Salutation #130

From the Book of Life proceeds -

   the Eternal Law!

Thus
is the way of all nations
established for all nations by God -

   for our law serves life, 
   and our life observes the Law.

'Tis but one great cycle
of exile and of exile returning -

   proceeding from peace, 
   and leading again into Peace!
---<--@



(The 2nd Cause: The Cause of Law - Unity)

The 2nd Cause
is concerned with Law
- and - the juridical processes
that guide, form, and strengthen
the evolving social consciousness
of the national community.

   (For human law
   as it is manifested - in time -
   is ever imperfect and as thus require
   - constantly - the guidance of the Eternal Law
   written in the hearts of all Mankind.)

- selah -

LAW is
what imparts necessary shape
and requisite strength to human reason
- and - human reason - as it directly relates -
with the LORD God - the one Author of Law -
and consequently, other human beings
(as well as other living beings,
seen and unseen).

Therefore,
Law must first be reasonable.

- selah -

Law must be made meaningful
to human reason - unaided by faith,
and so must draw its binding force (of truth)
out of a desire to advocate and advance
the authentic freedoms, intrinsic rights,
and the sheer quality of life
of those constituent communities
of whose citizens its necessary promulgation
is intended by the legislative branch
of the Responsible State.

- selah -

Law serves all of life.

But Law must - first and foremost -
be placed ever in the service of Sacred Life.

We
of the generations
of the children of Mankind
being both the guardians of the law [of the nations]
- as well as - its beneficiaries must dwell
in constant remembrance that:

   Life is a pre-existent good
   - life is before everything else was -
   the transcendental substance of its Truth
   is of the One Who is both limitless and eternal -
   and law inspired by the LORD
   is one written in defense of Sacred Life
   which is like clothing given for our nakedness,
   sewn as shelter for the needs of all living creation
   particularly human life.

   Therefore,
   law [human] is Law [Eternal] that serve all of life.

      (The intention
      of the law [of the nations]
      is to respond to human needs,
      and in particular, those human needs
      that are needful of its protection.

      Therefore,
      a law can not be written
      to create and/or to exploit human needs
      because this is the reverse of its original intention.

      The reverse [of law]
      can never ultimately hold true
      - against the flowing out of exile time -
      for it shall never hold fast in the one heart of Man
      being naught but a tyranny of words
      and of entire languages of words -
      offensive, empty, and barren.)

One
who beholds the law
and lives to abide with the Law
- in the heart -
must ever be aware
that those common human needs
are forever protected by the Eternal God -

That Law exists
in the service of Sacred Life!

- selah -

A law that serves
is one that is observed.

One must first observe the law
who desire to gain from its original intention.

In this way,
law is no respecter of persons
but is above all persons
(and personalities).

Therefore,
if any human community is to benefit
from the original intention of law,
then it must first be willing
to freely and completely apply itself
to its prescripts and ensure that the rule of law
both extends to all and applies to all
(which is effective promulgation and civic participation
founded on effective civic education respectively).

What precedes
this necessary civic observance
is an inherent public trust of whose original domain
is founded at the very foundation of law.

To be sure,
law was something inspired by God in Mankind
having variously revealed it to our humanity
- throughout Salvation History -
as a sign of our LORD's manifest will
to lead all hearts to the Truth.

It is an extension of His good will for all nations.

   (The highest [noblest] form of law being
   the Law of the Gospel or the Law of Christ-Love
   or the one Law [beyond which there is no more law].)

Since
the purpose of Justice - is -
the restoration of the Original Ideal,
Justice by its own virtue
seeks to preserve and to promote
what goodness there is.

We are then left with the reality of evil.

Now,
the intention of law is to bind evil
(and defeat the Evil in all evil things) -
to deter, deflect, deny, and expose it.

Therefore,
the purpose of law is - also -
to preserve and to promote the good
but this law wills to achieve
by the discouragement of evil acts.

