Viewpoints
Christmas wishes
By +Oscar V. Cruz JCD
Considering that it is not bad to wish and that a wish is but a yearning, attending to the practice that Christmas time is the customary occasion to make wishes and that anybody can make a wish or two, the following wishful thoughts – or merely wishful thinking – – come to mind:
First wish: As to the Filipinos: In general, would that they become more wise in electing their public officials, many of whom – sad to say – cannot claim integrity, much less competence for the Offices they aspire, seek and eventually hold. That is why the Filipinos themselves should Officials are instead experts in self-service, not to mention their standard identification with graft and corrupt practices. The exemptions from the rule – although they are relatively few – are the big blessings of the Country. To these, the Filipinos have much to be grateful for.
econd wish: As to the Government: Without going into details or more specifics, would that the Government become more credible, better organized and thereby accordingly effective in really promoting the common good and public welfare. The empirical reality in the Country is that after one Government after another, the Philippines remain a destitute nation that finds itself but the sideline in the matter of global development and progress. Would that the Executive Department be fast in the administration of justice.
Third wish: As to the Church: With all good will and intention, would that the Church in the Philippines – the Catholic laity, the Clergy and the Hierarchy – pay progressively more attention to the Social Doctrine of the Universal Church. “Praise the Lord!” and “Amen!”, in the same way that Novenas, Fiestas, Processions and the like are all right. Of course, the Church should pay attention to the vertical dimension of the Christian faith in terms of the relationship between God and man. At the same time however, the Church has no choice really but to teach and act in accord with the horizontal dimension of the same faith, concretely in terms of the multilateral relations of men among themselves – such as the imperative of truth, the mandate of justice and the reign of peace. And the Social Doctrine of the Church specifically speaks loud and clear about such social issues. It is enough that all protestant creeds or sects comfortably follow but the vertical element of their creed. The Church has to preach and act as well on the difficult and even dangerous horizontal dimension of the Christian faith – and thereby embrace the Cross of Christ with its vertical and horizontal bars: Not one or the other – but both.
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