Virtual Community and Real Community

Is virtual community a real community? The virtual community is generated by a computer to stimulate real objects and activities while real community is something factual which actually exists and is not imagined and invented. For me, virtual community can be an instrument to become real community. In the virtual world we communicate other people whom we do not really know. That’s why in doing cyberspace let’s purify our intentions. Our end must be good. There must be a sense of communion, and it would be a tool for evangelization. So that virtual community would somehow become a real community.

Nowadays, we are living this overarching world of social media. And because of the social media, the world is getting smaller and smaller precisely because we can easily communicate to those people who are far from us. Social media is very substantial in spreading messages and information to other people especially news. But the risk of social media is that if our motive or intention is bad it would be very dangerous. For instance, in Facebook, if we have an enemy, we can post anything against that person and upload it to the internet. It is very less reflective. We never care the feelings of other people. What we do is post and post against him/her. And this is the great danger of social media, we become less reflective and less responsible. That’s why in engaging social media our intention must be for the good of all.

Nevertheless, Social media involves communion or communication. And social media is a good device for communication. Since we want to connect and belong to one another, to share our feelings and thoughts, then social media is very useful. For example, during the time when the Philippines was hit by the typhoon Yolanda. Social media was very important in spreading information in asking help for the victims. And I think through that catastrophe, social media is very much helpful. And it was already a sign that virtual community has the chance to become a real community. Therefore, it is really possible that virtual community becomes real community.

In the Church, social media is also a good tool for evangelization. We must be a cyber-evangelizers in this cyber phenomenon. As online communities of faith, we must be a good example and an inspiration to other people. We must not isolate users, rather we must connect and we must acknowledge every user that they are part of a real community. And it will not stop there because whatever begins on social media does not stay on social media alone. Social media could be a normative tool for communication whom most of the people meet each other in a physical environment. And it simply begins with social communication.

In a nutshell, social media can be a substantial tool to bring out virtual community into real community as long as there is communication between different people or groups. We must also be responsible in using social media. And let’s also use social media for evangelization. 

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

Lawrence Kohlberg is known for his theory of moral development. This theory holds that moral reasoning, the basis for ethical behavior, has six identifiable developmental stages. The six stages of moral development are grouped into three levels: pre-conventional morality, conventional morality, and post-conventional morality. He believed that individuals could only advance through these stages one stage at a time. One could not, for instance, go from an orientation of selfishness to the law and order stage without falling out through the good boy/girl stage. He presents several dilemma stories and asked many such questions to discover how people reasoned about moral issues. That’s why he identified these three distinct levels of moral reasoning. But all the subjects for his research are exclusively “male” of different ages.

            Moreover, Kohlberg’s theory of moral development is very relevant at the level of psychology. As human beings, one has the ability to develop his/her moral thinking depending on his/her cultural upbringing. One could somehow pass through these six stages one at a time because along the process of maturity one also developing his/her moral reasoning. A human person has the capacity to develop his/her character, the way he/she thinks, and the way he/she acts. Precisely because one has the capability to transcend beyond what is existing. And this is also true in psychology, one has the capacity to develop both intellectual and physical.

            However, the subjects for the experiments of Kohlberg’s research are exclusively “males”. I think the Kohlberg’s stage theory is sexually biased in favor of males. Kohlberg’s somehow shows that males are higher moral development than females. But, other researchers would say that there are other helping behavior which is also used to measure morality. These behaviors are empathy and guilt altruism. And these behaviors are dominant with the females. It is too erroneous to conduct an experiment of group of males representing the whole gender. Just like conducting an experiment of selected countries representing the whole world. It is erroneous because different countries and different people have different upbringing of cultures.

            In sum, Kohlberg’s stages of moral development are necessary for a human person as he/she progressed. But Kohlberg’s experiment is somehow sexually biased because the subjects for his experiments are all males. In fact, empathy and guilt altruism are helping behaviors to measure morality which is dominant in females and not really in males. In other words, one cannot easily conclude that through experimenting few individuals it already represents the whole. 

