WE FINALLY did. We “graduated” our hectic School Preparatory Guides workshop. This marks a new phase in life which has come in full circle. In my much younger days, I yearn to be a missionary priest.
That change in high school when I realized hormonal changes might make it a real challenge to maintain a celibate life. In college, I even became an atheist, all the while I embraced the second greatest commandment: love my neighbor as I love myself.
Instead of a comfortable life of a government lawyer like my Dad, I chose to immerse with the workers, peasants and urban poor. I gave up the middle class dream of a well-earning upper middle class income to support a secured life for my family.
That definition of love meant engendering hatred of the rich, the landed and foreign capitalists, and corrupt politicians just because they belonged to that class.
But love for the poor meant love for the poor who think like me, like the others who think the same way in the movement. That meant, an exclusive love, for a certain class of people.
That exclusive love has led to suffering of the rich and the poor, in a class war that saw burned houses and farms, and the killings of fathers and sons, even mothers and daughters.
Enough of that. Never again. From a class war warrior, I became a peace, environmental and human rights advocate.
Even that is insufficient. The anti-EDC campaign, even the anti-illegal logging campaign has as much fueled by love for the environment as hate of those Catholic Christians who were on the opposite side of the fence. There has got to be someone to love and hate.
No, that is not Christian love. And I regret, I confess my mea culpas to those I might have hurt because I disagreed with them.
In this season of peace and love, I’m reaching out an arm of peace and love to them.
I may still disagree with you, even oppose you if you justify EJKs or deny climate change. I will do so, however, in the spirit of love to those brothers and sisters we disagree within our families.
I will love you as a PLW guide, performing service that helps Bacoleños learn and deepen their practice in the art of prayer. In isolation and solitude on our Desert day with my Heavenly Father, that I discern His will. Thy will be done, Lord.
Here, I learned to enter into a personal relationship with the Lord through different prayer methods, from the first steps of simple prayer to the heights of contemplation. Learning to love our Heavenly Father through the love of our fellowmen.
(bqsanc@yahoo.com)