In Europe, religious piety produced some of the world’s greatest artistic achievements – Bach’s music, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes, and Gothic architecture. In contrast, Filipino piety cannot seem to rise above the dread with which we regard the Supreme Being. Our ardor does not result in offerings of sustained creativity but only in acts of … Read more
My brother, Fr. Pablo David, a biblical scholar, has published a fascinating essay on the power of metaphors and the changing images of God in the Bible. He focuses on the shift in imagery that the “weird” prophet Hosea popularized to induce the ancient people of Israel to re-imagine their relationship with Yahweh. From being … Read more
Erap’s complains that he has been singled out and offered as an exhibit by the ruling elite to show that justice works in this country and that wrongdoing will not go unpunished. He is being cast, he says, in the role of the proverbial big fish that will not get away. They – big business, … Read more
Four elders of our political community, all masters in the art of pragmatic politics, met recently to find a solution to the problem created by the withdrawal of ex-president Joseph Estrada’s lawyers from the cases filed against him. They are traversing the thin line between law and politics. Senators Blas Ople, Edgardo Angara, and Aquilino … Read more
If, suddenly, Erap decides to keep silent and not defend himself in protest against an unfair judicial process, I would think the system would really break down. If he says he won’t play the game, explain himself, question the witnesses or dispute the evidence against him, we would be unable to judge him. We would … Read more