some thoughts on sunday mass(es) and the church

DISCLAIMER:

1. This is not an academic/genius blog post. This is a personal observation and all my claims, arguments, and premises are debatable. I do not wish to argue. I wish to think out loud.

2. The topic is, obviously, sensitive and has launched a thousand "wars" for the longest time. I do not wish to provoke one, however. Again, I just want to express some thoughts.

3. I am technically a Catholic; and so by Church, I mean the Catholic Church. My--technically--church. =))

4. I am just bored. Hahaha!

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SOME THOUGHTS ON SUNDAY MASS(ES) AND THE CHURCH

Sundays mark the Sabbath day for us, Catholics. And according to the Church, it is a "must" for us to give/spend at least an hour of our week with the Lord by going to church and participating in the Eucharist. I am not against that. Really. I am not against "going to church" to actually "profess and express our faith" there. In fact, my family religiously attends the Sunday mass each and every week--rain or shine. There are special cases, though, where the family cannot attend the mass for one VALID reason or another.

I am not an atheist either. I swear to God (ooops. violation on the 2nd Commandment), I believe in Him. I have a God named Jesus. The same God all the Catholics believe into. I believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit--the Holy Trinity (actually, I don't really care whether he is "man" or "divine"; or if he really has three forms/faces. All I know is I believe in Him and I offer everything to Him). Enough said, this blog is NOT an anti-God post.

I came from a strictly Catholic School (since Grade School) and a very devout family. I used to know and memorize (by heart) all the 20 mysteries of the Holy Rosary, the 10 Commandments, the 2 Great Commandments, the 8 Beatitudes, the 7 Sacraments of the Church, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, name it. My catholic faith is both meta-physical and theoretical. Enough said.

After High School, I studied in UP. My strong catholic beliefs and foundation (as far as my religion is concerned) came to face many other beliefs. My faith has faced Islam, other forms of Christianity, Buddhism, Scientology, Rizalistas, Atheism, and what have you. After 4 years--thanks to my Catholic formation back on my GS and HS days--my faith in God has been strengthened; though, a little bit modified (I hope, for the better).

In a university where the brightest minds meet, students with backgrounds like mine (hardcore Catholic formation) would really be shocked. The Catholic Church that I used to view as the vessel of my faith and the concrete manifestation of my religious beliefs, ran by magical prayers and mantras that could literally change the world and the hearts of the people is simply viewed as an "institution" along with government, the family, the military, and other "equivalent" religions and institutions. At first, it was disappointing. It was as if the "magic" of my faith has gone.

But fortunately--maybe because I am a UP student, or maybe because I came from a Catholic School, or maybe because of both, or maybe because of something other than the three--the disappointment lasted quite quickly. It was transformed to the thirst for knowledge and the curiosity to view things critically. Through it, I was able to take not only the positive things about my (and the others') Church but their criticisms as well.

Everybody asks: What has my long intro (a.k.a. history/storytelling) which seems to go nowhere got to do with this blog post?!

I say this: Nothing directly, really. Haha. That is just to establish that whatever you are about to read from here is a product of a faith deeply rooted in the belief of one God and the critical values a battlefield called UP has instilled in me. That is to say, in further, that whatever it is that I believe into right now, is where I am happy. It is what I think is right and good for me and my fellowmen. After all, that, I think, is what religion is all about.


BACK TO BUSINESS:

I still believe in God. The same God I knew since time immemorial. I am still a Catholic, if by being a Catholic, you mean that person who writes "Catholic" in the line across the word "Religion:" I am still a Catholic, if by that, you mean that person who goes to church every Sunday; practices the "traditions" such as Lenten Season, Christmas Season, etc.; and lives out the values that are considered moral and good as far as the "church" is concerned.

However, with all humility, I have to say that I have "lost" my faith in the Catholic Church. Or maybe not "lost"; just disappointed, disillusioned, whatever term one would like to call it. Anyway, by church, I mean the Catholic Church. The structure. The organization. The people in it (except God who is, technically, the Head of the Church). This is not to say, however, that by losing faith in my Church means that I came to believe in another church. It is just that I don't know much about the other churches so I do not wish to elaborate on them. I can only speak for and about my church.

I still believe in God. But "not in the Church" anymore.

