May Dalawang Bahagi ang Ating Mga Dasal (Our Prayers Have Two Parts)

Pinaliwanag ni Mark Twain sa kaniyang tulang pasanaysay na “The War Prayer” (“Ang Pandigmaang Dasal”) na ang bawat panalangin ay may dalawang bahagi. Ang unang bahagi ay ang ating winika.  Ang ikalawang bahagi ng isang dasal ay ang mga bagay na hindi natin binanggit sapagkat hindi sila kailan man pumapasok sa ating pag-iisip o hindi natin tinatanggap sa ating sarili na iyon din ang ating pinapanalangin.

Mga Halimbawa:

*ANG ATING BINANGGIT	*ANG HINDI NATIN BINABANGGIT
“Diyos ko po, sana po ay umulan ngayon para malamig.”	“Diyos ko po, pabayaan na ninyo yung mga binabaha o mga nakatira sa kalye mabasa. Basta importante malamig dito.”
“Father Jesus, please let me get the promotion at work.”	“Father Jesus, I hope other people do not get the promotion; give it only to me.”
“Dear Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for all the blessings you have given me last year.”	Dear Lord Jesus Christ, you chose to bless me but you did not bless the poor children on the streets or all the people who died during the super typhoon.  You like me better than them. You practice favoritism and I am glad.”
“Mahabaging Diyos Ama, sana po ay magwagi ang mga militar laban sa mga kaaway nilang rebelde.”	“Mahabaging Diyos Ama, tulungan mong patayin ng mga militar ang mga rebelde. “

Ito marahil ang dahilan kung bakit may mga ilang panalangin na hindi sinasagot ng Diyos o sinumang banal na ating pinaniniwalaan.  Sa ating bawat dasal, mas nakikita marahil ng Maykapal ang ating tunay na kalooban.  Mas bukas siguro ang tenga ng Diyos sa ating hindi binabanggit kaysa sa ating mapaluhang dinadasal.

Medyo nakakatawa, pero siguro mas maganda kung detalye ang ating mga panalangin.

  

Image part of
public domain

Mga Halimbawa

“Mahabaging Diyos, sana po ay makuha ko yung promotion sa trabaho. Masipag naman ako at talagang mahusay ang aking trabaho noong nakaraan taon at kasama niyan, sana ay mabigyan din ng promotion ang iba ko pang kasamahan. Lalung-lalo na yung mas higit ang trabaho sa akin at talagang kailangan nila ng dagdag na sahod para maisulong ang kanilang pamilya. At sana po kung sakaling kami ay ma-promote, hiling po namin na walang maagrabiyado at maging silbing huwaran kami para ang iba ay magsikap. Salamat po.”

                          

"Dear Jesus, some people say that you blessed me so much last year, and I feel it sometimes too.  You gave me a good high-paying job all because you also blessed my parents enough to send me to a prestigious university. I am also blessed with material possessions including the latest gadgets. You also gave me a wonderful person to love, my new boyfriend (girlfriend). I also have enough free time and few family responsibilities that I have much opportunity to travel abroad without any care.  Nevertheless, I know that these are not blessings because if I call them as blessing, it is as if I were calling you a selfish unfair and petty God. It is illogical that you shower me with all these blessings while you allow thousands of people to die during the typhoon and you acted indifferently to all the child victims of rape and other forms of corruption in our government.  Am I that special? I know now that I should not thank you but capitalism.  I also know now that what you have given me is more responsibilities.  With all the material wealth that I have and will continue to have, I will donate much of it to progressive charities, not dole outs but help people stand on their two feet. Instead of buying the latest gadgets, I will try to support children who cannot go to school, maybe donate books in public schools and things like that. I also promise to learn more about the world and people when I travel instead of doing countless selfies.  I promise to use the new insights that I learn from my travel to better myself and share stories so people can know that we are all basically the same regardless of race, religion, economic and educational status.  If you feel that I am squandering all that you have given me, please feel to take them away from me. If you do not, then my friend must be right, you do not exist.”

Amen.

Ikaw, paano ka magdasal?

LINK
In 2007, Markos Kounalakis, journalist and president of Washington Monthly, directed an animated short film version of Mark Twain's "The War Prayer." To watch the video, visit Kounalakis’ YouTube page.