Law is what deters evil
from afflicting all who
are covered by law.
---<--@

The Circular Relationship of the Causes

Salutation #108

Honest labors bless.

Dishonest labors curse.

Clean money brings happiness.

Poisoned money brings only death.

(Law and the Real Economy of Nations)

THERE IS a vastly distinct

- yet subtle -

difference between

an economy that is real

and one that is false.

- selah -

A real economy

is one founded on the labors

all nations ought to work -

the labor of common human needs!

It is the work

of building up the inhabited earth

which in turn sustains the life of the people

and bring together all our generations.

In a real economy

- virtue is currency -

and grace, free and divine,

an integral part

of the national economy.

It is always

- a labor of hope -

(and so, ascends to the LORD)

and is the soil upon which

every national vision

is planted.

From out of this soil,

every particular tree of Country,

ordained, endowed and commissioned by God,

grows and reaches out to heaven -

and destiny.

A false economy

is one that takes away

from the strength and the vitality

of the real economy

that ought to animate the spirit

of every nation's dreaming together.

It is not the opposite

of a real economy

but a false version of it

and one that may offer

the external appearance

of similar fruit.

(A real economy

that from all outward appearances

appear to be at 100%

may only be, in fact, at 40%

because of the 100% false economy

thriving within it.

It is never as clear cut as -

real economy = 40%

false economy = 60%

total economy = 100%

The discernment of the Responsible State,

the vigilance of all its concerned government institutions

underpinned by the skill and will of the citizenry

especially first responders in law enforcement

all have a necessary part to play -

for all these individual actions contribute

to the over-all workings

of a healthy national economy

- which in turn -

shelters the person

and promote the well-being

of all.)

All species of criminal activity

and all those activities (as a whole)

that exploit the hope of the people

and take undue advantage

of the common human needs

that ought to be entirely protected

- by the Sacred Trust -

of every nation

produces diverse structures of evil

(social in nature

and organized as far

as it is allowed

by it own host nation)

that, each in its own ill-turn,

feed into these false economies

that steal away (like a host of parasites)

the time, talents, and the treasures

of Country.

It is always a work

wrought in lies and false hopes.

It is always an endeavor

supported by vice and brute force.

And it ultimately leads the people

into emptiness and despair.

For

despite all outward appearances,

all false economies are possessed

of no vision, no promise,

and no victory.

To join with it then, is futility.

Now,

it is one of the essential functions

of Law to draw a line

- clear and straight -

between a real economy

and a false economy.

RA9160 requires that we draw that line!

---<--@

RA9160 is the Anti-Money Laundering Act of the Philippines.

Common Human Needs

Salutation #85

Lead us back to you, O LORD, that we may be restored:

give us anew such days as we had of old.

For now you have indeed rejected us,

and in full measure turned your wrath against us.

Lamentations 5: 21-22

(Law and Justice)

The practice of law is the practice of justice.

It is one act of charity.

Law is the breadth

and justice is the depth,

mercy is the awesome completeness

of its embrace in Man.

The depths of Man knows justice

- where and when it is present -

but more acutely

when and where it is absent.

The breadth of law

is the force that shapes

the destiny of nations

and guides each the order of it - across time,

keeping its necessary discipline

and exact form distinct

from the chaos

and the emptiness of the void.

Both law and justice is completed in mercy

and mercy perfected in charity,

even the charity of God.

For as long the soul of Man pines for God,

the heart of Man longs for justice;

for as long the heart of Man longs for justice,

the Law of the LORD exists!

And the laws of the nations derive their authority from it.

---<--@

For further reflection -



If law is a container,
then justice is the water.

How full it is depends on the water.
How satisfying it is depends on the container.
One can not be without the other. 

For a container without water
brings no comfort to the thirsty
and water without a container
sinks afoul into corruption.
---<--@

20111020

Salutation #60

Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

God saw how good the light was. God then separated the light from the darkness.

- Genesis 1: 3-4

(Objectivity and Justice)

It is not in the present nature of the earth to be neutral.

