During our postulancy exposure last April, when we were still in our fourth year of philosophy, the Pintig class were the postulants. We were told that here in the postulancy, “you will get naked”—huhubaran ka!
I was both excited and scared at the time. (Psychologically speaking, to be stripped naked (huhubaran) means shedding our psychological defenses, social masks, and ego protections to reveal our authentic selves—confronting the core of who we truly are without persona or pretense. I was excited because what man in this world would’t want to truly know himself as he is? Knowing oneself is a pathway to a happy and fulfilling life—credits to Socrates. At the same time, I was scared because disclosing or revealing myself might lead to judgment, condemnation, mockery, and humiliation; many other negative thoughts filled my mind. Besides, how could I truly reveal myself without biases, self-preservation, hiding, or altering my life narratives?
That, my friend, is vulnerability.
From August 31 to September 4, 2026, we had our first “Group Growth”—an activity where a safe space, openness, and the sacredness of one’s stories were upheld. This was a time for each of us postulants to share our past experiences, family dynamics, shadows, and struggles so that we could know one another not merely on the surface, but in the depths of our pagkatao. Hearing all of my brothers’ stories moved me to become more understanding, sensitive, considerate, and loving.
Sharing our whole selves was not an easy task. I remember when I decided to share after the break, the heavy weight inside me took over my body. What I did was pray. I prayed to God for one thing: the courage to become vulnerable. With that, during my sharing, I truly showed the innermost weaknesses and struggles I had within my family, myself, and my vocation. I found myself bursting into tears without shame or fear, thanks to our Postulancy Directors for their guidance and to my brothers who stood by my side habang nilalahad ko ang aking buong pagkatao.
Hence, the most important lesson I learned from this experience is that becoming vulnerable is not about being weak; rather, it is about recognizing our human frailty, our weaknesses, our sinfulness, and our overall humanity. Indeed, no man is perfect. However, we can strive to become good and better versions of ourselves.
That is why I am here in the postulancy: to become a good and better version of myself.
The only way to get there is to become open and vulnerable, because vulnerability is a pathway toward building connection, love, humility, and receiving the mercy of God.
These photos were taken after our group growth session.
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