“Whatever work you propose to do, do it while you can, for there is neither achievement, nor planning, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in Sheol where you are going” [Ecclesiastes 9:10, JB]
[1] The Yuchengco building on the grounds of DLSU-Manila. [2&3} Mother Mary and the tabernacle.
Before we left Kuching for Manila where Jeffrey has accepted a visiting professorship at the De La Salle University-Manila, friends asked if we would post on our website some of our impressions of the sights and sounds in the Philippines. Having been here for over a month, we thought we ought to begin posting some impressions, starting with the University.
The first time we walked through the gates of the De La Salle University-Manila on the morning of May 23, 2012, what immediately caught our attention was an endless display of banners: “Proudly Lasallian”; “Animo La Salle!”; “Live the Animo – Live Your Faith”; “Live the Animo – Live to Serve”; “Live the Animo – Live in Communion”. An Animo banner stood outside every air-conditioned hall and gallery where students hang out, access the net, or study during breaks. Banners lined both sides of every covered walkway and corridor where students set up stalls to sell DLSU t-shirts or promote their extra-curriculum clubs. One banner proclaimed “One Lasalle” which reminded us of the “One-Malaysia” from where we just came, and one of the students’ canteens announced itself as simply “Animo”. The whole atmosphere recalled vividly the spirit of jubilant pride and celebration in Leuven, Belgium in October 2009 as the city awaited the canonisation of its famous leper priest, Fr. Peter Damian. That university-city was decked out with flags and banners carrying the slogan “DAMIAN INSPIRES”, together with an image of the new saint exhibited at strategic points. Just as Leuven became a veritable DAMIAN CITY, DLSU-Manila became a veritable ANIMO CITY. The Lasallians have every reason to be proud of their achievements, it seems. To mark their year-long centennial celebrations, they have just hosted the Centennial World Congress in which one of their very own, Henry Atayde, was elected president of the De La Salle world alumni body, UMAEL.
What is all this “Animo” talk about? The following are excerpts from their “Live the Animo” campaign:
- ANIMO is a word that has come to have a deeper meaning for us Lasallians. When we shout “Animo”, it is as if we are invoking the Lasallian spirit that lives in all of us. Our actions manifest the Animo we all share – we are empowered to do what is right, to do what is good, to give a little more of ourselves. Because we know better, we do better.
- The Animo is in the doctor who volunteers in his extra time to operate on the least fortunate. It is in the student who not only excels in her studies, but commits to helping those in need. It is in the businessman who generously shares his blessings and creates an environment of volunteerism in the workplace. It is in the entrepreneur who has created sustainable livelihood for a community. All this and more we have seen in our Lasallian Family. The animo is in every one of us – not just those who have drastically changed the world. It is in those who want to do just a bit more than expected – because the calling from within is too deep to shake. It is part of who we are. It is part of our being Lasallian.
Animo Applied: Praying in the Chapel of the Pearl of Great Price
On the first Sunday after our arrival, we attended Mass at the Chapel of the Pearl of Great Price, one of several chapels on campus. That was the first Sunday after the opening of the new academic year, so the packed attendance, with a great number standing outside, included parents keeping their children company. The level of Mass attendance was very impressive. Conveniently located on ground level right next to the University Library, this chapel daily sees staff and students drop in to say a quick prayer or linger for meditation. It is, to say the least, very heartening to see a deep-seated, strong and yet unassuming faith in the heart of an acclaimed academic institution of tertiary education. Coming from Malaysia, this is just delightful to behold.
One stunningly beautiful feature in the chapel is the tabernacle, globe-shaped and carried by Our Lady, the Most Blessed Mother of Jesus. How appropriate. She, herself the Tabernacle of the Word of God, the New Covenant, holds and presents the Tabernacle of the Body of Christ, the Son of God, to the world. It is as artistically creative as it is theologically sound. Take a look. Have you ever seen anything quite as unique as this? In as unobtrusive a manner as we can imagine in contemplation, the Blessed Mother of Jesus utters her singular counsel to humanity: “Do whatever he tells you” [John 2:5], eternally echoing the singular command of the eternal voice from beyond the clouds up on the Mountain of Transfiguration, “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him” [Mark 9:8]. Finding this pearl of great price, [Matt 14:45-46], one does not go away but stays with Him who has the message of eternal life [John 6:67-69].