The unknown earth - in and of itself -

is greater than our natural powers to subdue and perfect

and bring into the dominion of God.

This dominion of earth,

selected for the stewardship of our one family of nations,

being the visible universe entire and particularly this one home world

upon which our humanity and all its generations is planted

as seeds by the will of Providence Divine,

is a barren and hostile realm.

It is a realm of exiles.

We exist as transients in a realm of imbalances, fickle and fleeting.

Absolutely speaking,

objectivity can never freely exist - unbound and unlimited -

in a realm that is as strange and unwelcoming to Mankind as the unknown earth

for if it did, Law and its derivative forms would become unnecessary

and the peace of our nations forever undone!

- selah -

All human constructs inherit from our own humanity,

our own human characteristics, including our own weaknesses.

Collective experiences of a common reality is subjective as a whole

because this same subjectivity also applies

to each individual experience of a particular reality.

Our collective experience of reality

- as a nation among nations -

can be said to be like an all-embracing sea

of whose invisible waters are constantly - refreshed and replenished -

from the culmination of individual choices that flow out as a river

- from every past to every present time -

from each our own individual experience of a particular reality

and this germ of national consciousness

- that every present generation inherits as a whole -

may be said to be naturally predisposed to the intrinsic subjectivity

that is native to each our own particular experiences.

The greater these remembrances,

the stronger the inclination exists to remove ourselves

from the pain of an original ignorance

we can no longer enjoy.

It is therefore, difficult - the greater the view of reality -

to even begin to establish a common foundation

upon which a sense of judicial objectivity

may be said to be ascertained.

Objectivity,

as far as our experience of reality goes,

may only be guaranteed to be certain as far as it is viewed

from within the confines of a controlled environment.

Objectivity in Law

draws from the letter of the law

which at times leave no room of the interpretation of Justice.

For Law as itself is objective only insofar as it is unapplied -

in this sense, law is neutral;

its potential locked until such a time as it is interpreted and applied

by the right juridical authority.

Justice is not objective.

Anywhere that Justice is said to be impartial, it is only to persons.

For Justice by its virtue deals with the restoration of the Truth.

It is therefore, by its own nature partial always to the good.

- selah -

Justice and its application in time, I personally believe,

in its widest sense, must depend not by complete objectivity in interpretation

but by complete impartiality in judgment.

Law is a constraint meant to restrict

what harms the public order and impugns the civil peace

but Justice is not a constraint - it is an act -

meant to restore and preserve the good, the common good, and the absolute good.

It uses the constraint of law in order to preserve

and the virtue of its nature in order to restore.

Since Justice is never inherently objective and Law is never freely subjective,

objectivity where juridical interpretation is concerned, I personally believe,

must draw its common foundation from ethics and the moral sciences.

---<--@

A Soldier's Heart -

No matter the politics - No matter the differences - No matter the cause - When it comes down to it - When the thunder and the confusion sets in and the killing and the dying begins and the whole world seems to shrink - Soldiers fight only for each other and this picture says it all...

NEVER FORGET - go team AFP - go Army.

(Farewell to Promise)

I believe the greatest protection from the psychological and spiritual trauma of the battlefield is the peace of knowing you are fighting for something you personally love; something near to your heart and mind - something you can connect to everything you hold dear and connects you to everything you hold dear.

A love that is a constant assurance to your soldier's heart that you are not fighting in the blind; that you are not fighting just for the sake of fighting alone; that your individual actions are never inspired by mere hatred of the enemy but by a personal commitment to duty, honor and a glorious adherence to the martial virtues.

---<--@

A Call to Memory -

O my Philippines, ALL you brothers and sisters of the Promise, we can not allow the future to be derailed by those who seek to pull us back into the gravity of the last great age of War!

We can not be the enemy we claim to fight - the peace process must draw its lessons from this last encounter, define itself more closely, include and involve all our communities more broadly, and proceed fortified and not weakened by the nobility of our soldiers and the sacrifice of those whom we lost yesterday in Basilan - from both sides of the one side of the one Filipino nation.

