WEDDING photographer Mikhail Arrogante had a good life with his wife and two kids when he decided to risk it by having an affair with another woman.
Arrogante’s tale was just one of many reflections shared by speakers during this year’s Siete Palabras, or the Seven Last Words of Jesus, held at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral on Good Friday.
Arrogante’s wife and two kids were with him when he spoke of his story.
In his reflection on Jesus’ first word, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” Arrogante said that his decision to have an affair has affected his family, particularly his 14-year-old son Zeth Mikhail and 12-year-old daughter Debbie Angela.
[WATCH: Siete Palabras 2016 Replay]
When Arrogante’s wife, Debbie, discovered the affair, she thought of leaving him.
“Anger, pain and retribution was what I felt at those times. Marital separation was my initial decision. There were so many questions that I wanted answered immediately. What have I done as a wife? Is it about the household? Is it about taking care of the kids? I don’t think I have done less as a wife,” Debbie said, in Cebuano.
But instead of burying herself in her hate, Debbie turned to God for help.
“God removed all the bitterness, resentment, hatred and anger inside of me and also taught me how to pray, not just for my own self, but for my husband and his mistress,” she said.
Despite her trials, Debbie continued to pray for her husband and his mistress’ “enlightenment, conversion and deliverance.”
Forgiveness
Her prayers eventually paid off when Arrogante returned to their home, seeking forgiveness and a chance to start over.
Now members of the Family and Life Apostolate (FLA), Arrogante and his family treat their bad experience as a lesson to all families to cherish what they have.
Aside from Arrogante, Fr. Marvin Mejia of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reminded the faithful to allow themselves to be dictated by their faith when choosing leaders this May.
In his reflection on Jesus’ second word, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise,” Mejia, CBCP secretary general, said that with the elections drawing near, aspiring politicians are courting voters with promises of reform.
But Mejia urged the faithful to remain followers of the Eucharist by rejecting violence and illegal election practices such as cheating and vote-buying.
Citing CBCP’s recent pastoral letter, Mejia said candidates who use illegal means to win the elections have “no moral right to assume the offices they stole.”
He also urged the faithful to avoid selling one’s vote since it is a form of “cooperation in a sinful practice and also against the common good.”
Common good
“Let all of us be guided by a sense of the common good when we elect leaders... Let us choose those who are truly upright and self-sacrificing, respectful of the dignity of all and compassionate towards the poor. Let us reject those who are dishonest, deceitful, self-seeking and unmindful of the poor. Not voting for a particular position when there is no one fitted for it is also a valid Christian political choice. Voting for the lesser evil is still voting for evil,” Mejia added, quoting from the pastoral letter.
In his reflection on Jesus’ third word, “Woman, behold your son; Son, behold your mother,” Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo reminded the faithful on the lessons from the 51st International Eucharistic Congress last January.
Villarojo, who served as secretary-general of the 51st IEC, said that while many praised the organization of the once-in-a-lifetime event, negative things were also said about it.
He cited examples such as some locals who reportedly fought over candles and problems with registration.
Villarojo reminded the faithful to not only treat the IEC as a once-in-a-lifetime event but as an opportunity to grow.
In his reflection on Jesus’ fourth word, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Florencio told of his experience as one of the survivors of typhoon Yolanda in Palo, Leyte.
Florencio, who recently moved to Cebu from Palo after he was appointed as auxiliary bishop last year, said that while many people thought that God had left them after Yolanda, the relief efforts and sympathy from all over the world, including Pope Francis, proved that God didn’t abandon them.
In his reflection on Jesus’ fifth word, “I thirst,” Legion of Mary member Wilfredo Credo recalled his experience as an overseas worker in Saudi Arabia.
Credo said that like Jesus, he thirsted for the faith of God in the deserts of the Middle East, eventually finding faith among his fellow OFWs.
In her reflection on Jesus’ sixth word “It is finished,” Maria Georgia Cogtas recall how her life as a street child led her to a calling to serve those like her.
Cogtas, who works as street child coordinator for the Dilaab Foundation, said that in her four years of working with street children, she saw them as those felt heartbreak through constant rejection.
She emphasized the need to have true love in volunteering to serve others.
While in his reflection on Jesus’ seventh and final word, “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit,” Fr. Clyde Salitrero urged the Church to provide compassion and mercy without condition.
Salitrero, a member of the Order of Carmelites and current chaplain of the Perpetual Succour Hospital, lamented that street children don’t want to avail themselves of Church services such as baptism and confirmation because they couldn’t provide documents such as a birth certificate.
Msgr. Marnell Mejia, editor-in-chief of the Bag-ong Lungsuranon, provided the introductory talk while Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma concluded the Siete Palabras.