the home of the Imam for lunch - table-fellowship! Over the years, I have occasionally met the Imam during the various prayer rallies for peace in the city.

Zuhaira (or Pong) has become a very dear friend. She is a Muslim who is not only pretty but also intelligent and kind. We first met in Zamboanga six years ago during a Silsilah intensive seminar. I occasionally go out for dinner with her and Sr. Marianella. She told us that when she get married in a Muslim ceremony, Sr. Marianella and I will be one of the sponsors.

All these experiences have given me a positive regard for Muslims and for Islam. I firmly believe that Christians and Muslim can live in peace and work together for peace.

Loving your Enemies: Ending the Spiral of Violence

"Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you... If anyone slaps you on the cheek, turn the other cheek as well." (Lk 6:27, 29)

Today's Gospel reading is one of the texts that I always found difficult to preach about in the past, especially during the dark days of the Marcos dictatorial rule.

I remember telling my novice-master 30 years ago that I could not accept this teaching. Two years earlier I had been released from prison after being tortured and imprisoned for seven months. I told my novice-master - "How can you expect me to love and forgive my torturers?" To do so would be to condone the abuses, the human rights violation, and the oppression under the dictatorial rule.

After my mother was robbed and killed twenty years ago by a gang composed of off-duty military men, it became even more difficult to accept this teaching. Love and forgive those who killed her? Anger and the desire for revenge filled my heart. I was just waiting for the results of the snap election called by Marcos before making a decision whether leave the priesthood and join the armed struggle. I remember asking for a sign from a God that I found difficult to believe in.

One month after my mother's death, I received the news that those who killed my mother were killed in an encounter with the police while robbing another house. There was divine justice after all.

Another month later - on February 21-25, 1986 - the most unbelievable event took place - millions of people massed at EDSA after a failed coup attempt and faced the troops, tanks and helicopters of the Marcos dictatorial regime. The people were ready die but not to kill. Many were kneeling and praying in front of the tanks. Some girls were giving flowers to the soldiers. Women were giving the soldiers food. A priest was embracing a soldier. This was the gospel in action - love your enemies! After four days, the dictator stepped down and fled to Hawaii. No blood was shed.

Two years later, I witnessed a similar event in San Fernando, Bukidnon. Our mission team had been organizing and mobilizing the Basic Ecclesial Communities to struggle against the logging companies that were denuding the forests and destroying the environment. The people barricaded the roads, so that no logging trucks could pass. They fed the drivers of the logging trucks and treated them as friends. One day, while celebrating the mass in the barricade, a platoon of soldiers came to break up the barricade. They began beating the people with their truncheons. But the people, did not move and allowed themselves to be beaten without putting up a resistance. They continued singing the Our Father, while crying. They did not harbor any hatred or ill feelings towards the soldiers. And when the soldiers drag the parish priest to bring him to prison, the people also climbed the trucks because they too wanted to be imprisoned. The soldiers gave up and released the priest. This was reported in the newspapers and TV, and the conscience of the new president (Cory Aquino) was moved and she suspended the licences of the logging companies. A year later, the people continued their struggle and demanded a total log ban using the same peaceful, non-violent means. Their demand was granted and Bukidon became the first province where a total log ban was declared by the government.

These two events made me appreciate Christ's teaching about loving our enemies and doing good to those who hate us. It does not mean tolerating evil or allowing injustice and oppression to continue. It means that in our struggle against evil, we are not driven by hatred or revenge but by love and compassion - for the enemies. It means being ready to suffer and die, but not to kill or make others suffer. It means not using evil means in our fight against evil. This requires ultimately forgiveness and reconciliation. This is that path of non-violence. This is the only way to end the spiral of violence. It only the power of love that can triumph over evil.

The great social transformations that have taken place in the 20th century were effected not by the use of force or arms, but by applying Christ's teaching of love and non-violent resistance. Mahatma Ghandi was inspired by the Sermon of the Mount and made it one of the inspiration of the non-violent struggle of the Indian people against the British Empire. Martin Luther King made use of it in the struggle for equal rights. Nelson Mandela and his movement succeeded in ending apartheid through non-violence. Communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe also collapsed without bloodshed.

All of these followed the way of Jesus - the way of love and compassion, of peace and non-violence, the way of the cross.

What's wrong with my heart?

I got the results of my medical check-up the other day and saw a cardiologist yesterday. I am still trying to come to grips with the bad news. High cholesterol level, high blood sugar level, high blood pressure, atherosclerotic aorta, ischemia at the inferolateral wall of the heart, and some problem with the liver. All of these add up to what is called syndrome X. In other words, the risk of a stroke or a heart attack is very high. I could drop dead anytime, like my father (he had diabetes and hypertension, and had a stroke and a fatal heart attack).

