In the last episode of this season, we talked about the ailments of our wider mission, the society. Our Lord Jesus carry the theme of Compassion throughout the Old Testament and the Gospel.
The prophet Isaiah expounds on this on True Fasting, emphasizing that the true fasting that the Lord is looking for is essentially helping the poor and the marginalized. This theme is carried though to Isaiah, the actual scroll of which was handed over to Jesus which He read in the synagogue as mentioned in Luke 4:18 when He proclaimed, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.”
Season ender guest, Bro. Joe Tale shares his inspiring points of view as we discuss what ails society and what Couples for Christ can do to help mend these ailments.
The transcript is available below the video.
Transcript
ROBERT LABAYEN
Hi brothers and sisters, welcome to the finale episode of “What Ails You?” This online series is part of our celebration of the 41st anniversary of CFC with the theme” “Heal the World for Christ”. In this series, we bring to you stories and insights about what brings healing to things that ail us. I’m your host, Robert Labayen, journeying with you on this path to healing.
Last time we had with us our brother Rudy Gaspillo, and we talked about what ails the poor and what we can do to help answer their cry. And if you haven’t seen that episode, you can watch it on this channel and also watch all the other episodes before that. And brothers and sisters, please feel free to write down your comments and feedback so that we may know what you think of our discussions.
Today, as a finale to our series, we’re going to talk about a topic on the same grand scale. It is something that affects us and may even affect all our children. It’s about what ails society.
Our guest for today, for this finale episode, is a member of the International Council. And he used to be the chairman of it too. He also served as the head of our Vatican Relations Office based in Rome. And our brother is a lawyer by profession.
Today, together with lovely wife Baby Lou, they are now residing in California, USA. Brothers and sisters, let us welcome our good-looking brother Joe Tale. Hi, Tito Joe.
JOE TALE
Hello, Robert. Glad to be here.
ROBERT
Yeah, it’s good to see you again. We’re always happy to see you and Sis. Baby Lou. Would you like to tell us how you have been the past years?
JOE
Well, by God’s grace, we are safe and well here in California. And actually, I’m also grateful that I’m part of this “What Ails” series. And Bro. Robert, I’d like to congratulate you for handling this series really well up to this finale. Thank you.
ROBERT
I thank you. Thank you also to the staff of the production team.
Brother, my question is a Miss Universe type of question. It’s uh, what ails society? Is it an easy or hard question, Bro. Joe?
JOE
Well, Brother Robert, it is a difficult question. And so I start by acknowledging that. And this is really a broad and daunting subject, and therefore quite challenging. Much can be said about it. You know, if we ask an ordinary man in the street, or somebody with a PhD in sociology, or even a theologian, I’m sure we will get as many varied opinions. Yeah.
And in fact, in the context of CFC, we are a global community present in about 130 countries. And so another dimension further complicates it. One may ask, which society are we referring to? Is it the Philippine situation, the society of the Western world, or that of developing countries, etc.?
ROBERT
Yes, I know, Bro. Joe, I don’t even know where to begin with this big topic. But please tell us how we can observe how our society works today.
JOE
Yes. Well, I would like to further say that, at the outset, I’d like to share where we are coming from, what our host perspective, we are expressing our views, and through what lens we are viewing the situation, and thus making this evaluation.
That said, on my part, may I say that these observations are coming from a simple observer of things, seeing it from the lens of a member of a family renewal movement, which also calls for us to be part of the social renewal of the world. And you know, we are celebrating our 41st years of existence this month.
And given this, Brother Robert, this view is coming from one exposed to Scripture study, through spiritual formation teachings, have traveled to different areas to share the good news of God’s goodness, and in the process, has prayed and worshipped, broken bread, and worshipped and fellowship with many Christians, many Catholics of different races and cultures.
So in short, I express the view of an informal student of humanity, who knows there is so much more to know and understand.
ROBERT
You know, Bro. Joe, how much we value your opinion on things. So, if we’re going to narrow down, what areas would you like us to zoom in on?
