But even more wonderful was the baptism of two mutes, who, besides their natural barbarism, were still further hindered in receiving human instruction by their lack of the usual qualification therefor, which, as the apostle St. Paul declares, [10] is the hearing—which they, being mutes, lacked entirely. But God our Lord, in order to show His great mercy, and to demonstrate that His law, as the royal prophet says, is "unspotted, converting souls," and that His divine word (as the apostle also says) is sharp-edged and piercing—so that, unhindered by the absence of the senses, it reaches "unto the division of the soul and the spirit," [11] and with hidden force instructs, illumines, and sanctifies the soul—wrought a supernatural marvel in these mutes, whom He made such (as in that other case of the blind man) [12] for the manifestation of His glory, not because of their own sins or those of their parents.
There were then in Dulac two mutes, who caused our fathers much regret, as they supposed it would be so difficult to baptize these persons on account of their lack of capacity for instruction. Father Ramon de Prado, who was still our vice-provincial, determined, upon learning this, to instruct them by means of signs, believing that Divine Mercy desires that we should all be saved, and denies His grace to no one. [13] He undertook the task, persisted, and won success, our Lord so operating therein that the father, and the father-visitor, and all who knew them, regarded these men as fit for baptism. Nor were they deceived in this opinion; for the two mutes received the sacrament, and since then the divine grace which is communicated therein has been resplendent in them, with such tokens and effects as Fathers Francisco de Otaco and Melchior Hurtado attest in some of their letters concerning this matter. In that written by Father Francisco de Otaco to Father Ramon, he says: "I will not fail to inform your Reverence in a special letter, of the two mutes whom your Reverence catechized, and whom I baptized on the day following your Reverence's departure. Your Reverence was deprived of much consolation in not being present on that occasion: for in all this land I have not seen another person receive holy baptism with greater demonstrations of devotion and joy, while thus setting an example for the others who received the sacrament in their company. They could not restrain their joy—especially the elder one, who seemed as if his heart were bursting with gladness. But it was not only during the baptism that these admirable tokens and results were evident, for they were continued in the church, these new Christians attending mass upon their bended knees, with folded hands, and their eyes fixed upon the altar with extraordinary attention and reverence." Here Father Francisco de Otaco ends his account. Father Melchior Hurtado, in another letter to the father-visitor, thus writes: "The baptism of the mutes whom the father vice-provincial catechized was performed with all possible solemnity, and with the utmost satisfaction that our Lord had made good in these poor men their lack of hearing and speech. Their expressions of devotion—and especially those of the elder, who was christened Raimundo—were extraordinary, not only during the ceremonies at holy baptism, but when they were sprinkled with the water. So devoted has Raimundo become that he seldom goes from home. He diligently attends to all the requirements of devotion, never failing to attend mass, carrying his rosary, beating his breast; and he lacks nothing save speech. We are convinced that God supplies much more than we can understand. During this Holy Week Raimundo scourged himself in the procession, and it seemed to me that even had he possessed the power of speech and hearing, he could not have given more satisfactory tokens of his Christian faith."
The same Father Melchior Hurtado solemnized another baptism, also of considerable importance, as occurring at the point of death. This baptism took place in a village near to Dulac, called Tambo, whither he had gone to visit and console its people. This incident and its attendant circumstances are depicted to the life by that father in another letter, in which he says: "We reached Tambo thoroughly soaked, but with much consolation that we had so opportunely arrived; for at once we were hastily summoned to visit an old man who was dying, who desired holy baptism. Immediately we set out for his house, where he lived in his grain-field, a little more than a quarter of a legua from the village. Struggling through mud almost knee-deep, we reached his wretched abode, where we found the poor man in such extremity that speech had failed him. Knowing that he was a catechumen, and considering the statements of all those present that he had sent for me in order to be baptized, and fearing that he might die on my hands, I at once baptized him, although wishing that I could have prepared him better for the sacrament. But the Lord, who had inspired him with the desire to ask for baptism, I trust gave him what more he needed for his salvation; for he died soon afterward, on that same night."
As we have stated, the other Christians continued to increase together in numbers, as well as in virtue and edification, as may be seen from some special instances. At the beginning of Advent, we preached to them about fasting and abstinence, which are practiced throughout the world by good Christians in their piety and devotion. So earnestly did they set about this that one of them fasted four days in the week, in all that time eating only roots. Throughout Lent they repaired to the church, three days in the week, to take the discipline, the singers meanwhile chanting the Miserere to the accompaniment of the organ; and with the same devotion they attended the sermons which were preached to them two days in the week. During Holy Week there was a great concourse of people from the neighboring villages; and on Holy Thursday and Friday they had well-ordered processions with many flagellants, in which some bore on their shoulders large crosses. The most blessed sacrament was kept in a receptacle adorned with many ornaments and jewels of gold; all the time while it was enclosed therein, the chiefs were present in behalf of their districts armed according to their custom.
On this day a poor Indian failed to appear with the others at the church for the divine services, having gone to the river to bathe; there, by divine permission, a cayman seized him, and well nigh caused his death. He was brought to the church covered with gashes, and in such agony that he could neither understand, nor hear, nor utter a word. On account of his precarious condition, and as he was one of the catechumens, he was at once baptized. Being urged to invoke the most holy name of Jesus, this man, who had not been able to speak one word, was granted such strength that twice he uttered distinctly, "Jesus, Jesus," and died with that honey on his lips.