About that first Sunday liturgy we attended, something wonderful deserves mention. Never in our wildest dream could we imagine for a second that it was going to be such an incredibly beautiful and pleasant celebration. Coming fresh from Kuching, our state of mind was one of suppressed doubt as to why we bothered to get up early every Sunday morning to go to Mass, just to be induced to sleep by those dubious “new” hymns that came with the new translation of the missal. Those “new” hymns are sung in English lyrics, but on Gregorian-chant-like tunes composed in and for the continental Europe and treated as mandatory for churches in Borneo of the Far East, together with the mandatory newly translated English text drawn up in the continent as well. One cannot but wonder where Vatican II has gone. Has the Spirit-inspired Council been placed in a sleeping mode? Or, has it been surreptitiously vacated? And, is what we are now witnessing in liturgical re-innovation, a tell-tale sign of a larger movement which, however you look at it, is seeking to reverse the spirit and work of Vatican II? Whatever your take on this may be, here in DLSU-Manila, thank God, the choir began very properly, and very inspiringly, by singing a familiar and upbeat opening hymn that uplifted and that announced convincingly, “Yes, we celebrate!” And, of course, there was none of that jarring new translation of the missal foisted on the English speaking world. If one does not dismiss a lot of the “new” gibberish with a “whatever”, might one not seriously wonder what on earth were we supposed to mean just before communion by saying, in church, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof”? To be sure, the world-renown Professor of Liturgy, Anscar J. Chupunggco, a Philippino Benedictine priest, has, for purposes of official catechesis requested by the Bishops of the Philippines, written that what matters “is not the story of the centurion, which has no connection with Holy Communion, but his attitude toward Jesus. His humility and faith are exemplary and truly edifying and should be the attitude of those who receive Holy Communion.”[1] Equally important is the truth pronounced by this premier scholar: “Exegetically, the application to Holy Communion is rather far-fetched.”
For months since the implementation of the new translation, we along with countless others across the globe, have been sitting through Masses feeling silly, abused and disorientated – a set of very dissonant feelings indeed to have for a celebration which ought to be, from the depth of one’s being, “memoria” and “eucharistia” for what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. In glorious contrast, we came out of that first Sunday Mass at DLSU-Manila feeling refreshed, reaffirmed and grateful, as all Eucharistic celebrations should lead us to feel. Alas, we were soon told that the good days in DLSU-Manila, enjoying as it still does, together with many other institutions across the country, a deferred implementation of the new English translation of the missal by concession of the local archbishop, are gradually phasing out as the unclear, unwanted, nuisance-of-a-new translation is progressively implemented in non-parish-run churches as well.
Truly, any thinking Catholic ought to raise probing questions as to why the English liturgical text, used now for some thirty years, has to be forcibly replaced by some supposedly “new” and “faithful [read “literal”] translation of a Latin text. What is so sacrosanct about the Latin text anyway? What happened to the virtues of a method of translation called “dynamic equivalence”? Why must the Latin text be translated literally into English, for use in liturgical celebrations attended not just by theologians (whom we assume understand what “consubstantial” actually means) but by all? Why must the Latin usages be forced into an English translation, ignoring English grammar and syntax and beauty of expression, while other words of dynamic equivalent that aid comprehension for the common people get forcibly expunged? Is it God or Latin we are to worship now? Is there, after all, a political agenda behind all this? Is there a colonialist mentality that needs purification? From our perspective as Asians, Western Christians, much like the old Jerusalem Christians, had long grown used to the idea that they were guardians of a “standard” Christianity. Today, they find themselves in the presence of new expressions of Christianity, and new Christian lifestyles arising out of the novel experiences of faithful Christians living in the cultures and conditions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The countries in this global South, where the majority of the world’s Christians now reside, continue to develop, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, their inculturated Christian lifestyles and expressions. Are we witnessing here an insidious move to halt all other expressions of inculturation of the gospel and to funnel all non-European expressions so as to render them compliant with what after all is but a localised expression of the gospel’s inculturation in continental European soil?
