By Fr. Bel San Luis, SVD
There’s a saying which goes, “Look before you leap.” Simply put, “Think of the consequences of an offense before you do it.”
In the May 24 issue of Manila Bulletin, the front-page photo showed hand-cuffed 10 fraternity students of Aegis Juris being led from the NBI detention center to the Manila city jail.
Their case stemmed from the death of Horacio “Atio” Castilio III, a law student, who died allegedly from hazing committed by the students.
What’s highly pathetic is that Horacio’s life cannot be returned anymore. On the accused side, the young men’s goals and plans have been either derailed, shelved, or quashed.
There are similar cases like murder over traffic altercations, hold-ups and robbery with killings, all of which could have been avoided if only those killers thought twice or thrice on the consequences before committing the crimes. For instance, they should have thought of the grief and misery inflicted on the victims’ families, the punishment of being locked up in jail for years, remorse of conscience, and retribution from the just God.
Those who committed the fatal hazing were law students and their fellow fraternity advisers were legal experts. They should have known better. Knowing the law, however, is not a guarantee that one will not break it.
Likewise, a banker knows from A to Z about money, but that does not stop him from stealing. A priest who preaches against sin does not stop him from committing it. What you know is in the your brain; what you do is in the human WILL.
How can we strengthen the human will? One way is to have constant awareness of the moral values and laws, and a strong conviction to follow them even if the temptations, like an attractive bribe, are strong.
Also, we should not expose ourselves to occasions that lead to crimes and sins like bad companions, places of vice, immoral movie/TV shows.
Somebody said: “To pray against temptation but not to avoid the occasion of sin is like putting your hand in the fire and pray that the hand does not get burned.”
Knowing the frailty of human nature, constant reminders, guidance, supervision from parents and authority figures, and religious self-renewal programs are effective antidotes to crime.
As the British General of Wellington aptly said: “Educate men without religion and you make them but clever devils.”
THE LIGHTER SIDE. A man bragged to his friend: “I got rid of my vices through will power. Smoking? Will power. Drinking? Will power.“ How about womanizing?” his friend asked. He paused then replied: “Power failure!” “But I keep trying to overcome it,” he added.
Husband to wife: Our helper robbed us of a costly towel when she left. Wife lamented, saying: “People nowadays have no more morals. Which towel did she steal? Husband replied: “The one with the logo ‘Holiday Inn.’”
SUPPORT SEMINARIANS. It’s the start of school year again and seminarians are enrolling.
Let me appeal to our generous readers to help needy seminarians we’re supporting under “Adopt-A- Seminarian” scholarship program. You may chip in an amount or sponsor a seminarian’s schooling for one year.
For inquiry, e-mail me at: [email protected].
Seminarians are our future priests, bishops, and popes. We cannot have them if we don’t support seminarians NOW.