The previous week was bombarded with controversial statements coming from Catholic priests who are against the Duterte administration. First, a video started making the rounds on social media where a priest was caught praying for President Duterte to fall sick. This was followed by Fr. Robert Reyes urging the military to denounce the current authority, saying that they (our soldiers) are not a private army, but are of service to the Filipino nation.
While I admire their passion, I strongly believe that they are on the wrong side of history. And as priests, they have gone beyond their commitment to God and the Christian faith.
First, Fr. Robert Reyes is not doing the public and in particular the followers of the Catholic faith any good because rather than urge the people to pray for the betterment of our nation, he calls for them to rebel against the current government.
In Romans 13:1-2, it says that “let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”
Fr. Robert Reyes should have thought of this before spewing harsh words against the Duterte administration, because with his actions it shows that he doesn’t know how to respect authority.
Second, as a man of faith, Fr. Robert Reyes should be leading the public in praying for the well being of our nation. He should be urging us to reflect on what is happening to our country and for us to discern as to which direction we should steer our country, and not dictate what to do. Because with what he is doing right now, Fr. Robert Reyes is not asking us to think and discern, but is rather pushing us to rebel and attack the government.
He could have urged us to pray for the president and that he improves his decisions, as it is apparent that the priest is not happy with how President Duterte is handling the affairs of the country. But no, he is urging us to revolt.
This is very alarming because as a priest, he is also a primary influencer in society. He feeds the people with his agenda each and every time he celebrates mass. And with his statements, he is nurturing his followers with hate and anger. Are these the kind of emotions that we would want to carry in our hearts?
Third, as a priest, Fr. Robert Reyes should take the lead in abiding the law. He should be the first to respect the law and only rebel when the government forbids him to practice his faith. But the government is not doing that, so there is no point to go against it.
Fr. Robert Reyes claims that President Duterte is a dictator, especially now that it is under his administration that the amnesty of Sen. Trillanes is revoked and is now pending arrest. Had he been indeed a dictator, the president would have had the senator apprehended immediately. But now, he is still waiting for the court to decide before the actual arrest can take place, but he believes in due process.
Where is the dictatorship in this scenario?
It really pains me to see Fr. Robert Reyes say such things, or even think about such things. I do hope that he is able to reflect on his thoughts and acquire a better, more enlightened perspective on how to deal with our nation’s problems. He should not nurture sermons of hate and anger, but of love and peace – especially to those he deems to be his enemies.
In Mark 12:30-31, the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” And the second greatest command is to “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Is praying for the president to fall ill, or urging our soldiers to turn their backs on the administration ways of exercising these commandments?
The answer is no. Hence Fr. Robert Reyes, and as well as the priest who prayed for the president to fall ill, should stop their false teachings and start re-learning God’s lessons before it’s too late.