Reprinted from the Asian Journal
Decembr 28, 2007
Once again, Christmas came -- like a fresh stream of cool water through a sun-baked, blistering desert. It came with jolly Santa on a sleigh, bags full of toys for children, naughty or nice. It came with multicolored lights and parols, melodious Jingle/Silver bells, trees galore and fun-packed malls.
It also came with warm family reunions, friendly gift exchanges, solemn Midnight Mass, and the traditional “Noche Buena”. People the world over came together in joyful celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth -- humankind’s greatest miracle.
The greatest miracle of all reminds me of another miracle, albeit on a much smaller scale. Akin, in some ways, to the tale of St. Joseph’s miraculous staircase in Sante Fe, New Mexico, its sacredness lingers on though more than a decade has passed.
Sometime in 1993, Sr. Dulce Flores, a nun at St. Leo’s mission church in Solana Beach, and my wife Lucie were busy with plans to build a charity clinic. Sr. Dulce was particularly concerned about young mothers -- spouses of farm workers or migrant workers themselves -- who did not have the financial resources to seek prenatal consultation.
Many of these pregnant women, whether legal residents or undocumented workers, did not show up for their doctor’s appointment until they were in full labor and about to deliver their babies. Many times, they ended up in hospital delivery rooms with toxemia or other life-threatening obstetrical emergencies for both mothers and babies.
At a church related gathering one evening, at Harold and Ginger Gaulbert’s home, Sr. Dulce approached Lucie, who had a pediatrics practice in nearby La Jolla, to see if they could put their heads together and build a clinic, specifically to aid these poor mothers, but in general to serve the needs of poor families and their children.
One morning, while Sr. Dulce and Lucie were reviewing preliminary plans at St. Leo’s Church, a stranger knocked on the door. Slightly tall but of medium build, with brown hair and gentle eyes, the stranger had a kind and handsome face. He introduced himself as an architect. He had heard about their plans to build a clinic and he was more than happy to offer his services for free.
Lucie recalls thinking that was a bit strange. Very few, if anyone, had known of the project. But she quickly brushed away the thought. Short of funds, the project could use a pro bono architect. The stranger’s offer was timely and most welcome.
The architect asked Lucie and Sr. Dulce a few questions but he seemed to know exactly what they needed. He did not inquire too much detail about examining rooms, waiting room, or how big a storage space they needed, etc. They showed him the back section of St. Leo’s Mission Church, which the sponsoring parish of St. James in Solana Beach had set aside for the project. Local civic and religious organizations were getting together to raise funds and things were just starting to fall in place.
Several days later, the volunteer architect returned with rolls of blueprint. He showed Lucie and Sr. Dulce and a few other individuals in the room the beautiful blueprints he had designed for the clinic. Lucie remembers looking at the plans laid out neatly on the conference table but could not recall if the architect’s name was printed on them.
Soon, a cadre of volunteer engineers and workers started construction, faithfully following the architectural plans. The functional clinic was completed in a few weeks. Doctors, nurses, dentists, social workers, etc., volunteered to attend to patients on Saturdays. The clinic took off from day one.
When plans for an inaugural ceremony were set, Lucie and her staff put together an invitation list for the event and tried to contact the architect. It would be the proper time to formally thank him for his valuable contribution to the project.
Lucie vaguely remembered that the mysterious architect had introduced himself as Michael. However, she could not recall his last name. She scanned the phone directory and made several calls to local engineering and architectural firms. The clinic staff asked around but not a single parishioner knew who Michael was or where he lived or worked. He had appeared twice at St. Leo’s mission church and vanished!
When Lucie told me about it, I asked if she kept the rolls of blueprint the untraceable architect had left behind. She went to the clinic to look for them; others searched for the precious documents..….they were nowhere to be found.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Bella
Bella
If you watch only one film this Christmas Season, let it be "Bella".
The other evening, my wife Lucie and I went out on our semi-regular movie date. I did not have a particular movie in mind. But she had heard good things about "Bella" so we decided to check it out.
The independent film from Metanoia productions was carried, without much fanfare, by only one local theatre. I recall receiving an email promoting the film -- a low budget grassroots campaign reminiscent of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ". The story line was intriguing. And, at the very least, “Bella” had won -- with standing ovation – the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival. Previous winners of the prestigious award included Chariots of Fire, Life is Beautiful, Hotel Rwanda, American Beauty, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Inspired by a true story, the film is well directed by novice Alejandro Gomez Monteverde. The script by Monteverde, Patrick Million, and Leo Severino weaves plausibly through the theme of how the goodness and kindness of one person can affect and gradually influence others. The cast, headed by Latino superstar Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard, is well chosen. The artistic photography by Andrew Cadalago gives viewers a fresh, ethnic perspective of New York. The editing occasionally throws viewers off with flashbacks and fastforwards, but it’s not as nonlinear as Christopher Nolan's Memento.
The movie opens with waves caressing the shoreline, children romping on the sand, and a lonely bearded man, Jose (Eduardo Verastegui), pensively watching the scenery. The story shifts to a street scene where boys are playing street soccer... a young, brash soccer player shows them a few tricks and throws them a new ball. Cigar in hand, he gets in the driver seat of a flashy convertible, on his way to a media interview, prior to signing a lucrative deal.
The soccer player's and his manager's ominous drive towards guaranteed fame and fortune cuts to a kitchen in a Manhattan restaurant where chefs and cooks are busy preparing the day’s menu. The impetuous manager Manny (Manny Perez) arrives and whips his crew into a frenzy. Nina (Tammy Blanchard), the young waitress, reports late for work again and is fired on the spot.
Jose, the pensive man on the beach, who, it turns out, is the restaurant's executive chef, and Manny's younger brother (and the soccer player we saw earlier), senses something wrong. He drops everything and walks out of the restaurant to console Nina, who was late for work because of morning sickness.
The story unfolds in its complexity as we learn more about the inconsolable waitress and the compassionate chef. Jobless and without family support, Nina is overwhelmed by her unexpected pregnancy. Jose, not quite certain what to do, intuitively stays with her.
This PG-13 rated movie has no special effects, no car chases or explosions, no drug deals or expletives, no nudity or sex scenes -- none of the standard fare for blockbuster movies. There is only the evolving story of a distressed young woman dealing with an uncertain future, and the love and patience of a kind soul.
Like my kids say, there's nothing much to do in the desert. Movies are an extra treat here. We have clean, safe, and comfortable theatres. Stadium seating and panoramic screens. Smiling cashiers and courteous ushers. Plus, tickets are way cheaper than downtown San Diego or LA.
More often than not, if we watched a movie in the middle of the week, we might be the only patrons. Can you imagine sitting in a modern theatre, watching a Steven Spielberg blockbuster -- in dynamic Dolby digital surround sound -– and not a single rowdy moviegoer within arm's length, no one kicking the back of your seat, no one chattering on a cell phone – in fact, no other living human being in the movie theatre at all, except your lovely date? For those reasons alone, even a boring B movie can be a wonderful experience in the inland valley of Southern California.
But no, Bella is not a B movie. Far from it. Even if it were standing room only, even if the air-conditioning broke down, even if the popcorn was rubbery and the Coke was flat, watching “Bella” would have been a worthwhile experience many times over. There is nothing like kindness, patience, tolerance, compassion – “a celebration of love and life” -- that can quickly warm the heart and gladden the soul.
Go, check out “Bella.” The movie will rekindle your trust in the inherent goodness of people, the beauty of nature, and the wonder of life.
####
Edgar A. Gamboa, M.D., FACS
“Dear children! Today, when you celebrate Christ, the King of all that is created, I desire for Him to be the King of your lives. Only through giving, little children, can you comprehend the gift of Jesus´ sacrifice on the Cross for each of you. Little children, give time to God that He may transform you and fill you with His grace, so that you may be a grace for others. For you, little children, I am a gift of grace and love, which comes from God for this peaceless world. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Message of November 25, 2007
The Medjugorje Webhttp://www.medjugorje.org
If you watch only one film this Christmas Season, let it be "Bella".
The other evening, my wife Lucie and I went out on our semi-regular movie date. I did not have a particular movie in mind. But she had heard good things about "Bella" so we decided to check it out.
The independent film from Metanoia productions was carried, without much fanfare, by only one local theatre. I recall receiving an email promoting the film -- a low budget grassroots campaign reminiscent of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ". The story line was intriguing. And, at the very least, “Bella” had won -- with standing ovation – the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival. Previous winners of the prestigious award included Chariots of Fire, Life is Beautiful, Hotel Rwanda, American Beauty, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Inspired by a true story, the film is well directed by novice Alejandro Gomez Monteverde. The script by Monteverde, Patrick Million, and Leo Severino weaves plausibly through the theme of how the goodness and kindness of one person can affect and gradually influence others. The cast, headed by Latino superstar Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard, is well chosen. The artistic photography by Andrew Cadalago gives viewers a fresh, ethnic perspective of New York. The editing occasionally throws viewers off with flashbacks and fastforwards, but it’s not as nonlinear as Christopher Nolan's Memento.
The movie opens with waves caressing the shoreline, children romping on the sand, and a lonely bearded man, Jose (Eduardo Verastegui), pensively watching the scenery. The story shifts to a street scene where boys are playing street soccer... a young, brash soccer player shows them a few tricks and throws them a new ball. Cigar in hand, he gets in the driver seat of a flashy convertible, on his way to a media interview, prior to signing a lucrative deal.
The soccer player's and his manager's ominous drive towards guaranteed fame and fortune cuts to a kitchen in a Manhattan restaurant where chefs and cooks are busy preparing the day’s menu. The impetuous manager Manny (Manny Perez) arrives and whips his crew into a frenzy. Nina (Tammy Blanchard), the young waitress, reports late for work again and is fired on the spot.
Jose, the pensive man on the beach, who, it turns out, is the restaurant's executive chef, and Manny's younger brother (and the soccer player we saw earlier), senses something wrong. He drops everything and walks out of the restaurant to console Nina, who was late for work because of morning sickness.
The story unfolds in its complexity as we learn more about the inconsolable waitress and the compassionate chef. Jobless and without family support, Nina is overwhelmed by her unexpected pregnancy. Jose, not quite certain what to do, intuitively stays with her.
This PG-13 rated movie has no special effects, no car chases or explosions, no drug deals or expletives, no nudity or sex scenes -- none of the standard fare for blockbuster movies. There is only the evolving story of a distressed young woman dealing with an uncertain future, and the love and patience of a kind soul.
Like my kids say, there's nothing much to do in the desert. Movies are an extra treat here. We have clean, safe, and comfortable theatres. Stadium seating and panoramic screens. Smiling cashiers and courteous ushers. Plus, tickets are way cheaper than downtown San Diego or LA.
More often than not, if we watched a movie in the middle of the week, we might be the only patrons. Can you imagine sitting in a modern theatre, watching a Steven Spielberg blockbuster -- in dynamic Dolby digital surround sound -– and not a single rowdy moviegoer within arm's length, no one kicking the back of your seat, no one chattering on a cell phone – in fact, no other living human being in the movie theatre at all, except your lovely date? For those reasons alone, even a boring B movie can be a wonderful experience in the inland valley of Southern California.
But no, Bella is not a B movie. Far from it. Even if it were standing room only, even if the air-conditioning broke down, even if the popcorn was rubbery and the Coke was flat, watching “Bella” would have been a worthwhile experience many times over. There is nothing like kindness, patience, tolerance, compassion – “a celebration of love and life” -- that can quickly warm the heart and gladden the soul.
Go, check out “Bella.” The movie will rekindle your trust in the inherent goodness of people, the beauty of nature, and the wonder of life.
####
Edgar A. Gamboa, M.D., FACS
“Dear children! Today, when you celebrate Christ, the King of all that is created, I desire for Him to be the King of your lives. Only through giving, little children, can you comprehend the gift of Jesus´ sacrifice on the Cross for each of you. Little children, give time to God that He may transform you and fill you with His grace, so that you may be a grace for others. For you, little children, I am a gift of grace and love, which comes from God for this peaceless world. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Message of November 25, 2007
The Medjugorje Webhttp://www.medjugorje.org
Friday, December 7, 2007
Indigenous Philippine Remedies
Reprinted from the Asian Journal
(Second installment) | December 7, 2007
Tawa-tawa: cure for dengue fever
by Edgar A.Gamboa,MD,FACS
The native treatments that I witnessed (or received) growing up in Cebu, whether administered by albularyo or manghihilot, fascinate me because they must have somehow worked, otherwise why would people return for treatment? Viewed now from the perspective of modern science, many of the indigenous or antique therapeutics look more like placebos. But they were readily available, arguably effective, and definitely affordable or, for the most part, free.
The term albularyo derived from the Spanish herbolario (herbalist). Albularyos are general practice healers who take care of common illnesses such as fever, cough, cold, diarrhea, etc. using medicinal herbs, which rural area folks commonly stock in their medicine cabinets. Albularyos also take care of people believed to be afflicted by supernatural illness or witchcraft. Thus their medical repertoire, in addition to herbs, includes chants, prayers, icons and religious articles.
The manghihilot is a more specialized medicine man or woman, focusing on musculoskeletal problems, much like chiropractors. They use massage techniques utilizing oil and salves to cure panuhot (strained muscle or air trapped in body cavities) or lisa (sprained joint). Some of the modern manghihilots have incorporated reflexology and acupuncture mapping into their practice.
In addition to the albularyo and the manghihilot, other native healers include midwives (mananabang in Bisaya, magpapaanak in Tagalog), the mangluluop, manghihila, mangtatawas, mediko, faith healers, etc. Medikos or medicos supplement native therapeutics with Western pharmacology. Filipino faith healers have, in some cases, achieved international fame (or notoriety) and, in some ways, are the pioneers of medical tourism.
There are about two dozen scientifically recognized medical herbs and plants in the Philippines. Boiled ginger to soothe sore throat is fairly well known. In fact, the concoction is now commercially available in powdered form or ginger tea (salabat).
A mixture of sampalok or sambag (tamarind), luy-a (ginger), and calamansi or lemoncito (citrus) works well for cough. Avocado, guava, and star apple (kaimito) leaves are the local version of Lomotil or Loperamide (Imodium). My mother used to heat rice grains until they turned brown, then added water to make an anti-diarrhea drink.
My sister Daisy, when pregnant with her first child, was advised by my aunt, who bore eleven healthy children, to boil thirteen kinds of roots and drink the bitter brew to ensure an uncomplicated delivery. She faithfully followed the time-tested advice but got so sick with the brew’s aftertaste that she no longer cared if she had a difficult labor. Those were the days before epidural anesthesia became common practice.
