SEMANA Santa or Holy Week is an important time of the year for Filipinos. We have traditions we practice to meditate on the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to save us from sins and teach us how to truly live according to His Word here on earth.
As religious and unapologetically devoted we are to our Christian faith, there seems to be a disconnect between our Sunday and Holy Week persona from who we are in our everyday life.
There seems to be incongruence in the way we pontificate the Word of God on social media and in church vs the way we live our everyday life, how we treat people, and how we see God present and involved in our everyday affairs.
Many Filipinos suffer from dual/multiple personalities because we preach the Ten Commandments, the Gospel of the Lord to our children, quote bible verses in praise to our Lord whenever we post our selfie shots on Facebook or Instagram, or just simply share a poster of a breathtaking view highlighting an inspiring bible verse, yet when faced with crossroads in our lives, especially when we choose the candidates to vote for in the election, we put God in our escaparate (display window), and hit hard that we should not talk about God in politics.
I respectfully disagree with this practice. Personally, I opine that if we truly profess that we love and honor God and put Him first place in our life, then we should seek and involve Him in everything that we do, especially when we make decisions that affect not only ourselves, but the greater community of people — believers and nonbelievers because we are all the sons and daughters of God.
This is one point of debate especially during this election cycle when many of us preach forgiveness and peace, moving on and living a new life, walking with God in His Way, His Truth and His Life, yet our choices do not reflect what we preach. Our actions negate what we pontificate, and go in the opposite direction from what we pray for.
And so as we look forward to Easter Sunday, let us meditate on God’s Word and Life and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us in every way, especially in abiding in Him when we cast our sacred vote on May 9. May our choices reflect Jesus’ Light in every way.
Here are some of what the Bible says about activism rooted in the Word of God:
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” – John 8:32
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – John 14:6
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” – 1 John 1:6
“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” – Ephesians 5:11
“You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall make no idols.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Keep the Sabbath day holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet.”
– Exodus 20:2-17 ; Deuteronomy 5:6-21
“As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.” – 1 Timothy 5:20
“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.” – Luke 17:3
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” – 1 John 4:1
“Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” – Proverbs 31:8-9
“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” – Isaiah 1:17
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” – Ephesians 5:6
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8
“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. When wickedness comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes disgrace. The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice. A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating…” – Proverbs 18:2-13
“Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend. The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor.” – Proverbs 22:8-12
“Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:12–15
* * *
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
* * *
Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989. She was a news anchor, TV host and radio commentator and public service host for ABS- CBN and DZMM. She is now working on her advocacies independently, serving the Filipino audience using different media platforms. You may contact her through email at [email protected], or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos. Also on Twitter, Instagram: Gel Santos Relos
