A kinder and gentler plantation plantation owner that engages in oppression of his workers. The Philippine poor needed a holistic gospel. Charity handouts were a way to cover up "the wounds created by an unjust society, and, by helping, were perpetuating that society."
Before Father O'Brien left for a furlough, he reflected on his Philippine ministry: "I have been here nearly five years. Nothing has changed." His spiritual ministry had not changed the oppressive socio-economic conditions.
On his return, O'Brien decided to sit at the feet of some Filipino priests and learn what kind of a ministry he should initiate. They said that in the past, O'Brien established worship services but not Christian communities. Christian communities should be built on the following principles: 1) Sharing: time, treasure, talent; 2) group decision-making; 3) No injustice allowed; 4) Reconciliation; 5) Prayer together.
A priest further explained:
"By no injustice I mean that we cannot have community between two0 groups, one of which has its foot on the other's neck. There must be an attempt not only at charity but of changing the very structures which almost force people to oppress each other. But them again, we are not only after cold justice, some sort of mathematical equality. We want to work toward reconciliation. . . . awn intimacy, affection, love! And then we can pray together without being a mockery."
In summary, in building their Christian communities their goal was "total human development" or in biblical terms incarnation the kingdom of God in their communities. Socially, the kingdom of God is built upon or produces justice and shalom in the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. "The parish life offered them sacraments but did not demand true and radical sharing,or offer true community."
The gospel must not only address poverty but also oppression:
"But I have only been talking about poverty; I have not even touched on oppression, which is something else. Poverty can be borne with patience because the source is not visible. People can be made to believe that it's the will of God or fate or bad luck, but oppression has the added sting of injustice. . . . people feel it deep within their souls when their little bit of land is taken by them by a man from the city who has done the paperwork. . . ."
"And then it's well known that the military are becoming more abusive. . . . Marcos says he needs them to keep the New People's Army in check, but the New People's Army has been borne out of the injustice created by the [oppressive] regime.
"What kills me is that so many middle-class people who are well educated and devout remain totally without outrage at what is happening."
Bishop Camara of Brazil once said: "If I feed the poor, they call me a saint. If I ask why the poor are poor [raise the oppression issue], they call me a communist." Note: it is usually the capitalist oppressor who raises the communist issue as a diversion from the real issue---oppression.
The Philippine medical system is a profit oriented system which does not include the poor in any comprehensive fashion. A Filipino doctor Jimmy Tan developed a community based health program using "herbs rather than drugs, home rather than hospitals, and prevention rather than cure." But there was one huge obstacle---the lack of nutritious food. And without land reform so the poor could own their own plot of land, the people could not be self-reliant in food.
As the Christian communities grew in maturity and in numbers, they began to actively, but non-violently, challenge the authorities and the oppressors. With large numbers, sometimes in the thousands, they began to "take on cases of land-grabbing, illegal gambling, corrupt local tax collectors and municipals."
The Pope came to the Philippines and spoke forcefully about oppression; he said:
"Injustice reigns when some nations accumulate riches and live in abundance while other nations cannot offer the majority of the people the basic necessities.
"Injustice reigns when within the same society some groups hold most of the wealth and power while large strata of the population cannot decently provide for the livelihood of their families even through long hours of backing-breaking labor in factories or in the fields.
"Injustice reigns when the laws of economic growth and ever greater profit determine the social relations, leaving in poverty and destruction those who have only the work of their hands to offer."
"On and on it went, interrupted only by wild cheering from the priests. . . . endorsing the right to unionize, now considered illegal and even subversive
in the Philippines."
After the Pope's speech, the bishop received a call from a sugar baron in Negros, "Who prepared the Pope's talk? If that is his message, then there will be war in Negros."
With experience, the Christian Communities became more sophisticated in their strategies of dealing with oppression.
1. Dialogue with the landowner who is exploiting you. If you cannot come to a fair agreement, then:
2. Ask the justice committee of your Christian Communities to try. If the landowner still does not listen, then:
3. Confront the landowner with all the justice committees of the mini-parish, and only if that fails do you then:
4. Come to the convent where the parish council will deal with it and, if necessary, have recourse to the diocesan legal aid office. If that fails, then:
5. There is still the possibility of active nonviolent pressure through the mobilization of the people.
On result of this new approach was that the medium-sized landowners who used to freely harass a peasant, now hesitated to do so, "because the peasant no longer submitted cravenly right away, but referred it to his or her community."
The traditional institutional church focuses on the gathered church---activities in the church building. The Christian community church focuses on the scattered church---the daily life of Christians in their own communities:
"We had no traditional parish organizations for a very good reason: I had never started them. Many of these organizations are formed precisely to give people a channel for implementing their desire to help others in one way or another. But if the parish is a family of sharing communities, then by their very nature these communities are involved all day and every day in helping those in need within the community. Sharing is a way of life, not an extracurricular activity.
Decentralization of church was paramount so much so that there was "no daily public Mass." Social justice is also done best if done by the scattered Christian communities, not the gathered church.
"Social justice was not just another parish office . . . with someone behind a desk with filing cabinets. It was the touchstone of the Christianity of each community."
The true story of Father O'Brien ends very well; he finally does discover the pain of the poor, God's priority of the poor in the ministry of the church, how systems of oppression crush the poor, and how the church as shared communities can be an instrument of justice.
But I am deeply troubled by one thing. Why didn't this priest leave seminary with this biblical perspective on the poor already in hand so from the very beginning of his ministry, he did it right?
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