I learned to value and practice praying now more than I ever did in the past. But not "the Eucharist" a.k.a. "the Mass", which, according to the teachings of the Church, is the highest form of prayer.

THOUGHTS ON THE CHURCH AND SUNDAY MASSES

I know that while reading this, you may think that I am just confusing myself. But no, I am not confused and I do not wish to confuse you either. Just try, you will understand me. Haha.

Sunday Mass. It is a religious obligation--however they wanna call it, it means the same, I think. And I'm not against it. I actually think that Sunday masses are so powerful. They can change the country for the better. But it is for the same reason that I get disappointed.

The homily a while ago talked about "pagmamahal sa kapwa". The priest, as usual, quoted a lot of lines in the bible, tried to explain it in the most number of words possible. I dunno if he was aware, but I think more than half of the “audience” were asleep. He then concluded his sermon by saying: Pero alam niyo, para matanggap mo ang kapwa mo ay kailangan mo magdasal...

I found it fallacious, pathetic, useless, misleading even. He discussed a very good topic. Kapwa. Pagmamahal. Pagmamahal sa kapwa. This is, for me, one of the best things that if discussed with heart and listened by an open mind, could actually start the change in our country.

The priest this afternoon talked about “kapwa” in the vaguest way possible. With all humility, I really think that I could’ve said better and more interesting things if I was in front doing the sermon. The gist of his approximately 15min-homily is that God asked us to love our neighbors/fellowmen; but it is because of our human nature that makes it difficult for us to do so. He concluded that the way to resolve it is to pray. I know exactly what he meant. I got his point. But I thought it was incomplete, if not non-sense at all.

In his 15-minute boring “speech”, he could’ve talked about deeper and more interesting things about “kapwa”. We are Filipinos. I assume that most, if not all the people listening to Father X know what “kapwa” means. But I can bet, that only a few has actually lived out the spirit of “kapwa”. It’s easy to say that we must love our fellowmen just as Father X said. And without him saying that, I believe, the people know that universal value.

Walang katapusan ang konsepto ng kapwa, lalo na sa’ting mga Pilipino. Kung may isang foreigner sa ating lugar, malamang sa malamang ay ituturing natin itong “kapwa-tao” sa kabila ng pagkakaiba ng lahi. Mapagkalinga tayong mga Pinoy. Kadalasan nga, angat sa iba ang ating pagkalinga. Walang duda kung bakit lahat yata ng foreigner na dumating dito sa atin ay napasambit ng “Mahal kow pow kayowng lahatttt..” Pero gaano kalalim ang pagtingin natin sa konspeto ng Kapwa? Kung tunay nating alam kung sino ang ating kapwa at tayo’y naniniwala na dapat natin silang mahalin at kalingain, e di sana’y walang mamamatay sa gutom. Maaaring may mahirap, pero dahil mahal natin ang kapwa natin, ay tutulungan natin sila sa abot ng ating makakaya. Kung alam natin ang tunay na pagmamahal sa kapwa, e di sana’y walang Pilipinong niloloko ng kapwa Pilipino. E di sana hindi nananakawan ang walang kalaban-labang Juan dela Cruz ng mga kapwa Pilipino niyang inihalal at pinagkatiwalaan.Kung alam natin ang konspeto ng pagmamahal sa kapwa, dapat sana walang away ang Muslim at Kristiyano.

Those were the things that got into my mind when I first heard him spoke about kapwa. I wonder why Father was not able to bank on that. I wonder why, of all possible approaches, he chose to bank on the “praying in order for us to love our kapwa”. I wonder why the church (or maybe the priests)—each and every Sunday—rely on sermons which are far from reality. They keep on teaching and asking the people to pray. But what have we gotten in praying alone? I learned in HS that prayers without actions are useless. And each and every Sunday, I only get to see many of them—sermons without concrete actions. They always end up in a suggestion of praying. But no talk about what can we concretely do. In the homily about kapwa, I dunno why Father did not mention anything about kapwa-Pilipino. About kapwa-tao. Is it because he really has another approach or he just doesn’t know who the real kapwa is?

The other Sunday, another priest talked about poverty and how saddening the country’s situation is. He concluded his homily by saying that we need to pray more. And after Communion, announced that a second collection is to be done in order to finish the renovation of the Church’s altar. The altar, by the way, has no leaks, whatsoever. It is renovated to look more beautiful.

