ACT OF PRAYER AND COVENANT
SIGNING RITUAL[1]
SILENT MEDITATION
(Beating of the gong seventy times.)
SCRIPTURE:
Lamentation 5:1-15, 17, 21
(Tagalog/Cebuano Version)
RESPONSE: KUNG
MAY PAGHIGUGMA UG KALUOY. KUNG MAY PAGHIGUGMA, NAA GYUD ANG DIOS.
A SHORT
REFLECTION ON PEACE
Pacem
in Terris (Peace on Earth) is the
central document for the doctrine of peace and human rights in the Roman
Catholic Church. It was the last papal encyclical
issued by Pope John XXIII on 11 April 1963, who died
from cancer
two months after its completion. The “peace encyclical” was issued only two
years after the erection of the Berlin Wall
and only a few months after the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Pope explains in this
encyclical that conflicts “should not be resolved by recourse to arms, but
rather by negotiation”. He further emphasized the importance of the respect of human rights
as an essential consequence of the Christian
understanding of men. He clearly established “…That every man has the right to
life, to bodily integrity, and to the means which are suitable for the proper
development of life…” A peaceful society requires the human persons to
recognize and observe their mutual rights and duties. It should be sincerely
and effectively acknowledge and fulfilled.
Pacem
in Terris (#61-62) is saying that, if
any government does not acknowledge the rights of man or violates them, it not
only fails in its duty, but its orders completely lack juridical force. The
paramount task assigned to government officials is that of recognizing,
respecting, reconciling, protecting and promoting the rights and duties of
citizens (77). Pope John XXIII on
this encyclical also calls for the elimination
of every trace of racial discrimination. He upholds that by nature we are
equal in dignity. Each of us is vested with the right to existence, to
self-development, to the means fitting to its attainment, and to be the one
primarily responsible for this self-development. We must be on our guard against
isolating one ethnic group from its fellow men. We should affirm that every
ethnic group or indigenous community have other important gifs of nature.
Racial discrimination or racism is a denial of human dignity and of basic human
rights. Pacem in Terris reminds us the
warning of Pius XII that “nothing is lost by peace; everything may be lost by
war.” The true and solid peace consist not in equality of arms but it mutual
trust alone (113).
RESPONSE: KUNG
MAY PAGHIGUGMA UG KALUOY. KUNG MAY PAGHIGUGMA, NAA GYUD ANG DIOS.
BLESSING AND
EMPOWERMENT
Prophet Elisha used salt to purify the water of well (2 Kings
2.19-21). The salt symbolizes of cleansing, preserve life, redeeming life, and
source of power. The plate with salt will be prepared by the leader, while
saying,
The
salt symbolizes the salt of the earth, and source of strength.
The people will
touch the salt in the plate.
In blessing our foreheads (everybody will touch their head), we claim the
power of reason, to know the path that leads to the fulfillment of our hopes
for a liberated humankind.
In blessing our eyes (everybody will touch their eyes), we claim the
power of vision, to see clearly the forces of life and death in our midst.
In blessing our ears (everybody will touch their ears), we claim the
power to hear the Spirit of God as She speaks to us within.
In blessing our lips (everybody will touch their lips), we claim the
power to speak the truth about our experience; we claim power to determine
ourselves before God.
In blessing our hands (everybody fold their hands), we claim powers as
co-creators of a new humanity liberated from fear, ignorance, exploitation and
oppression.
In blessing our feet (everybody will touch their feet), we claim the
power to walk the paths of our courageous ancestors struggling for peace based
on justice.
In blessing each other (every will hold hands together), we claim the
creative power and the fusion of our creativity in our collectively struggle as
men and women. We choose to extend this power in service to a world in need.
May our lives be a blessings to each other. We affirm this through our
signature in the covenant for truth, justice and all out peace. Amen.
COVENANT SIGNING
Everyone is invited in the signing of covenant while singing the
song “Pananagutan”. Then after the signing, different seedlings will be offered
in the designate place representing the different sectors of the society with
different gifts to be shared in our journey towards peace based on
justice.
CLOSING PRAYER:
CBCP ORATIO
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