GO GENUINE OPPOSITION?

‘faith hope love’ by JavierMariscal

Faith, Hope & Accommodation

Faith, hope & love. From St Paul, once barbarian.
Faith, hope & lust. From the Filipinos, the new barbarians?
Faith, hope & accommodation. From me, another barbarian.

Sister Loren (Legarda), she may have the tongue of men;
Bro Mike (Velarde) and Bro Eddie (Villanueva), they may have they the tongue of angels;
Bro Mahar (Mangahas), he may have the gift of prophecy;
Bro Ping (Lacson), Bro Gringo (Honasan), Bro Joma (Sison), Bro Satur (Ocampo), they may fathom all mysteries and all knowledge;
Sister Sonia (Roco), Sister Ana (Coseteng), Sister Korina (Sanchez), Bro Ernie (Maceda), Bro Noynoy (Aquino), Bro Koko (Pimentel), Bro Francis (Escudero), Bro Francis (Pangilinan), Bro Alan Peter (Cayetano), Bro Antonio (Trillanes), Bro Manny (Villar), Bro Conrado (Quiros) and Bro Randy (David), they may have the faith that can move mountains;
Bro Joseph (Estrada), he may give all his possessions to the poor and surrender his body to the flames -
But they may not have love.
They may not have what 1 Corinthians 13 speaks of:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

That’s from the New International Version, which is actually 20 years old, having been published in 1987 – we haven’t learned, have we? During these times up to and beyond the May elections, you will hear noisy candidates (and their quiet advocates) proclaiming their love for the Filipino people, especially the senatorial hopefuls of the party with the dull, uninspiring, unimaginative, lackluster, boring name Genuine Opposition. And they are:

‘Genuine Opposition’ by On-The-Edge

GENUINE OPPOSITION Senatorial Candidates
Benigno Aquino III – son of beloved Senator Ninoy Aquino, martyr of Martial Law
Alan Peter Cayetano – son of his father
Ana Dominique ‘Nikki’ Coseteng – the ‘Dancing Queen’ of Philippine politics
Francis Escudero – son of his father
Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson – once chief of the national police or something
Loren Legarda – once broadcast journalist
John Osmeña – son of his father
Francis Pangilinan – married to ‘Mega Star’ Sharon Cuneta
Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III – son of his father
Sonia Roco – widow of respected Senator Raul Roco
Antonio Trillanes IV – son of his dreams of greatness
Manuel Villar Jr – the Dancing King of Philippine politics.

Do I have faith, hope and love for all 12? Of course I have, as a Christian. I ought to anyway. As a citizen, I ought not to campaign for them because they have yet to show the Corinthian spirit of GENUINE LOVE. What they have so far truly shown is GENUINE OPPOSITION.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

They have shown no patience – they have been ranting and raving to have GMA step down ASAP! pronto! at once! because of alleged election cheating. Never mind the chaos that will follow. They have shown no kindness by keeping up the barrage of ill-will on the leadership of the land and in the process helping wreck the economy. They have shown envy of the position of power. They are boastful; they are proud; they are rude; they are self-seeking; they are easily angered; they keep records of wrongs – just like the rest of us. They reflect the worst in the rest of us. They delight in turmoil and do not rejoice in the truth. They lust for power. They always protect their turfs, they always trust their friends, they always pray and hope for some sudden political climate change.

They will fail.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

I wanted to contribute instantaneously and multi-laterally to the ongoing election campaign and marketing of senatorial candidates, so today, 21 March, I have created another blogsite, this one, focusing on current events – and non-events – in the Philippines.

So, am I another kind of prophet? No I’m not. I’m just another kind of barbarian – I don’t quite agree with those other barbarians at the gate.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

So, the Genuine Opposition have been acting like a child, been talking like a child, been thinking like a child, been reasoning like a child. Have they now put away childish things and seen what is good for the country? My answer is: Haven’t we all!

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

I like Javier Mariscal’s image ‘faith hope love’ as it vividly portrays the verses above, even as it is a powerful metaphor of The Earthly Great Trinity:

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

The image tells us that faith, hope & love should define us. Another way of looking at it is this: We ought to define our lives with faith, hope & love. We are not whole without any of the three; we are empty. Without faith, hope & love, we lead lives devoid of meaning, or ‘lead lives of quiet desperation’ (Henry David Thoreau). Love is the foundation of all.

And yet, I have a problem with love, Christian love, agape. Jesus preaches love in such a way that I cannot make love:

Love your enemies! Do good to them that hurt you. If someone strike you on the right cheek, turn the left also. Do not repay evil with evil; rather, repay evil with good.

And so I decided to name my blogsite that which is itself the slogan: Faith, Hope & Accommodation and the perfect symbol is this: F(A)H. If you cannot love, at the very least accommodate. – f@h

~ by frankahilario on 21 March 2007.