Theology in the Darkness of Empire

November 14, 2012
The Diversity Times ,Nov. 2016 Vol.5 No.11

By: Levy Abad

courtesy of  jonathanturley

One of my favorite passages in the New Testament is Luke 4:18-19 which states, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favourable year of the Lord.” The Lord Jesus read this when he came to Nazareth in a synagogue on the Sabbath. This passage is read by Jesus from the book of the prophet Isaiah. Reflecting on this biblical passage made me realize its seditious nature. To premise the prophetic activity of Jesus on this passage during the Reign of the Roman Empire is to subvert it.

Related to this point, we must not neglect the historical context of slavery to be able to grasp the comprehensive meaning of a given passage. The dominant mode of production during this period is based the owning of slaves, while later modes would be based on feudal ownership or eventually the ownership of Capital. Missing the context will lead one to spiritualize the biblical event. The subversive nature of the midrash (allegory, homily, exegesis) of Jesus no wonder attracted a lot of the Zealots to his side. With these as premise, the next thing to do is to look into the radical passages in the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew like, “The Scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up the heavy burdens and lay them on men`s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.” For how could the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes do the right thing when they are already compromised? So Jesus one time asked one of them to show him a Denarius to which a Pharisee right away did. That’s it! What duplicity! How could they be parushim/ set apart in holiness, if the dirty denarius is in their pocket?

As for me, I can only say Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison.

It is also interesting to note the Eight Woes from Matthew 23:13-39, of which I’m going to quote some verses: 14. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Moving to verse 23.“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 25. “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self- indulgence. 29. Woe to you.... for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30. And say, “if we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets”. There are still many verses of the same justice tenor that I would not include just to save space, such as the Eight woes that constitute a radical critique of the theocratic leadership during the second temple period, leadership who served as puppets of the Roman Empire. When Jesus addressed the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Scribes, he was not trying to be cute or nice, but was exposing the corrupt theocrats of his time when there was no separation of powers yet. These eight woes are proof that Jesus is not a passive actor in the stage of History. The Messiahs pronouncements are denunciations of the existing social relations engendered by the Empire. No wonder with his firm stand, he was acutely aware of the logical outcome of persecution/ Crucifixion. These Eight woes owe its relevance to the historical context of oppression without which such pronouncements has no meaning.

Even the name of the Lord Jesus/Yeshuah (My God Saves) illuminates and glows with brightness in the darkness of Imperial oppression. The best proof of this is the persecution of the Messianic movement (that eventually became Christianity) in the early centuries of its growth. Sadly, nowadays in most instances it is no longer a movement but a petrified institution possessed by Greed. Truly, even from the days of old, the Gospel is good news for the poor/oppressed and bad news for the oppressor, though it intends to save them too.

In my studies, I noticed that Theology of Liberation given its weaknesses in practice, is rooted in the exodus and essentially faithful to the social context of the century that encompasses the activity of Jesus, while other theologies with its literal tendency, ignore the context leading them to supra historical and spiritualized/ escapist and reactionary conclusions. In my interaction with some literalists’ grassroot theologians, I have always sensed the disinterestedness in engaging in socially transformative movements. They have this tendency to focus on individualistic prayers, but are quick to spiritualize social movements that triumph, as part of an answered prayer glossing over the struggles that conditioned such social changes. Even with the ideology that they embrace, they close their eyes to the violence of it, but are in all praises when it benefits them. “Hypocrites all!” Jesus said. They are quick to accuse reformers and revolutionaries of Atheism etc., but when this changes lead to a better life, which is essentially theistic, they are the first ones to get fattened by it to their hearts glee. Lest I be accused of promoting anti- Semitism, my mention of the Pharisees here pertains only to the ruling clique of the Sanhedrin that manoeuvred to execute Jesus while in cahoots with Rome in promoting peace based on Injustice. There are also individuals in the scripture and groups of Pharisees who supported Jesus like Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea (Ramatayim), while others did it in a clandestine way. There are biblical attestations and extra biblical sources that support this point. Noteworthy to mention, the concept of resurrection of the dead is just a borrowed concept from the Pharisees. Robert Eisenman’s books, like “James the brother of Jesus” and the “New Testament Code” are good references for this. John P. Meier’s, “A Marginal Jew” Volumes 1 to 3, books of Geza Vermes, Flavius Josephus and countless others.

