Sinabi kahapon ni Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas na bagamat ang pagdiriwang ng Pasko ay nagdudulot ng kaligayahan, naghahatid din ito ng hindi birong pighati sa libu-libong pamilya dahil sa extrajudicial killings sa bansa.
“Christmas comes to us as a feast of beauty but we are not blind and numb to the ugliness that has come upon us. We have Christmas but there is blood spilling on our streets and sidewalks. We have Christmas and we party but there are now more than five thousand families mixing Christmas carols with their quiet tears because a loved one has been stricken down by a bullet,” saad sa mensahe niya para sa Pasko na babasahin sa lahat ng misa sa archdiocese ngayong Linggo.
Maging ang Noche Buena, ayon kay Villegas, ay matabang at walang lasa dahil ang mapait na lasa ng kamatayan ay “too strong to forget”.
“There are Christmas carols in the air but there is blood by the garbage dump and even inside jails. There is a Christmas parol by the window at home but the unresolved murder at home outshines our Christmas lights,” ani Villegas.
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“This blood spilling is ugly because it is not the plan of God for His people. Murder is ugly. Extrajudicial killing is ugly,” dagdag pa niya, iginiit na naging pangkaraniwan na ngayon sa bansa ang makadama ng galit na nagbubunsod ng kultura ng paghihiganti.
Gayunman, iginiit ni Villegas na mas makapangyarihan pa rin ang Pasko kaysa takot at galit, dahil pag-asa ang laging hatid nito.
“Christmas looks at our frightened eyes and, in an eyeball to eyeball duel, knocks down all our fears with Christ’s light of hope. Christmas looks into the eyes of our hatred and rage to melt that madness with tenderness and compassion. The light of Christmas shines on our country, now plagued by a culture of revenge, to heal all raging hearts with the balm of God’s kindness. This country cannot reach greatness under a blanket of fear and anger but under a mantle of hope and love,” sabi pa ni Villegas. (Leslie Ann G. Aquino)
