Clf Magazine.docx

EXPOSITION: A. SCRIPTURE The man born blind ( john 9:1-39) The whole story shows us the exercise of conscience of the different characters.  THE PARENTS OF THE MAN BORN BLIND – they refused to speak the truth about their son because of their fear of the power and authority of the Pharisees, hence showing fear conscience.  THE PHARISEES – they refused to see and listen to the truth, thus displaying how they turned against their moral-ethical conscience.  THE PHARISEES – when they were faced with the truth, they became afraid that they would lose their positions of power and authority to Jesus, who would become more popular and influential among the people because of his healing powers. This also exhibits that their fear conscience was at work.  THE MAN BORN BLIND – He was the only one who was true to the demands of his conscience as nothing made him betray the truth that he saw and witnessed. In the end, he submitted to the highest demand of conscience, the Christian-Religious conscience, as he bowed to Jesus whom he addressed as the Lord. He was in the real sense the only one who was not blind among those who had eyes but did not see. B. CHURCH TEACHING ﹡ Describes how conscience is developed in different stages: 1

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 The children’s notion of right or wrong is largely influenced by the approval o the authority (parents and teachers) and by fear of punishment.  So their notion of what is right or wrong is largely external to the true moral meaning of the act. 2nd ﹡ The high school youth will now have a deeper view of morality. It is at this stage that they are searching for their true selves. ﹡ Beyond seeing the authority behind the law whose approval they would lose if they break the law, they are now able to see the values that the law protects as values they personally hold. 3rd ﹡ When they reach the adult Christian stage, they see moral life as a continuing conversion in Christ. ﹡ Because of their own experience of failure and of the grace of Christ that forgives and heals, they will have a more realistic and yet more hopeful understanding of what it means to live a moral life as inspired by one’s faith in Christ.

CONTEXT: Fear of God made cabbie return P 106 040 cash find Fear of God, his own conscience, and the possibility of bad karma befalling his own children made Carmelito O. Ocba, driver of Melissa Taxi, all the more determined to return the clutch bag left in his cab by a foreigner last May 6. The contents of the clutch bag were tempting: P106 040 in cash, different currencies denominations, and AMEXCO credit card, plane ticket, driver’s license,reading glasses, ball pens, car keys, and some travel documents. But ocba immediately reported his find to a local radio station, hoping that owner would know his bag had been found. Then, he went to hi taxi operator for proper documentation and report. He turned over the bag to his operator, worried that it might end up in the wrong hands. “Natakot ako, eh. Hindi ko kasi Gawain ang mag-interes sa ganoon.”(I got scared. You see, it is not my nature to have interest in such find), the 32-year old taxi driver told The STAR. Ocba was also concerned with his passenger. He said: “Kawawa iyong Kano, baka hindi makaalis!( Poor American, he may not be able to leave the Philippines!)”He found the tourist’s travel documents in the bag. The American turned to be Ian Forbes Micholsan, a 65-year old Australian from New South Wales, who became aware his clutch bag was missing when he was already inside the domestic airport terminal. “I raced outside but the taxi had already departed. The loss was reported to the officer in the police detachment at the airport. He sent me to the NAIS police office where a detailed report was made to Corporal Hamtig, who sent me and three plainclothes officers to see a number of Melissa taxicabs but with negative results ,” Micholsan stated in the affidavit of complaint he filled at the Department of Tourism (DOT) tourist assistance unit(TAU). Ocba related to the STAR that he too, did not notice the clutch bag until he picked up another passenger going to Cubao. He helped in unloading Micholson’s baggage, he related. As soon as he had ferried the other passenger to Cubao, he returned to the domestic airport, looking for Micholson. When ocba did not find the tourist, he announced his find at a local radio and went to homebase. The operator told him to wait for the owner to make the claim. Meanwhile, Rafael R. Relucio, DOT-TAU chief assigned officer Orbin T. Borbor to the case of Micholson. With his “assets,” Borbor could easily trace the bag. Ocba in fact stayed the whole night in the operator’s place, waiting for a claimant. Micholson got his clutch bag and all its contents the very next day at the DOT-TAU office. “Nawala and kaba ko noong maisauli na ‘yong bag,” (My apprehension vanished when I had finally returned the bag,)” Ocba said. When news of his commendable act became known, some of his colleagues started kidding him about it, he said. Some of them even told him that they would have done otherwise. “Iba-iba naman ang tao di ba?” (People are different from one another, right?) Ocba’s thinking had deeper roots. According to him, his father, Marcos Ocba, now 56, taught him some values back in Lepanto St. Bernard, Southern Leyte. He also goes to church regularly. While he fears God, he also does not like bad karma to befall him. “May pamilya ako. Baka magkasakit pa ang mga anak ko (I have family. My children may get sick),” he said. What will he do if it happen again? “Aba, eh, di isasauli ko rin!”(I will return it, too!)”he said. “Mahirap ang may kargo de konsensya. “(It is not easy to have something on your conscience.)” The Philippine Daily Star (Wednesday, June 5, 1991)