Luke 4: 18-19, as read by Jesus in a Synagogue, is a laying down of his Social Agenda. It will put into practice the Kingdom of God as an Ideology and a Vision towards the World to Come or the “Olam haba” (the future age). Luke 4:18-19 breaks down into details the  commandment of “loving thy neighbour as thyself “ in the areas of attitude towards persons and the social system. Putting into practice the Kingdom of God subverts the rule of Rome. It counter poses the values of the Kingdom like faith ,hope, love, justice and liberation to that of the Roman Empire based on Slavery. I noticed even in present times, those who succumbed to fear of liberation dilute the sharp message of Jesus to justify the status quo or the Empire. I have seen this in the intensity of the struggle. I have seen those brought up in the womb of the empire vacillate and get confused when confronted with the issue of counting the cost of preferential option for the poor and clinging on to a gnostic, escapist / otherworldly theology. The parting of ways at times and the breaking of theological ties most of the time occur not because of right or wrong, but because of the intensity of social pressure, conditioned by the tension or dialectics between Empire and Liberation and unfortunately only a few are conscious of this. Luke 4: 18-19 compels one to undergo the garden of Gethsemane Experience of choosing Self or the Kingdom of God, a theological to be or not to be.

In the Month of October , we were led by our Pastor in studying the Exodus. The exodus is the story of Liberation/deliverance of the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity. This Liberation is a paradigm not just for the ancient Israelites but for all peoples. The Liberation experience of the Israelites is a Menorah that will light the world during the dark period of the Roman Empire and even up to now in the world to come/a world that came to be, if viewed from the perspective of the second temple period. The exodus paved the way for the arrival of Jesus the Messiah in the world stage where he takes unto himself the Menorah and becomes it. The exodus reminds one of Moses, when he rejected a future as part of an empire, but instead, opted to sacrifice everything and lead the oppressed out of Slavery. Moses, in a simple way, points to the tabernacling of the Messiah in History, by being born into the world of oppression to bring light into the Darkness of Empire. Hence, without the Exodus, Luke 4:18-19 will be empty.

Lolita Carbon: Gising na Kaibigan Ko

Levy Abad

Lolita Carbon at Canton Buffet 

Another awesome night of Lolita Carbon’s performance at the Canton Buffet restaurant (1111 Logan).  Indeed, she rocked the night by singing songs that touched the hearts of listeners by taking them “back in time and to places and embraces that they thought they left behind” – one of the lines from Kenny Loggins’ song, Your Heart Will Lead You Home. The place was packed with people wanting to be with an artist who shaped the musical taste of folks from 1978 up to the present. As for me, as I’ve mentioned in my previous article Lolita Carbon : Pagbabalik, I started learning to play the guitar with the song Masdan mo ang Kapaligiran.-( https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6911373698588055422#editor/target=post;postID=6987261598158523200;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=1;src=postname )

Thanks a lot to Jhayzon Paredes, concert organizer, for taking time to personally invite me to come and watch. I was really happy to be there and saw a lot of friends enjoying folk rock songs of Lolita Carbon. I saw Raffy Ramiro and Bernie Carlos performing on stage and doing some covers like Hotel California of the Eagles. Raffy was really a great sessionist. He is a versatile musician. He plays the saxophone, lead guitar and sometimes he even plays the drums.

The highlight of the night was of course, Lolita Carbon. She started with the song Masdan mo ang Kapaligiran, which is an ASIN classic song. Although the group has many hit songs to their credit, the song that I really like is Gising na Kaibigan ko, which calls on people to wake up from slumber. The song starts with some philosophical questions like "Nakita mo na ba ang mga bagay na dapat mong makita? Nagawa mo na ba ang mga bagay na dapat mong ginawa?  Then the next line calls for action, "Kalagan na ang tali sa paa, imulat na ang iyong mga mata, kaysarap mabuhay lalo nat alam mo kung saan papunta." What an amazing song made even more meaningful by the songwriting skills of putting tomes of Philosophy in a verse.