Verily, it is the spirit of War against whom we ultimately struggle against before whom we are all, as nations of Mankind, enemies to the last of our generations!

---<--@

It is human to fight for right causes. It is not human to fight against Justice.

It is human to know when to stop fighting. It is not human to forsake the cause of Peace.

It is human to hope for self and for others. It is not human to despair of either self or of others.

It is human to fight for love. It is not human to fight for hate. For when we fight for love, we defend. When we fight for hate, we only fight.

---<--@

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! God bless us all.

Brokenness

Promise of Old

20110725

Starshine, peace be with you -

Have you prayed for Norway and her people recently?

What happened in Norway, of our one family of nations, is a terrible thing.

What had cost that nation many lives, mostly young lives, is a spirit that once led into the human heart divides it against its own humanity.

It is not the fault of Norway.

Most certainly, it is the fault of Mr. Breivik. But most of all, it is the fault of the enemy of God and of all our kindred nations.

Do the innocents justice, our beloved Starshine, and tolerate no division, no enmity, no chaos within thy own selves - preserve the reign of the LORD within each thy own worlds within.

Of whatever name or doctrine it may fashion itself as, Beloved of God, when it shall propose itself - with lies - at the door of thy soul, you must never allow this spirit of War into thy own heart of hearts.

With due diligence preserve thyself, precious Starshine of the nations of Mankind, in the good graces of God and in common good will to each other as free citizens of His creation, for by thus thou wilt strike at the very heart of the spirit of War itself.

The law of the land of Norway will bind the evil of Mr. Breivik. But the justice of your own souls, Beloved of the LORD, must work to continue to preserve the common good in our societies outside of the courts of our nations.

Let us review the following -

Salutation #3

(Darkness)

TO THE NUMBERLESS LIGHTS
of our kindred belonging,
greetings of sincere hope
and good will -
my love and prayers:

There is evil in our days,
as it was in those days of old.

Evil where it is allowed to endure
into every present time
to stand against the line
established in the Now of the moment
is an enemy that is never meant
to defeat the will of the good.

For the arrangement of all past things
in every person's life
like a romance between human choice
and the serendipity of God's grace
is always intended in such a way
by the beneficence of Divine Providence
so as to culminate into every present time
which is always sufficient in its own Day
with regards to the particular evils
that each and every individual soul
must in each their own time and place
learn to recognize and vanquish
by and through the grace of our LORD
in and with the support of our human communities,
civic and religious, national and international,
that exist for our benefit

- in exile time -

to safeguard and foster our common good.

Should there be evil in our day,
even if the past had a large part to play
in its appearance in our present time,
indeed, it should not be here to give us reason
to conveniently dwell on the darkness of past things.

Where evil is allowed to endure
into the present reality
of souls and communities of souls,
it is so that we may learn in our own lives
how to effectively close the doors of past things.

Believe that evil endures
not to defeat the human being
but to allow him or her the opportunity
to recreate in every present moment
in God and with each other,
the beginnings of better, brighter and nobler things.

Peace.
---<--@

Salutation #5

(Freedom)

PEACE, I salute you.

Even the smallest of lights
shines in the darkness -
so shift your focus, my friend,
if you haven't already done so
for each and every good thing counts
regardless of the darkness.

What is praiseworthy is right action.
It is what makes us distinct from the darkness -
it is ignition -
the actual point of contact
between human will and divine grace.
Right action is, in the painting by Michelangelo
of Adam reaching out to God
with their fingers extending out to each other,
that bright spark at the imagined point of contact
between the freedom of Man and the freedom of God:
Right action always results in good works.

What motivates the will to act
must also be what inspire the heart to love.
Therefore, evil action is always the result
of false inspiration -
the idolatry of sin!
So if we are to do good,
we must first learn to love the good -
and shun all that is evil.

