Volume 1 (2006)
Quaderni
del
Centro Studi Asiatico
Xaverian Missionaries Ichiba Higashi 1-103-1 598-0005 Izumisano Osaka - Japan
B a n g l a d e s h – F i l i p p i n e – G i a p p o n e – Ta i w a n
3
I Quaderni del CSA ospitano articoli e studi che riflettano su alcuni fenomeni religiosi, socio-econo- mici, politici, culturali e missionari di alcune Regioni Saveriane presenti in Asia. Essi si propongono anche di far conoscere eventi o esperienze che possano arricchire ed essere di aiuto ad altri missionari coinvolti nelle stesse attività.
Quaderni del Centro Studi Asiatico Xaverian Missionaries
Ichiba Higashi 1-103-1, 598-0005 Izumisano, Osaka – Japan Tel. (0724) 64-3966 / Fax (0724) 64-3969
Direttore
Redazione internazionale
Tiziano Tosolini • Giappone
Eugenio Pulcini • Filippine Sergio Targa • Bangladesh Fabrizio Tosolini • Taiwan
Indice
Volume 1, n. 3 2006
91 Del nuovo e dell’antico Tiziano Tosolini
RELIGIONI E MISSIONE
95 The Dialectical Role of Faith and Reason
as Applied to the Theology of Religions and to Interreligious Dialogue Maria De Giorgi
101 The Future of Christianity in China Umberto Bresciani
CULTURA E SOCIETÀ
115 Gospel-like or Business-like?
Sagip-Kapwa: A Faith Inspired Path of Charity and Development Eugenio Pulcini
IN MARGINE
125 Un volo sul precipizio Gildo Coperchio
Del nuovo e dell’antico
Tiziano Tosolini
I
l sempre più veloce inseguirsi del tempo, il frangersi dei diversi e variegati modelli poli- tici o sociali sulle invisibili barriere di un mondo fattosi ormai villaggio, il fondersi e il rifluire di idee e ideali, di costumi e tradizioni, di fedi e di credi in una quasi ormai indi- stinguibile visione della realtà… sono alcuni dei tanti aspetti che sembrano caratterizzare questo stanco inizio di secolo. Malgrado i vari tentativi di prevenire il riassorbimento di ogni localismo all’interno di un indeterminato globalismo, nonostante i vari richiami a non perdere o svendere i propri patrimoni linguistici, culturali e spirituali per assecon- dare il semplice desiderio di esser alla moda o per sentirsi a proprio agio ovunque uno decida di spostarsi e viaggiare, il mondo sembra negare, assoggettare o omologare tutto ciò che gli si affaccia come diverso, strano, insolito o semplicemente curioso. Come ben descrive questo scenario Slavoj Žižek:I media continuano a bersagliarci affermando che se vogliamo sopravvivere dobbiamo abbandonare i «vecchi paradigmi», che dobbiamo modificare le nozioni più fondamenta- li che compongono la nostra identità personale, la società, l’ambiente… La saggezza New Age sostiene che stiamo entrando in una nuova era «post-umana»; il pensiero politico postmoderno afferma che dobbiamo prepararci a vivere in una società post-industriale in cui le vecchie categorie del lavoro, della collettività, della classe, ecc. sono ormai delle teorie-zombi, non più applicabili alle dinamiche della modernizzazione. L’ideologia della Terza Via e della prassi politica rappresenta, di fatto, il modello di questa sconfitta, di questa inabilità di riconoscere come il nuovo è qui ora per poter permettere all’antico di sopravvivere. Contro questa tentazione, si dovrebbe piuttosto esser fedeli all’insuperato modello pascaliano e porsi questa domanda: in che modo riusciremo a mantenerci fedeli all’antico malgrado queste nuove circostanze? Solo così potremo generare qualcosa di radicalmente nuovo.1
Gli articoli inclusi in questo numero della rivista intendono affrontare questa dialettica culturale tra il nuovo e l’antico osservandola ed analizzandola da diversi punti di vista. In The Dialectical Role of Reason and Faith, Maria De Giorgi analizza alcuni aspetti dell’encilica Fides et Ratio sottolineandone l’importanza per coloro che si dedicano allo studio della teologia delle religioni e alla pratica del dialogo interreligioso. La Chiesa, afferma l’enci-
1. Žižek S., On Belief. London & New York: Routledge, 2001, pp. 32-3.
Quaderni del CSA 1/3 (2006)
92
clica, si pone in una contesto di diaconia della verità — nel duplice senso che la comunità credente si sente partecipe dello sforzo comune che l’umanità compie per raggiungere la verità e che la Chiesa deve a farsi carico dell’annuncio delle certezze acquisite. Questi at- teggiamenti, secondo l’autrice, sono rispettosi non solo dell’universalità della ragione, ma anche delle varie fedi, religioni e tradizioni spirituali che professano credi diversi.
L’articolo di Umberto Bresciani si interroga su quale sia il futuro del Cristianesimo in Cina. Il paese della seta, infatti, sta sperimentando un poderoso revival spirituale, una vera e propria febbre religiosa che sta coinvolgendo buona parte della sua popolazione.
Oggi, come al tempo di Matteo Ricci, nuove espressioni liturgiche, cultuali e culturali si rendono necessarie per coprire lo iato che separa l’annuncio cristiano dal contesto sociale cinese. Intellettuali cristiani (cinesi e non) devono riuscire a trovare quel sempre fragile equilibrio che tenta di bilanciare la potenza e novità del messaggio evangelico con una nuova e più rispettosa evangelizzazione della cultura. Una cultura che in futuro, secondo Julia Ching, non potrà che far risaltare sempre più la sua anima sincretista, pluralista e multiforme.
Il testo di Eugenio Pulcini, dalle Filippine, si sofferma a descrivere un piccolo, ma significativo, progetto di «centro prestiti senza usura» chiamato Sagip-Kapwa. Tra i sob- borghi sempre più poveri di Manila, evitando le logiche spietate di banche ed economie che parlano il linguaggio avaro e noncurante dei numeri e delle cifre, il centro Sagip- Kapwa vuole incarnare il messaggio evangelico secondo il quale non è tanto il denaro ma la vicinanza a Dio e l’amore rivolto al prossimo il significato più grande che l’uomo deve ricercare e vivere nella sua esistenza. L’antica sapienza del Vangelo, che insegna ad incarnare i valori della gratitudine e della gratuità, torna così a rivivere negli occhi della gente di un quartiere povero di Manila che, senza più paura o timori, luccicano ora di rinnovata fiducia e speranza.
L’articolo di Gildo Coperchio, infine, ci accompagna per mano a scoprire la bellezza che si è voluta nascondere nell’Altro. Una bellezza che si lascia intravedere ed accarez- zare solo nel momento in cui uno si immerge nelle problematiche della gente e si lascia afferrare dai loro bisogni. Allora, quasi misteriosamente, la bellezza appare in tutto il suo splendore e nostalgia, in tutta la sua tenerezza e umanità. Una bellezza uguale e diversa allo stesso tempo, eterna e infinita nel suo celarsi tra le pieghe della temporalità e mortali- tà umana. Una bellezza che rimane nel suo passare e che non scompare nel suo transitare.