Pitfalls of Priesthood

POPE FRANCIS’ 15 AILMENTS OF THE ROMAN CURIA: PITFALLS OF PRIESTHOOD

The disease of feeling 'immortal' or 'essential'

'A curia that does not practice self-criticism, does not keep up to date, does not try to better itself, is an infirm Body'. The Pope mentions that a visit to cemeteries could help us see the names of many who 'maybe thought they were immortal, exempt and essential!'. It is the disease of those who 'turn into masters and feel superior to everyone rather than in the service of all people. It often comes from the pathology of power, the "Messiah complex" and narcissism'. 

The disease of excessive activity
It is the disease of those who, like Martha in the Gospel, 'lose themselves in their work, inevitably neglecting "what is better"; sitting at Jesus' feet'. The Pope recalls that Jesus 'called his disciples to "rest a little", because neglecting necessary rest brings anxiety and stress'.

The diseases of mental and spiritual 'petrification'
It is the disease of those who 'lose their internal peace, their vivacity and audacity, to hide under papers and become "procedural machines" instead of men of God', unable to 'weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice!'.

The disease of overplanning
'When the apostle plans everything in detail' and believes that, through this, 'things progress effectively, thus becoming an accountant. Good planning is necessary but without falling into the temptation of wanting to enclose or steer the freedom of the Holy Spirit... it is always easier and more convenient to fall back on static and unchanged positions'.

The disease of bad coordination
It is the disease of members who 'lose the community among them, and the Body loses its harmonious functionality' becoming 'an orchestra producing undisciplined noise because its members do not cooperate and do not live communally and have team spirit'.

The disease of spiritual Alzheimer's
That is a 'progressive decline of spiritual faculties' which 'causes severe disadvantages to people', making them live in a 'state of absolute dependence on their, often imagined, views'. We can see this in those who have 'lost their memory' of their encounter with the Lord, in those who depend on their 'passions, whims and obsessions'.

The disease of rivalry and vainglory
'When the appearance, the colour of  the vestments and the honours become the first objectives of life... It is the disease that leads us to become false men and women, living a false "mysticism" and false "quietism"'.

The disease of existential schizophrenia
It is the disease of those who live 'a double life, a result of the hypocrisy typical of mediocre people and of advancing spiritual emptiness, which degrees or academic titles cannot fill'. It often strikes us that some 'abandon the pastoral service and limit their activities to bureaucracy, losing touch with reality and real people. They thus create their own parallel world, where they set aside all that the others harshly teach' and live a 'hidden' and often 'dissolute' life. 

The disease of gossip and chatter
'It takes hold of a person making them "sowers of discord" (like Satan), and, in many cases, "cold-blooded murderers" of the reputation of their colleagues and brothers. It is the disease of cowards, who do not have the courage to speak upfront and so talk behind one's back... Watch out against the terrorism of gossip!'.

The disease of deifying the leaders
It is the disease of those who 'court their superiors', becoming victims of 'careerism and opportunism' and 'live their vocation thinking only of what they must gain and not of what they must give'. It might also affects the superiors 'when they court some of their collaborators in order to gain their submission, loyalty and psychological dependence, but the final result is real complicity'.

The disease of indifference to others
'When each one thinks only of themselves and loses the truthfulness and warmth of human relationships. When the more experienced ones do not offer their knowledge to the service of less experienced colleagues. When, because of jealousy or cunning, we rejoice in seeing others fall, rather than lift them up and encourage them'.

The disease of the funeral face
It is the disease of people who are 'scowling and unfriendly and think that, in order to be serious, they must show a melancholic and strict face and treat others - especially those, whom they think are inferior - with rigidity, harshness and arrogance'. In reality, adds the Pope, 'theatrical strictness and sterile pessimism are often symptoms of fear and insecurity about themselves. The apostle must strive to be a polite, serene, enthusiastic and joyful person...'. Francis invites people to be full of humour and self-irony; 'How beneficial a healthy dose of humour can be!'

The disease of hoarding
'When the apostle seeks to fill an existential void in his heart by hoarding material possessions, not because of necessity, but only to feel secure'.

The disease of closed circles
When belonging to a clique becomes more important than belonging to the Body and, in some situations, than belonging to Christ himself. Even this disease starts from good intentions, but in time it enslaves all its members becoming "a cancer"'.

