Lolo Indo

I never learned how to swim.
So it would seemed a given that I never rode any boat of any size during my youth.

Not necessarily.

You see, our Lolo Indo was a skilled fisherman since he was young. He raised and supported his family of 6 riding his small un-motorized banca into the long and winding Atlag-Panasahan river leading into the vast green sea. Legend has it, or should I say, all our uncles and aunts testified to his swimming and boating expertise. I personally have no doubt about it because my father was so good a swimmer and trainer that he became the swimming team coach of his university.

So I have but little qualms everytime our Lolo Indo would invite us all his apos to ride the banca with him to have a swim in the nearby low-water level areas of the riverside. We were beaming with pride as our lolo deftly paddle left and right with relative ease yet with extreme care.

One time I remember when my kuya and I went together with him to our uncle’s house a few hundred meters far and one our way back, our banca was caught by the strong water current caused by a humongous dredging machine. We were slowly being sucked into the machines’ tunnel dredge and I started to get scared. Glancing back at our lolo, I saw nary a bit worry on his face as he muscled his paddle left and right, faster and stronger on every stroke. With a firm voice he reminded us to sit still and hold strongly on the side. His steel and undaunted presence inadvertently calmed my troubled self. And as we slowly inched our way away from the dangerous current, I know that we will be safe and sound in no time.

Lolo Indo and his banca is the only boatman and vessel that I would dare to put my life into.

Catholicism is my spiritual boat that my parents lovingly taught and up-brought me into and our beloved pope is my one and only reliable and experienced boatman whose lineage is directly rooted to the first apostles of our Lord. The rich apostolic traditions and biblical writings have been preserved and passed on from generations to generations. Only their combination can bring calm and sense of direction to my spiritual journey. I will forever remain in my conviction that other vessels are either defective boats or with unskilled boatman that can make my travel uneasy and uncertain. Hence I would never dare to try to jump off to another vessel for whatever reason. I will live and die a Catholic.

But this is in no way to pass judgment against my fellowmen traveling on those “other” boats, because in the end, we are on the same river of God’s mercy and grace that is carrying us towards Him and only those who set their sights and keeps paddling to the other side will miss His presence.

What concrete and definitive proof can I show for this personal belief?
Only one - our Lord Jesus Christ hanging on the cross.

Not for Christians only.
Not for Jews only.
Not for Muslims only.
Not for Buddhists only.

Not for a select few.
He died for ALL of us.