The
classes will start at August due to some changes in philosophy school. While
waiting for days coming, seminarians are spending so much of their time in
manual work, in prayer and study. In everyday routine, they are asked to attend
the class arranged by our rector, Fr. Stan and if the professor is not coming;
at least we spend time in self-study and scribbling some books and
encyclopedias in the library.
This
morning, July 13, 2016, Fr. Oreste became our dynamic professor in his
deliberative approach. We cannot contain our joy listening to his sweet Tagalog
words thinking that he knew very well the medium of the Filipinos. He brought
out the topic on sexuality and emphasizing as not anymore a taboo issue but an
event of life that must be celebrated. Reechoing his homily, love must not be
so selfish in saying, “Inlove Ako Sayo” rather than “Mahal Kita”. There he
opened the writings of Pope Benedict XVI entitled, “God is Love”. What
identifies a person is his/her sexual identity, either male or female containing
their chromosomes. He told us stories about his missionary experience in India.
There once a family who have six siblings- five are girls and the youngest is a
boy. Since they are poor, they let their youngest brother dress like a girl
since they have this scarcity of clothing. That is why, in the society, there
are bakla and tomboy (gays and
lesbians) who often discriminated by many. Taking the example of the same sex
marriage, we are called to exercise our freedom. Fr. Oreste emphasized the
emotion of each person. Our personhood feels life. Our personhood can say if we
are a girl or a boy.
He mentioned sexuality in the discussion. We pondered in his ideals if “It is a truth of our nature or truth of our confusion?” Then he sustained the reflection by laying a survey that 90% is not in our hands because we can only know that we grew up in a situation. There are three things he gave to define sexuality: intelligence, emotion, and impulses. Intelligence tells our capacity to understand, to reflect, to take various decisions. Intelligence defines our being human than the animals. Emotions explains us why we react so much. Fr. Oreste said, “It is not true that men should not cry, that men should not be afraid.” Emotions are important. It will protect us; it will guide us. Impulses allows us to be aggressive, to work on things. All three worked hand on hand. For him, we can combat it with acceptance and self- control, that is a sign of being a mature person.
Seminarians have the same level in formation, if there is someone who are really mature, it is ourselves to move before the other. Lastly, the most sensitive part he connoted was a contact of persons that can aggreviate sexual drives. “It is the skin and not a person’s organ”, he added. The diversity of culture extends clear illustrations on this. In India, the way they greet people is by gesturing a praying hand and bow, in Arab countries, females are so much sensitive in their appearance; they covered a cloth not to have solicit from men. In Italy, often people are extending hands and kiss if it is a girl. “It is not wrong to be bakla, he exclaimed, “ but there is something to be changed because it is not your call”. He fractioned the intelligence over the emotions; to think what you are projecting. In interactive question and answer, he said that, “Church does not condemn homosexual people. Let us give them a chance for learning”.
He
left us a very beautiful conclusion. He emphasized the year of mercy in which the door is
wide to welcome them, to cater them and to bring them to Christ. The mother
church is saying, and Father Vicar quoted, “We should not have condemned them, we should
accept them instead”.
Sem. Pablo B. Jordan
Contributor
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