Published November 24, 2014

Green Light

Manila Standard Today

There are three reasons why this article. One is the family life Synod of Pope Francis; the other is the commemoration of All the Faithful Departed; and another is my readings on two Filipino authors. For me, Pope Francis, Br. James Ebner FSC and Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC are theological shifters, and Tato Malay and George Sison are metaphysical shifters.

Pope Francis’ synod

In Newtonian physics, the family life synod was a fulcrum used by Francis to move the mindset of the cardinals from an A to B. It perhaps gave the cardinals a nudge, but not enough to make a shift. Metaphysically, the quarks of the cardinals were not “intensely observed’’ as much as Francis did.

Quantum law states that when quarks are observed they behave differently. Did the Catholic faithful fail to focus on the synod the way Francis did? Maybe, in Gregg Braden’s formula, the square root of one percent of the Catholic population was not too keen on the positive change.

Francis could have used Jeffrey Sach’s power of one formula in leading the cardinals but he shed the accoutrements of an authoritarian pope. He did not force nor did he dictate the unfreezing of the Vatican bureaucracy. Instead, he opted to shift from an archaic triumphal style to a multistream management practice.

But the weight of the Vatican theological bureaucracy is just too heavy for one man. Hence, he needs the quantum energy of the Catholic faithful who must first unfreeze themselves in order to activate the conciliar quarks of the cardinals.

Definitely, he leads by influence; he does not manage ex-cathedra. As such, the core of his inspired pastoral experience radiates as quantum energy [grace], creating a shift to a direction towards a new pastoral consciousness.

Andrew Gonzalez’ God talk

Andrew (+2006) initiated many academic shifts as president of De La Salle University. One of those is his concept of multiversity, which gave birth to One La Salle of the Philippine District in 2011. Equally significant was an innovative shift in professionalizing the Bamcref catechists that resulted to a doctoral program in religious and values formation.

The ultimate goal of that academic program was to develop an adult believer who “acts and lives his life accordingly, respecting traditions and even Church official teachings, but transcending them based on his own convictions and commitments.”

He said, “While creeds are necessary for purposes of documentaries and to give stability to formulae, those formulae can be considered eternally valid pronouncements but declarations which need interpretation, calling for changes in formulations to continue the tradition of faith seeking understanding of the believing and living community.”

In sum, Church doctrines need to be interpreted in the 21^st century by adult Catholics in the light of their personal experience and the Church must interpret these teaching in the language and context of the 21^st century.

James Ebner’s depth experience

James (+2001) in God Present as Mystery said, “Theology today, then, urges us to value and trust our depth experiences. [The] intimations of a Mystery Present [God] can be felt [as] peace and fellowship.” While he respects “those who understand their fidelity to the faith as keeping unchanged what they may have learned in childhood,” he believes that church spokesmen and theological experts are not doing enough to promote the shift.

His point is about the dogmatic and rigid interpretation the Church makes for Catholics. He said, “Community religion is at its worst when it enforces its symbols upon the young in such a way that a person may never connect with his depth experience. In a community of adults thus indoctrinated, there is the problem of inauthentic religion, false conscience, [and] verbal faith.” He insists that contemporary applied theology starts with “awareness of glimmerings in our depths”.

In this light, Francis’ experience in pastoral management mirrors this observation of James. The recent family life synod adhered to dogmatic guidelines, considered absolute and unchanging truths by the cardinals. Thus, tradition failed to connect with the current depth experience of the families in the 21^st century.

Tato Malay’s kamalayan

The depth experience of Tato Malay is revelatory of James’ depth theology. Tato, who did not pursue academic studies, through personal learnings discovered his true self and his God by following his inner light.

His book, Lessons I Never Learned from School, recounts his journey in earning a livelihood without a college degree. More importantly, his discovery of the principles of consciousness and spirituality that truly makes him human. He was able to formulate the law of Manifestation, Attraction, Harmony, Right Action, Expanding Influence, Pure Desire, and Paradoxical Intent.

Based on the law of manifestation, he said, “Thank you, Father, for my all-new 1999 silver Honda Accord.” The ‘thank you’ part affirms that the Honda is already received. And he did receive for it is God the Father who became His source of infinite and unlimited abundance. His thoughts are made manifest in the real world.

He is founder of Kamalayan foundation. It is dedicated to meet the “new needs, unmet potentials and opportunities of a changing reality of the 21^st century. It is intended for individuals “from any culture, nationality, tradition or religion who wish to have a new vision of life, love and spirituality.”

George Sison’s miracle

George, who was once a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, is now a proponent of 21^st consciousness. His shift to higher consciousness is detailed in his books, A Miracle Awaits You, I Am a Winner, and Soul Spa. He works within the theological framework of Andrew and James in the language of metaphysics written in English and Pilipino. He and Tato whose Catholic background is similar are one in promoting quantum consciousness.

He is founder of the Temple of People, Peace and Prosperity, a transformative center right here in the Philippines. This temple is a realization of James’s human race church, described in God Present as Mystery; it is likewise an expression of Ken Wilber’s universal religion based on AQAL theory.

Three decades ago, he predicted that if the Catholic Church will not shift from many of her worldview, it will become irrelevant by 2032. No wonder Francis is working double time leveraging the fulcrum at the base of the cardinals’ comfortable zone.

Warning

Throughout history our hermeneutics of God has been constantly shifting. The shift from the Dark Ages of mythic beliefs to the Renaissance and Enlightenment period of Copernicus, Galileo, Descartes and Newton and to the 21^st century quantum consciousness is ongoing. Francis, Andrew, James, Tato and George are precursors to our new understanding God.

Julie M. Hudtohan, global HR practitioner in UK, told me once that God and the Church are not the same. She echoed the warning of Neale Donald Walsch who said, “God’s message to the whole world: You got me all wrong.”