In fondo, una bellezza che fa rimanere dell’antico solo ciò che perdura, e del nuovo solo ciò che non invecchia…
The Dialectical Role of Reason and Faith as Applied to the Theology of Religions and to Interreligious Dialogue Maria De Giorgi The Future of Christianity in China Umberto Bresciani
95
De Giorgi: fides et ratio
The Dialectical Role of Reason and Faith
as Applied to the Theology of Religions and to Interreligious Dialogue
Maria De GiorGi
T
o have chosen the encyclical Fides et Ratio of John Paul II as a major reference to our theme, might seem — at first — strange. As we well know, the encyclical, actu- ally, deals with the relationship between faith and reason, philosophy and theology in Christianity. However, a deeper insight into the text offers interesting and authoritative starting points also for a fundamental theology of religions. This is what I wish to show in my paper.Relationship between Faith and Reason and the Theology of Religions
However crucial the relationship between faith and reason might have been in the devel- opment of Christian philosophical and theological thinking, such a relationship is not an exclusive feature of Christianity. Due to the universality of reason, which is neither western nor eastern, but a privilege of the whole human race, such a relationship has been experienced within every great religious tradition. In this sense, we have noteworthy ex- amples throughout the history of the religions, both the cosmic ones like Hinduism and Buddhism, and the monotheistic ones like Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
It would be difficult, for instance, to deny the influence that philosophical thought had on the different currents of Hinduism, theistic and non theistic alike. Likewise, the history of Buddhism gives evidence to the long and complex inner confrontation between the religious and the philosophical way of thinking. It will be enough to mention here the Abhidharma Scholastics, the teachings of Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, those of the Madhyamika and Yogacara Schools and so on, up to the most recent develop- ments of contemporary Buddhist thinking.
With regard to this inner confrontation, what Yoshinori Takeuchi, a Buddhist scholar and an outstanding member of the Kyoto Philosophy School, states in his book The Heart of Buddhism is quite significant: «In Buddhism religion always needs philoso-
phy (or more accurately, metaphysics) in order that it might transcend philosophy».1 Turning now to the monotheistic religions, as far as Judaism is concerned, it is enough to mention the name of Mosheh ben Maimon (1135-1204) because of the lasting influence he exerted on medieval philosophy, especially on Thomas Aquinas’ thought. As a matter of fact, through his work, Guide for the Perplexed, he tried to show that harmony does exist between faith and reason, Bible and philosophy.
A special reference must be made to Islam. The book of the Moroccan writer, Rachid Benzine, Les nouveaux penseurs de l’Islam (Albin Michel, Paris, 2004) recently published in France is worth noting. The author analyzes the thought of some Islamic contempo- rary scholars like: Amin Al-Khuli (1895-1966), Muhammad Khalafallah (1916-1998), Fa- zlur Rahman (1919-1988), Mohammed Arkoun (1928-), Abdelmajid Charfi (1942-) who, though belonging to different countries and different cultural contexts, share the idea that the Koran and the hadith must be read and interpreted through the tools of critical reason, as Judaism and Christianity have been interpreted.
John Paul II, therefore, in drawing attention to the relationship between faith and reason, voices an impelling question challenging not only Christianity but even other religious traditions. In today’s cultural and philosophical situation of a growing lack of trust in the human cognitive resources and — consequently — of growing religious fun- damentalisms, a critical approach to the role of reason with respect to all faiths becomes as urgent as the need of reflecting upon truth and the human capacity to relate to it.
In this daring appeal of John Paul II, I can feel — so to say — the «newness» and the enduring value of the encyclical, as well as its pertinence to our theme. It is not a pure coincidence that in Fides et Ratio n. 104, in organic continuity with the tradition of the Fathers, John Paul II states that «philosophical thought is often the only ground for understanding and dialogue with those who do not share our faith». Actually, we cannot forget that the Fathers, in the attempt to approach dialogically the Greco-Latin world, applied the well-known expression «semina Verbi» not so much to the religions as to the philosophies, and discovered such a «semina» «in the history of critical inquiry rather than in the history of religions».2
The Holy Father explicitly refers to the process of the encounter between faith and reason — which characterized the first Christian centuries — in nn. 36-44 of the encycli- cal. He does not fail, moreover, to underscore the exemplarity of the critical function that such a relationship exerted on the religious thinking in Christianity itself. In this way,
1. Yoshinori Takeuchi, The Heart of Buddhism. New York: Crossroad, 1991.
2. Ratzinger J., In cammino verso Gesù Cristo. Milano: San Paolo, 2004, pp. 61-2.
97
De Giorgi: fides et ratio
what can at first seem a typical Christian or western spiritual journey, turns out to be a precious critical approach to other religious journeys as well, and provides key elements for the foundation of a Christian theology of religions and of interreligious dialogue.
It is not by accident that, the central theme of the encyclical is the quaestio de ver- itate, that is, the question that has to do with the «ultimate truth» and the quest for mean- ing; the serious question which makes human beings truly what they are. Now, at the core of this very universal question, the Holy Father puts exactly the relationship between faith and reason, «the two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth» (n. 1).
These are only brief clues, but sufficient — I hope — to grasp the general perspec- tive of the encyclical and to explore the points that have implications with our theme in a far-reaching way.
Quaestio de Veritate
The first point I would like to dwell on is exactly the quaestio de veritate. It is worth men- tioning here that the truth the Holy Father speaks about is the truth about God (n. 94), the truth about human life (n. 2) and human salvation (n. 10) towards which the Church has come to realize that she has a singular responsibility of diakonia. According to the Holy Father, the Church has to carry out this diakonia in «being a partner in humanity’s shared struggle to arrive at truth» and in «proclaiming the certitudes arrived at, albeit with a sense that every truth attained is but a step toward that fullness of truth which will appear with the final Revelation of God» (n. 2).
Now, the awareness of this twofold mission puts the Church in a relationship with truth, which is far from being a position of arrogant possession or of arbitrary monopoly
— as sometimes the pluralist theology would say. On the contrary, it is the awareness of having received — through the Pascal Mystery of Christ — the «ultimate truth» about human life that urges her to listen to, and to serve, such truth; it obliges her «to proclaim the certitudes arrived at» in order to share them with all; and, finally, it asks her to explore which kind of relationship exists between the philosophical and religious truths of the different religious traditions, on the one hand, and the truth revealed in Jesus Christ on the other.
Within this twofold diakonia, there is enough room, in my opinion, for a critical investigation of the philosophical and theological implications concerning the «Church being a partner in humanity’s shared struggle to arrive at truth» (theology of religions);
and for putting into effect a genuine partnership with all those who sincerely search for the truth and wish to serve it (interreligious dialogue).
The Need for Metaphysics
Another important point that has to do with our theme is to be found in n. 83 where the Holy Father strongly upholds «the need for a philosophy of genuinely metaphysical range, capable, that is, of transcending empirical data in order to attain something absolute, ul- timate and foundational in its search for truth»; asserting that «a philosophy which shuns metaphysics would be radically unsuited to the task of mediation in the understanding of Revelation».
