Fighting truth decay

THE STORY is told about a patient who was writhing in pain, and so he asked his doctor's help. After some thought, the doctor said: "OK, I'll give you morphine," in response to which the patient cried out: "No, doctor, I want less pain, not more pain!"

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In today's Gospel (Mt. 18, 15-20), Jesus urges us to practice fraternal correction, which puts both the object and the agent in an uncomfortable and even painful situation. The truth hurts, but hiding the truth will hurt more. As with tooth decay, we must deal with truth decay in a radical way. We do not put fillings into a rotten tooth. No matter how painful, we first must drill and bore into the tooth to remove the tooth decay and, if necessary, remove the tooth itself.

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As in tooth decay, the very first requirement for the removal of truth decay is the opening of the mouth. Let the truth come out. Evidence has to be presented. Issues must be discussed. If this process is stopped, then the truth will be hidden, but only for a while. Yes, truth can be stopped, but truth, like water, seeks its own level. The truth will surely come out in the end. And when it does, the question we all should ask ourselves is: was I in truth's side? Did I help bring out the truth, or did I help hide the truth?

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Did you hear the story about a mother who heard her 8-year-old saying: "2 + 2, sonama witch is 4." The next day, the mother confronted the teacher for teaching her child bad words. "No, no, no. It's 2 + 2, the sum of which is 4," was the teacher's reply.

I don't know about you, but I feel like saying bad words whenever people begin to treat the truth as if it were merely a numbers game. How could a few suppress the truth and stop the truth from coming out? Do they actually believe that they can just because they have the numbers? On the same count, do we just hide the truth under the rug for the sake of practicality, utility, or expediency?

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In today's Gospel, Jesus tells us: "If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector." In our present-day worsening political crisis which is affecting our nation, there are two sides of the coin: some people are not listening hard enough to the church, or maybe the church is not speaking loud enough.

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In today's Gospel, too, Jesus says that "if two of you agree on earth about anything for which you are to pray, it shall be granted to you by my Heavenly Father." Dear reader, after you read this paragraph, please stop, and agree with me, pray with me that the Father may hear our prayers and help us solve the problems in our land. In particular, let us pray that the truth will come out, so that we can all move on. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen!

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Let us ask Mama Mary, especially on her birthday, Sept. 8, that she may lead us into ways and situations that will eventually bring about lasting peace and unity in our land. Let us turn to the Blessed Mother, regardless of faith, to engage in a day of intense prayer on Sept. 12 at the Carmelite Monastery of Lipa. Yes, let us all turn to God in prayer, and let us also listen to Him, for His instructions and marching orders.

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I just came back from a retreat with the clergy of Urdaneta under the leadership of Msgr. Marlo Peralta. In one of our sharings, Msgr. Art Aquino said something that struck me. He said, "With God, everything happens in His time. But with Mama Mary, everything happens in your time." He made us realize that Mama Mary waits for us. She encourages, she prods, she prays and when we are ready, rest assured, she will be there for us.

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Mayor Gabriel Navarro called me to order "Heartfelt Moments" tapes and CDs for distribution to schools in Bani, Pangasinan so that the schoolchildren would learn values through the songs of the 12-year-old blind girl Fatima Soriano. He said it was his birthday gift to Mama Mary. Under this ex-seminarian's watch, Bani is jueteng-free and ecology-friendly. Yes, we have good people around, it is possible to be good; and in the Philippines, soon, very soon, victory will be for the good.

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See you on Sept. 11 at the Ultra for "A Day of Healing with Jesus through Mama Mary" (8 a.m.-4 p.m.) with the Korean visionary, Julia Kim. Admission is free.

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Sometime ago, my brother Manong Oscar shared with me this thought: Just as children ask their parents or their elders, "Di ba bad yon?" (Isn't is bad?) whenever they encounter something bad or wrong, so we, too, adults, must never stop raising this question. Yes, let us not stop asking questions. Let us not give rest to the wicked.

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, help me to help stop truth decay, no matter how painful it would be for me to do so, Amen.