A spiritual transformation in time for Christmas

I am very much affected by injustices committed against people, especially those who cannot fight back. I feel for lowly employees who have to leave the job they have learned to love because of The Devil Wears Prada-type supervisors or employers. I get so disturbed, especially if they are made to suffer day in and day out for no reason whatsoever but for the whims and caprices of their superiors who enjoy inhumane psychological torture of their underlings, yet act like sycophants in front of their own bosses who they also backstab once these bosses are turned away.

It is these cruel, backstabbing people who make me raging mad and make me harbor evil thoughts to the point that I imagine them being imprisoned in the Makati City Jail with rapists (oops… never mind that… because they might even enjoy it) or wish them stranded in Antarctica with only penguins as their companions (like in the movie Happy Feet) as they are cold-blooded and cold-hearted anyway (oops…never mind that, too, as those cute penguins deserve better company). It is this type of tormentors who might just blur my vision and forget that I am a God-fearing, God-loving Catholic who studied in a private school run by nuns, and whose fellow alumna are up to now constantly in touch with each other. It is this kind of people who make me take a deep breath, stop and pray to God aloud – "Lord, please, grant me your grace!"

And so, when the wife of Bataan Governor Tet Garcia, Vicky and her son, Rep. Albert Garcia invited me to partake of a spiritual experience at the Mount Samat, I immediately said YES!!!, smiling to myself, and believing this must be God’s answer to my prayers. The very simple and well-respected Mrs. Garcia explained that this was the Third Mount Samat Pilgrimage which started in 2004 as the closure of the Diocese of Balanga’s celebration of the National Year of the Eucharist with Mary. Spearheaded by the much-loved and revered Bishop of Balanga, Socrates "Soc" Villegas, or Fr. Soc as he is fondly called, a new vision and program for every Catholic in Bataan, through this pilgrimage, among others, was launched.

There I went, together with my husband (who is from Orion, Bataan), to the top of Mount Samat, not minding the possible aftermath of a strong typhoon that recently passed other provinces, to join tens of thousands of people, most of whom just walked for two hours or more, depending on their age and physical condition, from the foot of the mountain. We reached the summit at around 4:20 p.m. just in time to catch beautiful presentations by different public schools in the Province of Bataan.

The whole experience gave a jolt to my spiritual senses! My religious reawakening began with the praying of the Holy Rosary in pure Tagalog, which I tried to follow with all my heart (difficult as it was for me, being used to the English version). I felt even more enlightened during the concelebrated Mass, also in Tagalog, led by Fr. Soc, who talked about love for God, love for country and love for our fellowmen. He said that for three straight years the successful holding of the pilgrimage was in itself a miracle as every year, there was always the threat of a typhoon, and every year for those three straight years, Bataan was always spared. I will also never forget when he said that in search of peace of heart, one should commit one’s self totally to God. Three words were embedded in our memory: ALA-ALA (remembrance of the power of God); ALAY (knowing how to give and to sacrifice); and ALALAY ( being always there for others).

When the Mass was finished, the sun had already set and the candle-lighting ceremony followed. In spite of the slight breeze I managed to light a candle, praying very hard to the Lord to help me cleanse my thoughts, have a more positive outlook in life and as taught by Fr. Soc: be more prayerful, more charitable, build relationships with love and to be more open to receive and to give.

The spiritual encounter was absolutely beautiful. I never felt at peace and closer to God in my whole life, being on top of Mount Samat, as if I was part of the lovely sky and the picturesque moon smiling down on us; listening to superb music coming from the very talented Municipality of Pilar Chorale; praying the rosary together with 45,000 other people; paying attention to the much-enlightening sermon of Fr. Soc whose magnetic presence enfolded the whole diocese of Bataan; seeing people from all walks of life holding each other’s hands during the Our Father and lighting each other’s candles during the candle-lighting ceremony; seeing all the smiling faces of the participants who didn’t show any signs of weariness after the long walk. All these and more made me realize what a wonderful world God has created.

I felt so fortunate to have had this beautiful spiritual experience. I thank the Garcia family for inviting me. It came when I needed it most. I left Mount Samat transformed, more at peace, and stronger to face the harsh realities of life, including cruel, backstabbing people. For them, I now no longer harbor evil thoughts. To them, I simply say, I hope you, too, will go through a spiritual transformation whether it be in Mount Samat or anywhere else. With that, the wonderful world of ours will be a much better place to live in.

(E-mail me at [email protected])