Sentro Filipino Chaplaincy!

Pastoral Congress!
25 April 2014!
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The Laity and the Filipino Christianity Today!
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I. The Year of the Laity 2014!
The year 2014 was declared by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines as the Year of the laity. Perhaps we all know this: that the CBCP, in
preparation for the celebration of the 500th year of the arrival of the Faith in the
Philippines, is declaring annual programs starting last year (2013) to animate a
more meaningful and effective celebration of the grace of our nation’s initial
evangelization.!
As Filipino community leaving here in Italy, we are called to participate in this
reflection. On the one hand, we may feel a little out-of-placed given our physical
distance from the Philippines (e.g. we are not so updated with the actual issues,
or at least we are not directly affected by them). But, on the other hand, this very
distance may give us a special lens whereby we can enhance our reflection
about the nature and role of the laity in the Philippine Church, and in our
extraordinary situation as Filipino Church in Rome. !
Teneamo sempre presente quasta realta, we are Filipino Church who happens
to be in Rome. That is the reason why we were given this beautiful church by
John Paul II so that the Filipino community can have a home even in this city.
Through the years, especially for you you have been here for some decades
now, you have experienced the evolution of this community. Perhaps you can
confirm too that most of the issues that our communities confront are almost the
same issue that Filipino Parishes in the Philippines are confronting: intrigahan,
selosan, politica sa mga namumuno, paring kaduda-duada, manang na
pakialamera, sikretong ichinichismis, chismis na isinisekreto, perang ginastos na
walang accounting, dalagang nabuntisan, byudang nabuntisan at marami pang
iba. Same is true withour sources of joy and consolation and growth:
celabrations and gatherings such as this—simbang gabi, pasko, pabasa ng
pasyon, fiesta, binyag kumpil, kasal, prayer meetings, sharings na walang
katapusan, damayan pag may nagkasakit at namatayan… Indeed, we cannot
deny that our Filipino commuities in Rome—in Italy—ay pinoy na pinoy pa rin.!
And so as Philippine Church celebrates the Year of the Laity, I think we in Rome
can—in fact, should—be able to participate and profit from it. I would like to
present for our reflection and consideration the changing frame of the Filipino
reality, the changing culture that we are undergoing in the Philippines. Of course
we may say, changes naturally happen we simply have to live with them. That is
true, but this chages I am talking about pertains to an approaching (or perhaps a
currently happening) tipping point. A change which is not just accidental, but
substantial. I am talking of the inevitable dawn of modernity in the Philippine
 culture. But first, a look into the event that we shall be celebrating 7 years from
now.!
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II. The arrival of Faith in 1521!
Our Philippine Bishops want us to prepare for the celebration of the arrival of
faith in the Philippines. We all learned this in our grade school history: Magellan
arrived in the Philippines in Limasawa, Leyte (according to some historian).
There he met the local leaders— Raja Humabon and Datu Kulambo, withwhich
he made the celebrated blood-compact. He then ordered the Padre Pedro
Valderrama to celebrate the mass in thanksgiving for the voyage, he then rdered
that a giant cross be erected on a mountain top. His entourage venerated the
cross and all those present did the same (perhaps, with some intimidation from
the Spanish soldiers too) together with Datu Kulambo and Raja Humabon. In
April 14 Raja Humabon was baptised along with his household. In April 28,
Lapu-lapu killed Magellan. And the proclamation of the Faith was derailed. It was
only in the subsequent voyages, especially that of Villalobos and Miguel Lopes
de Legaspi that the evangelization of the island became more systematic.!
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III. The Christianity and laity that emerged!
And so this is what we shall be celebrating in the year 2021. Not so much the
bloodshed and the colonization of the the Philippines by the Spaniards but the
celebration of the First Mass which signaled the birth of Christianity the
Philippines. That despite the contingency of events,—some of them, even quite
sinister—the Christian Faith has reached our ancestors. A few things we can
gather from this:!
Human freedom is the stage of God’s Glory (the drama of salvation in
human history)!
Filipinos are receptive to the faith: (may takot sa Diyos, may tiwala sa iba,
tumitingala sa langit, may paggalang sa hiwaga)!
Two things to remember: 1) there is always the invitation to continue
reflecting on the historical happenings of history—the effects (both positive
and negative) of the colonization to our culture and identity as a nation.
STANCE: Critical Gratitude. 2) To hear what Fr. Arrupe once told Jesuit
missionaries: before you arrive to the mission place, remember that God
has already been there before you. STANCE: Finding God even prior to
institutions—finding God in our humanity.!
The Church in the Philippines started as Politically backed-up reality. The
organization of our political structure grew side-by-side with the organization of
the Catholic Church. The Filipino culture became habituated with the set-up. We
are Catholic nation.!
