Ask and ye shall be given

I'M GOD'S worst pest, and I get what I want. I pester and pester.

Spoiled brats of the universe we call ourselves. That's me and my buddy. We ask for rain to stop so we can party. We ask for good weather so we can travel. We even ask for one single cloud to walk with us and shield us like an umbrella from the scorching sun.

Yes, we're spoiled brats and all because we've learned by heart this Bible phrase, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you"

We didn't have to memorize anything else except one other passage and that is to humble ourselves like a child.

"What if both Bradley and Pacquiao pray? Could Pacquiao still claim he has the grace of God?" an officemate asked after the controversial Bradley-Pacquiao fight where Pacquiao was still thanking God.

"Bradley didn't and seem not inclined to," I mumbled.

It's difficult, really, especially when we hold on to that adage that we often attribute to the Bible about God helping those who help themselves Thus, we labor on and never even check that that adage about helping ourselves is nowhere in the Bible. Actually, Wikipedia says that saying has origins from ancient Greece (wrong country, sorry).

Thus, my fellow spoiled brat and I walk the earth unmindful of disasters because we have asked for a wonderful day.

It takes faith, however. As humans and doubting Thomases, we are supposed to fear and doubt out capabilities. But it’s when we start to fear or doubt when things can go wrong.

As we approached the mountain, the morning after I prayed for good weather so that I can trek up without getting wet and get a good night's sleep in a forest, very dark clouds were covering the mountaintop. There was no way I would get that good weather I prayed for if you were only to look at the sky. By the time we reached the place where we start walking, we had to wait in a house to let the very heavy rain pass. It took almost two hours for the rain to stop. A doubting human would have railed at his god. I slept and woke up only when my tummy was already demanding for food and the rain was beginning to peter down. No rain bothered our trek afterwards, well into the night.

"It's going to rain," my companion said as darkness crept into the forest and there was thunder and lightning from just around the next mountain.

"There won't," I said, "we have an agreement that we will not be rained upon."

My companion looked askance toward me, but didn't give any comment. Either he was being diplomatic or just decided to let that one pass.

But true enough it didn't rain, way into the following day when we trekked down once more to where our vehicle awaited. A few minutes after we settled in the pick-up and a kilometer or two on the road, the rain poured. I looked at my companion and said, "I told you, we had an agreement."

What's your secret to writing? I'm often asked. I ask for what to write, I'd reply and smile; but no, I'm not about to break out into chants of Praise the Lord, Alleluia, that is so not me.

But truly, what if Bradley too prayed hard to win?

I say, it takes more than just mumbling a prayer or even walking on your knees for the whole length of a cathedral aisle, you have to truly, deeply, honestly believe; and to do this, you do not need to use your knees.

On Facebook, a person rants against somebody, nearly cursing that somebody to hell in upper case letters at that. This same person had for so long been singing praises and shouting alleluia. Uh, yes, you don’t need the knees (nor the waving arms).

(saestremera@yahoo.com)