MANNY'S SUDDEN CHANGE OF FAITH

The whys and hows behind Juan Manuel Marquez' painful knockout of Manny Pacquiao in the last dying second of the sixth round of their much ballyhooed fourth encounter will be a favorite talk of the town for many days to come.  One thing that certainly need not simply pass unnoticed is that of some fans somehow attributing Pacman's loss to his sudden change of religion - apparently from Roman Catholic to Born-Again Charismatics.  Even Nanay Dionisia herself, Manny's equally well-known mother, when she was interviewed by the media soon after the bout, was quoted as somewhat "scolding" certain unnamed "pastors" who must have tempted her son into joining their sect.

Indeed, one recalls that Manny must have changed his faith just soon before his unsuccessful fight with Bradley last year.  A truly devout Roman Catholic, Manny's trust in his God used to know no bounds.  He would always wear his rosary, kneel down and make the sign of the cross before the start of each round, and more earnestly so every time he won.   He had stopped doing that when he fought Bradley, as well as in his recent bout with Marquez who, quite noticeably, was the one who never forgot to make the sign of the cross before each round. Needlessly emphasizing, the Holy Rosary, which represents the Virgin Mary whose Immaculate Conception the whole nation was celebrating on the night of the Pacquiao-Marquez fight, as well as the sign of the cross, are two of the relics or rituals that Protestantism does not abide by.

That said, I definitely am not saying that Manny's sudden change of faith was that which had caused his two successive downfalls, for no one, indeed, may ever know, much less validly say, that.  Even so, my gut feel -- which very seldom lies to me -- keeps suggesting that this kind of doubt had somehow lingered in his mind, and perhaps even in Nanay Dionisia's too, when he lost to Bradley, and perhaps much more as he now nurses a meek remorse at being knocked down by "El Dinamita,"  an unfortunate happenstance which, truth to tell, was farthest from the minds of most boxing aficionados, particularly in the Philippines.   But of course, Manny is not about to go back to his old faith simply because of this stunning loss. On the contrary, he should probably need to pray more devoutly to his new-found God the next time around.

Why Manny was tempted into changing his religion, I humbly submit my own humble opinion.  As most everybody has seen him, Manny is the kind of person who wishes to excel in every human activity under the sun.  He wanted, and reasonably succeeded, to be a movie and television celebrity, in dancing, singing and playing the guitar, in raising the best fighting cocks in town, in becoming kind of a womanizer, a lawmaker  -- all in addition to being the world's greatest boxer of all times.  In fact, he practically leads all others in every way of life he indulges in, except perhaps in matters of religion.  I mean, in the Roman Catholic faith, it is only the priests of pastors that leads, at the very most, the lay ministers whose actions before the public nonetheless remain regulated by the rules of the parish they represent. 

As myself a practicing Roman Catholic, I feel and believe that except in church rituals, one must read the Bible all by himself alone directly talking to God.  As we all know,  bible reading before members of our flock is commonplace only during the rituals of the holy mass (as in First and Second Readings).  On the other hand, most born-again or Christian charismatic movements, mostly being spontaneously self-proclaimed (I mean, anybody may form his own group and start preaching) or mere breakaway groups from Protestantism, are free to conduct bible studies as they wish to in public, which tends to satisfy man's natural flair to be a leader, which in turn, is one of Manny Pacquiao's particular weaknesses, and which he cannot freely do under his old sect.    And so, since more or less a year ago, Manny has found great delights in being reported by the media every now and then  as conducting this or that bible reading or bible study before a group of followers, whether they belong to Roman Catholicism or the Born-Again Charismatic movement.  This kind of leadership he will never be able to actively practice as a Roman Catholic,  because virtually only the priests and full-fledged theologians are given absolute freedom to preach.  Truth is -- I was surprised when I had first known it -- the Bible is not among the required textbooks in schools for the priests. To avoid or forestall any possible misinterpretations of biblical provisions -- as indeed happens almost daily with different sects endlessly debating against each other in TV shows --  students of theology do study the Bible only through the book written by St. Thomas de Aquinas.  Hence, the Holy Bible is practically forbidden in the seminaries. 

There is of course nothing grievously wrong with, and never would I attempt to criticize,  the varying practices under Protestantism as against those in the Roman Catholic Church.   I am just trying to explain what in my very humble, yet well-considered, analysis had caused Manny to suddenly change his sect.  At the end of the day, everything that happens to us in this world, without exception, is the result of our absolute freedom to choose between at least two things.  What principally matters is that we are always ready, sans a bit of remorse, to accept the consequences of our choice.