Redeeming the Lost Original Thanksgiving

This year, for the first time in history, Thanksgiving and Chanukah coincides. What a rare occasion it is,  indeed!

Both Thanksgiving and Chanukah are about giving thanks to God for freedom. The former celebrates religious and political freedom in the New World, North America, away from persecution in Europe in 1620. The latter celebrates the religious freedom and political sovereignty of the Jews, redeemed from the Greek in 166 BC.

When the Pilgrims first celebrated Thanksgiving, they did not have much. Neither the Jews when they fought back for Jerusalem from the Greek invaders. But, both Pilgrims and the Jews were grateful for whatever they had with them respectively – though it was not much at all.

When the Jews redeemed Jerusalem, they only had a scant amount of oil left. It was barely to light a candelabrum for just one day. But, the it kept burning for eight day miraculously. Because of this, during Chanukah, the Jews light eight candles of the menorah one candle per day every night during this 8-day celebration, taking the light candle fire from the shammash.

The spirit of Chanukah teaches that merciful God provide us just enough – no matter how little what we have may seem. Not only that, it also reminds us that what God provides is enough to share, given how a small candle light of the shammash can be distributed to eight candles of the menorah, while burning for 8 days. 

To Christians, this miracle story behind the Chanukah menorah invokes the miracle of Jesus feeding the hungry multitude, about 5,500 men plus women and children,  out of only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Just as the scant amount of oil left only to burn a candle for a day when the Jews redeemed Jerusalem from the Greeks, what Jesus and his disciples had was a tiny amount of food, barely to feed themselves. But, as the oil kept burning way longer than how long the Jews had thought, the small amount of bread and fish were able to be distributed to and satisfy the everybody in the hungry crowd. And, there still were some leftovers to fill up 12 baskets (Luke 9:10-17; Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44; John 6:5-13).

I am sure the Jews were anxious about the amount of oil they had because keeping the candle burning is very important to them. They were  are not supposed to run out of the oil for burning candles. But, God sure provided enough. And, they are always thankful to God for His care. 

Likewise, though what Jesus and his disciples were able to find was a very small amount of food, Jesus nevertheless gave thanks and broke them for distribution (i.e. Luke 9:16).

There is a sense of appreciation for whatever they had in these stories – the story about the oil upon the redemption of Jerusalem in 166 BC and Jesus feeding the hungry multitude. 

Neither the  Jews nor Jesus asked for more – even though what they had did not appear to be enough to meet their needs. They just thanked God and trusted God’s care. And, their needs were met. 

When the Pilgrim came to the Plymouth Rock in New England, still a land of the Native Americans, after a harsh voyage across the stormy cold Atlantic Ocean in 1620, in search of freedom from religious persecution in Europe, they barely had anything to eat. They were on the verge of starvation to death. But, it was the Native Americans in New England, who responded with compassion to these starving new comers, and invited them to their traditional thanksgiving festival. Because of this, the Pilgrim did not perish and were able to find themselves in the freedom they had longed for. And, they gave thanks to God for this. Truly, God’s mercy worked through the compassion of the Native Americans. 

  "Pilgrims Landing" by Edward Percy Moran

Being pious Christians, I am sure, that the Pilgrim did not ask God for more. They were just so grateful for having their lives spared and being provided with means to survive in their newly found land by the Native Americans.  But, as time went by, the Pilgrim seemed to have lost their original sense of gratitude, soon gave it to greed, given how American history has turned. 

The way Thanksgiving has been celebrated in the United States hardly recalls how compassionate and kind the Native Americans were in saving the lives of the starving Pilgrims by sharing their harvests, similar to how Jesus fed the hungry multitude by sharing what he found. It seems as if the way Thanksgiving has been in the US is all about the Pilgrim and their “God”.  In other words, the Thanksgiving in the US reminds how the Pilgrims have “hijacked” the Native American tradition of giving thanks for the harvest and ignored how God’s mercy worked through the compassion of the Native Americans. 

To keep the American Thanksgiving authentic, the celebration must honor the Native Americans, who saved the starving Pilgrim. If possible, it is more authentic to be hosted by a Native American tribal elder or chief, as the very first Thanksgiving festival was. But, how often do we encounter real American Thanksgiving celebrations hosted by full-blooded Native Americans?

Have you thought what happened to the original Thanksgiving that the Pilgrims were so grateful for?    

Not only the Pilgrims returned their “thanks” for the Native Americans’ life-saving kind favor by robbing their lands and lives but also by “plagiarizing “ the Native American tradition by making it as if theirs. What is further worse is that the American Thanksgiving in modern years even makes a misleading impression – as if it were the Pilgrim who fed hungry Native Americans. 

                                         The First Thanksgiving"  by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris

It is important to reflect the lost tradition of the original American Thanksgiving and how the hypocrisy of the Pilgrims, as well as their descendants, have twisted this tradition as it has been in recent years. 

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The way Thanksgiving has been observed in the United States reflects how our sense of gratitude often fails and easily gives its way to greed. From a psychospiritual perspective, this is due to a lack of discipline to keep our sense of gratitude. 

In a way, this is how psychological conditioning – adaptation works. Once we become so used to – become accustomed to – become conditioned to a satisfactory condition, our sense of gratitude tends to become dull. To prevent this tendency, we need conscious efforts to maintain our sense of gratitude.

Once we become comfortable, there is always danger of losing our sense of gratitude. It is when we begin to lose a sense of poverty, which also spiritually symbolizes humility.  Throughout the Gospels, the rich are figuratively portrayed as the arrogant, who underestimate God’s power (i.e. Luke 16:19-31) and are less appreciative of God’s mercy, while the poor are humble and totally trust God (i.e.  Luke 20:45-21:4). 

Indeed, Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God”(Luke 6:20). And, in Matthew’s Gospel, what corresponds to this is, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven(Matthew 5:3). And, St. Chrysostom and St. Leo the Great have explained that “the poor in spirit” means humility. Thus, in Jesus’ teaching, the humility is figuratively expressed as poverty.

Jesus made it clear figuratively with these words that material richness keeps us from salvation because it means a loss of humility: “And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”(Matthew 19:23-24). 

To put this in a Buddhist term, the poverty in Jesus’ teaching means having no attachment. No attachment also means no greed, indicating spiritual discipline to control desire. 

Now, where in today’s Thanksgiving is the sense of humility that the Pilgrims may have exhibited when they were saved by the Native Americans, upon coming to Plymouth Rock, starving? 

Today, Thanksgiving in America is being hijacked by commercialism – reflecting greed bred out of material saturation. 

There has been far more material wealth concentrated in the United States than any other nations on earth. For instance, if you see how material wealth is distributed in the world, you notice that there is far more material wealth concentrated on in the United States than any other nations. And, the Americans are not yet satisfied – though they are far fare better off than those in other parts of the world. And, the way American Thanksgiving has been reflects this.

On Thanksgiving Day, many Americans eat far more than they need. After filling their stomach more than full, they fill their garbage bags with still-edible leftover food from Thanksgiving meal. Then, it’s about shopping and shopping.

Until recent years, at least, stores were closed on Thanksgiving to observe the spirit of the holiday. But, it is now gone as more and more stores are open even on Thanksgiving day – and more and more Americans go shopping on Thanksgiving day fanatically. 

So, where is our humble reflection of the original Thanksgiving that the Pilgrims were invited by the Native Americans? 

