Regardless of creed
Media
Part of The Cabletow
- Title
- Regardless of creed
- Creator
- Kliatsko, Jacob
- Language
- English
- Year
- 1967
- Rights
-
- Abstract
- Address delivered by Mr. Jacob Kliatsko, President of the Holy Name Society, Caloocan City, at the stated meeting of Zapote Lodge No. 29 on March 18, 1967.
- Fulltext
- • Regardless of Creed Jacob Kliatsko Address delivered by Mr. Jacob Kliatsko, President of the Holy Name Society, Caloocan City, at the stated meeting of Zapote Lodge No. 29 on March 18, 1967. At the outset, allow me to express my thanks for your kind invitation. It is a rare privilege to speak to such an assembly of men with pres tigious standing and calling. It is very encouraging to know the fact that men like these shape the destiny of nations — they are the architects of a better Philippines. Gentlemen, accept my heartfelt gratitude for this generous token. I am profoundly honoredAs I stand before you this after noon, I am reminded by recent his tory. This precedent-setting chroni cle of our time was created by a hum ble man of God, a gentle, lovable servant of God who jolted this chao tic world into the full realization of international brotherhood with his fresh idea of ecumenism, a spirit of communion for all. When that old man had advised his fellowmen of God to open the windows for more fresh air then we know that it is time to open our minds to new ideas: no tions that may dust off the cobwebs that long stagnated our narrow-minded ness. This was a precedence indeed, because it promised a new horizon in the relation of men—an age of liberalism. That man, John XXIII, Bishop of Rome and Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, was the per son behind such an idea. John had initiated a series of dialogues with leaders of other great religions. He had a dialogue with the Archbishop ■ >f Canterbury, the spiritual head of the Church of England; talked with that Communist leader: an audience with that Buddhist Lama. This was an actuation that would have been unthinkable ten, twenty years ago. Indeed, to the dismay of many in his inner circle, Pope John had gone out of his way to welcome new ideas from leaders of the world. He had endeared himself to us when he convened the historic Second Va tican Council in Rome which so ho nored both the religious and the laity, regardless of creed, color, political affiliation and philosophy. Such Council, in the mind of John, was not solely for the triumph of one entity—but was an examination, a confrontation of minds on varied subjects that are generally religious in essence. It was a meeting of minds to thresh out difficulties and differ ences that impede the progress of man in his quest for spiritual upliftment. And now, we know the urgency of that message. It is a timely call to understanding and harmony. My friends, we are living in a troubled world. This is an age when the'spirit of the Good Samaritan is almost drowned in the sphere of dis sension, conflicts and wars. It is an era where you find so many peoples of this world locked in mortal com bats, nations sowing the seeds of dis content against another, dictators and rulers immersed in the theaters of sabotage and counterplots. Nothing has been spared by the onslaught of hate, jealousy, injustice and mis deeds. Man has reached his pinnacle of success. He has invented the atomic Turn to next page JUNE, 1967 11 bomb but in the end destroyed his fellowmen. He has built Hiroshima, but look at that poor country today in the aftermath of devastation. All these could have been avoided, had man taken time to understand the po sition of another. Casting no aspersion on any reli gious groups, we do believe that our society needs the virtue of tolerance if it has to gain the real PEACE we all crave for. The sense of together ness, the feeling of "camaraderie” cannot be achieved if we ignore the notions of our neighbors: Love is devoid of meaning when one so un speakably tramples on the rights of another. If memory does not fail me, it was that great Frenchman Voltaire who gave the idea that one may not be so enthusiastic about his friendship with others, but an individual must defend to death the privilege of a person to speak out his mind. When one is likened to a 'Shell, enclosed in his own limited philosophy of life with the utter disregard for the suggestions or opinions, of those around him, we can then expect bias and prejudice in such man. On the contrary, however, when a person listens or even considers the views of others — then we see in such in dividual the embodiment of friend ship. We say that he is liberal, so ciable in his dealings. But I must add here without fear of contradic tion that it is not necessarily true that we must accept the principles or even tl»e way of life of another group, but surely we are happy to have a dialogue with them to iron out few differences. We must be cognizant also of our shortcomings and meet