Now it's Con-Ass for Cha-Cha?

Finally, Malacañang Palace has warned its allies in the House of Representatives to make sure their attempts to convene Congress into a Constituent Assembly (con-ass) wouldn't be another mistake like the People's Initiative. If you ask me, Con-Ass will be another bad mistake because Congress certainly cannot do this alone without the support of the Senate. Now why should the Senate cooperate with Congress in a plan to remove the Senate and shift to a Parliamentary form of government? Remember, we are dealing here with politicians, not statesmen.

I don't know why Malacañang did not issue this warning to those pushing for a People's Initiative; perhaps it is bravado, arrogance or even over confidence. But like what we've been saying, the Supreme Court was right in throwing away the People's Initiative simply because it was flawed. I have always maintained that if we want to change our constitution, we should do this in the most widely acceptable way - via a Constitutional Convention (Con-Con). Alas, too many politicians want to push their personal agenda regardless of the consequences.

I can predict that when Congress pushes for a Con-Ass, this would once more end up in the Supreme Court. Now it would be very interesting to see how the Supreme Court would rule on this issue, which a is totally different animal from the People's Initiative. Meanwhile, I'm glad that Defense Secretary Avelino "Nonong" Cruz still has the confidence of the President, even if he was against the People's Initiative. I concur with him that it was simply a "harebrained" idea and they shouldn't have pushed their luck on that!

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Because All Saint's Day happen to fall on a Wednesday, right smack in the middle of the week, it is for this reason why the government could not "sandwich" it to either Monday or Friday. This is why All Soul's Day today is not a holiday. However, we should not diminish the importance of All Soul's Day compared to All Saint's Day; after all it is for this reason why we all go to the cemeteries to remember our departed loved ones. I would like to emphasize that if we pray to all the Saints who are already in heaven, all the more we should pray to all the souls because not all of these souls are with God in heaven. Many languish in purgatory and many more unfortunately are doomed to a life in hell!

But since today is a working day, we can expect everyone to be on their daily routine. However, I would like to honor the souls of our dearly departed by quoting today's Gospel reading. While today is not a Sunday, where we make it a point to write a column strictly only about the Gospel, today's Gospel reading is just perfect for the occasion. You can find it in the Bible on Matt. 25:31-46 on the Judgment of Nations. [Jesus said to his disciples,] 31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, 32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. 37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visited you? 40 And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'…46 And these will go off…to eternal life.

This passage ought to make you ponder whether you are a sheep that belongs to the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ the Shepherd or are you one of the goats destined to forever be separated from the chosen ones of God? This Gospel really teaches us that faith alone is not sufficient to guarantee us eternal life. However, with faith, you are not far from the kingdom of heaven. So if you want to know how one can be assured of eternal life, all one need to do is put this particular Gospel in practice.

In short, as our Lord himself teaches us, "whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine… you did for me." All these mean a lot of work; after all, in James 2:15-26 we are all justified not just by faith alone, but also by our faith and our works!

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit's columns can also be accessed at www.shootinginsidecebu.blogspot.com