1 THE FILIPINOS as Maamo, Walang Paki-alam at Mapag-tiis: Reinterpreting Popular Images of Christ in Philippine Context

The Filipinos have been described as meek (ma-amo), indifferent (walang-pakialam) and willing to endure suffering (mapag-tiis). These attitudes could be traced back to our long history of colonial oppression and elite domination. Filipinos have endured foreign oppression through colonization: for three and a half centuries under Spain, for 40 years under the United States, and for 3 years under Japan. After the Second World War, the Philippines has acquired political independence from the United States and established a liberal democratic State, but had to endure neo-colonial oppression. In 1972 "democracy" in the country was interrupted when Mr. Marcos imposed Martial law and the people had to endure a 20-year conjugal dictatorship. More so these attitudes could have been strengthened by Christianity specifically the popular Filipino images of Christ Jesus such as: the baby Christ (Sto, Nino), the suffering Christ (crucifixion) and the dead Christ (Sto. Entierro). Sociologist and theologians have established the relationship of these attitudes (mapagtiis, walang-

pakialam, and ma-amo) with these popular images of Christ. Some social scientists have blame these attitudes why the Filipinos lack initiative, creativity and industriousness. Some even argued that the ruling elites have popularized these images of Christ to make the people more manageable and easily govern. I tend to agree with the analysis that when these popular images of Christ are emphasized separated from the narratives or context there is a danger of self-identification with resignation (fatalism). In a world where good deeds can be corrupted or carry the taint of corruption and sins, anyone can succumb to moral paralysis or "defeatism" because of guilt, fear and anxiety. Recent psychological and sociological studies suggest that persons suffering from the effects of oppression tend to react submissively to their situation.1 Thus instead of doing and taking risk they withdraw from the world.

Paulo Freire, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, (New York: Continuum Publishing Corporation, 1984)."The oppressed suffer from the duality which has established itself in their innermost being. They discover that without freedom they cannot exist authentically. Yet, although they desire authentic existence, they fear it. They are at one and the same time themselves and the oppressor whose consciousness they have internalized." p. 32

2 What we need today is a rediscovery of these popular images of Christ

interpreted in the context of the biblical narratives. The suffering of Christ is part of the passion story found in the Gospel. Passion comes from the Greek word, pathos, which means a great feeling from the depth. It is the root word for "compassion", and its synonyms, "sympathy" and "empathy". The prefixes which mean "with", "together" or "into" imply that passion has an object outside itself. It is appropriate to acknowledge Jesus as the man for others. The overflow of Christ's passion has been graphically illustrated in Mark 6:34 where Jesus, seeing the crowd, "had compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things." Jesus' passion is directed to the people who appear to be lost in life, wandering around "like sheep without a shepherd". That's why he proceeded to "teach them many things" in order to lead them to the truth. What kind of love is it that flows from Christ's passion? It is Christ's compassion for the lost. The parable of the lost sheep brings home this simple message. Lenten season is a special time devoted to allow Christians to get in touch with Christ's passion. Although Christ's love is all-encompassing, it has a very special attachment to those who have not found their rightful place in the world -- the outcast and the marginalized. When the pasyon of Jesus Christ is interpreted in the narrative form people understand the radical and transforming message. I took a historian to show how the Filipinos during the Hispanic period understood images of Christ as revolutionary. Dr. Ileto, in his provocative book, Pasyon and Revolution2, has attempted to examine the revolution from the perspective of the masses by focusing on the ideological influence of the Pasyon. In his Pasyon and Revolution, Dr. Ileto asserts that Filipino peasants respond more profoundly to the idiom of liberation exemplified in Christs passion, death and resurrection. Through the reading of the passion narrative during Holy Week, Ileto said, the Passion Story of Jesus Christ has come to structure the way lowland Filipino Christians look at personalities and political happenings. The passion schema function as a dynamic social myth. New ideal expressed in cultural idioms but structured by the
2

