A continent of faith

THAT’S how I feel Cebu is to me and I thank God profusely for it! It may just be a small land mass in a 7100-island archipelago, but, boy, what tremendous continent of faith and piety its people from walks of life have!

Now that we are in the final sprint for Christmas with dawn Masses in all the parishes, it’s truly heartwarming to see the churches converted into stadiums of worship, the roads into rivers of families and friends heading toward the Eucharistic celebration.

This phenomenon, this awesome show of popular piety is repeated many times a year. You see it during Holy Week, the Santo Nino feast with the holding of the Sinulog, All Souls’ Day, and the different fiestas. Of course, the celebration of Christmas tops it all.

But even on ordinary days, you can see people filling the church, attending Mass, going to Confession, or simply praying. They may come in different shapes and forms and in a very wide range of situations, but the faith and piety are palpable.

There may be defects in that faith and piety, but at the core and in their raw state, they are pure and pristine. I know that how to take care of these divine gifts is a tough challenge to our Church leaders. Let’s pray that we, the clergy, are up to that challenge.

My personal contacts with the people have rewarded me with moving testimonies of faith, hope and charity that many times have moved me to tears. At times, I have to be the one to reassure them when they are gripped with difficulties. But most of the times, I am the one enriched by their virtues that are fiercely put to test.

Just the other day, someone close to me, a Cebuano businessman with his wife and children, broke the sad news that one of his pawnshops in Manila was robbed by the so-called “imburnal gang.”

The big-time thieves dug a tunnel under his shop, opened the floor, cut the alarm system, and amazingly managed to open the vault, and of course, carted everything inside away.

When I asked him how much he lost, he refused to give a figure, if only to soften the pain for a while. But what moved me most was when he said, “Father, you win some and you lose some, but life has to go on.”

And with that, he told me also of the many blessings he had received, blessings that cannot be put in monetary terms. He just put aside the deep cut of injustice given to him, together with the accompanying pains—reassuring his family, dealing with the police who were asking for money, the angry clients, etc. He said he was willing to face all these consequences.

That faith and goodness of spirit simply floored me. But I actually see this kind of faith even in my daily conversations with all kinds of people—students, parents, professionals, politicians, etc. For me, this is a great privilege for which I cannot thank God enough.

That’s why when I get somehow entangled with the sophistries of some so-called smart and clever people who question the faith, the Church, the sacraments, and who use every chance to attack religion, I just go back to my experiences of the faith and piety of the Cebuanos, and I feel reassured.

Good will always triumph, if not now then later. But, of course, that conviction should not be a cover for complacency. We all need to struggle, to grow to moral and spiritual maturity. It’s an endless, lifelong affair that should be given utmost attention.

I’m happy that our seminaries, for example, are filling up with young hopefuls who, in spite of the deteriorating environment around, manage to sense a call to the priesthood. Let’s hope that their formators truly guide them.

Truth is we need a lot of hands to work in the vineyard of the Lord. “The harvest indeed is great but the laborers are few.” (Mt 9,37) And we need good priests, holy, learned and willing to give their all up to death in the service of souls.

Someone told me that some Cebuano seminarians are volunteering and are now part of dioceses abroad. That’s good. It’s a clear sign of God’s favor. But we continue to need a lot in Cebu.

Let’s all pray for good priests, because as one saint said, a priest does not go to heaven or hell alone. He brings with him a lot. That’s just how it is, given the way we are.