Ek is baie moeg...

Dear God, I'm tired of trying to find you. Won't you come and find me. Meet me where I am at, and lift me up to your presence.

An After-Thanksgiving Reflection

So it’s the day after Thanksgiving - Black Friday, if you will, and whilst my liquored-up relatives are outside the shopping mall in queue waiting with hundreds of others, and chanting “OPEN! OPEN! OPEN!” for the After-Thanksgiving sales, I’d like to spend a few moments of quiet reflection on my blog.

A lot of my non-North American friends and relatives (especially the British ones!) are quite perplexed about the nature of this holiday despite the fact that it was the English settlers who started the custom in the United States and Canada. (The Grenadian Thanksgiving is a whole different beast.) A Chinese South African friend commented to me in Afrikaans, “Ek is baie jaloers! Hoop dat ek eendag met jou dit kan vier!” (“I’m so jealous! I hope that I can one day celebrate it with you!”)

Sure. If you can handle three days of food preparation and planning. Otherwise, Gesëende Dankfees!

The Brits have a rather odd reaction to the North American Thanksgiving. It’s like a combination of awe, disgust, confusion, admiration, indifference, and “foreignness”. But hello? Haven’t they heard of the rural British observances of Harvest Home, Harvest Festival, or Harvest Thanksgiving – the antecedents of our modern Thanksgiving holiday?

Once upon a time, the North American holiday wasn’t so different from the harvest observances in the Old Country. Sure, the food was rather different from back home, as we didn’t have English Strawberries and Cream, but the spirit was still the same: Simple gratitude for blessings received from the Supreme Being, the Merciful One who watches over all of us tenderly.

Now I could rant over how secularized Thanksgiving has become with all its parades, football games, sales, turkey obsession (the mythological first Thanksgiving certainly did not have Turkey, giblet gravy, stuffing, and Cranberry sauce), and what have you. But I’ll leave that for Christmas. After all, as a devout member of the Episcopal Church, the sole representative of the Anglican Communion in the United States, it is my bounden duty to defend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in Christ-mass. On the other hand, Thanksgiving is only a statutory holiday.

But let’s get personal here. As we took turns telling each other what we were thankful for this evening, held hands and bowed our heads to say grace, I couldn’t help but think how much I took my family for granted. So at times they may be beyond annoying, and certainly some of them are either rustic buffoons or traditionalist quacks, they are ones who will never tire of your jokes, who will always want what is best for you, and ultimately, they are all that you have. I really missed the presence of my mother and father, who will not be with us for the winter holidays, as they are recuperating in the Philippines. Sometimes it takes loss to make you feel grateful for that or whom you have taken for granted.

So I’m thankful for brotherly advice, even though sometimes it’s “in your face”, because I know I have someone who cares for me. I’m thankful for Aunts sparring over Brussels sprouts and cabbage in the kitchen, because I have a family who has taste in food. I’m thankful for little bratty cousins running around the house, because I know my family has a future. I’m thankful for a nagging boss, because I want to be better at my job. Most of all, I’m thankful that I’m here, amongst the living, because each day I have the ability to open doors and see new things, and have the possibility to love, perhaps love more deeply than I ever have, before I cross the river to a greater shore in the pure land of light.

For these blessings, for this bounty, unto you my Ancestors and Almighty God, I humbly offer you my sincere thanks. Maraming salamat, Panginoon.

Happy After-Thankgiving, dearest blog readers. Hopefully the food coma and/or heartburn doesn’t bother you much.

My response to a dear, cherished friend

I had a heated debate with a moderate conservative Canadian friend (who out of loyalty and affection to him, shall not be named) not too long ago about the substance of the faith in the Episcopal Church. He went how about how he was frightened by the growing liberalism in my province (the US Episcopal Church). Of course, I am an American Episcopalian, so I think I have a better grasp at the matters in my own province than he does, and the hateful anti-TEC propaganda he reads online. The question I asked him, is simply this: Despite the actions of individuals or groups, lay or clergy, has the very substance of the Apostolic and Catholic faith changed in the Episcopal Church?

I must answer this question with a deep, resounding “NO!”

Others may argue otherwise, but that’s alright. Let them argue. The Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is part, is a roomy Church in which reason plays an important part in its faith and practice. We are created in the image of God, and so “we are free to make choices: to love, to create, to reason, and to live in harmony with creation and with God.” (Catechism of the BCP, Page 835) So come to the table, and rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit and divine gifts God gave us, let us talk, share the bread and wine, and have a good discussion as we dine with the Lord. I will listen to you, and you can listen to my voice, and the voices of our other sisters and brothers. As we converse and commune with each other, we too converse and commune with God, who gifted us with the divine imprint of memory, reason, and skill. “Come now, and let us reason together” as the Prophet Isaiah wrote down.

But I’ve digressed.