For we profit not from evil,
my dear friend,
but from the good;
our motivation being derived
from purposes that are good,
our hopes being anchored upon things
that are true and therefore, good,
and the wings of our surrender to prayer
being ever vigilant and discerning
in its ascent
to the one Giver of all good things.

For evil no longer hold us captive.
We have come to know it
and forever bless the LORD for His Light.
Therefore, we seek now to unknow it
upon paths of repentance
that lead away from darkness
and into peace -
peace in our hearts -
peace with our fellow human beings -
peace with all of heaven -
and peace with our God.
---<--@

Anything fashioned purely out of hatred and the spirit of revenge bring only darkness and grief at its wake. Do not be by evil-inspired.

---<--@

Mabuhay po tayong lahat! Peace be to Norway and her people. God bless us all.

Lastly, just a final reminder for all my honorable Filipino compatriots - mamayang hapon na po:

We will certainly be discussing this - constructively - in support of the mission of our Republic and in the context of the goals of the Aquino administration.

Mabuhay ang ating Presidente at mabuhay din po ang kanyang Bise Presidente!

20110514

Salutation #9

(Perseverance)

TO EACH OF YOU,

my beloved brothers and sisters of the Promise

who are all my honorable Filipino compatriots -

with one heart, O my nation -

I salute you, peace.

The more we are tried in fire and humiliation,

the more persevering should be our peace -

The more the evil within all evil things

seeks to dominate our common will of hope,

and shatter our belongings with each other,

the more we should strive to become who we are -

a people of peace, strong for our togetherness,

together for our faithfulness in the truth

that we are a nation distinct but not apart

from the one family of the nations of Mankind.

The Republic belongs to those who love it

and the nation to those who take this love to heart.

If the times are dark, it is not because of the true:

As every lion waits for its time, so must you.

So must you preserve the peace within thy selves!

Establish within thy soul

an unyielding firmament of Day,

and preserve in thy hearts a shelter of law -

tolerate no division, no enmity, no chaos -

for in this world there is much evil and lawlessness

but the more this darkness seeks to encroach upon thy will

the more the scandal of evil shall with pleasure entice

the more you shall seek to this shelter as a shield

that you may be guided by reason and faith

and as the Day is separated by God over the Night,

you shall be made to prosper in Justice and in the right.

Let this shelter flourish in thy one heart of hearts,

all of you who hold true to thy love of God and this Country,

and let the evil in all evil things find no safe harbor in thy souls;

let its tongue be confounded in the Sanctuary of thy heart;

let its deceptions wither under the light of the truth;

let its malice and cruelty be brought to naught,

its schemes be turned into dust and ashes,

and its ambitions into nothingness.

For thou shalt will to extend this shelter of law

as a shield to the stranger, to the weak, to the voiceless,

to the dispossessed, the displaced, and the defenseless,

and thereby through thy own willingness,

find favor for this nation of ours

with the LORD of all nations -

the God of all mercy and infinite compassion!

---<--@

The War on the RH Bill

There is a "war" of words going on between the proponents and the opponents of the RH Bill. And its getting downright nasty.

My fellow Filipino compatriots, I am decidedly against the RH Bill.

I have made this position clear in my previous posts.

But I am also against this dividing spirit. In fact, I am more worried by the outcome of this division than by the outcome of the debate itself.

If we should fall, O my people, may we always land on our feet united in heart.

Entire nations have an ability to make mistakes, let there be no doubt about that. For in such a way are entire peoples tested in spirit.

But if our hearts become divided - RH Bill or not - not will we only fall, we will be crushed by its height.

A nation with War in its heart - a people without its peace - feels itself paralyzed for fear that it can not afford to make mistakes and is therefore struck down by God Himself.

There needs to be humility in the fight for the purposes of God will always prevail.

What if the RH law is passed? Shall it serve to make these divisions permanent?

What if the RH bill does not receive quorum in Congress? Shall it serve to also make these divisions permanent?

