I like hearing Mass at our church in the subdivision. Sure, the choir makes you want to scream in pain, and it can be very hot outside (always outside, because we're always late). The priest, Father Jun, is this flamboyant, motor-mouth man with gray hair and accents to rival Britney Spears' or a call center agent's. I swear. We used to wonder where he grew up. London? France? Texas? Then he spoke in his now famous sing-song Tagalog. Oh..kay. One Sunday he casually mentioned that he had studied all over Europe. A silent collective "aaaah" filled the church.
Father Jun is a fairly entertaining guy, albeit very talkative. He can speak so fast he says "bras and sisters" all the time (we've gotten tired of snickering). But then he mellows down when he wants to emphasize a point, and his voice reverberates throughout the halls in a shocking "LISTEN TO ME" way. His homilies are notoriously long.
But I like it. I like his homilies. I like Father Jun because, despite his semi-Liberace ways, he does a good job of explaining the Bible. He never takes the stories literally, and always takes time to let us digest the words and understand the context of the passages. He gives historical data, the times and places that made the events significant to the people back then, and discusses how they can be relevant to us today, if at all.
(Too often we assume and define things as they are without knowing their root. Believing in Jesus is not simple. The Christian religion rests on the Scripture. Words. Just words! But words that describe a life, a place and a time. I think it is crucial, in order to understand Jesus - or any person for that matter - to study the context within which his words were spoken, his actions taken. I tend to think the work of priests, ministers and masters of the Scriptures is quite tedious. They can’t just quote the Bible and say “it is so, so be it.” No, that would be completely irresponsible. The best theologians are the linguists, the historians, the ones who dig deep to understand the context, the environment. And if the rest of us are content that they do and we don’t, then we really are the blind followers that non-believers accuse us of being.)
About three weeks ago, Father Jun was talking about Jesus being tempted by the devil. He asked for a simple, “tagalog" (aka Espanol) translation of the word devil.
Demonyo? No.
Diablo?
Yes. He then explained where the word came from:
Devil = from the Latin diabolos.
Dia = through and through; across, from one end to the other (as in diameter).
Bolos = to throw across (root word of bola, ball).
(There you go, now we know where diabolical comes from.)
The devil then is one who throws across or apart. Causes a divide. Wreaks havoc by creating distance or, in a way, misunderstanding. Whoever or whatever disrupts peace and causes chaos is the devil’s work. And no, don’t think that the devil is a creature from your worst nightmare. I think “devil” is more of a concept rather than a horned fellow with bad teeth and a spiked tail. Devil, simply, is the opposite of peace: discord.
The priest also said the devil is the mother of all lies (or something like that). And it’s easy to be deceived by these lies. So beware of the messes created out of seeming righteousness or its defense. Be discerning.
---
I thought of that particular homily when I heard what Sec. Neri supposedly told Jun Lozada, that the president is "evil." Diabolical, indeed. Hahaha. Apologies if I have to place her in the same breath as Jesus.
---
Meta
Noia = mind
Metanoia then means to change one’s mind. It is an act within oneself – decisive, definitive and empowering, rather than sorry, guilt-ridden, or embarrassed.
---
If there is anyone who I think has undergone metanoia, it might be Mr. Lozada. For all his tears and broken voice, I daresay he has made that transformation. I wonder when others will be as decisive or empowered as to truly repent. Because, as we realized long ago in this country of sinners, "I am sorry" just doesn't cut it.
No comments:
Post a Comment