It is gone and replaced by gluttony and the fanaticizing commercialism, phenomenon of the lost humility, hijacked by uncontrollable greed.  This is what is behind the killing among Thanksgiving Day and Post-Thanksgiving (Black Friday) shopping frenzy. 

If you are authentic Christian – if you are truly spiritual, valuing humility and despise greed and gluttony, honors the spirit of gratefulness in the original American Thanksgiving festival, to which the starving Pilgrims were invited, then, you rather find Thanksgiving as a holiday of frugality to show your humility and gratefulness to God. And, you do everything you can to keep Thanksgiving from greed and gluttony as you exercise your spiritual disciplines and control your desire – perhaps as St. Ignatius of Loyola did with Suscipe:

Receive, O Lord, all my liberty. Take my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. Whatsoever I have or hold, You have given me; I give it all back to You and surrender it wholly to be governed by your will. Give me only your love and your grace, and I am rich enough and ask for nothing more.   Spiritual Exercises 234.

Before St. Ignatius pray with these words for the spiritual disciplines through the Spiritual Exercises, St. Paul put these words upon heeding the words of Jesus:

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

 St. Paul shows with these words that how important the poverty (weakness) is as it is humility, in which the power of Christ is perfected through his grace. And, grace poured upon us suffices, desiring no more, while thanking God for the grace – unconditional gift that He has provided. 

This is the bottom line of beatitude – the blessedness, as Jesus reflected in Matthew 5:3-12 and Luke 6:20-22.

The spirit of the original American Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what we have – no matter how much we have or how little we have. The last thing we want on this day is to want more and to have more, desiring what we don’t have. 

So, why do we have to stimulate our weakness of greed for eating far more than the stomach can handle and keeping stores open, with crazy sales campaign? 

Psychologically, such phenomena of material cravings are indication of insecurity. It means a fragility of ego due to being unable to trust God and His providence….not being able to be like the poor widow who offered all she had to God (Luke 20:45-21:4 ) and the poor widow who trusted God’s servant, Elijah, and offered everything she had ( 1 Kings 17:7-16). But, through our spiritual disciplines, we can fight against our tendency of craving and material attachment. It means boosting our trust in God and His mercy on us. Then, we are not so worried about how much we have. Rather, our sense of gratitude grows more, recognizing even small thing to be thankful for, being able to embrace the poverty as the virtue of humility. 

As this Thanksgiving coincides with the first day of Chanukah, let us begin our spiritual battle against greed and material attachment in order to redeem the lost original American Thanksgiving – as the Jews, led by Judas Maccabeus heroism, redeemed Jerusalem from the Greek intruders. 

The first reading for Thanksgiving Day Mass (in the US) calls us to redeem the humility and gratitude in the original Thanksgiving:

And now, bless the God of all,
who has done wondrous things on earth;
Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb,
and fashions them according to his will!
May he grant you joy of heart
and may peace abide among you;
May his goodness toward us endure in Israel
to deliver us in our days. (Sirach 50:22-24)

As the Native Americans thanked the Creator who provide their harvests, we thank God, who is the Creator and provides for us with what we need. And, it is enough as it sustains us.

Let us not allow greed and attachment to cloud our sense of humility and gratitude. Otherwise, we would become the lepers, who never thanked Jesus even though he healed them, in the Thanksgiving Day Gospel reading (Luke 17:11-19).  As we keep fighting the spiritual intruders, such as greed and attachment, we can keep our sense of gratitude and humility, always express our thanks to God, as the thankful leper did in the Gospel story. 

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.” (Luke 17:11-19)

As we let our sense of gratitude and humility give its way to greed and attachment, not only we will become like the nine lepers, who never thanked in the above Gospel story, but also become like the Pilgrims, who robbed the lands and lives of the Native Americans, who saved their lives and invited to their humble Thanksgiving festival.

In Sirach 51:1-12, there is a canticle of thanksgiving. And, it is rather suitable to appreciate the humble spirit of gratitude to mark true Thanksgiving:

I give you thanks, O Lord and King;
    I praise you as my God and Savior.
I give you thanks,
   for you have helped me and protected me.
You have rescued me from death,
    from dangerous lies and slander.
You helped me when no one else would;
    in your great mercy you saved me
    from the many troubles I have known:
from the glaring hatred of my enemies,
    who wanted to put an end to my life;
⁴ from suffocation in oppressive smoke
    rising from fires that I did not light;
from death itself;
    from vicious slander reported to the king.
I was once brought face-to-face with death;
 enemies surrounded me everywhere.
I looked for someone to help me,
    but there was no one there.
But then, O Lord, I remembered how merciful you are
    and what you had done in times past.
I remembered that you rescue those who rely on you,
    that you save them from their enemies.
Then from here on earth I prayed to you
    to rescue me from death.
I prayed,
        O Lord, you are my father;
    do not abandon me to my troubles
    when I am helpless against arrogant enemies.

I will always praise you
    and sing hymns of thanksgiving.
        You answered my prayer,
 and saved me from the threat of destruction.
And so I thank you and praise you.
    O Lord, I praise you!

Though the Book of Sirach in the Old Testament ends here, the original Hebrew text contains the below praises, following the above:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to the God of glory, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to the guardian of Israel, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to the creator of the universe, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to the redeemer of Israel, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to him who gathers the dispersed of Israel, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to him who builds his city and his sanctuary, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to him who makes a horn to sprout forth, for the house of David, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to him who has chosen for his priests the sons of Zadok, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to the shield of Abraham, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to the rock of Isaac, for his mercy endures forever;

Given thanks to the mighty one of Jacob, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to him who has chosen Zion, for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to the king over kings of kings, for his mercy endures forever;

He has lifted up the horn of his people, be this his praise from all his faithful ones.

From the children of Israel, the people close to him. Alleluia! 

May we redeem the lost original Thanksgiving from greed, gluttony, and other forms of attachment, as Judas Maccabeus redeemed Jerusalem from the Greeks, by keeping up with our spiritual disciplines and keeping our thanks and praises to God.

Christ the King: End of Time Juxtaposed to an End of a Liturgical Year, Discerning Fresh Hope for What Is To Follow - Christmas

As it draws near to the end of the liturgical year, the scripture readings focus on the end of time. And, this liturgical year – Year C – ends with this week! So, what does it mean? 

Does it mean there is no more liturgy, including the scripture readings in Mass, because it is the end? 

No. 

It is only “an” end. Not “the” end. 

There remains continuity beyond an end – beyond the end of this liturgical year, because this liturgical year will gives its way to ring in a new liturgical year – Year A, as we maintain the 3-year liturgical cycle (A-B-C) in the Church. 

This coexistence of an end and continuity is one important thing to bear in mind as we approach the very last week of this liturgical year, focusing on the issues about the end of time through our scripture readings.  This is very important so that we won’t get “lost” in an end-of-time pessimism as we retain a sense of continuity beyond an approaching end. 

To highlight the end of this liturgical year, we solemnly commemorate the feast of Christ the King, the 34^th Sunday of Ordinary Time.  And, that’s this Sunday! 

During this liturgical year (Year C), we primarily read Luke’s Gospel, and the Gospel readings for the 32^nd Sunday and the 33^rd Sunday really touch on our eschatological concerns. 

