MANILA, Philippines - Proclaiming a message of hope and triumph for Easter
, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Tandag, Surigao del Sur Bishop Nereo Odchimar yesterday called on the faithful to remain hopeful amid the cynicism and compounding problems brought about by social evils.
“However dark the horizon may seem, today we celebrate the radiant triumph of Easter joy. We are now children of resurrection. Let no one yield to dismay and lack of trust. We hold in our hearts the very foundation of Hope,” Odchimar said in his message.
“Christ is risen! Christ is alive in our midst; truly present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In and with Him, the journey through life gets brighter, not darker. People going through great crisis find comfort in His presence. He comes to us as answer to our tears over death,” he added.
Odchimar said many Filipinos today are still cynical about progress and development, especially with increasing poverty, electoral deceit, crime and violence, graft and corruption, abuse of natural resources and “other forms of social evil.”
“Naturally, only a few can speak of hope for a better Philippines,” he said.
Odchimar also said Filipinos believe that the “electoral processes are manipulated by some influential politicians and suffrage is curtailed by vote buying and selling, various forms of threat, and erratic understanding of utang na loob (debt of gratitude).”
There is also the matter of unexplained killings and environmental degradation due to illegal logging and indiscriminate mining.
But despite being in these situations, Odchimar said Filipinos have no reason to fear, citing a passage from the “Urbi et Orbi” Easter message of Pope Benedict XVI.
“By his rising the Lord has not taken away suffering and evil from the world but has vanquished them at their roots by the superabundance of his grace. By his death Jesus has crushed and triumphed over the iron-clad law of death, eliminating its poisonous root forever,” he said.
‘Beautiful coincidence’
For his part, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said it was a beautiful coincidence that the celebration of Easter would always precede a national election.
In his Easter message, Rosales asked the voters to “discern with prayerful judgment who the nation should entrust with the task of new and inspiring honest leadership that leads to unity and peace.”
Meanwhile, Bishop Efraim Tendero, national director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, urged the faithful to let the Lord guide Filipinos in electing the right leaders of the country.
“In this coming election, as we choose the 17,000 elected officials, let the resurrection power of Christ guide us in making the right choice for the men and women who will provide good governance for the nation. Let us work hard so we can have an honest, orderly and peaceful election. For the Philippines to experience real change, let us humbly submit to the magnificent power of Christ that will bring about real transformation,” he said.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, for his part, summarized the essence of the Easter season in the acronym ICTHUS, a Greek word for fish which in early Christian tradition was an acrostic referring to Jesus Christ. It is also a declaration of a commitment to live as a follower of Christ.
“I” in the acronym ICTHUS stands for integration of faith and life. “The values of the Gospel must be allowed to transform society. We must evangelize politics, culture, economics and all aspects of human life. If we seek integrity from our public officials, we must first live integrity as Church people,” he said.
“C” is for catechesis wherein every Christian is encouraged to be a catechist, to evangelize and to be a missionary.
The remaining four letters “THUS” refer to thanksgiving, unity in diversity, and service, justice and charity.
Meanwhile, Bro. Eddie Villanueva, Jesus is Lord (JIL) Movement founder, echoed the message of hope this Easter.
“The whole mystery of Easter is in the beauty of its message: The hope for a brand new beginning - the rising up again from death and depravity into a victorious life that is changed and transformed. As surely as resurrection came after Christ’s death, so can transformation happen even in the midst of utter corruption and hopelessness. This is Easter’s universal message of hope for all mankind,” Villanueva said.
For his part, former CBCP president and Jaro, Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo in his Easter message yesterday said the “resurrection of the new Philippines lies in every Filipino and not on the promises of the politicians seeking elective posts in the coming May elections.”
“We are the revelation of the Easter message and victory. Beyond the promises of the many political candidates who want to deliver our country from its many social and political problems, we must not forget that the resurrection of a new Philippines is founded on each of us as renewed, regenerated and reformed witnesses of the living presence of the Risen Christ in our country,” Rosales said.
He explained that if Holy Thursday and Good Friday represent the tragedies, disappointments and sins in our lives, Easter Sunday gives the people “new eyes, new mind and new attitude in dealing with the realities in life.”
Rosales clarified, however, that Easter does not erase the sad realities in life.
“The joy of the Resurrection should not be disconnected from the cross which preceded it, in forgetfulness of the scourging and crucifixion. The message of Easter does not take away the world’s suffering,” Lagdameo said.
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