THE RIGHT TO STAND FOR ONE’S PRINCIPLES

THE RIGHT AND THE GIFT TO LOVE GOD AND COUNTRY
Fr. Robert Reyes

Today is our eleventh day of praying, sharing and dreaming on with junior officers and civilians. We have discovered our common passions and love, to work and make sacrifices for land and people. The last eleven days are both joyful and sad. It is sad to sit in a concrete cell with iron grills and iron gates regularly locked and unlocked to ensure that we stay detained, our freedom limited, our movement monitored.

However, our joy knows no limits. We do sit sad having lost our basic freedom, but we also feel the deep joy of being given the chance to show and express our love and devotion to the Mother land.

Today, our motto in GOMBURZA makes more sense, “Kristiyano ako kaya Makabayan!” In my cell, I encounter Jesus also detained, monitored and unjustly accused. To suffer detention, persecution is a privilege and challenge to intensify our faith and deeper our resolve to serve and give more of ourselves to

God, Country and People, most specially the poor and Marginalized.