on common grounds. By common grounds, we do not mean a compro mise but a certain point of under standing where one enjoys, for exam ple, his religions freedom without fear of harassment, criticism and intoler ance. In this way, friction can be parried without losing the integrity of those concernedRegrettably, a great many had veered away from the basic truth that we are all sons of one Almighty God, and as such — we are all bro thers under His Holy Fatherhood. Whether one is an Oriental or Occi dental, it does not count because our source is one and the same, GOD All men are created equal in the sense that we are born into this world en dowed with souls — we are created in the likeness of His Image, although God in His own infinite knowledge had given us unequal capabilities. Therefore, we notice others to be in telligent, wealthy, very pleasing in physical appearance; while some are retarded, poor and not attractive. But those should not be the causes for envy. These should not be the sources of hatred, because He knows what is best for all of us. Our Father in Heaven likes us to be one, united in His name. Our century has brought changes. Transformation in the different phases of life — spiritual, social, economical and educational. Man has advanced in science. He has conquered space. He is about to land on the moon, and from there — he will surely ex plore other heavenly bodies. He is a stereotyped being now, a slave of the machine. He has gone daring in his business enterprises. Man has been yearning for more academic free dom, and society today is teeming with desirables, undesirables — the angry young men and women who are labeled the "beat generation”. Whether we approve it or not, reli gious ideals have been taken for granted, and this spells DANGER Where once upon a time life was taken as serious business of living, today Turn to page 23 12 The Cabletow KLIATSKO . From pogo 12 it is “easy docs it”. With these changes, our sense of purpose has been generally altered. This trans formation has ushered in influences on the lives of many. Consequently, we are engaged in a struggle against indifference, where its hands are con tinuously grabbing victims to its fold. Atheism and materialism are seem ingly insurmountable odds that block our way. These ideologies are gain ing ground because many unfortun ate brethren heed their appealing call. Many ignore their neighbors because they are engrossed in their personal ambitions, politics, wealth and honor. Many forget God because success in material things has dimmed their way to righteousness. Let us therefore unite to combat these unwholesome influences. If we are divided, we cannot face these im pediments. It is time to meet in Seminars, Conventions or Religious Councils to exchange our ideas for the good of all. Let us share our dif ferent views for the laudable end of promoting Peace, Religions Liberty & Brotherhood. May we join hands to win souls back to the flock of God. God with us, we should not fear. With the aid of that Heavenly Spirit and His inspiration, we can do task for His greater honor and glory. We are here on earth on a very important mission — one of CharityCharity towards our fellowmen does not consist merely in giving out mate rial means to an indigent neighbor. A smile will do because “it costs no thing but creates much; it enriches those who receive it, without empoverishing those who give it — it hap pens in a flash, and the memory of it lasts forever.” Charity is done too in our ordinary lives. You can ex press command in kindly terms for instance, if you are the boss in an office. An employee appreciates that man in a swivel chair with a kind disposition. It is very heartening to see a stranger with respect and sense of decency when visiting your house. A Good Samaritan sees you in the hospital, prays for your departed one and condoles with you in the hour of distress. These are Charity. It is an open-arm policy, it is an air of acceptance, it is a feeling of be longingness. Doing likewise, you are doing great in the service of God. A LET MASONS TELL . . . From pag3 21 limit so that the general public im pression that I have just stated will be corrected and everybody, Mason or non-Mason, will appreciate and adopt the Masonic creed. As has been said, no man is an island . So with Free masonry. The welfare of mankind and service to God that Masonry has attained and will attain will remain secure only as its environment per mits. Congratulations again to the new officers and may the Almighty God be most gratuitous in bestowing upon vou strength and wisdom in advan cing the frontiers of Masonry in a world bedeviled with envy, hunger, enmity anil iw. A Drs. Anadeto & Del Mundo DR. P. DEL MUND0-ADAM3 CLINIC Hearing Aids • Contact lenses * RX. Glasses * Plastic Eyes COG & 414 Rizal Ave., Manila 1120 A. Mabini St., Ermita Naga City * Hotel Great Eastern, Manila DRS. ANACLETO & DEL MUNDO JUNE, 1967 23