HAVING the Christian faith means believing and living the great values of justice, truth, love and equality, as well as opposing sin, as preached and practiced by Jesus of Nazareth.
He invites us to accept him as our friend and be his disciple who will imitate his unselfish dedication to do good for others, oppose evil, free the destitute and the downtrodden from their hardships, and support victims of child abuse.
He calls on sinners to repent and do penance. He saved the world from sin and challenges all of us to do likewise by fighting for justice for abused children and lifting up the poor.
This is the faith, mission and message that newly elected Pope Leo XIV and all of us should have and put into action. Pope Leo, like all true Christians, must never compromise with wrongdoing, must never tolerate and cover up crimes against anyone, especially children. Faith is being committed in mind and heart to work for justice and truth, and oppose evil and believe that we can win.
That is the kind of faith possessed by Australian Columban missionary Fr. Brian Gore, who died on Easter Sunday, April 20. He lived that faith that can change the world and move mountains of sin. This is the faith Pope Leo needs to inspire, teach and lead the people of God. He will understand the poor and their desire for freedom from poverty and injustice. He can and should bring freedom and social justice to abused and exploited women and children.
Fr. Brian’s spirit will live forever, and he will experience resurrection in the end, for he lived his commitment all throughout his life. He came to the Philippines in 1969 after his ordination. He dedicated his life to living his faith and putting it into action for the poor and marginalized people of Negros Island. He was a pastor, and over the years, he organized basic Christian communities in remote villages where he trained the people there to take responsibility for the community and for each other.Fr. Brian lived and died in the village of Bantollinao, in the mountains of Negros Occidental province. It is a self-supporting Christian community. He and all the people shared the Eucharist and Christian living together, helping one another.
One inspiring story I heard during my many visits to him in Kabankalan in Negros Occidental was that on members of the basic communities in a rice-growing area.
One farmer, Bernardo de la Cruz, harvested some bananas on his tenant farm. The rich landowner falsely claimed that he owned those bananas and charged the farmer with theft and had him jailed. This was an evil plan to prevent Bernardo from plowing and planting in his fields. His sons were too young to do it. Bernardo would have no harvest and thus have nothing to give to the landowner. He would lose his tenancy, and his land would be forfeited. The landowner planned to make a big plantation by taking over small holdings. (To be continued)/PN
