BROTHERLY LOVE, RELIEF AND TRUTH- A personal experience

Short talk delivered to Laong Laan Lodge No. 185 on June 2, 2007

You have listened to the Entered Apprentice degree lecture earlier this afternoon where the three principal tenets Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, three of Masonry’s greatest teachings, were taught. So simply worded, easily understood, yet oftentimes difficult to internalize and apply in our daily lives. Curiously however, without these tenets, this aging lion would not be alive today. So let me tell you this story.

For a start, allow me to apologize for my inability to strictly comply with the rules on proper attire. It is true I am impeccably dressed in white barong and matching black pants but I am not properly shod. Instead, I am wearing a sandal same as what Boaz must have worn in ancient times. Also, my right leg is missing from the knee down. Which reminds me of the answer that I gave to the question “What happened to your right foot?” that was asked by a brother last Saturday, May 26, on the occasion of the passing of our eldest son at Sierra Madre Lodge No. 181 to which I replied: “I accidentally entered a first degree conferral and inadvertently advanced my right foot first instead of my left as required!”

But seriously, the loss of my shoe is not without reason. In the ensuing confusion when we boarded the plane bound for Manila last April 11, I inadvertently left it at home at our den in Guindulman, Bohol. I was then already seriously ill such that when we saw Kuya Billy at St. Luke’s Hospital the next day, he said, “Kuya Jun, we need to amputate your right leg soonest possible. Gangrene has already seriously affected it and any delay and can easily cause your death!”

But before he can do that, a number of medical tests were needed. There was the CBC, to the Echo, Doffler, fasting blood sugar and many others. And the combined cost of these preparatory tests already exceeded P10,000 and soon drained our pockets.When the tests were over my niece who was an expert Endocrinologist and Diabetes specialist estimated that the total cost of the amputation will be in the vicinity of about P300,000. Whew!.

Naturally, it worried me greatly. Where will we get that money? I reckon, wrestling with the Grim Reaper may even prove a more viable alternative! As a result, I even considered having the amputation done in Cebu under Dr. Felix Vicuna, Jr. who said over the phone that the under the circumstances, it will only cost us some P50,000 as a charity patient! But the danger of my soul separating from the body because of the thin atmosphere while the plane is airborne was ominous. My weak heart and lungs may not withstand the rigors of air travel even the trip from Tagbilaran to Manila that was done previously was considered a wonder I escaped death unscathed.

I therefore reluctantly agreed to have my leg amputated at St. Luke’s with Doc Billy orchestrating the event and so checked-in at the hospital on Monday, April 16. But the amputation was done only on Thursday evening as the cardiologist was adamant in giving her go-signal because my lungs were full of water any miscue could trigger my weak heart to collapse. To lessen the risk, the anesthesiologist arranged that the operation be conducted while I was in sitting position so that I don’t drown while Doc Billy was ceremoniously separating my right leg from the rest of my body.

I was then returned to my room the next day, Friday, but no more than twelve hours later, was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit or ICU gasping for precious breath. Doc Billy and the cardiologist were giving medical instructions to the point, the life of the aging lion was at stake. Doc Billy even overruled the form signed by the lion tamer that the various attachments usually attached to patients during extreme emergencies and thus precluded the Grim Reaper from claiming the old cat for his prize.

And wonder of wonders, I stayed at the ICU for no more than a day which made the attending male nurse quip: “You are an exceptional patient. In my stay here at the hospital, I have not seen a patient get out of this room in less than twenty four hours alive! Bad grass, one might say, but I was given another chance to stay alive.


To sum it all up, the amputation was performed on Thursday, April 19, and exactly a week later the patient was discharged from the hospital The lion tamer who was accompanied by her daughter settled the bills but would not her pet to even have a look. He will surely wonder how the heck they managed to foot their bills to pay the foot that Doc Billy amputated!

This incident is being narrated because clearly, “brotherly love and relief” are divine attributes that motivated Kuya Billy to render his services for free and also goaded him to organize the medical team and thus enabled him to perform the amputation. In addition, he cajoled the brethren to take notice of the aging lion’s dire need for financial help by posting via the Internet my miserable plight, and in addition also sent text messages to brethren who knew me.

In so doing a good number answered the call, among them, WBs Benjie de los Santos, Bong Fajardo, Ka Albert, our Worshipful Master who was accompanied by Bro. Danny Gutierrez and VW John Teng. From out of the lodge those who responded include VW Pong Lustre who was accompanied by Sis. Del and their triplets, VW Nanding Pascua accompanied by Sis Shiela, the four Gabionza ladies of Quezon City Lodge No. 122, two of whom were accompanied by their respective hubbies VWs Jerome and Joe, VW Alex Fabian who hand-carried the contribution of Quezon City Bodies and VW Mike Maraan who gave the contribution of Juan Sumulong Lodge No. 169. and VW Rommel Corra.l. In all, their financial assistance totaled no less than P50, 000.

For her part the lion tamer called up relatives and friends and from the family of the late Bro. Eduardo Palac (he is the subject of a previous article titled “Requiem for a Departing Brother) accumulated about P170,000 cash. The children of the nonagenarian Bro. Antonio Maputol, her cousins, also sent P50,000. So did the aging lion’s youngest sister who also sent through the wire an equal amount. And many other relatives and friends who contributed in varying sums.

These are not all, even those who were unable to send money sent in word that they do care. The families of fishermen at our backyard and our neighbors called saying they hope for the aging lion’s early recovery.

But while the love and concern of those who helped clearly demonstrated the sterling values of both brotherly love and relief, the third tenet called “truth” at first glance, seems unconnected. On critical analysis however, truth was found to have buried itself in another virtue called “Charity” for in the second degree parambulation that was copied verbatim in the Book of Corinthians where it wisely said:

“Charity suffereth long and is kind
charity envieth not
charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up
doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own
doth not rejoice in inequity but rejoiceth in the TRUTH.

I guess this is how this short talk should now end. These three principal tenets are intertwined, after all.

Thank you for your attention!

(Note: This article was originally delivered in Taglish but was rehashed to conform to standard English presentation.)