#ronnel-chua — Public Fediverse posts

40

Share ko lang. It was 2005 when my missioner, Brod Ed — or as I often call him, Sir Ed, because he was a professor at a state university in our place — and I went to Dinagat for the second time to attend the PBMA Conference. But that year was special. It was the 40th Conference and the 40th anniversary.

Most of the time, during the long hours of our voyage, we would talk about Kabbalah and spirituality, especially the meaning of the number 40. We found out that 40 symbolizes transition, purification, testing, preparation, transformation, and awakening. It often marks a period where a person leaves one state of being and emerges changed.

Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai before receiving the Law.

The flood in the story of Noah lasted 40 days and 40 nights.

The Israelites wandered for 40 years in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land.

Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days in the wilderness before beginning His ministry.

After the Resurrection, Jesus remained with His disciples for 40 days before the Ascension.

In these stories, 40 is never just a measure of time. It marks a process where identity is stripped down and re-formed. As we often say, life begins at 40.

Those were happy days despite the struggles of the voyage and journey. Palawan is on the side of the map running across the edge of the Philippines in the West opposite to an inclination down below Dinagat. Spiritually, one may call it a pilgrimage. Why? Because you travel to the Holy Land. You meet many brothers and sisters from different places. You are united in one purpose, though when you actually talk to them, you discover that each person carries different intentions and personal reasons.

But for me and Sir Ed, all we wanted was to see and meet the Master whom we call now GrandMaster.

I was not privileged to meet the Master personally the first time we went there around 2002. And neither during the second visit. But I saw Sir Bengie when he came out calling for “Bernie!” He was looking for Bernie. I do not remember if Sir Bengie saw me or us, but I saw him then in his younger and leaner years.

During the 40th PBMA anniversary, also called the Ruby Anniversary, I had very little knowledge of the Visayan tongue. I kept struggling and sweating just to understand the dialect, and thanks to Sir Ed, who would often interpret the words for me while we listened to the messages of different personalities on stage.

One of those almost sleepless nights became unforgettable. When the Grand Master went on stage to deliver his message, the checkered long sleeves he wore were the exact same clothes he had worn in my dream after I was screened and became a member.

At that time, I was working in a dive shop and was one of the crewmen with an Advanced Open Water Dive training. Bulagis din buhok ko! Often sun dried and salty daily. (How I wish for those times now.) I was also guarding the boat that night when I first dreamed of the Grand Master, afloat and alone on that placid moonless night.

One of the nights during the PBMA 40th Anniversay, became deeply memorable for me and Sir Ed because we spent hours discussing, contemplating, and spiritually conversing — trying to see “through a glass darkly” and fathom what the Grand Master meant when he said:

“𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐘 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒.”

I still remember Sir Ed quickly scrawling those words in his pocket notebook lest we forget the exact phrase. Until now, we never fail to revisit and discuss it, as though we were two rabbis at midnight with empty cups of coffee, endlessly conversing about what the Grand Master might possibly have meant.

And I tell you, there are still more things that Sir Ed and I could share — and to paraphrase William Shakespeare through Horatio:

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘶𝘣𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺.”