Heightening of the conflict

Fr. Tito Caluag reminded participants of the April First Friday Kapamilya Mass about the heightening of the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish authorities.

The Jewish leaders, threatened by Jesus’ words/acts that attracted large crowds/followers, believed that silencing/eliminating Jesus was the best resolution for the escalating conflict that time.

This Lenten season re-tells that conflict, relives, reminds believers about the subsequent passion/death of Jesus Christ, God’s beloved son, sent to redeem/restore all humankind back to the Lord.

April 13 - Palm Sunday reenacts the warm welcome of the huge crowd that met/cheered Jesus with palms.

The rest of the Holy Week, however, will recall how that same worshipping crowd will transform into an angry mob that called for Jesus to be crucified.

Nevertheless, everyone is reminded this Lent that Christ’s death on the cross (while a sad reality depicting humankind’s rejection of the Messiah and his message of love/redemption) is God’s priceless divine gift of redemption/salvation for all.

Christ’s Resurrection seals God’s victory over death, restores all, beyond this earthly life, back to eternal life with God.

There is forever --there is resurrection after death, ascension after resurrection, and eternity/forever, back in the embrace/love of God.

Rather than disperse/stop/reduce the number of those who believe in Christ and the one who sent him as expected by the Jewish leaders then, recent March 2025 reports from the Vatican’s Central Office for Church Statistics, reveal that the global Catholic population is now at 1.406 billion in 2023, a 1.15% increase from approximately 1.39 billion Catholics in 2022!

The Americas account for about 47.8% of the global total (27.4% of Catholics reside in South America, 6.6% in North America, and, 13.8% in Central America).

Europe is home to 20.4%, Africa to 20%, Asia to 11%, and, Oceania to 1.9% of the world’s total Catholics.

Within Asia, the 93 million Catholics in the Philippines and 23 million in India correspond to 76.7% of the total Catholic population in Southeast Asia.

The number of global believers would definitely be higher if the population of all other Christian religions were included!

Within this Lenten season, we are also alerted to the current heightening of other conflicts throughout the world.

There is the ongoing heightening of conflict between Trump’s policies (recently his tariffs) and the countries and people affected by his decisions and actions. Trump explained and justified his tariffs- “to see America a wealthy country once again!”

At the expense of the rest of the world or even many Americans who will be adversely affected by Trump’s tariffs?

Where are the rest of the Americans who believe in democracy/equality, who believe that a country, their country, should not be ruled only by one despot leaning towards Russia?

Why the seeming silence, the absence of public protest among Americans?

Closer to home, there is the alarming heightening of conflict involving China.

Early April news reported that the Chinese military launched “live-fire strikes in the East China Sea and practicing blockade operations near crucial shipping lanes to the east and west of Taiwan.”

In response, “Taiwan reportedly sent warships to its coast.”

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner reminded “Filipino soldiers to be prepared for a possible Taiwan invasion as China intensifies its military drills near the island.”

Malacañang tried to allay public concern about any potential invasion of Taiwan but supported “the importance of Brawner's reminder to the troops and the general public to be always prepared for any possible contingencies.”

Will the scheduled April Balikatan exercises (annual military training sessions involving the Philippines, US, and other participating countries) described by AFP Chief Brawner as a “full battle test” see even more the heightening of the China-Philippine-Indo-Pacific Region conflict?

This Lent, together, let us pray for peaceful resolutions of global conflicts.