The Jesuit-Run University Must Not Be Sold

As an alumnus of Xavier University, I am strongly opposing the sale of the university’s 6.3 hectares of the downtown main campus and the 14 hectares of the developed Manresa campus. Never shall the cultural image of the university and its legacy in creating knowledge society not only in the Philippines but in South East Asia be sacrificed to an image of commercialism. In my sorties around Asia to meet well-known leaders of the cooperative movements in different countries, they would always mention that they were graduates of SEARSOLIN and would recall their golden memories of learnings that catapulted them to become cooperative leaders, not only nationally but more so, internationally. They would even mention the highly respected founder of SEARSOLIN, Fr. William Masterson as well as other amazing professors like Dr. Anselmo Mercado and Ms. Raquel Polestico as they would recall the amazing knowledge that had somehow contributed to their becoming effective cooperative leaders. I just don’t know what to tell them now when we will meet again. Will I tell them that the University has been sold and there was an unceremonious digging up of the burial ground in Manresa where our Jesuit professors, mentors including Fr. Masterson were laid to rest? Such speaks of lack of respect to no less than the well-loved founder of SEARSOLIN.

As can be attested by the university’s hundreds of thousands of graduates not only locally but also internationally, Xavier has created knowledge society. This should be well acknowledged in the light of the statement that globalization creates a knowledge society because of so-called technological advancement which is nothing but a myth. Without Xavier, we will not be living in a knowledge society if we don’t have the basic choices that allow us to lead a human life, a life of dignity, allow us to know the horrible “faces” of social injustice in the life of the workers, farmers, Indigenous Peoples, fisherfolk and the common “tao” in a country that declares in the Fundamental Law (Art. II. Sec 10) that, “The State shall promote social justice in all phases of national development.”

Indeed, through the years of building a knowledge society through education and capability-building, Xavier has been an instrument for social transformation for people, planet, prosperity and peace. Those in the margins have been drawn into the mainstream of development process through education. Indeed, the University has been an instrument of social change which has been so elusive all these years despite 14 years of Martial Law and two people-powered revolutions. The systems and structures breeding poverty, inequity and social injustices are still as formidable as ever. But the conscientization through education provided by the university has become the path towards the awakening process to somehow rectify social wrongs following the amazing life of service to the communities showcased by the XU graduates.

THINK A MINUTE

JHAN TIAFAU HURST given. In computer language, what is your life’s “operating system?” How do you process and choose to respond to people and experiences that come in to your life each day?

Do you see all the possibilities and purposes for your life? Do you daily focus on the good or the bad?

To have happiness, you must have the “attitude of gratitude.”

A recent study showed that people who write down three good things in their life and why they are good, every day for just one week, are happier and healthier for 6 months to a year! Just by daily counting your blessings one-by-one.

Victor Frankl survived Auschwitz, the horrifying Nazi

The Jesuit-run university must continue on building a knowledge society through education especially during these most turbulent times when poverty continues to plague communities and families; where climate change threatens humanity, now in the precipice of its 6th extinction; conflicts are raging; and inequalities are deepening.

The Concerned Parents, Teachers, Alumni & Communities (COPTAC) chaired by Dr. Anselmo Mercado, PhD, are expressing their firm collective stand against the sale of Xavier University Campus as such will cause the destruction of the mini-forest in Manresa that will cause the extinction and to the destruction of the species’ habitat. As stated in the COPTAC Paper, “An earlier study made by visiting Jesuit scholastic from Malaysia indicated 40 species of birds identified in the Manresa area. The community of Balulang situated at the foot of Manresa ridge has expressed their objection to the proposed development in Manreasa because of the uncontrolled flooding already experienced by them during heavy rains.” Xavier University is for sustainable development. One of the most important messages of the field of sustainable development is that humanity has become a serious threat to its own future well-being and perhaps to its own survival as the result of unprecedented human-caused harm to the natural environment.

Xavier, if you are for sustainable development, then please cancel the contract of sale with Cebu Landmasters. Please remember that Mother Earth (GAIA) is now very sick and now seriously trembling (earthquake). Don’t you know that in Turkey and Syria recently, some 42,000 people, mostly children, were killed due to earthquake?

The university has already produced hundreds of thousands of graduates who have been molded to serve the “least of our brethren” in the spirit of love and service. It is therefore imperative for Xavier to continue its noble undertaking in building a knowledge society in the spirit of “Satyagraha” (love force) in liberating the people from the quagmire of poverty, gross inequity, climate change and violent extremism. In creating a knowledge society, to quote Rabindranath Tagore’s poem, communities will loom, “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world is not broken down by narrow domestic walls. In that heaven of freedom, my Father, Let my people awake!” Let us now come together to express our love to a university that has molded us to be “men and women for others!” All for God’s greater glory!

The mark of Christian perfection

“IF one strikes thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other: and if a man will contend with thee in judgment, and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also unto him. And whosoever will force thee one mile, go with him other two.” (Mt 5,39-41)

Scary words, no doubt. They surely run counter to what we may consider as common sense. But that is what Christ told his disciples and is also telling us now and always. To top it all, he also said: “Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you.” (Mt 5,44) Oh no! We mostly likely would react.

But Christ was also quick to reassure his disciples, and us, that if we manage—with God’s grace, of course—to follow by this divine advice, we would truly be the children of God “who makes his sun to rise upon the good and bad, and rains upon the just and the unjust.”

(Mt 5,45)

And he concluded this particular episode by telling his disciples: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,” (Mt 5,48) somehow telling us that abiding by this teaching is the mark of Christian perfection.

This is obviously a very intriguing part of our Christian faith. Not only should we love our enemies, as Christ taught us, but we also need to drown evil with an abundance of good. This was specifically articulated by St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans where he said:

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Rom 12,17-20) We have to try our best to erase whatever disbelief, doubt or skepticism we can have as we consider this teaching, since most likely, our first and spontaneous reaction to it would precisely be those conditions. We can ask, even if done only interiorly, “Is Christ really serious about this? Can this thing that Christ and St. Paul are telling us, possible, doable?”

When these reactions come to us, it is time to remind ourselves that we just have to follow our faith that definitely contains a lot of mysteries and things supernatural that we are not expected to understand fully. Like Our Lady and all the saints, we should just believe and do what we are told because it is Christ who said so, and because it is the Church that teaches us so.

That’s what faith is all about. By believing first, then we can start to understand things that are hard to explain in human terms. We should not waste time trying to understand everything at once or at the beginning. Let’s be game enough to go through some kind of adventure that, no matter how the outcome would be, we know that God is in control of everything.

In the meantime, guided by our faith, let’s begin to develop the appropriate attitudes, practices, habits and virtues. We have to learn the intricacies of charity, like being patient, magnanimous, compassionate and understanding, merciful, always friendly with everyone even if not everyone is friendly with us. We should be willing to suffer for the others and to bear their burdens.