TYBOX: Tales of faith and devotion

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 15 June) — A former priest, a police officer, a preacher’s son, bothered God in the past weeks.

The former priest was 90 years old when he died. But for the past fifty years, this priest gave up his land, his birthright, and gave it to the farmers who have tilled his family’s fields. He joined the resistance against the dictator who silenced farmers, the poor, the idealistic youth, the truth seekers and even servants of God. He never chose the path of comfort in the Church, but chose the path of resistance.

Pope Francis said, “If it is anything, it is the Communists who think like Christians.”

Then there is this former police officer, who was popular and he became a senator.  He spent the past days entangled with fellow senators, defending not the law, but rather his former boss who should be facing trial for overspending millions.  He said he is not a lawyer who would understand laws and process, but “I am guided by the Holy Spirit.”

God wonders what water this senator is drinking in Davao. For this is an officer who vowed to serve and protect, but he protected a self-proclaimed son of God accused of molesting minors, defended a leader accused of extinguishing lives, disrespected God and people, and now defended the leader’s daughter.

This was also the same nature of the preacher’s son, who was elected because they carried a party to watch over corruption, but one day at the Senate was seen coaching fellow senators to stop the trial.

Pope Francis once said, “False prophets can also be ‘charlatans,’ who offer easy and immediate solutions to suffering that soon prove utterly useless.”

The Gospel of St. Matthew said: “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”

So much has happened in the land called the only Christian nation in Asia. God has to pray how to save them from despair.
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Tyrone A. Velez is a freelance journalist and writer.)