At the beginning I mentioned — although briefly — that all the great religious tra- ditions experienced within themselves the challenge of encountering both a philosophi- cal way of thinking and the critical role of reason, albeit their journeys — and very often their outcomes — have been quite different.
As an example, I only refer briefly to Buddhism because it is the tradition I am most acquainted with, and because of its paradigmatic denial of metaphysics in favour of an ethic and gnoseological pragmatism that ultimately leads Buddhism to what is called metanoetics, that is, a philosophy that transcends and overcomes the presuppositions of metaphysics; a philosophy that is a metanoia of thinking, a conversion within reflective thought that signals a return to the authentic self (anatman).3 Actually, according to Bud- dhism — as Takeuchi underlines — the absolute ground of the entire phenomenal world is not a metaphysical one. The real ground lies not in a metaphysical background but in the foreground of things, in the here-and-now actuality of transient beings.4
Now, if we have to accept the Holy Father’s statement, Buddhist philosophy would be «radically unsuited» to the task of mediation in the understanding of Revelation. Of course, such an assumption cannot fail to deeply influence the dialogue between Bud- dhism and Christianity. Personally, I consider the issue an exciting challenge to both philosophical and theological thinking which is worthwhile taking up.
In Fides et Ratio n. 4, John Paul II recognizes that there exists an «implicit philoso- phy», «a body of knowledge which may be judged a kind of spiritual heritage of human- ity» shared in some measure by all. Indeed, «once reason successfully intuits and formu- lates the first universal principles of being and correctly draws from them conclusions
3. Yoshinori Takeuchi, The Heart of Buddhism, cit., p. 4.
4. Cf. Yoshinori Takeuchi, The Heart of Buddhism, cit., pp. 4-12.
99
De Giorgi: fides et ratio
which are coherent both logically and ethically, then it may be called right reason or, as the ancients called it, orthos logos, recta ratio».
Even though someone may disagree with such a definition of recta ratio, it is un- questionable that the principles, intuited and formulated by human reason, are to be universal and, on that account, comprehensible to all. If not, reason itself — an innate property and peculiar element of the human being as such — would become instead a dangerous factor of discrimination among human beings.
In Takeuchi’s book, which I have just quoted, the Japanese philosopher, conscious of the different outcomes the encounter between philosophical and religious thinking have produced in Buddhism and Christianity, calls for an encounter between a western metaphysics of being and an eastern (particularly Buddhist) metaphysics of nothingness.5
To remind all religious traditions of the urgency of exploring the dialectical rela- tionship between faith and reason, to require that reason exert its critical role of diakonia to the truth in interreligious dialogue; and, finally, to expect that due to the universality of reason, every religious tradition should agree on principles defining the recta ratio: are not these the task and the role of a vigorous theology of the non Christian religions and of interreligious dialogue?
«Trusting Dialogue and Sincere Friendship»
Another significant point the encyclical dwells on is the reference to «trusting dialogue and sincere friendship as one of the most appropriate contexts for sound philosophical enquiry» that the Holy Father makes in n. 33. This is an important paragraph, so I shall quote it at length:
It must not be forgotten that reason too needs to be sustained in all its searching by tru- sting dialogue and sincere friendship. A climate of suspicion and distrust, which can be- set speculative research, ignores the teaching of the ancient philosophers who proposed friendship as one of the most appropriate contexts for sound philosophical enquiry.
The explicit reference to «the teaching of the ancient philosophers» echoes Plato’s Repub- lic where Socrates emphasizes repeatedly that moral uprightness and sincere friendship experienced within a community founded upon a trusting dialogue and a robust concep- tion of the common good, is a necessary condition for being devoted to the truth and, in
5. Yoshinori Takeuchi, The Heart of Buddhism, cit., 77.
general, for leading the philosophical life.
It seems to me that this precious reference throws further light on our theme at a double level: one — so to say — ad intra and the other ad extra. As far as the ad intra level is concerned, it is evident from the general context of the encyclical that, first al all, according to the Holy Father, the proper locus for a right theologizing as a pursuit of the
«ultimate truth» is the ecclesia as such. Secondly, that the essential condition for a right theologizing is a «trusting dialogue and a sincere friendship», that is, a hearty adherence of faith to the believing community that must be rooted in the inner life of the Holy Trinity and carried out through genuine Christian love and charity towards all. In other words, correct theologizing can never be an isolated or individual act performed outside or even against the ecclesia. Frankly speaking, I found it difficult to accept as correct theologies those ways of thinking that aggressively criticize the magisterial authority of the Church or split the believing community in order to defend themselves at any cost.
Theological research, however free it may and should be, can never forget the principle laid down by St. Paul: «Veritatem autem facientes in caritate» (Ephesians 4:15).
As far as the ad extra level is concerned, the encyclical does not fail to make refer- ence to the importance of dialogue and of collaboration between Christians and the fol- lowers of other religions, or even with those who do not hold religious belief. This attitude is deeply rooted in the Vatican Council’s teaching according to which «all peoples com- prise a single community; have a single origin; one is their final goal: God» (NA 1). The encyclical makes it also clear that the pressing issues facing humanity (ecology, peace and the co-existence of different peoples and cultures) may possibly find a solution if there is a clear and honest collaboration — I dare say «sincere friendship» — among those who have at heart the renewal of humanity (cf. FR 104).6
6. This paper was presented at the second meeting among some Catholic Theologians on the Meaning and Purpose of Interreligious Dialogue and on the Theology of Religions behind It. Padang (Indonesia), September 12-18, 2004.
101
Bresciani: the future of Christianity in China
The Future of Christianity in China
UMberTo bresciani
I
am not a prophet, therefore what I am going to tell about the future of China might come out to be totally wrong (hope so!). Anyway, after living for almost forty years in a Chinese milieu, and paying attention to the religious side of the interaction between Chi- nese traditional culture and Western Christianity, I wish to express my views (or at least, impressions) on what might be expected for Christianity in China in the future.Hegel in China
Let us start from a (rather vague) historical observation. Even though the Maoist ideol- ogy is waning, fifty years of communism must have left an imprint on Chinese culture.
Under communism, it was taught that Marx was the greatest philosopher ever to be born in this world. We know, of course, that Marx did not teach the masses to treat religion very kindly. On the other hand, we need to recall that Hegel was the teacher of Marx.
Therefore, it is no surprise that in China in those decades Hegel was given a place of importance, and many intellectuals were studying his ideas and spreading them. Simply stated, certain mental categories and concepts and terminology used by Hegel have been more or less diffused among the Chinese. This has in some way, maybe limitedly, but un- doubtedly, closed a little bit the gap between China and the West from the point of view of philosophical thought (terminology, way of reasoning, and certain concepts).
We also need to recall that Hegel was a Christian theologian, and so was Feuerbach.
Historically speaking, perhaps we are not totally out of the mark if we paraphrase the fa- mous saying of Blaise Pascal, that «the Roman legions marched for Christ,» and say that the Red Guards were shouting for Christ.
