RELIGIOUS life has no room for the fainthearted, as it is about living the faith despite persecution.
This was the message of Caloocan Bishop Pablo David in his strongly worded homily on Thursday, delivered amid the recent clerical killings in the country, on the second day of the 5th Philippine Conference on the New Evangelization (PCNE).
“If a priest is murdered because he is defending human rights, speaking out on environmental protection, protecting the victims of rape and defending the Catholic faith, and he dies and his death causes you discouragement instead of inspiration, then I advise you to forget about the priesthood,” David said.
David, vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, urged the clergy not to despair, saying the slain priests were martyrs who chose to live out their faith despite persecution and death threats.
“Martyrdom is not about dying for a cause. It is about living out one’s faith no matter if it could mean suffering and death. From the moment they chose the path of Christ, they already chose the path of suffering and death,” he said.
Fathers Marcelito Paez, Mark Ventura and Richmond Nilo were shot by armed men in the last seven months, adding to the estimated 23,327 cases of murder and homicide under investigation since President Rodrigo Duterte took office.
Australian missionary Sister Patricia Fox, in one of the plenary sessions, said solidarity is a sign of hope that is experienced by sharing stories with one another.
“[It] brings the people together because sharing stories gives us strengths. We have to be involved as this situation gets worst. You look at things differently when you’re with the poor,” she said.
Fox said she wanted to see the world in the eyes of the marginalized, especially in Asia where a majority of the people are poor.
The nun, whose deportation was ordered by the Bureau of Immigration a few hours later, said the people’s prayers kept her going.
“Fortunately, people here are very understanding. A number of people said they were praying for me. I guess that’s what keeps me going, believing that God is somehow seeing what’s happening to you,” she said.
The immigration bureau ordered the deportation of the 71-year-old nun for allegedly violating the terms of her missionary visa by participating in political rallies and protests with cause-oriented groups.
