Christology vs 'Matrix Reloaded'

THAT was the funny predicament I found myself most part of the Christmas season. Funny but very dramatic. For a while, I thought I was in some personal crisis. I'll tell you why.

For a priest like me, days before Christmas are usually very hectic days. In my case, not only did I have to prepare homilies, celebrate early morning Masses, give recollections if not retreats, I was also asked to give a 25-hour class on Christology right after Christmas. That means, I had to prepare for it like mad.

It's not actually my specialization, but again, as priest, one does not have much choice. That's one consequence of the priestly vocation where one is chosen, though he may hardly choose it.

No, I am not complaining; just stating a fact. And yes, I had to stretch my day and reduce my night to prepare. I was lucky I still had some stamina to spare.

Anyway, in the middle of that frenzied preparation, Christmas came. Things went on as usual. Profound meaning went into my homilies, affecting myself, first of all. I hope I managed to move others. I always pray for that.

There was fun and real joy. I received many gifts for which I am thankful. No matter how exposed I am to the naked realities of life, Christmas simply turns me like a kid, full of hope and expectation, and feeling the workings of piety.

In the afternoon of Christmas Day, when things have quieted down a bit, my friends invited me to watch the video of "Matrix Reloaded." You know, for relaxation. I normally don't like violent movies, but then again I just could not say no to my friends.

I then realized that I was immediately mesmerized. In spite of the many readings and the lesson plans I still have to make, I could not extricate myself from my seat.

I wanted to get up but I could not. I enjoyed it, and I found it harder even just to leave my friends behind. Besides, I thought I should make them happy by joining them in their gasps of suspense and shrieks of excitement.

My conscience became a riot. Not that I was afraid I was committing a very grave sin. I was sure I was not. What bothered me was the disturbing discovery that I could not control and dominate my emotions in that situation.

This was reinforced when after Christmas, while I was already giving my classes in Christology, my friends showed a series called "24" -- a supposedly daylong dramatization of a nuclear bomb threat in the US, in 24 installments.

I remember that I was completely hooked and craving for the next episode. I was still able to give my classes, I was still able to concentrate, and yet when the time came for the showing, I was there in the front seat, and not even the call of nature could take me out of it.

It made me thinking that the people behind this series must have mastered the psychology of the audience, and have exploited this to the fullest in every frame of the film.

This was aggravated when in the middle of the showings, I read some yearend reviews in an American newspaper, kind of trivializing the whole series. My experience was the opposite. So I wondered, whether I was missing something through the years.

It was only after I finished the whole 24 installments in a week's time that I realized that while there were many high moments in that series, there were also a lot of gaps insofar as logic and plausibility of things to happen were concerned.

But these come only later. While you are at it, the emotions blur your other senses and disable your reason to work properly. Of course now, I can say that I would not be as easily deceived. There are lessons you only learn after going through some difficult experiences.

In the end, I realize Christology is still an irreplaceable subject. I have studied it before, I have give talks about it before, but this time I think I learned from it again tremendously.

True and integral humanity can only be achieved if one allows himself to be conformed to Christ, our Redeemer, through prayers, sacrifices, recourse to the sacraments and the other means the Church teaches and gives.

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Politics and prayer

ONE positive thing coming out as a result of the very ugly way our politics is developing now is that more and more people are turning to prayer.

Not that there is a gripping sense of despair among many people and that they are just looking for a way to escape. I consider the phenomenon as a clear sign of hope and as being realistic. Really!

Not that with prayer, things will just turn out right -- at least, in the way people want or expect them to be. The effectiveness of prayer, let's face it, is most times not in that direction.

Neither is it that with prayer Philippine politics will suddenly acquire some rhyme and reason. Sad to say, our politicians will make sure we all get disappointed, with hearts most likely broken.

In their quest for power, many of our politicians today appear to be nothing less than crooks and monsters, creatures apparently without consciences, a real shame to the human species, and a continuing source of scandal.

I am sorry if I have to say this, knowing that we will always need politicians -- it's stupid to think we are better off without them -- and that we have to learn to love and help them. They remain our brothers.

No. The worsening political mess is actually highlighting a reality often missed out by many people. And this is none other than that there is a spiritual world, even a supernatural world that actually governs all human affairs, politics included.

This is something worth reiterating. There are those who think that the world of faith and the spiritual realities have nothing to do with politics. Politics is purely a human affair, they say. This mentality really needs to be destroyed.

Sometimes, we have to go through a hell of a time before we realize there is something much more than what we see, feel, and even understand.

The spiritual and supernatural reality transcends what is merely material and human. It is the reality that brings us face to face to the ultimate dimensions of our existence. It deepens and expands our vision.

Yes, there is God, who is the beginning and end of everything, the lord of history, is on top of everything with his all-powerful providence.

He it is who makes sure that all these crazy twists and turns we are making in our politics will always have a good and successful resolution in the end. He is the cause and reason for hope to grow in us.

Again, this does not mean that with God around, we can just sit pretty and do nothing. Quite the contrary. Precisely with Him, we become more aware of our duties and responsibilities toward our society.

And these can be many, in fact, endless. This is something that also has to be understood well. Those who pray and are resorting to spiritual and supernatural means should realize more sharply that God wants them to act.

Prayer always leads to action. Especially when the matter involved is politics, prayer never means inaction or simply being quiet. It requires action.

For there are many good things that need to be done to drown the evil produced by the tricks of the devil and the weaknesses and sins of men.

There is the constant duty to educate the people about their civic duties. There is the need to clean and straighten up our political system. We have to raise the awareness of everyone to participate more actively, in accordance to his possibilities, in developing our society's political life.

Many more need to be done. We have to continually look for what political structure would fit our people, given our culture and temperament, etc. This, I think, is a continuing process, and we should learn to do it peacefully.

Our bishops have called for a novena of monthly expositions of the Blessed Sacrament in the run-up to the election and shortly thereafter. We can have our initiatives. May we be generous in this!

Let's make use of these to really pray for clean and peaceful elections, and to reap effective operative resolutions that will make our elections a true means of national unity and development.