How far should our faith guide our political life?

BOTH AS a senior citizen and as a priest, I have often been asked for my opinion about our current political situation. Which has made me take personal note that since I started voting more than 50 years ago, I can’t remember a situation where we prepared for elections like what we are doing now for our elections in 2016. While this may show a certain degree of political maturing, this also reflects how our values and our national consciousness as to who we are and where we stand have become more vague than ever. I have received e-mails from different fronts, groups and even individual observers, expressing their thoughts on the most bruited-about prospective candidates for the two highest positions in our land—their persons and characters, aptitudes, lives, alleged wrongdoings, shortcomings, political agendas, etc. And believe you me, Elections 2016 will be one for the books.

As a Christian citizen, I keep my eyes, ears and heart open: to media reports, to the perceptions of people, to platforms and priorities, and, more important, to what my faith has to say in all this. The “daang matuwid” as a direction and goal is fine, but my question is: “Where is God in it?”

Jesus said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” He is the way: He is the true “daang matuwid” in person!

So far, the platforms being “offered” us (again) are the standard ones: poverty alleviation, quality education, better healthcare services, economic development and more employment, and so on and so forth.

The objective observer sees a different, not-so-hopeful picture. Those promises are mostly cosmetic, he says. Poverty hits us between the eyes when we drive around the city at night or early morning: people sleeping on sidewalks or building entrances; children who should be in school getting educated instead, early on, through drug use and petty crimes, eventually “graduating”

into more serious ones; squatter areas continually expanding; people collecting garbage and selling them by the kilo, etc. Disheartening sights, to be sure, but common and ordinary in most, if not all, cities of the country, and in many places as well—and one wonders how well our leaders see the true state of the nation.

When shall we see real progress that truly benefits the less fortunate among our people, that provides the basic necessities of food, housing, education and healthcare?

As a Christian, I cannot shut my mouth, much less my conscience to it no more. I cannot be cowed by “vague interests” waving in my face the “separation of Church and State” card which we copied from “Mother America”—or was it imposed on us?

The first pilgrims did flee to America, seeking religious freedom, to escape being persecuted for their faith—a historical fact that does not exist here. Yet, we adopted the separation idea and it has since tied the hands of our Church, our faith, from expressing itself. We have to come up with such statements as “We give our people moral guidance,” or “It is our duty to help them make the decision according to our Christian beliefs and values,” lest we be accused of violating the Constitution.

But that is over. Edsa 1986 People Power did away with that, and proved that separation in fact does not exist. Otherwise, why did nobody raise that card when nuns and priests—under the leadership of Jaime Cardinal Sin—led thousands of Filipinos from all walks of life and from all faiths in denouncing the dictatorship, praying the rosary in Edsa?

Unfortunately, the lessons learned from 1986 were short-lived. And Elections 2016—some 30 years later—puts us in a similar situation. If “daang matuwid” is not guided by true Christian values, we cannot—should not—be for it. The true “daang matuwid” is universal, because Jesus, the true “daang matuwid” died for all, absolutely for everyone.

“Daang matuwid” has to go beyond graft and corruption, beyond cheating and lies. It has to consider our commonality as children of God, and our responsibility for one another, especially the poor. We have to study the platforms that the candidates present even as we pray that we may arrive at a wise decision and never ever sell our votes again.

Pope Francis keeps reminding us of this; and in his new encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Si,” he tells us to get our “feet wet and our hands dirty” as we work together with all people of good will, not just for the environment, but for whatever problems and issues our society is facing.

While promoting the empowerment of the laity, we, the clergy and religious, should not just stand and watch idly as Elections 2016 come passing by. We must be in there with our “flock.” The choice is ours, and it involves more than just casting a vote.

Fr. Antonio-Maria Rosales, OFM, is a 77-year-old Franciscan priest who teaches moral theology. He is also a writer and an artist.