I thought that I was immune to heart disease since I have run marathons in the past and have been doing a lot of long-distance cycling. But a few months ago, while biking for over 4 hours across the steep mountain trails of Samal Island, I felt some chest pain. I had to stop and lie down. I was asking myself if I was having a heart attack. But the pain disappeared after 15 minutes. So I thought it was just the gas pain after drinking Coke. Looking back now, it appears that I had angina pectoris. There was not enough blood and oxygen getting to the heart because of the atherosclesis in the aorta and the ischemia.

I still have to do more tests this Monday (stress test, ultrasound, etc) to determine the gravity of my condition. I hope things are not as bad as it seems.

Meanwhile, I will have to watch my diet, exercise moderately, take some medication and supplements, learn to relax, avoid stress, etc.

I have become more aware of my mortality - I could die tomorrow or 50 years from now. I am not afraid of death, but I hope I live longer - there is still so much to be done.

Celebrating Valentine's Day - Alone

Here I am at Basti's Brew - my favorite coffee shop - enjoying my capuccino. I see lovers around me celebrating Valentine's Day.

I am all alone this time. The last time I was here was over two weeks ago - with Yna, Lucy and Kristine. We had just finished our farewell dinner for Yna in a nearby restaurant and crossed over here for our usual capuccino and dessert. This is where we usually meet regularly for the last 3 years to enjoy each other's company and talk about each other's problems, hopes and dreams. With Evelyn and Yna in their respective convents in Manila now, and in the absence of a quorum, we won't be able to hold our regular "meetings."

So meanwhile, I am enjoying my capuccino alone facing my computer, oblivious to the lovers around me. Strange, I don't really feel lonely.

"I am not really celebrating Valentine's "(I tell myself). This is a day for lovers, not for celibates like me.

It is best celebrated with someone very special -- with someone you really love deeply and with whom you really want to commit yourself to. I have given up that kind of love when I committed myself totally to God and his Kingdom. But I have not given up the capacity to love people - although it may be a different way of loving.

The vow of celibacy and chastity is vow to love God and people passionately -- with all my heart, my mind, my soul. This love is expressed in deeds of charity, service, compassion and care for people -especially the poor and needy. The Greek word for this kind of love is Agape. It is different from Eros.

It would be inappropriate for a celibate like me to be involved romatically and sexually with another person. Yes, I may have close friends but there are boundaries that I will never violate.
It is difficult but it has be done - I have to maintain a safe distance, especially from women I am attracted to. Here's a poem I wrote a long time ago.

Safe Distance

From a distance I gaze at you
safely,
painfully.

How I long
to touch you
and to be touched by you.

But I'm afraid
I might have amnesia.
I might forget
who and what I am
and the promises that I have made
to God.

I'm more afraid
that I might remember
that I am human
and I have needs
that cannot be ignored.

Forgive me
I cannot move any closer
to bridge this formidable gap.

You will remain
a distant figure
a face and a name
that will haunt my imagination.

What a fool I am
a fool for Christ's sake.

Saying goodbye to a friend

I said goodbye to Yna this afternoon. She was leaving for Manila to start her formation as a postulant of the Cenacle Sisters.

Yna is a pretty young woman who had recently been promoted to a supervisory position in her office. She has been a reader in our Church for over 10 years and a member of the parish liturgy commission. We've been close friends for more than two years. We frequently go out together with 3 other friends for cappuccino and dessert after supper. We jokingly call the group the SFMD (Society of the Foot and Mouth Disease). No, it doesn't refer to the disease of animals. We just love to go places (foot) and talk (mouth). We talk about a lot of things - life in general and their hopes & dreams of the future.

Last summer, one of the members (Evelyn) decided to go back to her religious order which she left 10 years ago. And this afternoon, Yna left to pursue her religious vocation. I will miss them. Meanwhile, in the absence of a quorum, the SFMD is in recess until further notice (that is whenever, they come home for a visit).

I find it unbelievable that two of my dear friends would discover (or rediscover) their religious vocation. I don't take credit for that, although they tell me that our conversations over cappuccino have helped clarify the direction of their life. I was moved by Yna's note thanking me for my "words of encouragement, inspiration and challenge" and for "being a light at night time and a gentle breeze during the day" in her journey.

Yna reminds of a very dear friend I met when I was a newly ordained priest in Tacloban. Her name was Gina. She was a very beautiful young woman who read in our Church and a student in engineering. I was attracted to her but I was careful not to violate our boundaries and to maintain a celibate friendship. She later joined a contemplative order (Poor Clares) and we have maintained our friendship through the years although we do not see each other often.

