A sober thought

Over the past few years, our country has gone through a lot of political instability with so much vengeance and hatred in the air. But the message coming from a prince of the Church, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, is perhaps something we must all think about. He said that we should stop pre-judging people because at the end of the day it is our Creator who will make the final judgment. We must now all move forward and do what is best for the country. That, basically, was the good Cardinal’s sobering message. Taking its signal from the new Pope, the Church should play its real role and be the nation’s moral guiding light. Very often, one gets tempted to be the judge, prosecutor, and executioner like the Godfather Michael Corleone. In my case, it was always the influence of my mother – who was my moral light – that gently brought me back to my senses and gave me the strength to have faith in the judgment of God. The fact of the matter is, there is such a thing as karma. If you do good it will come back to you tenfold and if you do bad it will also come back to you.

Things may not be well for the country today, but there are indications things will be better that is why we must count our blessings. Take for instance the economy. The OFW remittances have gone up compared to last year. It’s expected to reach $12-billion bringing up the peso’s value. Coincidentally, the oil prices have also gone down cushioning the impact of the EVAT. At the MOPC forum the other day, Finance Sec. Gary Teves attributed it to sheer luck. I attribute it to Divine Grace.

In spite of the Thai Prime Minister’s nasty accusation, I think our athletes won fair and square. He should probably concentrate on his insurgency problem instead of making us the scapegoat for his woes. Many of our athletes are disciplined military men and women – 144 from the Air Force, 91 from the Army and 97 from the Navy who deserve to win.

This year also happens to be the 40th Anniversary of Ateneo High School Class ’65. Themed, "A Class for Others", our homecoming was very well organized by the good guys – Rico Agcaoili, Louie Pamintuan, Donnie Lopez and Tito Legasto. Ateneo High School ’80 was the main host of yesterday’s successful Grand Homecoming. But the message that stood out which I found most appropriate was a homily given by one of our classmates who is now a Jesuit priest – Fr. Lenny Sumpaico. He told us that this is the time for many of us who have done well in life to reflect back on our past and count our blessings. He said we must now look forward as we begin our journey towards the twilight of our years and share those blessings. That is why the Gawad Kalinga project which builds homes for the homeless and provides education and livelihood opportunities for the poor has been chosen by our class. We were able to raise a substantial amount of money during the homecoming.

I spent a good part of my life at the Ateneo, starting from kindergarten to third year high school, when I "stumbled" and moved on to La Salle for college. But that "stumble" is perhaps the best thing that happened to me because it gave me a wider perspective in life and strengthened my character to bounce back. A classmate and a very close friend through thick and thin – mostly thin – Larry Martinez, who is visiting from New York gave me the book Character is Destiny written by John MacCain and Mark Salter. In that book, John MacCain wrote it is your character that will determine your destiny in life. This book also tells us about the moving stories of triumph against the odds, righteousness in the face of iniquity, hope in adversity, and sacrifices for a cause greater than self-interest. Among the notables featured are St. Thomas More, George Washington, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, and Mahatma Gandhi. It is a great book and I strongly recommend it especially for the youth.

Fortunately, we are blessed with a lot of good people in this country with the right intentions. Ultimately, it is their kind of character that will determine this nation’s destiny. But what is more important is for us to heed Cardinal Rosales’ message – We must leave the final judgment to God. Hopefully this coming Christmas season, people will come home to the real meaning of the birth of Jesus. I will always remember that familiar refrain from an old Spanish hymn we used to sing at the Ateneo during mass:

No mas amor que el Tuyo

Oh Corazon Divino!

El Pueblo Filipino

Te da su corazon

En templos y en hogares

Te invoque nuestra lengua;

Tu reinaras sin mengua

De Aparri hasta Jolo.

Four decades after leaving Loyola, one realizes that going back to one’s Creator is the true Homecoming. That, to me, is a sobering thought.

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