October: Month of the Holy Rosary

The Igorot and his Coffee

            Whenever one visits an Igorot home, one is served with coffee; whenever an Igorot community gathers for a tongtongan (talking together), coffee is served; whenever Igorots celebrate a canyao (festival), coffee is drunk alternately with the tapuy (rice wine).  Indeed, coffee is an important beverage in Igorot culture!

            Generally, two types of coffee are grown in the Cordilleras: the well-known “Benguet coffee” (coffea arabica) and the “Robusta coffee” (coffea robusta).  The “Benguet coffee” is grown in the higher altitudes of the Cordilleras, above 1,000 meters, as in Benguet and Mountain Province; the “Robusta coffee,” in lower, warmer elevations as in Ifugao, Kalinga and Apayao.  Besides being a typical drink among Igorots, coffee too has medicinal values.  It counteracts drunkenness, alleviates headaches and eases difficulties in urination. Today, there are other discoveries, such as the coffee’s possibility of preventing cancer. 

            Of course, like any drink, coffee has its limitations. It should not be drunk in excess because of the presence of caffeine, a strong central nervous system stimulant.  It is advisable that patients with ulcer should not drink coffee.  Children who need sleep for growth may not be given coffee, because it produces insomnia.

            Perhaps, to augment the income of people in the Cordilleras and to help alleviate poverty, we need to explore more aggressively the commercial possibilities of our native coffee.  For centuries, Igorots have planted and drunk coffee.  By now, they may well have become its natural growers.  The Cordillera terrain and climate is also fitting for its growth.  Coffee is a gift to our people.  Wonderful are the ways of Divine Providence!    

Our Holy Father in Lebanon: Be Protagonists

Work of Mary: The Woman and the Dragon

One reads in the Book of Revelation, chapter 12 about the story of the “woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” She is pregnant and about to give birth. Then, there appears a “great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads.” The dragon wanted to devour the woman’s child, but when the child was born, God caught him up to his throne.

The Book of Revelation was written at a time when the early Christians were already experiencing a widespread persecution throughout the Roman Empire. It was written then to console the persecuted Christians and to make them understand that behind this persecution is the battle between God and Satan. Ultimately, according to the sacred author, God will triumph, and the reign of God will prevail over all evil. The sacred author expressed his basic message through the use of signs and symbols in his book.

The “woman” in the Book of Revelation may stand for the Church, the community of believers in Christ, persecuted by the pagan Roman Empire, symbolized by the “great red dragon.” The “woman” may also stand for Mary who gives birth to Jesus, and the “great red dragon,” for Satan. These symbols remind us of the story of the sin of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis, chapter 3. When God declared his judgment on the serpent that tempted Eve, God said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Now, I find it intriguing that in the Philippines, Mary is much loved by our people. We are a Marian nation! Shrines of Mary and churches dedicated to this “woman” abound everywhere in the archipelago. On the other hand, the symbol of the dragon is much appreciated by China. In cultural shows, TV advertisements and government propaganda, the dragon is ever present! China also boasts of its Communist ideology in the red color symbol, as in the words, “The East is red!” Of course, Chinese culture does not view the dragon as evil but good. However, with atheistic Communism prevailing in China and materialism brought about by economic progress, couldn’t the favourite dragon be a symbol of Satan?

China today is proud and aggressive. The Communists who are in power oppress the Chinese people, curtailing their freedom, so much so, as one remarked, “Communist China is a nation of slaves!” Catholics and other Christians, who are a minority in the country, are denied authentic religious freedom.

Keeping in mind the Book of Revelation, chapter 12, we believe that this situation will not last. Will Marian Philippines be a catalyst of the conversion of that country, the proclamation of Christ and the reign of God? This may be our national vocation, the challenge of the Work of Mary!

Igorotak: Culture and the Gospel

            Young Igorots today may not be aware that our ancestors practised slavery.  It was only upon the arrival of the Americans to the Cordillera highlands in the early 1900’s that the practice was abolished.  All slaves were then set free. 

          Among the Ibaloys of Benguet, the rich and influential families kept slaves who did the menial jobs for them.  These slaves were sold to them by traders who kidnapped boys or girls coming from other tribes in the Cordilleras.  These slaves were not usually treated well.  An old Ibaloy testified that when he was a boy, he saw a man beating his slave with a wooden club so badly that the slave became unconscious.  The man showed no remorse for his deed.  It was not unusual then that slaves often ran away from their owners.

          Slavery was not a good aspect of the old Igorot culture.  While we highlight the good aspects in our culture, let us not deny that there were bad ones too.  These ones needed to be removed or changed.  We need to keep in mind that human culture is not perfect, and so it needs a constant purification in order to express the best in people! 

          For us Christians, culture is purified by the Gospel.  Jesus taught us that God is the loving Father of all, and that we ought to love one another as he has loved us.  Jesus witnessed to the value of each person by giving his life for each one of us.  Anything then in our culture that falls short of this Gospel truth need to be purified!

          If we have discerned the good and bad aspects in the old Igorot culture, we need to do the same today.  In the contemporary culture we are immersed, what is in consonance with the Gospel and what is not?  We must continuously discern, purifying today’s culture and aligning it with the Gospel!       

Catholic Faith: What is a Creed?

