Stones and rocks
God's creations are wonderful! Big or small, all of God's creations are all around for us to cherish.What we used to take for granted, like the lowly malunggay, may yet hold the treasure to cure cancer in the future. New and simple technology has converted wood into alternative transparent glass which has so much potential to serve humankind in the near future.
Keen observation and wide knowledge about our natural environment will sustainably provide us with our essentials sufficient for all. Diligence and sustained effort, of course, are needed from us humans so as to partner with nature for our existence and survival. We have so much to learn from our indigenous peoples whose deep knowledge and partnership with Mother Earth have allowed them to survive adequately throughout time, until the greedy and abusive grabbed their lands and resources.
Let us take stones and rocks; these have proven their vital role for humans throughout time. A simple stone allowed early humans to learn their strength and power versus the huge dangerous predators roaming the earth. Stones and rocks gave them power, as well as protection against other harmful elements throughout time.
As humans learned how to harness rocks and stones into tools, the more we learned about how our early ancestors lived and survived. The stones allowed them to write their history: They left their stories on cave walls, their various tools and implements and in the structures they built with stones and rocks.
Stones and rocks accompanied humankind's physical survival, defense, food production, homes, arts and even worship.
"Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means 'rock'), and upon this rock I will build my Church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. (Matthew 16:18)"
And the Catholic Church continues on despite opposition and other destructive attempts across time and space.
‘“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” (Mark 12:10) The crowds preferred Barabbas over Jesus but who emerged as the final victor for all ages? Barabbas and the noisy crowd had their fleeting moment of triumph but who outlasted them and came out victorious?
"Then they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, 'Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.'" (John 8:7)
Why do you think Jesus asked the accusers to throw a stone at the women they accused of adultery? What role did the stone have in this context?
Our early ancestors taught us that stones can kill and hurt. Did perhaps Christ refer to the lowly stone as a symbol for the hardened hearts of the accusers? Christ asked those who did not acknowledge their sins that hardened hearts into stones to be the first to throw. Was it Christ's way of saying, "Soften your hardened hearts and drop and leave your stone hearts behind, and forgive?"
"Then he bent down and continued writing on the ground. When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until the last one had gone and Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained in the middle. Jesus again straightened up and said, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? ''No one, sir,' she replied. 'Neither do I condemn you,' said Jesus. 'Go away, and from this moment sin no more.'" (John 8:8-11)
Let those without sin throw the first stone. Christ must have rejoiced to see that not one threw the first stone. He must have been happier to know that the accusers acknowledged their own sin and guilt and softened their hardened hearts and left. Recognition and acceptance of one's sin allow people to start anew and to stop accusing and hurting others.
Jesus also forgave the accused woman but with the admonition, "Go away, and from this moment sin no more." Forgiveness comes after one acknowledges one's guilt and after one exerts efforts "to sin no more."
In our midst are people who proudly boast they are sinners but they seem not to have heard the portion where Christ says "sin no more." There are also those who want the Filipino people to start healing the nation by forgiving the Marcoses, for example. How can people forgive those who do not even acknowledge the wrong that they have done to the nation? If the Marcoses are truly sorry about the past, let them return the stolen wealth of the Filipinos, ask pardon from the families of those murdered during the time of the dictator, and like all of us, strive to do our best, as a nation, as a people, as individuals to "sin no more."
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