When we are hinted with something that invokes an end, such as death, we tend to become anxious. And, we often wonder and worry.  But, in order to cope with our anxieties and worries, invoked by our awareness of an end, it is important to maintain a sense of continuity beyond an imminent end. In pastoral care for dying patients, this is important. But, we do not have to be dying patient to have a sustaining sense of continuity beyond an end, in order for us to meaningfully cope with fears and anxieties involving an end and uncertainty.  There is important wisdom for this, drawn from the Gospel readings leading to the last Sunday of the liturgical year. 

These Gospel readings from 32^nd Sunday (Luke 20:27-38) and 33^rd Sunday (Luke 21:5-9) are meant to help us deal with our tendency to become anxious about a prospect of an end but also to prepare us for the feast of Christ the King, marking the end of the liturgical year. The Gospel reading for feast of Christ the King – 34^th Sunday (Luke 23:35-43) is not only to highlight the very last week of the liturgical year with a scene of the very last hour of Jesus’ life in Calvary but rather to reveal apocalyptic nature of Jesus’ Kingly identity a bit. The Gospel readings of the 32^nd Sunday and 33^rd Sunday are to build up our mindset well-prepared for a gradual revelation of Jesus’ Kingly identity, leading to its completion in the Book of Revelation. 

Psychologically and spiritually, this arrangement of the Gospel reading across these last 3 weeks of the liturgical year is to appreciate the beginning of the revelation of the apocalyptic nature of Jesus’ Kingship nature without being misguided and fooled.

The Gospel reading for the Christ the King (Luke 23:35-43), indeed, provides a case study for being misguided with a criminal, who mocked Jesus as a failed king of the Jew with cynicism and pessimism (Luke 23:39). This man, being crucified with Jesus, had thought the Jesus, the king of the Jew, was simply to die without the resurrection. And, this pessimistic view echoes the Pharisees’ view in the 32^nd Sunday Gospel reading (Luke 20:27-38). 

On the other hand, the Gospel reading for the Christ the King (Luke 23:35-43) also gives a case study counter to the case of cynical and pessimistic criminal.  Another criminal being crucified with Jesus to his right hand, also known as a “good thief” or “patient thief”, viewed Jesus on the Cross differently. The “god thief” said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”(Luke 23:42), instead of mocking him.  And, you may want to ponder why the “good thief” said “your kingdom”. He did not say, “when you come into your republic”, though. Apparently, the “good thief” had seen Jesus, the man being crucified like him, right next to him, as a king beyond the king of the Jew, which was a conspired “crime” allegation to kill Jesus. This awareness of the “good thief” is extremely important to appreciate the meaning of the solemn feast of Christ the King. And, because this nature is apocalyptic, its full revelation has to wait until the end of time – the time described in the Book of Revelation, the very last book in the Bible.  This is why this man is also called “patient thief”.

A very important lesion from the Gospel readings of the 32^nd Sunday and the 33^rd Sunday to see Jesus as the “good thief” did is not to be misled or fooled by false teachers and false prophets, who are to prey upon our fears and anxiety about uncertainly toward the end of time. 

In preparing us to face our eschatological concerns, Jesus’ teaching through the Gospel readings for the last 3 Sundays of this liturgical year (Luke 20:27-38 for the 32^nd Sunday, Luke 21:5-19 for the 33rnd Sunday, Luke 23:35-43 for Christ the King – 34^th Sunday) is to help us overcome our anxieties and fears.  In this respect, these 3 Gospel readings are good antidote to fears and anxieties we tend to experience on uncertainty toward the end. 

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For the 32^nd Sunday Gospel reading (Luke 20:27-38), the focal theme was on the resurrection.  For the 33^rd Sunday Gospel reading (Luke 21;5-19), Jesus offers advice as to how we should prepare ourselves for the end of time. Then, for the feast of Christ the King, in the Gospel reading (Luke 23:35-43), Jesus is portrayed as a mocked and crucified “king”. But, what is apocalyptic here is that this mocked and crucified king is the King of Kings – not the “king of the Jews”.  And, this prophetic message to be revealed is made clear in the Book of Revelation, which describes a process of Christ’s return, parousia. 

In fact, following these 3 Gospel readings toward the last Sunday of the liturgical year – the feast of Christ the King – guides us through our psychological path of increasing anxiety and perhaps some fears toward the end. 

First, the 32^nd Sunday Gospel reading (Luke 20:27-38) is to assure that the resurrection of us is real. Thus, this helps us prepare for the tribulations we may experience on our way to this salvific phenomena further down on our journey of faith. Then, the 33^rd Sunday Gospel reading (Luke 21:5-19) addresses how we are to conduct ourselves during tribulations, especially in dealing with false teachers and false prophets, who often take advantage of disasters to fool us about the end of time. This warning wisdom of Jesus is, in fact, very timely, as we are now dealing with catastrophic and traumatic consequences of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). There have been some “religious” people linking the disaster to the end of time, trying to lock us in fears and anxieties toward the end of time. 

In this regard, going over these Gospel reading at this time is even more meaningful to reflect what it means to live as Christians in the time like now – not only it is nearing the end of this liturgical year but also it is facing tragic aftermaths of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. 

Fear and anxiety can derail us from our right path of faith and draw us away from God.  Devil works hard to do this as its mission is to separate us from God – making us lifeless in this way. Thus, we must be aware of this and vigilant about a possibility of Devil’s attack on us through our anxieties and fears. When we find ourselves growing in pessimism and cynicism – becoming like the Pharisees in Luke 20:27-38 of the 32^nd Sunday or like the criminal who mocked Jesus in Luke 23:35-43 of the Christ the King – 34th Sunday, chances are, you have been attacked by Devil. And, unless you take an affective spiritual intervention and exercises right spiritual disciplines, you may sink deep into the abysmal quagmire of despair beyond an irreversible point. This psychospiritual state is like what Viktor Frankl calls “spiritual death”.

When Jesus was mocked and crucified as a failed king in Luke 23:35-43, those who used to believe in his teaching were gravely disappointed – even to a point of anger and resentment, soon to have their anger and resentment replaced or mixed with fears and anxieties about the end of time, invoked by Jesus’ death. And, they had to wait for 3 days in order to testify the validity of Jesus’ teaching on the resurrection. 

But, in the 32^nd Sunday’s Gospel reading (Luke 20:27-38 ) , Jesus is speaking about our resurrection, and even indicating that we are the children of the resurrection (Luke 20:36). 

With this understanding, we can appreciate the Gospel reading for the feast of Christ the King in a way that the King of Kings we call our Lord is beyond the death of the mocked king – the king of the Jews. Those whose faith is none or lukewarm lost their vision with the death of the mocked king of Israel on the Cross, just as those whose faith is weak and pathological are easily swayed and fooled by false teachers and false prophets, sinking in to fears, anxieties, and eventually irrecoverable despair. 

But, if your faith is mature, healthy, and strong, then, you are able to endure all the tribulations that may occur between now and the end of time – trusting the Lord, as David did in his Psalm 23, and cope with fears and anxiety that may arise along the way. The false teachers and false prophets prey upon our fears and anxieties. Their purpose is to lock us in fears and anxieties in order to keep us away from God – to cut us off from God. The weaker and the more lukewarm our faith becomes, the more vulnerable we become to become fooled by such false teachers and false prophets, thus, becoming imprisoned in the darkness of fears and anxieties. In fact, this is rather sinking in the abyss of the darkness of fears and anxieties, more like being sucked into the black hole – the spiritual black hole  - when we lack our faith during the time of tribulations in life. 

