‘What should we do?’

Three times in today’s Gospel passage, this question was asked by various groups who came to John the Baptist for a baptism of repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah: "What should we do?" And John’s response is just as relevant today, as we prepare for the coming of Christ in our lives in a truly deep way – rather than celebrating another ridiculously commercialized Christmas! (Lk. 3:10-18).

John’s triple response to the crowds, the tax collectors, and the soldiers sharply addresses our most urgent triple mission today – compassionate generosity, particularly toward the poor; social justice for all; and commitment to the common good.

COMPASSIONATE GENEROSITY. "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise" (v. 11). True, there are quite a number of dedicated NGOs, GOs, and charitable organizations in our country. And let us be most grateful to God and to them for all the good works they are doing. But there are many, many more among us – the majority in fact – who are uninvolved. Reaching out to the poor in various ways is a never-ending responsibility that God is commanding us to assume fully.

It is in this spirit that we urgently appeal to those sectors of our institutional Church which are not yet fully involved in reaching out to the poor. May they be the role-models and actively lead our lay people in carrying out the mandate found in our social encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, particularly par. 31, which says in part:

"Thus, part of the teaching and most ancient practice of the Church is her conviction that she is obliged by her vocation – she herself, her ministers and each of her members – to relieve the misery of the suffering, both far and near, not only out of her abundance but also out of her necessities. Faced by cases of need, one cannot ignore them in favor of superfluous church ornaments and costly furnishing for divine worship; on the contrary it could be obligatory to sell these goods in order to provide food, drink, clothing and shelter for those who lack these things. As has been already noted, here we are shown a hierarchy of values – in the framework of the right to property – between having and being, especially when the having of a few can be to the detriment of the being of many others."

SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR ALL. "Stop collecting more than what is prescribed" (v.13). Obviously, this does not apply only to tax-collectors, literally speaking. God is calling on all sectors of our society – political, business, and professional – who are guilty of massive corruption in various ways. Power and authority solely belong to God, and these are entrusted to us, to be used for the good of all, and not for personal greed. This is one of the greatest evils in our country today.

Our coming 2004 elections are an opportunity for us to really listen to God’s imperative in making a moral breakthrough. Let us choose and vote for candidates, from local to national, whom we know and trust to be God-fearing and God-loving. Likewise, let us be actively involved and vigilant in working for clean and honest elections. Let us thank God and those involved in allowing the full participation of NAMFREL in the coming elections.

THE COMMON GOOD. "Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages" (v. 14). Again, beyond its literal sense and applying it to our situation today, unjust monopolies in business and industry, family dynasties in politics, and ruthless partisan politics. May we never forget that when everything is said and done in each of our lifetime, God is the only absolute. Everything else is relative. Everything.

And God’s design is for the good of His creation, community, the common good, and never just for personal, private good.

With our courageous response and efforts, may the Lord’s Will be done in our beloved country. Amen.