With friends like them, celibate existence is less lonely and more bearable. It made me realize that friendship with women is not necessarily a threat to my religious vocation. It can be mutually enriching and can help us be faithful to our respective vocation and draw us closer to God. Celibacy does not mean giving up our capacity to love, it is a way of loving - chaste, non-possessive and non-exclusive. I never want to become a loveless, grumpy old celibate.

I thank God for the gift of friendship - for friends like Yna and Gina.
I like the way Italians say goodbye - arrividerci (Until we see each other again). We actually don't say goodbye to friends - we only say - til we meet again.

Conducting a Clergy Retreat

I just came back from Cebu after conducting the annual retreat for the clergy of the Dipolog diocese, 52 priests and their bishop attended. The theme of the 4 day retreat was: "A Renewed Clergy for a Renewed Church."

The retreat was meant to enable the priests to review their life and ministry using as a framework a theology of ministry based on the Second Vatical Council and the Plenary Council of the Philippines. This framework emphasizes that ordained ministry has four dimensions: pastoral ministry, prophetic ministry, sacramental/liturgical ministry and social ministry. The retreat has 3 important components: 1)the presentations/talks given by me (the director), 2) the individual reflection/meditation, 3) the small group sharing (vicariate level and by peer group).


Day 1 Monday
arrival
6:30 pm - Dinner
8:00 - Opening Eucharist/Orientation

Day 2 Tuesday
7:00 am - Breakfast
8:15 Morning Prayer
8:30 Presentation 1: Pastoral Ministry (Ministry of Pastoral Leadership: Forming and Leading the Christian Community/ Basic Ecclesial Communities)
9:45 Individual Reflection/Meditation
11:00 Small group sharing (by vicariate)
12:00 lunch break
3:00 pm Presentation 2: Prophetic Ministry (Ministry of the Word: Forming and Leading a Prophetic, Evangelizing and Witnessing Community)
4:15 Individual Reflection/Meditation
5:30 Eucharist
6:30 Dinner
7:30 Holy Hour
8:30 Peer Group Gathering/Conversation (by age groupings)

Day 3 - Wednesday
7:00 am Breakfast
8:15 Morning Prayer
8:30 Presentation 3: Sacramental/Liturgical Ministry (Forming and Leading a Priestly/Worshipping Community)
9:45 Individual Reflection/Meditation
11:00 Small Group Sharing (vicariate level)
12:00 lunch break
3:00 Presentation 4: Social Ministry (Forming and Leading a Servant Community - that works for justice, peace and the integrity of creation, and for social trasformation)
4:15 Individual Reflection/Meditation
5:30 Eucharist
6:30 Dinner
7:30 Holy Hour
8:30 Peer Group Gathering/Conversation

Day 4: Thursday
7:00 Breakfast
8:15 Morning Prayer
8:30 Presentation 5: Celibacy and Ministry (Appreciating the Value of Celibacy and Living it More Meaningfully and Authentically)
10:00 Film Showing: The Crime of Padre Amaro
12:00 Lunch break
3:00 Presentation 6: Facing the Dark Side and the Responding to the call for to Ongoing Conversion.
4:30 Communal Penitential Celebration/Confession
5:30 Closing Eucharist
6:30 Dinner

Celebrating Victory Against the Banana Plantations

After my morning mass, I biked to Wangan (a community up in the hills of Calinan, 35 km from Davao) to attend a victory/thanksgiving celebration of poor farmers who had been waging a campaign against aerial spraying in banana plantations. The participants of the celebration came from the neighboring barangays, the supporters and the NGO working with them (IDIS). Throughout the past nine months I have been supporting this campaign by joining in the Interfaith Prayer Rally in front of City Hall last June and the Vigil held in September. I have also gathered signatures from our own community, the parishioners and the members of the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) in support of the Ban the Aerial Spraying.

Last week, the City Council finally passed the ordinance banning the Aerial Spraying in the whole of Davao, inspite of the lobbying made by banana plantation owners.

I am just amazed how poor people with the support of civil society and religious leaders were able to convince the city council to pass this ordinance. During the celebration, the people thanked God for the divine guidance and support.

This reminds of the anti-logging campaign in San Fernando Bukidnon 20 years ago carried out by poor people belonging to BECs which we supported. As a result of the people's non-violent struggle, a total log ban was imposed on the whole province.

Lay Missionaries

I just got back from Iligan after conducting a missiology seminar in Iligan City for those undergoing training as Redemptorist lay missionaries. There are nine of them at present under the Alphonsian Lay Formation Institute. There are six male and three female trainees - most of them are in their mid-twenties. They are all college graduates - social work, agriculture, education, nursing. After their one-year training they will be assigned to the 4 Redemptorist mission teams in Visayas and Mindanao. At present there are over 30 lay missionaries working with Redemptorist priests and brothers. We depend on our lay missionaries to continue our missionary work as Redemptorists. I am amazed at their dedication and commitment. But we have to make sure that we provide them with adequate training and formation so that they will become competent and effective missionaries.

