In today's Gospel of Luke, Chapter 6, verses 6 to 17 and 20 to 26, Jesus gave the Beatitudes. He gave a blessing each to the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who suffer, and those who are victims of man's inhumanity to man. We thus take this occasion to pray for our country, that God shall save us from the schemes and machinations of traditional politicians who plunder our national coffers, manipulate government decisions and transactions to amass wealth, monopolize power, and rob the poor of what belongs to them. They are wolves in sheep's clothing. They are arrogant scribes and Pharisees, scoundrels, rascals, and scalawags. We should pray for our salvation from these evil and wicked ones.
Lord, protect us from mayors and governors who come to the people promising roads, bridges, and buildings, but are actually scheming with evil designs, conspiring with thieving contractors and scheming congressmen and senators who made secret and misleading insertions in the national budget. Save us from the bureaucrats who commit all forms of malversation, falsification, forgeries, deceits, defalcation, and other forms of machination to steal money from the government, then collect merciless taxes from the starving masses. Protect us from those who rig government biddings and award projects and contracts to those that offer the highest kickbacks.
Protect your people, Lord, from the sweet promises of salvation emanating from political dynasties. They promise to assume the burden of paying our hospital bills, even paying for our funerals and tombs, only to collect the money and even triple the costs from local government coffers. Protect us from fictitious cooperatives and NGOs that offer fake fertilizers and pesticides which are taken from the pork barrels of politicians. Protect us from trapos who bring expired and spoiled food to hapless victims of natural disasters and calamities while surreptitiously pocketing millions of dollars in donations from international organizations.
Lord, protect our elections from being manipulated again by thieving politicians, who bribe some scheming election officials in order to manipulate the electoral processes, including the machines, thus rob the people of their fundamental right to choose our leaders. Hide your poor people from terrorists who are paid by evil candidates to pressure, intimidate and coerce voters. Safeguard the sanctity of the ballots and protect the elections from vote-buying and rigging. Protect us from candidates who are incompetent, dishonest, and those who are ageing, under detention for plunder, and those who face many charges involving moral turpitude.
Protect our country from drugs, corruption, crimes, neglect, and ineptitude. Let the singers sing elsewhere. Let the boxers and the basketball players play their games away from the Senate and the House. And put the evil ones in jail.