Archbishop Socrates Villegas. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Let not the festive Christmas air numb you to the senseless extrajudicial killings.
This was the reminder of Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, urging Filipinos not to be silenced amid the spate of killings in the past six months.
In his Christmas message, Villegas stressed that hope is greater than the fear and anger so prevalent in society nowadays.
READ: Archbishop Villegas appeals to Pinoys’ sense of humanity amid killings
“Christmas is not a story of anger and fear… Christmas is hope, hope stronger than fear and anger,” the prelate said on Saturday.
He added: “Let not the Christmas feasting become like morphine to numb us and make us forget.”
He issued the Christmas message in his capacity as Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop and not as president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.
Villegas has been outspoken against the spate of killings under the Duterte administration, with almost 6,000 dead in legitimate police operations and summary executions.
READ: Grieving Bishop Soc: Enough of killings; let our humanity speak
In his message, the prelate marvelled at Christmas as a feast of God, who came to make humanity beautiful again despite original sin.
However, he said this year’s Christmas is dotted with the blood spilling on the streets, in reference to the thousands of Filipinos killed in the government’s war against illegal drugs.
He lamented that the families of those killed are mixing Christmas carols with their quiet tears after losing a loved one to a bullet.
“Their Noche Buena is bland and tasteless because the bitter taste of death is too strong to forget There is a ‘parol’ by the window at home but the unresolved murder at home outshines our Christmas lights,” he said.
He warned that anger has become so common and ordinary, that the world is being swallowed by a culture of revenge.
The prelate added that while living in anger, people also begin to live in fear, fearing for their lives and that for their families, eventually allowing themselves to be silenced.
“We bury our heads in the sand and pretend that all is well. Christmas brings us pain not just joy,” Villegas said.
The Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop reminded the faithful that Christ’s light of hope will melt all the madness with tenderness and compassion.
“This country cannot reach greatness under a blanket of fear and anger but under a mantle of hope and love,” he stressed.
He urged Filipinos not to be killed by their anger, and not to be intimidated by their fear.
“For the ugliness of anger and fright that we have brought to the world, we stand up in battle and bring hope to our brothers and sisters… Let the rivers of hope flow. Let the lighthouses in the dark night shine out and guide. May we all be in that river! May we all be that lighthouse!” Villegas said. RAM