Calaidescope World

Reflections

We were fortunate enough to have a five day holiday. It started on Maundy Thursday and ends today, Easter Monday, which also marks the anniversary of the Bataan Death March. The 9th of April is known in the Philippines as The Day of Valor, and is sadly not "celebrated" or remembered as it should be. I heard that World War II veterans in the US and their families/relatives commemorate this day as the beginning of the end of the Pacific troops' suffering under the Japanese in the northern Philippines. Over here, it's just another non-working holiday and most Filipinos have no idea whose valor we are celebrating.

I find it interesting that this little vacation of ours starts and ends with a journey through suffering and redemption. Believers walk with Christ as he completes his mission, and many soldiers are remembered for their courage. Whilst in a state of introspection, this begged the question, "To uphold my religious beliefs, to show that I do remember, what could I do?". Apparently, not much.

Last Tuesday, Bianca and I went to the our parish for confession. While waiting in line, we ended up listening to a priest lead the second day of recollection. He asked the congregation, "Why do we need to go through all these activities during Holy Week? What is the point of arrival?". In case you don't know the answer either, it's to renew our baptismal vows (among other things...). I wish I had taken down notes. The priest was good; his talk was inspiring.

Altough we missed the first day, we decided to attend the third and last day of the recollection which was led by Bishop Jessie Mercado who was once a parish priest in our neighborhood. Apart from reviewing the past two days' discussions, Bishop Mercado pointed out, "Your breaking point may be the prelude to your strongest moment." Suddenly, my "point of arrival" was the realisation that what I know and what I can do can only take me so far...and it's not exactly as far as I want to go. I've been humbled by the horrible mistakes that I've made trying to get where I am professionally. It's time to drastically change course. It's time remember all the other aspects of life that are just as important, or even more important, than having a fulfilling job.

One of my best friends attended a mass where the priest's sermon was short, simple, and effective. He said, "Some of us will go to church and pray. Some of us will go to the beach and play. Some of us will go to the beach and pray, too. Or even Baguio. It's up to you how you want to spend your Holy Week. Just remember to look at the man infront of us who died for all of us."

I'm saving up for a trip to Spain in September which includes a couple of days in Santiago de Compostella, Galicia in the northwest. I have many reasons for making a sort of pilgrimage to Santiago, but at the end of the day, my pilgrimage is a series of prayers. Many of them will be prayers of thanksgiving. Others will be prayers asking for help, asking for peace, asking for calm, prayers for my family and friends, prayers asking for forgiveness, prayers to teach me to forgive others. The most important of those prayers will be for my cousin Maia who has been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Prayers worked for my friend Pogs. Prayers should work for Maia, too. I'm also praying for my dad. He can't walk anymore. Not without pain. Things are not looking too good. I know I'm not on the road to sainthood. Yet I must do what I can. I'm not privy to God's plans.

So what is my own "point of arrival"? Forgiveness, peace of mind, and a better way of living.

Not all of us are Christians. Not all of us are soldiers. But all of us have saved at least one other in our lifetime, and all of us have been saved. We all do what we can. Like the Spartans of old, many of us do not retreat, we do not surrender. We fight The Good Fight. We all carry a cross. Remember that.

posted by Calai @ 6:48 PM