THAT’S what Christ told his disciples, James and John, who, feeling aghast that the Samaritans were not welcoming to Christ, suggested that fire come down from heaven to consume them. (cfr. Lk 9,51-56) Of course, Christ rebuked them, telling them straight that they did not have the right spirit.

The proper spirit is precisely what Christ showed them and to all of us which is that of all-out charity, full of understanding, mercy and magnanimity. It’s a charity that can continue loving even the enemies and would enable one to continue serving everyone even to the extent of giving one’s life as a ransom for all of us. (cfr. Mk 10,45)

We have to be wary of our tendency to fall into what is termed as bitter zeal. While it’s true that we should try to be always zealous in our life, we have to make sure that our zeal is righteous, holy and charitable, not bitter, with a clear and proper sense of purpose, not just aimless.

Righteous zeal is always respectful of legal, juridical and most importantly of moral standards, especially that of charity and mercy. Bitter zeal wants instant results while ignoring legal and moral requirements, let alone the requirements of charity and mercy. It may pursue a valid cause, working for truth and justice, but without taking care of the appropriate means.

Bitter zeal makes a person hasty and reckless in his assessment of things. It fails to consider all angles, to listen to both sides, so to speak. He is prone to imprudence. In the end, it’s animated by the evil spirit of self-righteousness.

Inflammatory, incendiary words are its main weapons. Being belligerent is its style. It relishes in rousing controversies and sowing intrigues. It’s actually not as interested in looking for the objective truth and justice as carrying out one’s own personal agenda.
Especially when we engage ourselves in matters of opinion, we have to learn to practice restraint and moderation since no one has the exclusive ownership of what is right and fair. Opinions are views that are hardly based on absolute truths of faith and dogmas. They are more expressions of one’s preferences and tastes, and therefore we should expect a wide spectrum of differences, since things depend on people’s different temperaments, backgrounds, cultures, etc.

We have to learn how “bear each other’s burdens” as suggested by St. Paul in his Letter to the Galatians (6,2). It’s the surefire formula of how to live genuine charity, one that is down to earth and easily and abidingly doable.

In this regard, we have to learn how to be magnanimous, knowing how to suffer since suffering is an unavoidable consequence of evil. Magnanimity is part of the charity as described by Christ. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” he said. (Mt 5,44) “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also…”
We need to enlarge our heart, to make it more universal to accommodate everyone and any situation and condition properly. We should evade being caught by the grip of our strong views, and even our positions that we think are so essential that they are not anymore subject to opinion.

We have to see to it that our thoughts, desires and intentions, our words and deeds are always animated by charity. There should no negative elements in them. We have to have a good grip on our emotions, able to dominate and properly orient our biases, preferences and other idiosyncracies that constitute our differences and even conflicts with others. We have to learn to focus more on what we have in common rather than what divides us. We have to learn how to dialogue with everyone.

Filipinos are no strangers to hardship. But when suffering is caused not by nature, but by greed, the pain cuts deeper. The Flood Control Scandal has awakened a sense of moral urgency.

People from all walks of life — students, workers, elders — are demanding accountability. This widespread anger is not just emotional; it is strategic. It signals a readiness to challenge the systems that allow corruption to thrive.

In our locale, we hear the Mercado Publico jokes about how hard they grind and how tired they become only to be envious of the public officials whose airconditioned offices is paid for by their taxes and how they threw big millions in the Casinos.

Ask a simple vendor today and I bet, he would rant about the cruelty of social divide for her it is a toil and the small returns are needed to survive. For the Crocs in Barongs signatures are worth hundreds of millions and these are unfolding every single day. To her dismay she will have to live with it. And if ever justice will come it will come so late and the outcome will be late, the people will already forget how the thievery put everything in a bind.

Yet, in spite of it all, the awareness and indignation is ascending. The flood control scandal may have exposed the depths of corruption, but it also revealed the strength of Filipino resolve. The outrage it sparked is not a sign of weakness, but of awakening. It is a call to action — to build systems that protect, leaders who serve, and communities that demand better.

In every protest, every vote, every act of courage, the good is rising. And with unity, vigilance, and hope, the good will win again.

Yes, the good shall win ! It will trample the evil men who squander our taxes! It will finally make this country, better. It will make corruption, shameful, again!