SIR HUGH CLIFFORD, a British diplomat in Spanish Manila, later to become Governor of Ceylon, was to write about the events of this day in history for Blackwoods Magazine as follows:
“It was early morning, December 30, 1896, and the bright sunshine of the tropics streamed down upon the open space, casting hard fantastic shadows, and drenching with its splendor two crowds of sightseers. The one was composed of Filipinos, cowed, melancholy, sullen, gazing through hopeless eyes at the final scene in the life of their great countryman–the man who had dared to champion their cause, and to tell the world the story of their miseries; the other was blithe of air, gay with the uniforms of officers and the bright dresses of Spanish ladies, the men jesting and laughing, the women shamelessly applauding with waving handkerchiefs and clapping palms, all alike triumphing openly in the death of the hated ‘Indian,’ the ‘brother of the water-buffalo,’ whose insolence had wounded their pride.”
Why in the world would we want to celebrate this evil day, year in, year out, until Judgment Day? As we stand cowed, melancholy and sullen murmuring Christmas songs, the Catholic Taliban sings Hallelujah to the Lord — punctuated with “Fuego!”. Until next year, conyo!
But there is a perfectly wonderful day in June for us to celebrate his life, his Christmas. Let’s leave December to the other martyr who fought Theocracy on Earth.
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Jeg,
Oh, now heaven and hell are strawmen. Damnation or not are unknowable until after the goats go left and the sheep go right. Fine.
Okay, let’s forget all this silly superstitious stuff (heaven and hell, oh and purgatory!).
Okay, I admit it. I think of all these dogmas and the fools who try to teach them to little kids with utter disdain. So I have failed in using this “literary device” of holding Catholics to their dogmas (which are not matters of opinion and are entirely open to me through the Internet).
They are ultimately absurd anyway. That’s why you folks don’t really take them seriously.
Aren’t my questions plain enough? What really is the Catholic Church’s attitude to Jose Rizal, if not unremitting hatred and disfavor?
Can we say: “The Catholic Church loves Jose Rizal.” and mean it?
djb
Who cares if Rizal was excommunicated? His salvation and his works are never dimmed by this Laetae Sententiae. It was his mind and literary works that decry oppression and tyranny and therefore along the line of preaching “goodness and justice” which is the entire theme of the entire scripture itself that could have saved his soul.
I am a catholic but I do not swallow hook-line and sinker all those rituals and dogmas sometimes you considered “voodo incantation” to purge oneself of sins and impurities. Religious freedom as well as press freedom elevated our power of discernment that we can now distinguish between baloney and bologna. Besides you are judging the catholics/church today using its mistakes of the bygone era. Get over it and grow up. :)
jcc,
It matters that Rizal did not retract or was excommunicated. I remember when Recto proposed the mandatory teaching of Rizal’s works in colleges the Catholic hierarchy vigorously opposed the bill. When it was passed into law, my cousin who was then studying at the Ateneo was reading a very thin workbook on Rizal while we in U.P. had to reckon with Cesar Adib Majul’s dissertation on political and constitutional principles in Rizal’s works. Can you imagine the damage to our nation if the minds of our future leaders are diluted with erroneous teaching? Just look around and what do we see.
Excommunication is not a trivial matter. People are not excommunicated for parking violations. It is not like having your driver’s license suspended or something.
People are excommunicated for acts that look to the Church like mortal sins. The Catechism is explicit about the nature of excommunication.
if you don’t fix it and you die, you go to hell.
(it takes the thing about thirty pages to say so, but that’s the summa total of it.)
I am accused of making false charges against those here espousing damnable heresies. I stand by each accusation with my hand on the Catholic Catechism and Encyclopedia.
I say again. It is the infallible teaching of the Catholic Church that there is no salvation outside of it.
Galileo was never excommunicated, and though shown the instruments of torture that would’ve been used on him, he was never tortured or executed.
Pope John Paul II apologized for the Galileo Affair in the 1990s. Better late than never, even if it was 300 years later.
What about Jose Rizal? The Church DID excommunicate AND execute him. How long will it take for an apology? 2000 years? Or is one forthcoming?
Maybe Galileo is a saint, after all the vast majority of the Communion of Saints are Italians for some strange inexplicable reason!
Whilst the Cousin of the Carabao burns in hell. (unless of course he hurried made a perfect act of contrition and said three our fathers and five hail marys with one glory be just before…FUEGO!
Here is supposedly a statement made by Jose Rizal before he walked to his martyrdom, from Craig’s book: “… if Archbishop Nozaleda’s sane view had been taken and Noli Me Tangere not preached against, I would not have been in prison, and perhaps the rebellion would never have occurred.”
