DENYING AFFIRMATION; REVERSING NEGATION

            In the book on Being and Essence of St. Thomas Aquinas, he made mention that there are second-class beings which ‘posit nothing in reality’, namely negations and privations. To explain what he means, Aquinas says: “We say that affirmation is the opposite of negation, and that there is blindness in an eye.”¹ The phrase “…affirmation is the opposite of negation…” caught my attention and it made me reflect on our seminary formation.

            We all know that we are all created by God in His likeness. Likeness in the sense that we resemble a small portion of His vast character. Of course, we are not gods. We were even made adopted sons of God through Jesus Christ in our baptism. We are all one children of God created in His likeness, so to speak. We are all called to love Him and serve Him through the ministry of Priesthood, someday. However, we can hear of many sad stories brought about by social division, racial discrimination, class wars, exclusivity and individuality. Even in the seminary setting, seminarians are distinguished from each other. Philosophy students from Theology students. Interns and Externs. Among interns, there are those coming from Rinconada district, others are from Bay, etc. Distinction which sometimes distract the union we are all supposed to partake. Distinctions which sometimes emphasize the strength of one kind and stress the weakness of the other. Distinctions which sometimes result to a destructive oppositions. If it persists, there comes a time when we no longer see each other as the same person called by the same God to love and serve Him in the ministry of priesthood someday, regardless of our identity – of what we are and of who we are, but we see each other as contender in harvesting the fruits of the earth. Our desire to love and serve the Lord is supposed to unite us; but, because of the opposites or distinctions creeping in our minds, we become self-loving and self-serving. Yes, differences abound us. That is a fact we cannot deny. However, amidst diversity, there can be unity. And that can only be realized if we will all discard that distinction or ‘world of opposites’ in our mind set where affirming one does not mean negating the other. After all, we are all called and struggling in responding to His call to love and serve Him through the Holy Order of Priesthood, someday.