People started singing along with "Gising na kaibigan ko! Ganda ng buhay ay nasa sa iyo. Ang oras daw ay ginto, kinakalawang lang pag ginamit mo.” This song really compels one to think and reflect on life and its purpose. I love it when Lolita Carbon said that she lived her life to the fullest, by sharing her talent and the positive message of her songs. In the diaspora, migrants often think of life, endure uncertainties, face the challenges of living so far away from the old country and overcoming obstacles. I’m sure some of the folks shed tears while listening to this song. I remember back in the days of the dictatorship in the 80s, Gising na Kaibigan ko took on a different meaning of urging people to move and fight for freedom.

Another song that struck a chord with the listeners was Pagbabalik, where the lyrics says "Sa gitna ng dilim ako ay nakatanaw, ng ilaw na kay panglaw halos do ko makita, tulungan mo ako ituro ang daan, sapagkat ako’y sabik sa aking pinag-mulan."  Then Lolita belts out with the crowd in unison" Bayan ko nahan ka? Ako ngayo’y nag-iisa, nais kong magbalik, sa iyo Bayan ko, patawarin mo ako, kung ako’y nagkamali, sa landas na aking tinahak."  The songs really gave me goose bumps since I haven’t been home for years now. Listening to this song seems to stop time and brings me back to my high school campus in Laguna. In the Philippines this songs has a different effect to its audience. It inspires you to move and serve the country, but here in the diaspora, it makes you miss family friends, home town and motherland even more.

I was trying to absorb the impact of the songs in silence in one corner of Canton Buffet when Kuya Felix Pao, the owner of the place greeted me and asked, “Are you performing?” I told him I was just there to reminisce and support Ate Nene or Lolita Carbon.  I am happy for Kuya Felix and Ate Evelyn for a successful event that saw a lot of people supporting the concert. One thing I cannot forget though was when Ate Nene announced before she performed "Levy, thanks for writing an article about the first event." I never saw that coming. Her sensitivity is intense. All along, I never thought that she would bother remembering it in the midst of her busy work. Well, Ate Nene, now I know the reason why you are capable of creating great songs.  It comes from your strong empathy. You are blessed indeed.

In the event gave me an opportunity to hang out with some of the pioneers in the community like Kuya Jerry Bueno, Arman Reyes- Musician, Maxie, my writing buddy Alfie Mella (Alfie just published a book titled, ”Can You Hear the Sound of a Falling Leaf?”),  Mar Mance, who  sang the song Balita with Lolita on stage, Jun Avila, siblings Florence and Evita Lammawin of the BIBAK community and many more.  After Lolita Carbon’s performance, I hang out a bit to listen to the “last act” by the Transfusion band comprised of the following Arwin Bautista-vocals, Pedong Santos- drums, Mark Sibomet-bass, Giboy Trillana-keyboard and Al Federis -guitar . I congratulated Kuya Bernie Carlos for a successful night, bid farewell to Raffy Ramiro, then headed home to write this article.

Well, Ate Nene, thanks a lot for making our brothers and sisters in the Manitoba diaspora remember who we are, for bringing back memories and making everybody happy. I wish you the best and God bless. Hanggang sa Muli!

Lolita Carbon: Ang Pagbabalik 

Levy Abad

What a great performance rendered by the Filipino Folk Rock legend Lolita Carbon of the group Asin (Salt of the Earth) at the Pampanga Restaurant Banquet Hall on October 14, 2016. Hundreds of members of the Filipino community came to enjoy and have fun listening and singing their favourite songs with Lolita and her group of great sessionists like Raffy Ramiro on lead guitar and saxophone, Bernie Carlos (2^nd lead), Jhayzon Paredes (bass) and one of the organizers, and Rod Dizon (drums). John Baptiste (violinist), who is a buddy of my friend, Manny Araullo, another folksinger, also sessioned in the song Himig ng Pag ibig. Not to be outdone, the front acts composed of Jerylyn Bulaong, Shery-lyn Padua, Paul Kevin Ong, Fuzzmado and Fhamathou, also did a good job in their performances.

