We certainly need God’s help. But how do we obtain it?
Firstly, we must seek Jesus’ face. This statement does not mean displaying, adoring His photos, or praying before statues or murals. No! It means knowing Him with intimacy. I am afraid as Roman Catholics, which most Filipinos are, we believe that going to church on Sundays for an hour mass is enough. Have we truly ‘seek His face’? How can we intimately know Jesus in just one hour a week?
Secondly, we must turn from our wicked ways! This is much harder to do. Yearly, we resolve to change for the better on New Year’s Day. Sadly, after a week or two we are back to our wicked ways. Moreover, even if we are on our way to ‘blessedness’, we easily slip back to being our sinful selves.
“NASA DIYOS ANG AWA, NASA TAO ANG GAWA.” (God helps those who helps themselves.) If we cannot be bothered to help ourselves, why should God help us? The eternal failing of Filipinos is our forgiveness of wrongdoing when the wrongdoers do not repent. One of our wicked ways is the continual election of corrupt politicians and our acceptance of the injustice that they create.
This is where the Jury System can help towards a better, law-abiding and God-fearing Philippines. But is not adding more laws enough to frighten and compel us to obey? No! We have already so many laws that are used by the unscrupulous powerful leaders to oppress the powerless.
How about improving the policing or giving more power to the police? No! Do we mean declaring Martial Law? Or having a dictatorial leader? But we have done all of that already. These methods will only result in simmering lawlessness and criminality. Then, in time, there will be an explosion of people’s resentment at the impunity of the powerful.
With Jury System, power is shifted from the government to the people. Besides being able to elect our leaders and representatives in the executive and legislative, we can also fire or remove them from office not through unruly rallies, demonstrations or protests but through the Grand and Trial Jurors who are ordinary citizens.
Consequently, Filipinos, young and old of whatever religion, ethnicity, rich or poor will:
- Know more about their rights, duties, and responsibilities as citizens of our country. It is their duty to abide by and obey the laws. It is their responsibility or be accountable for the performance of their duties.
- Instil or ingrain the habit of judicial mind which will eliminate their corrupt thinking and attitude and mould the coming generations into righteous and just citizens.
Eventually, we will build more self-confidence and pride in being Filipinos. Our productivity will leapfrog. There will be peace, unity and prosperity.
Only then can we truly say that God has listened to our prayers and healed our land.