ANGELS OF MINE

(When I was giving recollection to high school students. It gives me the willies. Nonetheless, it’s all about the angels. Things aren’t the way the way we look at them from a distance. Thus, the difference between appearance and reality.)

 

Little_angelsIt is noble to learn from stories or even nobler to learn from experiences themselves; however, the best of all is to learn from both. I am usually troubled by the thing recollection giving. I’m far too unrelenting to give one if only I could say no. It gives me a nauseating stomach every now and then, thinking that my good might not be enough after all to give to these individuals the thing they suppose to gain. That every thing might turn out to be worst, once again. Besides that fact that I’m not too prepared, I have these low public disposition. I’m so down-esteemed when it comes to facing and drawing the crowds; that I might just be huddled behind my company.

However, everything turns out to be like a blessing in disguise, in a nutshell, I superbly enjoyed the activity. I did even perhaps gain the most copious fruit of that activity for life. Really, oftentimes things are not as they seem to us. This palpable experience respectively orchestrate the narrative story of he two angels which was kept few pages in my module. It is a consequential story wherein two angels who looked for an asylum on the first house they tried to knock. They came in to the house of a wealthy merchant. But they were kept warm over the night at a stingy compartment. Consequently, the older angel found a hole at the wall of the house. The older angel covered and fixed it.

The next day, the angels found rest at the house of a farmer couple. They were snootily kept on the bed. With kindness and compassion to these straying angels, they were even fed with finest bread the farmers could ever had. But in the morning, the wife was weeping for their only milking cow was dead. The younger angel indignantly complained to the older angel, “the rich man treated us badly but you fixed the hole in his house, and yet this farmer who kept us really warmed and well fed was deprived of their only living instead.” The older angel replied, “when we were at the merchant’s house, I saw gold stocks in the hole, so I covered it knowing that the merchant is of greedy character. But last night when the angel of death came to get the farmer’s wife, I gave him the milking cow instead.” Really, things are not what they seem to be.

SEMINARY FORMATION AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

 (Hmmm, not so long time ago I have written this stuff when I was still clad with white garb washed only after every month or two when sweat stink is unbearable, ha ha. This is all about the formation inside the four-cornered adobe brick wall.)

 

SemHugo Grotius, a philosopher of those happy days that past, and Kenneth Waltz, ‘a trying hard’ philosopher by profession perhaps, jives in their notion that human nature is irreversible. “No, not even God can subvert (human) nature,” says Grotius. If then, what are we hopeful for in trying to remodel man’s action against certain norm and standard (of morality) if there is in man an obstinate nature? Fulton J. Sheen retorted, that what really matter when we reckon human actions, as the cause of peace or conflict, is that it draws little or no significant at all to human nature, but it is rather to human personality. Thus, the only malleable element in man is his personality – thing that we could be hopeful rather.

There are multifarious forming agents in this world. It could be ones own environment packaged with culture, religion and different practices manned by different personalities. I, for my own concern, tacitly perhaps, chose to be a formandee of this vulnerable institution – the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary – a concrete model of an integrated personality development arena.

Being a formandee in whatever respect is isn’t too easy. “It is like being a clay in a potter’s hand.” I experienced pummeling, twisting, breaching and bending. I learned, against the weak obedience of my will, to tame the outburst of my personality; to go against its impatience, laxity, stubbornness and inordinate clamors – to consign them in the hands of the ‘potter.’ Could I be a pleasing ‘pot’ after all, along the array of formandees? That is not that easy. Man is not a clay, that is, unresisting against the holds-and-folds of the potter. Human personality is a pliable element of his being that is dependent upon the powerful consent of his will.

Being a seminarian practically, doesn’t guarantee that I could be what I want to be. I could perhaps, possess an ideal personality, but not the essential one. Because everything depends upon ones obedience to the formators – to the ‘potter’s’ instructions. But were aren’t clays at all?

Essential formative instructions are well formulated and well fed on us. But everything once again, depends upon our own discretion – no matter how tough and good the formation might be. If we chew them well, ingest and let them be part of us. In this way, seminary formation, I can say, would never be trashed in vain, but became a substantial element in our personality development.