Reynaldo Ileto, Pasyon and Revolution, (Quezon City: Ateneo de Manilan,

1979)

3 understanding of Christs passion, death and resurrection challenged accepted assumptions and conditions, proposed novel images of what can be and stimulated visions that sanctioned economic, political and social changes. Ileto explains how the peasant might have interpreted the pasyon From the Spanish perspective, what could be a more effective tool than the pasyon to discourage Indios from enriching and educating themselves to the point where they might constitute a threat to colonial rule. But from the perspective of the mass audience, the identification of the wealthy, educated Pharisees, maginoo and pinunong bayan (local leaders) with Christs tormentors could not fail to have radical implications in actual life Such terms as maginoo, pinunong bayan, mayayaman (wealthy) and even di sinungaling (honest) are used in an unflaterring context. In a society freedom of speech and legitimate channels of protest, the pasyon made available a language for venting ill feelings against oppressive friars, principales, and agents of the state. The most provocative aspect of the pasyon text is the way it speaks about the appearance of a subersive figure, Jesus Christ, who attracts mainly the lowly, common people (taong bayan), draws them away from their families and their relations of subservience to the maginoo, and forms a brotherhood (catipunan) that will proclaim a new era of mankind. The friars must have been bothered occasionally by the political implications of the lowly Christfigure, but the story could not be altered.3 Thus, while the friar taught the native Christians to be patient and meek under the yoke of colonialism like the Lamb led to slaughter, the peasants interpreted Christ who is shown in the Pasyon as one of them, poor and ignorant, and as mirroring the darkness and oppression and lack of self-worth in their lives. When Christ died and rose again, they interpreted this as the need for them to die so that they can rise again with him to light and freedom. To face death with calmness and to fight like people who are immortal. The most significant theme of this transformation schema was moral regeneration, the cleaning of ones loob (inner self), the dying of self, the creation of a new human being, and the establishment of new society. The Pasyon is a picture of savagery and cruel injustice, of failure and defeat, but when Jesus opened his mouth to ask the Father for the forgiveness of those who hurt him, the scene radically changes into a revelation of God's compassion and forgiveness. To

Ileto, Pasyon and Revolution, pp20-21.

4 those who have the faith, the cross shows the power and victory of God's love over the vilest of human wickedness. At the cross human nature is unmasked and evil is disclosed at its ugliest. At the same time, God's hidden nature is turned inside out and we see a compassionate and forgiving heart. The cross is a scandal to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles because they were looking for a God who comes with thunder and lightning. Thus, they failed to recognize God who indeed had come but in the invincible power of love and compassion. Henceforth, when our people ask if God has abandoned us we shall say forthrightly that God is with us in our suffering and struggles. God is compassionate and forgiving. In Christ we know that God has chosen to relate to us not in his might and wisdom but in his persevering love and infinite compassion. When Christ calls us to follow him, it is not to a life of power, glory and honor but rather to be compassionate and forgiving like the Master himself. He said to us, "Be ye perfect as your father in heaven is perfect". Just as we once were considered enemies of God but now reconciled to God, now we ought to regard one another as brother and sister of one household. Forgiveness alone can heal life's brokenness caused by conflicts of all sorts. But forgiveness cannot work out its benefits without justice. It is justice alone that can remove the roots of conflicts. Justice requires correcting the wrongs done and compensating for the damages incurred, thereby giving satisfaction to the thirst for justice. These must be done in order to put an end to the escalation of conflict. But justice alone cannot create good will in the heart and bring harmony among former enemies. Justice serves to justify the victim and judge the offender but it has no power to turn the two enemies into friends. Only forgiveness can. Forgiveness is like water in the desert that can make the desert bloom again. Harmony and good will among people are the fruits of forgiveness. And forgiveness may be granted only upon the satisfaction of the thirst for justice.

Victor Aguilan Models of Contextual Theology Praxis Model July 9, 2004