PamagCUSA Blog

TO RESOLVE CURRENT CRISIS, WHAT IS NEEDED IS MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE!

In the Gospel of Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus said…"And when the Son of Man comes in His glory and with His angels, He will sit at the throne of His glory. And all nations will be gathered before Him and He will separate them like a shepherd divides the goats and the sheep. He will set the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. To the ones on the right, He will tell them, ‘Welcome, you who are blessed by My Father and inherit the kingdom which has been prepared for you even before the foundation of world. For I was hungry and you fed Me; I was thirsty and you gave Me a drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was in prison and you visited Me. I was sick and you comforted Me. ’ Then, the righteous will ask Him, ‘ Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, in prison or sick.’ Then He will tell them, ‘Truly I say to you, whatever you do to the least of My brethren, you did it unto Me. ’ Then, He will say to those on the left, ‘Get away from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you did not give Me anything to eat; I was thirsty and you did not give Me any drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in; I was naked and you did not clothe Me; I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they will also answer saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick or in prison and did not minister to you?’ The He will answer them, saying ‘Truly, I say to you, whatever you did not do to the least of My brethren, neither have you done it to Me.’ And these shall go to eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life."

The above words of exhortation and admonition must be reflected by each and every Christian Filipino for they contain, I believe, invaluable insights as to the cruxes/solutions to our country’s woes. We are a nation who, for so many centuries, is supposedly a Christian one but sadly enough, many of us, wittingly or unwittingly, do not live as spiritually mature Christians in accord with what we have heard, learned and accepted as the truth. Instead of putting our various talents, resources and capabilities and use them for the common good, we use it for our own selfish interests and engage in endless bickering, jealousy, envy, factionalism, selfish rivalries, etc. and refuse to help one another simply because we are not the ones who will get the credit for the good being done. Hindi tayo ang bida, ika nga, so why help? But what of it, for as long as the job gets done, does it really matter who gets the credit?

At this crucial time of our country’s existence, there is a clarion call for all Filipinos to unite as one nation and help in alleviating the deplorable economic plight of our beloved countrymen. Though it appears on the surface that our country’s politicians and some prominent Filipinos here and in the Philippines are responding favorably and generously to President Macapagal-Arroyo’s call for sacrifice, a great majority of our countrymen are essentially sitting at the sidelines and quite hesitant to lend a helping hand since our country’s leaders have not really earned what is sorely needed in a crisis like this…pure and simple trust and confidence. After all, if and when financial contributions do come in, whom can we trust to manage the funds? Is it really going to the would-be recipients or is it, as what inevitably happens in many cases, going to be dissipated into the pockets of officials who are essentially wolves in sheep’s clothing?

Which is why I believe that if only to move the Filipino people to heed the President’s call for help in resolving the financial/economic crisis we are facing as a nation, the call should not so much one of a secular call for more sacrifice, especially if the ones calling for sacrifice do not have the perceived credibility. After all, the great majority of the Filipino people have already suffered so much for quite a while as it is. Instead, what is needed is a spiritual conversion of the Filipino people as true Christians, especially those who have been entrusted with so much power, abilities and resources, so much so that the more affluent sectors of our people would help not so much out of sacrifice but rather out of mercy and compassion towards our impoverished countrymen who are indeed, bearing the added burden of the current crisis. A spiritual conversion in which the governing authorities could finally be trusted and truly be compassionate to alleviate the plight of the common Tao, especially the poor, and be a government of the people, by the people and for the people. After all, it is written, "It is mercy I desire, not sacrifice."

Let those who are rich in the goods of this world not rely on the uncertainty of wealth and rely on God instead. They should not be too proud, conceited, indifferent, greedy or self- centered/selfish as to want more and more but instead, to do good, to be rich in good works, ready to distribute and willing to share their abundance with those who have so much less. After all, naked we came into this world and naked we will go. We cannot take our millions and our vast landholdings, our very expensive toys or adornments into the other world. The good that we can do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do it unto our Lord and God Jesus and the good that we don’t do and could have reasonably done, will be held against us for sure. Let us always remember that nothing is hidden and all lies bare in the eyes of Him to whom all of us will, someday, render an account of what we did with our lives here and the resources entrusted to us on earth, di ba?

Atty. "Bro. Ramon" Ocampo is currently the President of the Bangon! Bagong Pilipinas (BBP) Movement, an advocacy/movement for the moral, economic and political transformation of the Philippines . For details in joining the movement, please log on globalhello.com/bbp or e-mail Atty. Ocampo at bbp.1010@yahoo.com.