Saints of Gaps

Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

“Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.

“Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.

“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Luke 6:20-26 NRSVUE

It’s All Saints Weekend and the first Sunday of November. 

November is also Transgender Awareness month. 

So today we honor and remember our Queer Saints, especially those that we honor in this church  – Unang-una is of course our very own – Kuya Michael Mia and Choi Discipulo.  

Then of course si Fr. Richard Mickley the Father of MCC in the Philippines and co-organizer of  the first Pride march in the Philippines and all of Asia.  

Then we also remember the spouse of kuya Vince, si Pastor Egay of MCC Makati and then our  kababayan na naging significant leader sa Founders MCC and music ministry volunteer sa global  MCC – si Rev. Camille Rodriguez Araullo.  

Our scripture reading for today is the Beatitudes from the version of the gospel of Luke, which I  have mentioned in the past as the most pro-poor and pro-oppressed gospel. The poor is mentioned  more times in Luke than in Matthew, Mark, and John. It also has the thematic of Metanoia which  is often translated into “repentance” which I would argue that in some instances, the word  transformation might be closer or more relevant to use.  

Mapapansin natin sa gospel of Luke etong mensahe ng pagpapantay – Equality or common good.  Yung pag-aalis ng gap or space between rich and poor. In the song of Mary of Nazareth nung  pinagbubuntis nya si Hesus at binisita nya ang nakakatandang pinsan nyang si Elizabeth, kumanta  sya na tinatawag nating Magnificat – hango dun sa salitang “Magnify” sa unang part nung song,  “My soul magnifies the Lord”. In the song of Mary while Jesus was in her belly. She declared, pull  down the mighty from their thrones and then uplift the lowly.  

Ibaba ang mga makapangyarihan at itaas o lingapin ang mga mabababa at mahihirap.  Sent away the rich empty and fill the poor and hungry with all good things.  Ito ay pagpapantay at pag-aalis nung economic gap between two groups of people.  

Ngayon, we read this again here in the beatitudes according to Luke and not surprising, the same  is mentioned only in a slightly different way. 

Jesus in the Luke says – Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God.  Kapuspusan sa inyong mga maralita pagkat para sa inyo ang kaharian ng Diyos. 

Then later Jesus says, Woe to you who are rich for you have received your consolation.  

Napaka gentle nyang “Woe to you”… actually, nagmumura si Jesus dyan… Mga PI kayong mga  Makapangyarihan pagkat nakuha nyo na ang inyong kaginhawahan or aliw.  

Side note kasi palaging maraming nag-rereact when the word “rich” is mentioned and they are  criticized with hard language that comes from no less than Jesus himself. 

May particular na context at category ng mayaman sa gospels. Pag sinabing mayaman sa gospels  and maybe even sa old testament prophets, ang ibig sabihin nila dito ay yung Mayaman na sa  sobrang yaman ay may kapangyarihang magdikta at magimpluwensya sa kalagayan ng isang  bansa. The gospels are contextually specific when it refers to the rich as someone whose wealth  gives the person or family power to dictate or influence the life and direction of an entire nation or  an entire society. So for example, the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus – the rich man there  was said to be wearing purple.  

Purple was not something a middle class person wore. Purple was reserved for the Roman Emperor  and the imperial Family. Sometimes to some extent, to some of the Roman Senators and  magistrates. Sometimes to the local Kings like Herod, that were sanctioned by the Roman Empire.  Putting that into today’s perspective, sino-sino ba ang makokonsider natin na mga Emperor, royal  dynasties, and magistrates of today? Another story says that there was a rich young man who came  to Jesus asking on how to receive the kingdom of God. A young man – isang Binatang lalake  between ages 16 to 22 years old back then are not capable of accumulating a wealth that can  influence nations or societies, or even a community. It only means, this young man inherited his  wealth from his parents. Generational wealth. So, pag binabatanan ni Jesus ang mga “mayayaman”  sa gospels and pag ito ay namemention sa social justice homily ni Father sa roman catholic or IFI  or sa mga pastor sa UCCP or Methodist, hindi yan nagrerefer sayo or sa inyo. Wag mong isipin na  ikaw yun porket nakapag-japan ka lang or nakarating ka sa Europe para magbakasayon. Yung  Yaman na tinutukoy sa Gospels ay yung kayamanan na may kapangyarihan na bumili ng buhay o  pumatay ng buhay. Yung sobrang yaman mo kaya mong bimili ng mga tao. Sa sobrang yaman mo,  pwede mong bilhin ang boto ng taong bayan. Sa sobrang yaman mo, pwde kang patuloy na  magnakaw at hindi mapanagot kahit buking ka na. Hanggat wala kang ganyang kayamanan, hindi  ka considered rich sa standards ng bible. Wag kang feeling. At tayo rito sa Open Table MCC…  walang mayaman dito sa totoo lang. If you are 1 major sickness away from becoming poor and  homeless, hindi ka rich and I would argue, ni hindi ka Talaga middle class.  

