A00214 - Lapu Lapu and the Appeal of Catholicism
This past week has brought me to the Philippines. After a few days in the maelstrom of Manila, I ventured over to the former capital of Cebu to stay at the nearby town of Lapu Lapu, a city named after the warrior chieftain who led the resistance against the Spanish conquistadores who were led by Magellan.
Lapu Lapu is cited as being the one who slew Magellan and in the town of Lapu Lapu is a statue of Marvel superhero like Lapu Lapu, the first great Filipino resistance fighter.
Lapu Lapu's victory over Magellan did not last long. Magellan had already made great progress in the conversion of the Filipino people to Catholicism and it is this conversion to Catholicism that dominates throughout the land.
As I struggled to understand how twenty-five million people can call Manila home, and as I saw so much poverty on the streets, I began to wonder if maybe the Philippines has too much Catholicism. Despite the burden of overpopulation that exists in the Philippines, no where did I see any billboards promoting family planning. I may be missing something but it seems to me that a little family planning would go a long way in the Philippines.
Curious, I decided to taste a bit of Catholicism for myself. With a friend, I went to the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Cebu City for Sunday Mass. The Church was beautiful and had open walls to allow the breeze to come through. An occasional bird would fly in to attend the service with us.
There is a formality about the rituals of a Catholic service that are very comforting. However, to my surprise, it was the sermon that snapped me to attention. Father Leo Armada gave a quietly compelling sermon on talents. He spoke about how we all have talents, some have many, others only a few. However, whatever talents we have, have been given to us by God. And because these gifts are given to us by God, we have a responsibility to use them wisely for the benefit of mankind, not for some personal gratification. We also have a responsibility to nurture our talents so that they can reach their full potential and impact in this world. The failure to wisely use our talents and the failure to properly nurture them will be cited on the day of judgment when we meet God, so it is best to take care now that our talents are not wasted.
I was impressed by Father Armada's sermon. Indeed, I was so impressed that today as I sit in the airport in Seoul, Korea, waiting for my flight to San Francisco. I felt compelled to use my talent now and I am doing so by writing to you.
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
Fairfield, California
November 20, 2023
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