Celebrating our liberation with St. Augustine

Fr. Leo Pabayo .

SALVATION or liberation from the bondage of sin and gaining new life in Christ touches all aspects of human life. It is not only about spiritual well being. It is also about physical well being and the well being of the community and the world.  The Christian believes not only in souls going to heaven. He believes in the resurrection of the body. St. Paul does not talk about heaven only. He talks about new heaven and new earth. The Christian believes not only in waiting for the coming of the kingdom of God. He labors with God in realizing the characteristics of the kingdom here and now hoping that this contributes to the final realization of the Kingdom. The apostles were sent by Christ on a mission to proclaim the Gospel (“Good News”) in word and deed for all aspects of human life. He told His disciples to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, instruct the ignorant, shelter the homeless, visit the prisoner, forgive the sinners, etc..

Jesus proclaimed that in Him and in those who believe in Him the Kingdom of God has come. This phrase, “the Kingdom of God ” is one of the most spoken phrase in the Gospel. This kingdom is another way of expressing or another aspect of salvation or liberation and new life in Christ. In this kingdom, not only are the hungry is fed, the naked are clothed, the homeless have homes, etc.. He described this kingdom also as a kingdom of truth and justice, of love and of peace, etc..

When the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples on Pentecost day one of the effects was that “All the believers were together…. they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere heart (Acts 2:44,46)

All these characteristics of the kingdom have implications in economics, politics, culture, etc..  A community that has been converted to Christ, works hard therefore to shape the political, economic, cultural, etc. life of the community according to the image of the kingdom. This can be seen throughout the history of the Church.

The early Augustinian missionaries in northern Mindanao understood it that way. That is why they were involved in the basic economic and political concerns of their flock. They saw it as part of their missionary work to build communities, to gather the scattered inhabitants into towns and villages (reducidos or reductions) and teach them better ways of farming, industrial arts and other forms of livelihood. They also saw it as part of their mission to speak out against the injustices of the Spanish colonial government. One example is that they strongly protested to the king the unjust exacting of tributes from the native inhabitants. “The people are told that if they wish friendship with the Castillans they must immediately pay tribute. If the people acquiesce, an assessment is made of what each man must pay, and this they are compelled to pay immediately. Some villages have been pillaged because the people did not agree to what was asked of them… We  Spaniards are held in ignominy in this country and our name is held in abomination… because we ill-treat our own friends and harass and trouble them.” (Augustinian official statement in the 1560’s as quoted in Miguel Bernad, SJ, The Christianization of the Philippines, p.70-71).

There is a political, economic and cultural implication to this spiritual liberation or salvation and kingdom of God proclaimed by the Gospel.