Tuesday with Manny

I many not have enough material to write a book but one evening was more than enough to gather simple truths and witness an even more truthful testimony from a man who literally has it all. All that took place last Tuesday evening with Manny “Pacman Pacquiao.

Unlike engagements in his past life where there would always be a lot of pre-arrival ceremonies and fanfare, last Tuesday was literally clouded and shrouded with anxiety and concern. Manny Pacquiao was supposed to arrive at 6:30 at the Dolphy Theater inside the ABS CBN Compound. Instead, the entire Metro Manila traffic was at a standstill from a thunderstorm that had flooded many streets. Manny himself was snug as a bug in his SUV but unquestionably stuck at EDSA – Ayala. Sensing the futility of it all, he expressed the thought of forgetting the whole thing since he clearly was not going to make it. Who could blame him!

But instead of giving up, his hosts did the unthinkable: they asked Manny Pacquiao — Champion, Congressman, Global Celebrity and Million Dollar Millionaire to PLEASE!!! Take the MRT.

That could only be extreme boldness or extreme faith. I don’t think Pacquiao even bothered to give an answer. Instead he did the unimaginable: he got out of his dry and comfortable vehicle and walked to the nearest MRT station. He had a special audience and he had a special message. You probably caught a whiff or a post on Facebook of Manny on the MRT, but what many people didn’t know was that Team Pacquiao was not even sure which station to get off to go to Channel 2. As a result they got off the GMA/Kamuning station and walked a much longer distance of about 1.5 kilometers in the rain.

When Manny finally reached ABS CBN, people were singing hallelujahs and worshipping, but none of it was for him. With as little disruption as possible he slipped in, took his place and settled in. In 15 minutes or so he would be speaking to the crowd but only after his imported singer/performers from Cagayan de Oro had contributed to the praise and worship. Yes, last Tuesday was a “church” event; a worship service of the ABS-CBN Fellowship and Manny Pacquiao was about to share his testimony and “The Word”.

Without doubt, there were skeptics in the crowd, and even if I openly say I am a “Born-Again Christian,” I am also a journalist who is guarded and partially skeptical of many things. I wondered just how effective, how deep, and correct would Manny be as he shared the Gospel. Considering he has only been a Christian for a couple of years, there was the risk of passion getting ahead of wisdom and I know that from my own blunders. I sat and listened, and wished him the best.

He was plain, he was simple, and his wristwatch was more dazzling than his delivery. In his simplicity he laid down practical truths. In his honesty he forced many of us to face our faults, our sins and misconceptions. Personally, this 2- or 3-year-old Christian put me, a 22-year veteran to shame with all the memory verses he had mastered and come to understand. I was familiar with all of them except one, but I would be dead if my life depended on having memorized them. I dismissed my shortcoming as a consequence of age and poor memory.

But no sooner had I said that when Pacquiao comes and jabs me with how he does it: “If you need to eat at least 3 times a day to take care of your body, you also need to read the Bible and pray at least 3 times a day to take care of your soul.” Here I was happy to be reading my Bible and a Christian guidebook every morning after breakfast and then Pacman points out why I am biblically malnourished!

Quite honestly, Manny shared more than enough to convince me (as I already was) that his personal encounter with God was for real and his decision to follow Christ is for real.  But last Tuesday evening, his real testimony was shown not by words but in his humility to step out of his comfort zone and experience discomfort. His testimony was not to consider himself more important and entitled but to honor his word, his commitment and the effort of the organizers and the small special crowd who came to listen to him bare his soul, confess his sin and testify how God’s calling card of adversity was what turned him around, saved him, his family, his career and his friends.

Towards the end, the adviser of ABS-CBN fellowship Pastor Jesse Dedel spoke and prayed for Manny Pacquiao and something he said caught my attention. As he reviewed how Manny went from an Ungodly life to a God-centered person, Pastor Dedel raised one arm, pointed to Manny and said “this is what will happen when Filipinos change — this is what a decent/godly Filipino looks like.”

Can you imagine what our country will be like, if the millions of Catholics, Christians, protestants, Muslims all started living and believing the teachings and doctrines of their faith and not just subscribing to a “religion.” Manny said something about the difference between knowing and believing in religion.

If you know something is a sin and you deliberately repeat the sin, you simply know God. On the other hand, those who truly believe don’t rely on head knowledge or knowing. They also put it in their heart and although they may commit a sin from time to time, it is never deliberate or repetitious because it pains you to violate God and it actually pains you to hurt him.

Perhaps that explains how many of us can go about hurting others even those we claim to love. That may be the reason why many of us don’t care or don’t give a damn. Because in the end, if God doesn’t matter, why should human beings matter? Knowing there is a God is religion. Loving God is relationship. Doing his will is Believing.

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