Anxious and fearful hearts and minds tend to see the reality myopically and find it very difficult to accept the reality with mystery. Such hearts and minds are prone to impatience and irritation. Then, anxious and fearful hearts and minds may deteriorate into paranoia – finding it increasing difficult to trust each other and God. And, this is the real darkness that Devil tries to sink us in. If there is such a thing called hell, this must be it.

The darkness symbolizing our suffering and grieves brought by calamities in the world are not necessarily the darkness of the end of time – though false teachers and false prophets may myopically and hastily say so to drive us into the quagmire of fears and anxiety. The real darkness we must fight against is the fears and darkness that false teachings and prophesies will throw us into.

“Magic pills” and the ones who prescribe the pills, “shrinks” won’t do. But, it is our steadfast faith in God that will do steers us through the darkness of trials in life while keeping us from the real darkness of the abyss of fears and anxieties. Even if we get drawn into the darkness of fears and anxieties, recovering our faith can pull us out of the abyss – if it is  not too late. 

Heralded by Dr. Harold G. Koenig of Duke University, evidence-based rigorous scientific studies pretty much consistently indicate that people with strong spirituality and intrinsic religiosity are better able to cope with challenges in life, coping with fears and anxieties that tribulations in life may invoke. Echoing this fact, Dr. Robert Coles of Harvard University has discovered a strong association between children’s psychological resilience and spirituality. Because faith is an expression of spirituality, Jesus’ teaching on strong faith to weather through the darkness of trials and tribulations in life – calamities and sufferings in the world also makes sense also scientifically.  This is how we fend off the negative fear-inducing influences of false teachers and false prophets, as the 33^rd Sunday Gospel reading (Luke 21:5-19 ) reminds us. 

So, put the spiritual of Psalm 23, totally trust in God when walking through the darkness of trials in life and calamities in the world. This way, we become stronger in fighting the bad influences from false teachers and false prophets – even though these false teachings and prophecies may seem to be an easier way. By trusting God, as in Psalm 23, we are not fooled by an illusion that false teachings and prophecies try to infuse in us.

Even though we may have to walk through the darkness of persecution because of our love of God, we can endure and preserve our life – meaning, our souls, our spiritual life – not to be confused with our physical lives. 

Jesus also inspires us to cultivate our heart – our spiritual discipline ahead of time so that we won’t worry about how we will defend ourselves in front of our enemies, as said in Luke 21:14. And, this is because we trust in God’s providing of words and wisdom invincible to our enemies’ attacks (Luke 21:15). In fact, this echoes how Jesus himself proved his teaching on the resurrection is indisputable by the Sadducees’ attack in the 32^nd Sunday Gospel reading. And, the Pharisees’ in the 32^nd Sunday Gospel reading can be understood as an example of false teachers and false prophets in the 33^rd Sunday Gospel reading. 

With this understanding from the 32^nd Sunday Gospel reading (Luke 20:27-38 ) and the 33^rd Gospel reading (Luke 21:5-19 )aforementioned, now we can better appreciate the Gospel reading for the 34^th Sunday (Luke 23:35-43), the very last Sunday of this liturgical year – the feast of Christ the King.

If you have this understanding discerned from these two Sundays’ Gospel readings, then, you will see Jesus on the Cross, not as a mocked “INRI – Iesus Nazareus Rex Iudaeorum: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” as the “bad criminal” did but rather as the salvific or messianic King above all kings, as the “good thief” did. And, because of his discovery of this truth, Jesus assured salvation to the “good thief” by saying, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”(Luke 23:43).

Those who lack faith and are vulnerable to false teachers and false prophets are likely to see Jesus as a poor INRI, mocked and killed – nothing more. They are, thus, unable to see the resurrection in Jesus. They are left in the darkness. To them, the Temple of Jerusalem is forever destroyed. 

On the other hand, as long as our faith is strong and trust in God is unconditional, as in the spirit of Psalm 23, and as understood from the Gospel readings of the 32^nd Sunday and the 33^rd Sunday, the Temple will be built anew – though its reconstruction may not come as the same old one. Likewise, we understand that Jesus, though dying on the cross, is not the king of the Jews but the Messianic King, the only one who can shepherd us into salvation through our resurrections when it is due in his time. As described in Psalm 23 and Revelation 19, we will be happily sitting at the heavenly banquet, in front of the conquered enemies. And, as imaged in Revelation 19, Jesus, the Christ, will reveal his Messianic and Kingly identity – King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16) in order to defeat Satan (Revelation 20:7-10) and to complete the final judgement (Revelation 20: 11-15). This is how we close this liturgical year to bring in the new liturgical year with Advent.

The new incoming liturgical year, then, opens with Advent – a time of our anticipation for the coming of the Lord.

So, during Advent, our time of spiritual preparation for Christmas, we gradually begin to know the darkness we have been enduring will give its way to the new light. In other words, the darkness of our sufferings and world’s tribulations are not eternal as we endure and begin to be transformed to the new light of hope.  Eschatologically, this transition during Advent into Christmas, following the feast of Christ the King of the previous liturgical year’s closing is echoes in the flow from Revelation 19 to Revelation 22. In other words, Christmas we celebrate every year is a psychospiritua projection of our hope and anxiousness toward parousia, imaged in Revelation 19 on. 

With our mature and healthy and steadfast faith, we can endure tribulations and trials, both internally and externally, whether sufferings of our own or sufferings of the world, because of our eschatological hope firmly latched on the resurrection to come. With this, we trust God as the shepherd who guides us through the valley of darkness (Psalm 23) and the Good Shepherd, who protects us and even willingly lays his life for us (John 10:10-18).  And, as sung in the hymn, “I Am the Bread of Life”, and as envisioned in Revelation 20:5, the Christ the King will raise us up on the last day. 

The lyric of this hymn also reminds us that the Christ the King will not only raise us upon his return (parousia) or the last day vision of Revelation 20:5, but also is the Bread of Life, the Holy Eucharist, to sustain our journey through tribulations and trials, so that we can endure and persevere all the way into the salvation to come upon parousia. This Christological revelation also echoes another identity of Christ the King as the Good Shepherd who willingly gives his life for us (John 10: 10-18).

I Am the Bread of Life
You who come to Me shall not hunger
And who Believe in Me shall not thirst
No one can come to Me unless the Father Beckons

And I Will Raise You Up
And I Will Raise You Up
And I Will Raise You Up on the Last Day

The Bread that I Will Give
Is My Flesh of the Life of the Lord
And if you Eat of this Bread
You Shall Live Forever
You Shall Live Forever

And I Will Raise You Up
And I Will Raise You Up
And I Will Raise You Up on the Last Day

Unless You Eat of the Flesh of the Son of Man
And Drink of His Blood
You Shall not Have Life Within You
You Shall not Have Life Within You

And I will Raise You Up
And I will Raise You Up
And I will Raise You Up on the Last Day

I am the Resurrection
I am Life
If You Believe in Me
Before You Die
You Shall Live
You Shall Live Forever

And I Will Raise You Up
And I Will Raise You Up
And I Will Raise You Up on the Last Day

Because of this understanding of our King of kings – Christ the King, the very one who feeds us, shepherds us, and raises us, so that we won’t become a lost sheep into the abyss of fear and anxieties, we always cite:

Christ has died, alleluia, Christ is risen, alleluia, Christ will come again, alleluia!  for Memorial Acclamation during Mass.