I will relate another and similar incident, equally interesting, although it occurred at a different time and in a different place. A poor Indian one night, in his grain-field, suspecting no harm, received several knife thrusts, so grievous that it is considered almost a miracle that they did not instantly kill him; for all his abdomen was cut open, and his entrails lay on the ground. In this condition he remained until morning, when he sent another Indian, who by chance left his route to pass that way, to summon the fiscal of the church, since the fathers did not reside in that village. The fiscal went, and found the poor man in such misery that some dogs were actually beginning to devour him alive. Asking with great earnestness for the sacrament, he was accordingly baptized, whereupon he at once expired. It seemed that our Lord would wait no longer to receive him to Himself.
But to return to Lent at Dulac: The good example set by a Spaniard who happened to be there during this holy time, was most valuable. It was he who adorned, as we have mentioned, the receptacle of the most blessed sacrament, and who sent much wax to furnish its illumination; and he remained under arms, guarding the sepulchre, and marched in the procession with the Indians, bleeding severely under the scourge. Not content with this, he went a second time along the streets through which the procession had passed (a long distance), scourging himself. The Indians were greatly edified at this, and, as I have said, hastened to imitate him.
Not less readily did they imitate a virtuous action by one of our fathers, who performed it in order to preach to them by deeds as well as words, that he might at once constrain them and render good deeds easier for them; and, by the grace of our Lord, he succeeded in his purpose. Those people are fastidious to such an extreme that they are annoyed and disgusted by any object offensive to the senses, especially to sight and smell. They are passionately fond, on the other hand, of fine colors and flavors, and eager to see or hear agreeable things. Accordingly, they cannot endure foul odors, and have great aversion for persons who are wounded or bruised; among them such persons suffer, in consequence, great privation and neglect, bodily as well as spiritual. On this point, several sermons were preached to them; but, as the achievement of victory in such a cause is, in truth, arduous and heroic, the preacher, seeing that words were of no avail, determined to preach a sermon of deeds. They had one day in the week set apart when all the old, the sick, and the wounded assembled to receive instruction; and the father knew that some were not present because they had no one to carry them, or help them to come—among these, especially, there was a female slave who belonged to one of the chiefs; her masters had never been willing to carry her to the church, on account of their great loathing for her. At a time when many of these poor creatures were assembled, and the most notable of the people were present, the father took in his hands the feet of a poor slave who was covered with sores, kissed them, and placed his lips on the wound itself. There was another unfortunate whom they all held in great contempt, who himself did not dare to expose his countenance, on account of an ulcer which had eaten away his mouth, nose, and the greater part of his face; but the father drew this man to himself, spoke to him, and caressed him, even touching his face. This example made so great an impression upon them that, from that time forth, they have displayed great compassion for such unfortunates—aiding them in their necessities, and, when they cannot walk, carrying them on their shoulders to the church. One of the chiefs did this several times for his slave woman, although, before that occurrence, he had not been accustomed even to approach her. The governor of that same village, an Indian of very high rank and much esteemed by his people, seeing that all refused to help a poor woman, who was in a very loathsome condition, to go to the church, placed her on his own shoulders and carried her thither, heedless of the stench and sores, and careless of staining a very elegant gown which he had put on that same day. When some persons attempted to restrain him, he responded that such was the obligation of a Christian.
The increase and fervor of Christianity in Tinagon. Chapter LXIII.
When the first fruits had been paid with a thousand Christians, who, as we have said, died newly-baptized, in Tinagon and its district, there were left, upon the arrival there of the fathers of the Society, about eight thousand five hundred souls. Of this number we baptized from the month of April of the year one thousand five hundred and ninety-nine, to the same month of the year one thousand six hundred, more than nine hundred and seventy persons, almost amounting to a thousand. For the rest of the catechumens, and for some Christians besides who are scattered through various villages, the services of three fathers and three brethren did not suffice, although they were constantly occupied in instructing them. But our Lord provided us with some boys, so well disposed and so intelligent in the things of our holy faith, that they have, upon various occasions, supplied the lack of priests and the need for catechizing and instruction in those villages. It was in this way that a native chief in one of those neighboring villages, having heard one of Ours preach, became so enamored of the things of our holy faith, and so desirous that he and his villagers might know them, that he went straightway to his encomendero and entreated him to find for them some Indian well instructed in our doctrine, who might impart to them the prayers and catechism. An Indian was sent, as he had desired; they received him very hospitably, and all promptly learned the doctrine. They manifested their gratitude for such benefits by entertaining their teacher liberally during his stay and presenting some gifts to him at his departure. Two or three times afterward, this same chief came to ask our fathers to send someone to his district to baptize his people, saying that they all desired to receive holy baptism. The earnest affection wherewith they asked for it was manifest in another Indian whose baptism our fathers delayed until he should be better prepared for it: but each day his desire and fervor increased, and each day he became more fixed in his good resolution. One day a father asked him why he did not cut off his hair, since he desired to become a Christian. At once he made answer with much affection: "The hair, Father, and nothing more? Do but grant me what I ask, and I will cut off, not only my hair, but even my arm, in return for baptism." This man was almost on the point of tearing out his eyes, or cutting off his hand or foot, to his own shame.