Talking about nasty medicines, cod liver oil in the form of Scott’s Emulsion was a popular source of multivitamins A and D, calcium, phosphorus and omega 3. I cringed every time my turn came to swallow two full tablespoons of the awful syrup. I'm amused to learn that Scott’s Emulsion is still available in some drugstores in the United States, and remains popular in Mexico, Central and South America, Asia, Africa, etc. My sympathy goes to those kids whose daily dose of vitamins emanate from that nasty brown bottle.
Raw eggs (with the attendant risk of Salmonella infection) blended in milk or Tru-Orange was not as nasty as Scott’s was but why did people think the frothy potion was helpful for hangovers? Was there credible research that showed that the eggnog mix protected alcoholics from developing liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension?
Lately, the popularity of Tawa-Tawa usage for Dengue fever is supported by government health agencies. Research has reportedly confirmed the common plant's antiviral and antibacterial properties. Tawa-Tawa is believed to help sustain platelets and counter hemorrhagic dengue. Two dozen plants boiled in seven glasses of water, from a report I've read, is the current recommended dosage
Gumamela or Hibiscus, also boiled in water, may be applied as poultice to inflamed wounds or abscesses. Some claim the flower has varied uses for cough, fever, hypertension, urinary tract infection, etc. But have you heard of inhaling adobo to get rid of your cold? Not sure about that one. Inhaling Vicks Vaporub dropped in steaming hot water may work, however. You can maximize the effects of such treatment by capturing vaporized oil with a large tent-like cape or blanket draped over your head.
Boiled guava leaves, particularly leaf sprouts, make excellent salve for new mothers, as effective as TUCKS Witchazel pads. Its topical application extends to those who suffer from inflamed hemorrhoids. Before Hibiclens and Bacitracin became commercially available, warm water blended with guava leaf extracts were used to cleanse nuka (Staphylococcal skin infection) so prevalent in children.
Kamunggay leaves commonly used for vegetable soup are also traditionally utilized to stop local bleeding. The leaves may not be as effective as Surgicel or Avitene but are cheap and readily available.
Soapsuds enema is practically out of style except for cleansing the bowels preparatory to endoscopy. I recall it being used for a variety of undiagnosed illnesses, manifesting as fever, cough, or abdominal pain. Being at the receiving end of an enema was one of the worst part of getting sick.
As beneficiaries or practitioners of modern Western medicine, we may tend to dismiss many of these primitive therapies as ineffective or unscientific. Yet, we may recall that back in the 5th century BC, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, wrote about a bitter powder extracted from the bark of the willow tree that relieved pain and reduced fever. Knowledge about the analgesic willow tree survived through the centuries.
In 1853, the French chemist Charles Frederic Gerhardt synthesized acetylsalicylic acid and in 1859, von Gilm purified it. In 1897, Felix Hoffmann, a chemist at Friedrich Bayer and Co., refined the process so that he could administer aspirin tablets to his father who suffered from severe arthritis. The rest, as they say, is history.
(Second installment) | December 7, 2007
Tawa-tawa: cure for dengue fever
by Edgar A.Gamboa,MD,FACS
The native treatments that I witnessed (or received) growing up in Cebu, whether administered by albularyo or manghihilot, fascinate me because they must have somehow worked, otherwise why would people return for treatment? Viewed now from the perspective of modern science, many of the indigenous or antique therapeutics look more like placebos. But they were readily available, arguably effective, and definitely affordable or, for the most part, free.
The term albularyo derived from the Spanish herbolario (herbalist). Albularyos are general practice healers who take care of common illnesses such as fever, cough, cold, diarrhea, etc. using medicinal herbs, which rural area folks commonly stock in their medicine cabinets. Albularyos also take care of people believed to be afflicted by supernatural illness or witchcraft. Thus their medical repertoire, in addition to herbs, includes chants, prayers, icons and religious articles.
The manghihilot is a more specialized medicine man or woman, focusing on musculoskeletal problems, much like chiropractors. They use massage techniques utilizing oil and salves to cure panuhot (strained muscle or air trapped in body cavities) or lisa (sprained joint). Some of the modern manghihilots have incorporated reflexology and acupuncture mapping into their practice.
In addition to the albularyo and the manghihilot, other native healers include midwives (mananabang in Bisaya, magpapaanak in Tagalog), the mangluluop, manghihila, mangtatawas, mediko, faith healers, etc. Medikos or medicos supplement native therapeutics with Western pharmacology. Filipino faith healers have, in some cases, achieved international fame (or notoriety) and, in some ways, are the pioneers of medical tourism.
There are about two dozen scientifically recognized medical herbs and plants in the Philippines. Boiled ginger to soothe sore throat is fairly well known. In fact, the concoction is now commercially available in powdered form or ginger tea (salabat).
A mixture of sampalok or sambag (tamarind), luy-a (ginger), and calamansi or lemoncito (citrus) works well for cough. Avocado, guava, and star apple (kaimito) leaves are the local version of Lomotil or Loperamide (Imodium). My mother used to heat rice grains until they turned brown, then added water to make an anti-diarrhea drink.
My sister Daisy, when pregnant with her first child, was advised by my aunt, who bore eleven healthy children, to boil thirteen kinds of roots and drink the bitter brew to ensure an uncomplicated delivery. She faithfully followed the time-tested advice but got so sick with the brew’s aftertaste that she no longer cared if she had a difficult labor. Those were the days before epidural anesthesia became common practice.
Talking about nasty medicines, cod liver oil in the form of Scott’s Emulsion was a popular source of multivitamins A and D, calcium, phosphorus and omega 3. I cringed every time my turn came to swallow two full tablespoons of the awful syrup. I'm amused to learn that Scott’s Emulsion is still available in some drugstores in the United States, and remains popular in Mexico, Central and South America, Asia, Africa, etc. My sympathy goes to those kids whose daily dose of vitamins emanate from that nasty brown bottle.
Raw eggs (with the attendant risk of Salmonella infection) blended in milk or Tru-Orange was not as nasty as Scott’s was but why did people think the frothy potion was helpful for hangovers? Was there credible research that showed that the eggnog mix protected alcoholics from developing liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension?
Lately, the popularity of Tawa-Tawa usage for Dengue fever is supported by government health agencies. Research has reportedly confirmed the common plant's antiviral and antibacterial properties. Tawa-Tawa is believed to help sustain platelets and counter hemorrhagic dengue. Two dozen plants boiled in seven glasses of water, from a report I've read, is the current recommended dosage
Gumamela or Hibiscus, also boiled in water, may be applied as poultice to inflamed wounds or abscesses. Some claim the flower has varied uses for cough, fever, hypertension, urinary tract infection, etc. But have you heard of inhaling adobo to get rid of your cold? Not sure about that one. Inhaling Vicks Vaporub dropped in steaming hot water may work, however. You can maximize the effects of such treatment by capturing vaporized oil with a large tent-like cape or blanket draped over your head.
Boiled guava leaves, particularly leaf sprouts, make excellent salve for new mothers, as effective as TUCKS Witchazel pads. Its topical application extends to those who suffer from inflamed hemorrhoids. Before Hibiclens and Bacitracin became commercially available, warm water blended with guava leaf extracts were used to cleanse nuka (Staphylococcal skin infection) so prevalent in children.
Kamunggay leaves commonly used for vegetable soup are also traditionally utilized to stop local bleeding. The leaves may not be as effective as Surgicel or Avitene but are cheap and readily available.
Soapsuds enema is practically out of style except for cleansing the bowels preparatory to endoscopy. I recall it being used for a variety of undiagnosed illnesses, manifesting as fever, cough, or abdominal pain. Being at the receiving end of an enema was one of the worst part of getting sick.
As beneficiaries or practitioners of modern Western medicine, we may tend to dismiss many of these primitive therapies as ineffective or unscientific. Yet, we may recall that back in the 5th century BC, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, wrote about a bitter powder extracted from the bark of the willow tree that relieved pain and reduced fever. Knowledge about the analgesic willow tree survived through the centuries.
In 1853, the French chemist Charles Frederic Gerhardt synthesized acetylsalicylic acid and in 1859, von Gilm purified it. In 1897, Felix Hoffmann, a chemist at Friedrich Bayer and Co., refined the process so that he could administer aspirin tablets to his father who suffered from severe arthritis. The rest, as they say, is history.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Manghihilot of Consolacion
November 30, 2007
Manghihilot of Consolacion
(First of two installments)
Reprinted from the Asian Journal (Article #10)
By Edgar A. Gamboa, M.D., FACS
Santo Nino de Cebu
It started with an email of nostalgic pictures culled from the 1950s --- WW II toy soldiers from Kellogg's Corn Flakes boxes, 45 RPM records, Studebakers, 15 cent McDonald hamburgers and 5 cent Coca-Colas, Brownie cameras and aluminum Christmas trees, etc., with the daunting remark: "If you can remember these, you have lived!" To which those who regularly avail of senior discounts at Denny's and movie theatres resoundingly responded in the affirmative.
Not without a hint of cynicism, my brother Robert commented that none of the above qualifies one "to have lived" more than having your frail chest and back greased with hot coconut oil and plastered with gabi leaves to get rid of "panuhot", the all-encompassing diagnosis for childhood ailments. Which commentary in turn initiated a flurry of emails regarding native Philippine remedies.
Medicine in the 1950s was not exactly that primitive. Growing up in Cebu City, the "Queen City of the South", there were excellent family doctors and pediatricians to go to when we got sick. I remember my father bringing me very early in the morning to the residence of Dr. Ramon Arcenas on several occasions.
Dr. Arcenas was a general surgeon who trained at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. He also practiced general medicine and cared for patients who traveled from all over the Visayas. He was my father's paisano (they both grew up in Bantayan Island) and he readily got out of bed in his pajamas to treat me before his schedule of rounds and operations. He was a great man. In no small measure, I became a surgeon because of the kindness and goodness I saw in him.
However, on certain days, when Dr. Arcenas was out of town or busy in the operating room (or when my father was not looking) my mother, whose faith in both Eastern and Western medicine were equally unshakable, hauled us to the clinic of a popular native healer, 12 kilometers north of the city, in a town aptly called Consolacion. Back then, it was a nice little town along the breezy Northern coast. At present, the municipality of Consolacion, with a population of over 60,000, has integrated into greater Metro Cebu.
The manghihilot of Consolacion was a gentle middle-aged Cebuano. He held clinic in the basement of his nipa hut, which was larger than the average bahay kubo. We usually arrived at midmorning. Typically, one of us would wake up with a fever or a hacking cough. My mother would then telephone the school to inform the teacher we would be absent, and then she would arrange for the driver to transport us to Consolacion.
By 9 or 10 AM, the waiting room would be packed; several patients would be standing outside. There was no receptionist. As soon as you arrived, you picked a number fashioned out of tansan (Coca-Cola or Pepsi tops hammered flat and engraved -- by tiniltil method -- with numerals) and awaited your turn. Speaking of tansans, you could, if you planned on going Christmas caroling, nail stacks of tansans together to a piece of wood and enjoy your own handmade percussion instrument.
When your number was called, you were led into the examining room. Dr. Consolacion -- my anesthesiologist brother Alan remembers patients calling him Nong Aurelio -- would take a brief history ("how long has the child been sick?", "did he fall down the stairs?", "has he been vomiting?"), then he would gently place his hands on your chest and back, close his eyes, and say a brief prayer.
Nodding his head, Nong Aurelio would sit back and tell your parent(s): "Your child has panuhot or lisa (sprain)... he must have fallen down a flight of steps". He then poured warm (or hot) globs of thick, greasy coconut oil on his hands and rubbed your chest and back to exorcise your illness, while reciting more prayers.
Soon, the dreaded moment came. Nong Aurelio would summon his "physician assistant" who promptly lifted and carried you on his back, rocking you back and forth to stretch your spine and hips. After the judo-like routine, the muscular medical assistant would grab you by the ears, lift you clean off the ground, and sway you back and forth until your neck cracked. Luckily, none of us ever got paralyzed!
Then it was back to the manghihilot's examining chair for more goops of oil. Taking a handful of gabi leaves stacked by his side, Nong Aurelio would run them over a lantern flame, toasting them ever so slightly, before plastering them against your chest and back. I guess the idea was to keep the oil from evaporating too quickly and to use whatever medical properties the leaves had.
We would thank Dr. Consolacion and leave money in a donation box. He never charged for anything. That would have risked losing the healing powers God gave him. There were no insurance papers to fill, no billing claim to be sent, no co-pay. There were no middle managers, no HMO authorization process, and no bureaucracy whatsoever. Native medicine was purely a sacred traditional relationship between the healer and the sick.
The best part for me was going home tired and sleepy (from the long 12 kilometer car ride), and going to bed with the latest DC Comics copy of Superman or Batman (one of the perks of getting sick) and sipping a glass of Welch's grape juice or 7-up. We had the choice of keeping the gabi leaves stuck to our bodies the rest of the day or my mother would peel them off and exchanged them for tinastas nga panapton (pieces of cloth left over from her sewing chores) caked with pink yucky Numotozine.
Dr. Consolacion's ICD list of diagnoses was limited to "panuhot" (strained muscle or air trapped in body cavities) or lisa (strained joint). Likewise, therapeutic measures were confined to coconut oil, gabi leaves, and prayer. But, somehow, sick children got better....and survived to adulthood (all my eight siblings are alive and well, thank God). Luckily, no one got paralyzed from the vigorous physical therapy. Bottom line is: we were cured.
I did hear many years later that none of Nong Aurelio's kids took over his "hilot" practice. They all became either physicians or nurses.
###
"Dear children! God sent me among you out of love that I may lead you towards the way of salvation. Many of you opened your hearts and accepted my messages, but many have become lost on this way and have never come to know the God of love with the fullness of heart. Therefore, I call you to be love and light where there is darkness and sin.
I am with you and bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call." -- Message of October 25, 2007
The Medjugorje Web http://www.medjugorje.org
Manghihilot of Consolacion
(First of two installments)
Reprinted from the Asian Journal (Article #10)
By Edgar A. Gamboa, M.D., FACS
Santo Nino de Cebu
It started with an email of nostalgic pictures culled from the 1950s --- WW II toy soldiers from Kellogg's Corn Flakes boxes, 45 RPM records, Studebakers, 15 cent McDonald hamburgers and 5 cent Coca-Colas, Brownie cameras and aluminum Christmas trees, etc., with the daunting remark: "If you can remember these, you have lived!" To which those who regularly avail of senior discounts at Denny's and movie theatres resoundingly responded in the affirmative.
Not without a hint of cynicism, my brother Robert commented that none of the above qualifies one "to have lived" more than having your frail chest and back greased with hot coconut oil and plastered with gabi leaves to get rid of "panuhot", the all-encompassing diagnosis for childhood ailments. Which commentary in turn initiated a flurry of emails regarding native Philippine remedies.
Medicine in the 1950s was not exactly that primitive. Growing up in Cebu City, the "Queen City of the South", there were excellent family doctors and pediatricians to go to when we got sick. I remember my father bringing me very early in the morning to the residence of Dr. Ramon Arcenas on several occasions.
