Among the three articles that I've read, this has been my favorite. Maybe because it touched many issues that interest me. It also challenged me to do my part as a citizen of this nation. The article " To the young women of malolos " discussed several important issues that the society is facing .
First of which is the teachings of the Spanish priests and friars. Rizal noted the women to be very vigilant and decisive to what priests say. They must know if the message and the words that comes from the mouth of priests are from himself or from God. Rizal pointed out that not everything that priests say is a message from God because most of the time especially in the time of Rizal, priests or friars say things for their personal welfare. The friars sell religious things and ask unnecessary donations to the people to make themselves more wealthy, fatter, and bigger. Friars bribe the people and tell them that their sins will only be forgiven if they do what the friar tells them to do. The message here is to be very vigilant. Not all church people are Holy like we expect them to be. I certainly agree that even up to this time many people are trying to use the name of the Lord in vain just to earn. But the truth is, wealth and popularity can't be equated to holiness or godliness. If we will submit to all the desire of priest and friars, they will not treat the Filipino the same way they treat western people. We will still be maltreated and be taken for granted as Rizal described experienced in his time.
In this article, Rizal is challenging the women to teach their own children about balancing, about true honor, about humanity, about dignity, and about loving their own land. Rizal wants us to be true to ourselves and to raise men of equality, someone with a balanced strength and whit that will liberate oneself and ones race. In closing Jose Rizal never thought that every single word that he wrote will be accepted by the public.
