Bisaya Bloggers

The 49th International Eucharistic Congress is currently being held in Quebec, Canada. The theme of the weeklong (June 15-22) assembly is “The Eucharist, Gift of God for the Life of the World.” The program of activities includes a mix of artistic and religious celebrations, workshops, symposia and catecheses.

The organizers have created a media portal where visitors can follow the Congress live via streaming media. Videos of the liturgical celebrations, homilies, conferences, testimonies and other important events are available for free. A number of documentaries are also included in the list of videos for online viewing. It is best to start with the “Just Added” folder because it contains the latest video resources.

The text of the multilingual Congress theme song can be downloaded in PDF format but you have to visit this page to listen to the audio. You can also listen to a good number of Gregorian chants recorded for the Congress here. The Theological Document prepared for the Congress is available in seven languages and can be downloaded from this page.

Recently I was engaged in an online exchange of ideas regarding atheism. I’d met Benj of Atheista.net at a bloggers’ get-together in Manila last week, and checking his blog last night, I was regaled by a lengthy treatise on intelligence and belief systems.

I respect Benj and I wouldn’t insult his intelligence by engaging him in a battle of wits to try and win him over to “my side”. And I know he respects me as well. We have amicably agreed to disagree. I do agree with him on one point, though: intelligence can be a bane to the intellectual.

We think too much, consider too many angles, and are therefore encumbered by our own intelligence from embracing what’s in fact plain to grasp for the … uh … less intellectually inclined.

Does this mean that people who believe in God are not intelligent? I don’t think so. Intelligence and faith are not mutually exclusive. However — and I think this is what atheists do not quite comprehend (or cannot accept) — faith does entail being blindly believing. We have no empirical proof of God’s existence whatsoever, and yet we believe in His presence. This is at the very core of Christianity (and perhaps of Islam and Judaism as well), that we put trust in a Supreme Being whom we cannot see or touch.

Writing this, a thought crept into my mind: Why? Why do I believe even without any shred of evidence of God’s existence? Is my belief simply a product of conditioning, upbringing?

Admittedly, I’m Catholic because I had no choice in the matter. However, my belief has long since been reinforced because I have experienced God. When I was in high school, I attended Mass almost everyday, and when I’d pray to ask for something and then receive it, I’d feel this inexplicable warmth all over my body. I lost this religiosity in college, for several reasons.

When I was a little older, I had a very tumultuous episode with my parents, and I was desperate for a resolution to the problem. Nobody could console me (nor my folks). After years and years of ignoring my faith, I turned back to prayer. I prayed as fervently as I knew how… and then, that soothing warm feeling I used to get back then came rushing back. No answers came with the warmth… but I gained a renewed strength to face my problems.

I’ve had other experiences that have made me more resolute that God does exist, but that was the most significant for me.

One other. There is an imagery that I employ whenever I try to explain to people why I believe: the universe. Can you imagine the universe as having a limit, a boundary? Let’s say it does. But if it does have a boundary, what’s beyond? Although I know infinity is also difficult to fathom, can you imagine that there’s absolutely nothing beyond?

What about life? After death… what? Will we just cease to exist completely after we die? Or do we move on to a different plane of existence?

Is it mere human arrogance to claim that we will transcend this fleshly manifestation? Is it misguided anthropocentrism to believe that we have a higher purpose beyond this lifetime?

I have no answers. I only have my faith, one that is very personal. Faith, after all, is a journey, not a destination.

This is an alternative Way of the Cross. It is a collaborative work by Filipinos from various parts of the Philippines and the world. The writers come from different perspectives and roots. A nurse, a blogger, a domestic helper, a mother, a father, an engineer, a magazine writer, a young urban professional, a development communication trainor, a law student, and a missionary priest make up the mix. They may come from unique backgrounds but they are all intimately united by their faith in Jesus Christ.

The Collaborative Way of the Cross is in PDF format and you can download it for free by clicking here. If you find the download slow, you may email me at stephencuyos@gmail.com so I can send you the file as an email attachment.