By Gilbert M. Forbes
DepEd Quezon
CALABARZON
People troop to the cemeteries every year to visit their dead love ones. To remember, offer prayers and may be connect to them. But it is unfortunate that they are doing it on the wrong date. Many have known it already that it is still the next day, All Souls Day for November is the feast of All Saints or All Saints Day but just continue to do so. They say, it has already been a tradition. The church on one hand has continuously explained and clarified it already to the public but they just don’t listen.
I am worried if the majority of our people don’t heed church authorities which speak about God, what more among themselves. The church is the very reason why there is such a celebration. Although the people is the church, there are official teachings and leaders to follow. Well, anyway how many of them are regular church goers? Less than 10 percent and out of that only few are practicing what they heard and learned.
Tradition is good when it adheres to basic moral principles of obedience and cultural righteousness. But if it’s coated with pride, caprices and prejudice, it is evil and should no longer be followed. There is a time for every thing as the book of Ecclesiastes clearly explains. The first day of November is for the saints and the next one for the ordinary souls. All Souls Day should have been the time to visit our resting love ones.
On the other hand, the value we attribute to our departed love ones is a strong recognition that life has its end and final destination. Only, it is a pity to affirm that everybody is saint or everybody is in heaven because in many circumstances our life choices and practices don’t mirror it. The way alone we remember our dead love ones lacks the sense of propriety and following to the church teachings. Instead, it has become a pagan feast of the living.
As a result due to our hard headedness, our society in general is chaotic, self fish and greedy. Why? Just because not only that we have become morally corrupted, we too are failing to combat evils in our midst. How? In so many ways like loitering, gambling, gossiping, laziness and apathy are just a few examples.
Behind all these, the message is clear. Our life is not temporary. We may all have reasons why we are doing crazy things but we should consider the requirement of our next destination after our sojourn to this world. Once our journey is over, no longer make up by flashy resting place, fancy gatherings every year can be done, only prayer.
The requirements and passport to the next level of our lives could not be compromised. The Holy Scriptures and the Koran is strict clear about it. There is no short cuts if that is what we used to think. So its up for us if we continue our pagan habits.
What about you, what lessons from the dead can you share?
DepEd Quezon
CALABARZON
People troop to the cemeteries every year to visit their dead love ones. To remember, offer prayers and may be connect to them. But it is unfortunate that they are doing it on the wrong date. Many have known it already that it is still the next day, All Souls Day for November is the feast of All Saints or All Saints Day but just continue to do so. They say, it has already been a tradition. The church on one hand has continuously explained and clarified it already to the public but they just don’t listen.
I am worried if the majority of our people don’t heed church authorities which speak about God, what more among themselves. The church is the very reason why there is such a celebration. Although the people is the church, there are official teachings and leaders to follow. Well, anyway how many of them are regular church goers? Less than 10 percent and out of that only few are practicing what they heard and learned.
Tradition is good when it adheres to basic moral principles of obedience and cultural righteousness. But if it’s coated with pride, caprices and prejudice, it is evil and should no longer be followed. There is a time for every thing as the book of Ecclesiastes clearly explains. The first day of November is for the saints and the next one for the ordinary souls. All Souls Day should have been the time to visit our resting love ones.
On the other hand, the value we attribute to our departed love ones is a strong recognition that life has its end and final destination. Only, it is a pity to affirm that everybody is saint or everybody is in heaven because in many circumstances our life choices and practices don’t mirror it. The way alone we remember our dead love ones lacks the sense of propriety and following to the church teachings. Instead, it has become a pagan feast of the living.
As a result due to our hard headedness, our society in general is chaotic, self fish and greedy. Why? Just because not only that we have become morally corrupted, we too are failing to combat evils in our midst. How? In so many ways like loitering, gambling, gossiping, laziness and apathy are just a few examples.
Behind all these, the message is clear. Our life is not temporary. We may all have reasons why we are doing crazy things but we should consider the requirement of our next destination after our sojourn to this world. Once our journey is over, no longer make up by flashy resting place, fancy gatherings every year can be done, only prayer.
The requirements and passport to the next level of our lives could not be compromised. The Holy Scriptures and the Koran is strict clear about it. There is no short cuts if that is what we used to think. So its up for us if we continue our pagan habits.
What about you, what lessons from the dead can you share?
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