Dr Rizal on Weed Seeds

Good seeds; weed seeds

20 July 2014

Today’s reading reminds us to be patient with weeds. “‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (Matthew 13:27-30)

Dr. Jose Rizal, in his Liham sa Mga Kadalagahan sa Malolos, adverted to this sacred scripture in his conclusion: “Matupad nawá ang inyong nasang matuto at harí na ñgang sa halaman ñg karunuñgan ay huwag makapitas ñg buñgang bubut, kundí ang kikitili'y piliin, pagisipin muná, lasapin bago lunukin, sapagka't sa balat ñg lupá lahat ay haluan, at di bihirang magtanim ang kaaway ng damong pansirá, kasama sa binhí sa gitná ñg linang.” (May your desire to educate yourself be fulfilled and may you in the garden of learning harvest not bitter unripe fruit, but take only what you consciously choose, think about it first, sample and test before swallowing, because on the surface of the earth all is mixed, and it is not infrequent that the enemy sows weed seeds amongst the good seeds in the middle of the prepared field.)

These teachings are relevant, fellow sovereign Filipino citizens, in our contemporary atmosphere where small, loud, well-financed, and strategically positioned fronts of vested interests are calling for extra-constitutional means to address national problems. EDSA 1 was historic and important; we, the people, had to take matters directly in our hands (albeit triggered by an internal rebellion within the ruling circles) because our patience had been exhausted by that “never-ending injustice and oppression” of Marcos Alibaba rule. We have since freely and fully adopted our 1987 Constitution, by which rules we have sovereignly agreed to play, to keep our democracy and our republic stable and prosperous.

Now, there are suggestions peddled by some corners of the ruling elite and “those who think they know better than us and would like to be the rulers” – and their loud mouthpieces - to do away with our Constitution and form a National Transformation Council to take over national governance from now to an unknown date, without stating the over-arching system of oppression and injustice that constitute the very extraordinary circumstances warranting direct action by the people, except their personal crusade against the current administration, not acknowledging the untrammelled freedoms that are guaranteed to all in this democracy, allowing them to be so abusive and deprecatory in their language.

Without allowing ourselves (particularly our AFP) to be pulled hither and thither by the concealed or sugar-coated hooks of all active parties, especially the contending anti- and pro-Aquino forces, let’s be patient with all these, think about their “sabog-tanim” ideas, sample and test them, and when harvest time comes again in 2016, let’s do the sovereign separation and further strengthen our democracy and our republic by choosing leaders with moral integrity and vision… so as to make stronger a just and humane society, as well as to fortify a Government that embodies our ideals and aspirations, promotes our common good, conserves and develops our patrimony, and secures to ourselves and our posterity, the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace. (cf Preamble, 1987 Constitution).Top of FormBottom of Form