Christ has died on Good Friday, as the Gospel reading for the feast of Christ King – 34^th Sunday (Luke 23:35-43) suggests to. But, what follows this end, which symbolizes the end of this liturgical year, is the coming of Christ to this world, Christmas, upon Advent, with which we will begin the next liturgical year, juxtaposing our eschatological hope for Christ’s return – parousia.  So, Christ is risen on Easter and has ascended in 40 days. And, God has sent the Holy Spirit, as he promised, on Pentecost. And, he also promised his return – parousia (Luke 21:27, echoes by Revelation 1:7). So, we sing, “Christ will come again, alleluia!” And, this is our hope – what we keep our eyes on to help us endure and persevere, keeping ourselves from spiritual derailment from the right path, protecting from false teachings and prophecies.

****

May God bless and continue to shepherd all of us, feed us, and sustain us, the faithful, through this transitional time, through the turbulent and traumatic time of the world and our sufferings, as we set our eyes on our resurrections into salvation, imaged in Revelation 21 and 22….as we project such our hope in Christmas.

Pag-asa and Katatagang Rising from the Post-Haiyan Philippines

The Calamities in the Central Philippines, 2013 – The Calamities in the Northeastern Japan, 2011

From November 7 through November 8, 2013, a Category-5 Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) pounded and razed though the Philippines, crossing the central Philippines from the east to the west, with the destructive energy of multiple Hiroshima-size atomic bombs and the 600 km diameter, leaving at least 1,200 people confirmed dead by November 9, countless number of homes destroyed, and infrastructures severely damaged in many municipalities. As search and rescue operation is now in progress, the number of the dead is predicted to reach as high as 10,000 in one province alone.

This is, indeed, a greatly tragic disaster. And, Typhoon Haiyan brought calamities to the central Philippines, in particular, the Vizaya region, where a M. 7.2 earthquake brought severe destructions on October 15, 2013. The monster typhoon destroyed even more lives, homes, and towns, without giving those who have been affected by the earthquake enough time to recover. 

Because of the devastating earthquake and tsunami-like water disaster from the typhoon, on top of wind damages, the disasters in the central Philippines remind me of the horrible 2011 Eastern Japan Great Disaster, whose impacts still put many affected people  in struggles.  

In Japan, it was a M. 9.0 earthquake and more-than-10-meter-high tsunami on March 11, 2011. In the Philippines, it was a M. 7.2 earthquake on October 15, 2013 and then a Category-5 typhoon with 235 mph wind speed and tsunami-like flooding. Both of these disasters brought extreme catastrophes and traumatic consequences of long-lasting impacts. 

As a Japanese national, whose beloved nation has sustained great catastrophes of 2011, cries of the Filipino people amidst the calamities this year are juxtaposed to these of my country people two years ago.  As my heart went out to the affected people in the Philippines, I had a flashback of how my heart went out to those who were affected by the 2011 Eastern Japan Great Disaster. Certainly, Typhoon Haiyan was not a matter of a remote place to me, because some of my friends’ families in the Bohol-Cebu-Leyte region have been severely affected. They lost their homes to the earthquake in October and the Typhoon Haiyan. 


Philippines 2013   Dondi Tawatao / GETTY IMAGES

Japan 2011        EPA


Post-Disasters Challenges – Post-Exodus Challenges

Now the storm has passed and given way to the sunshine, blue sky and calm sea. But, the way that towns and villages look now gives stark reminders of how destructive the Typhoon Haiyan was.

On the surface, the vast affected areas look absolutely horrible. The scenes of the destruction even make the chill run through the spine, as it was the case with the scene after the March 2011 great earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Because infrastructures mangled, not only utilities services are cut off but also there is no food and clean water. Because roads are destroyed and bridges are washed away, deliveries of water, food, and other necessary supplied are delayed. As the delay prolongs, people began to lose not only patience but also their confidence in those who have promised to help. As their patience begins to wane, frustration and irritation begin to rise.

This situation after the super typhoon may be compared to a situation in the Desert of Sin during the Exodus (Exodus 16:1-3). 

With the hope for a better life in a new place, the Israelites escaped the oppression in Egypt upon Passover, sustaining the powerful strike of God in Egypt. This deliberation from Egypt was with God’s compassionate response to the Israelites’ suffering as slaves under the Egyptian oppression. God chose Moses, assisted by his brother, Aaron, to act on His behalf, in leading the Israelites in the Exodus journey and communicate His messages to them. But, God did not give a shortcut route through the Palestine for their Exodus journey. Instead, He chose a desert route to cross the Red Sea to settle them in the new land in Canaan. With Moses’ leadership, entrusted by God, the Israelites successfully managed the challenge of crossing the Red Sea. But, a problem began to emerge after crossing the Red Sea, when they walked in the Desert of Sin for many days without water and food. 

To put this biblical narrative in the context of the current post-Haiyan hardship in the central Philippines, the government authority is like Moses, under whose leadership people prepare for and respond to the disaster. Those who successfully escaped the Egyptian oppression with Moses over God's powerful storm, Passover, can be compared to the survivors of the earthquake and typhoon in the Philippines. And, the fact that the Israelites did not take a shortcut may correspond to the fact that the survivors of the disasters in the Philippines are not getting necessary water, food, shelter and other materials immediately. 

As Moses led the Israelites through the Exodus journey, it is the government authority that directs and coordinates the post-disaster programs to help its people journey through the challenging life after the disaster. 

As the hope and patience of the Israelites began to wane , while wondering through the Desert of Sin without water and food for days, now those who lost their homes to the earthquake and typhoon in the central Philippines wonder when they can get water, food, medicine and other necessary supplied as the government authority promised. These survivors may be feeling how the Israelites in the Desert of Sin could have felt.

As such a hardship with thirst and hunger prolonged in the Desert of Sin, the Israelites began to complain to Moses, “Would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat b our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!”(Exodus 16:3). And later on, in Rephidim, the Israelites complained again to Moses, “Give us water to drink”(Exodus 17:2), and “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of theirst with our children and our livestock?”(Exodus 17:3). 

Similar to this, those who have survived the disasters in the Philippines are now complaining to the government authority about still not having water and food, as their health is now threatened with advancing thirst and hunger. As the Israelites felt betrayed by God, projecting their frustration with God at Moses through the complaints, the survivors of the disasters in the central Philippines are voicing their frustration with the government authority. 

It is so difficult to see those who have been severely affected by the earthquake and the typhoon, growing in their frustration and resentment, as their thirst and hunger advances to a degree to threaten their health. And, I certainly hope that the government authority soon responds as God responded to such Israelites’ plights by sending the manna from heaven (Exodus 16:4-36) and giving water from the rock (Exodus 17:1-7). I am confident that the survivors of the disasters in the Philippines will not lose their hope and manage to endure this hardship so that their lives will improve with the water, food, and other necessary supplies finally reaching out to them, as they keep their faith in God.

Rising Sign of Katatagang and Pag-asa Amidst Hardship – Joy to Be Found

Though the survivors of the disasters face this post-disasters hardship with frustration and resentment, there is something so unique about these deadly scenes, because a sizable number of affected people still smile and wave as reporters’ cameras find them, even though they have lost their homes and probably some of their loved ones. While some people are acting frantically, these people rather remain orderly and calm.

