Part Three
This is the third part of my narration of the contents of the pastoral letter by His Excellency Most Rev. Romulo Valles, DD, the archbishop of Davao and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. Released on July 9, the letter is titled “CBCP Pastoral Exhortation: Rejoice and be glad!” This is relevant in our introspection about the events happening in our society.
He writes: We all know about the suffering of the victims of drug addicts, but can we not find it in ourselves to look at the drug dependents themselves as sick people who need help, as well? Should we just watch while victims are killed mercilessly and dumped like garbage? Did it ever cross our minds that, with every drug suspect killed, a widow and orphaned children are created—families who cannot even afford to bury their dead? Do we not care when poor homes are searched without a warrant, or when suspects are arrested without an arrest warrant and then jailed without a case filed?
He asks if people don’t really care about the sufferings of those convicted of drug-related crimes and who are now packed like sardines in oven-hot jails. Can we live with the thought that they are rotting in jail while we know that what they need is rehabilitation?
The archbishop added: Can we not hear the sufferings of the indigenous people who are being driven away from their ancestral land just so big corporations can put up dams and mining sites? How about our brothers and sisters who need to leave their homes and their livelihood so they could avoid the crossfire between the rebels and government forces? Aren’t we affected by the death of our soldiers who are victims of unending violence due to the stalled peace talks? Sometimes, he said, we cannot feel the pain of others because we have become numb.
For those who boast about their intelligence and look down on the Christian faith, for those who say that God is stupid, Saint Paul has the answer: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)
For those who disrespect our faith, Saint Paul said: “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 27-29)
In the letter, the Archbishop reminded those who are affected by the insults coming from people in power: “But to you who are listening, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.” (Luke 6:27-29)
“Revenge, exchanging evil for evil, is not the way of the Lord. Only goodness can defeat evil.” (Romans 12:21) And until Jesus’ last breath, He only uttered kind words for those who made Him suffer: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
To be continued