JOE
Yes, that’s very useful, Bro. Robert, because obviously we cannot cover all the ails of society in this interview. And since discussions of this nature can go off in many directions, I propose to focus on three areas, which I believe will adequately cover, in general, what ails our society today.
These areas is first, disregard—a growing disregard of the truth.
Secondly, indifference or lack of compassion for one another.
And third, a loss of the sense of the sacred.
So while, and while we will be mostly speaking of the ails of the society, we will also—in the process—attempt to propose what might be solutions to address and overcome the same.
ROBERT
Yes, Bro. Joe, I think these are precise topics to focus on. Let’s start with the truth.
JOE
Yes, you know, truth is a basic foundation of any society. If it is trampled upon, confusion sets in—and society is eventually weakened and maybe even destroyed.
And today, there is a proliferation of lies and truth and fake news. And this is globally happening, not just here, not just in the Philippines. And what exacerbates this is that the trolls which spread them are aided by the ease of the use of social media. And this is truly alarming, because if we don’t know what is true or false, how do we go about living our lives?
Well, the recent Philippine elections have brought this evil to the fore. I believe, if you recall the election statement of our CBCP, they warned of widespread attempts at disinformation.
ROBERT
Yes, Bro. Joe, that is really true. And it’s a matter of concern. I have even heard some people say that there’s no longer any absolute truth or objective truth. They say that truth is a matter of perspective. It’s just what people choose to believe.
So what is your stand on this controversial argument, Bro. Joe?
JOE
Well, I certainly do not agree with that, Bro. Robert. I believe there is an objective truth against which most everything we say should be assessed against. Actually, if I may, I don’t know if some of you or our audience remember a song way back in the 60s. By the way, that’s my generation.
ROBERT
Yeah, I was a little boy at the time. (laughs)
JOE
(laughs) But there is this song which I remember particularly for this interview. It’s a song called “Shades of Grey” and sung by a group called The Monkeys. You know, it’s a little uncanny when we hear it. I will not sing it, Bro. Robert, I’ll just say the lyrics.
It says, “When the world and I were young, just yesterday, life was such a simple game a child could play. It was easy then to tell right from wrong, easy then to tell weak from strong, when a man should stand and fight or just go along. But today, there is no day or night. Today, there is no dark or light. Today, there is no black or white, only shades of grey.”
And if I may continue on the second verse, it says, “I remember when the answer seemed so clear. We had never lived with doubt or tasted fear. It was easy then to tell truth from lies, selling out from compromise, who to love and who to hate, the foolish from the wise.”
ROBERT
I think you were also still a young boy when this song was a hit because you’re still young. But I think although it was written in the 60s, it’s still relevant today or probably ahead of its time.
JOE
Yeah. Well, that’s true, Bro. Robert. In fact, as I mentioned, it is somewhat uncanny that in the time, the 60s, it talked about a phenomenon that we now experience now in the 2020s. So if I may continue on, Bro. Robert.
You know, I’m not sure if many of us realize that the fuzziness of the truth and the lies has even reached a number of areas. One of examples is the gender debate, you know, which somewhat goes like this: someone can claim that my gender, whether male or female, depends on what I feel that I am, regardless of the obvious physical characteristics of my body.
And this is, to me, alarming because even here in the US, this kind of teaching is already being taught in the grade school, to grade school students in the public schools particularly. Can you believe that? When, you know, our pupils are taught that no matter what you look like, if you say that you’re a woman, even if you’re a man, then that’s what is true.
So it’s really alarming to me, Bro. Robert. And so we actually should be on the alert that this teaching might also reach us in the Philippines.
ROBERT
Sorry. Yes, it’s good to hear about it.
JOE
Yeah, well, you know, that is just one example. I can go on with other examples because the master of lies, who is Satan, who is behind this phenomenon, can even lead some to even more evil and scarier situations.
ROBERT
Yeah, that’s true, Bro. Joe. In fact, I can tell that this distorted way of looking at things is slowly or threateningly becoming normal.