Usually, we think these affected people to exhibit very sad, confused, panicked and lost looks. We would rather think to see people crying than smiling in such situations. But their smiles amidst the hardship remind us of something very important, spiritually and existentially.  The smiles certainly defy the gloom atmosphere of the ravaged life by the disasters.

At first, we may become tempted to ask them, “Aren’t you feeling sad?, wondering if they were in denial of sadness. But then we come to realize that it is a manifestation of their unique resilience rather than a psychological denial. 

What their smiles amidst horrible post-disaster living condition invoke is Paul’s extraordinary resilience, which enabled him to find peace and joy amidst his hardship.  In Paul’s case, his resilience was attributed to his steadfast faith in Christ and his salvific power. For example, in writing from a prison, Paul said, “Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved”(Philippians 4:1). Rather than pitifully complaining his hardship in captivity, Paul was always in joy – even though his life appeared very hard to anyone’s eyes. But, Paul sees himself beyond what others see. He sees his ,what the Filipinos call “loob”, inner self, essential self,  in the inviolable freedom, only found through his steadfast faith in Christ. 

I wonder if those who smile and wave amidst their post-Haiyan hardship share the same joyful sentiment of Paul during his hardship under persecution. But, given how spiritual most Filipinos are – even since before Christianity was brought by the Spanish conquistadors during the 16^th century, I believe that it is a manifestation of the Filipino spirituality. 

According to a Filipino Catholic theologian, Jose DeMesa, the Filipino Catholic spirituality has been built upon the indigenous Filipino spirituality, serving as a vessel holding the Catholic spirituality brought by the Western colonizers.  Even before the Catholicism was brought from Spain, the Filipino people, mainly in Tagalog, based their spirituality in their faith in Bathala, the all-mighty and compassionate supreme deity. The Tagalog expression, “bahala na” which is loosely translated as “leaving it to Bathala’s care” really shows that Filipino’s humility and trust in the power of the greater being - God. 

With Catholicism’s introduction to the Philippines in the 16^th century, the concept of the Triune God of Christianity was made sense in place of Bathala, especially the Father in Trinity. Thus, the Filipinos who always trusted Bathala have accepted the Triune God as their supreme being - as their ancestors had accepted Bathala. 

As I discussed in my 10/26/13 blog entry, Pastoral Psychologist’s View on Life with Suffering and Enduring Resilience – Reflecting the Recent Earthquake in the Philippines and the 29th Sunday Year C Gospel Reading in Light of Morita Therapy, Paul Tillich’s “Courage”, Viktor Frankl’s “Tragic Optimism” and Sikolohiyang Pilipino, “bahala na” is also associated with the Filipino’s unique resilience, “katatagang” and “katatagang-loob”, in reference to Alfred Lagmay’s and F. L. Jocano’s constructive interpretation of “bahala na”, paralleling to my argument for a corresponding concept in Japanese, “shikataganai”, which is translated as “it cannot be helped (by our own efforts alone)”.  

It may be difficult for many people to find “bahala na” or “shikataganai” as a psychospiritual factor associated with resilience, because these concepts in Tagalog and Japanese often appear negatively as a fatalistic pessimism. But, if you happened to interpret these in such a negative way, then, you would also find Christ’s death on the  Cross as a mere defeat – simply because it looked like a failing blow. This is how the jeering mob, who saw Jesus as a failure, mocked him on the cross, saying, “…save Yourself, and come down from the cross!”(Mark 15:30). 

Of course, Jesus did not release himself and come down from the Cross to “save himself”.  If you happened to think like the mob, then, these last seven words of Christ, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”(Luke 23:46) is a statement of fatalistic failure. 

But, if you have faith in Christ, these Jesus’ last seven words on the Cross in Luke 23:46 should sound like “bahala na” as I, along with Lagmay and Jocano, explained in the aforementioned my blog article.  As you find Jesus’ trust in his Father through his last seven words, you also recognize a sense trust in “bahala na”.  It is also important to note that Jesus’ agony gave its way to peace upon these last seven words of his. Likewise, persons who can say “bahala na” as Jesus said “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” can reach peace – and perhaps the kind of peace and joy that Paul experienced, given his faith in Christ mirrors Jesus’ trust in the Father. 

Christians appreciate these last seven words not as a defeat of Jesus but a necessary condition for the Christ’s victory and for our salvation. With these words of Jesus, the Son submitted his complete self to the great power of his Father in order for the Father’s power to take its greater role – namely, the Resurrection. But, it did not take place immediately as it happened on the 3^rd day from Jesus’ death on the Cross. 

When I see smiles and waving that those who have been affected by Haiyan amidst their hard life, I also sense some peace that we can experience when we relinquish our own control, leaving everything to a greater being, namely God. As in Buddhist teaching, giving up our own control, which is ego's desire, leads to freedom from worries. This is how Buddhists are to overcome kleshas, and the same psychospiritual paradigm is also in Jesus' example on the Cross. Thus, those who relinquished their ego's desire of control of their own have less struggle – at least not having to struggle with their own egos.  “Bahala na” is also an indication of relinquishing our egos to the greater being – God, in order to be benefitted better from God’s care.  Our egos often get in the way of God’s care. 

Of course, it is not to say that we can just sit and do nothing. “Bahala na” simply means surrendering our egos to God in order for God’s power and wisdom to work through us more effectively. Thus, it means that we can discern God’s will for us better and more clearly. It also means that we can act according to God’s intention for us better as we let God have His total control over us.  And, who won’t be in joy when we clear out our ego and let God’s will and wisdom fill us? 

This joy is found in these words of Paul, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”(Philippians 4:4-7). Again, these words were written during Paul’s extreme hardship in prison captivity.  

If Paul had said “bahala na”, obviously, it is not to his persecutors – the Roman Empire, but to God in Christ to let His power be made strong in him.  Paul further said, “And He (Christ) has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me”(2 Corinthians 12:9).

People, like Tomas Andres, seem to interpret “bahala na” as a sign of weakness. But, when Paul speaks of weakness, it is not the kind of weakness mistakenly assigned to “bahala na”. Weakness in this context means humility – weakness of ego.  This is similar to how we are to interpret “poor in spirit” in Matthew 5:3.   In teaching beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). And, “poor” in the original Greek text is “ptochos”( πτωχός). 

This Greek word not only means “poor” but also “humble”, with a connotation of  “beggar”.  Thus, “poor in spirit” means that being reduced to be a beggar – having our egos stripped to be dependent on God’s mercy, being left with nothing but our humility.  Thus, when we say “bahala na” in Tagalog (or, “shikataga nai” in Japanese) with steadfast Christian faith, it is an expression of our humility to beg for God’s strengths to be made perfected in our humble being,  as “katatagan” and “katatagang-loob”, drawing upon its relevance to Matthew 5:3; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Luke 23:46.   

Not to mention, “loob” is imago Dei reflection deep within us in the Christian context. Then, when God’s strengths is perfected in us for being egoless, our sadness and pity can give their ways to joy amidst our hardship, as found in Paul’s testimony in Philippians 4:1, 4-7.  So, this can be what is behind the smiles and waving found among those who have been affected by the Typhoon Haiyan – in spite of their hardship.

In addition to  understanding “katatagan” and “katatagang-loob” in light of “bahala na” biblically with the Pauline concept of finding joy and strengths amidst hardship, such Filipino resilience can also be discerned in interpersonal connections, in particular “pakikipagkapwa-tao” (interpersonal relationship that cares each other) and “pakikiramay” (compassion). 

