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Fire
2008-02-15 00:54:00
I cannot still accept the notion of hell that was developed in Christianity and Islam. I don't believe hell exists.The doctrine of hell became necessary during the Medieval period in order to preserve the Christendom.Hell was used to scare people in order to believe Christianity as true religion. And later on, Islam followed.Although in the New Testament, hell is mentioned; it must tell of the mythological worldview of the ancient Palestine and its neighboring regions.In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Catholic Church used hell in order collect money from the peasants for the building of St. Peter's Basilica. John Tetzel was one of the prominent collectors of indulgences.My father was one of the critiques of Christianity. I don't believe he's going to hell. His body simply returned to earth to be enjoyed by the worms. His spirit simply returned to the primordial abode of darkness which is greater than light.
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City of lights
2008-02-14 11:03:00
There must be something truth to the old Filipino saying, "Kapag marami ang nakikita, kaunti lang ang nalalaman." [The more you see; the less you know.]Actually it sounds like the first line of U2's City of Blinding Lights .But I am toying with the thought that darkness is greater than light, so why should the metaphor of good be light.Darkness, they say, is the absence of light. Without light there is darkness.And so before light exists, there is darkness. Darkness exists before light.When a baby is born, she sees the light. She's coming from darkness. And now light comes to her. Or we may say, she is seeing the coming of light.Life is light. Then it follows that non-life is darkness. Death is darkness. The primordial darkness. Death exists before the coming of life. There is darkness before the coming of light.In light, we see many things. And because we see more, we know less. We do not know what will happen in the future. Our knowledge is limited.But in darkness, we do not see ...

Window
2008-02-14 10:50:00
We need a window. A house without a window is not really a house.Without a window we cannot breathe, we cannot look at the things outside.The earth is our house, and unless our eyes look at the window, we cannot see the things that are not of the earth.Death is that window. Unless we peek outside by this window, we will not see what is out there. Perhaps God is sitting silently as God watches people killing each other in the name of God.
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Love and dying
2008-02-14 01:30:00
Love is said to be the affection and passion that we have for a certain that is valuable to us--family, friends, work, things, and the like.The New Testament teaches about love and how to love. It says, "Love God with all your heart, mind and strength; and love your neighbour as you love yourself."Another passage said like this: Love conquers death. Love remains forever.Love then is the supreme virtue that Christianity contributed to humanity no matter how hypocritical Christianity had been.With love, there is entailed service and care.To be great is to serve, according to Jesus Christ. Love, service and care. These three are necessary to sustain life on this earth. They are necessary for our own survival as a human race.But how do you feel when somebody loved you dies, and you have not express your love to that person? Or how do you show your love to a dying person? How do you love when you are dying?"Love is as strong as death," says the Song of songs. But we cannot eventually con...
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Remembering dad
2008-02-13 15:31:00
I remember my father 19 years ago, he would buy me books to read, brought me to cinema to watch disney movies, and we would have a walk around the village. He would bring me to different places, interesting places like rivers, hills, forests, fields of lilies, and beaches. Father loved nature.Father would talk to me his beliefs and ideas about something. Rarely though that he talked about children's stories then. He bought me a set of children's encyclopedia. He told me to study hard. "Learn science and mathematics," he would say.When my parents were separated in the early 90's, I was also separated from my father. I did not see him for seven years. Then sometime in 1997, we met, but that was all. Nothing changed. I hated him then because I didn't understand why life should be lonely. I didn't understand then why should my mother and father be apart from each other.But in December 2006, we met again with my father. This time he wanted to reestablish our relationships. And me to...
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Dealing with my own grief
2008-02-13 00:54:00
Bereavement is a state, a condition of a loss of somebody in the family. We are bereaved because a member of the family or someone close to us died. Bereavement is some sort of an objective fact.Grief is the emotional and cognitive response to bereavement. A painful response. Grief changes the behavior and some cognitive pattern of the bereaved.Mourning is the expression of grief that is a response to bereavement.When my father died, I was grieving. But I didn't cry. I was not able to associate grieving with crying though crying is one of the expressions of grief.It was only two nights ago that tears slowly dropped from my eyes down to my cheecks. It was only two nights ago that I cried as an expression of my grief to my father's death.I loved my father. And I know that he loved me. But unfortunate circumstances kept us apart.We met last December 2006 for the first time in almost 10 years.And last year, he was assasinated by his political rivals.That was our last meeting. That was...

Learning from the death of my father
2008-02-12 14:08:00
Two years ago I made a covenant with myself to write to my father. In fact, I did. I even published the letters in my blog--letters of hope, despair and loneliness. They are letters about life and death. About philosophies, and perhaps, theologies of existence. That was my only redemption then because I had not seen my father for almost ten years.In 2006 when I was finishing my master's thesis, I decided to go to the community where my father lived for my research on 'people's precritical hermeneutics.' That was December 2006 until January 2007.I spent Christmas with my father, the first Christmas in more than nine years. When I saw my father, he seemed young and did not grow old. Still stiff, strong and overpowering. He had an unexplainable charisma. He's opinionated, and brilliant. He's well-read in religion, politics, and current events.We had long hours of conversation from politics to religion, from life to death, and from love to apathy.Before we met, I thought I couldn...
