Brooooom! Broooooooom! Broooooom! That exasperating sound of an engine brings me back old memories. The good ones are too sweet to reminisce, and the bad ones are too bitter to repeat. I remember the busy streets in the city and the riders on their motorcycle. I had a great fun ridding on that motorbike along the highways in Cebu. There was no bumping up on a crooked road.
Now, here I am in the middle of the field ridding on a skylab. The vehicle was innovated from the simple motorcycle to an extraordinary motorbike with a katig at each side. The driver could not only have two but six to eight passengers in one the same vehicle! This is only in the Philippines. That kind of vehicle surpasses that of Japanese brand Honda. Other than that, skylab can drive you on the rocky roads without you falling from the vehicle.
Driving in the barrios of Socorro is really different. In my visit to Sta. Cruz and San Roque, at first, I found the roads too difficult to travel on. They were not cemented, and literally, I needed to pass on a rocky road. I knew rocky road as a stylish flavor of an ice cream in the city. It’s a blend of marsh mallows and crushed chocolates in creamy vanilla ice cream. But in those two barrios, rocky road was an experience of bumping on the rocks and diving on the mud. The time I left those two barrios, I realized that my experience on those roads was memorable.
Now, here I am in the middle of the field ridding on a skylab. The vehicle was innovated from the simple motorcycle to an extraordinary motorbike with a katig at each side. The driver could not only have two but six to eight passengers in one the same vehicle! This is only in the Philippines. That kind of vehicle surpasses that of Japanese brand Honda. Other than that, skylab can drive you on the rocky roads without you falling from the vehicle.
Driving in the barrios of Socorro is really different. In my visit to Sta. Cruz and San Roque, at first, I found the roads too difficult to travel on. They were not cemented, and literally, I needed to pass on a rocky road. I knew rocky road as a stylish flavor of an ice cream in the city. It’s a blend of marsh mallows and crushed chocolates in creamy vanilla ice cream. But in those two barrios, rocky road was an experience of bumping on the rocks and diving on the mud. The time I left those two barrios, I realized that my experience on those roads was memorable.
I had a different kind of travel in Socorro. Comparing it with my travel in the city, my experience on those rocky roads left me an extraordinary kind of journey. In the city, the travel is less difficult due to the great highways and asphalt-covered roads. The ride on a motorcycle is so usual that most of us in Cebu consider it as part of our daily routine. Nothing is adventurous. Sometimes, many people there regard ridding on a motorcycle as frantic, sometimes risky.
But my travel in Socorro was unusual. I thought the reason why the local government in that place did not give effort to cover with asphalt or cement the roads of Sta. Cruz and San Roque was that the roads themselves were part of their tourist attraction projects. They might think they could attract tourists and investors having those kinds of roads. Well, I would like to tell them: It’s not effective! To drive there is like ridding on a roller coaster. There’s a bump here, and a bump there. And anywhere, there’s bumping before you reach your destination. Anyway, that roller coaster ride is free! But I pity the people living in those barrios. One thing came into my mind: Where’s the government?
I do not want this paper to be political even if I see that the cruise of religious groups and the government is hysteric. It is hysteric in such a way that most people combine religious with political view. I do not want to talk more about this. Politicians might have unpleasant impression with the Catholics. Let’s leave the problem about the road to the local government. Anyway, that’s their duty.
While most of us consider rocky roads as something difficult and uncomfortable, they give us reflection in our lives. Life may not be easy for some of us. But I am sure it’s full of adventure. If one would ask me what kind of road is the most fitting description of life, I would answer the rocky and crooked one. To travel on that kind of road, one experiences dynamic feelings. There is the experience of fear, discomfort, annoyance, distress, and sometimes, the mixture of ease and irritation, ups and downs. Then prayer comes in, “Lord, keep us safe!” Now, we see that a perilous journey reminds us of God. Isn’t also a good imagery of our journey in life? In our lives, we have fears, discomfort, annoyance and mix emotions that would pull us down. But we should not forget that these things are not really negative. Like traveling on a crooked and rocky road, these feelings invite us to call God for help.
Without these spices, life becomes boring. Sometimes, we need to empty the glass in order to fill it with new water. In other words, one should experience aridity and isolation to allow the value of joy, happiness and love to penetrate him at the end of his suffering. The parents in the BEC level, for example, should prepare the requirements so that their children can have the sacraments. When their children receive the sacrament, the parents become happy. This shows that the Church’s regulations are actually pre-taste of joy, and we become fully jubilant when we receive our favor. Instead of complaining, therefore, we must be excited while preparing the Church requirements.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life (Jn. 14:6).” We have different roads and different adventures in life. But we only have one way to which we must go through. That’s why, even if we have different experiences, we only have one objective way to which we must pattern our lives. A crooked and rocky road is the source of dynamic experiences. But Christ as the way is the source of truth and life. The point that I would like to make is that, even if we travel on the road full of trials and challenges, let us be sure that it would lead us to Christ. Our suffering becomes meaningless when Christ is absent in our life. But if he lives in us and with us, our suffering brings out the way for our sanctification. That is why, in every catholic church, there is a depiction of crucified Christ on the cross. This would tell us that in our suffering, may we let Jesus become present.
