Spiritual intelligence

From Maundy Thursday until yesterday, the two churches nearest to my house were packed with devotees. Because of soaring fuel prices, many people in Metro Manila must have limited their Visita Iglesia within the capital region.

For a long time, people have been struck by the dissonance between the impressive manifestations of religious devotion and the prevalence of corruption, selfishness and weak civic responsibility in our predominantly Catholic nation.

Our country also has one of the highest homicide rates in this region. And we’re still trying to hold people accountable for the thousands who were killed by law enforcers and vigilantes in a brutal campaign against illegal drugs.

What ever happened to basic concepts of good and evil, of venial and mortal sins and the seven deadly sins, of heaven and hell?

In Catholic school, these concepts were drummed into us from kindergarten, although the foundations were laid down at home by our parents and other elders as soon as we could communicate with the adults.

Today I think for many Filipinos, even the concept of a conscience is lost. We have common phrases of admonition, such as “ma-konsensiya ka naman” – but it seems to draw a blank from more and more people. If people can’t be shamed into stopping their corruption or at least moderating their greed, how can they have a conscience?

Perhaps in the age of social media and instant gratification, it’s hard to sell the concepts of Christianity. The resurrection of the body and life everlasting, the belief in an all-knowing, Almighty Being whose Son performed miracles, including raising Lazarus from the dead, and the power of prayer – there are people who prefer concepts backed by science, even if there are still so many things in life with no scientific explanation.

These days, it seems, people worry about eternal damnation and atonement for their sins only on their deathbed.

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I won’t dare engage in a debate on Catholic dogma, but maybe the concept of “unli” forgiveness of sins also makes sinning easy for certain members of the flock. Just confess your sin, and receive forgiveness; there’s no special punishment for recidivism.

At least Filipinos still understand when a bishop laments the “moral and spiritual crisis” that has descended on our land.

Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, the bishop of Kalookan, admits that shortcomings of the Catholic Church itself contributed to that moral and spiritual crisis.

Speaking to “Storycon” on One News on Holy Wednesday, he said the bishops are discussing this crisis and working out ways to address it. In the meantime, he called for an “examination of conscience” during Holy Week, and to ponder where our society is headed.

People talk about IQ and emotional intelligence, but we should also be developing “spiritual intelligence,” David told us.

I asked him if the Church planned to revive Sunday school, for early inculcation of spiritual intelligence, particularly among the millions of Filipino children who are not enrolled in Catholic schools. Such Sunday sessions in Catechism and other matters of the spirit were common in my childhood.

David said they’d rather have parents take the lead in the spiritual development of their children. But what if the parents lack the capability for this? Or worse, if the parents or guardians are abusing the kids?

Maybe the Church lacks the facilities for Sunday school. Perhaps laity groups working with the Church can step in.

Such programs are for children. What about the adults, who could flunk assessment exams on spiritual intelligence? Can people be beyond salvation?

Even if shameless adults without conscience face temporal punishment for committing sins (thou shall not steal; thou shall not kill) and breaking the law, many of them won’t admit wrongdoing.

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“It is very important that the understanding of the situation is based on moral certitude. That is what we are lacking,” David said. “For example, when impunity is being justified. Or when people say the end justifies the means – when it becomes acceptable to take shortcuts and no longer respect the law.”

He lamented: “There’s something wrong with the way we perceive things. The crisis is in the heart of the person. When a person seems already indifferent, cynical, when people begin to lose their concern for others – this is where things like corruption and impunity begin, which we see as the root cause of the crisis that we are facing, both at the global level and the national level.”

Asked about Church attendance these days, he noted that Filipinos are more of “Good Friday types” than “Easter Sunday types” of worshippers, meaning there are more churchgoers on Good Friday than on Easter Sunday.

David said this probably reflects the lives of many devotees, which feature more suffering than causes for celebration.

The Church wants to change this, he said, to emphasize the message of joy in religious belief – that Christ died to deliver humanity from sin, and then rose from the dead and ascended to heaven.

A joyful message is a good foundation for developing spiritual intelligence.

Incidentally, while I didn’t learn this from Sunday school, it’s noteworthy that Good Friday this year fell on April 3 – the same date in year 33 AD that scholars pursuing intersections between science and faith believe was the date that Jesus Christ died on the cross at 3 p.m., possibly during a “blood moon” lunar eclipse.

The last time Good Friday fell on April 3 was in 2015, and the next time will be in 2037.

What’s common among the accounts is that on the third day, Christ rose from the dead.

Amid suffering, Christ’s resurrection imparts joyful messages of rebirth, redemption and eternal life.

I hope your Easter was blessed with joy.