It’s
the 73rd birthday today of President Rodrigo R. Duterte. According
to his special assistant Bong Go, simple prayer would make the president "very
happy" on his natal day. Certainly, the Philippine’s most powerful
human equally needs a powerful prayer from a holy person like St. Theresa of
Avila.
Theresa
is a controversial figure, not unlike Digong. The people of her time thought
that the Spanish nun is crazy because of her visions and locutions. Theresa
tried to ward it off for she was frightened she could be truly under an
evil spell or something diabolical in nature.
Digong
is brave and despite of his usual cursing and indecency he is a prayerful man.
In fact, he is a product of Catholic education. When he won the presidency, the
first thing he did was to pray near the tomb of his late mother. It was a very
solemn, thankful and earnest prayer.
Truth to tell, over Facebook, the president has its own prayer warriors.
When
Theresa of Avila was so disturbed, she put herself under spiritual guidance of
the Dominican and the Jesuit priests who eventually discerned that all of her
graphic or felt experiences were coming from God. She had a vision of hell and
made her realize that she had to save souls.
Whenever
he is criticized, Digong is verbally countering. He put himself away from
International Criminal Court or ICC after the Court receives cases alleging
that Philippine security forces have committed crimes against humanity but still believing
that God is behind him in this deadly campaign. He had a vision of heaven: a
crime free society where drug personalities are all annihilated.
Teresa
wrote a remarkable credible spiritual autobiography of her experiences. Digong
remarkably and incredibly jokes about everything in the presidential podium.
They both have extraordinary visions in very a contrasting way. But he dipped his hand into the dish (Today's gospel, Holy Wednesday or Spy Wednesday, by the way is Matthew 26: 14-25) while she didn't.
While
she is the patron saint of Sta. Teresa in Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro, he is
the worldly patron of the DDS.
And
one of the rare things in common between President Rodrigo Duterte and St.
Theresa of Avila is their birthday which is today, March 28.
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