Thursday, April 05, 2007 Wenceslao: Holy Week musing, 2 By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
THIS is our one source of shame, our country being mainly Catholic while at the same time considered the most corrupt in Asia. Of course, religion is only partly to blame for what we have become.
Corruption hounds every state, even those run by clerics. Indonesia was once considered the most corrupt in Asia, and it is mainly Muslim.
And being a Catholic is no assurance one won’t wallow in the muck. Some priests have been known to have used Church money for personal ends. That does not even consider others who indulge in sexual perversions. I mean, it’s not about labels but how deeply Catholic tenets have penetrated one’s being.
I’m no theologian, but the little I learned about Catholicism is that it is both a belief and a guide. The belief part we recite during masses: I believe in God, the Father Almighty…In sum, it is faith. The guide part is sprinkled all over the Bible and teaches us how to how to act in a community as a Catholic and follower of Jesus Christ.
The “guide” is the application of our “belief” in practice. But there are Catholics who think that belief is enough, and so they regularly attend masses and then beat up their helpers after leaving the Church. Indeed, there are many corrupt officials who attend masses, go to communion, profess their belief in God and think they are good Catholics.
The same breach in the belief-guide link is the reason why some Catholics don’t take seriously the admonition of the Catholic Church hierarchy on many issues. Catholics believe in the same God but apply His teachings differently.
The Church is, for example, pro-life, but many Catholics are pro-choice and don’t believe they have strayed.
If Catholics hold on to the teachings of Christ as tightly as they follow the Church’s rituals, this country will be fine. Some bets of the Genuine Opposition, for example, went on a retreat, but it was clear there was no honest intention there to fully grasp Christ’s teachings and use these as guide in legislation if ever they win.
That is also true with us in media. We go on a break on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, but I doubt if that will make a difference in the way we are doing things. Commentators and columnists, for example, will attend the rituals but I am sure that, as Catholics, they won’t reflect on how they treat those who are targets of their commentaries.