For god's sake, you talk about poverty and praying that the poor be of better situation but you have the guts to spend money for renovating the church, for the shrine to be more beautiful than usual, for it to be elegant and majestic. For what? For people to be impressed? For God to be impressed in a beautiful altar and in turn grant us our prayers? You talk about poverty. You have the money. I don’t think it is too much for you to spend it to feed the hungry instead of beautifying the altar. I know and I understand that the church has its poverty programs, etc and only a small part of the money will be spent for beautification. The church may even say that it is not their mandate to feed the hungry and that’s not what I’m saying. I am not against beautifying the altar either. I’m just after consistency. In truthfulness in words. I don’t want them to be like the Pharisees who they said are sinners for they don’t act what they preach. The church is our religious leader. Our people look up to it and actions such as I’ve mentioned are confusing if not hypocritical.

He talked about poverty. Filipinos know what it is. We see it each and every single day. We even call our church—the Catholic church—the Church of the Poor. Poverty as part of the homily should not be taken in a manner as if it is a concept afloat. I think it should be dealt concretely. I think that more than prayers and praying, we can do something else in order to address the problem. I think that, explaining the importance of PhP1 a day for our less fortunate brothers and sisters would be more effective rather than merely asking the people to pray for the poor and later on pass on a basket announced as a Pondo ng Pinoy donation. I bet all church-goers would have heard of PnP more than once. But I bet, too, that only a few really knows what it is and what it is for. The project is good. The intention is outstandingly very Christian. But I think the Catholics deserve clearer explanations on how they are able to help through such projects. That way, we may become more attached as a people; that way, we may become better Christians.

If you get to understand my line of thinking, it is clear that I'm really not against "Sunday Mass". What I am against is on how it is “conducted”. On how such a powerful mechanism (I know the church does not view it that way; they actually view it as a mere "highest form of prayer") attended by millions and millions of Filipinos every Sunday (not to mention that masses are held everyday) is “used and wasted”.

We are a third world country as far as the whole globe is concerned. Tons of social problems envelope the society and what we need are concrete resolutions. Concrete things that spell morality. Prayers are important, the mass is important as well, but “enough of them”. The church has to understand its critical role not only to save mankind from hell. But to save and help Filipinos from dying in poverty, in saving the youth from a bleak future, in nation-building and the realization that we are as one Filipinos amidst the crises we are experiencing. The church has to realize (I pray they need not to, in the hope that they really do know) and help people realize that there are a lot more things to be done beyond praying.

I am not against the church. I see it as one of the most powerful means on which our society can be put into order—especially now when our people have seem to have lost their faith in government. But it is for the same reason that I get sad, and disappointed, and losing faith in it (church). The church doesn’t seem to see this; or if it does, is afraid to act on it--afraid of being tagged and accused of politicking and being not-so-religious-in-the-traditional-sense-of-the-word. But that is exactly the point. The church has to be dynamic in addressing the needs of its people. It has to understand that it has to change in order to be relevant, in order to be effective. The church is a powerful institution. It should maximize its strengths and roles in a society like ours. Let not our people be blinded by faith; instead, see the light through it.

I would want to challenge the church to overhaul and think of a better system for it to be more effective. But I won’t. UP students are known to be radical thinkers; but we are not stupid. And the two are extremely different things. I would want "an extreme change" in the church but I would not dwell on that. Maybe we can take it one step at a time, instead.

I urge the church to be responsive, to be more effective. If only through the simplest way of making their homilies closer to the people and closer to reality we are living in; If only these priests would learn to turn their “boring speeches” every Sunday into 15 minutes of bothering sermons based on what people actually experience; If only the church decides to initiate the modest changes it could have for the better; I think that improvement may be achievable. I think that change may be within our reach.

But the church is known for age-old traditions. And not on blog posts like this can we expect change. It is a traditional and conventional institution that is, if I may say, not open to changes (for one reason or another—elaborating on this would entail yet another series of debates). I am not being hopeless. I am being a realist.

So for the time being, I will continue going to church as long as my family does. And unless Fathers X , Y, and Z continue to say their sermons in the vaguest possible ways and farther into the reality we all know, I will expect disappointing and sleepy Sundays ahead. I will expect more people to sleep during the mass. And I will expect a society unchanged even after a gazillion of prayers.

Good Luck to us. And God Bless us all!