Communal and community celebration as the norm: Fiesta, family gatherings.
Town Fiesta is the Fiesta of the Parish Fiesta.!
 Religion became a public thing. Masses in Government offices. Priests in
Government functions.!
Political leaders are religious!
Church leaders (Hierarchy) are political leaders. Wielder of power.!
On the one hand, there was collaborative alliance in some aspects:
implementation of morality, establishment of schools, hospitals and
charitable institutions. On the other hand, there were sporadic conflicts in
some areas of politics and legislation. But, generally there was respectful
dialogue. !
In a more cultural level though there was the increasing dichotomy between
the external-functional-celebratory and the private-personal-ethical!
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IV. The changing frame: the dawn of modernity!
Let us go now to what I said at the beginning about the imminent change: the
dawn of modernity in our nation.!
C. Taylor describes it as the immanent frame, the modern culture, the rise
of the private—the individual.!
In societal level: the new value is that of toleration, pluralism, common good
and rational discourse. Religions are tolerated, but they have to contribute
to the building of a rational human society that pursues common good of
the society.!
This is happening now more and more obviously in our culture; in varying
degree and speed. More in the urban centers and less in the rural areas.!
What helps speed this up: secular media and communication, capitalistic
industry that have to widen market. But, for me the most important
contributive factor is the failure of the Church to communicate the truth and
to communicate it well. Instead of introducing Jesus, we became fixated
with doctrines. And the counter-witnessing that is seen among many
Church leaders and prominent Christians.!
The RH law phenomena is a very rich locus of reflection and awakening on
our the part of the Church. The RH law has been proposed in every
congress sin 1992. Slowly it gained ground until it was passed into law and
upheld by the Supreme Court. But more telling is the catholics who
“privately” supported it. We will no longer re-visit the debate of whether they
sinned or not. What is being validated here is that we are indeed living in an
immanent frame, where even believers are living in their private
individualistic spheres now.!
This is the new emergent culture in the Philippines. Next in line, in the
Legislative agenda are divorce, etc.!
Have you seen via Rappler “The Gospel according to Ellen Adarna”? !
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V. The directions of the Two Papal Saints!
There are some standard reactions that we observe in ourselves given this
present predicament:!
resistance to change = live in our bubbles!
join the name-calling game!
take the defeatist stance!
The Two Popes who will be canonized this Sunday may provide us some
important directions.!
Pope John XXIII: exhorted the Church to go open the windows to the World.
“We are not caretakers of museum, but stewards of a garden of life”!
Perhaps this is the message, to review our our self-identity. What does
our Christianity mean to us? !
Pope John Paul II: on his part, proclaimed the engagement of the culture
which is always a battle ground between life and death. Oftentimes, “culture
of life” is reduced to simply being pro-life and anti-abortion/anti-
contraception. But John Paul II obviously meant more than that. His culture
of life extends to the social sphere. Even Mikhail Gorvachev commented
that perhaps no single individual contributed to the Fall of Berlin Wall more
than Pope John Paul II. His culture of life goes to his concern about the
structure of our thinking, of our governments. It extends to feeding the poor
and the weak, and the sick. It means giving life to others.!
The present Pope perhaps simply gathers the wisdom of his predecessor when
he exhorts the Church in Evangelii Gaudium to open its doors, which we all
know now is meant not to allow outsiders to enter, but to exhort those inside to
go out to the world.!
It is here, more pointedly that the laity are being addressed. In the Church,
especially in the Philippine Church, the good laity are inside the Church—they
are praying, reciting novenas, making garlands, leading block rosaries,
becoming lay eucharistic ministers—to some extent they become little clerics.
This is not bad, don’t take me wrong. But I think these should be your sunday
vocation. You have a greater vocation outside the Church. !
Beyond being prayerful Christians, you have a role in the society. Cardinal Tagle
recently harped on this in his homilies during the Holy Week, when he exhorted
lay people to join the public service, join politics, join elections. Organize
yourselves. This is our way of dealing with the immanent frame of modernity. If
we will not take the public forum, the message of Christ will remain in our sordid
rooms, in our sordid hearts.!
As Catholic communities in Rome, our concern must go beyond our petty politics
and socials. There’s a bigger and greater world out there, outside of your
community. Ad Gentes, reminded us that at the heart of Christianity is always a
 missionary vocation. As communities, let us take time to discern the ways we
are being called to go out of ourselves. Let us review our mission-vision (do we
have any?). Do they reflect the missionary vocation of the laity? How do we life
such vocation here in Rome.!
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Groupings:!
1. Let us revisit our community mision-vision. How does it promote the
missionary character of the laity?!
2. In what way can I lead/form my community to be outside-looking, more
missionary? !
3. What are the support/assistance that we need as a community to embrace
and fulfill our vocation as laity.