The American Model
In the last decades, the burden of ideology has gradually become lighter for the average Chinese person. The less ideologized has become the life of the people inside Communist China, the more evident has been the encroachment of Western culture in all forms,
epitomized by the spread of the English language, by the entrance of Hollywood movies, of American brands and living habits, from MacDonald to Microsoft, etc. Needless to say, together with the English language and American ways of life, plenty of Western reli- gious ideas have entered Chinese daily life. Therefore, it is no surprise that there are many sympathizers for Christianity even outside the Catholic and Protestant denominational groups of believers.
How many are these Christian sympathizers, or Christians-at-heart? It is hard to say. A couple of years ago, Jesus Christ in Beijing, a book by David Aikman, a famous jour- nalist, dared to write that roughly one third of the Chinese educated people — including even party cadres and high government officials — are sympathetic to Christianity. The spread of Western cultural influence during the last few years cannot be underestimated, even though it might not necessarily materialize in mass baptisms and in an enormous growth of enrollments in the denominational churches. What we are talking about here, is progressive contact with, and even a certain degree of acceptance of, Christian ideas, words, and ways of thinking, which not necessarily will translate into formal aggregation to established churches or Christian denominations.
The new attitude of the Chinese masses toward Christianity might just indicate that numerous Western religious ideas (especially those that are novelties, those unheard of in Chinese tradition) have been absorbed and are being absorbed and acculturated into Chinese daily life. Church enrollment might consequently increase, but not necessarily exponentially, given the heritage of often negative contacts between Christian churches and the country as such through the modern history of China, and especially given the Chinese traditional mental habit of keeping a good degree of freedom and distance from outspoken and radical profession of any religious faith.
Learning from Taiwan
The recent many-faceted development of China has amazed many observers, even though those knowledgeable of the Chinese cultural potential are not so surprised. These people were well aware that China — a huge mass of people — had been constrained inside a straitjacket, previously of social and political chaos, and later (recently) for decades inside the Maoist regime. Once freed of the strait-jacket, a quick and intense cultural develop- ment in all directions could not but come around. In this process, for some lucky histori- cal combination, Taiwan came one step ahead. Through the 1950s-80s, the Nationalist regime, despite all the negative propaganda it received in the international community,
103
Bresciani: the future of Christianity in China
succeeded in creating a fairly prosperous and well-developing society out of a basically Chinese population (complete with its own minorities). This could not go unnoticed, and Deng Xiaoping imitated it in several ways, first of all by opening up Shenzen and launch- ing in China the special manufacturing zones, which soon became «special economic zones» and triggered the development of the country as a whole.
Reflecting on this historical process, one is tempted to apply it also to the religious side of culture. In Taiwan, in the 1950s and 60s, Christianity prospered, so much so that missionaries (Protestant and Catholic) flocked to the (relatively) small island — many of them after being rudely expelled from the Mainland — and built Churches everywhere, expecting a consistent and imposing growth. Then the growth process gradually slowed down until it became a trickle. In recent years, one has even seen the start of a reverse process of many converts forgetting about their baptism. Those in search of deep spiritual values turn to Buddhist meditation practices, or to other Chinese philosophies, on the opinion that the Catholic Church is specialized in social work, not in spiritual life. The existing churches often go empty, and very few new converts are made. Nowadays, no new churches are being built, the faithful are mainly retired old folks, and the mood is rather somber in Christian circles (except in certain special «very acculturated» Chris- tian denominations). Some bishop has even foreseen a possible scenario that might come around, of Christian Churches closing their business in Taiwan in another ten years!
Now, switch to China! Presently, Christianity is alive and thriving, even though Christian communities still suffer some limitations to their freedom and now and then, here and there, some forms of persecution. A grand blooming is expected, as soon as complete freedom arrives for Christians to practice their religion. What if, after the ini- tial honeymoon, the same reverse process that occured in Taiwan will also happen in China?
Astounding Growth
Christianity is spreading in China at an unprecedented speed and Christian communi- ties are growing by leaps and bounds. According to some statistics, from two to three mil- lion new members are baptized annually in the country’s Protestant churches. A certain growth is seen also among the Catholics, mostly in the cities. While Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant, used to be made up of older people, of country dwellers, of less educated, now the astounding novelty is that the new Catholic and Protestant converts are young, affluent, well-educated and urban.
In 1949, when the Red Army ousted the Nationalist Government, there were per- haps four to five million, built up in part by the huge Protestant missionary effort in the 19th Century, and roughly as many Catholics. In China today, according to some estimates, there are sixty-five million practicing Christians (Protestants and Catholics).
This figure makes China one of the major Christian countries in the world. If the growth persists, in a few years, China will have the largest Christian community in the whole planet. This will have a serious impact and unforeseen consequences for the Christian religion throughout the whole world.
Some Christian groups are looked at with suspicion by the government, because of their secrecy and millenarianism. They are underground movements demanding absolute loyalty to a certain leader. In this, they are similar to the religious secret societies or sects, always present in Chinese history. Certain Chinese Christian communities are animated by a millenarian spirit and send their missionaries also abroad, even to Muslim populations, whom they feel especially entitled to convert. They believe that the gospel went out from Jerusalem and, especially through Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, went Westward creating Western Christian civilization. From the West, and particularly America, the gospel kept going West and reached Asia and China. Now they want it to keep going West, through the Islamic world all the way to the Middle East and to Jerusa- lem, where it originated. At that point they believe the Great Commission will have been fulfilled, the entire world will have been evangelized, and the stage set for the return of Jesus Christ.
The numbers we have reported are still tiny, of course, in the context of China’s 1.3 billion population; but they signify a remarkable social movement. People in China speak of religion fever. Religion fever is probably the best term, because it is not only Christian- ity; all the five major religions in China register a very important increase in number of people interested and in the number of faithful people. The Communist government for over thirty years followed the plan of gradually extirpating religion from Chinese society.
Now, after realizing that they have not succeeded, there are a lot of people in the govern- ment who welcome the religious revival. They are saying that religion is a good thing because it can help the government to take care of some problems of society. They hope to rely on religion to improve the moral behaviour of society. This explains another present phenomenon, namely that in China there is a proliferation of centres for the study of re- ligion, religion and culture, religion and morality.
105
Bresciani: the future of Christianity in China
The «Chinese Rites» Controversy
The Rites Controversy is one of those issues in history that never stop fascinating peo- ple and demanding a rethinking of their conclusions. Everybody knows about Matteo Ricci and his courage in penetrating China, in an age when a highly xenophobic China was sealed from the outside; and then about his success in reaching Beijing and making himself «Chinese with the Chinese,» writing and interchanging with the highest minis- ters/literati of the Ming Empire.
