11/06/2024
Comment on the Wedding Issue!
Technically examining the roots, neither the couple nor the Parish is to blame. It all began with the Ninang misinforming the couple's side.
As a result, the Parish schedule was directly affected, jeopardizing its normal operation. Consequently, the officiating Priest became angry, which led the staff to express their frustration or anger towards the couple's party. The reason for the anger was the disruption of schedules, especially considering a burial Mass would follow.
To save time, the Priest started the Mass even though the couples were still having the entourage. Since the entourage was interrupted, the couple's party felt dismayed, saddened, and humiliated.
With emotions surging in the couple's party, they vented on social media, catching the attention of the public. The status of the information is no longer misinformation but rather "malinformation." It originates from reality but now causes harm to different people and organizations.
People are criticizing the Priest, the Staff, the Ninang, the Couple, and the Church as a whole. This criticism comes from people expressing their opinions, but some use foul and insensitive language.
For Catholics:
1. The couple's sad experiences are valid; as humans, we feel sadness, happiness, or anger. No one is invalidating you.
2. The Staff expressed anger because she ensured the Parish schedule was followed. She was unaware of the misinformation.
3. The Priest tried to buy time for the next schedule. Despite being emotionally unstable, out of charity, he continued officiating the Sacrament of Matrimony.
4. Let us understand that a Parish is also an institution governed by policies. However, due to the Holy See's approach of mercy and compassion, compromises are made. These compromises are things we should be grateful for.
5. A mistake cannot be corrected by committing another mistake. Acting solely based on our emotions often leads to regrets or irreversible harm to others.
6. If a Priest fails to meet our expectations, let us be charitable enough to understand. They are humans and can make mistakes. We are not condoning their lapses, let us just give them the benefit of the doubt, anyway they are still in ongoing formation with Christ as their formator.
Let us digest the words of St. Francis of Assisi: "If I saw an Angel and a priest, I would bend my knee first to the priest and then to the Angel." — because only the Priests are authorized to Minister a Sacrament. The Sacraments, instituted by Christ, are the means through which God's grace is conferred to us. Without the Sacraments, we cannot be saved, and without the Priests, there will be no Sacraments.
7. Morality can be viewed through the lens of subjectivity and objectivity. Subjectivity means individuals are the canon or the basis of the rightness or the wrongness of actions, while objectivity means the rightness and the wrongness of actions are based on moral truths — independent of what anybody thinks or says. Foul words, bashing, and insensitive comments are mere opinions and hold no real value in assessing the rightness and wrongness of actions.
Lastly, to resolve the controversy, since damages have been done and cannot be reversed, all parties must resort to dialogue. Any broken or severed relationships can be mended through sincere communication. Since it all started with miscommunication, then COMMUNICATION is the key.
