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“ANG PANGAKO NG KAPASKUHAN”

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Malaya na si Mary Jane

Rev. Fr. Anton CT Pascual Monday, September 28, 2026 7:00 am

 320 total reads

Mga Kapanalig, magiging masaya ang Pasko ngayong taon ng pamilya ni Mary Jane Veloso.

Si Mary Jane ay ang kababayan nating hinatulan ng death penalty sa Indonesia noong 2010. Natagpuan kasi sa bagaheng ipinadala sa kanya ang mahigit dalawang kilong droga. Mabigat ang kaparusahan ng Indonesia sa mga nagpapasok doon ng ipinagbabawal na gamot, at sa kabila ng ilang apela ng ating gobyerno na baguhin ang desisyon ng korte, nanindigan ang Indonesia na parusahan si Mary Jane. 

Pero sa pakiusap ni dating Pangulong Noynoy Aquino, nagkaroon ng moratorium sa pagsasakatuparan ng death penalty hanggang matapos ang termino ng presidente ng Indonesia noon na si Susilo Bambang Yudhono. Nang manungkulan ang bagong pangulo ng Indonesia na si Joko Widodo, inalis ang moratorium at kasama si Mary Jane sa mga ipipila sa firing squad. Hindi tumigil ang administrasyon ni PNoy. Sa kanyang pakiusap muli at pangakong tutulong sa pagsugpo sa mga drug syndicates sa rehiyon, nakaligtas si Mary Jane sa death penalty. Sumuko rin noon ang recruiter niya.

Nangamba ang publiko para kay Mary Jane nang sabihin ng bagong upong si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na dapat igalang ang desisyon ni Indonesian President Widodo. Alam naman nating walang human rights para sa dati nating presidente na nasa kustodiya na ngayon ng International Criminal Court. Taóng 2020, nahatulan ng habambuhay na pagkakakulong ang mga recruiters ni Mary Jane.

Sa pag-upo naman ng bagong presidente ng Indonesia, nagkaroon ulit ng negosasyon ang ating gobyerno sa pamamagitan na ni Pangulong BBM. Humantong ito sa pagbabalik-bansa ni Mary Jane noong 2024, bagamat ikinulong siya sa Correctional Institution for Women habang pinag-aaralan ang mga hakbang na gagawin hinggil sa kaso niya. At noong isang linggo nga, inanunsyo ni PBBM ang paggagawad niya ng absolute pardon kay Mary Jane. Ibinabalik kay Mary Jane ang lahat ng kanyang mga karapatan, unang-una na rito ang kanyang kalayaan.  

Ang kuwento ni Mary Jane ay ang kuwento rin ng marami nating kababayang naghahangad ng magandang buhay para sa kanilang pamilya, pero pinagsasamantalahan ng mga kapwa nating sariling kapakanan lang ang iniisip. Kuwento rin ito ng mahihirap nating kapatid na nagdurusa sa mga bilangguan dahil sa mabagal na paggulong ng kanilang mga kaso, samantalang ang mga makapangyarihan at maimpluwensya na may ginawang mabigat na krimen ay hindi man lang nakararanas sa maghimas ng malamig na rehas.

Sa huli, ang kaso ni Mary Jane ay hindi lamang isang legal na isyu. Hindi lamang ito tungkol sa pagpaparusa alinsunod sa mga batas. Isang pagsubok ito kung pinoprotektahan ba ng lipunan ang mahihirap at mahihina upang hindi sila mapagbagsakan ng mga batas na hindi nila kayang unawain o takasan—lalo na kapag parusang kamatayan na ang ipinapataw na kaparusahan. Tandaan nating isa sa mga pinahahalagahang prinsipyo ng mga panlipunang turo ng Simbahan ay ang pagkiling sa mahihirap—hindi dahil kailangan nila ng special treatment kundi bilang tugon sa kanilang kahinaan at kawalan ng kakayahan upang ipagtanggol ang kanilang karapatan sa loob ng sistemang legal.

