The Parable Of The Unforgiving Servant

Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister? Seven times?" Jesus answered, "No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

"This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants. Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand gold ingots. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, children and all his goods in payment.

"The official threw himself at the feet of the king and said, 'Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.' The king took pity on him and not only set him free but even canceled his debt.

"This official then left the king's presence and he met one of his companions who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost strangled him, shouting, 'Pay me what you owe!' His companion threw himself at his feet and asked him, 'Give me time, and I will pay everything.' The other did not agree, but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt.

"His companions saw what happened. They were indignant and so they went and reported everything to their lord. Then the lord summoned his official and said, 'Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so. Weren't you bound to have pity on your companion as I had pity on you?' The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt."

Jesus added, "So will my heavenly Father do with you unless each of you sincerely forgive your brother or sister."

Matthew 18:21-35 - Is a Good Reminder For Those Who Borrow Money

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant is an eye-opener for those who habitually borrow money.

If he is the one borrowing money, he makes all possible promises, invents stories, or even lies ... to give him TIME to pay what he owes.  He wants the lender to forgive him and be lenient with him ... or if it is not asking too much ... forget that he owes him some money. Self-serving doesn't it?

Wait till he is the one lending the money.  Why can't he put the same standards on the poor guy - like giving him patience and understanding, being merciful and tolerant ... being magnanimous and sympathetic ... being more permissive and soft-hearted?  Why can't he give him TIME the way he asked for it when he is the one borrowing?

The worst that he can do to make the man pay is resort to violence or threaten him or his family ... insulting and bad-mouthing them ... and blackmailing them - all back-handed tactics to manipulate or coerce the target.

Greed  ... or avarice ... this is something we have to reflect on this Sunday! Most people grew up with the old adage: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Best known as the “golden rule”, it simply means you should treat others the way you want to be treated.

Something is wrong with you ... if you want to be treated this way ... and when the tables are turned you can't stomach applying the same standard.

VP Sara Duterte, sinabing 'di niya nirerespeto si Sen. Risa Hontiveros |...

"HINDI KO KAILANGAN ANG RESPECT MO." Sen. Risa Hontiveros responds again to VP Sara Duterte's remark that she "has no respect" for her and Rep. Castro. "Ang hinihingi ko sa iyo at ng taumbayan ay accountability... Mas marami ka pang patutsada kaysa sa paliwanag," she says.

BBM and Sarah: Early Xmas Exchange Gifts

                                                         Exchange gift in September ... an early Christmas spirit

Pagpasok ng ber months ... maagang nag-exchange gift sina BBM at Sara.  As reported nag-transfer ang office of the President ng 125 million pesos na ginamit sa confidential expenses ng OVP (Office of the Vice President). Siempre tuwangtuwa si Sara diyan.

In exchange, Sara through DepED returned the favor ... by removing the name Marcos from the term dictadurang Marcos in the revised Grade 6 Araling Panlipunan curriculum.

Sandro Marcos also gifted Sara by way of parliamentary courtesy when he moved to terminate the discussion of the confidential funds and budget of the office of the Vice President to the utter surprise of the Makabayan block in the house.

Economist says: Rice ceiling Will Result To Rice Shortafe

 

This is not an easy week for BBM.  After losing his battle with the soaring rice prices ... and meeting flaks about EO 39, which mandated a price cap for regular milled rice to PhP41.00 per kilogram and PhP45.00 per kilogram for well-milled rice ... another bad news is looming on the horizon. 

TV Patrol reported that the Philippines became the number 1 rice importer beating the perennial favorite China.

In its latest world trade report, the USDA forecasts Philippine rice imports for 2023/24 will reach 3.8 million metric tons, the world's biggest, surpassing the revised import projection of 3.5 million tons for permanent top buyer China.

Caption That

                                                Akala Ko P20 Per Butil Rice 

Promises Made ... Promises Broken

The Philippines is the land of broken campaign promises. A lot of our politicians in their enthusiasm to make a dent in the voter's who's who ... are making campaign promises that are just too big for comfort. Their promises looked empty ... they were unattainable ... like Impossible Dreams' unreachable star. 

Promises made and promises broken ... goes the cliche so while the Impossible Dream becomes the symbol of hope and perseverance ... it continues to inspire people across cultures and generations, reminding us that the impossible can become possible if we are willing to follow our dreams, believe in ourselves, and never give up. Little did they realize. that the more vocal they become ... their promises become cheaper by the dozen and before they know it will end only in the boulevard of broken dreams.

PRRD promised to end illegal drugs and criminality and to defend the West Philippine Sea ... and the rest was history. We knew what happened to that. For his part, BBM promised to have rice prices within the 20-30 range ... that never happened even though he was head of the umbrella of the Department of Agriculture.

In recent times, no president has kept all his promises. Their advisers should have reminded them of the difference between general rhetoric and specific promises. Campaign promises are very successful at tying the politicians' hands, especially when he is running for reelection ... or he is just one politician who is very particular with image ... especially keeping his mantra ... "Promises made ... promises kept."

If the candidate is extra careful and avoids making specific promises, that will give him the upper hand and control of the sound bites. If there are little loopholes ... his spin doctors can easily twist the facts and the discussion is remedied. 

Voters didn't mind it when candidates were vague on what they promised. BBM for instance in the campaign trail ... felt it would be good to have the rice price between 20-30 pesos. That's very specific.  The voting public as well as the opposition has retentive memories ... and they will rub it on BBM's face if he fails in his effort. 

He should have said: "If elected president ... I will make it my priority to lower down the escalating rice prices." 20-30 pesos is a barometer ... a point of reference ... a benchmark of whether you have succeeded in your promise or not. Look at BBM now ... he provided the last nail in his political coffin ... and memes about rice at 2o pesos haunt him like nightmares till the wee hours of the morning. (The most effective meme is the one shown above at Caption That... a 20 pesos rice in a plastic bag for ice water or ice candy.)

Recent studies find strong evidence that voters punish erring candidates for changing positions ... or making bogus claims and campaign promises.  They too do not penalize —and sometimes reward—candidates for remaining vague. See the irony?

The moral lesson for politicians is transparent and crystal clear: The best way to avoid having to keep your promises ... is to not make any ... in the first place.