The 17th

Most students go to school to gain skills and education needed to live successfully. If a student wants to be a doctor, he/she needs to prepare for it by going to school and learn the knowledge necessary for the said profession. He/she has to devote his/her time to studies until he/she achieves his/her aspiration. And when he/she finally becomes a doctor, he/she enjoys being one and protects the dignity of his/her profession. In saying this, it can also be said that once a person values something, he/she will do everything to keep it.

The Gospel according to Matthew 13: 44-52 somehow tells us the same thing when it comes to the Kingdom of God. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. He valued the said treasure but he did not have money to buy the treasure itself. Instead, he sold all that he had just to buy the field where the treasure is located. The man did everything just to have the treasure. In saying this, it can also be said that once a person values something, he/she will do everything to keep it.

Now, if we ourselves value eternal life, then we have to do everything to gain it. But just as the man in the parable who could not buy the hidden treasure itself, we too cannot afford to gain eternal life by merely relying on ourselves or on our own efforts. Instead, just like the man who just bought the field in order to get the treasure, we too can do something in the field which is the Church. It is in uniting ourselves with the Church that we can also unite ourselves with God. We become united with God through the sacraments  which Jesus has offered us in the Church. Thus, our attendance during the mass and in other liturgical activities of the Church indicate how we value eternal life. By going to the Church, we show how we value eternal life in heaven with God. By doing something good in the Church, we manifest our desire to enter the Kingdom of God and receive God's gift of eternal life.

The16th

In a classroom, disruptive students affect the learning process of everybody. Disruptive students interfere with the teacher’s skill to teach effectively as well as with those good students’ desire to learn efficiently. Disruptive behavior of students even creates tension in the classroom either between/among the students or between students and their teacher. This scenario brings a great challenge to the ability of the teacher to maintain an environment conducive for learning.

If the teacher has to send out the disruptive students of the classroom, the more those students become disinterested in their studies and learn other additional disruptive behaviors along their way. If he/she allows them to stay in the classroom, they will just set a bad example to other students. If the teacher walks out or leaves his/her students in the classroom, then the good ones suffer due to what the disruptive students have done. Learning is jeopardized in all of those options or choices.

Matthew 13: 24-30 also mentions the same kind of dilemma when the man who sowed good seed, though his plants came up and bore grain, weeds appeared also. His servants told him to gather the weeds but he said no. Why? If his servants would gather the weeds, it is possible that they would also root up the wheat in the process. So the man just told his servants to wait for the harvest time where the weeds and the wheat would be collected together but the weeds would be burned while the wheat would be placed in a barn. This means that teacher should give chance to disruptive students to change their behavior and learn to become teachable. At the same time, the teacher should see to it that good students remain to be good despite the presence of disruptive students in the classroom. But in the end of the Academic Year, the teacher should stand as a judge to separate the good from the disruptive students when there is no initial sign of their improvement can be found. Yes, at the end, a decision should be made to reward the good and to punish the evil.

The 15th

In a classroom, there are only two types of students. One type wants to learn while the other type does not. Teaching both types of students is a challenging task because it is not easy to make each student learn something or make them learn the same lesson at the same phase, or/and put what they have learned into practice throughout their lives.

In teaching the Word of God, Jesus presented four types of students (Matthew 13: 1-2) using the parable of the sower. In the parable, the seed stands as the Word of God being taught and preached to different types of students. The first type is like a seed that fell along the path, and the second is like a seed that fell on rocky ground. The third type is like a seed that fell upon thorns while the last type is like a seed that fell on good soil. These four types of students may be reduced into two. One type wants to learn while the other type does not.

For those who do not want to learn, they are likened to a seed that fell along the path. The path is intended for use by the pedestrians and not for planting. It is useless then to place the seed on it. In this type of students, no amount of teaching methods or style can be of use. Any teacher cannot force this type of students to learn as they refuse to be teachable.

