The Pastorelle Sisters in the May 2013 Election
Provincia Filippine - Australia - Saipan - Taiwan
Inserita il: 24/05/2013
0 commentario(i) ...
The Church is the Conscience of Society, and so with St. Paul we “proclaim the word with persistence whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching” (2 Tim 4, 2).
The Bishops of the Philippines, in their Pastoral Letter about the May 2013 said: “Elections are essential to the common good. Leaders are thereby selected to provide the conditions that allow each person to fulfill his or her vocation. Whether or not a Society is just depends in considerable measure on its leaders, and so justice and the common good are at stake in these elections. That is why the Church has the competence to speak, and must speak, or else be remiss in her duties to God and Country.” (Pastoral Letter on May 2013 Elections)
Although Religious and Clergies do not endorse any party or any candidate, our Sisters in the different parishes joined the PPCRV or Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, organized in their own parishes in response to the admonition of their Bishops and Pastors to “go out and get involved, to ensure a clean, honest, accurate, meaningful and peaceful (CHAMP).”
Few months before the Election, Voters’ Education on forming people’s consciences started by urging our people to pray and offer sacrifices for a peaceful and clean elections. Likewise, our electorates were encouraged to actively participate in the elections by voting, to reject vote buying (and all its variations), to vote discerningly using the LASER test (Lifestyle, Action, Supporters (Pro-life and reject major legislative measures legalizing divorce and same sex marriage which directly contradict Church teachings), Election Conduct and Reputation. They were also instructed to disseminate their judgment to others in their families, neighbors and communities for moral and social awareness.
During the day of the election, backed up by the sick, the unregistered and the senior members of the communities who served as prayer warriors, members of the PPCRV among our Sisters were assigned to different ministries: either as pollwatchers, encoders, assisting the voters find their names and precincts, or as part of the roving team volunteers visiting the pollwatchers - mediating and giving them encouragement when problems arose, and distributing snacks and meals till the next day. Although majority of our Sisters went back to their respective communities upon the submission of the election returns the next morning, in some isolated troubled areas, few of our Sisters had to stay behind a little longer to offer moral support to their people on the job for any untoward eventualities.
The May Election 2013 is over after the voice of our people have spoken. They were trying days, but very rewarding for those who sincerely offered their prayer and service to make our people feel that they were not alone in their quest for good. As disciples of Christ, we respond to His call in all we do, and so our participation in the election is a part of our service in the Kingdom of God. After all, don’t spiritual works of mercy include instructing the ignorant, admonishing the sinners, counseling the doubtful, and comforting the afflicted who are the lost, the least among us at this moment in our country?
In occasion of the May Election, like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, whether as individual or as a community, we declared this truth to the people entrusted to our care, “that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10)
sr. Lily Ann de los Santos
