Some of you will go to Church this Sunday. In the event you are Catholic I strongly you recommend you email this blog to your priest. Tell them they can take off having to write the sermon for Sunday. Move over Rover, let Father Gogs take over. Get Real Philippines is my pulpit. In these web pages lie your salvation!
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For many people, the Bible is a timeless book. Regardless of your feelings on spirituality, creation, organized religion and the after life the Bible makes a fascinating study on human behavior. Someone said to me that the Bible is not naive. Meaning the Bible knows the pitfalls of humanity and suggests a different method by reinforcing certain timeless values. I have been doing informal study of the Bible for two years now and it is endlessly fascinating how certain themes show up again and again throughout the text. I am by no means an expert. There is just so much there that if some of you believe it is all a hoax well, it is an elaborate hoax.
The Gospel (Luke 18:9-14) this week involves the contrast between two men praying in the temple. One of them was a Pharisee. Pharisees were basically a group of men portrayed in a few Bible stories as people who seemed to have a monopoly on virtue. They were the sole source of morality. Yet their leaders were opposed to Jesus who lived out the moral life. More details on the Pharisees here. This particular Pharisee’s prayer was basically Thanksgiving for not being like the little people. It was a litany of things he did.
The other man was a tax collector by occupation. Tax collectors in those days taxed you on the spot with the good that were on you. They were also fellow Jews seen as traitors since they were doing the bidding of the occupying Romans. More details here. His prayer did not involve boasting or any lists. He just simply asked for mercy since he acknowledged that in the eyes of God he has flaws.
Jesus then said it was the tax collector who was justified. Prayer is part of transformation. Which one of the two was open to being transformed? When some one is full of pride, I doubt their mind is conditioned for improvement. Prayer not an end in itself . Prayer is a mean. Goal of prayer is to change and to put yourself into an encounter with God. It is not just talking but also listening . Bring us to transformation of our being. Bring us to conversion.
Let me take a look at the first person. Has no flaws, thinks of himself as better than the rest and seems to be in a world of their own. My gosh, that resembles Benigno Simeon Aquino III. If I ever see an ounce of humility emanate out of Noynoy it will be the first ounce. But Philippines, really. What did you expect?? Here is a man who in 2010 during the his campaign rationalized that being president of the Philippines was his destiny. Does that speak of humility to you?
Other examples of Noynoy Aquino as a modern day Pharisee:
- Noynoy said: “That whoever stands on this podium in the future will be a person of foresight; someone who definitely will not kick the can down the road; someone who will solve problems; someone who will fortify the culture of integrity that we are building now.” During the 2nd Integrity Summit at the Hotel InterContinental in Makati City. September 2012. Does that scream humility? I did not think so.
- Read this story in the Inquirer saying that Noynoy will go to Davos and tell his success story of Daang Matuwid. That was a full blown example of P.R. using the nation’s leading broadsheet. Now read what really happened which was conveniently left out of mainstream media. Does that scream humility? FallenAngel does not think so.
- Witness Noynoy’s initial indifference to the pork barrel backlash and then his back peddling. Does that scream humility? No, he first suggests there is no problem then he changes his tune but does nothing of substance as usual. Make no mistake, Noynoy is who he is because of the pork barrel. So far Noynoy is having his way and his way is pork barrel or bust. Ilda seems to think so.
Speaking of tax collecting. Do you notice the functions he goes to at home and abroad at enormous expense to the taxpayer? He does not wear the symbol of the country he swore to serve. Instead he used his family symbol that he used in his campaign. Is that the epitome of a humble servant?? Are you glad you pay taxes now? Special shout out to the Facebook book group To Mr. President Wear The Flag Not The Yellow Ribbon.
The analogy to Noynoy is not perfect. At least the Pharisee can list things he has done. The Pharisee tithed and probably earned his rank. Noynoy’s election resume was a blank state. Yes, I am giving you a litany of his miscues only to stress the point that his words are not worth the spit they are spoken on. I thought some people view his mother as a saint? All she did was raise a daughter who might have a hard time spelling the word chastity and some Pharisee wannabe son. A true leader should be about leading by example. Are you encouraged by this? The Gospel this week is about prayer. Looking at Cory’s children should encourage the Filipinos to pray more. We will need a lot of prayer with this bozo in charge.