As of this writing, there will be another gig on October 16th at the Canton Buffet Restaurant (1111 Logan Avenue) where hundreds of people are expected to attend and watch Lolita Carbon rock the place with her great songs. So guys see you there!

Courtesy of Anthony Lapuz Photography

Coming home tired from work, I rushed to  watch some live streaming (Jhayzon Paredes and Rodge Lopez) last night to watch Lolita sing some of the classic hits of Asin like Himig ng Pag Ibig  (Song of Love), Masdan Mo Ang Kapaligiran (Look at the Environment), Usok (Smoke), Pagbabalik /Bayan Ko (Coming Home), Biyaheng Langit (Journey to Heaven), Ang Buhay Ko (My Life ), Cebuanong Dako  and Gising na Kaibigan Ko (Wake up my Friend), to name a few.  When I met Lolita at La Merage, I asked her how many times she performed here in Winnipeg and what were the songs that she wrote? She said three times, 2005 (organized by Roland Bertumen ), 2009 and 2016 and then she enumerated the following songs: Pagbabalik, Himig ng Pag Ibig, Usok and Ganyan Lang, Kahapon at Pag ibig.  These are some of the songs that take me back to the early 80s when I was trying to learn how to strum the guitar and play their greatest hit Masdan Mo Ang Kapaligiran, a song that calls for the protection of the environment in the midst of neo-colonial, semi-feudal plunder during the time of the dictatorship. Fortunately, the Rodrigo Duterte presidency ushered in some changes. I recall songs like Magnanakaw (Robber), which was considered subversive back in the days as it implies bureaucratic corruption of the puppets of the dictatorship or the song Tuldok (People are mere dots and so should always be humble ), which evokes myriad of meaning against the arrogance of the powers that be. 

Going back to my surprise meeting with Lolita at La Merage Restaurant on the chilly morning of October 11^th, where I hang- out with members of the Breakfast Club, Lolita was with Kuya Bernie (“The Chief” as Lolita fondly refers to him) and Alma Carlos (promoter of the concert), Raffy Ramiro (sessionist par excellance from BC and owner of R’s Bar), and Ardie Gervacio, a friend and concert organizer and Kuya Frank Rano (producer).  I met Ate Lolit and some friends again at La Merage on October 13^th.  Out of curiosity, I asked Lolita why she calls Bernie, the Chief. She explained that they were contemporaries and that Bernie was a pioneer Rock Star of the Filipino-Canadian diaspora from the late 70s up to the mid 80s. He was a member of the heavy metal group called Sye Band that produced a couple of great albums back in the days.

I had the chance of driving Raffy Ramiro and Kuya Bernie Carlos to Long and McQuade to buy guitar strings. Kuya Bernie even gave me me a set of Martin Strings as a treat. Our next stop was Virgin Mobile booth at Polo Park for Raffy’s phone upgrade. While driving, we talked about how people meet in mysterious ways and other stuff that only artists dig. Traversing  Wall St. I recall my Mississauga days when I performed as a front act in a couple of events with Lolita and The Boys, Kaye Viray, Ananias "Boy" Militar, and Boboy Doromal ( sessionists). I can’t help but feel amazed for having that chance of performing with Lolita Carbon, Mike Hanopol and Banyuhay ni Heber in Ontario. They represent the historical groups that stirred the people’s soul to resist the dictatorship. Back in the 80s whenever they sing, people would always find a chance to raise their clenched fist as a show of defiance.  Sure, Lolita sings a variety of songs, but thru the years, back in my student activist days until now, her involvement with cultural activism has not wavered. When I mentioned to Lolita during our meeting that our group is having a Just Peace event on the 22nd of October (49 Euclid), she immediately replied, ”That’s good, the struggle for peace is good and must go on.”