Dr. Arcenas was a general surgeon who trained at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. He also practiced general medicine and cared for patients who traveled from all over the Visayas. He was my father's paisano (they both grew up in Bantayan Island) and he readily got out of bed in his pajamas to treat me before his schedule of rounds and operations. He was a great man. In no small measure, I became a surgeon because of the kindness and goodness I saw in him.
However, on certain days, when Dr. Arcenas was out of town or busy in the operating room (or when my father was not looking) my mother, whose faith in both Eastern and Western medicine were equally unshakable, hauled us to the clinic of a popular native healer, 12 kilometers north of the city, in a town aptly called Consolacion. Back then, it was a nice little town along the breezy Northern coast. At present, the municipality of Consolacion, with a population of over 60,000, has integrated into greater Metro Cebu.
The manghihilot of Consolacion was a gentle middle-aged Cebuano. He held clinic in the basement of his nipa hut, which was larger than the average bahay kubo. We usually arrived at midmorning. Typically, one of us would wake up with a fever or a hacking cough. My mother would then telephone the school to inform the teacher we would be absent, and then she would arrange for the driver to transport us to Consolacion.
By 9 or 10 AM, the waiting room would be packed; several patients would be standing outside. There was no receptionist. As soon as you arrived, you picked a number fashioned out of tansan (Coca-Cola or Pepsi tops hammered flat and engraved -- by tiniltil method -- with numerals) and awaited your turn. Speaking of tansans, you could, if you planned on going Christmas caroling, nail stacks of tansans together to a piece of wood and enjoy your own handmade percussion instrument.
When your number was called, you were led into the examining room. Dr. Consolacion -- my anesthesiologist brother Alan remembers patients calling him Nong Aurelio -- would take a brief history ("how long has the child been sick?", "did he fall down the stairs?", "has he been vomiting?"), then he would gently place his hands on your chest and back, close his eyes, and say a brief prayer.
Nodding his head, Nong Aurelio would sit back and tell your parent(s): "Your child has panuhot or lisa (sprain)... he must have fallen down a flight of steps". He then poured warm (or hot) globs of thick, greasy coconut oil on his hands and rubbed your chest and back to exorcise your illness, while reciting more prayers.
Soon, the dreaded moment came. Nong Aurelio would summon his "physician assistant" who promptly lifted and carried you on his back, rocking you back and forth to stretch your spine and hips. After the judo-like routine, the muscular medical assistant would grab you by the ears, lift you clean off the ground, and sway you back and forth until your neck cracked. Luckily, none of us ever got paralyzed!
Then it was back to the manghihilot's examining chair for more goops of oil. Taking a handful of gabi leaves stacked by his side, Nong Aurelio would run them over a lantern flame, toasting them ever so slightly, before plastering them against your chest and back. I guess the idea was to keep the oil from evaporating too quickly and to use whatever medical properties the leaves had.
We would thank Dr. Consolacion and leave money in a donation box. He never charged for anything. That would have risked losing the healing powers God gave him. There were no insurance papers to fill, no billing claim to be sent, no co-pay. There were no middle managers, no HMO authorization process, and no bureaucracy whatsoever. Native medicine was purely a sacred traditional relationship between the healer and the sick.
The best part for me was going home tired and sleepy (from the long 12 kilometer car ride), and going to bed with the latest DC Comics copy of Superman or Batman (one of the perks of getting sick) and sipping a glass of Welch's grape juice or 7-up. We had the choice of keeping the gabi leaves stuck to our bodies the rest of the day or my mother would peel them off and exchanged them for tinastas nga panapton (pieces of cloth left over from her sewing chores) caked with pink yucky Numotozine.
Dr. Consolacion's ICD list of diagnoses was limited to "panuhot" (strained muscle or air trapped in body cavities) or lisa (strained joint). Likewise, therapeutic measures were confined to coconut oil, gabi leaves, and prayer. But, somehow, sick children got better....and survived to adulthood (all my eight siblings are alive and well, thank God). Luckily, no one got paralyzed from the vigorous physical therapy. Bottom line is: we were cured.
I did hear many years later that none of Nong Aurelio's kids took over his "hilot" practice. They all became either physicians or nurses.
###
"Dear children! God sent me among you out of love that I may lead you towards the way of salvation. Many of you opened your hearts and accepted my messages, but many have become lost on this way and have never come to know the God of love with the fullness of heart. Therefore, I call you to be love and light where there is darkness and sin.
I am with you and bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call." -- Message of October 25, 2007
The Medjugorje Web http://www.medjugorje.org
Friday, November 23, 2007
Rural and Urban Poverty in the Philippines
Reprinted from the Asian Journal
(Second of two installments)
Last week, I jotted down statistics on current Philippine economy that stagger the mind. The richest 10% of the country earns twenty times more than the poorest 10%. Networth of the 40 richest Filipinos amount to $16 Billion U.S. currency, equivalent to the combined annual income of 9,600,000 families or 49 million Filipinos. Other stats claim that assets of the top 10 Filipinos alone ($12.4 billion) compare to the total earning capacity of 57% of the population!
Statistics can lie. They can be tweaked or fudged to make one side look better than the other. However, I see how these numbers translate into actual flesh and blood when we embark on medical missions to the Philippines. Whether we conduct our missions in outlying barrios or in city slums, the sheer volume åof malnourished children -- an unmistakable index of poverty -- is astonishing.
In the heart of the slum district of Baranggay Pasil, Cebu, early this year, we visited the orphanage run by the Missionaries of Charity (of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta). (see photos). We witnessed first-hand how the Sisters take care of toddlers who cannot stand, much less walk, because of advanced kwashiorkor. Some of the children looked like old men and women, with prominent eyeballs in sunken orbits -- like the ones you see photographed in famine areas such as Ethiopia and Darfur.
These children are not orphans. Their parents have not abandoned them. They simply do not have the resources to feed them. So the Missionary Sisters take them in and care for them for a year or so until they are healthy enough to return to their families.
Many Filipinos who live in the relatively affluent areas of Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao and other major cities do not readily see the extent of poverty afflicting the rural areas of the country. Residents in Cebu and Manila enjoy many luxurious amenities not easily found in major cities of the United States, Canada and Western Europe.
This fact may have been part of the impetus that compelled the CBCP (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines) to issue an important Pastoral Statement on 28 January 2007. Drafted by the Archbishop of Jaro and CBCP President, Angel N. Lagdameo, D.D., the document is entitled “The Dignity of the Rural Poor -- A Gospel Concern”. It is a letter addressed to the “People of God in the Philippines” but may well be addressed to Filipinos residing outside of the Philippines as well.
The document, which I found displayed on the bulletin board at the Pontificio Collegio Filipino in Rome, states that “the overriding social concern of the Church of the Philippines has...centered on the inequitable distribution of the nation’s wealth and the endemic social injustices that underpin that evil.” The paper focuses attention “on the greatest victim of our unjust economic order, the rural poor, and the diminishment of their dignity as people and as citizens.”
The Pastoral Statement goes on to say that the poor are concentrated in the rural areas of the country. But while the ranks of the urban poor are also increasing, that situation is largely due to the migration of rural folks seeking job opportunities in the metropolitan areas.
Archbishop Lagdameo and the CBCP laud the government for instituting CARP (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program) but lament that “its full implementation is still far off in the future -- if ever.” The government’s failure to carry out land reform is in no small measure due to “a landlord dominated Congress (which) watered down..its implementation.”
The “landed classes” which comprise the “traditional and economic elite of our country” lack the “vigor and determination” to implement the law. Simply put, “selfish class interests outweigh concern for the common good...”
The paper condemns “recent extrajudicial killings, perpetrated by groups from both the right and the left.” Farmers who struggle and fight for the implementation of land reform are considered a seditious threat to the economic elite and become targets of government sanctioned military campaigns. The same farmers also become targets of leftist brigands if unable to pay the “revolutionary tax” imposed on them by the NPA.
The bishops point out that condemnation of this structural evil in Philippine society is not enough. “We must,” they insist, “try bringing an end to evils that harm people and their good.”
The year 2007, the bishops remind us, is the 40th anniversary of the 1967 National Rural Congress. At that time, the Congress reached the “crucial conclusion that the Church must go to the barrios..(because) the rural part of the country were the most neglected by both the government’s development programs and the Chruch’s pastoral care.”
The Pastoral Statement concludes that “it is in not honoring the dignity of the least of our brothers and sisters among the poor that we contribute not a little to the injustices and inequalities that have become deeply ingrained in our national life.....”
Citing the Scriptural message from St. Matthew: “If you did it for one of my least brothers or sisters, you did it for me,” the bishops declare that “today, we see only too clearly the need for the reform not only of our national institutions but of our very moral fiber as a people.”
There are countless ways, big and small, that we can help alleviate poverty in the Philippines. The Missionaries of Charity orphanage needs food, medicine, clothing, cribs, shoes, etc. For those concerned and interested in helping the orphanage in Pasil, Cebu, you may send your contribution, in cash/check or goods, directly to:
Sr. Ruth, MC
Missionaries of Charity
Bgy. Suba Pasil
Cebu
Tel (032) 261-9097
(Second of two installments)
Last week, I jotted down statistics on current Philippine economy that stagger the mind. The richest 10% of the country earns twenty times more than the poorest 10%. Networth of the 40 richest Filipinos amount to $16 Billion U.S. currency, equivalent to the combined annual income of 9,600,000 families or 49 million Filipinos. Other stats claim that assets of the top 10 Filipinos alone ($12.4 billion) compare to the total earning capacity of 57% of the population!
Statistics can lie. They can be tweaked or fudged to make one side look better than the other. However, I see how these numbers translate into actual flesh and blood when we embark on medical missions to the Philippines. Whether we conduct our missions in outlying barrios or in city slums, the sheer volume åof malnourished children -- an unmistakable index of poverty -- is astonishing.
In the heart of the slum district of Baranggay Pasil, Cebu, early this year, we visited the orphanage run by the Missionaries of Charity (of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta). (see photos). We witnessed first-hand how the Sisters take care of toddlers who cannot stand, much less walk, because of advanced kwashiorkor. Some of the children looked like old men and women, with prominent eyeballs in sunken orbits -- like the ones you see photographed in famine areas such as Ethiopia and Darfur.
These children are not orphans. Their parents have not abandoned them. They simply do not have the resources to feed them. So the Missionary Sisters take them in and care for them for a year or so until they are healthy enough to return to their families.
Many Filipinos who live in the relatively affluent areas of Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao and other major cities do not readily see the extent of poverty afflicting the rural areas of the country. Residents in Cebu and Manila enjoy many luxurious amenities not easily found in major cities of the United States, Canada and Western Europe.
This fact may have been part of the impetus that compelled the CBCP (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines) to issue an important Pastoral Statement on 28 January 2007. Drafted by the Archbishop of Jaro and CBCP President, Angel N. Lagdameo, D.D., the document is entitled “The Dignity of the Rural Poor -- A Gospel Concern”. It is a letter addressed to the “People of God in the Philippines” but may well be addressed to Filipinos residing outside of the Philippines as well.
The document, which I found displayed on the bulletin board at the Pontificio Collegio Filipino in Rome, states that “the overriding social concern of the Church of the Philippines has...centered on the inequitable distribution of the nation’s wealth and the endemic social injustices that underpin that evil.” The paper focuses attention “on the greatest victim of our unjust economic order, the rural poor, and the diminishment of their dignity as people and as citizens.”
The Pastoral Statement goes on to say that the poor are concentrated in the rural areas of the country. But while the ranks of the urban poor are also increasing, that situation is largely due to the migration of rural folks seeking job opportunities in the metropolitan areas.
Archbishop Lagdameo and the CBCP laud the government for instituting CARP (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program) but lament that “its full implementation is still far off in the future -- if ever.” The government’s failure to carry out land reform is in no small measure due to “a landlord dominated Congress (which) watered down..its implementation.”
The “landed classes” which comprise the “traditional and economic elite of our country” lack the “vigor and determination” to implement the law. Simply put, “selfish class interests outweigh concern for the common good...”
The paper condemns “recent extrajudicial killings, perpetrated by groups from both the right and the left.” Farmers who struggle and fight for the implementation of land reform are considered a seditious threat to the economic elite and become targets of government sanctioned military campaigns. The same farmers also become targets of leftist brigands if unable to pay the “revolutionary tax” imposed on them by the NPA.
The bishops point out that condemnation of this structural evil in Philippine society is not enough. “We must,” they insist, “try bringing an end to evils that harm people and their good.”
The year 2007, the bishops remind us, is the 40th anniversary of the 1967 National Rural Congress. At that time, the Congress reached the “crucial conclusion that the Church must go to the barrios..(because) the rural part of the country were the most neglected by both the government’s development programs and the Chruch’s pastoral care.”
The Pastoral Statement concludes that “it is in not honoring the dignity of the least of our brothers and sisters among the poor that we contribute not a little to the injustices and inequalities that have become deeply ingrained in our national life.....”
Citing the Scriptural message from St. Matthew: “If you did it for one of my least brothers or sisters, you did it for me,” the bishops declare that “today, we see only too clearly the need for the reform not only of our national institutions but of our very moral fiber as a people.”
There are countless ways, big and small, that we can help alleviate poverty in the Philippines. The Missionaries of Charity orphanage needs food, medicine, clothing, cribs, shoes, etc. For those concerned and interested in helping the orphanage in Pasil, Cebu, you may send your contribution, in cash/check or goods, directly to:
Sr. Ruth, MC
Missionaries of Charity
Bgy. Suba Pasil
Cebu
Tel (032) 261-9097
The Pontificio
The Pontificio
The Pontificio
Along Via Aurelia, three subway stops or so from the Vatican, stands a four-storey building designed by Edoardo Cherubini and inaugurated on October 7, 1961 by Pope Blessed John XXIII. Dedicated to Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage), it is the mother house of Filipino priests and seminarians enrolled in advanced studies at the Gregorian University and other pontifical universities in Rome. One might say it is one of the best-kept secrets in Rome. It is the Pontificio Collegio Filipino.
The 757 landed at Aeroporto di Fiumicino-Roma as the sun was setting. After retrieving baggage and clearing through customs, I checked to find out it would cost about 40-50 euros to get to my destination. Short on cash, I went to the nearest ATM only to find out it was broken. A currency exchange counter was open. Following a brief transaction, I walked over to the taxi stand outside the terminal. "Buona sera, signore", the Italian driver was very courteous. He loaded my bags and, honest driver that he was, drove me straight to 490 Via Aurelia.
Standing before an imposing iron gate, I pressed the side button. The heavy gates opened and I ascended the entrance steps to the lobby, where a statue of a Filipina Virgin Mary caught my attention. Sr. Helen Pepito, the cashier, apologized that the porter was not available to help. She led me to my room on the second floor and handed me a set of keys, for the room, the lobby, and the main gate.
