Padre don't preach

When I was growing up, I frequent the church before because my grandmother would always force me to tag along with her. I was in elementary then and a mass at 8pm on a Saturday night was not a favorable idea and much more a mass at 430 early Sunday mornings. The only consolation I would get from attending an early morning mass was the "puto, pan de sal and sikwate" that always opens up a gastronomic Sunday.

One day, I overheard my folks talking about a priest in our hometown who got somebody pregnant. The lady turned out to be our neighbor and her mom is a friend of my grandmother. Shocked with the news, I asked my mom why the lady got pregnant when she is not the wife and priests can’t marry. My mom immediately brushed me off saying that it’s not kids talk. I never questioned anybody about it then but the thought never really got out from my mind.

In high school, a neighbor gave birth to her third son whom she named Christopher. She named her son such because she wanted her son to enter priesthood when he grows up so that her family will be rich. Taken aback, I told her that priests have a vow of poverty and chastity. She said yes they have but there are priests who doesn’t really practice them. The idea hit me again, not all priests practice chastity and poverty, so that could be the reason why the town priest got our neighbor pregnant.

My grandmother would always remind me by telling me to always behave otherwise God will get angry and the priest will scold me. I’m afraid of God’s scorn but I was more afraid of the priests scolding….until I heard news that totally changed my views on these religious people.

I am honestly appalled whenever I hear in the news that a priest got somebody pregnant or priests accused of sexual harassment or news of priests and religious people getting rich and amassing millions of wealth. I considered them as revered people, who are closer to God than most ordinary citizens.

I agree that these priests are not saints and neither do we. I have yet to meet somebody who is a candidate for sainthood. The only problem I have with these people is that they made a vow. Much like ordinary people who made a vow on marriage, these religious people made a vow to be married to God. I’m not inclined to agree when it is said that those who choose to walk God’s narrower path are prone to temptations. Temptations are everywhere. Whether you are a religious person or just the ordinary sinner, evil lurks everywhere to tempt you.

I have nothing against priests, nuns and religious people in general. I have family members and friends who are members of the religious few. I love them and I have so much respect for them.

But still, I don’t like the idea of priests or religious people preaching over men and women calling them sinners because they have their eyebrows trimmed and they wear makeup or because they bet in jai alai and engage in sabong.

Remember what’s said in the bible, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Padre, practice what you preach. Pareha ra bya ta nga makasasala. Wa gani mi nagreklamo nga halos kada tuig bag-o ka ug awto.





(This note was written because I can no longer stomach the bad practices of priests and the religious. I am chagrined with the thought that a few members of the religious group had besmirched their good image because of their shenanigans.)