0.5 Opus dei book's darkened rizal & Why - chapter 5  (Page 7/14)

On the contrary, Rizal could have written that denunciation, prominent Catholic nationalist retractionists have commented, such as Leon Maria Guerrero and Nick Joaquin. Joaquin urged readers of his biography to save themselves from the pain of probing the Noli for its levels of deep meaning but to just enjoy it as dated comedy of manners. He is cited in the January 2000 issue of the magazine “1898 Monthly” saying that “Rizal himself stated that he had ceased being a Mason in 1891. Why should it be so strange then for Rizal to ‘abhor’ Masonry as a society…” This is retraction-respecting misinterpretation of what the hero said at his trial in defense against the charge of actively introducing Masonry in the Philippines in the early 1890s. “Me di de baja de la Masoneria”, which is what the hero said in that connection. He meant literally that he stepped down from Masonry. He deactivated from his La Solidaridad Lodge of Madrid, as he returned home for the second time via Hongkong.: just as a Rotarian in Manila may step down and deactivate for many reasons other than because he now disbelieved and opposed its so-called “four-way” creed. But by beliefs, or creed, he remained a Mason. He said so very firmly in 1893 to Pastells’ emissary the Jesuit Sanchez himself during their long close conversations and shared projects in Dapitan.. He told me he was “ an unbeliever and a Mason”, Fr. Sanchez wrote in response to inquiry by Fr. Vilaclara (in R. Fajardo). Rizal alluded to these beliefs of an unbeliever and Mason in his second greatest poem., which dealt with his forced retirement in Dapitan. It was finished in 1895. A highlight of it is his strong cool reaffirmation of constancy to his basic beliefs and convictions. La tengo , I still have it, he enthused, just as he did again defiantly in the strong goodbyes of his death poem. Since these intentionally glossed-over matters are so crucial in relevant importance let us continue its discussion below.

The Opus Dei book by Dr. De Pedro reinforces the retraction-influenced nationalist teaching exemplified by he cited Zaides. In this erroneous predominant view the hero remained a Catholic at core through all his modern Catholic criticisms, doubts, anticlericalism. He aimed his fire only at excessive clericalism and abusive or corrupt behaviors. His remaining faith’s essentials revived into full flames of self-surrendering piety in the death cell. Like Dr. De Pedro they downplay the quality of the hero’s Masonry and commitment to its creed. He broke away from Masonry, De Pedro repeated very misleadingly. Naturally he deactivated, as some Rotarians I know for inability to regularly attend meetings. But that is worlds apart from breaking away, or resigning. Since his Masonic beliefs overlapped and intertwined with his equally church-condemned rationalist libertarian creed, he could not have retracted and denounced Masonry without doing so for both sets of beliefs and convictions. Yet he did enthuse in the previously cited 1895 Mi Retiro that he remained all these years in confinement constant to his own creed, or faith in its broad sense of beliefs: “La Tengo…,” he ever repeated. “I have it still and hope to see it blaze on that day when Thought triumphs over brutal force”. He reaffirmed the same basic defiant message in what my research proved to be Rizal’s December 30, 1896 Constancy Swan Song, a better descriptive title than the repetitively neutral “Ultimo Adios.”