 

A COOL SEASON OF FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE

(Well, partly, for the sake of reading, that’s why I have posted this penning. Though, this might be out-of-time, this means a lot to me because this is part and parcel of my experiences during my college years. F.Y.I., this is a pastoral recflection. So, Amen.!)

 

Faith_hope_and_love_1I was caught in surprise when, upon arriving at the place were we are suppose to have our weekly “Buklod” (a sort of prayer meeting) meeting, our Buklod coordinator was already conducting her or their own “buklod” meeting themselves; together with her tong – 8 chums.
It was indeed ridiculous to see her flipping and tossing cards while my unguarded expectation calls her for a spiritual activity at that moment. Besides, her obligation over us every Sunday, as I would presuppose, keeps ringing over her consciousness while drawing cards with her mates.

Besides, it’s a burden on my part getting along with my companions who have considerable stubbornness in performing their obligations also. Nevertheless, together with my companions, I went to the few “ten people” who deserved our presence; to save the “destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah” – to save our day.

This cool season of Faith, Hope and Love I stressed that Christmas is a season of Faith. It is in fact the advent of our salvation. It is not merely a social or political feat, but rather a union with our spiritual well being. It is not even the season especially made by heavens for (an overwhelming esteem) Santa Claus, as what children and youths of this modern era thought of. We are called to enkindle this cool season of our Lord in a cheerful praise, thanksgiving and kindness.

We hope on the other hand for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, wherein everyone finds the fulfilment of a long longed happiness in the final reckoning of time – perhaps a Christmas that never ends.
And the greatest of this is love. As what I have told them, if by entertaining our visitors who flocked for a fiesta in our town or barangay we spend delicacies and accommodations we cannot even afford to ourselves, then same great thing speaks in entertaining our divine visitor – reconciliation, giving, penance and prayer are the best “delicacies and accommodations” we could offer to our beloved Visitor in the ambit of our hearts. It is said that, “you can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving.” So it is impossible as much to think of Christmas without loving – without forgiving our enemies, without resolving for the better, without giving love. This cool season of Christmas reminds us to embrace each other and share the warmth of our love to others. As did our divine master endure the cold breeze of the manger just to share with us the saving warmth of his divine love all the way to the cross of Calvary.

ON BLAISE PASCAL’S GEOMETRICAL NOTION

(Caution: contains philosophical jargons and catchphrases that might turn your head or turn the internet explorer back. I have wirtten this circa 2004 of Octorber to fill the void on my prof’s class record. Who likes philosophy anyway?! Huh.)

 

Blaise_pascalPascal, a brilliant philosopher and mathematician is quite disinterested to conclusions, inferences or at least indifferent to it. Precisely, his core in dealing with truth is by demonstration rather than judgment.

Pascal, on the other hand uses his geometry as a sort of methodology on unearthing the truth since this uses fixed definitions or signs. This in contrary to the typical definitions we attribute to things in which it uses terms prone to various definitions. Thus, perfect and irreducible demonstration is impossible since this creates immense webbings of definitions emanating from itself.

However there’s limit to every thing, Pascal’s geometry, by its own nature is incapable to “scale” all things that goes around. There are knowledge that goes beyond the grasp of measurement or scaling. In particular, for me, and, for example, God, is really beyond the scruples of geometry. Geometry, by nature, denotes limitations; from the fact that it uses fixed arguments, definitions and signs. And God would not fit in this notion. What more, metaphysical characters, such as spirits or souls. These are eternal beings that don’t account to time and space (again, another limitations) and, in the same line abhors geometrical configurations.

I would like also to give stress on Pascal’s idea of the vacuum. He said that nature negates vacuum up to a certain point, but perhaps not absolutely. No matter in what degree is our brainstorming, practically, I believe that vacuum do exist, that if we are talking of space to be filled (the absence of air, temperature and other substances). But, with vacuum negating space, I don’t think so. For it is impossible to think of space, as a whole, being increased or being reduced or worse, being taken away if we are to come up with nothing. As is said in his exposition, space is that which has parts outside another. If we are to reduce space, where are we to begin? If we are to increased it, up to what extent, if our concern is to arrive to the indivisible or the boundary?