The Rites Controversy broke out soon after Ricci’s death. As a matter of fact, even before, not all his Jesuit confreres shared his choices and his evangelizing methods. Ricci used to allow the newly converted literati to continue their rites for the ancestors, for Confucius, and for the various Chinese sages-heroes-patron saints, such as the «city god»
(chenghuangye), or the «god of literature» (wenchangye). Participation to certain rites was mandatory for public officials in fixed dates and circumstances. Nicholas Longobardi, Ricci’s successor, put down in writing his perplexities and circulated them privately among his fellow Jesuits. By then some Dominicans, fierce adversaries of the Jesuits, had reached the shores of China. Very unfortunately, a copy of Longobardi’s draft fell into the hands of a Dominican friar, who spread the matter around and also denounced it to the Holy See in Rome. Thus the Controversy was ignited.
Nowadays, it appears that the «Chinese Rites» Controversy is over. In my opinion, this merely means that the controversy about Chinese Rites, which developed between European protagonists and lasted for about two centuries, can be considered finished.
Most people deem it was definitely closed by the decree of the Holy See Plane Compertum of 1939. On the other hand, one easily realizes that a «Chinese» Rites Controversy (a con- troversy among Chinese theologians and prelates) about a Chinese interpretation of the basics of Christianity and, consequently, a reform of rituals, has not been terminated. As a matter of fact, it has not even started.
During the two centuries of the «European» Rites Controversy, the Chinese peo- ple involved in it were extremely few. One can account for maybe just the following: the Kangxi Emperor himself, a few literati who were consulted (and declared their support for Ricci’s policies), and the first Chinese bishop Luo Wenzao.
The Kangxi Emperor was a learned man and admired the Jesuits in Beijing. But his patience was seriously tried by the attitude of Western missionaries and Papal legates. In later years, he became extremely indignant against the crass ignorance and arrogance of Western prelates coming to China and handing out sentences on things about which they
did not even have elementary knowledge. As a last resort, in order to try to stop a Papal decree condemning the Chinese Rites forever, the Jesuits in Beijing requested the Em- peror to speak out his mind on the issue. He did, but his words fell on deaf ears. After all, his were the words of a heathen; they could not possibly have any weight in the debate.
As for Bishop Luo Wenzao, a Chinese and a bishop — the first Chinese bishop — no doubt he should have been at the forefront, and the most reliable protagonist, in the con- troversy. Actually, he did express frankly his views of support for the Chinese Rites; for this, he was put under house arrest in the Dominican convent in Manila.
The Chinese «Rites Controversy»
All considered, then, it is fair to say that a controversy of the Chinese Christians among themselves about their rites — or better, about the way they should celebrate Christian rites in their culture — has not yet started. Will it start soon? One may expect it, unless we keep demanding from the Chinese, in order to become Christians, to have not only faith in Jesus and the Bible and the Sacraments, but also in Aristotelian philosophy and Western customs and ways of expression (in other words, Western culture).
The Church accepts the existence of the Oriental or Coptic rites. There is a well- founded historical reason for it. Middle Eastern, or Egyptian, or Armenian, countries and populations have their own peculiar historical traditions and cultures, a reality that obviously requires a different way of expressing their religious beliefs through rituals.
Now, if Greece, or Rumania, or Lebanon are different from Rome, comparatively is China not more different? Maybe we Westerners are not fully aware how much in our culture is inherited from Phoenicia, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, etc., so that, despite appearances, we share a lot in common with these people. Historically, we have in common with them much more than we have with China. Let us say that if Istanbul or Antioch are, culturally speaking, hundreds of miles distant from Rome, Beijing and Shanghai are thousands of miles away. Well, then, should not China have its own way of living out a Christian faith through a proper Chinese liturgy? Why should it not have a set of rites that are typically Chinese? Why so far not even the most elementary adaptations have happened, such as, say, the color of ritual vestments (black is the Western color for funerals; it is white for the Chinese); or the date of some popular festivals. All Souls Day in the Catholic Calendar falls on November 2; in China, Tomb Sweeping Day comes on April 5. Now, in some Chi- nese Catholic communities they have ended up celebrating both, November 2 and April 5! Do we Catholics mean that, in order to obtain salvation, a Chinese has to believe not
107
Bresciani: the future of Christianity in China
only in Jesus Christ, but also in the liturgy of the Roman Rite? Do Protestants mean that a Chinese, in order to accept Christ, has to accept also Modern European and American customs and thinking habits?
If Christianity in China has to become «Chinese», a lively and intense theological debate among the Chinese themselves is overdue. Rituals are just the materialization of a country’s culture and religious beliefs. Therefore, as a premise to the creation of Chinese Rites, a theological debate about a Chinese understanding of the basics of the Christian faith is necessary and will happen anyway. This will be the real Chinese Rites Controversy.
Are we starting to see the first signs of this coming process in recent publications, where intellectuals of high standing — some of them from the Beijing Academy of Social Sci- ence — debate theological issues in dialogue with Christian thinkers?
An historical precedent for the present Chinese predicament can be found in the end of the three centuries of persecution in the Western world at the waning of the Ro- man Empire. For three centuries Christianity lived mostly underground, and not much energy was applied to an understanding and enculturation of the Christian message into the Greco-Roman culture. As soon as everybody was free, everybody was doing his best to explain to himself and to others the new Christian message. There came the age of the- ological controversies: Arianism, Apollinarianism, Euthychianism, Pelagianism, Nesto- rianism, etc. Will the same phenomenon happen in China? Will we see a mushrooming of attempts at a Chinese interpretation of the Christian message?
Enculturation: Neo-Confucian Thought
One very important issue, which definitely cannot be evaded, will be to come to terms with Neo-Confucian thought. Chinese religion is a complex picture; but there is no way of denying the fundamental position of Confucianism, despite its lack of organized mem- bership and of tangible signs. Ricci undoubtedly was an outstanding figure of scholar and of religious man. However, his accomplishment in the work of dialogue went only half-way. Ricci devised and offered a way of conversion for the Chinese in general, by presenting their civilization (the ancient Classics) as a preparation for the Gospel, the like of Homer in Western history. Homer and Plato, and other ancient Greek authors, were understood by some Church Fathers and by the humanist thinkers of the Renaissance as playing the role of the Old Testament, as a preparation to the Christian faith. Ricci be- lieved that ancient Confucianism could also play that role. He opined that ancient Con- fucianism was fair and acceptable; later, however, Neo-Confucian metaphysics had gone
somewhat astray and had betrayed the premises of the ancient sages.
With hindsight — after four centuries — we may say to Ricci: «How could you ignore two thousand years of cultural development and stop at Confucius’ Dialogues? In- stead of limiting yourself to Confucius, you should have established your dialogue at least with Zhu Xi (1130-1200) and Wang Yangming (1472-1529), the two main figures in the Neo-Confucian Movement!». Facing the theological achievements of Neo-Confucianism
— achievements that are the result of interaction, over many centuries, with Buddhism and Daoism — there is ample room for a theological debate between Christian and non- Christian intellectuals, and among Chinese Christians themselves. No need to add: the results of such a theological debate will be quite enriching also for Western Christianity in general.
