It has been quite some time since I last read the scriptures and reflected on the words written there. Thus, it is indeed tempting to simply go the route of generalities, cliches, or even motherhood statements (the etymology of this phrase is something that can be explored, albeit for another time).
But then again, this is indeed an opportunity to pause, to think, to reconnect perhaps to experiences and insights that seemed to have been relegated to bygone days as I find myself rather swept under the torrent of day-to-day work in the University.
So, what do these words in the scripture mean in the here and now, to me? How are these words relevant in our context? Bear with my ramblings for now, but I hope you do find some connections in the end.
On grumbling, crying out for justice, dialogue, and discernment
Going through Exodus 16:2-4, I am reminded of what I once heard from a UV Express driver and some passengers while commuting to the University when we passed by a group of protesters campaigning against extrajudicial killings which has become a feature of the Duterte Drug War. He said, “Reklamo kayo ng reklamo, di na lang kayo sumunod. Mabuti nga yan, wala ng mga adik.” His sentiments were echoed by some of the passengers. It is as if complaining, crying out against injustices, pointing out difficult and unjust situations is something that we should all shun. We should not complain. We should just be quiet. We should just bear with it. Anyway, it is for the better they say. Yet is it? Or should we rather intensify our calls, go beyond grumbling, and cry out for justice? Specially if the leaders of the land choose to not hear or to simply look the other way. Indeed, there are times in the desert when it is our responsibility to cry out against those in power.
On the other hand, I also remember a time when a group of people coming from the same institution came together to speak out against what they perceived was a lack of empathy on the part of some of the leaders. “Kulang ang inyong naging aksyon sa aming problema.” While this assessment might be valid and true and it is but right to point this out, the stance taken seemed to be confrontational, seemingly ignoring the underpinning relationships, the honest efforts, and the openness of the leaders to dialogue. Thus, should it be a cry for justice? Or should be an invitation to dialogue?
Earlier today, I was reminded of a very beautiful word, discernment. Knowing when to stop, or take a step back, or to move forward. Knowing when our recourse is to join voices with others and cry out for justice, or to gather around in a circle of dialogue. Yes, discernment as a prelude to action.
On losing hope and finding courage
Our struggles for justice and peace are not easy nor straightforward. Our journey towards sustainable well-being shared by everyone is set in a complex and complicated context. It is easy to say trust and have faith we will eventually get there. Yet, when a mother has nothing to feed her children, when a contractual worker does not get renewed, when a farmer’s small parcel of land is taken, when a person is jailed on trumped up charges, when traditional fishing grounds are reclaimed and converted for industrial use, or when schools set up by indigenous peoples and their communities are bombed, doubt, fear, and even hopelessness creeps in. Bakit tayo nagpapatuloy sa pakikibaka kung tayo nama’y mamatay sa gutom dito sa parang?
What do we do when we hear the grumbling of the people? What do we do when a family of a victim of EJK tells us that they no longer want to pursue the case for fear of reprisal? What do we do when a community would rather accept a meager compensation rather than continue to set barricades to prevent their communities from getting demolished? Or if people say that they are already tired since nothing has really changed? How do we see to the needs of the here and now while we fix our gaze towards and strive to build a new heaven and new earth? “Basta makakain lang, ayos na. Pare-pareho lang naman, wala namang nagbabago.” I have lost count of being in such situations with individuals, organizations, and even communities I have worked with. In such situations words often do not come or seem empty, bereft of meaning and power. I simply find myself being there, being with them in the here and now. Yet in the midst of our silence, we find our shared courage to carry on. In our seeming defeat we find the collective strength to once again link our arms and move forward. Is this perhaps what is meant by Paul when he wrote to the Ephesians saying, “be made new in the attitude of your minds”?
On realizations, collective actions, and social movements
I am fascinated by John’s story of a crowd of people realizing that what they were looking for were no longer there and so they decided to go beyond and search. Jesus seems to be chiding them that their motivations in searching for him were rather focused on the here and now, the bread that they thought he would provide—tinapay, at marahil datung, para sa ngayon, para mabusog at hindi magutom, rather than on the more strategic vision of doing God’s work. Or was this a dialogue between Jesus and the people? At this point, I think they already ceased to be simply a crowd, but rather an organized community. They ceased to be simply a crowd when they realized and decided to collectively search for Jesus and his fellow workers.
Yes, I believe that Jesus was not chiding them, but rather engaging them in a dialogue. I imagine them gathered around, seated in the dust, sweaty, tired, worried about a million things, yet also eager to ask questions and express their ideas. They were no longer just individuals forming a crowd, but rather individuals who have come to a realize that they share the aspiration and mission of ensuring that no one goes hungry and thirsty in the here and now and in the future. If I may, they were already forming a social movement.
In the end, I find myself asking the same question that the people asked: What must we do? It is clear: we listen and hear, we discern, we realize, we come together, we dialogue, we act.
Gospel reflection of Prof. Paul Muego, CSWCD University of the Philippines for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Balik-Tanaw is a group blog of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR). The Lectionary Gospel reflection is an invitation for meditation, contemplation, and action.