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Irresistible Jesus
2008-02-11 03:51:00
I'm thinking with this idea of the irresistibility of the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Christians made Jesus their founder although Christ would have never founded a religion such as Christianity because of its many sins against humanity.I am personally fascinated with the Jesus Christ of the synoptic gospels--the Jesus who ministered to the lowly and marginalized through preaching, teaching and healing. Jesus healed the sick and fed the hungry. He offered an "alternative consciousness," "a "prophetic voice" for society to consider. But unfortunately he was killed by Jewish society's leaders through the approval of Rome. What makes Jesus Christ irresistible to me is his simple but complicated principle of love and service to God and fellow humans. Jesus taught about respecting the dignity of an individual. He brought good tidings to the oppressed. If Jesus were alive today seeing the plight of millions who are buried in poverty, suffering and pain, Christ must beg on his kn...

Yes or No?
2007-10-25 10:59:00
How can I answer the question answerable only by yes or no? As I walked through the middle of nowhere, a young lady in red scarf asked me, "Do you believe in God?" I replied, "I do not know whether what you are talking about really exists." Then she asked me again, "So you do not believe in God, do you?" "Lady, ask me another question please, I seem to have no answer to that." "What else you

No, I just want to post my ramblings... No letters!
2007-10-22 11:00:00
I just want to post anything. Theology. Philosophy. Politics. Anything. OK.
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I can no longer write to my father--he's dead!
2007-10-22 10:55:00
The post I made was in August 11. Ten days after (Aug. 21), my father died. He was murdered. So what's the use of writing the line "Dear father" or "Dearest dad"? From now on, I promise, this page is no longer "letters to my father" but "letters from a young writer." I try to do my best to regularly update this site.
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(Letter 35) Contextualizing theology
2007-08-11 10:05:00
Dear Father, I have been reflecting on theology during the past weeks... I actually did not post anything to this blog because I was seriously reflecting what should I write. It's kind of difficult to decide what to write. But here it is, please consider also how many days I wrote this essay just for you to read and criticize. One of the facets of theology in which we are to consider is that
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(Letter 34) Theology in context (1)
2007-07-26 07:36:00
Dear Father, There is a remarkable change of social climate today, and that is the resurgence of religion, the reappreciation of the disciplines of theology and religious studies. And because of this, there is also a great need of making theology understandable and relevant to a certain context where theological discourses are being done--contextualization. Meanwhile, this is how I understand
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(Letter 33) John's poetic vision against popular imagination (3)-conclusion
2007-07-17 09:03:00
The Hope of the New Jerusalem Dear Father, LET ME CONTINUE and conclude my exegesis of the symbols that John of Patmos used in the book of the Apocalypse. Chapters 18 and 20 of the Apocalypse are all about divine judgment against the proud symbolic Babylon, which is Rome. But the last two chapters, 21 and 22 speak of the reign of peace and the ultimate divine triumph. The ‘holy city’ that is
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(Letter 32) Superimposed absolutism
2007-07-13 12:49:00
Dear Dad, ALL I KNEW when I got up from bed this morning was that I would have a good day. Yes, good day. Since then everything went well except when someone asked me about something. Let me explain. There was this chubby man in his late thirties. He was talking to someone who happened to be my friend. And he is her classmate in a graduate school. When I entered the school's cafeteria to have
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(Letter 31) John's poetic vision against popular imagination (2)
2007-07-10 06:51:00
The Hope Jerusalem Could Offer Jerusalem is formerly a Canaanite city of Jebus (Josh. 18:28). The Hebrews seized it during the conquests and exploits of Joshua, the charismatic Moses’ aide (Josh. 15:63; 18:28; Judg. 1:21; 19:10). The legendary king David founded the city as Israel’s capital after taking it away from the Jebusites (2 Sam. 5:5-6). When David’s son Solomon succeeded his father,
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(Letter 30) John's poetic vision against popular imagination (1)
2007-07-05 11:22:00
Dear Father, I WANT TO share to you some of my insights on the book of Revelation, the last book of the canonical Christian Bible. Beginning just few years ago, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia draw millions of viewers worldwide. And I am thinking of the book of Revelation, what it looks like when filmed? I’m sure it would be very exciting and interesting. John
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(Letter 29) Philosophy of existence
2007-07-04 06:32:00
Dear Father, I COME ACROSS with the book of Karl Jaspers titled Philosophy of Existence where the philosopher-author defended his thesis about the significance of human existence in philosophical inquiries. Jaspers basically said that the subject of existence has often neglected in philosophy, and that the philosophy itself has become subordinate to science. Philosophy then remains a course
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(Letter 28) Taking care of the body
2007-07-02 04:37:00
