Manila

MANILA
."She had never seen poverty on this scale. 'How can one person possibly make a difference.' For every one person Sienna fed, there were hundreds more who gazed at her with desolate eyes. Manila had six-hour traffic jams, suffocating pollution, and a horrifying sex trade, whose workers consisted primarily of young children, many of whom had been sold to pimps by parents who took solace in knowing that at least their children would be fed. Amid this chaos of child prostitution, panhandlers, pickpockets, and worse, Sienna found herself suddenly paralyzed. All around her, she could see humanity overrun by it's primal instinct for survival. 'when they face desperation . . . human beings become animals.' For Sienna all the dark depression came flooding back. She had suddenly understood mankind for what it was ---- a species on the brink. 'I was wrong,' she thought. 'I can't save the world.' Overwhelmed by traffic mania, Sienna broke into a sprint through the city streets, thrusting her way through the masses of people, knocking them over, pressing on, searching for open space. 'I'm being suffocated by human flesh!' As she ran, she could feel the eyes upon her again. She no longer blended in. She was tall and fair-skinned with a blond pony tail waving behind her. Men stared at her as if she were naked. When her legs finally gave out, she had no idea how far she had run or where she had gone. She cleared the tears and grime from her eyes and saw that she was standing in a kind of shantytown ---- a city made of pieces corrugated metal and cardboard propped up and held together. All around her the wails of crying babies and the stench of human excrement hung the air. 'I've run through the gates of hell.'
~Excerpt, Inferno, Dan Brown ~

"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
~ Voltaire ~
Francois-Marie Arouet, November 21, 1694-May 30, 1778

Hello Dan Brown, 'presumed you visited Manila. As they say there is always two side to a coin. It's heart rending to depict poverty as hell. If a person realizes that some worldly element is distracting him/her from this goal, there shall be no hesitation to distance oneself from such element. As per the Mosaic Law, every sacrifice was to be salted in order to consecrate the offering and remind the people of one's covenantal relationship with God. Therefore, losing saltiness would mean losing one's purity of intent. As Soren Kierkegaard has noted, "purity of heart is to will one thing," and this one thing is God and God alone, . . . . (Sirach 5:1-8 / Mk 9:41-50). One way to identify wisdom is to recognize its opposite. If we are wise, we will not allow foolish "inner conversations" to take place in our minds. We will not give in to overconfidence, the sin which the Catechism calls 'presumption.' There are two kinds of presumption, one kind moves us to rely too much on our own wealth or personal strength, as if we were more powerful than God, the other kind moves us to suppose God will forgive us even if we are not repentant. All who are wise in the ways of the Lord know that we must often choose a path that seems more difficult now, in the future, we will be richly rewarded. One leading to reward, the other to punishment. To the foolish the choices may seem rather insignificant. On the positive side, there is the simple act of giving someone a drink of water. It is not a grand act or an impressive sacrifice ---- it will not be reported in media or change the world.  We may be tempted to think that small acts of charity are not even worth doing, but the Lord says the man who does this "will not go without his reward." On the negative side, misleading a "simple believer." Causing another person to sin ---- especially one of the Lord's "little ones" ---- is a very serious matter. The world may treat sins as no more than light entertainment, but anyone who commits them merits a punishment harsher than being "plunged into the sea with a great millstone fastened around his neck." To emphasize the seriousness of any actions or decisions that will determine our eternal destiny. Which direction are we going in, toward eternal life in heaven or toward eternal punishment in hell? We are better off entering the Kingdom of God crippled than entering hell with our bodies fully intact. The roots of sin are not in the hand, the foot, or the eye. What must be "cut off" is every attachment to sin in the heart. We are better off gouging out our presumption and making a good confession than gouging an eye. 
Many people consider the use of such grim images ---- like drowning under the weight of a millstone or burning in a fire that never goes out ---- to be unpleasant and improper in our days. We are not supposed to make people feel uncomfortable. Only positive messages are considered acceptable. Jesus is not so concerned about how we feel, but how we are living and where we are going. His message of love and mercy includes the disturbing truth about hell. God loves us all, therefore, "Everyone will be salted with fire" ---- the fire of divine love.
Storm come and go, as often as before, sometimes it took almost everything, sometimes it leaves nothing, sometimes it leaves us nothing. But through all these, with the beautiful sunny disposition of a rainbow, life goes on. Life always goes on. Standing tall, Manileños has but one word for you MABUHAY!♥

"Accept God's message for what it really is : God's message, and not some human thinking."
~ 1 Thessaloninas 2:13 ~