For those who want to learn, three types of learners may be identified. One is that type wherein the seed was said to fall on a rocky ground. In this type, a teacher can find students who are willing and eager to learn. However, when they experience some difficulties in their lives, they become uninterested in their studies and refuse to learn. In the second type, a seed that fell upon thorns, a teacher can also find students who are willing and eager to learn. However, these students are exposed to other students who are not interested to learn but rather enjoy drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, using drugs or engaging in premarital sex. This type of students then becomes uninterested in their studies because of the influence of their fellow students who are unwilling to learn but resort to vices. The last type is wherein the seed fell on the good soil. In this type, teacher can find students who are not only willing to learn but also wish to achieve more in their lives. They become productive members of the community.

To end, Jesus prays that we who have heard the Word of God become productive in the community we live in. No matter how difficult life can be for us, yet this is not a reason to forget what we learn about God. No matter how we are surrounded by bad people, this is not a reason for us to forget what we learn from God. We are called to be productive and being productive we are called to do a lot of goodness and manifest Godliness in our words and actions. We know we are productive if we have brought others to be closer to Jesus Christ. We know we become productive when we celebrate our faith as a community of God.

On ABS-CBN's Shut Down (My Second Legal Reflection)

This is not a 40-page Report.

House Committee on Legislative Franchises did not grant the ABS-CBN a fresh franchise. The question is –WHY?

Despite what Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate said that the House was not able to find any evidence of violation committed by ABS-CBN against the Constitution or against any law of the land, the said network’s application for a new franchise was denied. The question is –WHY?

Whether or not there is a reason for rejecting the application of the ABS-CBN for its new franchise, what is clear is the power to grant such a franchise (primarily) belongs to the House Committee on Legislative Franchises. In rejecting the network’s application for a new franchise, the House just exercised its power (not to grant a franchise).

How did it exercise its power? With full discretion. It is discretionary on its part to grant or not to grant a franchise. It was a show of discretion when it chose to hold hearings on the ABS-CBN franchise issue (which were open to the public and covered by media). It was a legitimate use of its discretion whether to listen or not to the opinions of the officials of Department of Justice, Security and Exchange Commission and Bureau of Internal Revenue, and even to the views of ABS-CBN officials. What matters is that there was a hearing conducted, and the House heard all the words of supports as well as words of oppositions regarding the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise. So what is the use of conducting a hearing? Well, at least the House met the requirements of giving ABS-CBN some due process before the House finally denied its bid for a new franchise. The House granted ABS-CBN its notice for hearing and the opportunity to be heard, and if this was not fair enough for the network, still it has to accept that the decision of the House is final and it cannot be questioned before any court. Unlike those members of the House of Representatives who could file a libel suit against a journalist or media personnel who maliciously maligned them, ABS-CBN cannot go to court to avail legal remedies when the House denied its application for a new franchise.

Of course, in using its power with discretion, the House could have been reasonable and impartial despite its allegations against ABS-CBN for its lack of impartial and objective journalism. But how could the members of the House be impartial? They are politicians. They play politics and the concerns brought before them in the House are mostly political in nature. In every decision they make, it is presumed that they examine it thoroughly or else they will jeopardize their political position. Is this wrong? Well, it happens even in the barangay level that the supporters of the chairman or councilors are given more favor than the rest of the constituents. The oppositions are treated less. They have to do this to stay in power. In saying this, whether the members of the House were in favor of granting the franchise or against the granting of which, their decision affects their political survival.

What happened to ABS-CBN is not part of the new normal. The House of Representatives just exercised its power when it denied the network’s application for a new franchise just like it exercised its power when it impeached officials. Truly this is what it means to say, ang buhay ay weather-weather lang. I personally can accept the fact that the House cannot be impartial even if its members were urged to make a conscience vote (which is applicable only to those who have a conscience) when it denied the network’s application for a new franchise. But they could have been reasonable in making their decision. For HUMANITARIAN REASON, they could have given ABS-CBN a chance to operate with a conditional franchise while punishing its managements for whatever violations they have committed. Although technically what the House did is not a form of mass killing, but being jobless during this time of COVID-19 Pandemic is like killing a thousand of workers of ABS-CBN softly. Those workers will join the rank of those who are already unemployed in the Philippines. How will they survive with this sudden change in their lives? The House could have allowed ABS-CBN to work with a temporary franchise or a franchise with a condition until the pandemic is over. But how can one expect some politicians to be humanitarian even in their advocacy when they know they could buy votes during the election and secure their winning? They know they can politically survive by merely playing the Number Games. They know the rule of majority, and what they need in order to win is to get the votes of the majority. In this sense, they look at people as objects; they can buy their votes. Therefore, when people become too poor that all they do is to depend on the government for their survival, those who are running the government are guaranteed that they stay in power and remain powerful. So with more than a thousand of workers from ABS-CBN who will find themselves jobless, it can be seen that their fate depends on those politicians who can benefit from their votes.  

