Over the weekend, news of a priest publicly scolding and humiliating a 17-year-old

unwed mother at the baptism of her baby elicited a viral firestorm of negative comments
from many netizens of social media.
One said that the priest completely forgot Pope Francis reaction when asked about
homosexuals. Deviating from the Churchs usual strict and conservative stance, Francis
who am I to judge? reiterated the teaching of Jesus not to judge one another because
God does not judge by appearances. Forgotten, too is the story of Jesus not condemning
but forgiving the woman caught in adultery.
It looks like many do not really understand the Catholic Christians identity to be
inclusive, welcoming and truly catholic by being compassionate to others. Jesus said he did
not come to call the righteous, but rather, sinners. Jesus reminded us of the words of the
prophet Hosea - God wants mercy from us, not sacrifice.
What we have here is a situation where the letter of the law became more
important than the spirit of the law. The priest was angry because a baby was born without
the sacrament of marriage.
Church authorities have since offered a public apology to the aggrieved family and
the priest has been suspended until further notice. The priest has also publicly asked for
forgiveness through a handwritten letter of apology.
Jesus taught us that the Sabbath is made for us; we are not made for the Sabbath.
Any human law or tradition is to benefit us or to serve us. It should never exist to oppress
anyone or to inflict any suffering or shame.
Sacraments, rules and traditions should all be means to manifest the loving goodness
and forgiveness of God through our humble service and respect for each other. They
should never become instruments of authoritarian control. They are means to an end, not
the other way around.
About two thousand years ago a small group of Christians attracted so many
converts because of the witness of their lives. The Acts of the Apostles relate that they
were recognized by their love for each other. Their good example inspired and attracted
so many Jews, Gentiles and pagans they eventually became a world-wide religion.
Today we hear about Sunday masses in practically empty cathedrals in Europe and
North America. Everyone knows about the disappearing vocations to the religious life or
the priesthood. Why? All we have to do is to look around and read the signs of the times,
as the Church taught us.
The problem is not the story of Jesus and his message of loving God by doing unto
others what we want others to do unto us. The problem is in its interpretation,
adulteration or even distortion.

It is a problem of two churches, one founded and based on the original spirit of
Jesus, the other simply based on human authority hiding behind the name of God. From the
famous story of Don Quixote comes a Dutch saying, Behind the cross lurks the devil.
From the Spiritual Exercise of St. Ignatius of Loyola comes the quotation from St.Paul, It
is a mark of the evil spirit to always appear as an angel of light.
Over the same weekend another new report attracted the attention of Ateneo
friends and foes. A picture of Imelda Marcos as a special guest of the Ateneo de Manila
Scholarship Foundation posing and cavorting with Ateneans also drew a firestorm of
criticism from all over.
It seems like Ateneans are the same as the rest of their countrymen. They have
forgotten the excesses of martial law under Ferdinamd Marcos from 1972 to 1986.
Obviously, the Ateneans of today were not born then. Also obviously, the ADMU leadership
was already born then but just like everyone else, they have national memories.
Someone has written about the existence of two Ateneos, one seriously and humbly
living out the ideals of Jesuit education by being person for others, the other loudly
crowing about Ateneo elitism and jeering at non-Ateneans in victorious basketball games.
Perhaps there is a little of both in us, and perhaps we can remember the story of Dr.Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde.
The mascot of the Ateneo de Zamboanga and the Ateneo de Manila is the blue eagle.
There is a story of an eagles egg that was found and hatched together with chicken eggs.
The eaglet was raised believing it was a chicken. It never soared into the skies and spent
the rest of its life with chickens, pecking on the ground.
Many years ago a question was asked, who or what do Ateneans worship - God or the
Ateneo? Ateneo graduates are everywhere. There are real Ateneans in word and in deed.
There are ersatz or fake Ateneans only in name but not in spirit. We wonder who the
majority are. A realistic parable for Jesus tells us to look at the tree and its fruits.
Ignatian spirituality teaches us to find God in all things by following the poor and
humble Christ. St. Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises has a meditation on the Two
Standards or Two Flags. Reality is divided into two camps the world with its orientation
towards wealth, honor and pride, and the camp of Jesus Christ and its resolve to love God
by serving others humbly, simply and poorly.
Where do we belong? Who do we follow?

-Salvador Wee SJ-