CONSECRATION TO A GREAT IDEAL

Acceptance Remarks upon KGOR Conferment

By Sir Edwin D. Bael, KGOR

12^th Central Luzon Assembly

City Library, Angeles City, Pampanga

29 November 2014

Sir and Mayor Ed Pamintuan,

Esteemed Supreme Commander Sir Jerry Singson,

2012-2014 Supreme Commander Sir Reghis Romero II, who hails from this city,

Lady Amy Rosales and Lady Chuck Gueco of Las Damas de Rizal,

Central Luzon Regional Commander Sir Fr. Pahed,

Respected Deputy Supreme Commander Sir Dave Santos,

Appreciated Members of the Supreme Council, particularly  our Supreme Exchequer, Sir Rey Malig who is from Angeles City,

Elders, Leaders, Knights of Rizal in Central Luzon and other parts of the country,

Ladies, who are no less noble in espousing the ideals of Dr. Rizal; may I say - I am pleased to observe in this Rizalian gathering that the ladies are virtually equal to the men in numbers, which only highlights Dr. Rizal’s view in his Letter to the Maidens of Malolos that ‘women open the minds of men’,

Mga kasama:

I had the illusion of having the sash and medals of a KGOR. So I want to thank the Supreme Council led by Sir Jerry for making that illusion an actuality; they found me worthy of their trust, and appointed me to be part of the Supreme Council, 2014 to 2016. Behind it all, I give thanks to the Lord Almighty for “making a road in the wilderness” – so to say – that I may have the privilege of becoming a Supreme Trustee.

Illusions, however, have a tendency of giving way to greater reality. As an author said: "Pleasure can be supported by an illusion; but happiness rests upon the truth." (Sebastien-Roch Nicolas De Chamfort)  And as Dr. Rizal reflected in Mi Retiro, “You offer me, O Illusions, the cup of consolation, and you come to stir and awaken my youthful years!”

Illustrious Sirs, and Ladies, what is the greater truth I refer to that brings happiness, not just consolation or temporary envigoration?

May I submit a truth you already know, that Dr. Rizal pointed out in the Fili: “It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted in the field without becoming part of an edifice.”

Consecration to a great ideal, my brothers and sisters, is not accomplished, I humbly submit, by wearing an embroidered barong and slinging over it a brown sash and some medals. Yes, being a Knight of Rizal, needless to say, entails moving away from the static existence of a boulder lying on the field gathering moss; it involves going beyond the simple water cycle of evaporating then falling down as rain. Indeed, we cannot be like sheep, whose only purpose is to eat, mingle, mate, or rule the herd; we cannot live as Knights of Rizal - as others might perceive - inwardly focused on the accoutrements, ranks, and trappings of supposed superiority while hiding behind the name of Dr. Rizal.

So, what is it that we must go beyond, to do?

How about making Dr. Rizal’s dreams come true?

In the Last Farewell, he said:

My dreams when scarcely a lad adolescent,

My dreams when already a young man filled with vigor,

Were to see you one day, jewel of the sea of the orient

The dark eyes dry, the smooth forehead held high unbent:

Without frown, without wrinkles, without stains of high color.

And what dreams they are! Seeing Inang Bayan so cool, so calm, so confident of overcoming whatever life may throw her way - without any reason for worry, doubt, or shame; observing her moving with self-esteem, as her children mutually respect each other; and noticing her standing up with dignity, respected by other nations…

That, is what we are called upon, to actualize. 

And with God’s grace, I too, consecrate my life to this great ideal.

Dr. Rizal explained in the next paragraph of the Last Farewell:

Dream of my life, my ardent, living, passion and rallying cry,

Health, shouts to you the soul that soon shall go and depart!

Health! O, how beautiful it is to fall to give you power to fly,

To die to give you vigor to live, beneath your heaven to die,

And in your enchanted land, to sleep in eternity never apart.

Now, our question is: how do we use that power to fly and that vigor to live as contributed to and imparted by Jose Rizal? Should not the Knights of Rizal have something to do with enabling, supporting, encouraging, and guaranteeing that our nation truly flies to its noble destiny and lives vigorously?

These are big questions my brothers and sisters, and would take a long time to answer. Suffice it to say at this point, that our existence as knights and ladies of Rizal, or as warriors of and for the light fostered by Dr. Rizal, only has meaning and significance if, it translates to or helps in bringing into reality, his dreams and visions for the country.  So, I submit.

I hope we think about it and let shine our own genius and that of new generations, to help transform Dr. Rizal’s breaking dawn to our nation’s high noon. 

If it’s all right with you, there is one point I’d like to suggest: let’s expand and shift our concept of family, to make the nation our family. Traditionally, for us, family is everything. The criteria we use in public and private life is “kung ano ang nakaka-buti sa amin”: ‘amin’ meaning ‘ours’ within the close family circle to include kumpadres and friends.

May I recommend that we move from “amin” to “atin”? This means our highest  priority is no longer limited to close kin and friends, but embraces the entire nation as family: so when we decide, intercede, or do something, we say: kung ano ang nakabubuti sa atin, sa ating lahat na Pilipino, di lang sa aming pamilya, dahil ang buong bayan, ay ang pamilya natin.

In his time, Dr. Rizal espoused the same idea and principle. In “Farewell to 1883”, he said: “In my heart I have suppressed all loves, except that of my native land; in my mind I have erased all ideas which do not signify her progress; and my lips have forgotten the names of the native races in the Philippines in order not to say more than Filipinos.”  In a letter to Mariano Ponce in 1888, he wrote: “Let this be our only motto: ‘for the welfare of the Native Land’”. Writing to Marcelo del Pilar in 1889, Rizal said: “The article Diputado por Filipinas written by Regidor is good, but I told him that he should not stir up regionalism or provincialism. If we have some good custom or virtue, it ought to be attributed to all provinces, to all the people of the Philippines.”

Yes, brother Knights and Rizalist Ladies, moving from the limitations and conflict-laden propensities of “amin”, to the unlimited possibilities of acting from the perspective of “atin”, aligns with Dr. Rizal’s thinking. And we can take action on that.

In conclusion, allow me to return to the greater truth and value of forming part of an edifice as a way to usefulness and happiness. We, Rizalists, want to think we are inextricably intertwined with the building of the Filipino nation. Perhaps we can truly form part of the Filipino national edifice – along an idea from St. Josemaria Escriva - not as gilded statues showing off on top of the building yet falling first when disasters strike, but rather as the hidden bricks and pillars in the deep foundations, ensuring that when earthquakes come our building stands.

Sirs and Ladies, with these thoughts on consecration to a great ideal, I humbly and gratefully accept the Order’s conferment upon me of the rank of Knight Grand Officer of Rizal. Thank you all.

Non omnis moriar!