Enculturation: Cultural Christians
Due to the craze for Western learning among the younger generation, there are many scholars in China occupied in studying Christianity. They are animated by a range of reasons, which go from the patriotic to the ethical-religious-philosophical, to the socio- logical. They know that Christianity in old Europe is decreasing; but they also know that, historically, Christian religion has played a primary role in the growth of Western cul- ture. They hope to reinvigorate their country’s culture by the infusion of Western Chris- tian thought. On the other hand, they find in Christianity some fresh answers to the fundamental questions, such as: What is the meaning of life? And the like. Then, thirdly, there is that small but strong proportion of Chinese people that are very strong believers:
Buddhists, Christians and Muslim. Social scientists are quite interested in studying those groups and see why, in spite of all the persecutions, those people remained faithful and their number instead of decreasing even has increased.
The Cultural Christians are a new phenomenon of the last two decades on the Chi- nese scene. These intellectuals come from among those who are somewhat disappointed of their culture. They do not dare to go back to Confucianism, which they know only superficially and think has been superseded by history; neither do they like Marxism.
Here we see an interesting growth of Christianity in China coming from an unexpected quarter… The Cultural Christians are intellectuals who know about Christianity, have read books about Christianity, and became interested to the point that they are reading the Bible, they are reading the New Testament and they don’t declare themselves as Christians, they don’t belong to any particular church but they say they live by the moral
109
Bresciani: the future of Christianity in China
principles of the gospel.
Some of them are prominent scholars regularly writing articles and books on theo- logical subjects. They work at comparing Christian theological doctrines with Confu- cian, Buddhist or Daoist ideas. It is to be expected that they will contribute greatly to the building of a future Chinese theology. They will most probably create a sino-theology, a theology written in the Chinese language, which is no small matter, given the enormous hermeneutical gap between the two languages. After all, they might be better prepared for such a job than Catholic members of the clergy, who are either handicapped by the psychological burden of the Rites Controversy or by the Western education they have received.
The phenomenon of the Cultural Christians — people who have studied Christian- ity in depth and feel spiritually belonging to it, but refuse to join official churches because they feel churches are sectarian — is a very typical Chinese phenomenon. It is indicative of what might quite probably happen in Chinese society in the future. Same as now there are many Buddhists, many Confucians, many Daoists, although Buddhist (or Daoist) as- sociations register only a small portion of the population. In the future, in China, it might happen that Christian churches will actually enroll only a small portion of those who are Christians in their hearts. Many will be the Christians in China, but relatively few will accept to be baptized. This after all is more in tune with the traditional Chinese way of belonging to a religion. This might possibly happen, unless Christian churches devise new ways of visible organization, ways that are more acculturated, more suitable to the Far Eastern mentality and way of life.
Enculturation: Popular Religion
Another very important observation is due here. The Rites Controversy sprang from a misunderstanding about the meaning of certain Chinese rituals (incense burning to an- cestors, bowing to Confucius, etc.). But these few rituals were just cases or instances of a much more serious generalized misunderstanding, which, very unfortunately, is still largely with us: that of looking at Chinese culture through Western eyeglasses. Think, as an example, of the way Western missionaries (and, for that matter, Western-educated Chinese clergymen) have been looking at the pantheon of the popular Chinese religion.
Through Western eyeglasses, they have viewed Chinese popular religion as if it was the pagan religion of ancient Greece and Rome, or the religion of the heathen Canaanites decried by the Biblical prophets.
Wait a minute! Is Chinese popular religion the same thing as the cult of Baal or Venus or Jupiter? How can you swear that they are the same thing? What if Chinese idols/
deities are a different matter?! The Western translation of the term shen as gods/deities has been very misleading, when used for Confucius, Guandi, Mazu, Shennong, Paoan, or Tudigong. Everybody knows that all these were historical figures. They were people who during their lives did plenty of good deeds for their fellow human beings. Since antiquity, Chinese culture has contemplated an afterlife. Therefore, the Chinese (most of them) be- lieve that those beneficent figures from the past (their spirits, at least) are still with us to- day. Is there anything wrong in periodically remembering them and paying some respect and gratitude toward them? Maybe, Western religious people need to take a renewed look at Chinese popular religion and get rid of preconceptions induced by external appear- ances (temples, statues, incense…). The Chinese Christian churches, for sure, will do it in the future. This will be one of the main points of the theological debate to come.
In the past two centuries, popular religion in China has been destroyed the most, starting from the Christian-inspired smashing of idols performed by the Taiping rebels (1850-1868) and later movements. The destruction reached its climax under Mao’s regime, with a further banning of all religious behaviour.
No doubt, in the religious revival presently going on in China, popular religion is coming back too. People are thronging to the sanctuaries of Huangdi, the ancestor of the Chinese race, of Shennong, the inventor of agriculture and of herbal drugs, of Guandi, the hero of righteousness and chaser of evil spirits. One can see a lot of the former cus- toms coming back, all those daily customs which are deeply rooted in the rural farmers’
way of behaving and relating to the deity. In the countryside one can see little temples at the corner of two roads meeting together; or you visit a little hamlet with woods around and you will see little altars here and there — those are sacred places where they pay their respects to such and such deity — deity of the wood, deity of the field, and so on. It is not Daoism or Buddhism: it is the old popular religion of the Chinese people that is coming back to the surface.
As we know, in any traditional Chinese society there are pure Buddhists, pure Daoists; there are some Christians or Muslims, or others; but the largest majority of the population — some say 90% of them — are followers of the popular religion. «It can be foreseen that in China popular religion will remain the main religion of the future. In Hong Kong and Taiwan — where the Chinese tradition has never been formally rejected
— while a significant number of people have accepted Western Christianity, many more remain distanced from it. Some of these may proclaim to be secularists; other are satis-
111
Bresciani: the future of Christianity in China
fied with Confucian values as they are now understood, or remain loyal to Buddhism or Daoism, or to all three teachings. A large number of people, the so-called masses, appear content with occasional participation in the ritual practices of popular religion. The fu- ture face of China, we may safely predict, will be shaped by a continuing transformation marked by syncretism. It will be pluralist and multiform.»1
1. Ching Julia, Chinese Religions. London: Macmillan Press Ltd., 1993, p. 228.
Gospel-like or Business-like?
Sagip-Kapwa: A Faith Inspired Path of Charity and Development Eugenio Pulcini
115
Pulcini: gospel-like or business-like?
Gospel-like or Business-like?
Sagip-Kapwa: A Faith Inspired Path of Charity and Development
Helping others is not a sacrifice but an investment
eUGenio PUlcini
«Faith begins where money ends, where money knows or experiences its impotence…».1 Perhaps the logic behind this statement is that, when you have nothing, you begin to give of yourself, share what you believe in and learn to trust in God’s ways.
How relevant or true is this logic for me as a missionary? As followers of Jesus Christ, we should be well aware that all care, ministry and mission is a sharing based on the richness of faith and the poverty of our human condition. The messenger’s poverty is a necessary requisite of the message itself. Indeed, nothing must disturb the proclamation of the Kingdom. It cannot be presented from the perspective of the power and security which money or social position gives. We have to allow the Gospel to appear in all its power. Therefore, only a profound sense of God, the rejection of every social or economic privilege and business mentality, and an authentic personal poverty, will enable us to become credible witness of the Gospel.