It had been a long trip; I was tired and hungry. After freshening up, I came down to the refectory on the ground floor. Dinner started at 7:30 PM as resident priests came home from their day's work at various campuses and offices. In the best Filipino tradition, with a touch of Benedictine hospitality -- St. Benedict always instructed his monks to treat visitors as if they were hosting Christ himself -- I joined the community in prayer and was graciously invited to partake of the buffet meal.
An inviting bowl of hot sinigang and a bandehado of delicious chop suey were just right to nourish thirty priests and a handful of Filipino pilgrims. The kitchen crew made sure there was enough rice, hot and steaming rice. I had not tasted rice for over a week. That plus an array of native delicacies and cappuccino made the Pontificio "Home Sweet Rome ". I was in heaven!
The idea to build a college in Rome for Filipino seminarians and ordained priests studying for advanced degrees was proposed by the late Rufino Cardinal Santos at a meeting of the Catholic Hierarchy of the Philippines on January 1959. On August 1959, the cornerstone of the future edifice was laid on the site, with the solemn prayer that "Filipino young men...endowed with science and strong faith, under the shadows of Peter and the tombs of the Martyrs, will one day go back to their country to diffuse this treasury of faith to those under their care".
To date, 600 priests have passed through the portals of the Pontificio, 51 of whom have become bishops, according to Msgr. Ruperto Santos, Rector of the College. I am grateful to have made friends there, in particular, Fr. Alberto Uy who is now professor of Moral Theology at Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Camaman-an, Cagayan de Oro City and Msgr. Barney Auza, recently transferred to the Holy See Mission at the United Nations in New York. The buzz at the Pontificio is that the gifted and talented Msgr. Barney is slated to become the next Filipino nuncio.
If not for Msgr. Barney, I would never have seen the inside corridors of the Vatican or the most sacred site where the first Christian martyrs sacrificed their lives for the faith. Nor would Lucie and I have the memorable experience of celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and renewing our vows at St. Peter's Basilica.
I am truly grateful for the Pontificio's hospitality -- it is an oasis away from home. The goodness and kindness of the people there warms my heart. Mr. Bernardino Piccioni, the retired chauffeur who transported church dignitaries like Jaime Cardinal Sin through the years, makes you feel like a VIP as he patiently waits for you to pack your bags, and then skillfully maneuvers you through Roman traffic, on the way to the airport. Fr. Sam Gacias from Sorsogon and the librarian Dominican sister whose name escapes me now went out of their way to help me xerox important documents.
I have also enjoyed talking to many academic priests there, some serving in Pontifical commissions, like Fr. Greg from the diocese of Manila, whose knowledge of world populations is prodigious. Fr. Greg tells me that China's one child rule will impact China's economy adversely in the next decades when the generations most affected by the abortion policy carry the biggest burden of the labor force. China may have to resort to importing workers then, as West Germany did when it achieved zero population growth and found to its dismay that the labor force was not broad enough to support an aging population.
Fr. Enrico Emmanuel Ayo, the Procurator, says in a cool U-tube segment that the program at the Pontificio is four-dimensional. It aims to foster community life, academic training, spiritual formation, and apostolic outreach. The latter takes on more significance, as Filipino migrants flock to Italy. It is estimated that 45,000 Filipinos today live and work in Rome. Many of them are well-educated professionals -- teachers, accountants, etc. Unfortunately, the limited job opportunities there compel them to labor as domestic workers. The pay is better than back in the Philippines but it takes a toll on their sense of self worth. They tell me there is not a single Filipino physician in Rome.
The Filipinos in Rome find comfort in small and big gatherings. Each year in May, they celebrate Filipino Day or Fiesta at the Pontificio. We attended the event in 2006. It was a joy to see the Filipinos in Rome gathering on the grounds of the Pontificio, celebrating, as they would do in the towns and barrios back home, complete with beauty queens and princesses accompanied by proud escorts and entourages.
Monsignor Santos tells me that while the seminary can accommodate 50 priests, enrollment is down to 30 because scholarship grants from Germany and other countries are drying up. Likewise, Licentiate programs are now offered in Philippine universities. It is ideal for Filipino priests to study sub umbra Petri (or under the shadow of St. Peter) but that training is getting expensive, with European currency gaining strength against the Philippine peso.
Thus, it takes P600, 000 to sustain a priest including board and lodging for one year. That seems like a huge amount but not so if we consider that it costs $40,000 (or P2M) to educate our kids in private colleges and universities in the U.S. Sr. Helen, from Cebu, tells me that she gets a headache (masakit ang ulo) when she sees the expense sheet but, thankfully, pilgrims come in and help with donations. With proper recommendation from their bishops and/or priests, Filipino pilgrims are welcome to stay at the Pontificio.
If you wish to help keep this Filipino beacon shining brightly in the Eternal City, please send your contributions to:
Monsignor Ruperto Santos, Rector
Pontificio Collegio Filippino
Via Aurelia 490, 1-00165 Roma
pcfroma@hotmail.com
www.pcfroma.org
The Pontificio
Along Via Aurelia, three subway stops or so from the Vatican, stands a four-storey building designed by Edoardo Cherubini and inaugurated on October 7, 1961 by Pope Blessed John XXIII. Dedicated to Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage), it is the mother house of Filipino priests and seminarians enrolled in advanced studies at the Gregorian University and other pontifical universities in Rome. One might say it is one of the best-kept secrets in Rome. It is the Pontificio Collegio Filipino.
The 757 landed at Aeroporto di Fiumicino-Roma as the sun was setting. After retrieving baggage and clearing through customs, I checked to find out it would cost about 40-50 euros to get to my destination. Short on cash, I went to the nearest ATM only to find out it was broken. A currency exchange counter was open. Following a brief transaction, I walked over to the taxi stand outside the terminal. "Buona sera, signore", the Italian driver was very courteous. He loaded my bags and, honest driver that he was, drove me straight to 490 Via Aurelia.
Standing before an imposing iron gate, I pressed the side button. The heavy gates opened and I ascended the entrance steps to the lobby, where a statue of a Filipina Virgin Mary caught my attention. Sr. Helen Pepito, the cashier, apologized that the porter was not available to help. She led me to my room on the second floor and handed me a set of keys, for the room, the lobby, and the main gate.
It had been a long trip; I was tired and hungry. After freshening up, I came down to the refectory on the ground floor. Dinner started at 7:30 PM as resident priests came home from their day's work at various campuses and offices. In the best Filipino tradition, with a touch of Benedictine hospitality -- St. Benedict always instructed his monks to treat visitors as if they were hosting Christ himself -- I joined the community in prayer and was graciously invited to partake of the buffet meal.
An inviting bowl of hot sinigang and a bandehado of delicious chop suey were just right to nourish thirty priests and a handful of Filipino pilgrims. The kitchen crew made sure there was enough rice, hot and steaming rice. I had not tasted rice for over a week. That plus an array of native delicacies and cappuccino made the Pontificio "Home Sweet Rome ". I was in heaven!
The idea to build a college in Rome for Filipino seminarians and ordained priests studying for advanced degrees was proposed by the late Rufino Cardinal Santos at a meeting of the Catholic Hierarchy of the Philippines on January 1959. On August 1959, the cornerstone of the future edifice was laid on the site, with the solemn prayer that "Filipino young men...endowed with science and strong faith, under the shadows of Peter and the tombs of the Martyrs, will one day go back to their country to diffuse this treasury of faith to those under their care".
To date, 600 priests have passed through the portals of the Pontificio, 51 of whom have become bishops, according to Msgr. Ruperto Santos, Rector of the College. I am grateful to have made friends there, in particular, Fr. Alberto Uy who is now professor of Moral Theology at Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Camaman-an, Cagayan de Oro City and Msgr. Barney Auza, recently transferred to the Holy See Mission at the United Nations in New York. The buzz at the Pontificio is that the gifted and talented Msgr. Barney is slated to become the next Filipino nuncio.
If not for Msgr. Barney, I would never have seen the inside corridors of the Vatican or the most sacred site where the first Christian martyrs sacrificed their lives for the faith. Nor would Lucie and I have the memorable experience of celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and renewing our vows at St. Peter's Basilica.
I am truly grateful for the Pontificio's hospitality -- it is an oasis away from home. The goodness and kindness of the people there warms my heart. Mr. Bernardino Piccioni, the retired chauffeur who transported church dignitaries like Jaime Cardinal Sin through the years, makes you feel like a VIP as he patiently waits for you to pack your bags, and then skillfully maneuvers you through Roman traffic, on the way to the airport. Fr. Sam Gacias from Sorsogon and the librarian Dominican sister whose name escapes me now went out of their way to help me xerox important documents.
I have also enjoyed talking to many academic priests there, some serving in Pontifical commissions, like Fr. Greg from the diocese of Manila, whose knowledge of world populations is prodigious. Fr. Greg tells me that China's one child rule will impact China's economy adversely in the next decades when the generations most affected by the abortion policy carry the biggest burden of the labor force. China may have to resort to importing workers then, as West Germany did when it achieved zero population growth and found to its dismay that the labor force was not broad enough to support an aging population.
Fr. Enrico Emmanuel Ayo, the Procurator, says in a cool U-tube segment that the program at the Pontificio is four-dimensional. It aims to foster community life, academic training, spiritual formation, and apostolic outreach. The latter takes on more significance, as Filipino migrants flock to Italy. It is estimated that 45,000 Filipinos today live and work in Rome. Many of them are well-educated professionals -- teachers, accountants, etc. Unfortunately, the limited job opportunities there compel them to labor as domestic workers. The pay is better than back in the Philippines but it takes a toll on their sense of self worth. They tell me there is not a single Filipino physician in Rome.
The Filipinos in Rome find comfort in small and big gatherings. Each year in May, they celebrate Filipino Day or Fiesta at the Pontificio. We attended the event in 2006. It was a joy to see the Filipinos in Rome gathering on the grounds of the Pontificio, celebrating, as they would do in the towns and barrios back home, complete with beauty queens and princesses accompanied by proud escorts and entourages.
Monsignor Santos tells me that while the seminary can accommodate 50 priests, enrollment is down to 30 because scholarship grants from Germany and other countries are drying up. Likewise, Licentiate programs are now offered in Philippine universities. It is ideal for Filipino priests to study sub umbra Petri (or under the shadow of St. Peter) but that training is getting expensive, with European currency gaining strength against the Philippine peso.
Thus, it takes P600, 000 to sustain a priest including board and lodging for one year. That seems like a huge amount but not so if we consider that it costs $40,000 (or P2M) to educate our kids in private colleges and universities in the U.S. Sr. Helen, from Cebu, tells me that she gets a headache (masakit ang ulo) when she sees the expense sheet but, thankfully, pilgrims come in and help with donations. With proper recommendation from their bishops and/or priests, Filipino pilgrims are welcome to stay at the Pontificio.
If you wish to help keep this Filipino beacon shining brightly in the Eternal City, please send your contributions to:
Monsignor Ruperto Santos, Rector
Pontificio Collegio Filippino
Via Aurelia 490, 1-00165 Roma
pcfroma@hotmail.com
www.pcfroma.org
Friday, November 16, 2007
Poverty in the Philippines
Reprinted from the Asian Journal
November 16, 2007
(First of two installments)
You may have come across a news item heralding a bright economic forecast for the Philippines. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in a speech before the National Press Club, declared the country’s graduation from Third World to “Second World” or “Middle Class Country”.
The economist president based her optimistic comments on the fact that the annual per capita income has topped $1400 per year. Indeed, under Arroyo’s government, GNI per capita has steadily grown from $1,040 in 2000, $1,200 in 2004, and $1300 in 2006, as verified by the World Bank. Recently, GNI achieved the magic number of $1400/year. Assuming an annual decline of the poverty index by 1%, the President predicted the Philippines would join the prestigious rank of First World Countries by the year 2020.
I reacted to this news as if it was June 12, 1898 all over again, when Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed independence from 400 years of Spanish colonial rule. Isn’t it about time we broke the shackles of colonialism and poverty, harnessed the talents of 85.2 million Filipinos, managed our natural resources wisely, got rid of political corruption, and closed the gap between the rich and the poor?
Happy images danced in my head, like throngs of exultant Filipino expatriates chartering flights back to the “best place on earth”, unending fiestas in prosperous and Wi-Fi connected rural communities, JCAHO accredited medical centers providing accessible health care to all, 5-star beach resorts affordable not only to Japanese, Korean, and German tourists but to Juan de la Cruz and his family. What a joy to imagine Dr. Jose Rizal’s “pearl of the orient seas” gloriously emerging from its craggy shell!
Shortly, thereafter, I read statistics that proclaimed the opposite. Eighty percent or 69 million Filipinos barely survive on P98 or $2 a day. Economic inequality -- or the gap between the haves and the have-nots --has actually widened the last 20 years. Income for the richest 10% is at least twenty times that of the poorest 10%. The net worth of the 40 most affluent Filipinos is $16 Billion or equivalent to the annual income of the poorest 9,600,000 families (approximately 49 million Filipinos).
Are we talking about the same country? The pristine archipelago made up of 7,107 tropical islands in the western Pacific Ocean, ranked the 12th most populous country in the world but 39th in the listing of world economies?
According to Forbes Asia (December 25, 2006), Henry Sy, who owns 27 shopping malls, Banco de Oro Universal Bank, Highlands Prime Holdings, plus shares in China Banking Corporation and Equitable PCI Bank, is the richest Filipino with $4.0 billion. Next comes Lucio Tan, owner of Philippine Airlines, Fortune Tobacco, Asia Brewery, etc., with $2.3 billion. Jaime Zobel de Ayala, patriarch of the oldest Philippine conglomerate, Ayala Corporation, which owns Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe Telecom, Manila Water Co., Integrated Microelectronics, etc., ranks third with $2.0 billion.
The assets of these three billionaires, together with those of several other top millionaires -- Eduardo Cojuango ($840 Million), George Ty ($830), John Gokongwei ($700), Tony Tan Caktiong ($575), Andrew Tan ($480), Emilio Yap ($350), Oscar Lopez ($315 million) and others -- surely qualify to make the country a First World kind of paradise. But do these super-rich Filipinos, living in the same country as 46 million Filipinos who barely earn a dollar a day and go to bed hungry each night, elevate the nation up to “Middle Class” status?
Nobody begrudges those who earn their money the hard way. John Gokongwei Jr., whose father died when he was only 13, sold thread, soap, and candles during World War II. He started a textile company at age 19 and ventured into food manufacturing at age 30. Gokongwei’s assets today include Cebu Pacific Air, Digital Telecommunications Philippines, First Private Power Corporation, JG Summit Petrochemical, Litton Mills, Robinsons Land, Robinsons Savings Bank, Sun Cellular, United Industrial Corp. and Universal Robina Corporation.
