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Bishop calls for national renewal
23 January 2006—With the present political turmoil, power struggle and other daunting issues, the National Bible Week (NBW) celebration on January 22-29, 2006 is a timely occasion for Filipinos to uphold this year's theme dubbed as: "God's Word: Power for National Renewal."
Bishop Arturo M. Bastes, Chairman of the Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate (ECBA), lamented the urgent demand for individual and national renewal thru the "power of God's Word and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit" in the country.
He said that the dismal reality of people who do not observe the divine law seems to fit the sad description of the Philippines today.
"We Filipinos have become unworthy of our dignity as Christians because of our many failures as a nation," he said. "One of the obvious signs of our national failure is that our country continues to be fragmented politically, socially and economically."
Despite our name as Christians and being the first Christian nation in East Asia, many people are in anguish because of wobbly economy merged with lavish corruption in the government, said Bastes.
"We have even earned the shameful title as one of the most corrupt countries in the world," the Sorsogon Prelate also said. "Indeed we are a nation that urgently needs healing, renewal and transformation."
Earlier, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP President, said that the nation can be transformed through servant-leadership, whose core-trait is serving the people with integrity of heart, credible life-style and accountable and transparent disposition of resources.
He also said that national transformation is not something "we just impose on others; it's something every Filipino must initiate starting with himself."
"If we want dramatic and revolutionary transformation either in our own persons or in the institution, we need to change our perspectives, our mindset, and our frame of reference," he added. "The great breakthrough is to break with the old selfish ways of thinking and behaving which have been the causes of conflicts and crises of sorts."
In observance with the said week-long celebration, the Catholic Church has also organized bible-related activities in different areas and encouraged the people to celebrate God's Word and make Bible reading part of their daily lives.
The National Bible Week is celebrated annually in cooperation with other church organizations in the country to stress the significance of the Word of God in national renewal and people's lives.
The country has began celebrating NBW after former President Marcos approved Presidential Proclamation no. 1923 on October 27, 1979 in recognition of the Bible "as an excellent source of principles for the development of moral and personal discipline."
The celebration of NBW every last week of January was re-emphasized by President Aquino's Proclamation no. 44 in 1986.
The government thru PP 1067, issued by President Ramos, acknowledged that "national attention be focused on the importance of reading and studying the Bible, in building the spiritual, moral and social fiber of our citizenry." (Roy Q. Lagarde)
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