Sincere Observance

Two weeks ago, I attended the baptismal ceremony of my friend's 2 month's old daughter. Few days prior to the said ceremony, I was reminded to be in the church before 9 o'clock in the morning for a pre-baptismal seminar. Unable to attend will disqualify me from one of the God parents, so quarter before it started, I was there already, waiting for the rest; my future kumares and kumpares, my friend with her spouse and my soon to be God daughter, and all the others that have the same purpose on coming that day. While the discussion was yet on its first and half hour (have never been attended a seminar as long as this before), I felt a discomfort caused by hours sitting, which opted me to have my legs straightened up and stood. Grabbing the time opportunity, I went to a small store near the church and bought something sweet to eat-to make up my usual time to lunch (it was already past 11 and I usually have my breakfast and lunch all in one at 10:30). I didn’t go back immediately to where I had seated after I got back from the store, instead, headed on to a bench just a few rows away from where the person in charged of the seminar stood, enough to still hear what she had talking about while I settled myself on it with the few others who were, just like me, bored of the lecture. From there, I took some bites of the cookies until I consumed one tiny pack (I still had one pack left). It was enough to sustain my stomach up to the prepared lunch at my friend’s house. A bit mess on my hand with the empty pack, thinking as to whether I would just keep it in my bag or not, I stood and looked for a bin where I could throw it away. But I found myself roaming around outside the church and found nothing, until I asked a guy who was working in the convent and pointed his finger at the big pail that seemed to me was not at all a trash can. So I was relieved from it and headed inside where the seminar was still on going but suddenly interrupted by the priest’s signal to end it and started the baptismal ceremony.

To make this story short, despite the boredom from that long hours of seminar, I got to still extend my patience on waiting for the baptismal ceremony, although I was a bit shocked because it was done in 15 minutes only, when to my mind, it should have been more important than the 2 hours discussion. The solemnity was no longer observed by most of who attended it due to their long hours spent listening as to what and what not to do during baptismal, the do’s and don’ts, and the penalties that they have specified on certain requirements being not followed, so on and so forth. It was unbelievably happened after all the one lectured us ( I think she was a nun) got to almost shout and had a firmed voice telling one mother that they were not supposed to accommodate baptismal from a child whose parents have not married yet (the mother was unwed), or the father is not present for that matter. She further told us that most of the people who have lots of problems and got into trouble come from the Catholic Religion. And I said silently to myself addressing her my question of "what do you think is the reason why"?

I am not trying to provoke all the Catholics here because I myself a Catholic by religion. But my way of salvation is of born again Christians and the path of life I followed is of Buddhism. So, I think it’s not on what religion you may have but it’s how you will put life on something that you’re doing regardless of how you may believe in it or not.