By Farah G. Decano

           

I WAS in utter disbelief when it was confirmed to me by her legal consultant, Atty. Doris Barrozo, that the first woman mayor of Calasiao, the Honorable Mamilyn “Maya” Caramat, has gone too soon.

Her sweet smile whenever I saw her and her husband, General Romeo Caramat, out on a date at the old Pedritos restaurant, came back to me.  In my mind, she was so alive and made even more alive by her leadership achievements in Calasiao in so short a time.

I have high respects for Mayor Maya for two reasons.

First, she was a woman of vision who was able to rally her people in delivering positive changes in her town in just a few months. Residents of Calasiao started exuding civic pride because their locality has finally become the subject of admiration of the Pangasinan populace.

Second, I admire the person behind her public image.  It is a politico’s job to be nicey-nice in public.  So, I don’t buy seeming kindness that are shown on television or social media. I give premium to the comments of ordinary people whose employment are not dependent on the politico.  So far, I have been getting favorable feedbacks about her from these people. “She has a good heart,” they say.

My sympathies to General Caramat and the people of Calasiao. My maternal ancestors are from Calasiao so I shared your pride. And now, your grief.

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My Catholic beliefs have been firmed up by my attendance to Opus Dei’s philosophy lectures, circles, and basic Christian doctrine classes when I was in college.  It was impressed upon me that we must be protective of the men of the cloth.  

            To be protective means that we must make it our personal responsibility to help shield our priests from temptations and from occasions thereof.  Under the teachings of Opus Dei, we must relate with priests with such refinement that exudes warmth but devoid of any acts or emotions that would feed their ego or sensuality.

            Hence, I find it impertinent for some avid churchgoers to flirt with these holy servants and test their strength of will.  I also find it reckless for these church supporters who give improper attention to priests which could awaken their worldly feelings. 

            I strongly criticize those who give our holy men improper “wifely” attention: constant presence, reminders, greetings and performing errands for them.  What the hell are these people thinking of?  While priests are supposed to practice detachment for the rest of their lives, parishioners should not make our holy servants’ lives more difficult by providing temptation. 

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            I listened to Bishop Socrates Villegas’ homily during Father Allan Abuan’s 25^th sacerdotal anniversary on January 10 at the Binmaley Church.  He said that 25 years ago, Father Allan Abuan responded to the call of God.  It was a fearless “Yes” because he did not hesitate to commit his life to his holy vocation, despite not knowing how his future will turn out and without appreciating fully the difficulty of a priestly life.   Bishop Soc articulated that along with Father Allan’s fearless “Yes” was his more courageous “No.”  It was a “No” to the more mundane means of happiness such as having a family and children of his own.

I noticed how Bishop Soc was careful about Fr. Allan’s soul in his homily. He did not want to bloat the priest’s ego and fall into false pride. While he praised Fr. Abuan’s steadfast commitment to his vocation for 25 years, he downplayed the same by saying that Fr. Allan made it to his silver anniversary because of God’s mercy.

Let us be like Bishop Soc.  Let us be mindful also of the spirituality of our shepherds.  Let us appreciate our priests but remind them that it was God who made their efforts possible.

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