Introit

The Roman Poet Decimus Junius Juvenalis Sic volo, sic jubeo, stat pro ratione
voluntas brought me some stirring that such a sense of indifference in fulfilling my
scholastic tasks went stagnated. Rebelliousness budged from my hopeful
expectations for a better formation of the Christian thinkers of the future into an
anxious repetition of a vindictive and juridical ecclesial culture. Not by chance that
the discussion on Leibniz Reflections on the Common Concept of Justice is at hand.
Hitherto, that experience of catharsis becomes a fiery furnace to purify my
woundedtoward a merciful acceptance of the incorrigible states of affair.
Ringo the Wounded
Ringo is a wounded soul. He is one of those named as the Un-Church. Drawn from
practical atheism, he gave up his government post due to the irregularities obvious
to the Philippine Government graft and corruption, socio-political abuses and
many others so blamed to the shady system. The corporate world ate him up, too,
that he sought refuge from the Church as his last recourse.
Having earned his degree the fraudulent way, he decided to start anew, enrolling
himself to a Catholic Institution administered by Franciscan Nuns and managed by
the local diocese.
Christian Life was an uphill for Ringo that one night he approached me out of his
yearning to have someone to listen to him by heart. He did not mind the six-hour
drive from the Big City to my roost. His classmate Aileen, whose name I mentioned
in one of my articles, referred me to him...
Listening to Ringos sharing is somewhat a protuberance of what was/ is inside of
me. But what can I do? I am but one of the helpless victims, too... My heart was
weeping that the Lord allowed me to listen to myself through him those thoughts
that I have been battling with all along.
Three hours of ranting against all our complaints was a relief for both of us that we
ended up in a conclusion that we shall never ever cease to rise up then and again to
win the race... Candid it is, though, that people of his kind find consolation from a
spiritual and psychological leper, in concurrent capacity.
What I told Ringo is not some moral lessons or two. How am I going to preach to a
former second year theology seminarian of Navarra, Spain? An expert, so to say, in
exegesis whose mentor was my former rector, Ringo almost denounced his Roman
Catholic affiliation due to the irregularities in the Church Hierarchy that he, himself,
was a victim. He even cursed on his deathbed that homosexual bishop who abused
him way back then.
Soothing that visit was that I pondered on some of his concerns, as follow:
1. Where do the priests get the audacity from to preach the Gospel while they
exempt themselves from fraternal corrections?
2. Why are Church People so juridical that they hamper repentant sinners to live
life anew? Why are they so judgmental and prejudiced?

3. Where do consecrated people get the standard from to discriminate poor

public sinners yet welcoming the wealthy plunderers?
4. Are Church People aware that they are deluded? Are they aware that they are
pride-stricken? Do they know how hypocritical they are?
5. What will happen to the Church with egocentric and self-preserving lying
seminarians?
6. Are not the clergy, consecrated people and seminarians the most corrupt
beings that they plunder both the spiritual and the material goods?
7. Do the bishops really care or Pope Francis is but a mime of George Burke?
A Lick
I remembered my letter addressed to the President of a certain Catholic Institution
regarding his closing of classroom doors way before the fifteen-minute grace period
of tardiness and his alleged power tripping proven by his fickle-mindedness. A priest
he is, I just find it inappropriate that his students air their sentiments in the form of
vituperate expressions and harshly censorious languages. And these students are
either seminarians or former seminarians. Who shall voice their heart out when
after their being honest shall be the vengeful iron hand to follow through?
Nonetheless, I did the letter and intently miss-named the addressee for a purpose. I
requested for a dialogue, as I always do...
A week of him the ignoring of the letter, I looked for the Office of the Student Affairs
of the school but it has none. Thus, the search for the Students Manual followed but
there is but one (1) copy of it, printed 2009, at the school library. I also asked the
president of the Student Government of that School regarding the Constitution and
By-Laws of the Student Government but she was washing her hands off as if my
query is some incriminatory act.
Where did the student government fee that the enrollees paid go to? I wondered...
Well, did they not attend to their academic duties to their students few semesters
before by not even conducting a class for some courses? No wonder... Is this faculty
member not belligerent to impose the burden to his students on what they failed to
justly provide the latter in the past? Can he not be gentle instead? And that week
was a hell week for all of us, the students and the seminarians. Gossip here, gossip
there... The vengeance is I thought... in a Roman Catholic Institution!
The Coda
The morning after the Ringo Affair, I passed by the Adoration Chapel of the
Cathedral and I noticed that the Most Sacred Host is still in its crooked position. It
has been two to three weeks now that it seemingly stayed unnoticed as it happened
before when the Blessed Sacrament was wilting that informing the curia staff of the
same was a crime. Thus, I sat and stared at Jesus.
Behold! This God allowed himself to be neglected. This God allowed these people to
ignore him. What am I to expect from these people who cannot even treat the Lord
well? Is it not that if they have known better they will not do the same? This God
allowed me to be abominable and ignominious all along. And his Justice is Mercy!
Did I not receive the same? How ungrateful I am to ask my neighbor to pay what he
owes me when my debts to the Lord are innumerable?!

As that of a little child being watched over by an adult while in the state of
committing an innocent misdeed, it is fortifying to feel that love ) in such
cases of intolerable injustices in front of that jus strictum. Being juridical merely
leads an individual to frustrations amidst the facts of life. However, such a God who
sends rain to both the impious and the just benchmarks the rule If He were in my
shoes, what shall he do? Indeed, in libera re publica crepitus atque ructus liberos
esse debere. Thus, my mothers words rang, This, too, shall pass... even if man
becomes a wolf to his fellow man as he strives to become a god over his neighbor,
this, too, shall pass... After all, am I not a beneficiary of Gods yardstick of Justice,
that is, MERCY?
Give to Caesar what is due to Caesar, suum cuique tribuere. As my neighbor has the
right of that which is good due him, he also has the right to err and be understood
quod tibi non vis fieri aut quod tibi vis fieri, neque aliis facito aut negato because I
was there, and even worse! To necessitate the impossible honeste vivere to another
brings about but power struggle. Man is instinctively self-preserving that even the
slightest criticism against his status quo shall bring him injury. It is but natural for
man, due to his concupiscence, to demand for what he thinks he deserves to belong
to him. On the other hand, that God with different rules watches over the blundering
kid with a fatherly loving smile. Thus, Leibniz first definition of Justice according to
the handout, i.e., Justice is nothing but what conforms to wisdom and goodness
combined.
The present age is crowdingly upholding out Barabbas, viz., son of the father.
Show us what you got! Prove yourself! Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth! Justice
must be meted out through punishments and condemnation. Hence, fighting and
chaos and moral pluralism haunt societies and, even, mankind as a whole...
Nam si violandum est jus, regnandi gratia; violandum est: aliis rebus pietatem colas.
What force is more sovereign than anything else? It is not a matter of power to
inflict someone injury. It is not a matter of proving to others who you are or what
you can do. Summum jus summa est injuria. Instead, as the song says, There is no
power stronger than gentleness of heart.
It is not an overnight affair for one to be converted. It takes lots of tears and a red
face to be a Christian; and toiling is more difficult by not doing the main act.
Instead, that which is more arduous is to allow this GOD to take the wheel when
you [grow] mature someone else shall wrap your belt around you and take you to
where you do not want to go...
A Prayer
Father, Akedah! Lest I resist you! Most Holy Lady, Theotokos, if I flee from the Will of
your Son forcibly bind me around your waste that I may not be damned! His ways
are not my ways. My will is contrary to His. I am tired. I am hopeless. But to whom
shall I go? Id rather die to stay with you than to nobly live elsewhere away from
Him! Amen.