EDUCATED TO BE IGNORANT

“Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5:15-17


“Educated to be ignorant” these are the very lines of a sister Rasmia a Moro and brother Jerry a Lumad in their struggle for self-determination in the islands of Mindanao. At first I was in awe when I heard it, and so I asked why? They told me that they were being sent to schools to be educated and to be equipped to face the demands of a very fast changing society and technology. So what’s wrong with that? But wait, while education is preparing these youth to have a bright future on the other side of the coin in a very subtle way they are little by little forgetting their very own colorful culture, education is in a way depriving them of their right to enjoy the beauty of their heritage in exchange of appreciating and making use of technology. Don’t get me wrong, technology is good! But we have also to preserve the beauty of our cultural tradition for the next generations to see. Education is the best but we should never use it to deprive the next generations of their right to self-determination, their right to have justice and righteousness, most of all their right to experience the fullness of their own identity.

The struggles of the Tri-People in Mindanao is in a way a struggle for the whole citizenry, a battle that all of us should be involved. A battle that can never be fought by weapons and above all this is a battle for all the Christians to really go out in the open and to prove themselves worthy of the cause that Jesus Christ has once fought. The battle of righteousness and justice! Yes, Church and state should be separated but we can never separate the people who are both citizens of the state and a part of the church. If we really take a look at their claims they are right about it, and if we also look at the side of the government they also have a point! So which is which! Could they really achieve the fullness of their identity. This is where our real education comes in! The kind of education that God bestowed us: to be sensitive to the needs of our neighbors. As exemplified in the parable of the “Good Samaritan”.

Our text for today tells us of three simple things yet many of us failed on it. First, he says, "Live your life with a sense of responsibility, not as men and women who are ignorant of the meaning of life, because we are all educated but there are still people who are ignorant of their responsibility. Make the best of your time despite all the difficulties of these days." The phrase "difficulties of these days" may have different meanings and implications as the Apostle Paul was addressing situations, which may be different from ours today. But in our context, this phrase addresses the same concern. It describes the world of today-the continuing violence and horrible destruction of lives, the seemingly endless graft and corruption in almost all sectors of society, the erosion and devaluation of ethics and morality and all sorts of problems known to man.

One dreadful sign of the times was seen in the inhuman and senseless attack of the 9/11/01 issue, the centers of the world's business and military power, which took away thousands of innocent lives. How are we to be responsible in such a world? Or, how are we to live our lives in the midst of these circumstances? Edmund Burke said it many years ago: "All that is necessary for the forces of evil to prevail is for good men and women to do nothing." Yes, often times our tendency is to run away from the responsibilities that God has entrusted to us. While we are conscious of our personal rights and privileges, we often close our eyes to the needs and rights of other people around us. We need to remember that our rights are always coupled with responsibilities, that in as much as we claim our rights we should also be sensitive to the rights of others.

Secondly, we should grab every opportunity that comes our way. According to St. Paul, we should make use of every opportunity we have, for doing good because the days are evil. This present generation is very high tech! Almost everything is just at the tip of our fingers! The youth of the present aoen can do almost anything they want, globalization is at hand. With globalization everything and anything is possible from fast foods, sophisticated machines, to cloning. The world’s education of today is very advanced and all of us would like to grab one for the betterment of our lives. But in our process of getting one are we doing it as what Jesus might have done if he is alive? Or are we doing it just like the world does?

I’m sure you would agree with me that education is never confined in the four walls of the classroom and that real education can be tested outside these walls. And as long as we breath our education never stops. So, with this premise what kind of education do we have nowadays? If we want to relax and watch a movie what kind of movies do we have? Even cartoons! When I was in the US a few yrs. ago they even have x rated cartoons on TV. With all the accessibility of being educated today, what kind of education are we getting? For sure all of us are grabbing the opportunity of being educated. The challenge for us then is: Are we using it for the betterment of our brethren or are we using it for our own selfish desires? With these kinds of educational processes I’m very sure we can easily achieve a lifestyle of our choice! And maybe some of us here can even say I’m already fulfilled and I can die now. I have already achieved the fullness of my life. I’m sure all of us here are also reading our Bibles and we can memorize and even explain a lot of passages. But the question is: “with the knowledge that we have acquired are we interpreting these passages in the real essence of it?” or we might just be interpreting them in the light of our own interest? And this is where most of us fall in the trap. We just interpret things and situations according to our needs and desires. The Apostle Paul reminds us here that we should grab every opportunity to do the will of God because the days are evil. By so coming to understand the will of God we can stand up against the enemy.

If we take a closer look at our society do you think the present generation can still have life to it’s fullness? Murder, rape, insurgency, corruption, drugs, etc. where did the knowledge & wisdom that we had acquired go? To the youth of today our parents are spending a fortune for our education but what are we doing with it? To the adults; you had struggled so much to reach your status now, but, have you applied that stored knowledge properly for the next generation? What kind of legacy are you leaving us to follow?

