Catholics can make a difference in 2010 elections
Time and again, Catholic bishops say there is no such thing as a Catholic Vote. In fact, they do not even endorse candidates nor support politicians during elections. They have a limited sway over Catholic politicians and voters. However, Catholics are thankful that bishops do not renege in their obligation to assert firmly their moral authority on issues that are not in accord with the teachings of the Church and are not reflective of the Gospel values. Indeed, there are non-negotiable issues that bishops would not admit any exception because they run counter to Catholic moral teachings. The Reproductive Health Bill is a case in point.
If we Catholics take our faith seriously, we will make a difference in the 2010 elections. Our voting privileges should be used prudently and elect only candidates who promote policies and programs that are in harmony with Catholic faith and morals. Conversely, if we vote for candidates whose policies and programs are contrary to the ethos of the Church, we participate in and condone in the intrinsic evil of such.
It is important then for us Catholics to go through the political agenda of the candidates and find out if they go along with the moral principles of the Church. It is unbecoming of Catholics to vote on the basis of neither party-affiliation nor popularity of the candidates. We have to dissect the stands of the candidates on the different issues of the day. We should not be misled by the seemingly early campaign ads of the candidates who appear to hold the answers to the problems of our country. Let us not be misguided by the pronouncement of candidates that they are Catholics yet they advance programs which are un-Catholic.
My pious mother, Tersing, taught me early in life to bend my knees in prayer. It is my daily prayer this Christmas that we Catholics will choose candidates in the 2010 elections that promote the faith and morals of the Church.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
De-Christianized Philippine politics
De-Christianized Philippine politics
The Maguindanao massacre bespeaks of the kind of politics we have in this country. Human life, it seems, is not precious in our political arena anymore. Gone are the days when politicians, at most, would besmirch only their rivals with contemptuous issues. At this time, unscrupulous politicians who dread they can be unseated in the elections silence to death their political contenders who are auspicious and service-oriented.
How many of these kinds of inhuman atrocities could have prevented had the government done something before to resolve the political differences in Maguindanao? Could the political lords in Maguindanao have stockpiled high-powered firearms if the government, particularly the military and the police, did its homework like intelligence network? Could anybody just slaughter the innocent lives of the victims of the massacre if he thinks he cannot be exculpated by the powers-that-be?
I just wonder how many of our public officials were elected into public office based on their platforms of government, credentials and character and not on the barrel of their guns as they use this to bully and terrorize people to vote for them. Such that when they are elected into public office, they act like self-empowering kings and queens who could do whatever they please in their political turfs even to the point of exterminating the lives of our people.
Politics in the country is seemingly de-Christianized or a Godless human activity. When shall we place God and his teachings at the very center of politics? Let us use politics for our own good based on the Gospel values. St. Thomas Aquinas says: “God is not offended by us except at what we do against our own good."
The Maguindanao massacre bespeaks of the kind of politics we have in this country. Human life, it seems, is not precious in our political arena anymore. Gone are the days when politicians, at most, would besmirch only their rivals with contemptuous issues. At this time, unscrupulous politicians who dread they can be unseated in the elections silence to death their political contenders who are auspicious and service-oriented.
How many of these kinds of inhuman atrocities could have prevented had the government done something before to resolve the political differences in Maguindanao? Could the political lords in Maguindanao have stockpiled high-powered firearms if the government, particularly the military and the police, did its homework like intelligence network? Could anybody just slaughter the innocent lives of the victims of the massacre if he thinks he cannot be exculpated by the powers-that-be?
I just wonder how many of our public officials were elected into public office based on their platforms of government, credentials and character and not on the barrel of their guns as they use this to bully and terrorize people to vote for them. Such that when they are elected into public office, they act like self-empowering kings and queens who could do whatever they please in their political turfs even to the point of exterminating the lives of our people.
Politics in the country is seemingly de-Christianized or a Godless human activity. When shall we place God and his teachings at the very center of politics? Let us use politics for our own good based on the Gospel values. St. Thomas Aquinas says: “God is not offended by us except at what we do against our own good."
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