Lessons from ‘inside’

First, this letter from reader Wilfredo Acob:

I read your column practically everyday (if it’s ever there); a must read, I must say. Am not much for words but your head for today’s (Oct. 2) column states "Propesterous Gobbledygook of the Week." Did I miss the pun here? Or is this just one isolated slip – I mean the word propesterous? Cheers.

And this one from reader K. Lien:

Thank you for amusing us with Melanie Marquez’s equally amusing quotes. I should just point out that there is no such word as propesterous. There is such a word as preposterous, though, which means absurd, ridiculous and silly. I’m sure you meant the latter.

(Dear Wilfredo and K. Lien: No, it wasn’t a typographical error. I did mean propesterous and not preposterous. That word was coined by a certain Senator during the Erap Impeachment Trial. The word gobbledygook was uttered by Sen. Rodolfo Biazon in reference to all the nonsense being spouted by his colleagues during the same trial. Those guys in the supposedly august halls of Congress are propesterous, aren’t they?)

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One of the many people who heaved a sigh of relief after Kris Aquino accepted Joey Marquez’s apology on national television was former (and soon-to-be-again?) San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada, Joey’s co-star in Maverick Productions’ hilarious comedy Utang ng Ama. (The joke is that the movie should be retitled Ang Nambatok at ang Nanutok, referring to Jinggoy’s batukan incident with Richard Gomez during the notorious Star Olympics last summer and Joey’s recent tutok-baril brush with Kris.)

"Good for Kris, good for Joey, good for Kris’ Mom Tita Cory and good for everybody," said Jinggoy who, on second thought, added that, yes, he’s inviting Kris to the movie’s premiere sometime soon.

"Otherwise, they would have continued washing dirty linen in public."

If Jinggoy sounded humble, it’s because, he confessed, humility was one of the lessons he learned while "inside" (the Veterans Memorial Hospital, that is, his home for more than a year and where his dad, former President Erap Estrada, still is).

"I also learned how to call on God everyday," said Jinggoy. "My Mom (Sen. Loi Estrada) gave me and my Dad so many estampitas that after a while, I was kidding her, ‘Mom, lahat yata ng mga santo kabarkada ko na.’ My Mom told us to pray to all the saints everyday para daw makalabas kami kaagad."

Asked who among his saintly "barkada" became his favorite, Jinggoy mentioned Saint Philomena, the same saint for whom the late Danny Holmsen composed a song (Santa Filomena, Santa Filomena, pakinggan mo sana ang hiling ko...) which is played every night by Jun Banaag on his dzMM radio program Dr. Love.

I was surprised when most of the movie writers present at the mini-lunch with Jinggoy didn’t know who Saint Philomena is. So for their sake and that of religious Funfare readers, I’m printing this information from the Internet and the prayer they might want to repeat every night before going to sleep:

SAINT PHILOMENA Virgin and Martyr († Third century)

The tomb of this virgin and martyr, unknown until the first years of the 19th century, was providentially discovered in 1802 in the catacombs. God by many miracles made the discovery of Saint Philomena’s body famous, and the cult of the young Saint spread everywhere with an extraordinary rapidity. She received such exceptional homage that she deserves to be placed in the first ranks of the virgin martyrs whom the Church venerates. The Holy Curé of Ars called her his dear little Saint and performed wonders, invoking her.

Certain revelations having the character of authenticity say that Saint Philomena was the daughter of a Greek prince, who accompanied her parents to Rome on a journey, and that her glorious martyrdom occurred there under Diocletian in the third century. The two arrows engraved on her tombstone in opposite directions referred to the efforts of the persecutor to slay her with a volley of arrows, after Angels preserved her from death by drowning; the arrows turned against the archers. Finally she was beheaded, like so many other miraculously protected heroes and heroines of Christ. This opinion, which certain circumstances attending the translation of her relics in 1812 to the city of Mugnano appeared to verify, has prevailed. In that city devotion to her has been extraordinary and remains so to this day; miracles have multiplied both there and elsewhere for those who invoke her.

Other very serious studies maintain that she was a child of the Roman people, immolated in the first century for Jesus Christ, at the age of 12 or 13 years. An examination of her bones permitted her age to be estimated, and the vial of dried blood in her tomb clearly indicated her martyrdom. The instruments of torture painted on the terra cotta plaque which closed her tomb – an arrow, an anchor, a torch – show us what sort of tortures she bore, all of which are known to us through other martyrdoms of the same early centuries. The inscription: "Peace be with you, Philomena," reveals her name.

What is beyond doubt is that this Saint responds unfailingly to the faith of those who invoke her. Invoked everywhere with wonderful success, she was entitled "the wonder-worker of the 19th century." She has shown herself to be the protectress, in particular, of small children. A mother whose young son died despite her prayers, placed a picture of the Saint on his corpse, begging that he be returned to her. And the child rose as though from sleep, stood up beside his bed and had no more symptoms of any sickness whatsoever. A little girl who had put out her eye playing with a pair of scissors, which injury was declared irreparable by physicians, had her eye restored when she washed her face in oil taken from the Saint’s lamp; and this eye seemed to everyone more vivid and bright than the other.

Source: Lives of the Saints for Every Day of the Year. (Reprint of the work of John Gilmary Shea, with Appendix including recently canonized Saints; Benziger Brothers: New York, 1955).

Novena to St. Philomena

Patron of Working People and of Christian Education of Poor People.

Faithful Virgin and glorious Martyr, who workest so many miracles on behalf of the poor and the sorrowing, have pity on me. Thou knowest the multitude and diversity of my needs. Behold me at thy feet, full of misery but full of hope. I entreat my charity, O great saint! Graciously hear me and deign to obtain from God a favorable hearing for the request which I now humbly lay before thee. (Here specify petition.) I am firmly convinced that through my merits, though the scorn, the sufferings, the death thou hast undergone, united to the merits of death and passion of Jesus thy spouse, I shall obtain what I ask of thee: and in the joy of my heart I will bless God who is admirable in His saints. Amen.

And Sen. Tessie, too!

Another person who’s happy with the positive development in the Kris-Joey brouhaha is Kris’ aunt, Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta (TAO) who’s hoping that everybody will learn a lesson or two from that headline-hogging incident.

"The issue brought into sharp focus domestic violence," TAO pointed out to movie writers over lunch of paella (and other Spanish goodies) at Alba Restaurant (Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City).

"I’m glad that the incident has encouraged other victims of domestic violence to come out in the open. They realized that there’s nothing wrong at all or nothing shameful about doing so."

TAO reminded everybody that there’s a long-pending bill that would protect women from violence and other forms of abuse in domestic disputes.

"I hope that even with the out-of-court settlement of the Kris-Joey case," added TAO, "the bill wouldn’t be sidelined."

TAO likewise commended Joey for being "gentleman enough" to make a public apology.

"I hope that both he and Kris have learned from what happened and grown wiser before they move on."

Besides the anti-domestic violence bill (SB 864), TAO has also written and sponsored at least 14 women-friendly laws that would help eliminate gender bias in the workplace; protect women from exploitation, human trafficking and violence; help them strengthen their families and fulfill their roles as mothers; and recognize their pivotal role in nation-building.

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