It was from my father, Dr. Alberto Zialcita Romualdez, Sr. that I learned the value of having peace, particularly, peace with God. Like him, I was taught by the Jesuits the promise of the Sacred Heart, which is, if a person completes nine consecutive first-Friday Masses and communion, that person, before death, will be given a chance to atone for his sins and say the act of contrition. Shortly before he died of cancer in November of 1986, he wrote to all of us, his children, that it was this promise of the Sacred Heart and his peace with his Creator that gave him the strength to endure the physical pain he went through. He taught us that by having this peace with God we will all be able to have the courage to face the difficulties of life just as he did, and more importantly, to fear nothing and no one except God. It is also significant that my father taught us to do what is right to our fellowmen and to never pre-judge anyone. It was these inspiring moments that led me, at that point, to make my own peace with God.
In that one single experience, I have also learned that no matter how small or great a person is, he must sooner or later make his peace with his Lord and Creator. It doesn’t matter whether one is rich or poor, powerful or weak, the president of a country or a simple overseas worker – a Catholic, Muslim, or Protestant – we all pray to the same God, and it is only to Him that we must make our peace with.
I have come to know a few powerful and influential individuals, men who once moved the lives of people and the minds of nations, men known for their strengths as well as their frailties, men of authority and might. Yet, despite all the lure and temptation of power and prestige, these men saw the importance of choosing to make their peace with God in the end. For this reason, they were able to face very difficult moments in their lives with the confidence that can only come from one who has faith.
A good friend whom I have known for many years is business tycoon Enrique Zobel. He got into an accident while playing Polo in Spain several years ago that paralyzed him from the neck down. I visited him on many occasions and it was apparent that he had gone through a spiritual renewal, and as proof, even built a church near his farm in Calatagan. It was as plain as day that EZ, as we all fondly call him, has made his own peace with God.
One experience I will never forget was the interview I had with former senator Ninoy Aquino, Jr., a powerful and very charismatic person. As Channel 9 News reporter, I had met and interviewed the senator several years earlier at the Senate. But it was the interview several months before August of 1983 in his suite at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, where he was with Doy Laurel, Lorenzo Tañada Sr., and Ernie Maceda, that will always be etched in my memory. It was after the interview, as the Senator was handing me a drink that he told me something I will never forget. I asked him why he insisted in going back to Manila knowing fully well he was going to be arrested, he answered with the familiar zest and confidence, "Padre, I have long ago made my peace with God. I am going home. They can start cleaning their guns."
In 1989, Doy Laurel and I visited former US president Richard Nixon at his home in Saddle River, New Jersey. Here, the controversial US president retired after the infamous Watergate scandal that rocked, and ultimately, toppled his presidency to the ground. Nixon’s life was as colorful as it was tragic. His triumphs and disappointments were numerous as well as diverse, and many of his friends and enemies could not help but admire Nixon’s strength, faith and the will to keep on. Although he lost by a narrow margin to John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential race, in 1968, he was able to defeat Vice President Hubert Humphrey. In the 1972 bid for reelection, Nixon won by one of the widest margins on record, defeating Democratic candidate George McGovern. And then came Watergate, and the cycle of success and failure once more visited Nixon. Once again he needed to prove that he was indeed a fighter, not a quitter. He had just finished writing a book In the Arena, (his so-called memoir of victory, defeat and renewal), and while he was signing the book for Doy and I, I asked him what was the secret of his strength. Coming from a Quaker background, he said to me with his familiar baritone voice, "My unswerving faith in God proved ultimately to be the power that led me out of the darkness of the deepest valley to the magnificence of being on the highest mountain." And sure enough, ultimately, it was in his funeral at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California that gave the former president his final triumph and his own unique place in modern American history. All the former Presidents, from Gerald Ford to Ronald Reagan, and from George Bush Sr. to then president Bill Clinton, all were present to pay their final respects to the former US chief executive.
When I heard former president Joseph Estrada was depressed a couple of months ago, I went to visit him. I was saddened to see the former president in such state and so I asked him if he tried some spiritual renewal to ease his physical and emotional pain. Later, I found out he did go through a spiritual renewal and has since made his own peace with his Creator. Today, Joseph Estrada seemed to have the strength to accept whatever fate falls on him.
What was clear and common in all the people I have known is that nothing else mattered – not their wealth, not their power nor their influence. It was simply their faith and peace with God that ultimately carried them through their trials and difficulties.
And so it is in the spirit of Christmas that I wish to all my friends, and especially, foes alike, all our employees, business associates and those with power and influence, and most especially the leaders of this country and the entire Filipino nation, the peace of God. And through this peace, may we all bravely face the challenges and difficulties that lie ahead of us. We must always remember that making peace with God is more than an escape from death, it should be a way of life and more than a haven for the weary, it must be the hope for the brave.