Now, there is a suggestion for ABS-CBN to resort to People's Initiative. What I can say is that they should look at what happened to the People’s Initiative against Pork Barrel. It failed to get the numbers of signatures the proponents expected to get during their signature campaign. Why? -Politicians...

The 14th

Students do not learn alone from formal education which takes place in school premises. They may learn also some basic, academic or trade skills outside the school premises. This means there is no monopoly of knowledge by the school and no one can put a limit in one’s learning by confining everything in the school.

In terms of our knowledge of God, one may learn about Him by reading the Bible or listening to a pastor’s or priest’s teaching. But this is not the only way to know God. Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew 11:25-30, said that there are things hidden from the wise and the learned but have been revealed to the child-like. Jesus was saying that people who have no chance to read the Bible or have not been visited by a priest or pastor can still know God through their experience.

Experience can teach people well to believe in God. In fact, experience of God is the best teacher. One may observe, most Filipinos are fond of saying, “bahala na” whenever they face some difficulties in life. “Bahala na” puts in words their experience of God. It is originally constructed as “Bathala na” which means God will now take charge of everything. Even those who do not read the Bible say these, “bahala na.” They know God from their experience. How can this be possible? Well, Jesus said, “No one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” So, it is part of God’s mysterious ways to know Him through one’s experience. When Jesus finally said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”, these words exactly capture one’s experience of “bahala na (ang Diyos)”. This is an invitation to entrust everything to God. One does not need to be a Bible expert to do this. He/she will learn to entrust everything to God and it is his/her experience that will bring him/her there. Moreover, in entrusting everything to God, Jesus clearly said that He will give rest to that person who abandons himself/herself to God. Jesus did not say He will solve the problems of that person. When one finds rest in God, he/she is re-energized and can better face difficulties with a renewed strength from God. Moreover, when Jesus said His yoke is easy and burden is light, this is an invitation for anybody to learn from Him. When Jesus entrusted Himself to God His Father, even it means He had to face death on the cross, He did it all with love. It is just like saying, “Bahala na” (ang Diyos) sa mangyayari sa akin, ang mahalaga ay maipamalas ko na mahal ko Siya.

To end, one’s knowledge of God whether he/she acquired it from the Bible or it is infused in him/her through his/her experience, will lead him/her to love God better. In good times and in bad, his/her love for God matters the most. He/she finds rest in loving God. Amen.

The 14th

Elnor and Anne's Wedding

When God created the world, He created mankind in his image; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27). By creating them, God willed it for man and woman to live. By creating them in His image, God willed them to love just as He Himself is love. Thus, every person is called to love and for love. 

However, in talking about marital love, the feeling that two people are destined to love each other is one of the greatest mysteries of "feeling" in love. Many couples associate this kind of feeling with the story of Adam and Eve. Just as God created Adam and Eve for each other, they believe that God has a right partner intended for each person. They consider it a sign that they have found their special someone if like Adam, they can say to themselves, "This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (Genesis 2: 23). They feel they are destined to love each other as they share the same belief that they were made for each other. I believe Elnor and Anne you are among those couples who feel this way. Why do I say this?

Elnor and Anne, it happened that Honeylyn is your common friend in Facebook that you Elnor then had the chance to notice Anne's account. You sent a friend request to Anne which she just ignored. This attempt on the part of Elnor to make you Anne his friend indicates that Elnor is there for you.

