Thoughts on Purgatory

It's November once again, the month of the Holy Souls. For us Catholics, it is that time of year when we pray for the souls of our departed loved ones, especially those in purgatory. While other faiths reject the existence of purgatory, our faith teaches us that the Holy Souls are "still imperfectly purified...After death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1030).  The following thoughts on purgatory crossed my mind yesterday.

St Catherine of Genoa: "[I]f a soul were brought to see God when it had still a trifle of which to purge itself, a great injury would be done it...a great happiness is granted to the Holy Souls that grows as they draw nearer God."

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: "I would go so far as to say that if there was no purgatory, then we would have to invent it, for who would dare say of himself that he was able to stand directly before God. And yet we don't want to be, to use an image from Scripture,'a pot that turned out wrong', that has to be thrown away; we want to be able to be put right. Purgatory basically means that God can put the pieces back together again."

Venerable Fulton Sheen: "Purgatory is a place not only where the Love of God tempers the Justice of God, but also where the love of man tempers the injustice of man, for it enables hearts who are left behind to break the barriers of time and death, to convert unspoken words into prayers, unburned incense into sacrifice, unoffered flowers into alms, and undone acts of kindness into help for eternal life...Purgatory, then, enables us to atone for our ingratitude because through our prayers, mortifications, and sacrifices, it makes it possible to bring joy and consolation to the ones we love. Love is stronger than death and hence there should be love for those who have gone before us. We are the offspring of their life, the gathered fruit of their labour, the solicitude of their hearts."

Bearing these words of wisdom in mind whilst also remembering the faithful departed in my moments of silence, I am convinced that purgatory does exist because, as Jesus once said, "It is my Father's will that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me and that I should raise it up on the last day" (Jn 6:39). Furthermore, it exists to show our unbroken link with those who have passed away, be they family, friends, or strangers. It is an avenue for us to make amends while there is still time.

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As I write this, we celebrate the feast day of St Martin De Porres, a Dominican lay brother who, according to historical accounts, bilocated at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila when he never left his convent in Lima, Peru. St Martin is the Patron Saint of our section in Third Year High School.

Last month, Andres Rico Gonzales Jr (aka Bong Gonzales), a classmate in that section passed away. Bong was my classmate from first to third year. During our third year, Bong and I worked in a number of school projects. Being residents of Tondo, it wasn't difficult for us to work together. One project was conducting an interview with a Civil Servant and publishing a term paper their role in the National Census and Statistics Office. We bagged an award for that. A jolly person, his naughtiness often earned the ire of some of our teachers. One time, while Ms Myrna Javiniar (our Class Adviser and Chemistry teacher) was speaking to a colleague outside the room, Bong stood up and danced (without music, mind you!). We were quite entertained, so Bong kept on dancing. Unfortunately, the teacher caught him without him noticing it. Bong was sent home earlier than scheduled (It was our last lesson for the day). 

During our Junior-Senior Prom, we had a light moment dancing with other classmates who didn't have a date during that occasion. The last time I saw Bong was in the church of Gagalangin in 2002; he introduced me his family and instructed his kids to ask for my blessing (Mano po). In spite of not seeing each other for ages, we kept in touch through Facebook. In one of our last conversations, he told me that he bought a house in Gagalangin, near where my sister lives. I looked forward to pay him a visit, I told him. When I heard that he was ill, I got in touch and shared with him a prayer. "Thanks Manong", were his last words to me.

Looking through his posts in social media when he was still around, I have seen how supportive Bong was of his family, how proud he was of the achievements of his son who, like him, had a knack for Mathematics. My heart goes out to them in this time of bereavement.

May God bless your happy and loving soul, Bong. Be at peace now, brother, reunited with our other deceased classmates in Third Year-St Martin De Porres (Michael Corotan Charles Nabaza, and Cristino Pagdonzolan Jr), departed batch mates (Richard David, Jonathan De la Llana, Miguel Enriquez, Joselito Roxas, etc.), late teachers (Ms Myrna Javiniar, Ms Irene Ambagan, Mrs Charito Ramos, Mr Ruperto Sarmiento, etc), and fallen knights of Letran!

The Racist That I Was

At the corner of Cavite and S del Rosario Streets in Gagalangin, Tondo, Manila, stands a sari-sari store owned by a Chinese family. This store is very near to what used to be our house. One morning, during the early 80s, the elder China man was outside the store and was talking in his native tongue. He sounded angry, but to my childish mind then, I thought this would be a time to make fun of him. So I yelled something that sounded-Chinese-but-it's-not which made him really unhappy. Many buyers saw what I did.

Manong Alvin, an older cousin, was with me then. Upon returning home, he told my father about it. My father sternly instructed me to go back to the store and apologise to the China man. Realising my lack of respect, I approached the man and said "Pasensya." He just tapped me at the back.

Another story which might have happened earlier was when our family went to Luneta for a night out. One of our houseboys told me that there was a Black man in the park. When the Black man walked past us, I shouted "Negro!". As expected, I got a reprimand from my old man.

These are just few stories of how I have insulted people from other race. In the West, you would have already been labeled as a 'racist'. In countries like the UK and the USA, a mixed culture society is not unusual. And because it's a diverse environment, a sense of co-existence tempered with respect is highly called for.

This was realized by St Martin de Porres, who in his lifetime, treated people fairly regardless of their status, complexion, etc. It has been said that Martin and his sister were disowned by their Spanish father because of the color of their skin - their mother had a black complexion.

Until now, racism and discrimination have been challenging our societies and have often been perceived as hindrance to progress. As we honor St Martin this 3rd of November, let it be our goal to treat others with love and respect regardless of our race, sexual orientation, or belief.

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I couldn't forget this saint of charity because the award I received during my Elementary graduation in Letran was named "De Porres Award". There have been stories that he was seen in Manila (through bilocation) though he never left his convent in Lima, Peru.

I pray to him every Tuesday asking for health of mind and body as well as the courage to rise up from my wrong notion of other people.

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Congratulations to my beloved mother, the Honorable Aida Samaniego-Albano, for being elected as Kagawad in the recent Barangay elections.

Birthday blessings to Gabby Albano Axibal, my niece and god daughter, on the 5th and to Nicola, my sister, on the 8th.