Nahuli si Mary Jane noong 25 taóng gulang siya; mahigit 40 anyos na siya sa kanyang paglabas. Anong uring proteksyon ang ibinibigay ng ating lipunan sa mga katulad niya? Anong uring katarungan ang umiiral sa ating lipunan? Paano natin pinahahalagahan ang dignidad ng mga bilanggo? Ang mahabang panahon ng pagkakakulong kay Mary Jane ay isang sagot sa mga tanong na ito. 

Mga Kapanalig, tandaan natin ang mga salitang ito sa Isaias 10:1-2: “Mapapahamak kayo, mga gumagawa ng hindi makatarungang batas na umaapi sa mga tao, upang pagkaitan ng katarungan ang mga nangangailangan [at] upang alisan ng karapatan ang mahihirap.”

Sumainyo ang katotohanan.

THE SAINTS OF FRANCE COME ALIVE

H.E. Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, D.D. Sunday, September 27, 2026 10:33 am

 3,478 total reads

One of the most beautiful moments of Pope Leo’s visit to France was the spectacular presentation at the Stade de France, where some of the great saints of French Christianity seemed to come alive before the Pope and tens of thousands of young people.

What a remarkable gallery of witnesses France has given the Church.

There was St. Martin of Tours, the Roman soldier who cut his cloak in two to share it with a freezing beggar—and later recognized Christ in the poor man he had helped.

St. Geneviève, the young woman who became the spiritual protector of Paris and encouraged its frightened inhabitants not to abandon their city when it was threatened by invasion.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the great Cistercian monk and theologian who became one of the most influential spiritual voices of medieval Europe.

St. Louis IX, King of France, who sought to combine political leadership with prayer, justice and service to the poor.

And of course St. Joan of Arc—Jeanne d’Arc—the teenage peasant girl who believed God had entrusted her with a mission for France, helped turn the course of the Hundred Years’ War, and was burned at the stake at only nineteen. Centuries later she would be canonized and remembered as one of France’s most extraordinary saints.

Then there are the saints of more recent times: St. Vincent de Paul, apostle of organized charity and service to the poor; St. John Vianney, the humble Curé of Ars who spent countless hours reconciling people with God; St. Bernadette Soubirous, the poor girl of Lourdes to whom Our Lady appeared at Massabielle; and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who never became famous through great public achievements but taught the world her “little way”—doing ordinary things with extraordinary love.

Watching their stories recreated before Pope Leo and thousands of young people was a powerful reminder that the saints were not born as statues. They were real human beings who lived in particular moments of history, faced difficult choices, listened for what God was asking of them, and responded.

Perhaps that was the real message of the spectacle: France does not honor its saints simply by remembering its Christian past. Their stories become meaningful when a new generation begins to ask:

What is God asking of us in our own time?

“HOLIER THAN THOU”

Rev. Fr. Jerico Habunal Sunday, September 27, 2026 10:24 am

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Gospel Reading for September 27, 2026 – Matthew 21: 28-32

“HOLIER THAN THOU”

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’. but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.

Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

————

The chief priests, elders, Pharisees, and scribes were always on the lookout for sinners. They were always looking for someone to condemn. Of course, this gave them the opportunity to have the “HOLIER THAN THOU” attitude.

Sinners were like the first son who said “No” to his father but went to the vineyard anyway. The chief priests, elders, Pharisees, and scribes were like the second son who said “Yes,” but did not go to the vineyard.

We can never label people as sinners because only God sees what they carry in their hearts. And we can never think of ourselves as righteous all the time because, somehow, we fall, and God sees that too.

In life, we are responsible before God for ourselves and for the things we do. Hence, instead of being on the lookout for sinners, we have to be on the lookout for the kind of life we ourselves live. We need to reflect constantly on whether we truly say “Yes” to God—and mean our “Yes.”

Lord Jesus, help us to look at the plank in our own eye rather than at the speck in someone else’s eye. Amen.

Veritas Editorial

Picture of Rev. Fr. Anton CT Pascual

Rev. Fr. Anton CT Pascual

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