Speaking of legacies & things to follow from the previous generation this would lead us to the last point which is: “we should be critical in every situation”. The stimulus for effective living does not come from wine, but from allowing the Holy Spirit to have full possession of our heart. The fullness of the Spirit is the subject of command and describes an experience or condition which could be lost or repeated. In order for us to really understand & discern the will of God for our life we should first of all be full of the Holy Spirit because we can never fathom the will of God for us. As the bible says all we need is just a faith as big as a mustard seed to go on through this chaotic world. Critical thinking and analysis is very important nowadays especially to our youth in order for them to have the fullness of life as I have said earlier everything is at the tip of our fingers just one snap & that’s it! At first it might look good…. but sooner or later we would just woke up & find ourselves entangled in a mess that we can never go out anymore because we never really stopped and analyzed things before we jump into it. Example “pakikisama” a Filipino value that meant to have a positive output, but what have we done to pakikisama? We are using it to pull down other people, if they won’t do things that we want, we get even with them! Tomboyanay na!

We get our selves educated basically because we want to improve our life. Yes, we have improved somehow in one way or the other! But with the education that we had, did we also develop the skill of critical thinking? Or with our education we became ignorant of the needs of our neighbors? Which is which? Our political leaders are all brilliant, not to mention an economist for a pres. and for sure they are all thinking critically. Critically thinking to improve the nation or to improve there pockets? Last Thursday night at the news I was surprised to hear that for the past 20yrs. our government has lost $40B which is even bigger than our debt in the world market! And another is this so called world trade thing, importing goods & selling it at a lower price! look what has it done to our local farmers? Nagakaputo sila! They can’t compete with the prices because their investment is high and the government never gives them subsidy like what the US is doing to their farmers! So, can we then say that we have the fullness of life? What do we really mean by the words fullness of life? I will leave that for you to critically analyze & see for yourself… because I know each of us, has there own interpretation and assessment of the fullness of life.

We are blessed here in Iloilo that we don’t have a problem like what the tri-people of Mindanao have. We can smoothly go to schools and be educated. But are we responsible enough of our actions, are we grabbing the time to share our faith or extend a help to a friend in need, are we critical in every decisions we make? Or maybe, most likely, because of the high standard of education that we have we become ignorant to the cries of our people. On the other hand we might also be hearing them loud and clear and because of it we empathize with them and so we twist the gospel a little bit to address their needs without critical analysis of the whole situation for short without looking on both sides of the coin we just go, go, and go.

Many of us here profess to be Christians. But are we really putting it into action? Can our lights be seen in the distance? Sad to say that righteousness, justice, and the fullness of life for all seem to be just a dream in our present aoen! Yes! We are all educated, excellently educated! Some of us have already reached the highest degree of education, toured around the world. But have we stopped for a few minutes to ask ourselves: “What have I done to contribute to the fullness of life for the next generations to the very simplest form of it?” We all have been educated but sad to say amidst our high education we became ignorant to the very basic needs of our neighbors and focus on our own selfish motives and self-gratification. Many of us here have been victims of injustices whether big or small. We have built a dam to control justice thus stopping the flow of righteousness… We were so intelligent that we became so indifferent to the cries of our brothers / sisters in need of our help and understanding thus depriving them of experiencing the fullness and the beauty of life that our God has given us.

Before I close let me share this poem entitled The U in JesUs

Before U were thought of or time had begun,
God even stuck U in the name of His Son.

And each time U pray, you'll see it's true
You can't spell out JesUs and not include U.

You're a pretty big part of His wonderful name,
For U, He was born; that's why He came.

And His great love for U is the reason He died.
It even takes U to spell crUcified.

Isn't it thrilling and splendidly grand
He rose from the dead, with U in His plan?

The stones split away, the gold trUmpet blew,
and this word resUrrection is spelled with a U.

When JesUs left earth at His upward ascension,
He felt there was one thing He just had to mention.

"Go into the world and tell them it's true
That I love them all - Just like I love U."

So many great people are spelled with a U,
Don't they have a right to know JesUs too?

It all depends now on what U will do,
He'd like them to know,
But it all starts with U.


I hope with this simple poem from an unknown author would always remind us that in order for us to have the fullness of life we should start to be responsible in all our actions and decisions, grabbing every opportunity to share the Gospel because the days are evil and we could only do this if we are filled with the Holy Spirit to teach us how to be critical in every situation.

Lastly I will leave this challenge for us all that in the midst of this chaotic society never ever give up! Because God can read each falling tear, He sees the heart that’s needing cheer, He knows the path that’s hard and drear but never ever give up because God is always near! AMEN.


UCCP Youth Sunday
September 21, 2003
Delgado Street, Iloilo City