Nothing to lose indeed?

My husband was found to have a tissue mass in his head. His condition confounded the attending physicians. One neurologist wanted immediate surgery to be able to perform a biopsy. So, we sought for a second opinion, which was actually an opinion from several doctors from one hospital – two neurologists, a neurosurgeon, and an otonasolaryngologist-surgeon, who also sought the opinion of more than one radiologist. Their verdict: "A difficult case."

Meanwhile, his officemates, some well-meaning friends & relatives told him to think back on where he had gone, places that may have some "supernatural beings" that he may have offended. This reminded him of a grassy site that he had visited one time, where he had been laughing boisterously with some workmates then later relieved himself at a horseradish tree.  That same afternoon, his throat began to feel sore.

Hearing this story, he was told to offer something to the beings in that area. Despite being Catholics or Christians, the usual line would be "you won't lose anything." In Tagalog, “Wala namang mawawala sa iyo.”

Later this got me thinking. Do we really lose nothing when we believe in such things, when we attribute unexplainable illnesses or cures to these beings?

His officemates asked me if I believed in such. My husband would say the excuse, “She was raised in the city.” To this I would say, “It’s not that I don’t believe in such things. I just don’t know whether I should believe in them.”

But yes, I was raised in the city. Also, my mom belongs to a family of medical professionals. I haven’t heard anyone from my dad’s side of the family giving in to such beliefs either. The local albularyo or hilot, yes, for bodily aches and pains, but not in “mangkukulam” and the like. This is mainly the reason why I do not know if I would ever believe in such.  Maybe, subconsciously, I was cut out to be a math major because math can be so dependable, because in math almost anything can be proven and, shall I say, predictable. Thus I often wonder (note the present tense) if people attribute certain cures to certain beings out of sheer coincidence.

Or maybe people got to attributing an unexplained illness, or one that doctors cannot supposedly cure, because we believe that God in His infinite goodness would never inflict such a punishment on His people. Man, after all, was created in His own image and likeness.

But if a patient with such an illness is cured after an “alay” or offering, will he give credit to the supernatural or to God who is the Divine Healer?

When I asked my husband this question, he said he will give credit to both. I told him this is impossible, you cannot serve two masters at the same time. You would have to believe that only one of them cured you; who would it be?

He told me that if he isn't cured after the offering, then he lost nothing. Actually he would have lost something… His time and effort. Not to mention all those stuff he would have to buy or look for to make the “offering.” But that’s beyond the point, I guess. Again I asked him, what if he does get cured? 

I reminded him of the first commandment: "I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before Me." But if you believe that such beings, if they do exist, caused your illness and therefore, they are the ones who have the power to cure you, is that not tantamount to considering them as some sort of “god?”

If we resort to such “offerings,” is it because we have lost hope that God will cure us? Doesn’t it take away a little bit of something in what is supposed to be our unwavering faith in Him and in His power? Do we not believe that God gives each of us a cross to bear, but He will not give us a cross that we cannot bear? Do we cease to believe that everything happens for a reason? And aren’t our prayers enough?

But then perhaps non-Christians, or even agnostics or atheists, might say that praying to our God and making offerings to supernatural beings are just the same thing. It’s simply a matter of believing more in one party than in the other.

In the meantime, my husband would make the offering. I would say my prayers.