Think about it
Wobbling moral foundations
By Jun Velasco
“The greatest power for good is the power of example.” E.C. McKenzie
THE ascent of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, to the papacy is immediately challenged by the worsening turbulence in the world and worse, the church’s wobbling moral and spiritual foundations.
Whether there at the Vatican, the official seat of the Roman Catholic Church’s authority, or here, many priests are mired in many cases of sexual sin.
It is ironic that the Vatican should strike us, earthlings, as a symbol of material power—the exact opposite of Christ’s teachings, which is humility.
Let’s hope and pray that the Vatican would be able to shed its pompous and material trappings and make the Church the real home of Christianity.
Let’s not forget that Christ’s origin was in a lowly stable in Jerusalem, not in a palace. That speaks of volumes.
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As we ushered in the reign of a new Pope, the evangelicals are talking of the “sings of the times” –like Christ’s Second Coming—which, instead of causing fear, should be welcomed with great rejoicing.
Over Brother Eddie’s program, one pastor said “the righteous are now on the front-seat.” The word of God is now becoming vivid and visible for all of us to see. Even amid a mantle or shroud of wickedness engulfing the world, we see revivals everywhere!
These, they say, are now the End Times.
Amen.
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You should meet business tycoon and intellectual non-pareil Cesar Tiongson-Duque, older brother of who Ermin describes as Fire Player Gonzalo.
Gifted wish a supreme IQ—his “flat A” in English at the Ateneo remains unsurpassed to this day, Cesar was editor of the prestigious Harvard Review. His grasp of international business is legend.
One day, we saw artist Norma C. Liongoren at Cesar’s palace in Pasig. How we marveled at his collection of masterpieces by the masters now probably priced millions of pesos.
Cesar, like his brod Gonzalo, has a strong bias for media.
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Pangasinan cities including Dagupan, San Carlos and Alaminos should learn from the cleanliness drives of Urdaneta City and the municipality of Villasis.
On our way to Manila last Wednesday, we passed by a sparklingly clean Villasis town including the vegetable bagsakan center beside the presidencia. We saw a signboard bearing Mayor Abrenica’s picture with this notice: “First Offense P500, Second Offense P1, 500, and Third Offense P2, 000.
Dagupan used to have that campaign. Whatever happened to it, Mayor Benjie Lim?
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There’s a curious practice—maybe it’s being encouraged by the city government—of Dagupan residents of hanging their garbage wrapped in plastic bags on the frontage of their houses.
One woman foreigner once asked us if they were Christmas decorations until she smelled rotten things inside and covered her nose. They are health hazardous.
May we ask our friends Rose Teng and Dr. Leonard Carbonell, tourism and health officers, to zero in on this idiocy?
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Our former partner in Congress, Lawyer Jack Castaneda, texted us yesterday to say that his “idol,” older brother Jonas, outgoing mayor of Lingayen, is on the way to recovery.
Jonas had an angioplasty surgery at the Makati Heart Center and would be home in “three days” to help his wife, Josefina, in the mayoral campaign.
In case you don’t know, it’s bruited about that Jonas would melt ladies’ hearts including that of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s whenever he’d do a Frank Sinatra or Andy William ditties.
We texted Jack back, “God is good, to Him be the glory.”
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