Anyway… going back. Habang paliwanagan sa word na “Rich” para lang hindi mabash ng mga  pro-rich gays. 

So the gospel of Luke understands the life, words, and mission of Jesus as a mission of lessening  the gaps between people especially the economic gap of rick and poor, and what it means to be  blessed – pinagpala or pinuspos – is be poor or to be on the side of the poor, the oppressed, and  the marginalized. Blessed are poor… blessed are the hungry… blessed those who weep…  Mapuspus kayong mga maralita… kayong mga nagugutom… kayong mga nagluluksa… because  during the time of Jesus more than half of the population were starving to death. There was constant  death and torture by the Romans and the local padrino-kings and principalities – hence there was  also constant weeping or pagluluksa of mothers and wives losing their children and their husbands.  

The vision of Jesus in the gospel of Luke starting with his own mother is put on the same level the  mighty who exploit the people and poor people from below who are exploited, to bring the rich 

and the poor into the middle class and doing so, mawawalan na ng upper class, lower class, and  middle class.  

So paano natin ito idudugtung sa all Saints weekend? Ano ba ang ibig sabihin ng pagiging Santo  o Banal? Does this mean ang pagiging banal ay naachieve ang isang state of life na hindi ka na  nagkakamali o nagkukulang? Ibig sabihin ba ng banal ay absolute trust and perfect faith kay Jesus  Christ? Does it mean to say praying 3, 5 or 7 times a day?  

I find inspiration first and foremost sa mga katolikong Santo tulad ni Bishop Oscar Romero of El  Salvador na ipinaglaban ang mga mahihirap sa kanyang bayan at buong tapang na tinuligsa ang  injustices and oppression ng gobyerno at militar. Like Jesus his Lord, he stood up and spoke to  remove the gap caused by injustice. Pero yung gap ay hindi lamang socio-economic although  palaging factor yan… sa karanasan nating LGBTQIA+ meron ding gap sa atin because how church  and society looks down and puts down our sexuality and gender identity and so, I find inspiration  and comfort with our own Troy Perry and Richard Mickley, for each of their own courage to  remove the social, economic, political, and spiritual gap of society relating to queer people.  Economic gap din kasi yan na hndi ka makakuha ng maayos na trabaho kasi ginagamit laban sayo  ang pagiging LGBTQIA+ mo. Hindi ka makakuha ng ayuda and other government services kasi  queer ka at hindi kinikilala ng batas ang relationship nyo ng partner mo.  

So what does it mean to be a saint – isang banal – sa panahon natin ngayon.  

It means that we carry the mission – the cross – of Jesus and the saints and martyrs after him – forward. Ang pagiging santo ay ang pagbibitbit at pagsusumikap sa misyon ni Hesus to pull down  the mighty from their thrones and uplift the lowly so that everyone will be middle class – yung  buhay na sapat para sa lahat. Buhay na hindi sobra-sobra pero hindi rin kulang. To be a saint is to  participate in removing the social, economic, political, and spiritual gaps that separate and oppress  people. If you, me, we do each of our part to eradicate these gaps… maybe, just maybe we will be  worthy to be called saints and counted in the great cloud of witnesses. 

Because to be a saint is not to claim it for yourself. Never. Hindi ikaw ang magsasabing santo ka  in the same manner na hind imo idedeclare ang sarili mo bilang Pastor or Bishop. It is God and the  people of God who calls you saint and considers you worthy to be counted to the communion of  saints. It is God who knows our hearts and it is the people who sees and discerns our service and  character.  

Let us remember the saints and martyrs who came before us and who went ahead of us into the  blessed realm. May we learn from their lives and struggles, and find inspiration to continue our  own participation to the blessed work of Jesus Christ of pulling down the mighty and raising up  the lowly, and blessing the poor, the hungry, and those who are weeping. Tungo sa mundong wala  ng mayaman o mahirap… puro middle class na lang na merong sapat na kasiya-siya. Sya Nawa.  Amen. 

The post Saints of Gaps appeared first on Open Table Metropolitan Community Church.