A war to destroy our Christian way of life

Over the weekend, I was up in the beautiful Mountain Pines Place in Kalugmanan, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon for a three-day retreat with the Opus Dei. I have been to Bukidnon many times before especially at the famous Del Monte Golf Course because I have always considered it the best “old style” Golf course in the Philippines. But the Mountain Pines Place is still 17-kilometers up in the mountains from Camp Philips and the view was totally breathtaking! It is set on a 200-hectare property at the foot of Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon, just across the longest zipline adventure zone in the country called Dahilayan Gardens. It looks like the mountains of Idaho!

The reason why most retreat houses are perched up in high mountains far away from the civilization may be because there is serenity which allows us to retreat from the usual hassle and bustle of life. It allow us to reboot our mind from all useless clutter and take stock at our life, especially our spiritual life which too often we have neglected due to life daily demands.

This area in Mountain Pines is so cool, so full of pine trees and I just love the smell of the place. At night, you can hear the noise of the water from a small brook. It gives you an idea of how beautiful is Mindanao which then brings the sad reality that our nation is still suffering from so many violent armed groups roving the countrysides. The retreat was officiated by our dear friend, Fr. Roy Cimagala and the University of Asia and Pacific (UAP) head Prof. Bernie Villegas. It was the first time I met Prof. Villegas. He didn’t talk about the economy, but on the need to return back to God for the sake of our country.

Prof. Villegas told us that the Philippine setting was akin to a river which was heavily polluted and we the people are fishes in this river. What then should we do? Jump into the shoreline to get away from the pollution? If we did that, it would mean instant death. Or should we find ways to fix or stop whatever is polluting our river? Obviously we have no choice but to stop whatever is polluting our country. So what is it that is polluting our nation? Corruption, lack of good governance, unbridled greed, materialism?

Actually, Bernie Villegas says that corruption is merely the result of the apathy and the greed of so many Filipinos who have lost their moral compass. So Prof. Villegas asked: Who can stop this pollution? Well, the answer is clear. The politicians, our educators and yes, including the media who also help in worsening the pollution of our society. So where are these groups when the country needs them most? They go their merry way, attacking government, getting themselves corrupted, thanks to crass materialism.

Today, Filipino culture as we have known it for many generations is under attack by those who seek to destroy our Christian way of life. When one supports the Reproductive Health (RH) bill that wants to prevent pregnancies through the use of artificial conception, this is an affront to marriage and to the woman as she merely becomes a sex object. Sex is no longer for procreation, but for fun!

We wrote against the proposed Divorce bill proposal authored by Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan and Rep. Emerenciana de Jesus of the Party-list Gabriela, which is a staunch ally of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). We do not even know these people. If they succumb to a Maoist ideology, how dare these people change our Christian way of life?

It made me recall what Gen. Douglas MacArthur said about then President Harry Truman who fired the American Cesar because he wanted to end the Korean conflict by dropping nuclear bombs in North Korea or even in Peking. Gen. MacArthur said, “Should we leave the strategies of battle to the temporary occupant of the White House?” Here in our setting, should we Filipinos who are predominantly Catholic allow these short termed Partylist members and therefore are not direct representatives of our people (worse, who may not believe in our faith) decide the fate of our nation?

We live in troubled times. This should be our wake up call to defend our sacred institutions and our culture before it is too late. As Edmund Burke once said, “For evil to flourish, it is enough for good men to do nothing!” If there was anything I learned from our retreat, from the spiritual talks and mediation given by Fr. Roy Cimagala and the talks of Ben Laray and Prof. Bernie Villegas, it is that it is time for us to do something about our way of life. It starts within our homes, within ourselves and our families.

When the MILF called for a war, this is something that the Aquino government can fight with guns and weapons. But there is a greater war that is being waged today by those who seek to destroy our Christian culture and society. It is a war that cannot be fought with guns, but only by Christian piety, the love of the least of our brethren as taught by our Lord Jesus Christ.

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