Dear Friends:
I will be boarding in a little while, but before doing that, let me share with you some thoughts and feelings, which I consider worth sharing to friends in this public forum. By ‘friends’, I also mean my brothers and sisters, my fellow priests and consecrated persons and all of you who have been close to my vocational journey.
This is about our President calling our God ‘stupid’.
I remember, as a teenager, when my father had a serious altercation with our neighbour. The latter was challenging Tatay for a fight (with a bolo in his hand) over something which I do not remember now. I was so afraid, but Tatay was apparently undisturbed and unresponsive to the provocation – an attitude which I did not understand then, but was proven to be right.
As a son, I felt I had to do something, not because my father needed it, but because I needed it. I felt that I had to intervene and, if necessary, to ‘defend’ my father in a way that I was not even sure how. By speaking ill of Tatay and transgressing his rights, a part of me was also hurt and violated because in our blood is found the same DNA. What greater love can we offer than to be on the side of our parents when they are threatened? What better expression of support can we show than to speak on behalf of our mother and father when they are maligned for no apparent reason? Yes, even if they do not need it. And even if we are afraid.
I am ‘afraid’ to tell you this because I am not ‘holier’ than you. I hesitate to tell you this because you have been so good to me and you are even ‘better’ than some of those who criticize our President. Even if I don’t understand your unequivocal support to the policies of the present administration, I respect you in the same way that you respect me when I do not completely agree with you.
But this is no longer about the President. This is about our FATHER in Heaven and our MOTHER CHURCH being maligned. God does not need us to protect HIM, but we need to say something because in our blood we have the same DNA with His SON as ‘we are created in His own image and likeness’. The Church ‘will prevail even if the gates of hell will bar,’ but to be on the side of our Mother when she most needs it is the least that we can and should do. In these challenging times, we need to draw the line. When he P.I. the Holy Father, we were silent. Now that he calls our God ‘stupid’, I could not be silenced.
P.S. If you have not read yet what our President said about our God and our Church, please see (the attached faithful transcription) of his words, courtesy of Bishop Ambo David. And if you do NOT agree with my stance, let us continue to be friends.
In corde Matris , Eli, cmf
(FR. ELIAS AYUBAN, CMF)
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IN HIS OWN WORDS, Part II
Bp. Pablo Virgilio David, DD
(As transcribed from his speech in Davao City during the opening of the 2018 National ICT Summit, by KG, GMA News Online. Note that he claims to have learned this in his Catechism class. Attention, catechists and Religious educators, maybe we can do a little better with the next generation?)
Here’s what he said:
“Who is this stupid God? Estupido talaga itong putang ina kung ganun. You created some—something perfect and then you think of an event that would tempt and destroy the quality of your work…
So kinain ni Adam. Then malice was born… How—how can you rationalize a God? Maniwala ka? Kaya nga sabi ko diyan ‘wag ka maniwala niyang… So tayo ngayon, all of us are born with an original sin. Ang original sin—ah sin—ano man ‘yan? Was it the first kiss? O… What was the sin? Bakit original? Nasa womb ka pa, may kasalanan ka na,” he said. Chukchak man lang ‘yun ng nanay pati tatay mo. Wala ka mang kasali. Tapos ngayon may original sin ka. ‘Tang inang klase. Anong klaseng relihiyon ‘yan… Eh ‘yan ang hindi ko matanggap. Very stupid proposition. Anong kasalanan? Original sin, tapos i-baptize ka. Basain pa ‘yang ulo mo ng tubig. Maniwala ka niyang pari na ‘yan… Ako, I believe that is a universal mind. But to what extent is the influence of that… You know, I cannot picture Him as a human being in the image of God…
I… But I really believe there’s a… I have this faith and abiding thing about… Pero ‘yang relihiyon? Sus maniwala kayo diyan… And God who was lonely, who is… And there was nobody to please Him. Ngayon ko lang nalaman na ang God ma-lonely pala. Buti’t na lang walang babae sa tabi siguro. God was lonely, then He created paradise and that’s planet earth, okay? And He saw that the paradise, the product of His industry was beautiful. Birds, fish, lahat. Tapos—and so God said, “I will create man.” So pa-ganun. [whistles] Ayun si Adam. ‘Yung gusto kong tanungin sa putang inang mga bishop na ‘yan…Nandiyan na si Adam. Okay na sana ‘yun. Sabi ni God—God found that Adam will be lonely. So he took one of his ribs, bone, and created the woman. Na-leche na. [laughter] ‘Di kung si Adam lang, mag-dumugan na tayo lahat ng lalaki dito. Okay na ‘yun. Okay lang… Grade 4—Ateneo ha, Ateneo, San Be—Katoliko, Ateneo, San Beda ako. Tapos sabi niya, ‘And God doubted His creation.’ So tinesting (testing) niya. Tinawag niya ‘yung ahas. [whistles] ‘Come here.’ Tapos binigyan niya ng apple, ipinakagat niya doon sa bunganga. Tapos sabi niya sa ahas, ‘Dalhin mo itong apple doon kay Eve and tempt her to eat it, taste it. So ang gagong ahas, walang utak… Pareho diyan sa—karamihan diyan sa gobyerno ganun man. Mga ahas sa ganun. Dineliver doon kay Eve. And Eve, because apple eh. Naka-balot pa ‘yung parang foam na net. ‘Made in China.’ Ang ginawa niya—kinain ni Eve. Tapos si Eve ginising si Adam. Siguro katatapos lang. Kumain ka rin. So kinain ni Adam. Then malice was born.