Dear Father, DAD, I DON'T know how to express my loneliness and grief. I am alone now, and no one is with me tonight. And I am reflecting on the life of a bachelor living in urban Manila--the loneliness, and fears. Yesterday, I went to a clinic for medical check up. Nothing was found alarming in me except for nose allergy. Before the check up, I thought there's something wrong with my liver
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(Letter 27) Redemption songs
2007-06-28 07:23:00
Dear Father,I AM REFLECTING on freedom and music since last night. And here are some of my ramblings and insights that I hope you would appreciate:“Won’t you have to sing these songs of freedom cause all I ever have redemption songs… Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery none but yourselves can free our minds…” sings the legendary Jamaican father of reggae Bob Marley.Cry freedom. Sing freedom
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(Letter 26) Horrors of death and reverence toward life
2007-06-27 09:59:00
Dear Father, I CAN STILL imagine the horrors of the deaths of hundreds buried in the sand, large stones and boulders of volcanic emission last November 2006. For the first time in my life I witnessed piles of dead bodies, and piles of coffins inside a mini gymnasium in a small town of Daraga, Albay, in the southern part of Luzon, Philippines. Mt. Mayon is beautiful but deep inside of the
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(Letter 25) The risky business of loving
2007-06-26 09:26:00
Dear Father, HERE I AM again talking to you about love. But I don’t really know what to say. But please allow me to say something that I think would help us understand how difficult it is to love. Loving is risky. It requires complete trust to the person whom you loved. Yes, it is. Taking it to a more theological dimension, love remains risky. God is at risk in loving us because humanity
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(Letter 24) Doing theology ourselves
2007-06-25 05:25:00
Dear Father, I’VE BEEN THINKING about theology and the act of doing theological reflections today using our own experiences and circumstances. I am confident that you can sympathize with me. You were once a pastor of a local congregation. And you understand many issues in theology and culture. Please allow me to express my thoughts on this topic. The Bible, it remains a foreign book to any
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(Letter 23) The business of winning the contest
2007-06-24 11:34:00
Dear Dad,I BELIEVE THAT life should be lived with joy and happiness. Pain is there in order for us to experience the bliss that joy offers.But suffering should not always be there so that we would be immune to all kinds of pain. Life can be painful; but it is not painful in itself.I think we should have some fun. And we are not prohibited to play and tell funny stories. We are free to listen to
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(Letter 22) Imagery in poetry
2007-06-22 13:10:00
Dear Father, I KNOW THAT you are a poet. Yes, your interest is poetry. Isn’t it obvious? You read and write poems; in fact, you read poems in public. The audiences were captivated by the beauty of words, the lushness of images, and the depth of meaning. Such is the art of poetry. Our experiences come through the senses; if we sense it, then we experience it. When I look up at the sky, I see
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(Letter 21) Inquiries to truth
2007-06-21 12:54:00
Dear Father,I HAVE BEEN reflecting about truth, its definition and its significance. But it seems that truth is hard to define. Well, allow me to express my thoughts. Truth is the most elusive of all. Nobody knows exactly what truth is. Philosophers since Socrates inquired of the truth and they arrived at different answers and definitions. Pilate asked of Jesus, “What is truth?” but Jesus did not
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(Letter 20) Eros and the erotic
2007-06-20 07:01:00
Dear Dad, I'VE BEEN THINKING about you. How sweet it would be when we’re together as a family. I always dream of such moment. Until today I am still asking about the origin of family. Well, at least how family was formed. Two individuals meet each other, in loved, live together, and enjoy the mystery of sex. Comics joke about sex with grains of truth and people buy into it. Advertizing
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(Letter 19) Poverty and hope
2007-06-19 13:02:00
Dear Dad, LAST NIGHT MY brother LW called me up asking whether I already have a job. I said to him that yes I have part-time jobs. But I don’t really have a full-time job. I remember the days when you left us when I was only nine, we were buried in poverty. Lack of food. No access to productive resources. No power to purchase. Powerless. Deprived. Ridiculed. Voiceless. Humiliated. Excluded.
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(Letter 18) The prophets
2007-06-19 12:20:00
Dear Dad, AFTER A LONG day of reflection whether or not I should confront you on matters that pertains your responsibility as a father, I said to myself, “Not this time.” The time is not yet ripe for us to talk about personal responsibilities. Although I prefer talking it directly with you, the temptation to write it down is very strong. Maybe there’s proper time for it later. But in the mean
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(Letter 17) Behind magnificence
2007-06-18 09:45:00
Dear Dad, YESTERDAY I WENT to Ninoy Aquino International Airport to fetch a friend from Bangkok. On my way to the airport, I passed by Makati city, the country's business district, and awed by the city's infrastructures. Tall buildings. Flyovers. Underpasses. Beautiful architectures. Humanity build for themselves kingdoms and empires: business, territories, etc. Modern day city builders
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