Papa, Gianina P.

11/20/14

AB-1PHL1 Term paper

Ang Espiritwalidad ng Pamilyang Pilipino by Manuel B. Dy, Jr.

Before getting to the main point, what is espiritwalidad or in English: Spirituality?

According to the Merriam-Websters dictionary spirituality is the quality or state of being

concerned with religion or religious matters; the state of being spiritual of relating to a persons

spirit; of or relating to religious beliefs; having similar values and ideals; related or joined in

spirit.

According to the article, spirituality is based on a persons character, and it has three

characteristics namely: has awareness of its own self, has the ability to abstract, and the ability to

show concern or love. It also states that a persons image of God shows the connection between

him and God; and his relationship with God is similar to the relationship he has with his fellow

neighbors. However, today people can see flaws in many families and these are the absence of

harmony in the family, the lack of respect to elders, the lack of showing gratitude to ones family

for what good they have done, and the lack of faith in religion; These are due to two reasons:

one, the increase in the possibility of having a broken family, and two, the influence of the media

today on children.

Manuel B. Dy, Jr. made a philosophical basis of what he had written and it stated that

there are two purposes of having a family: making children and the emphasis of the love between

the spouses. He argued this by stating that if a familys purpose is to make children, one spouse

would be having children with another person (aside from whom he or she has married) thus,

neglecting the second purpose. Another statement was that if the familys purpose is to put

emphasis on the love between the two spouses and one of them does not want to have a child

when, accidentally, the wife was impregnated, it would lead to abortion. Manuel B. Dy, Jr.,
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AB-1PHL1 Term paper

therefore revised the purposes of a family: the expression and humane and godly love to others

a kind of love that is unending, unconditional and exclusive. He also stated that simply offering

prayers to God may also strengthen the bond in a family.

Therefore, he stated that there are two images of God in a family and at the same time

represent Filipino families: The Nazareno and Sto. Nio; Nazareno represents that God had

suffered for that the love for his people is great, and the strong bond and support in a family; Sto.

Nio represents the God that is humble, respectful, welcoming and open to all people, and the

openness, humility, respect for each member in a family and for others. And lastly, that the true

spirituality of a family is the incorporation of ones unending love for God with the love for his

family.

That was only the summary of the article. In the next paragraphs would include my arguments

against his writing and personal insights on the matter and the article itself.

First argument is against his statement that Filipinos (in general) are welcoming to

anyone. Is it certain that Filipinos ARE welcoming to anyone? Taken a situation, a beggar is in

front of someones house and is asking for a temporary place to stay. Would one welcome that

person into his home? Yes, but rarely does it happen here in the Philippines (especially if that

person looking for a place to stay is unfamiliar).

Another argument is against the statement that prayer and believing in God can solve the

problems that are present in society today. Certain people have prayed to God in times of trouble

yet, some do not get an answer. How can he be sure that prayer can strengthen a familys bond?

How can he prove that prayers can help people in times of despair? Weve seen a lot of these
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AB-1PHL1 Term paper

situations in our communities, in our country. Everyday, number of people pray for safety yet,

why do some people die in accidents and disasters?

Third argument: Certain people have long lost their hope and trust in God not because

they are Atheists but, their prayers were not answered. How can he be sure that these people, just

by convincing, would decide to return to the path towards God? What more not only that their

prayers were not answered but also, tragedies come upon them?

First personal insight: Dy should have put the definition of espiritwalidad first before

discussing the matter since people have different conceptions of what spirituality actually means.

Difference in the conceptions between the writer and the readers may lead to misinterpretation of

the article and confusion in the reader.

Second, is I agree that the media have played a bad role in the growth of children.

Philippine media, as of now, only concentrates on getting high ratings and disregards the ways it

corrupts the minds of children. As of I can see in the recent years, majority of films and dramas

have concentrated on the genre of romance, horror, and comedy (but mostly romance). What

more that around 30 to 40% of films, show cases of affairs. It is like the media is saying that

affairs are not bad; that it is not a sin. How come does the film industry of the Philippines refuse

to take on concepts that question the realities of society today or concepts that would encourage

people to think for themselves?

Therefore, spirituality does not only lie in the religious aspects of the family but, also the

growth of a person, beliefs, and etc.

Papa, Gianina P. 11/20/14

AB-1PHL1 Term paper