DOMINICAN preachers called for Jesus Christ’s return at the center of Filipino families amid proposals to legalize divorce in the Philippines, as they reflected on the traditional “Seven Last Words” on Good Friday at the Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City.
Members of the Order of Preachers stressed the importance of forgiveness and cultivating a “culture of maintenance” to strengthen relationships and families.
Reflecting on the third word, “Dear Woman, this is your Son,” Fr. Erasmo “Sonny” Ramirez, O.P., one of the founding preachers of “Siete Palabras,” stressed the irrevocability of the sacred vows of married couples and reminded families that Christ is their ultimate source of strength.
“Nagsabi ka sa Panginoon, mamahalin ko ito, anuman ang mangyari. Wala kang sinasabi na papalitan ko ito ‘pag ayoko na. Hindi natin maaaring palitan ang ating pamilya. Ilagay natin si Kristo sa pamilya. Magdasal tayong lagi ‘pagkat nandoon ang lakas natin,” he said.
Fr. Christopher Garinganao, O.P. said divorce cultivates a culture of carelessness as he reflected on the fourth word, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”
“Kapag tayo po ay sumusuporta sa batas, halimbawa ng paghihiwalay, hindi ho ba isa rin itong pagpapabaya? Ngunit kung ang kulturang sinusuportahan natin ay sinasabi na balang araw alam mo pababayaan kita, pababayaan ko yung anak mo sapagkat ‘di ko kayang tumupad sa aking pangako, malayo tayo kay Kristo. Si Kristo hindi nagpapabaya,” he said.
Citing the hardships of family members of Tokhang or drug war victims, former UST rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P. said offering a prayer for one’s “undeserved suffering” is an act of forgiveness as he reflected on the first word, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
“Don’t feel guilty that you cannot forgive. Don’t feel guilty that you are still hurt. Forgiveness is not an action. It is not a one-shot deal. Forgiveness is a process. Undeserved suffering, when made into a prayer and offered to God, becomes an act of forgiveness,” he said.
Fr. Filemon de la Cruz, Jr., O.P., former UST vice rector for religious affairs, called on Filipinos to look beyond a person’s mistake and focus on living a life worth remembering as he reflected on the second word, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
“Sapagkat mayroong malalim na takot – takot na tuluyang malimutan. Sapagkat sa kanyang buhay ay walang karapat dapat na maalala. Ang hiling ng magnanakaw? Alalahanin. Ang tugon ng Panginoon? Isasama. Ang inaalala ay dinadala. Ang kinalilimutan ay naiiwan,” he said.
Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P., dean of the UST Faculty of Sacred Theology, reflected on the fifth word, “I thirst,” saying “All of us here are being called by God for something great and noble, and that is what our heart is thirsting for.”
Reflecting on the sixth word, “It is finished,” former Dominican prior provincial Fr. Edmund Nantes, O.P., urged married couples to be faithful and to develop a “culture of maintenance” to prevent breakups.
“Ang happiness natin ay hindi nakadepende sa kung ano ang ginagawa ng tao para sa atin. Nakasasalay din kung ano ang ginagawa natin to maintain the relationship. Humanap kayo ng tao na gagawin kayong priority, hindi ‘yung temporary, at promise, hindi natin kailangan ang divorce bill,” he said.
Fr. Tereso Campillo, Jr., O.P., chaplain of UST Angelicum and former UST secretary general, urged parents to use uplifting words when conversing with their children especially during trials, as he reflected on the seventh word, “Father, into Your hands I commend my Spirit.”
“Kahit sa ating buhay, hindi lang sa tagumpay dapat marinig ng anak ang mga salitang, ‘Ito ang Aking Anak na lubos kong kinalulugdan.’ Kapag ang anak ay walang wala na, bagsak na bagsak na, doon mas mahalaga na marinig ng anak ang mga ito,” he said.
The Seven Last Words or “Siete Palabras” has been organized by the Dominican Province of the Philippines and the Santo Domingo Convent for the past 25 years. The annual event was aired nationwide by GMA Network and Radyo Veritas.
