One by one, five members of the Rev. Andres Giron's family were killed here.

Now, in an act that some say will put his own life at risk, the Roman Catholic priest, who became a pariah to many landed gentry as a champion of land redistribution, has announced that he may run for President.

''There are times in a man's life when he has to make the hard decision's - for better or worse,'' Father Giron said. ''If my life has a chance of changing this country, then I'm going to do it, then my death will be worthwhile.''

The announcement by Father Giron, who grew up believing that change came only at the end of a gun, is an example of the involvement that has led many Latin American churches into the forefront of the fight for social justice, often in opposition to the established political order. Change Called a Facade

But Father Giron's trial balloon is also a mark of the conflicting trends sweeping across Guatemala's turbulent political landscape. It shows the nascent opening to opposition as well as the continuing intolerance of dissent and the inability to respond to popular demands for change, especially land redistribution.