IN a group of thirty college-level applicants, five said there were three gods. Only three knew the Ten Commandments. Knowledge of the Faith is low among our young Knowledge of the Faith is different from Faith itself. Faith is a free gift of God. Some farmer behind his plow may have more Faith than all the theologians in Rome. It is important to know one’s faith what is even more important is to practice that Faith. It is difficult to practice or to love a Faith without adequate knowledge of that Faith.

We believe there are Three Persons but one God. There is only one God but His manifestations to us are in three different forms. We cannot understand all of God. An analogy is two persons see you one from the front and the other from the back. They see two different things of you but that does not make you two persons. The problem is in the beholders rather than in you. So too the one God of our Faith manifests Himself to us as three different Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit but He is one God. This is the first mystery of our Faith. We

EMETRIO

will understand it fully only in the next world.

There are about a dozen mysteries in our Faith which we try to understand but can only have a glimmer of the truth here on earth. Some of these are how can God the Creator be at the same time a created man in Jesus; how can God allow evil or sin; how can an all loving God allow suffering; how can we square predestination and free will; and half a dozen other mysteries which will be clarified only in the next world. If we knew everything we would be as great as or greater than God. We also would not need faith, for faith is belief in something we do not fully understand on the word of another.

The second problem in our example is the ignorance of the Ten Commandments. We may have some implicit knowledge from the example of others and from customs but knowledge of those rules are essential if we are to follow those rules on our way to union with God and perfect happiness which every human being longs for. We are a religious people and the Filipino Diaspora is rekindling faith all over the world. Even in the old Christian nations that have neglected their faith, it is the Filipino community that practices their faith. There are at least seventy churches in Rome that have Masses for Filipinos and their friends whom they bring along to worship on Sunday.

It is unfortunate that we are losing knowledge of the faith in our youth. Before the Japanese war Congressman Benito Soliven passed through Congress a religious instruction bill which was vetoed by Pres. Quezon. Since that time we have been making do with volunteer catechists in our public schools. But it seems that this is no longer adequate. The religious instruction need should be reviewed with the probable charter change. We have to teach our youth their faith so they can more easily practice it. This of course would be at the request of parents. This would enhance democracy reduce crime as we foster love of God and love of neighbor. We have already allowed the teaching of the Sharia Law in the Muslim communities. We need to emphasize the truth that good citizenship needs the knowledge of God and the following of His law in love. emenerio_barcelon@yahoo.com