My Lenten Story

I have a Lenten story to tell.  When I was a small kid in barrio Guihing in Davao del Sur,  Lent or “mahal nga adlaw”  by tradition   was observed in the strictest way by our family  as passed on from generation to generation.   For example,  on “Viernes Santo”, no one should laugh, nor talk if not necessary. We had to stay indoors as much as  possible “kay patay ang guinoo”. Then we had to wait by the roadside to kiss the “Baby Jesus” as it passed by, cradled by white-garbed volunteers who went the rounds, house to house.  When the “sinakulo” were eventually  aired over the radio, we stayed glued to our Philips transistor the whole day to listen and imbibe the reenactment of the Crucifixion.  On Good Fridays, the world I knew then  just literally stopped. Even plane flights were suspended for the day.

Later in life, I moved to Davao City.  I was already a lawyer and was with my family on a Lenten “vacation” in Guihing. For one reason or another, I did the unthinkable on that Viernes Santo. I did some practice shooting of my newly bought pistol then went horse backriding  around the farm. I could hear Beth calling from the house  telling me to stop. Nonetheless, I continued.  Suddenly, while galloping,   my well-trained thoroughbred horse “Mulach” made a   sharp turn to the left and literaly threw me in the air  towards a coconut tree. I broke my arm protecting my head. It could have been fatal.  Since then,  I was back doing “pamalandong” on Good Fridays.  A lesson learned and remembered up  to this day.

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UPDATE ON DXGN — During the presbyterium (meeting of priests) convened by Archbishop Romulo Valles last Monday at the bishop’s residence, the plan to put back on the air DXGN was discussed. As we earlier pointed out, the support of the religious and the laity is crucial for its  revival after about 5 years of being “off the air”.   Yes, we need the radio back due to its obvious impact on the more than 1 million catholics in Davao City alone.      But it was a consensus that “sustainability” is a primary consideration. And it has to be in stride  and competitive with the media world that is fast evolving. I am confident we can do it.   As the saying goes: “if there is a will, there is a way.”

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POOR VICTIMS  — With the recent Cebu arrests of CPP/NPA/NDF top country   leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamson, armed incidents involving raids by NPAs have notably increased. I think it is best that the government vigorously pursues or re-opens the stalled peace talks. If we can come up with agreements with our muslim rebels, why not with the them? We Fiipinos can’t continue fighting and killing each other like this. The worst is that the poor  in the remote areas are the usual, unfortunate and unwilling victims —  caught in between.

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3 TWEETS FROM POPE —” HOW GOOD IT IS FOR US WHEN THE LORD UNSETTLES OUR LUKEWARM AND SUPERFICIAL LIVES”

“WITH JESUS OUR LIFE BECOMES FULL. WITH HIM EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE”

“MAY WE NEVER GET USEDTO THE POVERTY AND DECAY AROUND US. A CHRISTIAN MUST ACT.”