When Saro Banares, a lead member and main songwriter of Asin was shot in the 1993, I

Me with Lolita Carbon , Willy Fernandez and Alma Canto 

wrote a song titled, Awit Sa Bayani. I was overwhelmed by the news of his tragic death that I finished writing the song in a matter of minutes. In the chorus of that song, I wrote,”Marami pang dapat imulat kasama, Lipuna’y puno ng problema, Sa paghinto ng tibok ng puso mo, Kami ang magpapatuloy.”  Eventually, Awit sa Bayani (available on YouTube) was used as a tribute for Ka Crispin Beltran, one of the great leaders produced by the Philippine working class movement better known as Kilusang Mo Uno (May First Movement). I also remember Leo Valdez, a leader of Bayan Laguna, a patriotic organization, who is also a friend telling me that Pendong Aban, one of the members of Asin, was his childhood buddy.  These coincidences or call it happenstance leave me wondering all the time. I never thought that one day I will meet them and be friends with them, people who influenced me to play the guitar and write songs about society and revolution. 

Their inspiration ignited something in my young soul, 35 years ago, to follow their path and be a part of a cultural movement, singing people’s  music and songs, both when I was still in the old country and in the diaspora. The seeds that they sowed in my heart led me to producing four albums of socially critical pieces. These albums do not include the songs that I wrote in the Philippines as part of Tambisan sa Sining (Interaction in Arts), a workers’ cultural group and later Musikang Bayan (People’s Music), like Awit ng Pag-asa (Song of Hope) and Sana (My Wish) and many more. Here in Canada, I opted to produce an album with songs that touch the heart of migrants like Na-shock Ako (I was Shocked), Para kay Ellen, Jocelyn, Sol and Juana (Story of abused Live-in Caregivers) Canadian Experience and Dito sa Winnipeg (Here in Winnipeg).

At the August 14, 2009 Mississauga concert, dubbed as Papuring Awit at Musikahan, held at the World Vision Centre, where Lolita performed, you can feel the excitement of the crowd when she sang all the hit songs of Asin. Almost everybody was singing along with her, especially when she performed Himig ng Pag-ibig and Bayan Ko with lines like “Bayan ko nahan ka? Ako ngayo’y nag-iisa. Nais kong magbalik sa iyo Bayan Ko. Patawarin mo ako, kung ako’y nagkamali sa landas na aking tinahak.” What a heartwarming performance!

Allan Cabato Photo 

Recently, I learned that there this new organization launched in the Philippines called LAPIS or League of Authors of Public Interest Songs. Lapis is an “organization of composers and musicians who seek to articulate through music issues that Filipinos face in their everyday lives.” Lolita Carbon is a Member of the Board of this organization and is much involved with its production of socially relevant albums. Ate Lolit is also a part of InterAksyon #Martial LawMemory Project, MGA AWIT NG PAGKAMULAT, where she sang Balita, a famous Asin song where a line that goes, “Dinggin niyo ang mga sigaw ng mga puso ng taong una niyong dadamhing kabilang sa inyo” or a more expressive one like “Mula ng makita ko ang lupang ito, nakita ko rin ang munting apoy sa puso ng tao, ginatungan ng mga kabulukan hanggang sa lumago, ngayon ang puso’y may takot sa lupang ipinangako.” Aside from this, Lolita is also a part of a group called Tres Marias, together with Bayang Barrios and Cooky Chua.

Having known Lolita Carbon, I can say that she is a humble and down to earth artist worth emulating. She easily blends in with any crowd and shows them warmth, as if she already knows them for a long time, But the most important thing about her is commitment and consistency of singing socially relevant songs through the years.

Ate (older sister) Lolit, thanks for serving our people through the years by sowing the seeds of hope, love and the struggle for a just peace through songs, whether in the motherland or in our diaspora. Mabuhay Ka! (Long Live!)