The reason I believe that the substance hasn’t changed is because whilst our expression of our ancient faith have been updated and ancient practices restored via the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, and our structure, order, and practice more complete in divine fullness (consecration of women and GLBTs, and same-sex blessings); our adherence to the doctrine espoused by the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, Ecumenical Councils, and the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral has not changed at all. And that is something we have in common with each other – Conservative and Liberal, High Church and Low Church. Until I see our prayer book denounce and repudiate the creeds, sacraments, the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and the doctrines of the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Virgin Birth, the Redemption and Reconciliation of Humankind, the Resurrection, the Gracious Reign of Christ, the Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament – all of which are affirmed in our Book of Common Prayer, and its catechism, then I shall leave the Episcopal Church. Yet that hasn’t happened, nor will that happen. So thus I remain faithful to the Episcopal Church.

Let’s be honest. How does a woman’s lack of a penis change the substance of the faith? What harm does that do to the Nicene Creed when you ordain a woman as a priest, or even a gay man in a loving, faithful relationship? Are not the creeds and councils, and the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral the barometers by which we measure our orthodoxy? And when others say that women and gay men cannot be ordained are they not limiting God? Is God not Sovereign of Heaven and Earth? Is God’s love, grace, and mercy for all people – in fact, all under the heavens - not unlimited? Are we not putting God in a box when we say God cannot do this, and God cannot do that? If we do so, then it is my opinion that yes, that is idolatry of convention, and in fact, heresy. No one can control God; for God’s love, grace, and power cannot be limited by human conventions based on fear and prejudice, not even the Holy Scriptures can control God. The God I know, is a God who awakens hope, and whose love and power prevails in the end, even when he is silent; or even when ‘blogging prophets’ of doom and gloom think they can speak for the Almighty God who in fact embraces all, far and wide, and whose ways are mysterious and wondrous, beyond our human understanding. A God who turns on his people and creation, and demands a submission based on fear and terror, is no god, but a ruthless tyrant. This is not the God I love and serve.

The substance of the faith has not changed in the Episcopal Church, and neither has the vastness of divine favour God showers his people and creation. The actions and words of a few members of the Episcopal Church (on both sides) cannot change that, and has not changed that fact. The creeds are still the creeds, and the councils are still the councils, and they are still valued, respected, and taught in this Church.

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.

Comedian Dane Cook's "The Atheist"

Dane Cook just made a HUGE fan out of this Episcopalian!

THIS JUST INFURIATES ME

I am angry, sad, and disgusted by the messages that I’ve been reading on internet forums and blogs in regard to the recent earthquake in China, in which, as the toll currently stands, 50,000 people have lost their lives. People have been saying that “China got what they deserve” for human rights abuses, eating dogs, and wearing fur. Are you serious? That sounds straight out of a Jerry Falwell or John Hagee sermon! That is the same cold-hearted rationale that justifies AIDS as ‘God’s punishment’ on the GLBT community, or Hurricane Katrina as ‘Divine wrath’ on the United States for ‘straying away’. And what startles me even more is how SILENT people have been, when normally they join the public displays of mourning for tragedies in other nations. Is this tragedy any different from any disaster? Or suddenly their deaths have no meaning because they are Chinese, and government of the land in which they live in is flawed and corrupt? HELLO?! Human life is human life, and it is precious no matter what race, creed, class, sexual orientation, ethnic background, gender, political affiliation, national origin or caption. No person deserves to die in that manner. A natural disaster, in which thousands of children died, is not a sort of retribution for the policies, actions, and injustices of their government.

Even if you disagree with their politics, can you not extend some grace, mercy, love and compassion? Perhaps be the bigger person?

I have come across these messages, and many more like them:

“I seen documentaries,with Pallets stacked almost 6 feet high,with animal skins on them,cats and dogs.I seen caged dogs for food. What is wrong with you people!!! You have no hearts I fucking wish sometimes you could feel what it feels like to be skinned alive and your family got eaten and see how it feels!!! Damn you heartless Chinese people! You are all so fucked up!!! Fur farm i China is totally fucking gay if you are Chinese then you are fucking animal killer fag! You chinese people deserved to be hit by that earthquake! This is what you get for mistreating animals! Take that fuckcos!!”

“Rot in hell commie fagget chinks!”

“It's all Karma - it's all part of the whole China/Tibet issue.”

“You reap what you sow.”

“I don't like Chinese, I think they have no morals, too materialistic.”

I just can’t believe people can be so cynical and heartless about this. Have a good afternoon.

To answer your question...