I like Pascal’s own “epoche”. He said, “instead of denying a proposition because we cannot realize its meaning, we should withhold judgment and examine the contrary proposition carefully.” This quit essential to a man looking for truth, while it is true that “the only permanent thing here on earth is change”. The truth today might be a lie tomorrow. What is pleasing this moment might be taboo at the other juncture. That’s why suspension of judgment is quite crucial.

Finally, Pascal’s pilgrimage for truth rested on faith. Thus, “when reason ceases, faith enters.” Faith is the best counselor of a troubled mind and heart. He added, “The heart has its own reason that our mental faculty cannot grasp”. With the diversity of philosophy, which makes truth near because of its noble persuasion on our humanity, and yet so far because of contradictions and bitter combats of ideas, we are indeed in dread of pandimonic confusions. However, we have to bear in mind what Saint Augustine said, “Before we can understand the truth, we first have to believe.”

PILI, PINANGAT ASIN PEÑAFRANCIA

(Uhum, just a reactionary paper I’ve written not too long ago (circa October 8, 2005) about a sociological exegesis during our class on Sociology during my college years.)

Pili_pinangat_asin_peafranciaThe lecture of Christian Cordero, a former seminarian and alumnus of the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary, bears tripartite elements that epitomized his discussion, dubbed as Pili, Pinangat asin Peñafrancia. These are the things copiously found and enjoyed by Bikolanos in different respects. Each of these threesome elements would ring a bell even by just a mutter of their names. These proudly configure a Bikolano spirit wherever he may go: from a delectable delicacy all throughout the venerable religious esteem.

In Christian Cordero’s Bikol sociological exegesis, I could not help but capture his points into two contrasting concisions – the two faces of Bikol – beauty and poverty. These also got its substantial showcases, as I happened to browse a fabulous coffee table book, “Ina and the Bikol People,” published last 2002, as spearheaded by Rev. Fr. Wilmer Joseph Tria. The book has a considerable parallelism with that of Christian’s lecture. Wherein, inside the book, edits Bicolano’s way of life mobilized by their culture, religiosity and industry. Nonetheless, beside the enticing beauty of the Bikol panorama, are strings of poverty in different tunes: homelessness, unhealthy housing, unemployment, ill-health, inadequate education and the like – all strung together to bring melancholic rendition behind the consoling beauty of Bikol. Thus, the two faces of Bikol.

Behind the noble symbolism of pili, pinangat and Peñafrancia are smoldering political and social issues. Bikol at her very best has indeed a God-given beauty; beauty that brightly yielding with another “sense of beauty.” However, could ‘she’ be at home amidst quagmire of poverty?

In a halfway or perhaps, obvious reason, dirty politics is deemed as the sinister that brings about the toll of poverty. Few others (as well as in Cordero’s lecture) advocated the change in constitution for a better socio-political condition, rather than change of every individual’s thrust in life. I retorted, on the other hand, that, “no effect is greater than the cause” (barrowing a philosophical ideology). If poverty is the effect of dirty politics, how much more is dirty politics are the effect of dirty political individuals.

If it was not of this ‘particular individual,’ thousands of Filipinos must not have suffered much of being political prisoners, of being tortured, of being harassed of their own property, of basking under the heat of the sun trumpeting the dawn of the EDSA phenomena. There is no conflict in the world that big that would outsmart the conflict inhabiting within man’s soul, though he is just a mere speck in the universe. Therefore, no matter how much change and beautification we do with our constitution if within it are ‘deleterious serpents,’ we would still be singing the melancholic hymns of poverty and political strife.

I believe that a better metamorphosis of a political society begins not when you try to capture it from a distance. Rather, when one begins to see it from within and radiates it all throughout. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen would rather say in his book, Peace of Soul, “there can be no world peace, unless there is soul peace.” I further believe that one cannot give what one does not have.   

As for Bikolanos who’s determination is as tough as a pili-nu shell; with gentle character as welcoming as the exceptional taste of pinangat and with religiosity patterned after the heart of  INA, our Lady of Peñafrancia, I believe, we will be going home joyfully carrying our sheaves.