Greater Scheme of Things

I found myself one day walking from the alumni section passing through the old business office into the new building of NDMU where the latter's business office is now situated. I saw they were unpacking old and new commodities for their new office and arranging them for use. They have these new chairs for those who will pay their school fees. These chairs were like the ones used in banks. Everybody inside is in rush.

I noticed one framed portrait. It was the only one hanging on the wall when I passed. Speculating it one can say that it is from the 1990's as telling from the design. It was an old print as one could tell from how it was layout with the words. It is a commemoration portrait maybe during the canonization of the one in the portrait. It was St. Marcellin Champagnat.

St. Marcellin was one of the founder of the Society of Mary. He later founded the Little Brothers of the School. A Catholic congregation dedicated to teaching in the schools. He is famous for the words: "In order to educate children we must love them first."

St. Marcellin's vocation started when he met Jeanne Baptiste-Montagne. A young lad dying and yet without knowledge of the faith. From this experience he promised to dedicate himself in the service of teaching. Teaching the faith to those who are deprived of it.

Yes, these are the stories which we are taught in our religious education and were taught to imitate. But, as I see the rush going on inside that office. It breaks my heart. It breaks my heart because of the progress that we have gone through. We have forgotten something. We have forgotten about the ones who dedicated the cornerstones of this institution. The cornerstones whose purpose are affectionately guarded inside the hearts of the ones who laid them out with the hopes to educate. To educate not only those who have the necessities to have education but especially those who do not. We have forgotten the toils and the sacrifices the early brothers and fathers shed to bring about this institution not for the profit of treasures where moth and rust destroys and where thieves break in and steal but ... on the treasures where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Mt. 6:19)

Have we not forgotten our purpose? Instead of a family-spirited institution we can feel that we have become a business institution whose membership needs points in the statistics.

Once I was walking along Alunan Avenue. To the left of me I passed by a street kid. To the right I saw a convent. A convent serving as shelter to those who dedicate themselves to God. What a purpose! So great and noble. All for the greater glory of God. But, what about this kid? What happened? Is he not part of that greater glory of God? 

Have we been blinded by the tinted windows of our expensive cars that we cannot see him anymore? Have we been deafened by the hums of our air-conditioners inside our room that we cannot hear him anymore?

We have been so engrossed with the realm of the divine that we have forgotten that God has became man so as to relate all the more to the sufferings of his people and save them from their sins. We have forgotten that our faith is communal. We have the responsibility to anyone we pass-by.

As Philosopher's put it: "Esse est co-esse." To exist is to co-exist. We are part of that greater reality. We are in the web of cause and effect. What we see is what we should give action upon. As the song Pilgrim's Theme sings it: "I hope to find my place so my life would fall in place...in the greater scheme of things."