So what do you think, Bro. Joe, can we do?
JOE
Yes, precisely. That’s the core of the question. Thank you, Bro. Robert, for asking that. Because, again, there are many things we can do, but let me just focus on what we can do, where we are.
To me, this highlights the importance of leading the people—leading our members, for example—first to Christ, leading them to Christ and to strengthen our basic values, the values we hold dear, beginning in the family. And, you know, we can take comfort in what the Lord says in John 8:31-32, says: “If you abide in my word and are truly my disciples, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
ROBERT
Yes, I agree. I think this is becoming an eye-opening conversation, Brother. So those of us watching, please, I hope you are listening well and taking the insights being shared by our Bro. Joe.
Bro. Joe, can we continue with what you mentioned, the lack of compassion? How does it ail our society?
JOE
Sure, Bro. Robert, because that ail—that ailment of our society is quite widespread. And to me, that is really disappointing because our Lord Jesus and the Scriptures actually carry the theme of compassion throughout the Old Testament and the Gospel.
This is, for example, highlighted in the parable of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus used to illustrate his teaching on loving our neighbor—which he says is the second greatest commandment: loving our neighbor as ourselves. Now, I hope many of those listening still remember that parable where Jesus eventually said [that] our neighbor is those who need our help and who need our mercy.
And if I may continue, you know, in the Old Testament, in the book of the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 58 focuses on the “true fasting”. You know, if you review that particular verse, it is where the Lord, through the prophet, is saying that the kind of fasting that he is really looking for is essentially helping the poor and the marginalized.
You know, in addition to our sacrifices for fasting, dapat hindi kalimutan yung gusto ng Panginoon (we should not forget what the Lord wants:) to really help out the poor and the marginalized.
And this particular theme is carried through Isaiah 60, or 61, which was the actual scroll, which was handed over to Jesus, if you recall, which he read in the synagogue as mentioned in Luke 4:18—where Jesus proclaimed, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.“
ROBERT
It’s true that— sorry, Bro. Joe.
JOE
Yeah. So, well, as I said, punong-puno yung Bible and yung Scriptures of this theme. And yet, may mga—opposite still happens (The Bible and our scriptures are full of this theme, and yet the opposite still happens).
ROBERT
Yes. A lot has been foreshadowed and foreseen by the writers of the Bible. So, Bro. Joe, what other references can we take from scripture that is relevant today?
JOE
Well, yes. Thank you.
I’d like to mention also Matthew 25, which talks about that particular part—which talks about the final judgment. Because in that verse, Jesus was very clear that what will merit us on the day of judgment, to determine where we are going, is how we have helped the poor, how we have fed the hungry and give water to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, and so forth. And he is very clear on that.
And then conversely, in that verse, he says that what will merit those who don’t do this—he said, if you don’t do this, you are going to another place, you’re going to hell. Very clear ang ano ng Panginoon dito (The Lord’s meaning is very clear here).
So, in fact, I invite many of our audience to reread Matthew 25 and reflect on that passage—because the Lord Jesus could not have been any clearer in his teaching. And in fact, Matthew 25 has given rise to what is known as the Corporal Acts of Mercy.
ROBERT
I think in the Corporal Acts of Mercy—these are very specific mandates from our Lord. And yet society in general continues to be indifferent and wanting in compassion for the poor and the marginalized. What can you say about that, Bro. Joe?
JOE
Well, yes, that’s right, Bro. Robert. And as I said earlier, this is a source of disappointment because hindi naman nagkulang Panginoon to remind us what to do (God did not fall short in reminding us what to do). And yet today, one glaring example of this is the widening gap between the rich and the poor. You know, we know this is happening.
We experience it in our country and Pope Francis highlights this in his recent book entitled Let Us Dream, The Path to a Better Future. He writes: “Barely more than 1% of the world’s population owns half of its wealth.” Can you imagine?
Let that sink in for a while, Bro. Robert, because it talks about, really, the gap when only 1% of the world’s population owns half of the resources and the wealth of the world. You know, there is something not right in that.