The disease of worldly profit and exhibitionism
'When the apostle turns his service into power, and his power into a commodity to gain worldly profits, or even more powers. It is the disease of those people who relentlessly seek to increase their powers. To achieve that, they may defame, slander and discredit others, even on newspapers and magazines. Naturally, that is in order to show off and exhibit their superiority to others'. A disease that 'badly hurts the Body because it leads people to justify the use of any means in order to fulfill their aim, often in the name of transparency and justice!'

Francis ended by recalling that he had once read that 'priests are like airplanes, they make the headlines only when they fall, but there are many who fly. Many criticise, and few pray for them'. He said this statement was 'very true, because it highlights the importance and the delicacy of our priestly ministry, and how much a single priest who 'falls' may hurt the whole body of the Church'.

How do I Say God?

Many people have different practices/ways of saying God. In my case as a seminarian, I say God through prayer. I do this every day believing that God is the source of life and without him I am nothing. In prayer, I always thank him for the benefits I have received, for the gift of life and for the people who support me, especially my family.  I can say that God is present in my life because of the people who cared and loved me. Although there are times that I experienced difficulties, but these people convinced me to persevere because obviously all of us experienced problems. True enough, my life became more colorful because of those problems I encountered which I did not ignore but rather faced them.

Prayer for Vocations

In 2013, Pope Francis declared that a Year of Consecrated Life (YCL) be celebrated throughout the world. YCL will begin on the First Sunday of Advent, November 30, 2014. It will close on the World Day of Consecrated Life, February 2, 2016.

Papal Visit

Pope Francis, formerly Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, is one of the most influential popes. And we are blessed because he will visit us this coming January 16-18, 2015, particularly in Tacluban City and Manila. We all knew that in his administration, he was doing extraordinary things like; he invited a boy with Down's Syndrome for a ride in the Pope mobile, he embraced and kissed Vinicio Riva a man scarred by a genetic disease, he held a major ceremony at the chapel of a youth prison, he snuck out of the Vatican to feed the homeless, etc. These are some of the extraordinary things done by Pope Francis. In other words, he is in solidarity with the lost, the last and the least. 

            His advocacy is to be merciful and compassionate to other people, especially to the poor. He tries to establish the true church, a church for the poor. Lately, he was doing many extraordinary things. First, as I have cited above, his invitation of a boy with Down’s syndrome for a ride in the Pope mobile, maybe this was not done by the previous popes but Pope Francis did this because maybe he has something to tell us. Perhaps he wanted us to be more caring and loving for those people who have defects.  Or maybe he wanted to emphasize the importance of each person. Second, I was touched when he embraced and kissed Vinincio Riva, a man scarred by genetic disease. For me, it was a sign of humility.  Maybe Riva was a hopeless man because he suffered a genetic disease and maybe he was often mocked in public because of his situation, but Pope Francis made him feel that he is important. The act itself of Pope Francis, embracing and kissing Riva, is a very evangelical act.  Third, he held a major ceremony at the chapel of a youth prison. In this account, he broke tradition by washing the feet of women and Muslims. Although he broke traditions, but we knew that it is not wrong. For me, he was only promoting peace between Muslims and Christians. Fourth, he snuck out of the Vatican to feed the homeless. In this account, it has been discovered that Pope Francis regularly leaves the Vatican at night to feed the homeless. In going there he dressed as an ordinary priest. Pope Francis somehow shows to the homeless that they are loved. These things somehow affect me because, as an aspiring priest, this is a great challenge to me on how to be with the people. I know that what he is doing is never easy, it takes courage and commitment. That’s why I’m very thankful that he is our pope, a pope who valued simplicity, humility, service and compassion.

            As I mentioned above, we are blessed because he will visit the Philippines, particularly Tacluban City which was severely devastated by the typhoon Yolanda. Mercy and Compassion. These two words are the reasons why Pope Francis will visit the Philippines. Mercy in the sense that he will meet  those people who are in great need, people who are sick or made homeless by the typhoon. And this is a relieved for the people because the great pope is with them amidst of all trials and difficulties in their lives. Pope Francis, indeed is the bringer of Christ. He is the hope of the people. He is very compassionate to those who suffered because of the typhoon Yolanda. And perhaps this visit of Pope Francis will remind us to be merciful and compassionate to others, especially to the lost, the last and the least.