Oh, now heaven and hell are strawmen. Damnation or not are unknowable until after the goats go left and the sheep go right.
The way you are more Catholic than the Catholic is the strawman, DJB. The Church stand is ‘only God knows’ but you insist on something like ‘No, you guys know, but won’t admit it. Heck, even I know. I googled!’ which is silly. This then is the official stand on Rizal’s ‘whereabouts’: Only God knows. Only God knows who are in the Church where salvation resides. One can be a Muslim and be in the Church; one can be a Katoliko-sarado and be outside it. Sophistry perhaps, but whatre you gonna do? You criticize the Church for being incorrigible but you criticize them as well when they corrected themselves as to the ‘outside the Church, there is no salvation’ teaching, which to me is a clear indication that you’ll criticize the Church for merely existing.
Sure they dont mention Rizal by name, but he’s covered. This of course is a separate issue as to the Church’s attitude towards him and as to teaching Rizal to kids. I say if the Church won’t teach Rizal, we should. (Or you should, DJB. You have the tools and the aptitude. I’ll be a student. It will be a lively classroom.)
Jeg,
Under our Constitution the Church has every right to say or teach whatever it likes about Jose Rizal. I would even defend that right myself.
But the question is, what IS their attitude to Rizal? Never mind na nga the business of eternal damnation.
What does the Church think of what it did to Rizal? This question is asked in the spirit of the Galileo Affair, in which JP2 put to rest that same question in regard to Galileo.
I ask you the simple question yet again: Does the Church love or hate Rizal? Or is it indifferent to him.
It hardly encourage forebearance that we would dance like angels on the head of a pin around the question.
I’ve put what I think the answer is a little too starkly for the modern, anaesthetized Filipino: that the Church actually thinks Jose Rizal is damned, but won’t, or can’t say it out of embarrassment at the secular silliness of that.
Yet any intelligent Filipino, upon reflection, cannot but be struck at the sheer anomaly of this country’s most revered national hero, and yet ordinary Catholics DO NOT KNOW what their Church’s stand is on the guy.
Perhaps it is because that Church would not want its members to know what it really thinks of their hero and martyr!
But I am ready to be proven wrong.
Why can’t Gaudencio Effin Rosales come out and say:
“The Catholic Church loves, forgives and holds up as good example the hero and martyr Jose Rizal.”
Why? Why can’t he say that?
Sunnyday,
I made a mistake by assuming that Galileo was excommunicated. Thanks for pointing that out.
But in a nutshell, the pride of the RCC is still to steep. (And is contrary to their teachings)
Jeg,
In Saigon, the weasel coffee is kinda affordable, I got an unopened bag, which you might want to taste one day. Just message me, and I can share a cup if you have time to visit. I live here in the hills of Antipolo, pretty far. Hehe It doesn’t taste like shit even if it comes from shit. It is quite mild and sweet with a nutty taste and aroma.
But I make a good shot (or 2) of espresso and it’s guaranteed to keep you ok for the whole day without the shakes and palpitations. =)
DJB,
Yup the RCC is partial to Italians (my apologies to my dear Salesian friends) than to carabao-riding-indios.
Are you RIZALIST from Multiply? Cuz he was the person who invited me to join this conversation.
Welcome to Filipino Voices, Francis. Yes, I have a Multiply identity. Thanks for joining in and contributing. We are always glad to have new voices.
DJB,
Why are you so infatuated as to what the Church will say about Rizal? Like any other “society” of people, its rules maybe perverted but the relevance of the Church is not diminished because from several centuries of its existence it has committed some perversions. The Church may not be forthcoming of apology on Rizal Rizal because I believe the people have already elevated him to the very stature that you wanted him to be. His stature does not need the imprimatur of the Church nor any contrition on its part. The fact that anyone can read any of his works by going to Carriedo or Recto sidewalks is proof enough that the your musings of the Catholic-Taliban are misplaced. The Afghan-Taliban would not even allow women to show their face and if you go against their rules you will be flagged if not executed in public.
We are no longer destined to the dungeon despite our inflammatory tirades against the Church yet you would portray your pain as if you walked with Rizal to face his martyrdom and write as if we were still in year 1800.
Paradoxically, it was the Church’s error that gave meaning to Rizal’s life. Just like Judas’ betrayal has hallowed the the sepulchre of Jesus.
Imagine if the Friars of Rizal years were too human to even hurt a fly. Rizal and others would have a dreary and unexciting existence.
One of the commenters in this blog was Francis M.
As we know by now, he has gone ahead.
(nothing more to add)
Hey, nice tips. Perhaps I’ll buy a bottle of beer to the man from that chat who told me to go to your site :)