Here is the summary of Chapter 08 of the El Filibusterismo…

Chapter 8: Merry Christmas

The miracle that Juli expected did not happen — there was no money at the foot of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. All that remained there were Juli’s prayers.

As a result, Juli resigned herself to serving as Hermana Penchang’s maid.

Apparently, Juli’s mindset shows how the friars controlled the Philippine population. The friars convinced the people that being a good Catholic means:

  • religiously praying and putting complete and total faith on saints (or their icons)
  • learning to just accept and bear whatever hardships fate hands to them

Hmmm… there are many things that make me feel like a modern-day Juli. Blame it on readings about Zen (all life is suffering), those positive thinking gurus (everything that happens is really for the best), and other non-Catholic sources. I wonder, should Juli have done something else? Or do her actions pave the way for something better in the future?

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Multimedia notes will be added here soon…


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(Contains the full-text version of the chapter summary)