THE PARALUMAN NA HINDI AKO INIWAN, DI TULAD NG IBA DIYAN, CHARR…

by
Sem. Dave C. Montero, rcj
Rogationist Seminary College of Philosophy

AVE MARIA!!!

Sa unang tingin, agad na nahumaling Sa nagniningning mong mga mata Ika'y isang bituin
na nagmula sa langit… As I look at the statue of the Blessed Mother every time, it reminds me so
much of God’s beauty and wonder. Since every image of her is beautiful. Whether she is being
depicted as dark-skinned, with the child Jesus in her arms, sorrowful, or how simple she might
be represented, she is still beautiful in my eyes. That is why like some of you, I am fun of looking
and venerating any images of the blessed Mother. And in fact, it was the starting point of my
devotion to her. With that she is worthy of being called “PARALUMAN”. Like the title of Adie’s
song that most of us upon hearing would remind us of our special someone. A woman outside
whom we admire which is our mothers. Amen? And so, for the sake of CONTEXT, the word
Paraluman is an OLD Filipino term which means magnetic needle or something that guides your
way, like a compass. However, such word is used in courtship to refer “goddess,” (DYOSA) to a
certain lady. In a sense that she is being recognize as very beautiful. Like the Filipino-German
actress by the name of Sigrid Sophia Agatha von Giese who rose to fame using the screen name
Paraluman. If this is the case then, how could this also be not so fitting with our Blessed Mother
who is all beautiful? Amen?

Hindi ko mawari ang taglay mong tinatangi, Sadya namang nakakabighani 'Di
maipaliwanag ang nararamdaman. However, I will not sing the Paraluman infront of you it can
ruin your evening and my devotion to her. Rather, I would share to you my humble realizations
and reflections in my 6th year of stay in the seminary through my personal love and devotion to
the Blessed Mother. As I said a while ago the word Paraluman also means a Compass or

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KUMPAS. It is again another song that is now famed by Moirah. And if the Blessed Mother is the
Paraluman my Compass or KUMPAS is offcourse the rosary. I ask you brothers to look at your
rosary. It is your compass! Amen?

Why do I say so? You know there is this saying outside that life is like a rosary full of
mysteries? Amen? The Rosary and my 6th year of seminary life is full of mysteries. If the Rosary
has only 5 mysteries in each 4 decade-Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, Glorious. Mine I have 6. And
those are the years of my seminary formation. Hopefully it would not add up to seven but end
up with a Glorious Mystery. And so, the first mysteries of my seminary formation are quite Joyful.
Joyful because nakapasa ako! I learned about being passed in the seminary when I was in a
Marian Exhibit somewhere here in Paranaque. I was so fascinated because I pray the rosary 4
times completing all the mysteries asking the grace of God that he would allow me to be in the
seminary and so it happened, and I thank God for it. Amen?

The second year is quite light or luminous. Lumiliwanang tulad ni Micheal Regala. Kase
doon ako naliwanagan na ah ganito pala sa seminaryo. It is full of ups and down and just as what
Jonas would use to say just a roller coaster ride, with a depressed, exhauseted, bombarded,
abuse and so on and so forth. At minsan din tulad ni Marlon bati kayo, minsan hindi. Charr. And
so, I was even challenged because I experience both the tough or the hard times and the joyful
times all at once. I remember that upon entering here every night I tend to pray: “Lord kahit
makaisang araw lang ako dito… o isang lingo… o isang buwan…” and so on and so forth. Fearing
that I might end up going out so quickly and immediately like the one who just stay here overnight
and before rising went home already. Sadt.

My third year is quite sorrowful even the fourth because dun ko na nasabi na ayoko na,
pagod na ako. Those were the times I remember when I cried so hard that sometimes I get chest,
head, and back pain and after that magpapahilot ako kay Dexter bago patayin ni brod yung ilaw.
It was also the time na sinabihan ako ni Father Pao that following the Lord requires a lot of pain
like what happened to Jesus in the cross. Sabi pa niya ang suwerte ko pa nga daw kase di tulad
ni Kristo hindi pa ako pinapako. And I came upon thinking that others are already crucifiying me
especially when I became the leader of Liturgy. Where Bro. Bolos is the High Priest who is
condemning me. Charr.

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 Hopefully the fifth and maybe the 6th year of my seminary would be Glorious. And I could
say that it is already glorious because those years help me to stand up and be a MAN. Not only
for myself but for you aswell my brothers. Because it is hard to love your brother if you cannot
love yourself. And I would say that those years are also full of inspiration because most of those
Rogationist brothers and even former fellow co-seminarians were already leveling up. Sana all.
Like those brothers before who went to our parish and help me to form my faith as an altar server
were already priest like Fr. Mapacpac of Bataan, Fr. Christian of Pangasinan, Fr. Andru Iroy of
Rogamina etc. I witnessed their ordinations in those years. What more if one of our batchmates
who also enter the seminary in the same year as us is already a NOVICE and the ones that became
my companions in the Orientation were POSTULANTS and BROTHERS already. And your first
brother assistants are PERPETUAL PROFESS BROTHER and a DEACON already out of the grace of
God. It is like the part in one of the glorious mysteries where Mary was being crowned as queen
or the PARALUMAN.

You see, praying the rosary is not simply memorazing the prayers and the mysteries. It is
about contemplation, reflection, and discernment. I kind of realizing one’s life as a life full of
mysteries such as that of JESUS, JOseph and MARY. It is also a way of recognizing MARY as the
PARALUMAN and at the same time a KUMPAS pag naliligaw, ang magiging kulay mo sa langit na
bughaw na sa bawat bagyo na dumadayo SIYA ang kanlugan na kailangan mo… I would like to
take this opportunity to say THANK YOU, I AM SORRY and offcourse TI AMO! I would not regret
in my life that I spend 6 of my years and 6 of my fingers in this seminary with full of Joy, Light,
Sorrow and Glory. And as the song of Adie would say: Namumukadkad ang aking ligaya Sa tuwing
ika'y papalapit na Hawakan mo ang aking kamay Oh, Paraluman Ika'y akin nang dadalhin sa 'Di
mo inaasahang paraiso (hoo-hoo) Palagi kitang aawitan ng Kundiman 'Di magsasawa, 'di ka
pababayaan Isasayaw kita, mamahalin kita, hanggang sa walang hanggan. To the Blessed
Mother and to each of you THANK YOU for being a PARALUMAN and for being a KUMPAS! At
sa hindi niyo pag-iwan!

O Mary Mother of the Church… Let us give a round of applause to our blessed Mother!

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