Part two
The Catholic Church had always discouraged the practice of penitential crucifixion. Having the human body mutilated and wounded is not sanctioned.
Ruben Enaje told us that in previous years, two Catholic bishops had come to him separately to persuade him to stop the practice, but he said he could not disobey the vows he made to God.
“And besides,” he told them, “this is between me and my God, and the Church has nothing to do with it.”
So, the yearly sacrifice of having himself nailed to the cross continued.
He told us, however, that next year, the 27th time he will be nailed to the cross, will be his last. Even if he himself or another family member got sick, he would not do it anymore. First, he felt he had done enough, second, his body can no longer take it. He did not reveal his age, but I guess he must be around 60.
I asked how he felt when the nails were being driven into his hands and feet. He said he felt nothing, as if his body was numb. We looked at his hands before his 26th crucifixion, and found no trace of the wound that had been annually inflicted on them.
The day after he was nailed to the cross on April 6, we found him very calm. We asked to see his hands, and found no wound. His right foot bore a very small hole, but his left foot had no wound at all.
The Danish doctor examined his hands and feet and probably wondered how the wound had healed so fast.
This reminded me of my interview of a penitent who had been nailed to a cross thrice for a TV show. He was the son of a Filipino mother and an American father. Abandoned by his father, he had been looking for him, to no avail, so he decided to have himself nailed to the cross to ask God to let him find his father.
An ant’s bite
When we looked at his hands, there was only a thin scar on both palms. I asked him what happened to his wounds. He said that the wounds disappeared immediately after he washed himself in a river. Did he feel pain as the nails pierced his body? He said it felt only like an ant’s bite.
But that was apparently not the experience of all those who were crucified. Some experienced excruciating pain and even fainted. That’s why an ambulance is always around.
This may prove my theory that those who do not experience pain during crucifixion were in a trance-like state. They must have prepared themselves days before the event, while those who experienced pain were not able to put themselves in a trance and were probably in fear.
We also learned that some of the penitents were criminals asking for forgiveness for their sins. Others were drunk and probably didn’t know what was happening. All kinds of characters go through such sacrifice.
Very few are like Ruben Enaje whose demeanor, sincerity and seriousness have enabled him to withstand being nailed to a cross 26 times, without any serious injury, just like the time he fell from the third floor of the building he was painting in Tarlac 26 years ago.
I found this trip rewarding, despite the 38-degree heat of the noontime sun. It answered most of my questions. I was happy to have finally met the man who has had the most number of crucifixions, certainly much more than Jesus Christ, who was crucified only once.
By the way, when Enaje saw me, he said he never thought he would have the pleasure of meeting me, whom he had seen only on TV. I said I was thankful that we met, because he was one of the reasons I came to Barrio Cutud in Pampanga.
Those interested in personal consultancy, individual past life hypnotic regression, scientifically based seminars, and other paranormal services, please call 8107245 or 0920-9818962 for details. The next Basic ESP and Intuition Development seminar is scheduled on April 28-29, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Rm. 308, Prince Plaza I, Legaspi St., Greenbelt, Makati.