He could well be our Philippine version of Bill Gates or Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin -- bright, innovative, driven, hardworking entrepreneurs. But that is not the point.
From 2001 to 2006, due in part to “neoliberal globalization of the economy”, the net income of the top 1,000 corporations in the Philippines increased a whopping 327%, but left 11.3 % of the labor force unemployed and 18.7% underemployed.
Poverty is deeply entrenched because the development of a predominantly agriculture based economy is held back by rural land monopolies (Agro corporations). One-third of landowners still hold 80% of agricultural land. Seven out of ten farmers are landless. The much-heralded land reform has not come to fruition. The backward Philippine economy remains merely a source of cheap labor and raw materials while foreign and domestic boardrooms guide the government’s economic policies toward their parochial interests.
While the affluent barons spend their evenings in the best supper clubs and their weekends in luxurious beach resorts, 69 million of 85.2 million people struggle to survive. Thus, over 3,200 Filipinos leave the country each day, adding to the 10 million Filipinos toiling in 192 countries around the world, establishing the legend of the “Filipino Diaspora”.
Depending on one’s viewpoint, the phenomenon of the overseas Filipino worker is good or bad for the country. In 2006, expatriates remitted $12.8 billion, keeping the Philippine economy afloat. Remittances from Filipinos abroad make up the largest source of foreign revenue, surpassing the annual $2.5 billion direct foreign investment. While a boon to the economy, the phenomenon has contributed to dysfunctional family relationships and domestic strain.
President Arroyo-Macapagal is half right. In the second quarter of 2007, the Philippine economy did grow by 7.5%. Yes, the average per capita income of the Filipino is $1400 but that is only better than Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar (Burma). We teach Vietnam farmers how to grow rice at the IRRI (International Rice Research Institute), yet we import rice from Vietnam.
We send our business professors from Manila’s Asian Institute of Management to teach Indonesians and Malaysians banking expertise. But our $117 billion economy ($145 according to other stats) is inferior to neighboring Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Our foreign debt burden has ballooned from $17 billion in 1980 to $60 billion in 2006.
First World Country by 2020? It could happen. But we would have to institute genuine land reform, spread the wealth, unleash the work force, get rid of politics as the national pastime. Likewise, regional development needs to be addressed because major economic benefits are narrowly funneled into Metro Manila at the expense of the impoverished central and southern regions of the country.
Certainly, we have diagnosed the illness. Do we have the national will to treat the disease?
more . . .
November 16, 2007
(First of two installments)
You may have come across a news item heralding a bright economic forecast for the Philippines. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in a speech before the National Press Club, declared the country’s graduation from Third World to “Second World” or “Middle Class Country”.
The economist president based her optimistic comments on the fact that the annual per capita income has topped $1400 per year. Indeed, under Arroyo’s government, GNI per capita has steadily grown from $1,040 in 2000, $1,200 in 2004, and $1300 in 2006, as verified by the World Bank. Recently, GNI achieved the magic number of $1400/year. Assuming an annual decline of the poverty index by 1%, the President predicted the Philippines would join the prestigious rank of First World Countries by the year 2020.
I reacted to this news as if it was June 12, 1898 all over again, when Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed independence from 400 years of Spanish colonial rule. Isn’t it about time we broke the shackles of colonialism and poverty, harnessed the talents of 85.2 million Filipinos, managed our natural resources wisely, got rid of political corruption, and closed the gap between the rich and the poor?
Happy images danced in my head, like throngs of exultant Filipino expatriates chartering flights back to the “best place on earth”, unending fiestas in prosperous and Wi-Fi connected rural communities, JCAHO accredited medical centers providing accessible health care to all, 5-star beach resorts affordable not only to Japanese, Korean, and German tourists but to Juan de la Cruz and his family. What a joy to imagine Dr. Jose Rizal’s “pearl of the orient seas” gloriously emerging from its craggy shell!
Shortly, thereafter, I read statistics that proclaimed the opposite. Eighty percent or 69 million Filipinos barely survive on P98 or $2 a day. Economic inequality -- or the gap between the haves and the have-nots --has actually widened the last 20 years. Income for the richest 10% is at least twenty times that of the poorest 10%. The net worth of the 40 most affluent Filipinos is $16 Billion or equivalent to the annual income of the poorest 9,600,000 families (approximately 49 million Filipinos).
Are we talking about the same country? The pristine archipelago made up of 7,107 tropical islands in the western Pacific Ocean, ranked the 12th most populous country in the world but 39th in the listing of world economies?
According to Forbes Asia (December 25, 2006), Henry Sy, who owns 27 shopping malls, Banco de Oro Universal Bank, Highlands Prime Holdings, plus shares in China Banking Corporation and Equitable PCI Bank, is the richest Filipino with $4.0 billion. Next comes Lucio Tan, owner of Philippine Airlines, Fortune Tobacco, Asia Brewery, etc., with $2.3 billion. Jaime Zobel de Ayala, patriarch of the oldest Philippine conglomerate, Ayala Corporation, which owns Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe Telecom, Manila Water Co., Integrated Microelectronics, etc., ranks third with $2.0 billion.
The assets of these three billionaires, together with those of several other top millionaires -- Eduardo Cojuango ($840 Million), George Ty ($830), John Gokongwei ($700), Tony Tan Caktiong ($575), Andrew Tan ($480), Emilio Yap ($350), Oscar Lopez ($315 million) and others -- surely qualify to make the country a First World kind of paradise. But do these super-rich Filipinos, living in the same country as 46 million Filipinos who barely earn a dollar a day and go to bed hungry each night, elevate the nation up to “Middle Class” status?
Nobody begrudges those who earn their money the hard way. John Gokongwei Jr., whose father died when he was only 13, sold thread, soap, and candles during World War II. He started a textile company at age 19 and ventured into food manufacturing at age 30. Gokongwei’s assets today include Cebu Pacific Air, Digital Telecommunications Philippines, First Private Power Corporation, JG Summit Petrochemical, Litton Mills, Robinsons Land, Robinsons Savings Bank, Sun Cellular, United Industrial Corp. and Universal Robina Corporation.
He could well be our Philippine version of Bill Gates or Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin -- bright, innovative, driven, hardworking entrepreneurs. But that is not the point.
From 2001 to 2006, due in part to “neoliberal globalization of the economy”, the net income of the top 1,000 corporations in the Philippines increased a whopping 327%, but left 11.3 % of the labor force unemployed and 18.7% underemployed.
Poverty is deeply entrenched because the development of a predominantly agriculture based economy is held back by rural land monopolies (Agro corporations). One-third of landowners still hold 80% of agricultural land. Seven out of ten farmers are landless. The much-heralded land reform has not come to fruition. The backward Philippine economy remains merely a source of cheap labor and raw materials while foreign and domestic boardrooms guide the government’s economic policies toward their parochial interests.
While the affluent barons spend their evenings in the best supper clubs and their weekends in luxurious beach resorts, 69 million of 85.2 million people struggle to survive. Thus, over 3,200 Filipinos leave the country each day, adding to the 10 million Filipinos toiling in 192 countries around the world, establishing the legend of the “Filipino Diaspora”.
Depending on one’s viewpoint, the phenomenon of the overseas Filipino worker is good or bad for the country. In 2006, expatriates remitted $12.8 billion, keeping the Philippine economy afloat. Remittances from Filipinos abroad make up the largest source of foreign revenue, surpassing the annual $2.5 billion direct foreign investment. While a boon to the economy, the phenomenon has contributed to dysfunctional family relationships and domestic strain.
President Arroyo-Macapagal is half right. In the second quarter of 2007, the Philippine economy did grow by 7.5%. Yes, the average per capita income of the Filipino is $1400 but that is only better than Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar (Burma). We teach Vietnam farmers how to grow rice at the IRRI (International Rice Research Institute), yet we import rice from Vietnam.
We send our business professors from Manila’s Asian Institute of Management to teach Indonesians and Malaysians banking expertise. But our $117 billion economy ($145 according to other stats) is inferior to neighboring Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Our foreign debt burden has ballooned from $17 billion in 1980 to $60 billion in 2006.
First World Country by 2020? It could happen. But we would have to institute genuine land reform, spread the wealth, unleash the work force, get rid of politics as the national pastime. Likewise, regional development needs to be addressed because major economic benefits are narrowly funneled into Metro Manila at the expense of the impoverished central and southern regions of the country.
Certainly, we have diagnosed the illness. Do we have the national will to treat the disease?
more . . .
Friday, November 9, 2007
Mary’s Invitation
Doing the Stations of the Cross in Medjugorje. Pilgrims trek up to the large stone cross at the summit of the large mountain at Krizevac, which was erected by the local people in 1933 for the 1900th anniversary of Christ’s death.
Doing the Stations of the Cross in Medjugorje. Pilgrims trek up to the large stone cross at the summit of the large mountain at Krizevac, which was erected by the local people in 1933 for the 1900th anniversary of Christ’s death.
(Last of three installments on Medjugorje)
In 1981, when word broke out that something extraordinary was happening in a small village in Communist Yugoslavia -- “Gospa” or Our Lady was reportedly appearing daily to six children, ages 9-16 -- pilgrims from neighboring towns and countries began traveling to the site.
From Italy, an overnight ride by boat from Pescara, across the Adriatic Sea, to Split was one popular route. Others traveled by car to Northeastern Italy, crossing the border town of Trieste into Slovenia. Still, others flew into Split, Mostar or Zagreb by Yugoslav Airlines. Many, like pilgrims of Santiago de Compostela, bravely walked for hundreds of miles.
However, the journey was not the toughest part. The Communist authorities were stringent about anyone visiting Medjugorje. Yugoslavia was an atheistic state -- any public display of religion was banned. The authorities, therefore, could not permit any tourist or pilgrim to enter their country to participate in a religious event!
Yet, somehow, Fr. Rene Laurentin, a noted Marianologist (a theologian specializing in the study of the Blessed Virgin Mary) made it through, after repeated attempts. His visits culminated in the book, “Is the Virgin Mary Appearing at Medjugorje?”. In collaboration with Dr. Henri Joueux, Fr. Laurentin wrote another book, “Scientific and Medical Studies on the Apparitions at Medjugorje”.
I first learned of Medjugorje on Christmas 1987, when I came across a two-page article in a Catholic magazine. In August 1988, with my wife Lucie, and my parents, I made my first trip to Medjugorje, by way of Fatima, Lourdes, and Rome. That first trip changed my life in such a profound way that even to this day, I have not completely understood its effects. I made several trips thereafter, and in 1993, wrote the book, “From Mt. Krizevac to Mt. Carmel”, in an attempt to trace a pilgrim’s outer (physical) journey and inner (spiritual) conversion.
It was difficult to persuade a publisher to take the book. Even Catholic publishers were not interested in a book about a Marian apparition that was not officially sanctioned by the Church, forgetting the fact that Marian apparitions cannot be officially approved until they cease. Political opposition from the Bishop of Mostar towards the Franciscan community running the parish of Medjugorje was not helping things either. A memo from the diocese of San Diego instructed parishes not to promote the devotion. The Southern Cross, San Diego’s diocesan newspaper, was silent about the apparitions.
But, the Mother of God is a persistent individual. Asked by the visionaries why she was appearing to them daily, she replied: “Are you tired of meeting with me?”
Thirty million pilgrims from every corner of the world have come to Medjugorje but the “Gospa” has not stopped. Never in the history of the church has a Marian apparition lasted this long -- 27 years!
Today, it is not that difficult to travel to Medjugorje. The trip involves a short flight from Rome on Croatia Airlines, a dramatic improvement from Yugoslav Air. From Split, it is a 3-4 hour ride by bus through the Dalmatian Coast. There are hundreds of well-established Marian travel agencies around the world. My favorite is Mir Arizona, organized by Helen Zec. She was one of the few brave ones who continued to bring pilgrims to Medjugorje in the height of the war in 1991-93 and did a lot for refugees and orphans of the war.
In the 1980s and into the 90s, pilgrims stayed at private homes -- villagers graciously opened their homes to host pilgrims. There were no commercial accommodations. A warm shower was a luxury. I remember Pansion Jerko fondly; we stayed in small bedrooms above a tiny snack bar. Lucie and I remain grateful to Maria Cilic who opened her house to us and gladly served our group of San Diego pilgrims homemade meals in 1989.Through the years, we’ve stayed at homes, around St. James church. The last several years, we often stay at Ivan’s home or at his brother Dragan and his wife Juanita’s place. We enjoy staying with their family, as well as with Ivan’s mother, Zlata.
The village has changed through the years. Back then, it was tough to find souvenirs to bring home to family and friends. There was only the small Franciscan gift shop next to the church, where one could get a rosary. You could not even find a statue of the Blessed Mother. Now, the place is dotted with religious stores, much like
Lourdes or Fatima, and life size statues of the Blessed Mother are available for hardy pilgrims to bring back home.
In the old days, you were isolated from the rest of the world. A brief international call through a public phone in the post office was costly. Now, internet is available. And you can readily call or text with your cell phone. Back then, a cup of cappuccino, after evening mass, would cost you only 50 cents. And a taxi to any place in town was $4 flat. Now, it’s a euro or $1.50 for cappuccino and five euros or $7 for the taxi.
I often wonder why some people readily jump at the chance of a pilgrimage to Medjugorje -- who would not want to be in a place where the Mother of God appears each day? -- while others, sincerely intending to go, never come around to doing it. Still, others think that what’s happening there for 27 years is some kind of Catholic hocus-pocus, and do not want to be bothered. Why travel halfway around the world from the United States or the Philippines when you can pray in your local church, in front of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Blessed Sacrament if you wish?
What Fr. Jozo Zovko says about this may be true. Whether you believe it or not, he says, you find yourself in Medjugorje because, for one reason or another, you have been invited to come. In other words, you did not choose to come. The Blessed Mother herself invited you to come.
Fr. Jozo is not one person who speaks lightly. He was the parish priest of Medjugorje, when a few days after the apparitions began, he returned from a retreat to find his little parish turned upside down. Frantic parishioners told him that the Gospa was appearing to six children. The communist police was coming in full force to stop what to them was a religious uprising.
While the visionaries, accompanied by throngs of villagers, were on Podbrdo (the Hill of Apparitions), Fr. Jozo remained in church, skeptical, wondering what he should do. The Blessed Virgin Mary had appeared in Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima, and other places. But in his parish? That could not be true. Yet, falling down on his knees to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, he heard a voice that said: “Fr. Jozo, take care of the children!” Fr. Jozo got up and went out of St. James Church only to be met with the children, rushing to church, pursued by the communists.
Fr. Jozo protected and defended the visionaries, and for that he paid a heavy price. He was sentenced to prison, was tortured and scheduled for execution. In prison, the Blessed Mother appeared to him and comforted him.
