English
Version (read tagalog version)
PASTORAL
LETTER ON THE MAY 2010 ELECTIONS
It is not difficult to see what happens is society affects
the lives of individual persons. Changes in the economy, politics, and
culture influence our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Since it
is the mission of the Church to cherish and protect the value and dignity
of every human person, she must get involved in social developments
and provide guidance and encouragement to the faithful. That is the
reason why I, your bishop and pastor, wish to share with you some thoughts
and suggestions regarding the elections that are to be held in our country
on May 10, 2010.
To the citizenry, the voters, I have this to say: Participate!
Make your vote count. Take the trouble to find out who deserves your
vote because they truly have the good of the people in mind and heart.
Then go out and cast your ballot. Do not let laziness or indifference
keep you home or elsewhere. The power to choose your leaders is a basic
and, yes, sacred human right in the eyes of civil society and of the
church. Protect that right and never allow anyone to take it away from
you through bribery and coercion. If you want to live in a democracy,
take your responsibilities seriously and protect your vote as well as
the votes of others if you are in a position to do so. Follow your informed
conscience and choose honest and compassionate leaders who sincerely
have the good of the people especially the poor, at heart.
To the candidates seeking elective positions, we urge
purity of motives in aspiring for leadership. Our nation has suffered
for so long from officials who are more interested in self-service than
in service of the people. Our country is crying out for statesmen rather
than politicians, heroes rather than celebrities. The call to love comes
before the call to lead. What does it profit a man to get elected and
yet lose the meaning of life? We believe that beyond the façade
of irresponsibility and uncaring with which selfish politics has covered
our faces, there still remains in our hearts that spark of goodness
and compassion which can be ignited in service of our people.
As we celebrate the saving mystery of Our Lord’s
passion and resurrection, let us all as one nation cooperate with God’s
loving plan to renew and transform our history and world. May our decisions
and actions in connection with the 2010 elections be worthy of the followers
of Jesus Christ. May the loving God who watches over our lives bless
our country with clean and honest elections and leaders whose one desire
is to serve.
+
Marlo M. Peralta, DD
Bishop of Alaminos
“ENTER
TO WORSHIP, LEAVE TO SERVE”: A PASTORAL LETTER IN THE CELEBRATION
OF HOLY WEEK AND CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO THE CURRENT NATIONAL SITUATION
My
dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Once
again we are gathered as a community of faith to celebrate the Holy
Week, that sacred time of year precious to the heart of most every Filipino.
Let us raise our minds and hearts in gratitude for God’s graciousness
in choosing us to be the only Catholic nation this part of Asia. Let
our celebration of the saving Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus
reassure us once again of the Father’s immeasurable love for us.
But
before we continue, here are some questions that should bother us: Why
is it that the only Christian country this side of Asia is also graded
as the most corrupt? Why is the distribution of resources among our
people so criminally uneven? Why is the opportunity gap (not to speak
of financial) so intolerably wide between the rich and the poor? Why
are we made to breathe lies and brazen denials like a toxic atmosphere
that surrounds us from north to south, from east to west?
Why
indeed? Could it be that religion as we understand and live it is more
for personal advantage than for self-giving worship? Could it be that
prayer makes us feel good but does not challenge us to change and be
more responsible for the common good? Could it be that a deep seated
self-seeking hides behind the rituals and devotions that we so easily
and habitually practice?
For
our people’s sake it is high time that we recapture in our Christian
lives the true meaning of the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There is ultimately one truth of life that the many rituals and sacraments
of the Church are pointing to, only one message pertaining to our existence
that the Gospel teaches: the meaning of human lives and the one saving
truth for our world is that self-forgetful love ready to pay the price
of loving is stronger than sin or death. Jesus gave witness to this
with his life; we are called to follow his example. This is what Holy
Week is about.
ENTER
TO WORSHIP, LEAVE TO SERVE. This declaration which meets people
at the front door of a certain church is of great relevance to our celebration
of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. Let this statement challenge
our religious practice as Filipinos. Perhaps it will lead us to take
action and demand nothing less than the truth about our national situation.
Perhaps it will inspire us to do something to help close the unjust
gap between the rich and poor. Perhaps it will move us to exercise greater
responsibility in relation to the important issues that affect our life
as a nation. Perhaps it will urge us always to remember that religion
does not only happen in church but in the much wider events and developments
of our world that Jesus has redeemed by his Cross and Resurrection.
+Marlo
M. Peralta, D.D.
Bishop of Alaminos
back
to the top