            Whenever we celebrate the Holy Mass on Sundays, the priest, after his homily, invites us to stand and “to profess our faith.”  We then all recite the “Apostles’ Creed” or the longer form, the “Nicene Creed.”  This profession of faith is our response to the Word of God that was just read from the Bible and explained by the priest in his homily in the first part of the Holy Mass, the Liturgy of the Word.  Having heard God’s Word and hopefully having understood it, we stand and say, “Yes, I believe” with the words of the Creed.  Reciting the Creed also implies that we commit ourselves to live according to God’s Word, “Yes, I will live my faith.”    

            What’s a Creed, in the first place?  The word Creed comes from the Latin “Credo” which means “I believe.”  A Creed then is a statement of what one believes.  In the Bible, we read a couple of Creeds.  For example, in the Old Testament, we read a statement of what the Israelites believed: “The Lord is God and there is no other” (Deuteronomy 4:35).  In the New Testament, the Creeds of the first Christians centered on the Risen Christ: “The God of our fathers has raised up Jesus whom you put to death, hanging him on a tree.  He whom God has exalted at His right hand as ruler and savior is to bring repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:30-31).   

            The “Apostles’ Creed” and the “Nicene Creed” that Catholics, and even Protestants, are familiar with evolved as Christians felt the need to express faithfully a summary of what the apostles have taught.  Although there were the New Testament writings upheld by all Christians; yet, not everyone interpreted them correctly.  False teachings arose, called heresies.  Some, for example, like Arius, a well-known theologian at that time, denied the divinity of Christ.  These Creeds then were not based on human opinions but were gathered from the Bible, as interpreted and taught by the early Church.   

            The “Apostles’ Creed” originated from the Church in Rome towards the end of the second century.  It was used to instruct candidates for Baptism.  It was called “Apostles’ Creed” because it expressed what the Apostles themselves taught; in fact, early Christians had the custom of dividing the Creed into twelve articles (as there are twelve Apostles).  The “Nicene Creed” originated from the first two ecumenical Councils in the years 325 and 381.  These were gatherings of all bishops from the East and West to clarify and to articulate the authentic faith of Christianity.

            We will be studying in our future lessons the “Apostles’ Creed,” taking the twelve articles one at a time.  We will refer the “Nicene Creed” to elaborate further each article.  In the meantime, pay close attention to what you’re reciting during the Holy Mass when we are called upon “to profess our faith.”  Read closely now the twelve articles of the “Apostles’ Creed”:

1.          I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth

2.          And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord. 

3.          He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was born of the Virgin Mary.

4.          He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.

5.          He descended to the dead.  On the third day He rose again.

6.          He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father;

7.          From thence He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

8.          I believe in the Holy Spirit.

9.          I believe in the Holy Catholic Church.

10.        I believe in the forgiveness of sins.

11.        I believe in the resurrection of the body.

12.        I believe in life everlasting.  Amen.

Bible Study: The Bible and History

What is history? Generally, we say that history is a record of events that transpired in the lives of people individually or collectively. When you tell me your family background, stories of your childhood, your experiences in school, places where you have lived, your life with friends and acquaintances, you’re giving me a history of yourself. When we learn how the Spaniards came to the Philippines in the 16thcentury, how they have governed this country, what they have built and done, we’re studying a history of the Filipino nation during the colonial period.

Now, there are two things to consider in studying history: (1) the events themselves, that is, what happened and (2) the interpretation of the events, that is, how a writer or speaker understands those events. For example, you and a friend may have gone to the same school, attended the same classes and experienced the same activities, but you may view these events differently from your friend. You may tell other people that the school was a good one with an excellent program, and you may recommend the school to others. Your friend, on the other hand, may have a negative impression of the school, highlighting its defects and consequently not recommending the school to others. So, you and your friend underwent the same experiences, but you and your friend viewed them differently.

Turning now to the Bible, we read a lot of stories, experiences and events recorded there. What we are reading is biblical history. We read the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; we read the experiences of the people of Israel when they were slaves in Egypt, when they were liberated by God and led by Moses through the desert, journeying towards the Promised Land; we read the stories of the established kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the stories of Kings Saul, David, Solomon and the other kings. Finally, we read the life of Jesus, his death and resurrection; and we read the experiences of the early Christians and Paul.

Now, we sometimes wonder if some of these stories are real? Are they historical? Are they make-believe stories like fairy-tales? The answer is: (1) many of these stories are clearly historical; (2) the authors who wrote them interpreted these stories and events in the light of their faith in God (or in the case of the New Testament stories, in the light of their faith in Jesus Christ who is risen!); (3) the authors then used a style of writing to highlight more clearly the meaning of the stories and events, that is, in the light of their faith.

Today, when we speak of history, people are concerned with what is “factual” or “scientific” as far as possible. This was not so much the concern of the writers of history in the Bible. They were concerned more of expressing their faith in God who involved Himself in human history. For them – and for us – this is the key to come to the truth about matters and to understand not only biblical history but all history!

Work of Mary: Ban Si Shan

Ban Si Shan is a Marian Shrine in Shanxi Province. During the Cultural Revolution in China in the 1960’s, it was completely demolished by the Communists. Catholics patiently rebuilt the Shrine, carrying every block of stone up the mountain. I’ve been to Ban Si Shan three times. In this video, , six years ago, one can see another image of China – the courageous and fervent Chinese Catholics!