SUPERSTITION, FENG SHUI, et al. vs. FAITH

I find it quite appalling that although we are now in the 17th year of the 21st century, a lot of people still adhere to unfounded beliefs or fallacies such as: superstition, old wives' tales, feng shui, horoscope, et al.

These were practiced by old folks back then probably due to lack of proper guidance, or simply false information which cast a shadow over the truth.

Out of the many superstitions people observe, one of the most common is "pagpag", a Filipino tradition of not going straight home after coming from a wake or funeral, and instead going somewhere else first or partaking of a meal to supposedly "shake off" the bad luck or evil spirits they were exposed to and thus avoid attracting them to one's home. 

Another belief is that immediate family members of the deceased should refrain from escorting guests out of the funeral parlor or elsewhere, for the preposterous reason that by so doing, another family member would follow suit. Truth be told, but when my mom died, I walked with some guests not only to the door of the funeral chapel, but all the way to the parking lot (since I never believed in superstitions anyway) and only after a span of 43 years did my dad pass on. Quite a lengthy period of time for someone to follow, don't you agree?

There is also the perception that family members should desist from getting married within the same year, or "sukob" because it would bring bad luck. Another wedding myth is that a bride-to-be should refrain from trying on her bridal gown because the wedding will not push through. A friend of mine who happens to be a stickler for perfection, tried on her bridal gown three times, and to this day, she and her husband remain happily married and in fact celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary just recently.

The practice of Feng Shui (a Chinese philosophical system) is also quite popular among those who either had a new house constructed or moved to a new abode. So-called believers of this theory seek advice from Feng Shui experts (and even shell out a substantial amount) to guide them as far as proper positioning of doors and windows, arranging objects, etc. are concerned to ensure prosperity and a harmonious environment. This maybe true for the Chinese based on their ideology or religion, but I believe not so for Catholics.

Advocates justify their adherence to such beliefs or practices with the flimsy excuse that there is no harm in believing or practicing them, because they have nothing to lose anyway. That is where I disagree. Belief in these fallacies allow them to rule over your lives and thus make you willing victims of fear such that if these delusions are not adhered to, something bad will happen. 

What you lose is the matter of greatest significance which is FAITH, for God alone determines the course our lives will take. The only thing of utmost importance needed to cope with trials we encounter in life is FAITH, coupled of course with the power of prayer. No amount of positioning of doors or windows, or taking meals after coming from a wake can change what lies ahead. Our future, such as the path our lives will take and when and how we will leave this world, had already been laid out for us by our Creator the moment we are born.

People with lesser faith or worse none at all, are bound to adhere to these unjustified beliefs in supernatural occurrences. Besides by so doing, you become an easy prey to the evil one because you tend to lean more on his side rather than on God's.

If your FAITH is truly intense, you need not fear for you are assured that in times of adversity God will bear most, if not all of its weight. 

Bear in mind that there is no such thing as coincidence, everything is providential. There is no such thing as luck either, only blessings.

Keep the Faith.