Wasn’t it just very recently, in his Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Asia, after the Special Synod for Asia, that John Paul II noted the incongruence of Asians regarding “Jesus, born on Asian soil,” as a Western rather than an Asian figure? To be sure, “Western missionaries would be influenced by the cultures from which they came.” But that was a long time ago, centuries in some cases. For the new evangelisation in the third millennium, the Pope proposed that “Jesus could be presented as the Incarnate Wisdom of God whose grace brings to fruition the ‘seeds’ of divine Wisdom already present in the lives, religions and peoples of Asia.” Judging from the vehement insistence upon a strict implementation of the new strict translation of the original Latin text, accompanied by Latin-styled hymns, however, it looks like we are expected to return to the outmoded thinking that the Asians, just like their global-Southern counterparts, the Africans and the Latin Americans, are expected to worship a European Jesus Christ and to think, speak and even sing according to their European culture. Must a Catholic Mass be a European Mass?
Animo Applied: A Touching Event of Compassion
A solid, deeply heart-warming experience came unexpectedly.
We were invited to a mass-wedding held for thirty-five couples in the Most Blessed Sacrament Chapel attached to the De La Salle Brothers’ living quarters on campus. At least one partner in every pair of bride and groom works in the University as a contract worker, either as a janitor, a security personnel, a canteen staff, or a photocopy-lady and so on.
[1] At the simple and yet magnificent Most Blessed Sacrament Chapel. [2] The first-ever mass-wedding on campus, for the deserving workers. [3] The Centennial Building
Some of these couples have been living as what we would call “common law” husbands and wives for many years. One couple has been together for 19 years and has teenage children. Their stories bear a common thread: if their work schedules did not prevent them from going through a proper church wedding, the prohibitive costs [unaffordable church wedding-fees, high costs of costumes, and so on] certainly had. The truth of the matter was, they could use some help, if they were ever going to have a proper church-wedding to “regularize” their holy matrimony. With quiet determination, Fr. Francis from the Theology and Religious Education Department championed the cause of giving these deserving people a free church-wedding, on DLSU-Manila campus. The problems seemed insurmountable at first: permission is needed from the archdiocese for weddings celebrated outside of a parish church; permission is needed from the De La Salle Brothers to have not just a wedding but a mass-wedding celebrated on campus, when they have never, in the history of the DLSU-Manila ever given permission to any body, not even a member, “big” or “small”, of the alumni association, to have their matrimony solemnised in any of their chapels on campus; a mass-wedding has never been organized by any of the organisers; the costs of staging such a mass-wedding and reception would be quite considerable. But this is the Lasallian centennial year; if one wants to strike the iron, one must do so while it is still hot. Gifted with a gentle disposition and a compassionate community spirit, Fr Francis relentlessly pursued the cause. In the end, his hard work paid off; compassion won. All necessary permissions were obtained, and the University sponsored all the expenses for the mass-wedding, including the brides’ and grooms’ costumes and the reception. Each couple brought twelve guests to the banquet, their arrival announced and applauded as they entered the Marilen Gaerlan Conservatory as “Mr. and Mrs.” And we were privileged to witness a solid case of Lasallian compassion in action.
There is one part in the proceedings of the inculturated Philippino wedding ceremony which is fascinating to us Malaysians. After the bride and groom have exchanged vows and put on their rings, relatives go forward and place one end of a long white veil over the bride’s head and wrap the other end across the shoulders of the groom. The symbolism of a holy matrimonial bond is very touching. Furthermore, the communal witness and support vehemently testifies against a growing view in the contemporary age of personal computers that the marriage between a man and a woman is a private affair. Instead, it witnesses brilliantly to three essential communitarian realities in a Christian marriage:
- that the community is there;
- that the community cares; and
- that the community is important.