We should be mindful of our ultimate loyalties to each other as citizens. We should be aware of the humanity in our words - for we are speaking to each other in terms noble and human, being mindful that we all want what is best for this Country.

I fear the shift in our culture that will be brought about by the RH law will eventually serve to shape it into a form that is foreign to our people.

But I am more concerned about the internal divisions that will render this culture irredeemably stony and hard, fragile against any force of truth and unyielding against the will of any form of law at all.

Therefore, if this RH bill is passed into law, I shall endeavor to do my utmost to overturn it. But I will always remain within my loyalty to this Republic undertaking, true to my faith in God, and to the great democracy of our people.

For Man is able to live even under the yoke of evil laws. But without law, Man is unable to live at all.

---<--@

The 2nd Cause: The Cause of Law - Unity

Law in the service of Sacred Life.

A law that serves is one that is observed. One must first observe the law who desire to gain from its original intention. In this way, law is no respecter of persons but is above all persons.

Therefore, if any human community is to benefit from the intention of law, then it must first be willing to apply itself to its prescripts and to ensure that the rule of law both extends to all and applies to all (which is effective promulgation and civic participation founded on effective civic education respectively).

What precedes this necessary observance is an inherent public trust of whose original domain is founded at the very foundations of law.

To be sure, law was something inspired by God in Mankind having variously revealed it to our humanity throughout Salvation History as a sign of our LORD's manifest will to lead all hearts to the truth.

It is an extension of His good will for all nations.

Since the purpose of Justice is the restoration of the original ideal, Justice by its own virtue seeks to preserve and to promote what goodness there is.

We are then left with the reality of evil.

Now, the intention of law is to bind evil - to deter, deflect, deny, and expose it.

Therefore, the purpose of law is to preserve and to promote goodness also but this law achieves by the discouragement of evil acts.

Law is an adaptation of human reason. If gives a necessary form and shape to our reason. It shapes the social consciousness and civic conscience of entire nations.

A law that is unreasonable is not a law but a tyranny of words.

One can make a law against the preservation of life but this is essentially offensive to the spirit of law.

For law in and of itself has its limits. It must first be founded on something limitless to make it meaningful.

In such a way is the 2nd Cause related to the 1st Cause - Sacred Life.

Only in this light can we meaningfully perceive the saying -

"Those who have less in life should have more in law."
---<--@

On Illegal Immigration

In my own view, there can be no such thing as an "illegal immigrant", only the act of illegal immigration may be sanctioned by law.

You can undo the act but not the person: Love the sinner not the sin.

The thinking that inclines the mind to believe that a human person is somehow illegal (given that this entire universe is our one human habitation) is in itself unlawful and leads to those forms of injustices that add to the burden against which law itself must continually guard and fight against.

And this is true not just in the U.S., who is by far the most visible Country presently grappling with the issue, but is true for all nations, including our own.

Every nation to a certain degree must deal with forms of illegal immigration both from within ourselves (e.g. "informal settlers") and with other nations.

The way we, as a nation, treat human beings (especially the weakest and the least) and the way our laws treat human beings are intertwined because of the fact that our laws shape the way in which our society thinks to believe itself to be.

As such, law by itself is not sufficient.
---<--@

Preserving and Representing the National Good Will



My fellow Filipino compatriots, in the midst of all our necessary affairs as a nation - and they are many indeed - let us not forget our common duty of personal and national good will to our other kindred nations of our one family of nations:

Let us pray for peace in Libya and the safety of the Libyan nation.

Let us also pray for peace in Egypt and the safety of the Egyptian nation.

Let us never forget that region in Asia so wanting and needful of peace and that our own peace process is connected to the peace of that region.

For if we desire peace for other nations, we must first possess it.

And if we truly desire peace for ourselves, we must first work to gain it from God - here in our one heart of hearts.

Let us also continue to pray for Japan in her work of healing and rebuilding and for Mexico who is fighting a vicious conflict against drug cartels.
---<--@

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! God bless us all.

The Two Questions