Reflections on the Our Lady of the Angels Pete Montallana, ofm (Olas College seminarians asked me to teach them

tai-chi and after that to give a short reflection on Our Lady of the Angels. I was taken aback because I do not say the rosary everyday. I question myself what really is my devotion to Mary. Compared to the saints who are constantly in touch with her, I am not; though I pray the rosary interspersed with my hingalangin (breathing meditation with prayer) whenever I travel. The requested talk triggered me to examine how I am related to Mary. Out of that here are my reflections after my short talk.) Just recently the Church has been in a very bad light with some bishops who received/solicited cars and money from Gloria. Since the impeachment attempts, there has been leaks on how bishops received envelopes justitified as help for the poor but the timing reveals the political intent of the giver. But it is not really only the bishops, priests and religious organizations also receive favors in exchange for political favors. The human side of the Church indeed. St. Anthony said loud and clear in one of his homilies said: You, bishops and archbishops are like monkeys on the roof just waiting for the donations of people. (more or less the exact words). The reality of the humanity of the Church same as the time of Francis. The saddest reality is the colonization of the Philippines when our lands and our gold were grabbed from the people. The start of the massive poverty of the majority of the Filipinos. And that was done with the blessings of the Pope. John Paul II has asked for forgiveness during the Jubilee celebration. But how can the bearer of the Good News of Jesus subject

so many people to massive poverty is something to reflect on. Until now the elite beneficiaries of the colonization still rule the colonized countries. During the time of Francis, the system was feudalism. Now it is neo-colonialism and elite democracy. Different name the same reality where was/is the Church. The Philippine Church has opted to be the Church of the poor in words since 1991. Still human it has its shortcomings now and before. Jesus the founder of the Church very clearly opted to do the Fathers will to bring the Good News to the poor. He was pushing for the reality that was the opposite of what has happening during his time. Where did he get his orientation? Who formed him to be what he is?

The buck ends with Mary. She was the culprit. Imagine forming Jesus with the idea that there will be a reversal of social order the powerful will be dethroned and the rich will be sent away empty while the hungry will be filled. Mary true to her roots with the Anawim saw the victory of God. Francis caught the Spirit he identified himself with the leper. Not with the powerful Church of his time. He too was formed by Mary. And he rejected power and wealth as the way to the Kingdom. His weapon was poverty and humility because in the poor he discovered the power of God the power of the cross. Francis stayed outside Assisi at the Our Lady of the Angels. The Lady who was poor, the mother of the poor Jesus and his poor apostles. And the angels these were messengers of God comforting us in the midst of a powerless situation: the little paramdams that God is around after all.

With this insight I began to be more comfortable with my devotion to Mary that is not to be measured only with the length of prayer but with the identification with the mission of her son with the poor. The Angelus now attains another significance to me the remembering (making present) of the mystery of the incarnation and the surrender of Mary to the mission. Jesus being incarnated in my own body to continue what he and Mary did. The Hail Mary becomes a continues call to reject the temptation to cling to power and wealth and comfortable life and in deep trust in God to side with the powerless and the hungry. St.James would tell us that true religion is helping the orphan and the widow. True devotion to Mary at this point in time in our Philippine history would mean : to expel from ourselves the desire for power and good life and to conscienticize and evangelize the the poor so that, empowered, they transform the marginalizing structures of society for the next generation. The Anawim: from Jesus to Mary to Francis to Bartolome de las Casas (defender of the natives in Mexico during the colonial times )to San Pedro Bautista (he preached to the Governor General in the Manila catherdral regarding his oppressive policies making the natives suffer); up to the present seems that the the anawim will not see the final dethronement of the powerful. It will be a continuous struggle. Yet deep inside as experienced by Mary - there is the joy and peace of the magnificat: May soul proclaims the goodness of the Lord! God is the power and the true wealth. We just go on despite the marginalization and the pain.