WE get this happy assurance from the Letter of St. James. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive a crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love him.” (1,12)
God can allow temptations to come to us. But when that happens, it’s because it can occasion a greater good for us, as long as we make use of our temptations to go to God rather than to run away from him.
St. Paul assures us that God is always in control of things. This is what he said: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.” These words somehow reassure us that there is nothing new about temptations. We should not over-react when we are tempted.
And St. Paul continues, “God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Cor 10,13) What better deal can we have when we have to deal with unavoidable temptations? We should just stick to God, to his ways. We should just enliven our faith, and not allow ourselves to be dominated by our own estimation of things.
The first thing to do when tempted is to immediately go to God, to run to him, to stick to him as closely as possible. That’s simply because God is our rock and fortress, the ultimate source of strength. Missing this reaction, we open ourselves to a long, tortuous episode that can end badly.
Missing this reaction is actually a common thing to happen because in the first place our relation with God is not strong. If ever there is some relation, it is more on the theoretical level and hardly on the practical, much less something that involves our feelings and instincts.
And so, we have to work hard in building up this relation with God if we want to keep some safe distance from temptations. If our love for God is hot, the devil will find it hard to get near us, just like a fly would not get close to a hot soup.
Our usual problem is that we tend to be by ourselves when temptations come, and to rely simply on our powers which actually are already heavily compromised since our wounded flesh is an ally of the enemies of our soul. We always have a Trojan horse in our personal lives.
Without God’s grace we simply cannot do anything except to fall, if not soon then later. It would just be a matter of time. But when we are with God, we get to see the whole picture, and can distinguish the poison embedded in the many good, beautiful, true and sweet things that temptations come with.
From there we would know what strategy to take. Very often, what can be effective is simply to ignore the temptation and to pour scorn on the evil spirits behind the temptation. This is effective if in the first place our spiritual life is healthy, with faith and love for God and for souls vibrant and strong.
But then when such faith and love is not that strong, the temptations can gain some foothold in us. When we notice this, our reaction should be just to stay calm and not to dare to get overexcited. When there is a storm around, we usually would stay home or at a safe place to ride it out, and avoid going around. In the end, let’s always be with God.
GOMBURZA and the KIG
An aton kalibrehan ngan soverenya gin amotan hin dugo, sanglit diri puede ipanhatag la! (The freedom and sovereignty of our people has blood and loss of precious lives as ingredients, it must never be given up, easily!). The main roads of Tacloban City, the Gomez, Burgos and Zamora Streets are stark reminders of the martyrs.
Way back February 17, 1872, Mariano Gómez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora—were executed by the Spanish colonial government. Their deaths, remembered under the name Gomburza, this became a turning point in our history. They were silenced for daring to demand justice and equality, but their martyrdom awakened a generation that would eventually fight for independence. Gomburza’s story is not just about the past; it is about the enduring struggle to defend what is ours.
The connection between Gomburza and Kalayaan is clear: both moments demand vigilance. Gomburza’s execution symbolized the abuse of power under colonial rule, while the Kalayaan issue symbolizes the pressures of modern geopolitics. In both cases, Filipinos are challenged to decide whether to remain passive or to stand firm.
Fast forward to today, and the Philippines faces another test of sovereignty in the Kalayaan Island Group. Recent pronouncements about possibly giving up claims or softening our stance on these territories raise troubling questions. The issue is not only about maritime boundaries or fishing rights—it is about national dignity. To surrender territory without resistance risks betraying the sacrifices of those who came before us, who believed that the Philippines must stand as a free and sovereign nation.
Today, as we look back into that fateful day when the martyr priests were strangle and chocked to death, there lies a painful reality, we seem to forget the suffocating reality of colonialism as we are seeing a clear move to change the narrative into the final end goal of giving up the Kalayaan Island Group because one Senator is so confused, he is willing to give up an Island Group and a Municipality, with set of officials and people which are Filipinos.
Patriotism today must be more than ceremonial. It must be active vigilance—questioning policies that compromise sovereignty, educating ourselves about our rights under international law, and holding leaders accountable. It means defending our territory not through aggression, but through unity and resolve.
The Kalayaan Island Group is more than a cluster of rocks in the sea. It is a symbol of our national will, a test of whether we remain worthy heirs of Gomburza’s sacrifice. Their martyrdom reminds us that freedom is fragile, and vigilance is the price we must pay to keep it.
An aton kalibrehan ngan soverenya gin amotan hin dugo, sanglit diri puede ipanhatag la!