BAÑOC
The “prayer rally” spearheaded by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) last Sunday dubbed as “Heal our Land Sunday” should make the very few participants meditate if such activity is within the true will of God.
Of the more than 100 million Filipinos in this country, only less than four thousand attended in Manila. In Cebu, of more than four million people, only 100 more or less attended.
Of the very few participants who attended, how many of them know the real illness of our land? How many of them diagnosed first the sickness before talking of healing? Did their hearts have pure intentions in attending such activity? Was it not an opportunity to show their hypocrisy?
People might give the benefit of doubt as to the presence of Bishop Socrates Villegas at the rally. But what about the presence of politicians who have been against President Rodrigo Duterte even before he was elected president? Were participants not disturbed with the presence of Sen. Antonio Trillanes and Sen. Bam Aquino in Edsa? Did the participants really believe that it was purely a “prayer rally”? Or they are aware that it was a political rally against President Duterte!
In Cebu, Bishop Jose Palma did not attend the rally. He reportedly sent a monk, maybe as a matter of courtesy to CBCP, as his representative who read his message before the participants during the short program. But what was frustrating was that it was followed by the reading of the malicious letter from Sen. Antonio Trillanes by his political representative.
I hope the CBCP should meditate as to why majority of Catholics refuse to listen to its calls. Has their faith been diminished? Are they not anymore listening to their bishops? Or they just simply know what is purely religious activity from a misleading, political one?
Note that millions of Catholics are very active to join the procession of the Black Nazarene. They come in great number to attend the solemn procession of the Sto. Nino. I think this is because it is crystal clear that these two activities are purely religious.
The talk of healing our land will necessarily make us realize that we need to diagnose first its real illness. In another way of saying it, there is a need to identify the problem first before a solution can be introduced.
Realistically speaking, the problem of illegal drugs in this country has been very terrible. It is comparable to a cancer. People, except perhaps those residing in palaces and high-end subdivisions, know the extent of the problem. They were in a quandary on how to solve the problem because the authorities and corrupt politicians are in connivance with the drug lords.
The problem has been there even before Duterte became president. Did the CBCP not see it as an illness in our land? Why is it only now that they organized a “prayer rally” tagged as “heal our land”? Healing from what?
I think there is no wrong prayer if it is coming from the heart. So I join them in prayer by sincerely saying: Lord, heal our land from some hypocrital bishops; Lord, heal our land from corrupt politicians; and Lord, heal our land from illegal drugs! Amen.