My summer exposure in Socorro is a mixture of joy, trials, comfort, challenges peace and anxiety. This is just a part of a very long journey. I cannot guess where this travel leads me. But I am sure that I have travelled a memorable experience on a rocky road. I cherish the experience with the good people in Socorro, and I thank them for giving me sweet memories. There are unusual journeys I have been through, but what keep my journey in the island of Bucas Grande so special to me is that I bring Christ to the people. Jesus brings me in this island so that I can bring him to the people. How I wish they see Christ in me. And when they see Christ, they may follow him as the only way back home. The people here may experience a rocky road in living the Catholic faith, but let it be, so that when we all reach our destination, we feel relief and become grateful to Him. (By Fray Jubanie Rey Baller, OSA)
Fray Jubanie Rey Baller, OSA is a simply professed friar of the Order of Saint Augustine - Province of Sto. Niño de Cebu - Philippines. He had his summer exposure in the islands of Bucas Grande together with two other friars in 2014. Being sent to this place is an annual formation program aiming to expose the seminarians in one of the apostolates of the Augustinians in the country. In this case, the mission apostolate is being given attention particularly for the first year simply professed friars.
But my travel in Socorro was unusual. I thought the reason why the local government in that place did not give effort to cover with asphalt or cement the roads of Sta. Cruz and San Roque was that the roads themselves were part of their tourist attraction projects. They might think they could attract tourists and investors having those kinds of roads. Well, I would like to tell them: It’s not effective! To drive there is like ridding on a roller coaster. There’s a bump here, and a bump there. And anywhere, there’s bumping before you reach your destination. Anyway, that roller coaster ride is free! But I pity the people living in those barrios. One thing came into my mind: Where’s the government?
I do not want this paper to be political even if I see that the cruise of religious groups and the government is hysteric. It is hysteric in such a way that most people combine religious with political view. I do not want to talk more about this. Politicians might have unpleasant impression with the Catholics. Let’s leave the problem about the road to the local government. Anyway, that’s their duty.
While most of us consider rocky roads as something difficult and uncomfortable, they give us reflection in our lives. Life may not be easy for some of us. But I am sure it’s full of adventure. If one would ask me what kind of road is the most fitting description of life, I would answer the rocky and crooked one. To travel on that kind of road, one experiences dynamic feelings. There is the experience of fear, discomfort, annoyance, distress, and sometimes, the mixture of ease and irritation, ups and downs. Then prayer comes in, “Lord, keep us safe!” Now, we see that a perilous journey reminds us of God. Isn’t also a good imagery of our journey in life? In our lives, we have fears, discomfort, annoyance and mix emotions that would pull us down. But we should not forget that these things are not really negative. Like traveling on a crooked and rocky road, these feelings invite us to call God for help.
Without these spices, life becomes boring. Sometimes, we need to empty the glass in order to fill it with new water. In other words, one should experience aridity and isolation to allow the value of joy, happiness and love to penetrate him at the end of his suffering. The parents in the BEC level, for example, should prepare the requirements so that their children can have the sacraments. When their children receive the sacrament, the parents become happy. This shows that the Church’s regulations are actually pre-taste of joy, and we become fully jubilant when we receive our favor. Instead of complaining, therefore, we must be excited while preparing the Church requirements.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life (Jn. 14:6).” We have different roads and different adventures in life. But we only have one way to which we must go through. That’s why, even if we have different experiences, we only have one objective way to which we must pattern our lives. A crooked and rocky road is the source of dynamic experiences. But Christ as the way is the source of truth and life. The point that I would like to make is that, even if we travel on the road full of trials and challenges, let us be sure that it would lead us to Christ. Our suffering becomes meaningless when Christ is absent in our life. But if he lives in us and with us, our suffering brings out the way for our sanctification. That is why, in every catholic church, there is a depiction of crucified Christ on the cross. This would tell us that in our suffering, may we let Jesus become present.
My summer exposure in Socorro is a mixture of joy, trials, comfort, challenges peace and anxiety. This is just a part of a very long journey. I cannot guess where this travel leads me. But I am sure that I have travelled a memorable experience on a rocky road. I cherish the experience with the good people in Socorro, and I thank them for giving me sweet memories. There are unusual journeys I have been through, but what keep my journey in the island of Bucas Grande so special to me is that I bring Christ to the people. Jesus brings me in this island so that I can bring him to the people. How I wish they see Christ in me. And when they see Christ, they may follow him as the only way back home. The people here may experience a rocky road in living the Catholic faith, but let it be, so that when we all reach our destination, we feel relief and become grateful to Him. (By Fray Jubanie Rey Baller, OSA)
Fray Jubanie Rey Baller, OSA is a simply professed friar of the Order of Saint Augustine - Province of Sto. Niño de Cebu - Philippines. He had his summer exposure in the islands of Bucas Grande together with two other friars in 2014. Being sent to this place is an annual formation program aiming to expose the seminarians in one of the apostolates of the Augustinians in the country. In this case, the mission apostolate is being given attention particularly for the first year simply professed friars.