I believe that each one of us is God’s masterpiece.
It has often been said that nobody is perfect. I beg to disagree. The very fact that a human being is created by God “in His image” means that our original, innate nature reflects the perfection of our Maker.
That we all eventually become less than perfect is not God’s mistake. We become imperfect because of our own mistakes. We degrade ourselves by choice, whether consciously or not, as we exercise our free will in the face of the many challenges that God sends our way as opportunities for proving ourselves.
Faith in God was instilled in me by my parents, Papa Inting and Mama Pining and my maternal grandmother, Lola Andrea “Andè” Rivera. Religion was not enforced on us but we children were able to nurture spirituality through the example set by my mother and grandmother, who were very much involved in church activities. The Holy Spirit, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Blessed Virgin were the centers of our prayer life.
My Lolo Juan Rivera was the one who started the Basilica del Santo Niño tradition, “Pagkanaug Sa Birhen Sa Lourdes,” which involved the presentation of a tableau depicting the descent of the Virgin of Lourdes, despite strong objections by some Spanish friars in those days. The priests feared that the image might be damaged in the process. Lolo Juan assured them that the holy image was to be brought down to a platform designed to keep it safe. The tableau is still being presented at the Basilica today, on February 10 of every year.
Mama Pining, for her part, headed the Cofradia de la Virgen de Lourdes and served as president of the Parish Pastoral Council of the Cebu Cathedral. His Eminence, the late Ricardo Cardinal Vidal told me that Mama’s frequent visits to the Cathedral helped develop their friendship, and they were almost like family. Mama, the Cardinal said, had assisted him in his many projects while he was still a young parish priest at the Cathedral. Now, my wife Nena followed Mama’s footsteps and is the president of the Cofradia.
Faith is very important to me. The power of prayer has figured constantly in my life, from small to major events. In 1957, during the intercollegiate championships in basketball that pitted the UV Green Lancers against the Ateneo Blue Eagles, I always made it a point to drop by one of the churches near the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Pasay City. On these short trips to the church, I would be joined by a teammate, the late Eddie Cabahug. That year, our prayers were answered – the UV Green Lancers emerged as national champion.
Through the years, I would develop more personal devotions. With my brother Eddie, I would regularly attend the Holy Mass every first Friday of the month for the Sacred Heart of Jesus and for Señor Santo Niño, which we would offer for our respective families. Later on, especially after my marriage with Nena, I included in my daily routine the three o’clock prayer to the Divine Mercy.
I believe it is an indication that one’s faith has grown when he or she is moved by an inner compulsion to share his blessings. By “blessings” I mean any good that one can offer, material or moral support. There comes a time in one’s life when he or she is called to espouse a greater, higher cause. He may choose to heed or ignore such a call, and his response will define what kind of person he is.
In my own experience, it seems that you can hear God’s call only when you listen carefully. Only those who seek something tend to find it. Those who knew how to listen and where to look, not only with eyes and ears but more so with the heart, will find what they are seeking. The heart will know right away what would normally take the senses sometime to figure out. What is truly essential and worthwhile often cannot be perceived by human senses.
At my tender age of 85, I still seek to do something as the ‘keeper’ of the legacy of Papa Inting, the University of the Visayas, and to Mama Pining’s servant of the Lord and Mama Mary, Mother of all.
Now, I am very much blessed, lucky and fortunate to have known Servant of God Bishop Teofilo Camomot. I can still remember the first time we visited his tomb at the Mother House of the Daughters of Saint Teresa in Valladolid, Carcar. We were on our way back to the city after our annual pilgrimage to the Blessed Virgin in Simala, in the neighboring town of Sibonga. Nena and I were inexplicably drawn to the place – to seek the deceased bishop’s intercession for special and important petitions to the Lord. We felt the warmth and comfort and the assurance that he would intercede for us. Since then, we have been visiting the place quite often. The Domus Teofilo is now visited by pilgrims all over the world; the place is dedicated as depository of the bishop’s numerous memorabilia and personal effects.
The mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ, celebrated by the entire Christian community at this time of Lent, reminds us year after year to embrace our faith and constantly seek the aid of our loving Father with His infinite goodness and loving mercy. At the end of our lifetime, we are just like fallen leaves – but with God, we can rise again. Let us then “rise with Him.”