Q. Are you the same Joshua Ligan that was interviewed for this recent article?

A. Yep, that's me.

The Three Persons of the Holy Trinity is a Divine Bayanihan, and the Communion of Saints is to reflect its Personal Life

For the past few days, I’ve been reflecting on the Tagalog noun Bayanihan. (Pronounced buy-uh-nee-hun.) It is a beautiful word, similar to the Indonesian Gotong Royong, used in Southeast Asian Anthropology to express a cooperative undertaking or a concerted effort in a communal setting. More commonly, it refers to an old rural tradition, illustrated above in the painting by Joselito Barcelona, in which neighbours worked together to help a family move their new home to a set location. I had written on this blog about Bayanihan before, but after I discussed this further with my friends Claudine and Eric on AIM, and native Tagalog speakers*, especially my cousin Jaimee and my friend Katherine, I realized I had something more going here. The root words are bayani, meaning ‘hero’, and bayan, which is a word that can mean ‘people’, ‘community’, or ‘nation’. The –an suffix denotes a communal action, so therefore Bayanihan means ‘a community or people coming together as one to pool their efforts for the common good, and to achieve a feat that is impossible by one single person’. I suppose that this is also a valid explanation of how the Trinity works, just as Saint John of Damascus developed the doctrine of Perichoresis (‘mutual indwelling’) a little more than a millennium and a half ago.

How are the Persons of the Holy and Undivided Trinity a Bayanihan? I believe the three Persons of the Trinity work together in unity to accomplish what is impossible for us to achieve on our own: The redemption of humankind. God the Father prepared the way for redemption through the seers, sages, and prophets; God the Son completed the work of redemption through his life, death, and resurrection; and God the Holy Spirit applies the continuation of Christ’s redeeming work in the world through the Church’s ministry of reconciliation and in the administration of the sacraments. All three Persons cooperate as one God to accomplish human redemption: For it is this Three-Personed God who builds us up, shows us the way, and gathers us into a loving embrace.

The underlying message of the Trinitarian Bayanihan is this: That we are not alone, but this one God surrounds us with his singular love in a Trinity of Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity stands in solidarity with us and will see us through the difficulties. It is they who will carry us home.

Indeed, it is the same for us. One individual cannot do it alone; but if we unite together as one Body in Christ by power of the Holy Spirit as an active, living offering to the Father, marvelous works and mighty acts can happen to the glory of God. We share in the Divine Bayanihan when we come together as one consecrated people, seeking make God incarnate in our lives through the divinization of our efforts, even the smallest of our actions. In sharing our human nature, our Saviour Jesus Christ draws humankind into the personal life and union of the Holy Trinity; by Holy Baptism, we receive this Trinitarian life and fellowship, which is not only ours but shared with all people of all times- the Communion of Saints.

We affirm this, our true life and identity, in our Baptismal Covenant. Therefore we are to stand in solidarity with each other as God stands in solidarity with us, and work and pray for justice and peace on earth, creatively applying the fruits of redemption in all times and seasons, and in all circumstances, even if it is difficult. We may find ourselves in the most trying of situations to show God’s grace, mercy, compassion, and love, but united as one, and contributing our talents and best efforts, persist we must. We are to cooperate as one People, professing one faith and one baptism.

In the Communion of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Communion of Saints finds its strength, source, and inspiration. May we, the cherished People of God, ever live in this Communion and share the Bayanihan of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity. Saranam.


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*Despite my Filipino heritage, I am regrettably not a native Tagalog speaker. As I was born and raised in the United States, my mother tongue is the English language. However, I did manage to acquire sufficient conversational skills in the Tagalog language through interacting with family here and in the Philippines, and by a massive dosage of Filipino programming as a child.

Thank you to the Rev’d Fr. Matthew Cadwell (“The Hammer of Heretics” à la Saint Anthony of Padua) for theologically screening this post and making sure I wasn't falling into heresy!

So I finally succumbed...

...and bought a set of Anglican prayer beads.

My new set of Anglican prayer beads

Along with my close friend Eric, I've been exploring their use, and the spirituality behind them. I really like how it shares with the Roman Catholic Rosary* a theology of the Incarnation, but with Anglican prayer beads, there is a theology of applying the Incarnation and Redemption to the whole Creation, in all times, seasons, and ages. I really like this, and I've been utilizing the prayer beads in my spare moments, and before bed. (I pray Chaplets and the Rosary in bed to help me fall asleep.) Also, I like the Jesus Prayer and Trisagion combination. I'm a sucker for historic prayers, haha!

Strange, isn't it? I posted a defence of the Roman Rosary on this blog a few months ago, and now I've changed my position!

Don't get me wrong, I still like the Roman Rosary, and I pray it every day, preferably in the morning. I like the catechetical value to it. Along with seasonal hymns and a collect, it makes an effective teaching tool. My Roman Rosary has become old and ragged with use and tepid devotion, and it goes with me wherever I go. It's very dear to my heart, and I think I would shed a tear if I lost it.

My worn-out Roman Rosary

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*Anglican Prayer Beads are not properly a Rosary, so I believe it is incorrect to say 'Anglican Rosary', or call any other prayer beads from other Christian denominations and non-Christian religions 'rosaries'. The name 'Rosary' is derived from the Medieval Marian spirituality behind the Roman Rosary. Each Hail Mary bead is thought of to be a 'rose' offered to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and so thus the Rosary is a 'rose garden'.