Wake-up! Oh, wake-up! Wake-up call

(Speech of Bishop Prudencio P. Andaya during the burial of Fr. Franciskus Madhu)

I stand before you here in grief as I carry the burden and the sentiments of my people in the Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk (comprising the civil provinces of Kalinga and Apayao) sentiments that were brought about by the violent death of Fr. Francis Madhu, S.V.D. Now we have come to pay our last respects to a missionary of God!

Francis, as we fondly called him, was a good-natured man, so affable and friendly, yet so bashful and reserved. His smiles that radiated in and through his silence spoke of inner peace within him. Undoubtedly, so many happy moments were shared with him together with his family members, confreres, close friends and acquaintances. Living up to the ideals of being a young and energetic SVD missionary, he reached out to the people even in remote barrios to preach God's Word! And he did it out of love for mission, and love of Christ!

His violent death that took place late in the afternoon of the Palm Sunday shattered us all. He was then preparing to celebrate the Holy Eucharist inside the public elementary school in a far-flung village, Mabungtot. The children, as well as the elder men and women, were all gathered around the impoverished altar eager to celebrate the Holy Mass. Fr. Francis was not yet vested then. He was seated calmly waiting for the Coleman light that they were to use. Suddenly, there entered a man who started firing at him. He sustained wounds in the lower abdomen and on the left side of the chest. Wailing covered the whole village. The catechist brought home the dead body to be watched over at their house that night. Meanwhile, a delegation of men and women from Lubuagan Mission center trekked down the mountain trails before midnight to retrieve the body of their assistant parish priest. It was only at around 4 a.m. when they arrived at the Lubuagan Hospital after a three-hour walk.

The motive of the assailant is not clear even up to this very moment. Investigations tell us that Fr. Francis never had an argument with anybody before the incident took place. Nor did he preach anything against the sensitivities of the barrio folks! Fr. Francis was another victim of sheer criminality. The military and the police have joined forces in search for the killer. As of Wednesday test week, military and police forces completed their investi­gations and launched a massive operation to search for the assailant.

We condemn the killing as savage and inhuman! We are deeply hurt knowing that the action of taking someone else's life is utterly unchristian And our hearts cry out for justice for an innocent man! He did not deserve to die that way!

We are lost, devastated and confused ... even angry and hurt!

Today, we come once more to grip and wrestle again with the deplorable experience! Questions after questions crisscrossing our minds. "Why should this happen to a self-sacrificing priest who has dedicated himself to the service of God and his people?"

"Why does God allow this to happen to one of the chosen ones?" "If it could happen to an ordained priest, how much more could a layperson fare in celebrating dear life?" "Why is Kalinga so bathed in bloodshed all through these decades?"

Another blow for Kalinga. The other day, the Vice Governor of Kalinga province was murdered while commencing his campaign speech! He was candidate for governorship.

Perhaps, we have been too silent for a long time and afraid to speak out against all the killings in the past that we tolerated more killings to happen! Francis, forgive us! Surely, with you, we pray for the spiritual renewal of your murderers that they too may experience God's mercy and forgiveness. While we grieve as a people, we are prompted to continue doing the best we can in order to find ways and means to stop all these senseless violence. We do not want that Fr. Francis' death will just be in vain!

Bitter as it may be, this experience of ours is another wake-up call among all the many wake-up calls that prompt us to act here and now! In the midst of our devastation and hurt, we would never like to allow this experience to crush us like people devoid of hope! We feel the shame, the burden in our consciences as well as grief of losing a priest... Yet, we are encouraged to instill the value of working together in hope and peace to smash the chains of revenge and counter-revenge among our people. It has always challenged us to act, individually as well as communally, to bring about inner peace among us. In this way, we shall declare that nothing of Fr. Francis' life is lost .... Then shall we also claim that Justice and Peace will continue to break forth in our horizon. We stand in optimism that with this choice that we make, "we will be able to transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of peace ... (and) to transform this jangling discords of our world into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood." (Martin Luther King)

And so today, even without fully comprehending the reality of Fr. Francis' death, let us continue believing in the God of Life, the Risen Lord in our midst Surely, he will open our minds and consciences to value and to understand his saving Word written, hot only our scriptures, but also in the events in our lives. We know that the repercussions of all these dismal experiences, whenever they're taken up as a challenging call, would instill in us more meaning and a stronger resolve to work for PEACE. May the prayers of St. Francis of Assisi find an abode in everyone's heart: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love ...where there is injury, your pardon... "

We also look forward to the day when our people will learn that "non violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being." (Mahatma Gandhi) We dream for nonviolence and Peace to flourish. We believe that Peace has a chance ... only when we give it a chance!