Ang aming krus doon sa bahay, si Jesus Christ naka-ganun. Ngayon, ‘yung simula namatay nanay ko, hindi na ako pumunta sa bahay niya, ‘yung ancestral home namin. Ayaw kong pumasok doon. But the last time nung nagkasakit siya, si Hesukristo naka-ganun na. [laughter] Sus Ginoo, Pag gising ko pa lang, ‘yung—nandoon na ‘yung si Jesus naka-pako na. Hanggang ngayon naka-pako parin. [laughter] Imbes kalimutan na natin ang sakripisyo niya, every year, ipaalaala mo tuloy ‘yung kastigo niya is…, Why do you have to remember a sad thing about the killing of our God? Ako ang Diyos, gawain mo sa akin ‘yan? Ay putang ina. Para kang karne norte [laughter] if you do that. I am God and you…”
IN HIS OWN WORDS: (Part 1)
(NB. He delivered this speech before an audience of OFWs in South Korea a few weeks ago. Following is a verbatim transcription of the part of his speech about the Church.)
Here’s what he said to OFWs in South Korea:
“Ako nag-aral ako sa pari— Ateneo, La Salle, sa Law School sa San Beda… wala pang babae noon, puro kami lalaki, hindi ako nagkulang ng ganoon, pero, itong Katoliko… mabuti pa maglipat na kayo ng relihiyon. Sa totoo lang…pabulatsing na pari, kumikita… sige tayo bigay ng pera, bigay na lang natin sa kapwa mo, gusto mo, bigay mo roon sa ospital o sinong walang medisina. Tingnan mo diyan o… Harry Falby, makita mo iyang mga kaso niya… (An assistant shouts a correction on the name.) Huh? Mark Falby? Kaya iyung LA they were sued for 25 Million sa ginalaw niyang mga bata doon. Maniwala ka diyan. Now ma-remember ko pa na may malaki siyang salbabida, siguro nakuha niya sa navy. “Hey guys, come over here!” (live ba ito sa Pilipinas?) Edi kaming taga-subdivision na malapit, ako, si Sonny, kaming nakapunta, dinala niya ang salbabida sa malayo, makita mo na lang na… Pagtingin namin ang tao maliit na doon sa beach. Wala kaming… siyempre… makita mo na lang na si (pointing at Sonny) siya, nakaganun (demonstrating with his face an expression of disgust while mimicking how Sonny held on on to the salbabida). Nandiyan man siya sa gitna, so nagpipiyano ang gago … (apparently demonstrating with his hands how the two of them were fondled). Tapos naman, kami, nakaganun (grimacing).
Huwag kang maniwala diyan sa Katoliko…iyung Adam and Eve na iyan… Tingnan mo ang pagka… Kung iyan ang Diyos ng Katoliko, Torpe iyan! Maghanap ka ng Diyos na tama, hindi iyang… Tingnan mo, ha, sa Catechism, “And God created the world, it was paradise, because there was nothing God created… nature, birds, … tapos sabi ng Diyos daw, “Kawawa naman si Adam, walang partner. (Somebody from the back stage hands the president a book, while on the podium.) So, kinuha iyung sa ribs, ginawang babae. E doon na nagkaproblema. Kung lalaki lang tayong lahat edi dumog tayong lahat…. Nilagyan ng babae, sabi walang malisya si Eve. Nandiyan na, ok na sana… ngayon ano’ng naisipan nitong God ng Katoliko? Tinawag iyung ahas (whistling). Come here! Yung woman pumunta… O eto o, apple made in China, nasa bunganga niya, sabi niya, “Punta ka kay Eve, ipakain mo iyan. You tempt her to eat the forbidden apple. Imbento ng Ginoo iyan, iyan man nasa Bible. Itong si Eve kinain niya, a, kinain niya. Tinempt niya si Adam na kumain rin, then malice became…malice, so lahat tayo nagkasala. We are born… tinatawag itong putang inang ito… we are born all sinners, kaya pag magpabinyag tayo para mawala yung sin natin. Ano’ng pakialam natin kay Adam and Eve, sila lang man ang nag-tsuktsak doon… Wala man tayo kasali… anong klaseng Diyos iyan? Perfect na tapos sirain mo? Sa totoo lang, eto o, “Altar of Secrets”, Sex, Politics, and Money in the Philippine Catholic Church, Aries C. Rufo. Patay na ito… narrator sa CBCP. Mag-iwan ako rito… ewan ko kung ilang kopya— pero kung gusto mo, magpadala ako. Pero yung karka-saradong katoliko huwag kang masyadong maniwala dun sa mga pari. Kaya nung nagkakampanya kami… di ba nagkampanya kami? E naihi ako, ‘tang ina, from sa Holiday yung Robinson hanggang airport, three hours. Nagmeeting ako… Sabi ko, Putang Inang Pope na ito, umalis ka na! Ano ka, three hours… Sabi nila minura mo kasi ang Pope… Edi pasensya, kung talo, talo. Panalo kung panalo. Bakit man siya pasyal nang pasyal dito na yung traffic umabot ng three hours! Ilang kilometro ba iyan? Yun ang isyu, sabi nila talo na iyang si Duterte. Kaya sabi ko, “If God wants me to be president, I will be president. (Now the audience applauds.). So yung… the god that I believe in, yung god man iyun na kaputahan istorya ng Katoliko. May bago tayong relihiyon ah, paglabas natin, “Iglesia de Rodrigo tayo. Walang limit! May obligasyon ka sa sarili. Make yourself happy. (People applaud again.) Uwi na tayo… You only live once…”
