TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS

April 12, 2025 Opinion

In this times of political distress, when everyone and their mother is afraid or anxious of who will be leading us the next three years, Holy
Week becomes the best time to reflect on our past, present and future and what it will bring for us. At Boys high school, with nothing better to do as our sophomore year was about to end, our music teacher Mam Coloma dragged the class to Crespillo Hall and asked
everyone to play a part, on the stage version of Jesus Christ Superstar. I can’t recall now whose character I was tasked to do, although one thing sure, it was not Judas!

Two songs hit me with JC LSS-Last Song Syndrome, even up to this day and time. The first: Last Supper scenario where the apostles
probably thingking of “saan sila pupulitin” when JC would be gone, sang ‘always hoped that I’d be an apostle… knew that I could make it if I tried… then when we retire we can write the gospel… so they’ll still talk about us when we die!” I was not an apostle thus did not write the Bible although my ambition was to become a priest. But then again – I was called but I was chosen! To her credit, my Mama, Mely, the conservative public school teacher that she was tried to inculcate into my naughty hard-head the significance of Christ’s death- Way of the Cross, Holy Thursday’s washing of the Apostle’s feet, Good Friday processions, Black Saturday vigil and of course the JC rebirth on
Easter!

I vividly remember riding in the Oldsmobile driven by papa Art for the “bisita iglesia” starting of course at our home-barangay- Trancoville where Don Bosco Church stood, then Aurora Hill, St. Joseph Pacdal, Baguio Cathedral ending at St. Vincent Church, Campo
Filipino. Attempting a self-recollection again, I have come to realize that like others, we all faced our own kind of life-crisis and that JC had no monopoly of the sorrows that he went through. Proclaiming himself the Son of God, he built a strong foundation for his followers yet he was betrayed by his own people. I for one could relate and say I too was betrayed once-blasphemy but.

If I were Hebrew and Yiddish, people would have been entertained by my audacity, insolence, impudence, gall, brazen nerve, effrontery, incredible guts, presumption or even arrogance I for one always did what I had to do, the best I knew how. I always believed that if I was
not me, everything else was going to be shaky. The Chutzpah for myself went pfffft in just one sweep of the magic wand in the past. The fall was hard and hurting and suddenly, the “nothing or no one can stop my cosmic attitude” became a mere forever nagging thought.

Then realization sets in that real strength is not found in grand displays of richness, power or fame but in a person’s indomitable commitment to do good, lead and serve his fellowmen from the heart. Thus I continue to walk the talk and as long as there are people who choose to continue to believe in me, I shall have more courage to be selfless and most compassionate in the face of fear and uncertainty.
My good chutzpah remains “what you see is what you get.” Standing up for what one believes in continues to be a good measure, but now there will a time and a place when one has will yield his principled stance on a matter for the greater good!

The second LSS was “I must be mad thingking, I would be remembered, I must be out of my head! Look at your blank faces, my name will mean nothing, ten minutes after I’m dead!” Life in this planet though says one does not need to die for people to forget all the good you have done. The fact is when they get what they can’t or need from you, amnesia comes in and they forget. ‘Do good though to your very last breathe’ is the key’. Then you can do a Cuban “Fidel Castro” or “Che Guevarra” and proclaim, “la historia me absolvera!”- history will absolve me.” This must be the meaning of it all, that despite all the trials and tribulations. hope and goodness is indeed eternal! Sigh.