ROBERT
It’s an imbalance.
JOE
Yeah, the great imbalance. And, you know, this might be said to just refer to the poor countries, it is true. But, you know, this gap is also spreading to more places in our planet. And even in the so-called wealthiest nation in the world, the USA, where we are in right now, there is a creeping poverty and homelessness in many of its states, actually, which is, you know, quite, again, disappointing in this land of plenty. Meron paring ganon (It still exists).
ROBERT
Yes. Brother Joe, you are actually affirming what was discussed during the episode with Bro. Rudy on “What Ails the Poor:. So let me address our audience.
Brothers and sisters, I am sure you can see how things are connected. And healing is really needed. It begins with us, our attitude towards our brothers and the healing that should go to a bigger scale, that is our society.
Bro. Joe, what do you mean by the loss of the sense of the sacred?
JOE
Thank you, Bro. Robert. The loss of the sense of the sacred referred to the general action of many. There is nothing sacred anymore. There is disregard to the values that have been taught to us. And we normally refer this to religion and the values that we inculcate from there. You know, when we—there’s a loss of the sense of the sacred when, well, first, if people don’t realize what is the sacred anymore, that’s even bothersome. Or even if they do know what is wrong, and yet they disregard this.
And this is, to me, a symptom also that is—that also points us to the decline in Christianity and Catholicism, especially in the Western countries. Because actually, Catholicism and Christianity continues to grow in such areas as Africa and South America. But, you know, in the Western countries, maybe I’m talking of North America and Europe, there is the sense that religion is no longer an influencing factor.
Here in the Americas, there is even a joke that the fastest growing religion is the religion of the nones, spelled N-O-N-E-S, hindi yung mga madre (not anymore that of the nuns). The fastest growing religion is the religion of the “nones”, or the disaffiliated. Because this refers to those who check no religion in forms that they fill up, or in the surveys that they answer. And thus, this group no longer goes to church or attend other spiritual activities.
Now, some might say, “you are too alarming.” But the statistics show that this is really an alarming decline. Because the numbers indicate that for the Catholic youth, for example, here in the U.S., this is affecting 50% or half of all the American youth. So it is quite serious. And if you add to this, you know, many of us know that there has been a movement, and it’s actually happening, that removal of crucifixes in the schools, and the disallowance of prayers in the schools, you know, this all contributes to the loss of the sense of the state.
ROBERT
Yes, yes. I’m really concerned because I think that trend in other countries is also happening in the Philippines, isn’t it?
JOE
Yes, that’s true. And, you know, you might ask, our audience might ask: where is this happening? I mean, what indications that there is really a loss of the sense of the sacred? But Bro. Robert, I think this most felt in respect of the respect for human life.
Take the case of abortions, which are really murders, you know, of helpless babies while in their mothers’ wombs. I read somewhere in an article that the victims of abortion has reached about 50 to 60 million babies in the past few years. Now, this number is much more than those who died due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And also, it is more than those who died during the two World Wars that happened in this century. And when you think that, I mean, the governments, for example, are so focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. But it’s not as concerned about abortions.
In fact, what is even more alarming is that some, I mean, governments, some states here in the US also even support abortion. And it’s a big deal. But, you know, again, if you’re worried about COVID pandemic, and rightly so, we should be worried and we should be concerned. But let us not do that at the expense of not worrying about what happens in the area of abortion. We should also be us concerned even more.
And Bro. Robert, in addition, if I just may continue, you know, many of you are following the news, right? That, again, I use the US because this is where we are right now. There has been a series of senseless, massive killings and shootings recently. And in various places: can be the schools, the malls, the medical buildings, parking spaces, etc. And these are happening only a few days of each other. Before it might happen, you know, with years in between, but now it’s happening more often.
ROBERT
Yeah, Bro. Joe, so we wish that you’re safe there right now.
JOE
Yes, we are. It is really scary. God’s grace.
ROBERT
Yeah. And, you know, I think last past years, we heard about a lot of killings in the Philippines as well. Even the local government officials were ambushed, they were killed, and a lot were killed in what is called the drug war, suspected drug users and pushers.
