THE CELEBRATION OF THE HOLY MASS IN MALLS

THE CELEBRATION OF THE HOLY MASS IN MALLS

Rev. Jeric C. Cortado, October 2015

This theological reflection is guided by the question, IS IT MORALLY JUSTIFIED TO HAVE A HOLY MASS (SERVICE OF WORSHIP/DIVINE LITURGY) IN MALLS WHERE ANTI-LABOR ACTIVITIES ARE PRACTICED?  A question developed from the context that the Roman Catholic Church and some Evangelical Churches are holding a Holy Mass or Worship Services in the malls as either requested or permitted by the Mall owners. This is to follow the preference of the families today spending their Sundays in the malls rather than in the church. Since after attending a Holy Mass in the mall, the family could easily go anywhere in the malls for recreation and enjoy their family day.  For a deeper understanding and contemplation, besides my readings on related literatures I conducted a conversation using the given question in our community with the 4 graduating seminarians and 8 clergy member of the United Methodist Church.  In the conversation and in my reading the following ideas came up:

First, celebrating a Holy Mass in the Malls is morally justifiable if it would serve as venue to help the laborers of the establishment be enlightened and empowered about their duties and rights as stipulated in the Labor Code of the Philippines and the social teachings of the Church. It is morally justifiable, if the celebration of the Holy Mass would give an opportunity for the management of the malls to realize their moral and legal responsibilities to give the just compensation and benefits for their workers.

In this sense, I am reminded of our history how Methodist society in England grew in quantity and in quality because of the street preaching and liturgical celebrations presided by our founder Rev. Fr. John Wesley of the Church of England. Although it was not requested by the concern government officials of their times but presumably permitted by not dispersing the crowd gathered by Rev. Fr. John Wesley. Given the situation then that the common people and slaves who worked in the mining area, agricultural plantations, and factories suffering for the anti-labor practices perpetuated by the landlords and businessman in collaboration with the government authorities. The street preaching and liturgical celebrations served as venue to empower the common people in their situation and at the same time to awaken the conscience of the rich people about their responsibilities to their workers and poor, oppressed, marginalized, deprived, and exploited neighbors. He organized the crowd into a small group called class meetings wherein they gathered together weekly to assess not only their spiritual life but their economic situations.

Second, celebrating the Holy Mass in the Malls is not morally justifiable if it only cater the needs of the mall owners and only projecting to the public the “religiosity” of the particular business establishment. If it is just a cover up of the guilt feeling for their violations not only to the labor code of the Philippines but to the human rights and dignity of their employees. In this sense, Jesus said, “Woe to you…. you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness…” (Matthew 23: 28).  Jesus denounced the sinful practices and announced the moral accountability of the people, especially the leaders. Thus reminded us the statement of Prophet Micah (Micah 6:8), wherein God shown to the people what is good to do, to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with God. Holy Mass celebration is useless if the management of the malls still doing anti-labor practices. The deprivation of the workers or laborers for their rightful compensation and benefits is a great violation of their human rights and dignity.

I hope that the homily of the priest or the pastor will encouraged the management of the malls to treat their personnel justly and humanely. Although the same with the observation of my colleagues, Rev. Larry Guerrero, I did not heard the priest or the pastor reminding the management of the mall to correct their sinful practices and encourage them to give what is just for their personnel. I do believe that presiding a Holy Mass or Worship Service in the malls is a great opportunity for the priest or the pastor to establish good relationship and friendship with the mall owners. Thus by establishing this kind of relationship, the priest or the pastor could easily access a venue to talk to the management about the issues and concerns of their workers. As I’ve learned with my good professor in Contextual Theology, Archbishop Fernando Capalla, D.D., establishing friendship paves the way of the dialogue of life.

It was in the same context when the confrontation of Prophet Nathan and King David happened. The 2 Samuel 12:1-10, 13 is a story about the two friends, Prophet Nathan and King David. Previously the prophet Nathan delivered a message of great blessing to David (2 Samuel 7). And so, David knew that Nathan was not a negative critic but a friend. It made David receptive to the message of the story. The scenario begins with meeting of both and Prophet Nathan begun to share a parable to his friend King David.

"There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. "The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."

So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity."

Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.' "

"Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife."

So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."

Prophet Nathan, in a friendly way, made the King realized about his abused of power, greediness, and sin committed not only to Uriah and Bathseba, and to the people but to God. So David said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” In this sense, David acknowledged his committed sin to the people openly and without any denial of truth, and showed personal responsibility about it. In Psalm 51, David expressed awareness on his committed sin, the lamentation for cleansing, the recognition of God’s judgment, and the willingness to do the retribution. In Exodos 22:1 it is stated that, “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep (Exodus 22:1).”

The celebration of Holy Mass in Malls therefore is morally justifiable as requested and permitted by the mall owners if through this they realized their sins against the Lord. By depriving their employees to received just compensation and benefits that would brought them to experience abundant life same with them.  Thus, encourage them to repent which manifest through their retribution of what they stole from their ordinary employees. If it is not, then the celebration of the Holy Mass for them is meaningless and useless, although it would be a channel of blessings to the poor, oppressed, marginalized, exploited and deprived employees. This is a great challenge for the church to affirm their preferential option for the poor. Amen.