These are the topics I covered in four days of intensive seminar:
1. Mission ad Intra & ad Gentes
2. Trinitarian Foundation of Mission
3. Ecclesiological Foundation of Mission
4. The Goals and Paths of Mission
5. Dialogue and Mission
6. Mission and Inculturation
7. Evangelization - Proclamation and Witness
8. Building up the Local Church/Christian Community
9. Mission and Human Promotion & Development
10. Redemptorist Missions in Souther Philippines (Historical/Missiological Perspective)
11. Building Basic Ecclesial Communities (Missiological/Strategic Framework)

I am also teaching this course to Redemptorist major seminarians here at the St. Alphonsus' Theologate in Davao.

Forming Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs)

This morning I celebrated mass in Belisario Heights - an upper class subdivision/village. Around 150 residents came. Instead of preaching a brief homily after the gospel I gave a 40-minute powerpoint presentation about Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs). Within the coming months I will be helping in the evangelizing and organizing process in this village. This is part of the efforts to form BECs in the upper class villages in the parish.

There are already 33 BECs in our parish. Most of these are found in lower class areas. There are some that are in middle class subdivisions. It is only recently that we have started the process of forming BECs in the upper class villages.

BECs are small communities of Catholic Christians whose members experience a sense of belonging and responsibility for one another. They are close to each other and share their resources with one another. They come together regularly to reflect on the Word of God. They also pray together and celebrate the Eucharist. They are not only concerned about spiritual matters - they also discuss the problems that they face (social, economic, political, environmental) and find ways to address these. They work for total human development, peace and justice. They live simply and are concerned about the poor and help empower the poor. The first Christian community in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts (2:42-47, 4:32-35) is the model of BECs. Communities like this are emerging all over the country and through these the vision of a renewed Church promoted by Vatican II and the second Plenary Council of the Philippines is becoming a reality. I wrote my doctoral dissertation on BECs at the Gregorian University (Rome) over a decade ago.

This afternoon I attended a meeting of the Parish Social Action Commission (PSAC). I am an adviser of this commission which is composed of lay people and has the task of monitoring the situation of the BECs and coordinating their efforts to respond to the social, economic and political situation of these communities. The commission has started doing environmental scanning and drawing up a SWOT analysis - part of the process of strategic planning.

Evangelical Poverty

Yesterday the Redemptorist community in Davao- composed of Redemptorist priests and seminarians - had a recollection day. We spent the whole day reflecting and sharing on the theme: "Evangelical Poverty."

As religious, one of the vows we have professed is the vow of poverty. For the last 30 years, I have tried to live this vow.

One the questions that I have tried to answer since the beginning of my religious life is how can we live the vow of evangelical poverty.

At the outset we need to clarify that evangelical poverty cannot be equated with material poverty or destitution. Material poverty is not a virtue in itself nor should it ever be glorified or romanticized. The majority of our people who are poor want to be liberated from poverty. It is a social problem that has to be eradicated if not minimized. it is part our our mission as Christians and as Religious to help improve the condition of the poor so that they will no longer live in poverty and will have a decent standard of living.

What then is the meaning of evangelical poverty?

It is first of all a matter of acknowledging our trust and dependence on God's loving providence. It is God and his kingdom that we treasure above all. We seek first the kingdom of God. All our energies are spent in the service of God's kingdom and not in the pursuit or accumulation of material wealth. It is God that we serve, not Mammon.

In carrying out our mission of proclaiming and building up God's kingdom, we embrace the condition of those to whom we are sent - especially the poor. It means accepting discomfort and even suffering. It means living simply. We cannot live in luxury amidst so much poverty.

This does not mean that we reject technology and the modern means of communication and transport. We need these to carry out our mission.

Evangelical poverty requires a spirit of detachment from our material goods and resources, and to share these with one another in our religious community and with the poor to whom we serve.

This means making an option for the poor, being in solidarity with them in their struggle to transform society.

Welcoming the New Year 2007

I just got back the other day from my hometown in Iligan City where I spent my post-Christmas vacation and where I welcomed the New Year. Iligan is 385 kilometers from Davao across the mountains of Davao and Bukidnon. It took me two and a half days to cycle from here to Iligan and the same time coming back. I biked in the heat and in the rain. I used to do it in two days but this time I just took it easy. Besides I am not as strong and fast as I used to be. But at 52 years old, I can still do it.

What do I wish achieve during this year 2007?

I would like to finish writing my book on Ecclesiology entitled "The Vision of a Renewed Church" and have it published.
I would like to shape up, do more body-building exercises, and lose 25 pounds.
I would like to go around the country and give retreats, seminars and talks especially to the clergy and lay leaders.
I would to go scuba diving more often.