The Calling of A Filipino Catholic Social Economist

Discerning one's purpose in life is very much difficult and could at times get so confusing and complicated. Knowing your purpose in life requires not only listing the things that you want to do but also creating an identity for yourself, not for the sake of labeling or packaging yourself, but for the sake of being true to your own and inner self. And for a very politically-oriented and socially-aware person like me, finding something concrete is very crucial to all the things, beliefs and ideals that I hold so dear in my life.

I am not ashamed and afraid to say that I have been shaped by various ideologies and ideas that I have sought to study and at times, try to affiliate with, theoretically, such as Marxism, Maoism, Socialism, Christian Socialism, Conservatism, Social Liberalism and all the political -isms out there. And these ideas that I have read and learned, though conflicting to one another, have enriched me so much to understand the complexities of these ideas and appreciate the common goals of all these ideologies.

As a result of these constant readings, I have been somewhat obsessed as to how I would label myself politically. It somehow also had an impact to what I really want to be in life. Later on, I realized and understood that my identity and meaning in life as a person can never be - and should never be - defined by my desire to fit in this or that side or center of the political spectrum. It must be defined by my passions in life and above all, grounded and guided by my faith. 

As such, amidst my constant musings in life and on the things that have long interested me like politics, economics, philosophy, theology, history, culture and the arts - I have somehow discovered what I am meant to be in this world through my faith.

Yes, faith has always played a central role in my life. Though I cannot say that I am a very religious and spiritual person in terms of personal devotion, regular prayers and other routeinary religious activities, I can say that my Christian faith has always been the anchor and basis of my political awareness and social activism, though I have oftentimes been lukewarm with it. As a matter of fact, after a careful assessment of my religious life in the past, I can say that I have somewhat been more of an agnostic, in terms of personal fortitude, rather than a Catholic. Nonetheless, God is still good, I realized that more than Marx, I have always constantly found the message, the Gospel of Christ as truly appealing to my heart. It is for this reason that despite my weak and small faith, I have remained a Christian.

Though Marx's critical analysis of the social order seems to remain as interesting as he first unveiled it more than a century ago, Christ's message of love for the poor and the oppressed seems to be more eternal and immortal than ever. This truth of Christ's love is and always will be the center of my politics and economics - and this truth has actually been constantly preached by the Church through her Social Teaching, which I have come to know long before but have began to appreciate and nourish only now. 

Contrary to the popular belief that Catholic Social Teaching began with the great Pope Leo XIII's promulgation of his social encyclical Rerum Novarum, it actually dates back to Jesus Christ himself - whose images as the Good Shepherd, the Good Samaritan, the Wounded Healer, the Wandering Jew, the Carpenter of Nazareth, the Lowly Servant and the Crucified Lord and Savior, continue to touch and move my heart. As shown by the social encyclicals of the Popes of the Church, Jesus Christ is the heart and soul of Catholic Social Teaching. His Gospel is the cornerstone of Christian Social Thought.

But unlike other social thoughts, Catholic Social Teaching is not an ideological agenda but a positive message and an encompassing idea that seeks not only to reaffirm its Christian roots and values but also to shape consciences and share its ideals to all peoples, regardless of one's race, religion, sex or age. In other words, Catholic Social Teaching, rather than exclusive, is actually inclusive of all people. That is why it is 'Catholic' Social Teaching. It is 'universal.' It is meant to be shared to all peoples, like Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and even Atheists. It seeks not to proselytize or forcibly convert other people to the Catholic Faith but to engage them in dialogue and cooperation to help solve man's problems and find hope and beauty in our common heritage and shared humanity.

It is for this reason that I have finally found my meaning and purpose in life. Being a Catholic and an economics graduate by background, I know that in this world, where relativism seems to be the name of the game, it will be a hard and difficult struggle. But as Pope Benedict XVI always reminds us, we must be firm in our Christian faith and roots. When I was still a child, I wanted to become like this or that. Today, I know what I want: To be a Filipino Catholic Social Economist, working for the good of all people, who are my brothers and sisters in the Lord.