We observe here in the Philippines a good number of
Catholics. It was in the 16th century that the first Catholic
missionaries from Spain came over to bring the Catholic Faith to our
land. Ever since, by God’s grace, majority of Filipinos have been
practicing the Catholic Faith devotedly, though it’s true there is an air of
freedom of religions, since we are a democratic society. But such
freedom is part of our mature conscientiousness of being respectful of others’
rights in the quest for truth and freedom. This fact presupposes our
being true to ourselves in honestly searching for the truth.
Naturally our quest for the truth should not be a
popularity contest of numbers in population but rather an objective perception
or understanding of the truth. That’s what the Lord wanted to tell
us in the statement—“the truth shall set you free” (Jn. 8:32). Naturally,
truth brings us success, but error or lies lead us to failure and
disappointments. Perhaps you might ask why I chose the present title
of this write-up. You can read the reason in Mt. 16:15-20, why we
listen to the Church, especially through its authoritative sources, the Pope
and the Bishops and their associates or pastors, in their official capacity or
acts. Jesus told His disciples: “Anyone who listens to you listens
to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me, and those who reject me reject the
one who sent me” (Lk. 10:15). We have to respect as well all
lawfully constituted authority. Honesty and truth will stand the
test of time and history since the hand of God is ever there to guide man’s
destiny through the years.
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