Love For God
"For as long as man can remember, the Philippines has been a land where the lifeways are interwoven with the concept of God, be he worshipped in the form of a bulol (a crude wooden image of a granary god in the Mountain Province) or carved image of Christ"(Elwood and Magdamo, 1971,p.17).
These were the opening words of the exhibition, " Four Hundred Years of Christian Culture" in Cebu City, in 1965. The exhibit highlighted the religiosity of the Filipinos before the influx of Christianity and the Christian influence brought about by the Spaniards. It also underscored what Dr. Toma's Quintin Andres concluded in his book, Making Filipino Values Work for You, that "Filipinos firmly believe in the supernatural and in all kinds of spirits dwelling in individual persons, places or things" (p.28). According to him, this denotes that "the Filipino, in his religiosity is an animist or spirit-oriented" (p.28).
Filipino folklore abounds with illustrations of Filipino religiosity. Myths, legends, and folktales coming from all regions of the country have been compiled, many of which show out pre-Christian tradition. One such myth comes from the Bagobos of Southern Mindanao. The myth explains how people were created.
A long time ago, there was not a single man or woman in the whole wide world. There lived only Tuglay and Tuglibon, the two migthy beings who created the world.
One day Tuglay spoke to Tuglibon and said: Wife, perhaps it would be better if there are people in the world."
"It would be better indeed,"replied Tuglibon. There should be people who will enjoy the beautiful new world we made. Let us create a man and a woman who will love the blue sky and the wide sea. Let us create people who will love the flowers in the valleys and the clouds on the mountains." (Ramos,1978,p.3)
Prayers addressed to Almighty God are also found in the form of invocations at the beginning of many Philippines epics. Two of the most popular are: Lam-ang and Agyu. Francisco R. Demetrio cites the invocation of Lam-ang as Follows:
O Glorious God, the Holy Spirit enlighten my mind, Apo. So that I can faithfully relate the story of a man. (Demetrio, 1990,p.3)
As for the epic Agyu, Demetrio points out that the invocation, or pamahra in Manobo, is addressed to Diwata or Lugay (God Almighty). And the chanter offers his singing to him who "lives eternally and who gives wise guidance" (p.346)
The coming of Christianity during the Spanish period further enriched Filipino religiosity and folk memory. Again to quote Demetrio, "In the minds of the folk, Jesus Christ of whom the Bible and the gospels speak was a hero. He goes on to say,
His birth, His public Life, His death, and resurrection are even more wonderful and worthy of admiration than the life and deeds of the heroes whose names and works have come down through the centuries through the memory of the folk: Lam-ang, Handiong, Pablo Maralit, Juan Guintu, Laban Dunggon, Agyu or Bantugan. (p.276)
Such devotion is seen in the observance of Pasyon, Senakulo, Penitensiya, Prusisyon, Tenieblas, Pagsugat or Salubong on Easter Sunday. 'Thus, in manifold ways, Christ the hero continues to live in the hearts and minds of the folk" (p.279).
Every year the observance of the passion of Christ draws thousands of Filipinos into religious fervor that goes to the extremes of fanaticism. Many, literally, walk for miles carrying a wooden cross. Others are flogged with sticks or leather strands until their exposed backs become bloody. And to highlight their religious fanaticism, some nail themselves on crosses.
Bahala na ang Diyos or Nasa Diyos ang awa (God will take care or it's up to God's mercy), depicts the Filipino thinking that makes him accept the suffering of hard times to the extent that if he is exposed to a sub-human activity, he calls on God. Not only does the Filipino relate to God during hard times, for as he works with nature, he treats his work as prayer to God, "NASA Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa" (To God belongs mercy, to man belongs the work) (Andres, 1986,pp.28-29).
A young woman express her frustration on her husband's lack of religious commitment in going to church every Sunday. She believe it is a very important measure of her devotion to God. It is my religious obligation, "she said.
Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!" These are popular words in many Christian circles today. Spiritual gatherings are continually punctuated by choruses of "Hallelujah!" and "Praise the Lord!" These have become part of our religious jargon, the utternancd of which seem to catapult the believer into a spiritual high. As one sign says, "Get high with God, not with drugs."
The Filipino is truly religious. "He is makadiyos. He has a saint to pray to each day of the week," writes Andres (p.29).
Kapag Lunes, siya at Kay San Jose; Martes, Kay San Antonio; Miyerkules, Nasa Birhen ng Lacing Saklolo; Hwebes, na Kay St.Jude; Biernes, na Kay Jesus Nazareno; Sabado, San Lazaro; Linggo, Sta. Ana. (p.29).
His religious fervor ranges from simple faith to the absurb. Underneath his devotion to God is a preoccupation for apparitions, faith healing, and other religious experiences that border on spiritual magic. Is this what it means to be makadiyos? Are these valid expressions and manifestations of our love for God?
In the Gospel according to Mark we read,
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. (Mk.12:30,31)
This Scripture passage clearly teaches that love for God is more than just outward behavior. It is more than just going through a set of religious rituals and seasonal celebrations. It goes beyond the saying of the right words and doing the right things, which could be just hypocrisy. In other words, to be truly makadiyos is more than rules and regulations, rituals and resolutions. Being makadiyos has to do with right relationships.
Love for God, according to the Lord Jesus is a relationship that calls for total devotion-all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. It is a love that is demonstrated daily in every aspect of life, not just on Sundays. All of life's endeavors, religiously or mundane, are done out of devotion to God. As the Scripture says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God". In short, love for God is holistic, not compartmentalized, it is to be integrated with all of life, not fragmented.
However, love for God is more than just personal piety. It is not something static but dynamic. Its dynamism is seen in how we relate with others. A relationship that is both edifying and ethical.
Relationally, love for God is two-dimentional- vertical and horizontal. The vertical dimension is shown in our private worship, mainly through reading and meditation on Scriptures and prayer. Worship takes place either in the privacy of our homes or public places of worship. Personal obedience to God's commands and teachings also demonstrates love for God. The Lord Jesus makes this very clear. If anyone love me, he will obey my teaching. Whereas the horizontal dimension is public and social. This two-dimensional love for God is clearly taught in the epistle of John.
A man once had a problem with his office mate. He felt that this office mate was always putting him down. When his patience ran out he purposed in his heart to confront him. For practically a whole night he sat down, made a list of his grievances and planned out his strategy. The following morning, he cornered his office mate and fired off his cannon balls. When his verbal assault was finished, his office mate calmly told him, "I love you, brother.' He was stunned!
Love for God, is first and foremost, an inward experienced. It is reality felt in the inner man. Fear God, avoidance of sin, brokenness of spirit, purity of mind and heart are some of the marks of this inner life. And from this deep-seated love for God, honest, humble and compassionate love for others overflows.
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Hari
Blessings...
