Hear their silent screams and feel their agonizing pain
It was last time when this writer was watching a militant Passion pay dubbed as "Kalbaryo ng Maralita."
Based much from the bible and social realities, the "Poor Man's Calvary" speaks about the passion of the poor as same those of Christ's: that they faced the taunt, the hardship, of bleeding and even death due to their status all despite their contributions done in the society.
To others, that said protest play tends to infuse religious iconography with social relevance thinking that the sufferings laid by the poor, especially those of the aged, homeless, destitute are the ones what Christ tend to care of. Yes, it showed both religious and social significance as spiritual and material poverty prevails courtesy of a repressive, plutocratic system guised as a "Democratic" thinking that Aquino himself even afford to say "having no money to provide housing, food" while bragging to the world how improving the Philippines is? He didn't even fulfill distributing Hacienda Luisita and others to the landless if he wished food security and sustainability and rural improvement be emphasised to end everyone's woes about food, jobs, housing, development, or any kind of matter people care about; that the matter on Haciendas like Luisita and Yulo being distributed means chances of people trying to improve themselves IF change really starts from the Self.
And yet, apathy prevails for the rich and hopelessness for the poor. The latter doesn't speak about free this and that, they wanted an entity that could help help themselves and their respective societies they belong such as providing jobs and livelihood, good housing and health care, education to strengthen morals, a state acting compassionate and liberative to these people other than those of NGOs and the Church.
Obviously, some members of the church even took a progressive stance other than making palliative solutions as it justifies further "preferential option of the poor" in helping them redeem themselves such as those of learning from the masses and living with them. The issues on land, labor, poverty had also been tackled the way Christ had even speak some of his parables to the masses.
Such as this, in Luke 22:35-38 (Wycliffe), said:
36 Therefore he said to them, But now he that hath a satchel, take also and a scrip; and he that hath none [and he that hath not], sell his coat, and buy a sword.
37 For I say to you, that yet it behooveth that thing [this thing] that is written to be fulfilled in me, And he is areckoned with wicked men; for those things that be of me have an end.
38 And they said, Lord, lo! two swords here. And he said to them, It is enough.
The message speaks of call to action against poverty in all spheres and not just about faith alone. Every scene from the Kalbaryo showed how Christ had to partook the bitter cup of sacrifice while the people experienced repression especially those who are against a system that is repressive. Come to think that the system that made roads, bridges, facades of glass and steel coexist with those of landlord-owned estates, murderers and thieves, and shantytowns with people clamoring for social justice and yet to those on high they simply hear nothing but a "silent scream" and careless in feeling their "pain" while at the same time presenting a utopia such as Aquino bragging about a Philippines "improving" with its GDP rate gone up! Well, if that's true then how come there's agony on the side of the dispossessed?
Perhaps, it is right for Christ during his time to expel the moneylenders inside the temple, to hear the injustices coming from the weak, of healing the sick and feeding the hungry, and to mention that he came not to bring peace but rather a sword to bring justice for the dispossessed and the slaves.