Today, Fr. Jozo is a retired priest in nearby Siroki-Brieg, where he has built an impressive orphanage that takes care of from 5,000-7000 children.
Fr. Jozo welcomes pilgrims and assures them of Mary’s special invitation. For those who cannot come, he says that is fine. Mary has been here for 27 years, she will continue to wait for them.
Doing the Stations of the Cross in Medjugorje. Pilgrims trek up to the large stone cross at the summit of the large mountain at Krizevac, which was erected by the local people in 1933 for the 1900th anniversary of Christ’s death.
(Last of three installments on Medjugorje)
In 1981, when word broke out that something extraordinary was happening in a small village in Communist Yugoslavia -- “Gospa” or Our Lady was reportedly appearing daily to six children, ages 9-16 -- pilgrims from neighboring towns and countries began traveling to the site.
From Italy, an overnight ride by boat from Pescara, across the Adriatic Sea, to Split was one popular route. Others traveled by car to Northeastern Italy, crossing the border town of Trieste into Slovenia. Still, others flew into Split, Mostar or Zagreb by Yugoslav Airlines. Many, like pilgrims of Santiago de Compostela, bravely walked for hundreds of miles.
However, the journey was not the toughest part. The Communist authorities were stringent about anyone visiting Medjugorje. Yugoslavia was an atheistic state -- any public display of religion was banned. The authorities, therefore, could not permit any tourist or pilgrim to enter their country to participate in a religious event!
Yet, somehow, Fr. Rene Laurentin, a noted Marianologist (a theologian specializing in the study of the Blessed Virgin Mary) made it through, after repeated attempts. His visits culminated in the book, “Is the Virgin Mary Appearing at Medjugorje?”. In collaboration with Dr. Henri Joueux, Fr. Laurentin wrote another book, “Scientific and Medical Studies on the Apparitions at Medjugorje”.
I first learned of Medjugorje on Christmas 1987, when I came across a two-page article in a Catholic magazine. In August 1988, with my wife Lucie, and my parents, I made my first trip to Medjugorje, by way of Fatima, Lourdes, and Rome. That first trip changed my life in such a profound way that even to this day, I have not completely understood its effects. I made several trips thereafter, and in 1993, wrote the book, “From Mt. Krizevac to Mt. Carmel”, in an attempt to trace a pilgrim’s outer (physical) journey and inner (spiritual) conversion.
It was difficult to persuade a publisher to take the book. Even Catholic publishers were not interested in a book about a Marian apparition that was not officially sanctioned by the Church, forgetting the fact that Marian apparitions cannot be officially approved until they cease. Political opposition from the Bishop of Mostar towards the Franciscan community running the parish of Medjugorje was not helping things either. A memo from the diocese of San Diego instructed parishes not to promote the devotion. The Southern Cross, San Diego’s diocesan newspaper, was silent about the apparitions.
But, the Mother of God is a persistent individual. Asked by the visionaries why she was appearing to them daily, she replied: “Are you tired of meeting with me?”
Thirty million pilgrims from every corner of the world have come to Medjugorje but the “Gospa” has not stopped. Never in the history of the church has a Marian apparition lasted this long -- 27 years!
Today, it is not that difficult to travel to Medjugorje. The trip involves a short flight from Rome on Croatia Airlines, a dramatic improvement from Yugoslav Air. From Split, it is a 3-4 hour ride by bus through the Dalmatian Coast. There are hundreds of well-established Marian travel agencies around the world. My favorite is Mir Arizona, organized by Helen Zec. She was one of the few brave ones who continued to bring pilgrims to Medjugorje in the height of the war in 1991-93 and did a lot for refugees and orphans of the war.
In the 1980s and into the 90s, pilgrims stayed at private homes -- villagers graciously opened their homes to host pilgrims. There were no commercial accommodations. A warm shower was a luxury. I remember Pansion Jerko fondly; we stayed in small bedrooms above a tiny snack bar. Lucie and I remain grateful to Maria Cilic who opened her house to us and gladly served our group of San Diego pilgrims homemade meals in 1989.Through the years, we’ve stayed at homes, around St. James church. The last several years, we often stay at Ivan’s home or at his brother Dragan and his wife Juanita’s place. We enjoy staying with their family, as well as with Ivan’s mother, Zlata.
The village has changed through the years. Back then, it was tough to find souvenirs to bring home to family and friends. There was only the small Franciscan gift shop next to the church, where one could get a rosary. You could not even find a statue of the Blessed Mother. Now, the place is dotted with religious stores, much like
Lourdes or Fatima, and life size statues of the Blessed Mother are available for hardy pilgrims to bring back home.
In the old days, you were isolated from the rest of the world. A brief international call through a public phone in the post office was costly. Now, internet is available. And you can readily call or text with your cell phone. Back then, a cup of cappuccino, after evening mass, would cost you only 50 cents. And a taxi to any place in town was $4 flat. Now, it’s a euro or $1.50 for cappuccino and five euros or $7 for the taxi.
I often wonder why some people readily jump at the chance of a pilgrimage to Medjugorje -- who would not want to be in a place where the Mother of God appears each day? -- while others, sincerely intending to go, never come around to doing it. Still, others think that what’s happening there for 27 years is some kind of Catholic hocus-pocus, and do not want to be bothered. Why travel halfway around the world from the United States or the Philippines when you can pray in your local church, in front of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Blessed Sacrament if you wish?
What Fr. Jozo Zovko says about this may be true. Whether you believe it or not, he says, you find yourself in Medjugorje because, for one reason or another, you have been invited to come. In other words, you did not choose to come. The Blessed Mother herself invited you to come.
Fr. Jozo is not one person who speaks lightly. He was the parish priest of Medjugorje, when a few days after the apparitions began, he returned from a retreat to find his little parish turned upside down. Frantic parishioners told him that the Gospa was appearing to six children. The communist police was coming in full force to stop what to them was a religious uprising.
While the visionaries, accompanied by throngs of villagers, were on Podbrdo (the Hill of Apparitions), Fr. Jozo remained in church, skeptical, wondering what he should do. The Blessed Virgin Mary had appeared in Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima, and other places. But in his parish? That could not be true. Yet, falling down on his knees to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, he heard a voice that said: “Fr. Jozo, take care of the children!” Fr. Jozo got up and went out of St. James Church only to be met with the children, rushing to church, pursued by the communists.
Fr. Jozo protected and defended the visionaries, and for that he paid a heavy price. He was sentenced to prison, was tortured and scheduled for execution. In prison, the Blessed Mother appeared to him and comforted him.
Today, Fr. Jozo is a retired priest in nearby Siroki-Brieg, where he has built an impressive orphanage that takes care of from 5,000-7000 children.
Fr. Jozo welcomes pilgrims and assures them of Mary’s special invitation. For those who cannot come, he says that is fine. Mary has been here for 27 years, she will continue to wait for them.
Friday, November 2, 2007
THE WEEPING CHRIST at Medjugorje
Reprinted from the Asian Journal
November 2, 2007
By Dr. Edgar A. Gamboa
Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina -- In years past, it was, as in Fatima, the miracle of the “dancing sun”. Pilgrims from all over the world flocked to the tiny, quiet village of Medjugorje (formerly part of Tito’s Communist Yugoslavia but since 1993 of independent Bosnia-Hercegovina) to gaze at the spinning sun and to marvel at ordinary rosaries turning to gold. Multicolored lights burst forth like impromptu fireworks around the cross at the peak of Mt. Krizevac. And in the early days of the now famous Marian apparitions, the word “MIR” (meaning peace in Croatian) was prominently scrawled across the early evening sky.
Nowadays, it is the phenomenon of the weeping Christ.
Recently I stood in line awaiting my turn to witness this latest Medjugorje happening. Before the start of the 10 o’clock English Mass (in addition to the 6 PM Croatian Mass, liturgy is celebrated daily for Italian, French, Spanish and many other pilgrim groups), I walked to the miraculous site, which is located about a hundred yards behind St. James Church, towards the direction of Mt. Krizevac.
Already, clusters of devoted pilgrims – Croatians, Hungarians, Poles, Nigerians, Irish, Germans, and Americans – were lining up to see the weeping Christ at close range. Many were there to touch the bronze statue, to wipe (like St. Veronica) the miraculous tears, even to collect them in tiny vials.
My turn finally came and I stood in awe looking up at the approximately 30-foot bronze modernistic sculpture of the risen Christ. The statue was verdigris green except for the large shiny golden patch on the right leg. The distal thigh and the lateral side of the knee were remarkably smooth and shiny from pilgrims touching and wiping that accessible part of the statue for over a year. It reminded me of St. Peter’s “gold clubfoot” in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, reverently touched by pilgrims for hundreds of years.
Clearly I could see a droplet of fluid slowly forming, then oozing from the thigh and trickling down the knee and lower leg every second or two. Pilgrims would promptly catch the fluid before it reached the foot. Many would place their rosaries, medals, or other religious objects against the wet statue; others would blot the leg with tissue paper or wipe it with a handkerchief. Still others collected the trickling fluid in small containers.
Some pilgrims have claimed that the “tears” tasted salty while others are not too sure. Some say that at certain days the clear watery fluid feels thick and oily. In any event, the weeping Christ is today drawing even more crowds to Medjugorje.
I have heard and read of “crying statues”, of holy pictures or sacred images oozing oil, tears, even blood – but this was the very first time I had witnessed firsthand such an incredible phenomenon. Standing before what appeared to be miraculous, or at the very least unexplainable, I could not help but dab the statue with a handkerchief that was promptly soaked.
This bronze statue of the risen Christ, now the focus of so much attention, is a new addition to the religious attractions in Medjugorje, which traditionally include Podbrdo (or the Hill of Apparitions where the Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared to the children on June 24, 1981), Mt. Krizevac (or the mountain where the 1933 cross was erected and where the popular Stations of the Cross are located), and St. James Church (where the visionaries hid when pursued by Communist authorities and where pilgrims now gather daily for liturgy).
The statue is a replica of a 277 cm. silver image of “The Resurrection”, sculpted by Andrej Ajdic and presented to Pope John Paul II on the occasion of his Papal Visit to Slovenia in 1996. The mystery of Christ’s resurrection is expressed by the image of an elongated, slender Christ, arms outstretched as if still nailed to the cross but at the same time globally embracing redeemed mankind, while triumphantly rising from a cross which is laid flat on the ground, overcast by the silhouette of Christ or God’s presence on earth. Another unique feature of the sculpture is that Christ is not wrapped by a loincloth but by a newspaper, signifying the ephemeral event of the crucifixion, in contrast to Christ’s everlasting and infinite nature.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the apparition of “Gospa, Kraljice Mira” (“Blessed Mother, Queen of Peace” in the native Croatian language), a 30-foot bronze replica of Ajdic’s “The Resurrection” was erected behind St. James Church. A day or two after the anniversary, around June 25-26, 2001, pilgrims started noticing that the statue was visibly oozing clear fluid.
The Franciscan community, guardians of St. James Church and Medjugorje, has not officially acknowledged the phenomenon of the “weeping Christ”. While not discouraging pilgrims from congregating and praying around the statue, the friars refrain from actively fostering devotion to it, in contrast to their efforts to promote the daily Rosary and Mass, and the weekly Stations of the Cross and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Our Blessed Mother has time and time again requested the latter devotions.
In her daily apparitions to the visionaries, spanning over the last 21 years, She has tirelessly requested -- kindly, gently, and lovingly, as the visionaries report, and never in a strict or authoritarian manner -- that the traditional Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be are recited seven times daily as well as the Apostles’ Creed for the cause of peace; that families gather together to pray the rosary, to “pray with the heart”, to pray for “unbelievers”, to read Scripture; that we all attend Mass, receive the Holy Eucharist, and go to monthly confession. She has also asked for fasting on bread and water, if possible, on Wednesdays and Fridays. And at the end of every apparition, which usually lasts from 2-8 minutes, She never fails to thank the visionaries. “If you knew how much I love you,” she has said, “ you would cry for joy!”
When pilgrims ask the visionaries how the Blessed Virgin Mary appears to them, they say: “She is the most beautiful person…we see her like we see you or any other person. She always appears with a cloud around and covering her feet, which never touches the ground. Sometimes, She is accompanied by angels…She wears a gray gown with a white veil; on Christmas and special feast days, She comes dressed in a golden gown. She has blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and long dark hair. She is incredibly beautiful beyond words and She has the loveliest smile”.
Many pilgrims, who would visit Fatima or Lourdes or Guadalupe, established and ecclesiastically approved Marian sites, do not include Medjugorje in their itinerary because the Church has not yet officially approved it. But they forget or probably are unaware that the Catholic Church does not review, much less, approve of on going apparitions. The Church will officially review the authenticity of an apparition only after such has ceased.
Thus, at Lourdes where St. Bernadette encountered 18 apparitions from February 11th – July 16th, 1858, the event was not officially recognized by the Church, until four years later, on January 18, 1862, when Bishop Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes, officially declared the apparitions to be authentic and submitted his recommendation to the Holy Father.
In the case of Fatima, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared six times to the three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, between May 13th - October 13th, 1917, official ecclesiastical recognition that the Fatima message was “worthy of belief” did not happen until 1930.
Since at Medjugorje, the daily apparitions continue for three of the original six visionaries -- “Gospa” appears to Vicka, Marija, and Ivan daily but only on special occasions now to Ivanka, Mirjana, and Jacov -- official church recognition is not anticipated for some time to come. However, Medjugorje presents a special opportunity for many to visit a Marian apparition that is occurring to the present day.
______________________
Dr. Edgar A. Gamboa (pseudonym John Paul Noel) is the author of “From Mt. Krizevac to Mt. Carmel: A Medjugorje Pilgrim’s Conversion”, ISBN 0-9639536-0-5, Mir Communications, 1995, available at Pauline Books & Media & Amazon.com.
more . . . E-mails from the Desert - Dr. Ed Gamboa
November 2, 2007
By Dr. Edgar A. Gamboa
Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina -- In years past, it was, as in Fatima, the miracle of the “dancing sun”. Pilgrims from all over the world flocked to the tiny, quiet village of Medjugorje (formerly part of Tito’s Communist Yugoslavia but since 1993 of independent Bosnia-Hercegovina) to gaze at the spinning sun and to marvel at ordinary rosaries turning to gold. Multicolored lights burst forth like impromptu fireworks around the cross at the peak of Mt. Krizevac. And in the early days of the now famous Marian apparitions, the word “MIR” (meaning peace in Croatian) was prominently scrawled across the early evening sky.
Nowadays, it is the phenomenon of the weeping Christ.