As the Japanese are more oriented to families and groups, rather than being individualistic, so are the Filipinos. Similar to the way the Japanese concept of self is heavily influenced by one’s family and group affiliations, the Filipino concept of self is highly relational, as Jose DeMesa points out, in reference to Filipino way of understanding Trinity.  One way to understand Trinity is three persons (“person” is used as a metaphor) in one, in the Greco-Roman context. With this, we really cannot understand “loob” of the Triune God unless we really understand not only each of the three persons (beings) but also how these three are related to each other. With this appreciation of Trinity from interpersonal perspective, the typical Western "three persons in one" can be also understood as "one person in three-fold", focusing on "loob" of the Triune God and how "loob" can be expressed in three-fold. In other words, understanding the interpersonal relationships of the three in Trinity is indispensable in understanding the essence (loob) of the Triune God. 

Given this Filipino orientation to interpersonal connections in finding who they are – namely association between “ kapwa” and “loob”,  Filipino’s “katatagang-loob” is certainly found not in an individual alone but individuals in relationships. That is why Virgilio Enriquez argues the Filipino sense of self is “kapwa”, which is to understand who we are in relation to others. 

To put this in the Western psychodynamic concept, Enriquez’s argument for “kapwa” is a self-concept in object relations in the Filipino cultural context. And, Jose DeMesa further argues that even inner self-concept cannot be understood with an individual in isolation as the individual must be in relationships with others. In other words, “loob” cannot be understood without “kapwa”. This DeMesa’s view also echoes Leonard de Castro’s these words, ”loob lies inside but it can only be manifested and perceived externally. 

In a way, it is ‘what-lies-within-that-lives-without’”(Kagandahang loob: Love in Philippine bioethics, Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics 9 (1999), 39-40). Thus, “loob” is not just to be buried within but to be manifested outwardly through “kapwa” to be manifested in “kagandanhang-loob”(inner beauty to be shown, interpersonal attraction, ethical sense) to form interpersonal connections, in “katatagang-loob”(inner resilience), the resilient spirit to sustain not only individual self independently but through the communion of interpersonal relations with “pakikipagkapwa-tao”(interpersonal relationship that cares each other) and “pakikiramay”(compassion). 

This aspect of finding “katatagang-loob” within the relational context of “loob”, “kapwa”,”kagandahang-loob”,“pakikipagkapwa-tao”, and “pakikiramay” through interdependent interpersonal relationship is also similar to how Japanese find resilient strengths in the context of “yorisoi”(interpersonal mutual support – parallleling “pakikipagkapwa-tao”) in what Takeo Doi calls “amae”(interdependence), also invoking the Pauline theological concept of the ekkesia as one body with many interdependent body parts (1 Corinthians 12). In this ekkesia-like web of mutually compassionate interdependent relations, the Filipino practice ” bayanihan”(neighbors helping with each other on a communal level) and discern “katatagang” as well  as “katatagang-loob” through “pakikipagkapwa-tao” and “pakikiramay”. 

With this understanding of unique aspect of “Sikolohiyang Pilipino”(Filipino psychology) on “loob”, we can now better appreciate “katatagang-loob” in the context of interpersonal connection –  in order to fully understand that “katatagang-loob”, “pakikipagkapwa-tao”, and “pakikiramay” are closely associated with one another. Therefore, besides Filipinos finding their unique “katatagan” and joy through their faith - humble relationship with God, through “bahala na”, even amidst their sufferings and hardships, they draw “katatagang” and manifest “katatagang-loob” through their practice of “bayanihan”  in the context of a web of ekklesia-like interdependent relationships. 

The Post-Haiyan Philippines and the Post Exilic Salvific Hope

Obviously, amidst the horrible scene of the earthquake and typhoon double calamities in the central Philippines, there has been a sure sign of new hope with the “katatagang” and “katatagang-loob” rising, as simile and waving are observed among the survivors practicing “bayanihan”. In this, there is also a sense of joy among these survivors demonstrating their “katatagang” and “katatagang-loob” during this post-Haiyan hardship, as similes and waving are witnessed among the survivors in struggles. 

Though the prolonging delay of the arrival of water, food, medicine, and other disaster aid materials certainly frustrates and angers more survivors, as compared to the Israelites during Exodus, it is important to recognize sure signs of rising hope above the post-disasters debris in the affected regions and hardship of the survivors. Realizing such signs and responding to them in ways to transform these signs of hope and resilience into the new reality is a sure way to transform the post-Haiyan Philippines into the new Philippines. For this new hopeful prospect of the Philippines, salvific images of the post-exilic Jerusalem from the Old Testament prophetic books can offer inspirations for the ongoing efforts of recovery and restoration. 

In bringing a comparison of the post-Haiyan situation of the central Philippines to the post-exilic period in the Old Testament, I want to make sure that there is no misunderstanding that this is not to associate the calamities in the Philippines to God’s will or God’s punishment.

The authentic biblical scholarship views the Babylonian seize of Jerusalem in 587 BC and the 70 years of the Babylonian Exile as God’s punishment of the Israelites for their unrepentant sinfulness. This and other accounts on calamities in the Old Testament have been often used to attribute misfortunes and sufferings among us to victims’ sinfulness – whether it is founded or simply unfounded and speculated. When Japan had to sustain M. 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunamis, back in 2011, some Protestant fundamentalist Christians argued that the calamities in Japan was God’s punishment for sinfulness of the Japanese. They were even bold enough to assert that they hope the “God’s punishment” of Japan would prompt the surviving Japanese to “convert” to Christianity, Japan becoming a Christian nation. 

Such an attributive argument on calamities and sufferings is what I call “bad theology”, stemming from narcissistic abuse of the concept of God. Such an argument is not accepted in the authentic Christian theology, because it totally dismisses God’s expressed mercy during the post-exilic period,  to show that God is not the God of vengeance but the God of mercy. For example:

“Fear not, for you will not be put to shame;
And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;
But you will forget the shame of your youth,
And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
“For your husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the God of all the earth.
 “For the Lord has called you,
Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”
Says your God.

“For a brief moment I forsook you,
But with great compassion I will gather you.
“In an outburst of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,”

Says the Lord your Redeemer

“For this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would not flood the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
Nor will I rebuke you.   (Isaiah 54:4-9)

In fact, beyond the time of the Old Testament, Jesus, as God’s salvific plan, made it clear that human sufferings are not necessarily attributed to sin and taught us to focus on what we can do in response to the sufferings in the world. 

As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  (John 9:1-5)

Pathological “faith”, mainly due to narcissistic ego’s attachment to literal or fundamentalist interpretation of the biblical text, often makes us blindly obsessed with the notion of vengeance God. And, religious practice based on such pathological “faith” often imposes unnecessary fears and neglects the most important fact about God: love, mercy, and compassion. Those who are lost in their fearful image of the angry God are often unable to engage in necessary works that Jesus taught us to engage in John 9:4-5, cooperating with God’s grace. 

