Last week I went on a journey along with 1,500 CFC members on a pilgrimage to Bataan, to visit and pray the rosary at 7 beautiful churches dating back to the Spanish colonial period which have endured to this time.
It is amazing how faith endures from creation up to this very moment. Indeed, faith is eternal along with hope and love. As you know the greatest of these three is love. But I think the other two may be prerequisites to it. For instance, if you don't first believe in a person or God, how can you love him or her?
The pilgrimage couldn't have come in a better time as I myself have been troubled by doubts after reading a philosopher's book. Like cotton, I absorbed his ideas. But I didn't realize I had the choice to reject or accept what he says.
For some time, I was bothered. You see he spoke of the "truth." He said that our only mission in life was to make ourselves happy. Some may agree with this narcisstic view of life and say why should we bother ourselves with the suffering of the world; after all it is not our fault. We are responsible only for ourselves. True, but not quite. You see, there is a big problem with half-truths. I think it is worse than an outright lie.
The truth is God commands us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The basic premise being that we love ourselves, but that it doesn't end there. We love ourselves so that we can ultimaltely reach out and love others in a healthy way. To love and make ourselves happy is part of the truth. But it doesn't end just with ourselves. We are also responsible for others. We love ourselves so can love others in the best way we can.
I realized that truth can be distorted to fit one's preference where one discards some parts that are hard to accept or makes one uncomfortable and takes only what suits one's taste. When one tells the truth but omits some valuable parts that would paint the whole picture, can he be said to be telling the truth? A half-truth is not truth at all. It is deceiving. It can lead a person astray in believing that he knows the truth but in fact knows only partial. One can also take bits and pieces of truth and create another story that is untrue. I think half-truths are more detrimental than an outright lie because most of us can notice an outright lie and reject it upfront but most of us are vulnerable to half-truths and believe them if we are not discerning.
For instance, we can overcome the great lie espoused by some intellectuals that there is no God and engages one in a battle of logic and reason. Yet, God has placed the knowledge of Himself in our hearts, and to accept this valuable truth requires faith.
A lot of us can be seduced by half-truths and deceived into thinking we are following what is true, as long as parts of it are true. The truth can be distorted though when one takes some valuable parts off, or when it is taken out of context. That is why some argue that the Scriptures is filled with contradictions. Because they take it by parts but fail to read the whole, or take parts of it out of context to suit their preference.
Now, I understand why wisdom is worth more than gold since it takes such wisdom to discern what is true and not be overcome by attacks on the mind. Our minds are a battle ground for lies that are suggested daily to us through media, new philosophies and ideas, etc. I believe we should always be discerning of what we read, and not to let junk come and stay in our heads, in the same way that we do not eat food that is bad for our bodies. Shouldn't we also only read what is healthy for our minds? There truly is a lot of junk out there.
But that the Word of God endures, even when new philosophies have died down and new ideas come up. The Scriptures exposes all these lies and half-truths:
For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
There is truly power in the Word. The Holy Spirit through the Scriptures sheds light in the dark corners of the mind. Faith itself is a gift from God and a gift we must all desire to have: A strong faith that can move mountains and overcome lies thrown at us. The mind is vulnerable to such attacks but God's word gives us protection.
What I have received from the pilgrimage is a renewal of faith. I prayed that God would give me faith as I was struggling with my own. Then, Bishop Soc Villegas related how at one time when he was a seminarian, he was sent to a remote baranggay in Rizal where there was no electricity and priests visited only once a year, usually during the town's fiesta in May. He had not brought light himself (since he did not know there was no electricity) as he gave a bible study, but the people brought along their lamps. I believe something in him was lit as the people left the small chapel, their lamps shone brightly against the darkened sky like fireflies on a dark night. It was a beautiful picture of a living Church. I imagine how the now Bishop was affirmed by God of his calling.
I think in the same way God affirmed me too when he heard my silent prayer. As the good bishop shared his experience, something inside me was finally lit. I couldn't find the faith within myself, like a fire thrown with cold water. Ah, but I could see the faith so alive in the members of the Couples of Christ who were fervently praying and whose faith was so strong, shining brightly in the darkness of this world. Their faith ignited me. I realized that if ever we lose our faith by constant exposure to lies or poor knowledge of the truth, others can give it back to us just by living their faith faithfully. By their example, they can share their light and fire up the dying ember inside. I thank God for the gift of faith, the gift of community, for Mama Mary.
I am lit. Praise God! May the light consume all the darkness. May every mind know the True Light.
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Heart Song:
Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105
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