Nevertheless, as the same paragraph states, «faith could be seen as money…», with- out missing «that form of gratuitousness that offers without compensation and gives without thinking of what it can get in return… We must strive for a clear understanding of riches as something that serves spiritual goods and goals.»2 Truly, we invest in «things»
in the hope that they will generate «income» in the future. We invest in order to have wealth, yet not all investments are of a material nature. Have we ever tried making an investment for eternal life in heaven…?
I would like to present a project action which — from the very beginning — claimed to be undertaken and accomplished out of faith, in a Gospel-like manner (vs. business- like manner). This is by no means «a model» or pattern for every project, but it could be an example of how faith and money «could agree» in a very practical way and become a
1. Targa S., Tosolini F., Tosolini T., Faith & Money. Osaka: Asian Study Centre, 2006, p. 67.
2. Ibid.
path that others could follow.
The project concept is known as Sagip-Kapwa, a small-scale project of social de- velopment carried out in Sitio Militar, one of the many slums that can be seen in Metro Manila (and under Metro Manila Bridges). About 10,000 people are living in harsh con- ditions, trying to cope with life and their basic human needs.
All statistics agree that an increasing number of Filipinos are afflicted by hunger. It is well known that the economic wealth of the Philippines is badly distributed: on the one hand, it enjoys a significant growth in its GNP yet, on the other hand, there is unabated hunger and poverty and reduced economic opportunities for the poor, who are forced to tighten their belts more and more in order to survive.
I recently heard from a Born-Again pastor that God must love the poor because He made so many of them! But poverty need not be a permanent condition. The continuing impoverishment of so many people, the criminal disparities in wealth and power that exist in this society, are an affront to our Christian faith and moral values. The passion of the poor continues to haunt us.
Sagip-Kapwa (Sagip means «to save from any danger, to rescue» as Kapwa means
«neighbor, brother, fellow human being») was initiated two years ago by a Christian com- munity, which is also the motivator and steward of this project. Accordingly, Sagip-Ka- pwa was inspired and born out of faith and a sense of justice. Therefore, it is clear to us that Sagip-Kapwa is not only an attractive project (because money is involved) but, first and foremost, an instrument of evangelization and a human and development process.
What Is the Sagip-Kapwa Project and How Does It Work?
Sagip-Kapwa (SK) is a simple micro-lending project initiated by the community of the Ina ng Laging Saklolo Chapel, located in Sitio Militar, Quezon City, under the guidance of the Xaverian Missionaries. The project is managed by a team of volunteers from Sitio Militar, who are themselves members of SK and also residents of Sitio. Membership in the group is open to all the residents of the community. However, priority is given to those who are especially needy.
Briefly, a simple screening process is carried out to ascertain the financial capability
— if any — and «business attitude» of the potential beneficiaries. In order to qualify for a loan, a person must be either poor or very poor. A small loan (between Php 1,000 and Php 4,000, from $20 to $80) with minimal interest is given and it must be paid back within a period ranging from 30 to 100 days, depending on the member’s choice. This is done by
117
Pulcini: gospel-like or business-like?
amortization, either on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. It is our strong desire to enable human development, to lighten the social-economic conditions of poor families within the community with the hope that, in fostering their means of livelihood, such families can live a more decent life.
All members are required to pay a minimum daily saving deposit of Php 5. As we shall explain later, this small sum has an educative purpose and it may be withdrawn at anytime. The project maintains a very simple but adequate accounting system to manage its operations effectively and with transparency. A financial report is given to the mem- bers during the monthly general assembly.
Where Does the Project Acquire Its Funds?
Currently, SK has a revolving fund of about Php 400,000. This fund is made up mostly by small donations from several sponsors, mainly from abroad. We try to be careful about how money is raised. We don’t look for large donations, preferring to seek just what is necessary to maintain the project with its goals and methods. All the donors have a sort of «personal» relationship with some of us and with the project. They are Parish groups, couples, families, simple people and the like. As a matter of fact, one doesn’t need to be materially rich in order to share generously!
On the other hand, the sense of responsibility and commitment of the SK members has made it possible to collect almost half of the «principal capital», which also represents a great support for the project’s solidity and stability. The SK project is increasingly be- coming a project that belongs to the people!
What Has Been Achieved So Far?
The project was formally launched on 19 December 2004. From the beginning until 30 June 2006, 320 members have benefited from the project through the distribution of more than two million pesos. This was made possible by the sense of responsibility of the members who faithfully paid back their loans, thereby allowing many others families to join the project and receive support. This is the technique of a revolving fund.
As an offshoot of the project, Sagip-Kapwa Kiddie Savings Club, a savings deposit scheme for children, was launched in July 2005. As of June 30, 2006, 170 children have joined the program and were able to generate a total savings of more than 60,000.00 pesos. The aim of the saving scheme is to teach children the value of saving and to make
their own contribution to the family budget. We are involving the children in this forma- tion/education process which — we hope — will have a stronger impact on their family- life.
Thinking ahead, the project’s impact, in a community like Sitio M, is merely a drop in the ocean. In the light of God’s favour for the poor, through the help of kindhearted people, we would like to reach out to more poor families and increase the basic loan, even just a little, in order to support their livelihood activities.
What Is the Goal of Sagip-Kapwa Project?
The aim of the project is consonant with the goal of the evangelization process, ie. the formation of Christian communities, the development of human beings, disseminating as many Gospel values as possible. There has been an explicit effort to ensure that this mi- cro-lending project is carried out in the most compassionate way, namely, in a «Gospel- like» (as opposed to «business-like») manner, always striving to understand the reasons of the poorest of the poor, to support their struggles, choosing Jesus’ criteria. But what do we mean by a «Gospel-like» manner?
Gospel-like means that the main governing principle of SK is not the pursuit of greater profits, but to strengthen the service to the neediest and to reach as many people as we can, according to the project’s financial capability. During our preparatory meet- ings at the beginning of the project, often the words of Jesus were quoted: «Watch and be on your guard against greed of any kind». As Mahatma Gandhi said, there is «enough in this world for all men’s need, but not for one man’s greed». The SK project is an attempt to combine compassion and rectitude, concern and discipline.
Gospel-like because SK is attended by volunteers who are destitute people, carrying out a daily service without any compensation other than a very small monthly allow- ance (the financial capability of SK cannot afford more). In their everyday service and assistance to the people of SK, these volunteers are a living example of how to become a channel of grace and eternal love. Indeed, they look upon their service to others not as a sacrifice, but as an investment!
Gospel-like means that the endeavor’s main assumption is the Christian principle of sharing and multiplying God’s blessings through love and charity. SK is about the love of God lived by each one of us. Our slogans have been, among others: «Pagtutulungan» (the act of helping one another) and «Tumutulong ang Diyos sa iyo upang matulungan mo ang ibang pamilya!» (God is helping you so that you may be able to help another family).
119
Pulcini: gospel-like or business-like?
Gospel-like because «marunong ang tao tumanaw ng utang na loob» (people know how to be grateful)! This is a beautiful way of living out Christian solidarity as gratitude!
