Heal our consciences
Archbishop Jose S. Palma of Cebu sent a solidarity statement for the November 5th Heal our Land Sunday. Some highlights of his timely message mentioned that "we need healing in a special way. While we support the program against drugs, we pray for healing that would put an end to the murder of the innocent."
The Archbishop asked all to "be one in our prayer for healing especially the healing of our consciences. Sometimes our consciences have been blurred by selfishness and despair, had been dulled and deadened by indifference. May healing happen because we condemn what is immoral and we get involved especially in the rehabilitation of drug surrenderees like what we do in SuGOD and Labang."
He concluded his solidarity statement by asking all to " let our gathering be a desire for healing. Let us be wounded healers to one another despite the difficulties we experience in life. Let us pray for the healing of our consciences. Let us pray for the healing of our land. Lord, heal our land! Lord, heal our wounded land!"
An estimated 100-200 gathered at and marched from the Cebu Capitol to join those who attended the special mass for the November 5th Heal our Land Sunday at the Redemptorist Church. Speeches were made from 3-4 p.m., then prayers were lifted at and after the special heal our land mass, followed by candles that were lighted to remember the innocents murdered in the name of this administration's drug war.
Mokring and Lourdes Barcenas, along with some others, came with the message, Defend Democracy, printed in their t-shirts. FLAG-Cebu called for a Stop to EJKs along with that Sunday's theme, Heal our land. Other participants called for the upholding of human rights and an end to impunity. Others asked for an end to EJKs with the following message "hindi effective kasi defective."
All are enjoined to join the heal our land prayers will continue in Luzon till December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and in Cebu, by December 10, Human Rights' Day.
We agree with Archbishop Palma that we are a people, wounded and divided.
On one side, there are the bashers, the haters, those whose consciences are not at all bothered by the use of so much foul language, including by those who call themselves officials of this land. This sector calls everyone else who are too sensitive to the use of vulgar words as hypocrites and this sector has made filthy language, including untruths and lies, their norm for their consciences. There are even those in this sector who use death threats for their critics. There are those who ignore the rule of law and are interpreting and implementing the law to remove, impeach, or jail their critics. Most saddening, there are those in this sector who resort to and think that killing, without the benefit of any trial or proof, is okay. We pray for them as well as for those who do not belong to their sector. We pray for all Filipinos.
The message of the Heal our Land campaign is clear: everyone wants to end the drug war but not through killings and never at the expense of any innocent. Everyone wants change for the better, most especially genuine change that will uplift the poorest and the most needy, especially one that will result in true justice and equality, especially one that will morally elevate all of us, closer to God and His way, His truth.
Archbishop Palma's call is for God to heal our land, through healing of our own individual consciences. Real, genuine change will come only in unity, in consciences aligned to truth and justice, especially of God's.
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