We choose to recall

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‘The New Year celebrations are over, and we recalled Rizal’s note on organizing the ilustrado agenda 141 years ago, episodes in the Global War on terror 10 and 30 years ago…’

WITH the New Year’s celebrations over, it was back to the grind. Our hero was complaining: “This afternoon we met at the house of Paterno—Lopez, the Llorentes, (Evaristo) Aguirre, (Valentin) Ventura, two Esquiveles, (Manuel Alveyra) Iriarte, (Raymundo) Perio, (Eduardo de) Lete, (Jose) Carrillo Abreu, Pozas, (Elueterio) Ruiz, Laserna, Graciano (Lopez Jaena), Domenech, (Pedro de) Govantes, and I. The question of the Circulo was impossible for a thousand reasons. Te neyis perla hebtem nuohi pasi am Isetemdira da des doma si ye ra moefem (The majority talk a great deal, but when it comes to giving money, they refuse to give.).” [Jose Rizal, 13 January 1884; https://philippinediaryproject.com/1884/01/13/13-de-enero-domingo-1884/]

The guy was busy indeed: he went to class 11 January 1884, went to the theatre to see “El Octavo No Mentir” and “Un Año Mas” 12 January 1884, then met up with his fellow students who appeared to be less determined than Rizal in purposively reviving an advocacy group 13 January 1884. Admirable that our hero and his barkada were enjoying their stay in Europe, but the crusade for reforms in the Spanish administration of their native land was not gaining traction. Rizal was productive, pushed good ideas, and possessed a high execution quotient, but his buddies had a lower batting average for activism. Lots of talk yet nobody was eager to put their money where their mouth was. Sound familiar?

The New Year’s celebrations were over, and the paeans were still rolling: “Your Holiness: Colonialism was brought to our shores, partly by the efforts of the conquistadores, and partly through the efforts of the Church. When the clergy in that period were asked how they justified the injustices committed during the colonization of the Philippines, they responded by saying: the Kingdom of God is not of this earth. With Vatican II, however, this changed: Instead of being a pillar of the establishment, the Church began to question the status quo. My understanding of the changes inspired by Vatican II, and of the influence of liberation theology, was the notion that temporal matters affect our spiritual well-being, and, consequently, cannot be ignored.” [https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2015/01/16/message-president-aquino-general-audience-pope-francis/]

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The Bishop of Rome was concluding his swing through Asia with an open-air Mass in the Philippine capital where he encountered a 12-year-old girl who had been abandoned by her parents, thus, prompting the Pontiff to ask, “Why do children suffer?” As well as remind the Catholics: “As the Bishops of the Philippines have rightly taught, the Church in the Philippines is called to acknowledge and combat the causes of the deeply rooted inequality and injustice which mar the face of Filipino society, plainly contradicting the teaching of Christ. The Gospel calls individual Christians to live lives of honesty, integrity and concern for the common good. But it also calls Christian communities to create ‘circles of integrity,’ networks of solidarity which can expand to embrace and transform society by their prophetic witness.” [https://web.archive.org/web/20150323055017/http://veritas846.ph/full-text-pope-francis-homily-during-the-holy-eucharist-in-manila-cathedral/]

While the Theology of Liberation reverberated in Manila, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State was targeted by Southeast Asia-based terrorists led by Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir (Marwan).

[https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/specialreports/431403/exclusive-kill-pope-threat-real-marwan-behind-plot/story/]

The 15-19 January 2015 pastoral/state visit to the Philippines was the second big occasion that violent takfiri extremists sought to murder a Vicar of Jesus Christ on Rizal’s homeland.

Pope Francis’ predecessor twice removed was in the bombsight of Al Qaeda via the Bojinka plot. [https://9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch5.htm] Details: “The senior inspector had already surmised that the Pope was a target of assassination, a suspicion borne out when she returned with the bomb squad to Suite 603 at 2:30 a.m. and found a photograph of the pontiff tucked into the corner of a bedside mirror, near a new crucifix, rosary and Bible. There were street maps of Manila, plotting the papal motorcade’s route; two remote-control pipe bombs; and a phone message from a tailor saying the cassock Saeed had ordered was ready for a final fitting.” [https://web.archive.org/web/20020614124327/http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1009926464027]

The Primate of Italy had headlined the 10th World Youth Day in the Philippines, the “country with the highest percentage of Catholics in Asia and one of the world’s most expressive.” [https://worldyouthday.com/manila-1995-2/] When Pope John  Paul II thanked the police and the fire departments, among others, in the Angelus of Sunday, 15 January 1995, Rizal Park of Manila, and mentioned the young people of Sarajevo (“who offer their sufferings for the World Youth Day”) after the Angelus, the Swiss Guards, Philippine authorities and American federal security services/intelligence agencies knew that the terrorist operation of Ramzi Ahmed Yousef (mastermind of the 1993 WTC bombing, confrere of Abubakar Janjalani and the Abu Sayyaf) was foiled. [https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/angelus/1995/documents/hf_jp-ii_ang_19950115.html]

The New Year’s celebrations were over, World War Two was climaxing, and our Freedom-Fighter was complimenting: “It is very inspiring to see a Filipino priest throwing his lot with the guerrilla, partaking in all its trials and tribulations. Father Frondesa, a young religious, is this man. He told me ‘as long as there is a single Filipino soldier in the guerrilla, I am going to stand by him to the end.’ Why could not all our Filipino priests take the same grim determination for the course? He certainly saves our priesthood from complete disgrace.” [Tomas Confesor, January 17, 1945]

The New Year celebrations are over, and we recalled Rizal’s note on organizing the ilustrado agenda 141 years ago, episodes in the Global War on terror 10 and 30 years ago, and a diary entry on the Global Anti-Fascist Struggle 80 years ago.

What matters most is what we choose to do now.

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