And I think that whether it’s unjustified, or some people say it’s justified killing, I think the value of human life is diminishing to many people. So I would like to know what you think, can we do as CFC, Bro. Joe?
JOE
So Bro. Robert, you know, amidst these societal problems, we don’t have to look far, in so far as solutions are concerned. Because I believe we are blessed that we are in CFC. We are blessed that we are in CFC, because in addition to what we can do through our own individual initiatives, we also have concrete opportunities collectively to respond and do our part to help address what ails our society.
For example, as a family renewal movement, we have been continuously enjoined and formed to strengthen our time-honored values, beginning in our respective families, and evolving to the family ministries—you know, emphasizing the values of truth, of compassion, and respect for the sacred, starting with respect for life.
ROBERT
Yes, Bro. Joe, it is good that in CFC we have a way of showing our compassion to the least, the last, and the lost, our brothers and sisters in the peripheries. So yeah, that’s a good thing to know, Bro. Joe.
JOE
Yes, and further on, Bro. Robert, you know, through our evangelization mission and pastoral formation, we are also able to bring many more closer to Christ and strengthen their sense of the sacred. And sometimes we are—we don’t, you know, take this—we take this for granted: when we hold our households, our assemblies, our conferences, we are actually helping build sacred spaces whenever we do this, globally. And if I may also cite that our—we are able to encourage many of our youth to respond to the call of the priestly and religious vocation; again strengthening our sense of the sacred.
And many of you might not know that through our Build My Church program, we are able to build chapels in rural and depressed areas. And we continue to do so, and thus bring the physical church, as it were, closer to the unchurched.
ROBERT
Yes. Yes, Bro. Joe. So please share with our viewers today, what is our call as a CFC?
JOE
Yes, we take this occasion to issue this call to further intensify—intensify our work in CFC, so we can help address what ails our society right now. And perhaps many of us initially, we may have thought that by joining and supporting CFC, we only benefit ourselves and our respective families. Now, through this episode, I hope that we have also opened our eyes that what we do in CFC is not just for us, but also has a positive impact on the society around us.
ROBERT
Thank you, Brother Joe, for all those insights and your sharing. We now understand better that to address the ailment of society, to help heal society, we have to begin with ourselves, because society is us. And it’s good to know that CFC’s mission is to transform us, to enable our renewal, so that we can change the face of the earth.
And this is a great time to remember that, because it’s our anniversary. So Bro. Joe, let’s pray for our society and please lead us in a short player for this episode.
JOE
Yes thank you brother Robert it is an honor.
So if I just would like to invite everyone to first quiet our hearts, and feel, experience the presence of God in our midst and pray. In the name the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Almighty God, You have created man and woman in your own image and likeness and to be social beings also interacting with many others and forming many people’s societies and nations. We ask, dear Lord, that you send the Holy Spirit so that all of your people can live in harmony and peace. Lead us, Lord, to the solutions to overcome what ails our society. Strengthen us to pursue the solutions, Lord. We ask, dear God, that You also empower us in Couples for Christ with our families, with our friends, to be your instruments in healing the world.
Lord, this we ask in the loving and powerful name of Your Son, Jesus. With the intercession of the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph for Your greater glory and honor. Amen
In the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Amen.
ROBERT
Thank you again brother Joe. It was a great conversation.
Thank you brothers and sisters for joining us in the entire series of “What Ails You?”.
Our anniversary theme “Heal the World for Christ” actually reminded us that we need healing not just from the pandemic but from many aspects in our lives: our finance, family, the Church, community, the environment, our marriage, the poor, and our society.
As our journey continues with the victories that we celebrate, we also commit to do more to help heal the world for Christ. I hope that all the lessons and insight that we gathered in this series will help us bring more light and hope to those around us. We will continue to pray for each other.
May we never forget that through, in, and with Christ, there is healing. This is Bro. Robert Labayen, signing off. God bless you and your family.