WHAT CAN you get for P1,500?
It is probably enough to enjoy two unlimited samgyeupsal meals, subscribe to a decent internet postpaid plan or settle a small household’s electric bill.
But during the time of UST founder Manila Archbishop Miguel de Benavides, it was enough to jumpstart the construction of an institution that would later on mold heroes and leaders, inspire artists and thinkers, nurture trailblazing ideas and encourage breakthroughs in science while propagating the faith.
For UST Prefect of Libraries Fr. Angel Aparicio, O.P., Benavides’ “perfect and irrevocable” donation is more than just a financial contribution to history.
While large corporations possess great monetary wealth, UST stands as a testament to its spiritual capital.
“The capital originally invested in the foundation of UST, more than financial, was spiritual,” Aparicio said in his homily for mass commemorating the University’s 415th founding anniversary.
According to him, this commitment to evangelize through education allowed UST to outlast the typical lifespan of large corporations. He noted that despite Benavides’ status as the Manila Archbishop, he was a poor man who bequeathed his library and a residue of his estate worth P1,500 to establish UST.
“For us, it sounds ridiculous. But Benavides and his Dominican brothers were not economists. They were real missionaries, evangelizers,” Aparicio said.
Benavides, Aparicio added, trusted in Jesus’ “parable of the seed” and believed that even the most insignificant start could grow into a “mighty tree.” The Dominican priest cited the image of Benavides carrying the Santo Evangelio, which, he said, served as a testament to the founder’s character as a pastor who established many social institutions, including a hospital for Chinese merchants in Parian.
Aparicio urged Thomasians to look beyond physical remains and instead employ the spiritual legacy that the saints used to achieve their mission.
“We may not become bishops or teachers, or go to faraway countries to bring the gospel, but we can imitate the sanctity of our founder,” he said.
The mass and solemn wreath-laying rites served as the centerpiece of the anniversary, which highlighted the missionary zeal that gave birth to the oldest existing university in Asia. F — M. R. Holman
