The Joy of the Holy

"A Reflection Paper on the Philosophy of Religion"

What is religion? Is there an exact sentence or word formula that could contain the meaning of religion? I guess we could not and there could be isn’t. What we can only do is to make a working definition of religion from our finiteness. And this could somehow help us in our study about religion.

Religion would not exist if there is no one who had experienced and had encountered with a divine or something not natural or totally, absolutely, radically different from other a person experienced. A HOLY presence may be with that person graced to be part on the creation of religion.

I started believing that there is divine when I started to see the awesomeness presence of the environment; of the nature; of the people around me. Religion already existed the time I was born. I’m a Roman Catholic. Religious practices, beliefs, and teachings of the Church were introduced to me when I was a little child. But I remembered when I was a child, I just do religious activities because I was commanded to or I felt like it was the way it is. But I do not really understand what I am doing. I was like a machine programmed; nothing special, not even had felt the presence of a divine. Maybe I was just too preoccupied of satisfying my material need, never think of something beyond material, and not able to distinguish a holy presence because all were just—normal.

Not until I entered high school. I brought in to a Catholic School nurturing students into Catholic perspectives. Here I gradually moved in to a new experience. And began to understand the feeling which is already present all this time but never been tried to consume it. I never been into a religious club, and to any church ministries that could have an edge on to the development of your relationship with God, but what I only experienced is "that I am special."    

 I know that the feeling was always there but to distinguish it was the hard part. You see, it is very hard to tend to yourself if you are over occupied of tending other things like playing with other children, chit chatting, demanding toys and food to eat. It consumes all of your time. That is why when I learned to see myself; putting my very self in front of me, I realized, this is it, this must be God; this joy, this amazing feeling, it must be Him.

After this encounter, I wanted to praise Him, to get closer to Him. I longed for that experience. I desire more. That worshipping during Sunday was not anymore mechanistic worship but it turned to a holistic offering of myself to God. A boring praises and church activities became my time to give thanks and to give more of what I have. If only I could share that very joy of every experience of Him, maybe those who have lost their way; hopeless and in sorrow, could find another reason to live. That is why, I realized if I could not share it (the Joy), then the very least I can do is to extend my arm; my very own self.

Religion is universal. The encounter of that Holy is not just for a specific person only but He appears to anyone, to everyone. We do not need to give a free taste like that in the supermarket just to make other people how delicious the product is but it is already He who is always there appearing to us and everyone already encountered Him already. Some were just have disabilities on their senses. They cannot experience Holy. Lucky those who are blind but see.

Religious practices were product of our encounter with Him. Signs, symbols, etc were rooted for a reason that we have this desire to show to Him how much we thank Him, praise Him, want Him, love Him, etc. Just like how we show our affection to someone we idolize and love.

Religion is primarily our response to our encounter with the Holy. And sometimes because of great feelings, over-filled with emotions, we are silenced. We could not just find a word that best describes our feeling; our experienced with that Holy. I am just in awe.