Animo Applied: Teaching for Excellence
Philippino friends we spoke to in Kuching before coming over, told us about the beautiful architecture at DLSU-Manila and they were right. The beauty lies also in a blend of the old and the new, even as more buildings rise frantically from the ground both within and without the University’s old campus perimeter fence. At this time, the spot light is on the impressive Centennial Building, with a substantial donation from a local business tycoon, Henry Sy, whose son Jonny Sy is the current President of the De La Salle Alumni Association.
The impact of the De La Salle University-Manila on the immediate neighbourhood is visibly reflected in the on-going frenzied construction work as property developers compete in putting up one condominium after another along Taft Avenue and its vicinity.
Greater still, however, is the stunning impact the De La Salle institution has on the nation, as we reflect on the numerous universities, colleges, research and training centres it runs across the whole of the Philippines. The De La Salle contribution towards nation-building through education is inestimable. One is not at all surprised to find a De La Salle Brother, Armin Altamirano Luistro, serving as the Secretary of Education in the Philippino President’s Cabinet, the second Brother to hold this high position..
DLSU-Manila is a learner-centered research university that combines faith and scholarship in service of society, especially the poor. Two elements in this regard have captured our interest. First, while the University clearly maintains a healthy attitude towards other religions and to people who do not profess any faith, it is steadfast in its insistence upon making its contribution to society from the particularity of its Catholic faith tradition. This is both a correct and an important point of departure. The alternative vision, which seeks not to offend but aims to homogenise society from a liberal standpoint that tolerates no tradition-specific standpoint, ultimately risks having no value-system to offer its students and society.
Second, there is a concerted effort at implementing a transformative learning curriculum as opposed to a merely transmissive learning. In this new pedagogical paradigm, the teachers’ responsibility is to help put students on the path of “critical and creative thinking and skills related to lifelong learning”. The end point in this new Lasallian pedagogical framework is not to generate teachers who are able to use a variety of teaching methods, but to help transform students into independent and critical thinkers capable and willing to act responsibly and contribute positively towards society.
At the 2012 Faculty General Assembly of the College of Liberal Arts, to which the Theology and Religious Education Department belongs, the Dean, Dr. Dominado Bombongan, stressed the importance of the individual and communal responsibility of all faculty members in the faithful and diligent implementation of this Lasallian vision and mission in the field of education. Responsibility and accountability were key categories of emphasis. Rituals were performed as administrators and faculties affirmed their commitment to the communal values and shared Lasallian direction.
We would like to conclude this post by repeating the Centennial Prayer of the Lasallian Family which was recited at every Mass until the close of the centennial year.
- Centennial Prayer of the Lasallian Family
God, source of every good,
in every and age you raise up women and men
to lead, teach and inspire your people.
We thank you for the gift of St John Baptist de La Salle.
He has left us the wonderful legacy of a Gospel-based education
which challenges us to live meaningful lives of humble service
in favour of the last, the lost and the least.
As we celebrate 100 years
of Lasallian presence in the Philippines,
we commit ourselves to continue your work
by integrating the Lasallian values of Faith,
Zeal for Service, and Communion in Mission
in our personal lives and in all our undertakings.
May this bring about the change
we want to see in ourselves,
in our society and in our world.
We make this prayer in your most holy Name.
Amen.
St John Baptist de La Salle: Pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts: Forever!
[1] Anscar J. Chupungco, OSB, The New English Translation of the Roman Missal: A Catechetical Primer [Manila: Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission, 2011], 69-70.
Copyright © Dr. Jeffrey & Angie Goh, July 2012. All rights reserved.
You are most welcome to respond to this post. Email your comments to us at jeffangiegoh@gmail.com. You can also be dialogue partners in this Ephphatha Coffee-Corner Ministry by sending us questions for discussion.