During those times, you were both busy on your struggling relationships with your previous partners. It was only when you were both freed from your past relationships that you Anne learned Elnor was there as he sent you a wave sign on your messenger. Eventually, you accepted him as a friend. From then on, Anne you feel that Elnor is there for you. 

When I say "Elnor is there for you Anne" this may be translated to "andyan si Elnor". When I say this, it does not only mean that Elnor is there for you Anne, but also it means that you Elnor have found a place in Anne's heart as if you were born to love each other.

Besides, you may use this as your hashtag #ANNEdyansiELNOR to describe your feeling that you are destined to love each other. Such a feeling even finds its proof from your own personal experiences. Remember, Elnor you made two ( 2 ) attempts to make Anne your friend and it took two ( 2 ) twos for you Elnor to make Anne your girlfriend as you officially become lovers on February 2, 2019 (02/02/2019). You do not believe this is just a coincidence. For you, what happened in your life was meant to happen. Isn't this called destiny why things have to turn out the way they do?

Elnor and Anne, it is a matter of faith to believe that you are both destined to love each other. It is a matter of faith to believe that from hashtag #ANNEdyansiELNOR, you step up to claim the hashtag #pinakasalANNELNOR. 

But now that you are married, you cannot just leave your love to destiny. If love were arranged barely by destiny, then there would be no legal separation or annulment cases. Learn also from your experience with your previous or past relationships. You did not just sit down for six or eight long years and waited for your relationship to finally end. It ended not because it was destined to end. Rather, you and your previous partners decided to put an end to it. It was a choice you made for your relationships. In other words, a relationship lasts not because it is destined to last, but because couples made the decision and act upon such decision to keep their relationship lasts. In doing so, couples work for it together under the guidance of God. We can find this line of thought in a saying, "Sa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa".This is what also Proverbs 16:9 means when it says, "The human heart plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps."

Let me reiterate this thought, Elnor and Anne. Even if you are destined to love each other, challenges in your life may affect the quality of your relationship badly. There is then a certain level of risk that comes when you let destiny decide for your relationship. You will learn to blame your destiny rather than to take responsibility in your relationship. There will also be no accountability on your part because whatever you do in your relationship, you will just say you cannot change your destiny anyway.Try to reread the story of Adam and Eve; they were so called "destined for each other" but they exposed their relationship to danger when Adam started to blame Eve for their mistake. By blaming Eve, Adam indirectly blamed God for giving him her. When God confronted Eve, she blamed the serpent. Both Adam and Eve did not want to take responsibility for their actions and seemed to use destiny as an excuse for evading their responsibility. And if you Elnor and Anne would not be responsible for each other, like Adam and Eve, you would find yourselves later putting all the blame on your destiny and would end up saying, "Perhaps we are not really meant for each other." 

Elnor and Anne, there is nothing wrong with your feeling that you are destined to love each other; but you should also feel responsible for each other. Staying in marriage requires great responsibility to grow in love and to make a commitment to keep the said love alive. If you are not willing to do this, then clearly you do not love each other. And if you do not love each other, there is no use of talking about your destiny together. Yet, if you fight for your belief that you are destined to love each other, then let it be your responsibility to love each other until death. Simply put, taking responsibility means making it your destiny to love as husband and wife until your last breath. You can do this if you let God lead you in creating your destiny as husband and wife. Bear in mind, Proverbs 16:9 says, "The human heart plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps," and the saying, "Sa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa".

I know, Elnor and Anne, it is not difficult for you to seek God's will. I remember how you chose your wedding date. You had two choices then. Surprisingly, the significant date, February 2, was not included in your list of choices because you said it was a Sunday, a day for the Lord. It is good to know that God is the number one in your life and you place yourselves as number two. Thus, you set your wedding day on this date and not on February 2 which is your special date. I tell you, if you both continue to love God this way, to truly put God first, He will lead you to your desired destiny which is to love each other until death. Proverbs 3:6 has this to say, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path." Elnor and Anne, may God bless you and keep your marriage strong and thriving as long as you live. Amen.