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As a forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist was an activist during his time. He dared to defy the system and talk against the status quo. He challenged the authorities to straighten their crooked ways of doing things. He preached justice and social transformation. His daring stance landed him to prison which led to his tragic death. He was decapitated for speaking the truth.
The season of advent calls us to continue to participate in the establishment of God’s kingdom in the here and now of the Philippine society, to be firm in our resolve to live in righteousness by being vigilant, ever awake and responsible of our God given duties to nurture and protect his household – the Philippine society from the evil schemes of the fake “Lords.”
Amid this miserable situation, we are still a nation not running out with GREAT PEOPLE...They are sometimes called activists, human rights defenders, advocates, change makers, dreamers. However, under Anti-Terrorism Act, they can be called terrorists or be victims of red-tagging.
The Bible, through this parable, is teaching us to say NO to an unjust system that exploits our workers and laborers. We advocate for ‘living wages’ and necessary benefits for our laborers. We face the greedy masters and tell them, “enough is enough.”
The hypocrites in government malign the work of organizers, humanitarian workers, and human rights defenders, vilifying and tagging them as enemies of the state and terrorists. They persecute many who truly work for the betterment of our society.
There is always the love and compassion that summon me to respond to the Others without filling them fully or arriving finally to the end.
Again, paying taxes is not bad. It is every citizen’s duty. However when taxes are enforced to exploit and abuse the already over-burdened poor, taxes become an immoral tool of exploitation. The situation becomes abusive when taxes are used as a source of power play of the Cesars” – to command allegiance and support from the people.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed a corrupt system and culture. The pandemic did not break the system, for the system was already broken. The masses have been suffering way before the pandemic.
The God I know works with the farmers who work hard to keep land fertile and productive. God is with them during planting season, during harvest time, and celebrates with them, and blesses them every time the land produces a sprout, a fruit, a produce so that life may be shared, and others may live. We should thank our farmers for that.
How do we express our love for Him and keep His commandments? It is written everywhere in the Bible and still much relevant today. Love those who He loves: the poor, hungry, homeless, prisoners, persecuted, lonely, and hopeless. Have preferential option for the marginalized, disadvantaged, disenfranchised, isolated, and excluded.
The grumblings of the “firsts” maybe being popularly interpreted at present through the lenses of workers receiving and experiencing unjust wages and unfair working conditions and, thus, problematizes the employer in the parable itself. However, even in its conventional or traditional meaning, the parable is very clear about what it is saying about the republic of God.
While their employers benefit from social protections, they continue to expect their domestic workers to continue to serve not six but now seven days a week.
As a Church it is essential to be in mission by following Christ with courage to stand firm and move forward in the midst of persecution and fear.
Ang mga propeta ang gumabay sa kanila sa mahabang panahon at tumulong upang marinig ang mensahe ni Yahweh sa ginta ng iba’t ibang paghihirap at pagkalimot.
The reality of the pandemic only exposes the viciousness, the corruption, and indifference of our leaders. Worst, they took advantage of the pandemic to amass more wealth, abuse their authority, show their sheer negligence and apathy to the people’s welfare and well-being, and their utmost disregard for civil liberties and human rights.
God is in every act of kindness that we extend to the people around us especially those who have lost much. In the midst of all the efforts that are being done to defeat this virus, in the midst of all the fear, doubt, desperation, anger, and frustration, an act of kindness is like a tiny, insignificant whispering sound. And yet it is there where hope springs anew. God is there.
Our governments have created structures and supported systems which aggravated this separation by worshiping the god of mammon in the altar of profit. As we can see, the coronavirus pandemic has nakedly exposed and is slowly breaking down all these propped up global economic structures and systems that dehumanizes the world. We cannot breathe anymore!
As Christians, who do God’s work, we are being called to be like treasure hunters–to prioritize the Kingdom of heaven and work for the common good of all persons. God teaches us to focus on the treasures of heaven and earth and what matters most – the dignity of life.
The ownership of land is in the hands of the powerful people – the landed elites, the mighty corporations that exacted money out of the hard labor, sweat, and blood of the oppressed. They are the bureaucrats, the people in the governments who governed as if the fate of the people is in their hands to give or to put to an end.
Rest is also about releasing the heavy burden of yoke of slavery from unjust laws and practices. Rest is learning to set boundaries and saying “no” to any form of exploitation. For us today, rest is also about resistance.
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