Into The Mind of God

Into The Mind of God

By Jonathan Aquino

Saturday Stories

September 28, 2019

I

One of my greatest heroes is the late Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., the beloved political leader whose assassination on August 21, 1983 had triggered a nationwide outrage. This led to the historic February 1986 People Power Revolution that brought down the twenty-year one-man rule of Ferdinand Marcos. Ninoy's widow, Cory, was the unifying force of the opposition groups, and she ran and won against Marcos in a snap election. But it was rigged, and the people rose up in a peaceful revolt and recognized her as the rightful President. Ninoy is the soul of People Power that inspired the bloodless revolutions in Europe that ended communism and tore down the Berlin Wall.

II

Ninoy's life is unprecedented. In the history of the Philippines, he was the youngest war correspondent at 17, the youngest mayor at 23, the youngest vice governor at 25, the youngest governor at 27, and the youngest Senator at 35. He would have been the youngest President at 40 because he was the shoo-in for the 1973 elections. But martial law was declared before that, on September 21, 1972, and Ninoy was thrown in jail for false charges because he was the greatest threat with his popularity and brilliant mind. Ninoy was in prison for seven years and seven months, and five years of those was in solitary confinement. There was nothing he could do and nowhere to go, so he turned within.

III

Many years later, in 1982, he talked about his ordeals and his spiritual transformation at "The 700 Club" with Pat Robertson. Pat knew that one of the thousands of books that Ninoy read in prison was "The Imitation of Christ," the 15th century Latin devotional attibuted to the theologian Thomas a Kempis. Here is one of my favorite passages: "If thou wert good and pure within, then wouldst thou look upon all things without hurt and understand them aright. A pure heart seeth the very depths of heaven and hell. Such as each one is inwardly, so he judgeth he outwardly. If there is any joy in the world, surely the man of pure heart possesseth it, and if there is anywhere tribulation and anguish the evil conscience knowth it best. As iron cast into the fire losesth rust and is made altogether glowing, so the man who turneth himself altogether unto God is freed from slothfulness and changed into a new man."

IV

Ninoy became a better man precisely because of his sufferings, and I find it so inspiring. In solitude and loneliness, he found God and became a true Christian, one who would gladly carry the burden for His glory. In the book, a Kempis wrote "Jesus hath many lovers of His heavenly kingdom, but few bearers of His Cross. He hath many seekers of comfort, but few of trubulations. He findeth many companions of His table, but few of His fasting. All desire to rejoice with Him, few are willing to undergo anything for His sake. Many follow Jesus that they may eat of His loaves, but few that they may drink of the cup of His passion. Many are astonished at His miracles, few follow after the shame of His cross. Many love Jesus so long as no adversities happen to them. Many praise Him and bless Him, so long as they receive any comforts from Him. But if Jesus hides Himself and withdraw from them a little while, they fall either into complaining or into too great dejection of mind."

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