Are Some of Our Bishops Complicating the Simple?

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TO LIGHT A FIRE!

I still have vivid memories of my childhood introduction towards recognizing what is MORALLY right or wrong from the Catholic Christian point of view. These memories are mostly associated with “Mother” Gratia my Kindergarten class teacher at St. Scholastica’s College, there at the end of the former Pennsylvania Street in the old Singalong area near Taft Avenue.

What “Mother Gratia inculcated in me some 68 years ago was pretty simple, thus easy to remember up to now. As children of God, His ten basic commandments spelled out what we were supposed to do and not to do. Period!

Among the most basic and easiest to understand and to remember as to its universality and absoluteness, was that of always telling the Truth and NEVER to tell a LIE! And NOT TO STEAL nor KILL…

There was no excuse at all for disobeying such basic commandments.

Since then I have not heard nor read from nor found in any of the thousands of Catholic books and teachings and homilies on Catholic moral theology, any teaching or principle contrary to “Mother” Gratia’s simple and basic kindergarten moral theology.

Regardless of the consequences therefore, no one is allowed to lie, to cheat, to steal or to kill, except for valid self defense or as a soldier during a legitimate war.

If so, no one who violates these strictures whether under the laws of the land or of God’s commandments, is immune to secular penalties and/or moral condemnation, especially when the violations are serious, repeated, even habitual and have already inflicted great injustice on numerous innocent victims, and the “penalty” is a mere APPEAL for resignation from high office.

Regardless of the consequences therefore especially if merely imagined or speculative ones, the application of such penalties is rigid and universal. And so the Catholic Magisterium and Papal teachings have consistently rejected circumstancial and/or consequential excuses or exemptions from these Divine commandments. The Catholic Catechism is in fact very precise.

No. 1756 There are acts which in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions are always gravely illicit by reason of their object, such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery. One may not do evil so that good may result from it. (emphasis added)

THEREFORE: even our Bishops, here or anywhere else, may not refuse to condemn or seem to tolerate such evil practices especially if repeatedly perpetrated by the most powerful and known officials and families of this nation, just because it may (SPECULATIVELY!) lead to the emergence of a Filipino Pol Pot, or another evil-doing leader, or civil war or what have you!

The facts have been clear as far back as four years ago when our Bishops issued their first Pastoral Letter warning GMA et al soon after the Hello Garci! revelations. The facts are even much clearer now to all of them as to the “corruption from top to bottom” of our political ladder, as mentioned in their latest announcement.

Article 2269 of the Catholic Cathechism moreover has this to say about those responsible even if only INDIRECTLY, for the following : “Those whose usurious and avaricious dealings lead to the hunger and death of their brethen in the human family, indirectly commit HOMICIDE, which is imputatable to them” (emphasis added)

A hundred million U.S. Dollars stolen from our national treasury would certainly lead to the death and hunger of thousands of our Filipino brethren.