An unlikely hero

With the opening of classes Zoetrope gives way to an essay by Maria Justina Bautista Villano, the first woman summa cum laude of the Ateneo, on her uncle and Jesuit priest who was also her teacher at the university.

It recalls the time when families had at least one member who was part of the religious. I myself also had an uncle priest who we called Tito Father, and an aunt nun whom we called Tita Lour, both siblings of my father all since passed to the great beyond, but that’s another story.

Ina Bautista is now a practicing endocrinologist at a Chicago hospital. This is her homage to one whom she calls “an unlikely hero.”

“This is about an obscure old man who has led a quiet, inconspicuous life remembered only by his family, a few friends and a number of students whose lives he has touched unalterably.

“I am one of them. To us he gave a gift of lasting value, a fresh perspective, a whole new mindset, which in a very real way, changed the quality of my life.

“He became my personal hero. He is my uncle, a Jesuit priest.

 “Should he read this piece (which is unlikely because he hardly reads newspapers anymore), he might break into his shy, self-effacing smile and say, ‘This is hardly objective, but then in the eyes of God, we are all heroes.’”

“True. But among God’s many heroes, I choose one who is truly special: Fr. Antonio S. Bautista, SJ — Theologian, life mentor, uncle, friend, guide and counselor whose words I carry with me always: “Be joyful. Be grateful. Be prayerful.”

“Is he a real hero? I thought long and hard about the definition of heroism and how it applies to people in everyday life. It seems to me that to be a hero is not something you achieve. It is someone you become. Heroism rarely happens outside a person. Most often it happens inside him.

“Achievement and authority may be evidence of heroism. But so are patience, humility, faith and perseverance.

“Father Tony SJ (that’s how he signs his name) has been a Jesuit for seven decades, an ordained priest for more than half a century. He taught Theology in Mindanao, Bicol and for almost 25 years at the Ateneo de Manila University.

“He has not led a sheltered life. The son of a government prosecutor, he spent his boyhood in the many provinces where his father was assigned. In 1941, as the world went to war, he joined the Society of Jesus. He was almost 17.

“War was difficult for everyone, particularly the young seminarians. La Ignaciana, by the Pasig, was in constant danger of bombardment. At the battle of Manila the novice volunteers retrieved bodies from the streets to give them a decent burial.

“The experience of war had little impact on him. Neither did the trials and challenges in his later years change him. He remained serene, steadfast, undisturbed. He understood that pain and pleasure are equally transient, and that possessions, accolades, honors are impermanent and unimportant.

“As a Jesuit he published no books, was never named Chairman, Rector, Dean or President. One might say he aspired for a higher title: Teacher and Priest.

“Throughout his life he has kept the solemn vows of his vocation. He lives with simplicity. (He owns one pair of shoes, black with rubber soles.) He follows his superiors. He has remained celibate, faithful to the Ignatian code of discipline. Poverty, Chastity and Obedience — three words that sum up his life.

“Father Tony SJ was a unique, perhaps unconventional teacher. He taught Theology not as a prerequisite for graduation, but as a portal for divine grace. He failed almost no one because he wanted his students to be more interested in the development of a sense of spirituality rather than the acquisition of a set of skills.

“His message was clear and simple: Be joyful, be grateful, be prayerful.

“Generations of Ateneans remember him standing in front of his class, peering behind thick metal rimmed glasses and reading from his dog eared copy of the New Testament in Latin, translating the text into English as he went along.

“It is not known how many students picked up new theories or techniques from Father Tony SJ. But all of them learned to think, to seek, and most importantly, to value the truth. He trained them not only to draw inspiration from Scripture, but to deepen their individual spirituality. By example he taught them to translate abstract belief into personal behavior honestly and consistently.

“Thus Father Tony SJ reached out and opened minds, shaped ethical values, and touched lives of young Ateneans year after year after year.

“Shortly before the turn of the century he retired from academic instruction but continued his evangelization and pastoral work. Three years ago he fractured his hip and now at the age of 86, he is wheelchair bound. His one deep regret is that he is now unable to say Mass daily. But he is neither discouraged nor disheartened. He takes his present life one day at a time. He continues to study the Gospel of John and he is full of the Christian spirit of hope and trust in Providence.

“On pleasant afternoons, before sunset, one might see him outside the Lucas Infirmary in Loyola Heights, praying the Rosary by himself. He is untroubled, at peace, living by the words he has passed on to so many:

“Be joyful. Be grateful. Be prayerful.”