This is so because Filipino people have a very deep regard for «utang-na-loob». The un- grateful are never blessed. «Kung hindi ka marunong magpasalamat, hindi ka marunong tumanggap. Kung hindi ka marunong tumanggap, sino ang magbibigay sa iyo? Sino ang tutulong sa iyo?» (If you don’t know how — if you are not able — to give thanks, you don’t know how to receive. If you don’t know how to receive, who will give to you? Who will help you?) In these past two years, the Xaverians have tried to build strong foundations for the SK project, through the sensitive and conscious use of some of the Filipinos’ most dominant cultural categories, such as utang na loob (debt of gratitude), pakikisama (be- longingness), or hiya (shame), perhaps the strongest motivation of Filipino behavior. SK Members very often use the expression utang na loob, indicating their debt and sense of gratitude, which goes well beyond the material meaning of the loan they received from SK. Reciprocity, or debt of gratitude or honor (emphasis should be more on «gratitude»
than on «debt»), is of primary importance in the Filipino value-system and we encounter it every day in SK.
I would like to expand on it a little more. Propaganda use of utang na loob has cre- ated the impression that this Filipino attitude or value is something bad in itself and it has been blamed for almost all the evils of Philippines society! Utang na loob permeates and influences all facets of the Filipino way of life — family, business, education, politics, morality and religion.3 Within the family, for instance, it has come to mean that children are expected to provide for their parents in their old age since they owe, not only their life, but also their entire education to their parents. Employers are sometimes seen as ex- tensions of one’s family to whom loyalty, obedience and debts of gratitude are owed. The worst thing that can be said to somebody who does not pay his debt of gratitude is that he is an «ingrate» (walang utang na loob) or that he is without shame (walang hiya). But on the other hand, it must be said that the Filipino’s own experience of utang na loob is a very human and very positive experience — which has hitherto been neglected — and can be the basis of the Christian value of gratitude, loyalty and fidelity.4 In SK we are perhaps ex-
3. For example, it is accepted that Marcos took advantage of the whole system of Filipino values — bahala na, utang na loob, hiya, pakikisama — to keep himself in power. He made sure that the people believed in him alone as their sole patron, as a father who knew what was best for his children. In Marcos’ case, Filipino paternalism was an extreme abuse of personal power and authority, which led to the rule of one man who manipulated the people’s utang na loob to keep them in a state of dependency, out of a false sense of grati- tude. Cf. Gorospe V., Filipino Values Revisited. Manila: National Bookstore, 1988, p. 402.
4. Gorospe V., Filipino Values Revisited. Manila: National Bookstore, cit., p. 32
periencing a more phenomenological and existential approach to this Filipino value and its positive relevance: people talk of Christian charity and solidarity as gratitude! Hence, in a larger community, such as SK, utang na loob becomes a virtue! It can mean loyalty to community interests, a commitment in return for a debt that can never be paid. «A financial debt paid is paid; a debt of gratitude paid remains a debt.» Utang na loob is no longer offered to one party, or to one person, but to the whole community!
Gospel-like means that we can show to others God’s love for them through simple assets and resources. The pattern of the miracle of the multiplications of loaves and fish is very eloquent and it is one of the more powerful inspirational texts of our undertaking.
When we said to each other: «We have to learn how to feed the many as Jesus did…!». The people reacted just like the disciples: «Paano kaya?»: How shall we feed them?... We have nothing but five loaves and two fish! (Mark 6:35-44).
The disciples called the five loaves and two fish nothing because it was such a meager amount. They meant: because we have so little, we have nothing for so many people. This penchant for calling «nothing» what is «meager» is an attitude Jesus wanted to change in his disciples because a miracle would have never happened as long as the little was con- sidered «nothing». This is actually a common mentality among the Filipinos. The poor would just say: We are poor. We have not finished college. We are squatters. This is tanta- mount to saying: We have nothing to give because we are nobody, because we are poor.
This is what we call the «poor-mentality». This is a mental attitude which Jesus wanted to correct when he took the five loaves and two fish, when he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. And we know what happened next. They pre- sented Jesus with a lot of leftovers. Miracles happen only when the meager is considered valuable, and when the little is shared with others — it miraculously becomes plenty.
In a Gospel-like manner, we try to use only the simple means and true ways available to us who believe in God’s goodness and love, as He shared this with us in Jesus. Ultimately, this is also a clear lesson about the Eucharist, the sharing of oneself as life-giving food for others; the way of generous and dedicated service to all, no matter how poor, unimpor- tant or destitute they are.
Conclusion
Needless to say, there are some risks in this project. When dealing with money, the Gos- pel-like manner can never be taken for granted. We run our risks, however, inspired by faith and a sense of justice, trusting God’s providence and the people’s goodness, com-
5. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Filipino way to Holiness. Pastoral letter on Filipino Spirituality. Makati: Word & Life Publications, 1999, pp. 55-6.
121
Pulcini: gospel-like or business-like?
mitment and reliability to make the project work. In our monthly planning meeting with the volunteers’ committee, as we assess the «bad» performance of some of the SK mem- bers in their repayment, we often examine ourselves: «If Jesus were here now, what would He say or do? What would God do?». Patience, rather than punishment, is encouraged.
In SK, there is a tangible educational component which consists in accompany- ing the members’ everyday journey towards the values of SK, gradually clarifying the person’s vision and strengthening his/her aim in life. We see it as a community of believ- ing citizens who are being slowly transformed into a community of people who are the privileged ones of the Father’s Kingdom. Some Filipinos would describe this process from
«bahala na» attitude to «tayong lahat bahala», where the people are no longer fatalistic and dependent on the whims of kapalaran (destiny), but become part of the community and get involved with the community interests! Consequently, the Gospel-like remarkable spirit of sharing (bukas-palad) transcends the narrow circle of one’s family and friends and extends itself to everybody without discrimination.
One of the best results of SK is the growth of the sense of belonging (pakikisama) in its most positive connotation, which demands a spirit of cooperation, an attitude of give and take and sensitivity to the needs of others. It makes the individual realize his oneness with the community, and his personal commitment and loyalty to the community, in return for «a debt» that he can never repay. It is an attempt at «community development», namely, that the individual does not come as an outsider to improve the community but, rather, becomes a valuable part of the community!6
Filipinos are known for their strong religiosity. Dependence on the benevolence of a Tran- scendent Being is a deeply held belief among them and it often provides a moral anchor to individuals when they are confronted by a personal crisis, or when they are tempted to choose worldly values.
Time and again, Filipinos say: «Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa» (In God is mercy, but in the human person is the action. Or, it is God’s prerogative to show compas- sion, it is man’s to act). Though this proverb is not a literal Gospel quotation, we believe nonetheless that it powerfully conveys the Gospel-like inspiration and dream of SK. It was mentioned on the very first foundation day of SK, and in some way it makes the point because it shows our awareness of our human limits, whilst it recognizes the need for hard work and dedication. It is in this perspective that the use of money in Church affairs, or faith-based affairs, becomes acceptable, in the belief that not all investments
6. Gorospe, V., Filipino Values Revisited, cit., p. 33.