Putting a very sharp needle into the balloon known as Pinoy Pride since 2012.
Not to sound irreverent… LOL! The dictator BS Aquino has not shown any saintly qualities that would qualify him for a permanent position up there. BS Aquino is far worst then the pharisee depicted in broadcast and print media. He is more like a modern, retarded reincarnation of Der Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler. His deceiving/lying propaganda style, his aggressive political quest to control people, funds and institutions, his blunders and blame games and his persecution of perceived enemies is duly noted by many who have observed him in action or inaction. As I said before, the worst is yet to come!
The worst is already coming since nobody would believe his lies.
Only those with half a brain would swallow his lies hook,line and sinker.
OMG! the most inaccurate statement from you yet!
Aquino is ‘a reincarnation of the Fuhrer’, HA!
Minus the Luftwaffe, Waffen SS, Weirmacht and a plan to implement genocide upon a race of religious based people’s (Aquino has actually FINANCED the muslims in Mindanao by giving them the authority to collect tax revenue, no? Regardless he is certainly not going to incarcerate the muslims, and then put them to slavery and finally kill them, is he?). who would be his Goebels? Himmler? Goering?oh, he doesn’t have them?
Showing off your idiocies again, huh T.J.? Aquino may be an idiot but a ‘reincarnated’ Hitler? oh-boy, that one is proof you are a bigger idiot than he is!
Goebels is Carandang. What’s scary is the closest he has to Rommel is Kris.
You liken Kris Aquino to Erwin Rommel?
Sabagay, Kris Aquino IS a Desert(ed) Fux, in a way. 😛
yup you got the play on words.
The worst IS yet to come, BUT MAYBE it is because the PUPPET is going to have to do what ‘Giapeto’, the puppet-master, tells him to do. You still assert incorrectly that the guy is a dictator and he is no such thing. While he may be able to do what he likes in the RP(but not really), he still has higher authorities to answer to. AND NO, those higher authorities are not the Filippine people, as it should be in a REAL democracy. Like it or not you FAIL to understand that the politicians are thieves AND LACKEY’s of the people who really run the country. Also add to that definition the term ‘FLACK-CATCHERS’ because they catch the negative blow-back, which is not much in the sorry-ass country, of the people’s discontentment. if you are still looking for ‘fair’ well, maybe, you should wake-up and realize that the world is just not fair.
Do you still need to know WHO the people are that really RUN the country?
I will not tell you as you should already know.
Lots to address there Gerry but many of what you bring up I already addressed in older posts of mine. The world may not be fair but to the deluded yellow army this guy in front of us is the epitome of fair. I just take every chance I get to try to pour cold water on them.
@ Gogs, HA HA HA, keep it up!.
Why does anyone even bother reading the Old Testament?
the book of the Jew.
Literary value; it’s essentially the Jewish version of [insert Near East epic here]. What’s not to like about Jews, anyway?
To go and ask universities abroad to give you an honorary PhD is the conduct of modern Pharisee.
Inferring to anybody?
Si Noynoy ay tulad ng mga Pariseo na ipinangangaral ang matuwid na daan pero siya ay mismo ay wala sa matuwid na daan. Sinabi ni Jesus sa mga Pariseo, “Kaysaklap ng inyong sasapitin, mga mapagkunwari! Sapagkat nililinis ninyo ang labas ng kopa at ng pinggan, ngunit sa loob ay punong-puno ang mga ito ng katakawan at kalayawan.” Nagsabi din si Jesus na, ” Kaysaklap ng inyong sasapitin, mga mapagkunwari! Sapagkat ang katulad ninyo’y mga libingan pinaputi na magandang tingnan sa labas, ngunit sa loob ay puno ng mga buto ng mga bangkay at ng sari-saring kabulukan.”
Salamat Rogelio.
As a Devout Catholic who opposes the RH Law;I agree with your Sermon more than the retired Bishop(whose mass I attended hours ago) who conflated Today’s Gospel with that of the Other Sunday. He did such a Poor delivery that I did NOT understand his Message.
Thank you Josemaria. Should you find yourself in search of good sermons, may I suggest this?