THE readings of the Mass on Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter (cfr. Act 13,26-33; Jn 14,1-6) remind us of our duty to really know who Christ is since he is the very pattern of our humanity, the savior of our damaged humanity. How he is is also how we should be. And given our journeying condition here on earth, Christ offers us “the way, the truth and the life” proper to us.
We have to realize very deeply and abidingly that we all have the need to know Christ well. This need involves not only a few of us. It involves all of us. And so, we just have to see how we can go through these theological sciences of Christology (Christ as the Son of God made man) and Soteriology (Christ as our savior), which can be done both formally and informally.
As the gospels narrate in many occasions, in spite of all the miracles and the wonderful teachings he gave them, many of the people continued to be doubtful and even suspicious of him. On several occasions, they even tried to harm and eliminate him. Of course, in the end they got their way. They managed to put Christ to death in the most ignominious way to die, i.e., to be crucified.
It is a phenomenon that continues to take place today, in spite of the most convincing of all the miracles of Christ—his own resurrection that later led to his ascension into heaven that was witnessed by a good number of people.
That many of us continue to doubt and even to be suspicious of him can be seen in the fact that we continue to take him for granted, to put him aside from our daily affairs as if he is irrelevant or just a drag to our activities and concerns, and even to openly reject and to be hostile to him.
We need to correct this predicament immediately and strongly, otherwise we would be fully cut off from the very source and keeper of our humanity. There are many ways to resolve this problem. We obviously cannot cover all of them, but we can at least mention a few.
One way is to disabuse ourselves from banking our belief in Christ mainly on some tremendous miracles and extraordinary events. That would be like testing or doubting God always. We should believe in Christ, with or without miracles.
Christ himself complained about this. “Unless you people see signs and wonders you will not believe,” he said to a court official whose daughter was dying. (Jn 4,48) We should avoid having some ulterior motives before we confess our belief in Christ.
We need to strengthen our belief in Christ by undertaking the relevant study of his person and mission, and by submitting ourselves to a certain plan that would make our personal and collective relation with Christ alive.
We certainly have to learn how to pray, how to offer sacrifices. We have to develop virtues that would resemble us little by little with him. We need to avail of the sacraments where God’s grace, his way of sharing his life with us, is channeled to us. We have to learn to wage a lifelong ascetical struggle since we will always be hounded by the enemies of God and of our own soul, starting with our own weaknesses, etc.
Quite disgusting
Ah, the great Filipino summer tradition: seeking refuge from the scorching heat by flocking to cold springs and rivers. It’s a time-honored ritual, akin to a pilgrimage, where urbanites embark on a quest for aquatic salvation, only to find themselves face to face with a rather unpleasant truth.
Yes, sadly; beneath the glistening surface of these supposedly pristine waters lies a murky reality—a reality where carabaos frolic freely and unsuspecting travelers unwittingly wade into nature’s very own cesspool. That’s upstream, where the water flows from, where farmers have to cool their farm animals in water.
As temperatures soar faster than gossip at a family reunion, the allure of cool, refreshing water becomes irresistible. Families pack their picnic baskets with enough food to feed a barangay and pile into jeepneys like sardines in a can, all in pursuit of that elusive oasis of chill. Yet, as they arrive at their watery destination, their dreams of aquatic bliss are secretly washed away by a tide of disappointment. What they frolic into is a veritable smorgasbord of algae, debris, and a distinct odor that smells of carabao.
But how did these once-idyllic waterways descend into such foulness, you ask? Well, it’s a tale as old as time—or at least as old as irresponsible waste disposal. Upstream, where the air is still fresh and the grass is still green, lies the source of our aquatic woes. Here, carabaos traverse the riverbank, turning what was once a pristine waterway into their very own aquatic playground.
And let’s not forget our fellow humans, who, in their infinite wisdom, have designated these same waters as their preferred restroom facilities. And what’s more, they sometimes detour their piggery wastes into these running waters instead of digging up deep and huge holes for the purpose. That’s the extant problem here in our country—the unsanitary practices of some of our uneducated brethren in the rural areas.
As our intrepid adventurers stand on the riverbank, contemplating their next move, a sense of camaraderie begins to emerge. After all, there’s nothing like the shared experience of wading through waist-deep water that doubles as a carabao spa to bring people together. Laughter rings out like the call of the wild as they swap tales of their aquatic misadventures, finding solace in the absurdity of it all.
And so, the next time you find yourself tempted by the siren song of cold springs and rivers in the Philippines, remember to pack a sense of humor along with your swimsuit. While the waters may not be as pristine as advertised, the memories forged amidst the algae and aroma will be cherished for years to come. After all, there’s nothing quite like a refreshing dip in a carabao swimming pool to make us appreciate the finer things in life.