blackshama's commentary on Philippine issues

Christmas in the Philippines came late as like the winter monsoon.  Perhaps it was the economic and political crises buffeting the country and the world as a whole.  And the winter monsoon brought not cold air but rain, flooding Mindoro and Eastern Luzon. That these regions have been almost completely deforested has contribute more to the sorrow. It seems that the Earth is emptying its goodness. In Greek we call this emptying as kenosis. That Jesus Christ is born today is the joyful announcement of the Mass of Christmas Day. This birth involved a divesting of the True God turned Man of His accidentals of his divine nature (Christian theology does not teach that he lost his divinity). It was just his appearances to Divinity just couldn’t be found in the manger in Bethlehem. And the streets of Manila seem to have more of the poor whereas before their suffering were not easily seen. Human dignity seems to have emptied itself for many of these people are hungry. How can ...

A long time ago people had personal mottoes. These short phrases served to identify an ideal, principle or goal. The motto guides personal conduct.  If this motto is a personal one, it tells a lot about the person it signifies. In the Middle Ages, knights, kings, queens and noblemen had mottoes. Anyone who was capable of bearing arms had one. This developed further as part of chivalry and kings had the right to grant arms and of course mottoes. Thus one of the early Knightly mottoes include “Pro Deo et Patria”, for God and Country. It is still the motto of the Philippine Independent Church. Prince Charles as Prince of Wales has the German “Ich Dien” or I serve. Pope John Paul II’s personal motto is Totus Tuus or All Yours. Benedict XVI’s personal motto is “Cooperatores Veritatis”, although it doesn’t appear in his Arms as Supreme Pontiff. Well mine is the Latin Motto ”Duc In Altum’ or  in English “Put out to Deep Water”. In Filipino the motto is “Pumalaot Kayo” The m...