Recently I stood in line awaiting my turn to witness this latest Medjugorje happening. Before the start of the 10 o’clock English Mass (in addition to the 6 PM Croatian Mass, liturgy is celebrated daily for Italian, French, Spanish and many other pilgrim groups), I walked to the miraculous site, which is located about a hundred yards behind St. James Church, towards the direction of Mt. Krizevac.
Already, clusters of devoted pilgrims – Croatians, Hungarians, Poles, Nigerians, Irish, Germans, and Americans – were lining up to see the weeping Christ at close range. Many were there to touch the bronze statue, to wipe (like St. Veronica) the miraculous tears, even to collect them in tiny vials.
My turn finally came and I stood in awe looking up at the approximately 30-foot bronze modernistic sculpture of the risen Christ. The statue was verdigris green except for the large shiny golden patch on the right leg. The distal thigh and the lateral side of the knee were remarkably smooth and shiny from pilgrims touching and wiping that accessible part of the statue for over a year. It reminded me of St. Peter’s “gold clubfoot” in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, reverently touched by pilgrims for hundreds of years.
Clearly I could see a droplet of fluid slowly forming, then oozing from the thigh and trickling down the knee and lower leg every second or two. Pilgrims would promptly catch the fluid before it reached the foot. Many would place their rosaries, medals, or other religious objects against the wet statue; others would blot the leg with tissue paper or wipe it with a handkerchief. Still others collected the trickling fluid in small containers.
Some pilgrims have claimed that the “tears” tasted salty while others are not too sure. Some say that at certain days the clear watery fluid feels thick and oily. In any event, the weeping Christ is today drawing even more crowds to Medjugorje.
I have heard and read of “crying statues”, of holy pictures or sacred images oozing oil, tears, even blood – but this was the very first time I had witnessed firsthand such an incredible phenomenon. Standing before what appeared to be miraculous, or at the very least unexplainable, I could not help but dab the statue with a handkerchief that was promptly soaked.
This bronze statue of the risen Christ, now the focus of so much attention, is a new addition to the religious attractions in Medjugorje, which traditionally include Podbrdo (or the Hill of Apparitions where the Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared to the children on June 24, 1981), Mt. Krizevac (or the mountain where the 1933 cross was erected and where the popular Stations of the Cross are located), and St. James Church (where the visionaries hid when pursued by Communist authorities and where pilgrims now gather daily for liturgy).
The statue is a replica of a 277 cm. silver image of “The Resurrection”, sculpted by Andrej Ajdic and presented to Pope John Paul II on the occasion of his Papal Visit to Slovenia in 1996. The mystery of Christ’s resurrection is expressed by the image of an elongated, slender Christ, arms outstretched as if still nailed to the cross but at the same time globally embracing redeemed mankind, while triumphantly rising from a cross which is laid flat on the ground, overcast by the silhouette of Christ or God’s presence on earth. Another unique feature of the sculpture is that Christ is not wrapped by a loincloth but by a newspaper, signifying the ephemeral event of the crucifixion, in contrast to Christ’s everlasting and infinite nature.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the apparition of “Gospa, Kraljice Mira” (“Blessed Mother, Queen of Peace” in the native Croatian language), a 30-foot bronze replica of Ajdic’s “The Resurrection” was erected behind St. James Church. A day or two after the anniversary, around June 25-26, 2001, pilgrims started noticing that the statue was visibly oozing clear fluid.
The Franciscan community, guardians of St. James Church and Medjugorje, has not officially acknowledged the phenomenon of the “weeping Christ”. While not discouraging pilgrims from congregating and praying around the statue, the friars refrain from actively fostering devotion to it, in contrast to their efforts to promote the daily Rosary and Mass, and the weekly Stations of the Cross and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Our Blessed Mother has time and time again requested the latter devotions.
In her daily apparitions to the visionaries, spanning over the last 21 years, She has tirelessly requested -- kindly, gently, and lovingly, as the visionaries report, and never in a strict or authoritarian manner -- that the traditional Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be are recited seven times daily as well as the Apostles’ Creed for the cause of peace; that families gather together to pray the rosary, to “pray with the heart”, to pray for “unbelievers”, to read Scripture; that we all attend Mass, receive the Holy Eucharist, and go to monthly confession. She has also asked for fasting on bread and water, if possible, on Wednesdays and Fridays. And at the end of every apparition, which usually lasts from 2-8 minutes, She never fails to thank the visionaries. “If you knew how much I love you,” she has said, “ you would cry for joy!”
When pilgrims ask the visionaries how the Blessed Virgin Mary appears to them, they say: “She is the most beautiful person…we see her like we see you or any other person. She always appears with a cloud around and covering her feet, which never touches the ground. Sometimes, She is accompanied by angels…She wears a gray gown with a white veil; on Christmas and special feast days, She comes dressed in a golden gown. She has blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and long dark hair. She is incredibly beautiful beyond words and She has the loveliest smile”.
Many pilgrims, who would visit Fatima or Lourdes or Guadalupe, established and ecclesiastically approved Marian sites, do not include Medjugorje in their itinerary because the Church has not yet officially approved it. But they forget or probably are unaware that the Catholic Church does not review, much less, approve of on going apparitions. The Church will officially review the authenticity of an apparition only after such has ceased.
Thus, at Lourdes where St. Bernadette encountered 18 apparitions from February 11th – July 16th, 1858, the event was not officially recognized by the Church, until four years later, on January 18, 1862, when Bishop Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes, officially declared the apparitions to be authentic and submitted his recommendation to the Holy Father.
In the case of Fatima, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared six times to the three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, between May 13th - October 13th, 1917, official ecclesiastical recognition that the Fatima message was “worthy of belief” did not happen until 1930.
Since at Medjugorje, the daily apparitions continue for three of the original six visionaries -- “Gospa” appears to Vicka, Marija, and Ivan daily but only on special occasions now to Ivanka, Mirjana, and Jacov -- official church recognition is not anticipated for some time to come. However, Medjugorje presents a special opportunity for many to visit a Marian apparition that is occurring to the present day.
______________________
Dr. Edgar A. Gamboa (pseudonym John Paul Noel) is the author of “From Mt. Krizevac to Mt. Carmel: A Medjugorje Pilgrim’s Conversion”, ISBN 0-9639536-0-5, Mir Communications, 1995, available at Pauline Books & Media & Amazon.com.
more . . . E-mails from the Desert - Dr. Ed Gamboa
Friday, October 26, 2007
Kraljica Mira
Reprinted from the Asian Journal
October 26, 2007
Dobar Dan or “good day” as they like to greet each other here in Medjugorje.
Twenty-six years and thirty million pilgrims later, Medjugorje, situated in the heart of mountainous Bosnia-Hercegovina, is no longer the quiet, God-forsaken village that it was in Tito’s Communist Yugoslavia. It has, in fact, become one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Christendom.
The story is now well known. On June 24, 1981, the feast of St. John the Baptist, six children, walking by the hill of Podbrdo on their way home to Bijakovici, saw an incredibly beautiful lady. Dazzling like the sun, she wore a luminous white veil over her head and cradled a baby in her arms. The children claim that no words are adequate to describe her lovely face and smile.
Since that momentous afternoon in 1981, Kraljica Mira (translated to “Queen of Peace” in Croatian) has miraculously appeared to the six visionaries every day at around 5:40 PM. The daily apparition may last from two minutes to an hour, but usually occurs in five to ten minutes.
The children go into ecstasy when the apparition occurs and they report that they see Kraljica Mira or Gospa (“Our Lady”) just like they see you and me. They converse with her freely and she in turn gives them private and public messages. Through Marija, a public message is given to the parish (and the world) every 25th day of each month. In the early years, the message was promptly posted on the front door of St. James Church. With the advent of the Internet, such message is disseminated world wide by a click on the keyboard (log on to http://medjugorje.org).
Today, only three of the visionaries -- Marija, Vicka and Ivan -- continue to see Kraljica Mira each single day. The other three -- Ivanka, Mirjana, and Jacov -- no longer see Our Lady except on special occasions. Reminiscent of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, the last three children (now adults) have received ten secrets each, which are to be revealed to a priest of their choice, at the proper time.
The secrets of Medjugorje understandably scare people who link them to the Book of Revelations or an apocalyptic end of the world scenario. But the visionaries emphasize God’s love and say that people who strive to live the messages of Medjugorje have no reason to fear. Theologians who have analyzed the hundreds of messages through the years see them as consistent with lessons in the Gospel. Fr. Jozo Zovko, the parish priest of Medjugorje when the apparitions began, summarizes the messages into five main points or requests by Our Lady, namely:
1. To “pray with the heart” or to pray the Rosary each day (preferably to pray together with family).
2. To attend Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist regularly.
3. To read and reflect daily on Scripture.
4. To fast on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays (assuming one’s health allows; otherwise, to fast from other things, i.e., TV, movies, video games, internet, and other distractions).
5. To practice monthly confession (Sacrament of Reconciliation).
American pilgrims frequently ask if morning coffee is consistent with fasting to which Mirjana responds with an impish smile: “Sure, just drink it before Our Lady wakes up!” Italians typically ask if pasta can substitute for bread (rice for Filipinos?). The visionaries respond with good humor. The point, they say, is that Our Lady does not wish to give us a hard time. Far from it, she just wants us to advance spiritually, step by step.
Actually, none of the above Christian practices are radically new. Fasting may have been forgotten along with other ascetic traditions known since the time of the Apostles. The purpose of fasting is to develop the virtue of self-discipline, which is essential for spiritual maturity. Kraljica Mira frequently invites the visionaries (and the world through them) to make every effort to incorporate these virtuous practices in our daily life.
The Vatican has not officially approved the apparitions at Medjugorje. But that is not unusual; traditionally, the Church waits until apparitions or supernatural phenomena have ceased before embarking on a full theological investigation, as in the case of Fatima and Lourdes.
The visionaries, however, have been subjected to a battery of medical and scientific tests. A local physician, Dr. Ante Vujevic, conducted the first examination when communist police brought the children to the doctor four days after the first apparition took place. On June 29, the children were rushed to a clinic in Mostar and examined by Dr. Dzudza Mulija. The psychiatrist reportedly remarked that the frantic officers who brought the visionaries to the clinic were the ones who acted insane. The children were clearly psychologically normal.
Other psychiatrists, including Croatian Dr. Nikola Bartulica who practices in Missouri, have evaluated the visionaries from October 1981 to 1989. In 1991, Dr. Bartulica published his conclusions in the book, “Are the visionaries telling the truth?” All the medical and scientific experts to date have uncovered nothing out of the ordinary or pathological with the visionaries. They have all been assessed to be physically and psychologically healthy and definitely not epileptic or hysterical.
The most exhaustive series of examinations, utilizing technically advanced monitoring devices, were performed from March to December 1984 by a team of French experts, led by Dr. Henri Joyeaux. Their findings were published in the book, “Etudes medicales et scientifiques sur les apparitions de Medjugorje”.
The following year, a scientific and theological commission composed of 17 French and Italian experts, including a vision and a hearing specialist, interviewed and tested the visionaries. The consensus was invariably the same -- the visionaries were physically and mentally fine.
In 1998, at the request of the Franciscans, a team headed by Dr. Andreas Resch, Professor of Theology at the Papal University Alfonsianum in Rome, expanded on the tests conducted by the French and Italian team.
The most recent scientific investigation was performed on the 24th anniversary of Medjugorje, at the behest of the Holy See. It was conducted by Professor Joyeaux, with the assistance of neurologist, Dr. Philippe Loron. When the visionaries went into ecstasy, their brain waves and vital signs were recorded in detail. Ivan resents being “treated like a guinea pig” but endures having a nest of electrodes and wires taped all over his body if only to persuade skeptics and unbelievers.
All the medical and scientific testing through the years have arrived at the same conclusion: the visionaries are undoubtedly normal, healthy individuals. They are not under the influence of drugs or any mind-altering substance. They are not pretending, imagining things, or hallucinating.
Needless to say, the daily appearance of Kraljica Mira cannot be proven scientifically. But, indirectly, scientific methods applied to the visionaries have not detected fraud, delusion, hallucination, or any other subjective irrationality. Granted, for the sake of argument that the visionaries are pretending to see things and making up stories, it is humanly impossible to go through such acts fraudulently every day for 26 years.
To believers of the supernatural events in Medjugorje, no further proof that the Mother of God is appearing daily is needed. To unbelievers, no amount of proof, scientific or otherwise, will suffice.
more . . . E-mails from the Desert - Dr. Ed Gamboa
October 26, 2007
Dobar Dan or “good day” as they like to greet each other here in Medjugorje.
Twenty-six years and thirty million pilgrims later, Medjugorje, situated in the heart of mountainous Bosnia-Hercegovina, is no longer the quiet, God-forsaken village that it was in Tito’s Communist Yugoslavia. It has, in fact, become one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Christendom.
The story is now well known. On June 24, 1981, the feast of St. John the Baptist, six children, walking by the hill of Podbrdo on their way home to Bijakovici, saw an incredibly beautiful lady. Dazzling like the sun, she wore a luminous white veil over her head and cradled a baby in her arms. The children claim that no words are adequate to describe her lovely face and smile.
Since that momentous afternoon in 1981, Kraljica Mira (translated to “Queen of Peace” in Croatian) has miraculously appeared to the six visionaries every day at around 5:40 PM. The daily apparition may last from two minutes to an hour, but usually occurs in five to ten minutes.
The children go into ecstasy when the apparition occurs and they report that they see Kraljica Mira or Gospa (“Our Lady”) just like they see you and me. They converse with her freely and she in turn gives them private and public messages. Through Marija, a public message is given to the parish (and the world) every 25th day of each month. In the early years, the message was promptly posted on the front door of St. James Church. With the advent of the Internet, such message is disseminated world wide by a click on the keyboard (log on to http://medjugorje.org).
Today, only three of the visionaries -- Marija, Vicka and Ivan -- continue to see Kraljica Mira each single day. The other three -- Ivanka, Mirjana, and Jacov -- no longer see Our Lady except on special occasions. Reminiscent of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, the last three children (now adults) have received ten secrets each, which are to be revealed to a priest of their choice, at the proper time.
The secrets of Medjugorje understandably scare people who link them to the Book of Revelations or an apocalyptic end of the world scenario. But the visionaries emphasize God’s love and say that people who strive to live the messages of Medjugorje have no reason to fear. Theologians who have analyzed the hundreds of messages through the years see them as consistent with lessons in the Gospel. Fr. Jozo Zovko, the parish priest of Medjugorje when the apparitions began, summarizes the messages into five main points or requests by Our Lady, namely:
1. To “pray with the heart” or to pray the Rosary each day (preferably to pray together with family).
2. To attend Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist regularly.
3. To read and reflect daily on Scripture.
4. To fast on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays (assuming one’s health allows; otherwise, to fast from other things, i.e., TV, movies, video games, internet, and other distractions).