Not to mention, those who attribute the calamities in Philippine, in Japan, and elsewhere there have been cataclysmic disasters and sufferings, to God’s anger and punishment fail to understand why Jesus, the Son, was offered up to redeem us through his Passion in Calvary.  Through his death on the Cross, God will not inflict calamities, catastrophes, and any forms of sufferings on us as a form of punishment. And, a healthy mature Christian faith enables us to focus on our meaningful response to calamities, catastrophes and any forms of sufferings in the world, drawing upon God-bestowed gifts within us and cooperating with God’s grace and mercy.  This is also to reflect Jesus’ statement in John 9:4-5: We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Now that Jesus in flesh is gone upon his ascension - until parousia. Thus, we cannot literally interpret John 9:4-5. However, this message of Jesus should be taken as his encouragement to do his salvific works in this world to our best abilities before the time of parousia (Christ’s return to complete the apocalyptic prophecies of the Book of Revelation). For this, we must dedicate our practice of “ora et labora”, in the spirit of James 2:14-24 (faith without work is worth nothing) and 1 Corinthians 1-13 (work of faith without love means nothing) in our response to the catastrophic sufferings in the Philippines during this post-Haiyan period. Additionally, Pope Paul VI’s 1965 encyclical, Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope) can guide our work of love to transform the rising resilient hope amidst the post-Haiyan hardships into salvific reality, echoing the post-exilic salvific image, further prophesized in the arrival of the new paradise in the Book of Revelation.

Now, with this understanding of the authentic Christian theology, let’s explore the source of “katatagang” and “katatagang-loob” in “pag-asa sa Kristo” (hope in Christ) in some post-exilic impressions of the scriptures. 

The catastrophe of the Category-5 Typhoon Haiyan was brought to the Philippines from the east, and the calamity in Jerusalem during the Babylonian seize in 587 BC was also brought from the east. On March 11, 2011, M. 9.0 super earthquake and more-than-10-meter-high massive tsunami waves hit northern Japan from the east. Given these what seems to be coincidences, we may associate east with a direction where calamities come from. But, let’s also remember that east also symbolically means in the Bible where good things come from, as the sun rises in the east.  For example:

"Who has aroused one from the east Whom He calls in righteousness to His feet? He delivers up nations before him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, As the wind-driven chaff with his bow.” (Isaiah 41:2)

The above except is Isaiah’s prophecy that Cyrus the Great, the King of Persia, will bring his army to defeat Babylonian Empire in 538 BC, prompting the release of the Jewish captives from Babylon. Historically and biblically, it was, indeed, the defeat of Babylonia by Persia that contributed to the end of the Exile, bringing the captive Israelites back to Jerusalem. In other words, the empire from the east – east of Babylon, Persia, helped to end the hardship of the Jewish exile in Babylon.  

Furthermore, Jesus himself associates east to an salvific impression as to echo Isaiah 41:2;

"For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:27). 

Just as storms can come from the east, as in the case of the super typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the Son of Man, Christ the Messiah, will return from the east. This is Jesus’ own prophecy of parousia, indicating its eastern origin. 

The sun rose again from the east in the sky of the severely affected regions after Haiyan. It has rained again, making the rescue and restoration efforts more challenging. But, the sun will rise again from the east every day, whether visibly or invisibly, in spite of more rains and storms to come. And, ultimately, it is also from the east where salvation comes, as symbolized with the Messiah’s return from the east in this biblical verse. 

Now, this biblical verse can be also taken to inspire the survivors in struggles throughout the most severely affected areas, the eastern region of the central Philippines.  It is because the rest of the survivors struggling can find powerful inspirations in witnessing “katatagang” and “katatagang-loob” among the most affected survivors of the eastern parts of the central Philippines. In this regard, though their burdens are the heaviest, “katatagang” and “katatagang-loob” of the most severely affected people in the eastern part of the central Philippines can really boost “katatagang” and “katatagang-loob” of the rest of the survivors throughout the vastly affected areas in the central Philippines – from the east to the west. 

Of course, good will and its material assistance to help the affected are reaching out to the eastern parts of the central Philippines, where calamities are greater. And, this way of the Filipino and international disaster relief teams flow – toward the east of the central Philippines can be juxtaposed with the below post-exilic restorative impression of Jerusalem, after being destroyed by the Babylonians from the east.

Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side.  (Ezekiel 47:1-2)

Water is one of the necessities that frustrated survivors have been crying for. Without clean water, their further survival will be at risk. Though it is taking painstakingly so long, water is coming to the east of the central Philippines, where such crying voices for waters are heard, including Tacloban in Leyte and Samal Island.

In the above excerpts from Ezekiel, the water flowing eastward from the restored Temple of Jerusalem can be interpreted as the spirit of bayanihan” with “pakikipagkapwa-tao”, “pakikiramay”, “katatagan” and “katatagang-loob” flowing from the hearts of Filipino people and people of the rest of the world – the hearts of agape, reaching out to the east, which symbolizes where the needs are greater. In this context, the restored Temple of Jerusalem is a metaphor for the healed heart of the Filipinos healing those whose hearts are still hurt, especially in the eastern Philippines. This is a way we can apply this post-exilic impression from Ezekiel to inspire and to draw meaning in the ongoing disaster response efforts for rescues and restorations.

It deeply saddens everyone to see the Philippines suffers from this super-scale catastrophic trauma. So many lives are taken and so many surviging lives have been shaken. But, their spirit of "pag-asa", "katatagang", and "katatagang-loob" are not broken, though they may be bent. Thus, like a bamboo, they will rise again and are already rising, in fact.  In this post-disasters time, there are some confusions and shocks. Perhaps, some numbness from traumas. But, even it’s a small indication, witnessing some survivors manage to smile and wave in spite of their indescribable hardship is a sure sign of salvific recovery, echoing merciful God’s post-exilic promise, in which we all can base our hope. 

“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
Says the Lord who has compassion on you.

“O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,
Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
And your foundations I will lay in sapphires.
 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies,
And your gates of crystal,
And your entire wall of precious stones.  (Isaiah 54:11-12)

In the above words of God from Isaiah, we are reminded of the reality of impermanence, similar to the Buddhist teaching on this truth. Thus, in this reality of impermanence, where things on earth may come and go – even mountains and hills, perhaps, disasters like the M. 7.2 earthquake in the Bohol-Cebu area in October, 2013 and the super typhoon Haiyan in November, 2013, as well as the M. 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunamis in Japan, March 2011, are just part of this impermanent reality. That is why Shakamuni Buddha taught not to form attachment and to overcome our ego-driven tendency for attachment to be free from sufferings. Similarly, that is why Jesus also said:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;  for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

Though Shakamuni Buddha said that we must be careful not to get attached even to his teaching, the Dharma, it does not mean that we are discouraged from valuing and treasuring the truth – whether it is called the Dharma in Buddhism or the words of Christ – the Gospel in Christianity. We certainly need to treat the truth as the treasure from heaven. 

Jesus further said:

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away”( Matthew 24:35).

In this post-disasters difficult time, we all need God’s mercy and words of Christ to invoke and fortify our resilience – “katatagan” and “katatagang-loob” – and our compassionate works – “bayanihan”. We cannot attain any of these qualities by ourselves alone.  We do need God’s mercy to make ourselves the hands of God’s salvific restoration during this post-Haiyan time.  For this, let us heed God’s voice of mercy now:

God is full of mercy, inviting those who are having difficult time.

Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.
 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.
“Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
“Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
A leader and commander for the peoples.
“Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.” (Isaiah 55:1-5)

May God’s mercy and grace continue to nourish “katatagang”, “katatagang-loob”, “pakikipagkapwa-tao”, “pakikiramay”, “bayanihan” as the survivors of the earthquake-typhoon disasters work hard as your hands.  May God continue to bless these humble servants in the Philippines.