5. To practice monthly confession (Sacrament of Reconciliation).
American pilgrims frequently ask if morning coffee is consistent with fasting to which Mirjana responds with an impish smile: “Sure, just drink it before Our Lady wakes up!” Italians typically ask if pasta can substitute for bread (rice for Filipinos?). The visionaries respond with good humor. The point, they say, is that Our Lady does not wish to give us a hard time. Far from it, she just wants us to advance spiritually, step by step.
Actually, none of the above Christian practices are radically new. Fasting may have been forgotten along with other ascetic traditions known since the time of the Apostles. The purpose of fasting is to develop the virtue of self-discipline, which is essential for spiritual maturity. Kraljica Mira frequently invites the visionaries (and the world through them) to make every effort to incorporate these virtuous practices in our daily life.
The Vatican has not officially approved the apparitions at Medjugorje. But that is not unusual; traditionally, the Church waits until apparitions or supernatural phenomena have ceased before embarking on a full theological investigation, as in the case of Fatima and Lourdes.
The visionaries, however, have been subjected to a battery of medical and scientific tests. A local physician, Dr. Ante Vujevic, conducted the first examination when communist police brought the children to the doctor four days after the first apparition took place. On June 29, the children were rushed to a clinic in Mostar and examined by Dr. Dzudza Mulija. The psychiatrist reportedly remarked that the frantic officers who brought the visionaries to the clinic were the ones who acted insane. The children were clearly psychologically normal.
Other psychiatrists, including Croatian Dr. Nikola Bartulica who practices in Missouri, have evaluated the visionaries from October 1981 to 1989. In 1991, Dr. Bartulica published his conclusions in the book, “Are the visionaries telling the truth?” All the medical and scientific experts to date have uncovered nothing out of the ordinary or pathological with the visionaries. They have all been assessed to be physically and psychologically healthy and definitely not epileptic or hysterical.
The most exhaustive series of examinations, utilizing technically advanced monitoring devices, were performed from March to December 1984 by a team of French experts, led by Dr. Henri Joyeaux. Their findings were published in the book, “Etudes medicales et scientifiques sur les apparitions de Medjugorje”.
The following year, a scientific and theological commission composed of 17 French and Italian experts, including a vision and a hearing specialist, interviewed and tested the visionaries. The consensus was invariably the same -- the visionaries were physically and mentally fine.
In 1998, at the request of the Franciscans, a team headed by Dr. Andreas Resch, Professor of Theology at the Papal University Alfonsianum in Rome, expanded on the tests conducted by the French and Italian team.
The most recent scientific investigation was performed on the 24th anniversary of Medjugorje, at the behest of the Holy See. It was conducted by Professor Joyeaux, with the assistance of neurologist, Dr. Philippe Loron. When the visionaries went into ecstasy, their brain waves and vital signs were recorded in detail. Ivan resents being “treated like a guinea pig” but endures having a nest of electrodes and wires taped all over his body if only to persuade skeptics and unbelievers.
All the medical and scientific testing through the years have arrived at the same conclusion: the visionaries are undoubtedly normal, healthy individuals. They are not under the influence of drugs or any mind-altering substance. They are not pretending, imagining things, or hallucinating.
Needless to say, the daily appearance of Kraljica Mira cannot be proven scientifically. But, indirectly, scientific methods applied to the visionaries have not detected fraud, delusion, hallucination, or any other subjective irrationality. Granted, for the sake of argument that the visionaries are pretending to see things and making up stories, it is humanly impossible to go through such acts fraudulently every day for 26 years.
To believers of the supernatural events in Medjugorje, no further proof that the Mother of God is appearing daily is needed. To unbelievers, no amount of proof, scientific or otherwise, will suffice.
more . . . E-mails from the Desert - Dr. Ed Gamboa
Friday, October 19, 2007
Wanderlust, Kempis, and Chardin
Who in the world does not want to travel? I certainly count myself among humanity's inveterate adventurers. Indeed, I write this piece on my way to Rome by way of San Francisco. Most Filipinos in the United States, by the mere fact that they mustered the courage to venture halfway around the globe, automatically qualify as bona fide "wanderlusters".
Wanderlust seems like an archaic word. But, in fact, the German derived term first appeared in the English dictionary in 1902, about the time when the effects of the second industrial revolution rendered the world dramatically mobile.
Not knowing any better, I simply assume everyone wants to get out there to see the whole wide world. Strangely, I've met people who have not ventured more than a few miles from their place of birth! When I lived in Buffalo, New York, I had patients who had never seen the Statue of Liberty in Ellis Island! In Southern California, I've known folks who have not crossed the border into Baja California. Why would people not take the opportunity to travel to another country next to their doorstep? In Hawaii, I met several natives in the outer islands who had not surfed or at least trekked along world famous Waikiki Beach.
Perhaps, these souls have been influenced by the famous writer Thomas a Kempis who said: "...they who travel much abroad seldom become holy." (Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 23).
I think I understand what the German mystic Thomas a Kempis was concerned about. The world, during his time (1380-1471), was not conducive to leading a decent life. He found peace and solitude “only in retirement and in books”. Earlier, around the 3rd century, the Desert Fathers fled to the Scetes desert in Egypt, far away from the reaches of the hedonistic Roman Empire. For centuries thereafter, holy men and women viewed the world with justifiable contempt, cautious about being contaminated by its secularity.
It took the genius of Jesuit paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) to make the world attractive again, for indeed, if God created the world – “The Divine Milieu” -- why wouldn’t it be good? Subsequently, the social activist Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Workers Movement, and the Trappist Thomas Merton made engagement with the world theologically sound. We cannot retire to the chapel even as the world teetered in the brink of nuclear self-destruction. It was imperative that we immersed ourselves in world affairs and play active roles in the direction of history.
The Peruvian Dominican priest Gustavo Gutierrez and liberation theologians of South America remind us that it is good to pray but that we can ill afford to spend hours in the altar while our brothers and sisters go to bed hungry each night because of society’s unjust economic and political structures. In the 1960s, Vatican Council II acknowledged that the pathway to sanctity was through the world, not outside of it.
As Filipinos, we can be proud that our people, in the darkness of crisis, found a way to balance prayer and action. I must say it took a while for us to take action in the face of an increasingly oppressive dictatorship. But we did act. And the way we did it, in the innovated form of people power, effectively blended prayers in churches and demonstrations in the streets. It was such a powerful combination of prayer and action that Lech Walesa’s Solidarity in Poland learned from it, triggering Communism’s downfall, which culminated in the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today, we see the continuing ripple effect of people power in Myanmar (Burma), as non-violent Buddhist monks take to the streets to protest the military stranglehold of their nation.
But, active involvement in world shattering events aside, isn’t it pure joy to travel and marvel at the exhilarating beauty and expanse of the world in which we live? Seeing the world, interacting with people of various cultures and customs, we realize that despite the differences, we are all basically the same – blessed with the same dreams, the same hopes, the same aspirations for ourselves and for the next generations.
Wanderlust seems like an archaic word. But, in fact, the German derived term first appeared in the English dictionary in 1902, about the time when the effects of the second industrial revolution rendered the world dramatically mobile.
Not knowing any better, I simply assume everyone wants to get out there to see the whole wide world. Strangely, I've met people who have not ventured more than a few miles from their place of birth! When I lived in Buffalo, New York, I had patients who had never seen the Statue of Liberty in Ellis Island! In Southern California, I've known folks who have not crossed the border into Baja California. Why would people not take the opportunity to travel to another country next to their doorstep? In Hawaii, I met several natives in the outer islands who had not surfed or at least trekked along world famous Waikiki Beach.
Perhaps, these souls have been influenced by the famous writer Thomas a Kempis who said: "...they who travel much abroad seldom become holy." (Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 23).
I think I understand what the German mystic Thomas a Kempis was concerned about. The world, during his time (1380-1471), was not conducive to leading a decent life. He found peace and solitude “only in retirement and in books”. Earlier, around the 3rd century, the Desert Fathers fled to the Scetes desert in Egypt, far away from the reaches of the hedonistic Roman Empire. For centuries thereafter, holy men and women viewed the world with justifiable contempt, cautious about being contaminated by its secularity.
It took the genius of Jesuit paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) to make the world attractive again, for indeed, if God created the world – “The Divine Milieu” -- why wouldn’t it be good? Subsequently, the social activist Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Workers Movement, and the Trappist Thomas Merton made engagement with the world theologically sound. We cannot retire to the chapel even as the world teetered in the brink of nuclear self-destruction. It was imperative that we immersed ourselves in world affairs and play active roles in the direction of history.
The Peruvian Dominican priest Gustavo Gutierrez and liberation theologians of South America remind us that it is good to pray but that we can ill afford to spend hours in the altar while our brothers and sisters go to bed hungry each night because of society’s unjust economic and political structures. In the 1960s, Vatican Council II acknowledged that the pathway to sanctity was through the world, not outside of it.
As Filipinos, we can be proud that our people, in the darkness of crisis, found a way to balance prayer and action. I must say it took a while for us to take action in the face of an increasingly oppressive dictatorship. But we did act. And the way we did it, in the innovated form of people power, effectively blended prayers in churches and demonstrations in the streets. It was such a powerful combination of prayer and action that Lech Walesa’s Solidarity in Poland learned from it, triggering Communism’s downfall, which culminated in the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today, we see the continuing ripple effect of people power in Myanmar (Burma), as non-violent Buddhist monks take to the streets to protest the military stranglehold of their nation.
But, active involvement in world shattering events aside, isn’t it pure joy to travel and marvel at the exhilarating beauty and expanse of the world in which we live? Seeing the world, interacting with people of various cultures and customs, we realize that despite the differences, we are all basically the same – blessed with the same dreams, the same hopes, the same aspirations for ourselves and for the next generations.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Dirt and Divinity
by Dr. Edgar A. Gamboa
Reprinted from the Asian Journal, October 12, 2007
Recently, I attended a talk by the noted Zen master, human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh. The 80-yr-old Vietnamese monk, who drew worldwide attention for his efforts to bring North and South Vietnam to peaceful reconciliation in the 1960s, delivered the keynote address during the 18th Annual Social Issues Conference at the University of San Diego.
Author of over a hundred books on spirituality, psychology, and religion, Thich Nhat Hanh lives in Plum Village, a monastery in France, but travels around the world promoting "compassionate listening, peace, and understanding." At USD, his message touched on the current global war on terror. He spoke about how a peaceful pathway can be pursued if leaders listened to each other with genuine trust and understanding, tremendously difficult as that may be.
Garbed in a Buddhist monk's brown habit and seated in lotus position, he spoke softly to more than three thousand faculty members, students, and a mixed crowd of San Diegans about a wide range of subjects, any of which would easily take up a book's chapter, if not an entire volume. The one topic he dealt with which struck me was the problem of suffering.
Life is soaked in suffering. Entire civilizations suffer from war, natural disasters, poverty, starvation, sickness, crime, injustice, etc. We all desire a pain free life, a world devoid of suffering. Indeed, people often question the existence of God because of this painful reality. If a good God really exists, why is there so much pain and suffering around us?
All major religions have looked into this complex subject. Rabbi Harold Kushner's 1981 book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People," which explored suffering on the occasion of his son's death, was a national bestseller and remains popular. Through the years, the metaphor I've found that gives at least part of the answer is that suffering is a kind of tapestry, a piece of embroidery in the making, which we can only view from the backside. The ugliness and randomness do not make sense to us until later (perhaps in the next life) when we can see the real masterpiece, from the front, from a comprehensive perspective.
Thich Nhat Hanh's Buddhist perspective offers the view that suffering is "mud, garbage, compost" -- ugly, smelly stuff. Yet, the wise gardener knows that mud is essential for roots to thrive. When roots reach deep, plants grow and bear fruits; flowers bloom.
Echoing "the little flower," the popular Catholic saint and Carmelite nun, Therese of Lisieux, the Buddhist monk from Bordeaux, reminded the audience that life is a garden, with a variety of plants and flowers. It needs rain and water, the good things, of course. But, it also needs, mud and compost, the dirty yucky stuff. It is through our pains and sufferings that we develop compassion, tolerance, sympathy, and understanding. It is through our compassion and understanding that we learn to love. And it is by loving that we become more like God.
To paraphrase the idea of the great theologian of the 5th century, St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo: The Divine descended to become human so that we may ascend to become divine.
Reprinted from the Asian Journal, October 12, 2007
Recently, I attended a talk by the noted Zen master, human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh. The 80-yr-old Vietnamese monk, who drew worldwide attention for his efforts to bring North and South Vietnam to peaceful reconciliation in the 1960s, delivered the keynote address during the 18th Annual Social Issues Conference at the University of San Diego.
Author of over a hundred books on spirituality, psychology, and religion, Thich Nhat Hanh lives in Plum Village, a monastery in France, but travels around the world promoting "compassionate listening, peace, and understanding." At USD, his message touched on the current global war on terror. He spoke about how a peaceful pathway can be pursued if leaders listened to each other with genuine trust and understanding, tremendously difficult as that may be.
Garbed in a Buddhist monk's brown habit and seated in lotus position, he spoke softly to more than three thousand faculty members, students, and a mixed crowd of San Diegans about a wide range of subjects, any of which would easily take up a book's chapter, if not an entire volume. The one topic he dealt with which struck me was the problem of suffering.
Life is soaked in suffering. Entire civilizations suffer from war, natural disasters, poverty, starvation, sickness, crime, injustice, etc. We all desire a pain free life, a world devoid of suffering. Indeed, people often question the existence of God because of this painful reality. If a good God really exists, why is there so much pain and suffering around us?
All major religions have looked into this complex subject. Rabbi Harold Kushner's 1981 book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People," which explored suffering on the occasion of his son's death, was a national bestseller and remains popular. Through the years, the metaphor I've found that gives at least part of the answer is that suffering is a kind of tapestry, a piece of embroidery in the making, which we can only view from the backside. The ugliness and randomness do not make sense to us until later (perhaps in the next life) when we can see the real masterpiece, from the front, from a comprehensive perspective.
Thich Nhat Hanh's Buddhist perspective offers the view that suffering is "mud, garbage, compost" -- ugly, smelly stuff. Yet, the wise gardener knows that mud is essential for roots to thrive. When roots reach deep, plants grow and bear fruits; flowers bloom.
Echoing "the little flower," the popular Catholic saint and Carmelite nun, Therese of Lisieux, the Buddhist monk from Bordeaux, reminded the audience that life is a garden, with a variety of plants and flowers. It needs rain and water, the good things, of course. But, it also needs, mud and compost, the dirty yucky stuff. It is through our pains and sufferings that we develop compassion, tolerance, sympathy, and understanding. It is through our compassion and understanding that we learn to love. And it is by loving that we become more like God.
To paraphrase the idea of the great theologian of the 5th century, St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo: The Divine descended to become human so that we may ascend to become divine.
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