Original Text(~250 words)
CHAPTER XVIII Souls in Torment It was about seven o'clock in the morning when Fray Salvi finished celebrating his last mass, having offered up three in the space of an hour. "The padre is ill," commented the pious women. "He doesn't move about with his usual slowness and elegance of manner." He took off his vestments without the least comment, without saying a word or looking at any one. "Attention!" whispered the sacristans among themselves. "The devil's to pay! It's going to rain fines, and all on account of those two brothers." He left the sacristy to go up into the rectory, in the hallway of which there awaited him some seven or eight women seated upon benches and a man who was pacing back and forth. Upon seeing him approach, the women arose and one of them pressed forward to kiss his hand, but the holy man made a sign of impatience that stopped her short. "Can it be that you've lost a real, _kuriput?_" exclaimed the woman with a jesting laugh, offended at such a reception. "Not to give his hand to me, Matron of the Sisterhood, Sister Rufa!" It was an unheard-of proceeding. "He didn't go into the confessional this morning," added Sister Sipa, a toothless old woman. "I wanted to confess myself so as to receive communion and get the indulgences." "Well, I'm sorry for you," commented a young woman with a frank face. "This week I earned three plenary indulgences and dedicated them to the...
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Summary
Two parallel stories reveal the corruption within religious institutions. In the church, a group of women obsess over accumulating indulgences—spiritual credits they believe reduce time in purgatory. Sister Rufa keeps meticulous accounts of her 'earned' indulgences like a banker, while Sister Sipa forces servants to pray for broken dishes. Their conversation reveals how they've turned faith into a competitive game, more concerned with spiritual bookkeeping than actual compassion or devotion. Meanwhile, Fray Salvi appears agitated and refuses his usual interactions with parishioners, suggesting guilt or anxiety about recent events. The chapter's heart lies with Sisa, who arrives at the rectory with carefully chosen vegetables as an offering, hoping to see her missing son Crispin. Instead, she learns devastating news: Crispin has been accused of theft and has disappeared, while the Civil Guard has been sent to arrest both her sons. The church servants treat her with cold contempt, and the cook cruelly mocks her family's honor. Sisa is literally pushed out of the church while suppressing her grief, symbolizing how institutions abandon those who need help most. The contrast is stark—while the Sisters play elaborate games with their faith, a real mother faces genuine crisis and finds no sanctuary. This chapter exposes how religious institutions can become more concerned with maintaining appearances and social hierarchies than providing actual spiritual comfort or justice. Rizal shows how performative piety often masks indifference to real suffering.
That's what happens. To understand what the author is really doing—and to discuss this chapter with confidence—keep reading.
Terms to Know
Plenary indulgences
In Catholic doctrine, these were spiritual credits that supposedly reduced time in purgatory. People could 'earn' them through prayers, good deeds, or donations. The church taught that accumulating indulgences helped souls get to heaven faster.
Modern Usage:
Like loyalty points or credit scores - systems where people obsess over accumulating benefits while missing the bigger picture.
Sisterhood/Religious brotherhood
Lay religious organizations where ordinary people (not priests or nuns) gathered to show devotion and gain social status. Members often competed for recognition and influence within the church community.
Modern Usage:
Similar to exclusive clubs, HOAs, or social media groups where people jockey for status and insider privileges.
Sacristans
Church assistants who help with ceremonies and maintain the building. In colonial Philippines, they often acted as go-betweens for the priest and community, wielding significant local power despite their servant status.
Modern Usage:
Like administrative assistants or middle managers who control access to the boss and can make your life easier or harder.
Civil Guard
Spanish colonial police force that maintained order and enforced Spanish rule. They were known for harsh treatment of Filipinos and often acted without proper investigation or due process.
Modern Usage:
Any law enforcement that operates with little oversight and tends to target marginalized communities disproportionately.
Performative piety
Making a big show of being religious or moral to gain social approval, while ignoring the actual spirit of compassion and justice that faith should inspire.
Modern Usage:
Like virtue signaling on social media - posting about causes for likes while doing nothing to actually help.
Spiritual bookkeeping
Treating faith like a business transaction, carefully tracking good deeds and prayers as if they were deposits in a heavenly bank account, rather than focusing on genuine love and service.
Modern Usage:
Similar to people who only do good deeds when they can post about it, or who keep score of every favor they do for others.
Characters in This Chapter
Fray Salvi
Antagonist
The parish priest who appears agitated and refuses normal interactions with parishioners. His unusual behavior suggests guilt or anxiety about recent events, possibly connected to the accusations against Sisa's sons.
Modern Equivalent:
The boss who suddenly becomes cold and avoids eye contact when they know they've done something wrong
Sister Rufa
Minor antagonist
Matron of the religious sisterhood who keeps careful count of her indulgences like a spiritual accountant. She's offended when Fray Salvi won't let her kiss his hand, showing how she expects special treatment for her status.
Modern Equivalent:
The church lady who expects VIP treatment because of her donations and volunteer work
Sister Sipa
Supporting character
An elderly, toothless woman obsessed with earning indulgences through confession and communion. She represents how some people turn faith into a mechanical routine rather than genuine spiritual practice.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who follows every life hack and productivity system but misses the point of actually living well
Sisa
Tragic protagonist
A desperate mother who brings vegetables as an offering, hoping to see her missing son Crispin. She learns her sons are accused of theft and being hunted by authorities, but receives no help or compassion from the church.
Modern Equivalent:
The single mom trying to navigate the system to help her kids, getting shuffled between offices with no one willing to actually help
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter reveals how organizations gradually shift from serving their mission to serving themselves.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when customer service reps care more about following scripts than solving your problem, or when your workplace focuses more on meetings about work than actual work.
You have the foundation. Now let's look closer.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"This week I earned three plenary indulgences and dedicated them to the souls in purgatory"
Context: The women are discussing their spiritual accomplishments like business transactions
This reveals how some people have turned faith into a point-scoring system. They're more concerned with accumulating spiritual credits than actually helping people who are suffering right in front of them.
In Today's Words:
I racked up major karma points this week and put them toward helping dead people instead of living ones
"The devil's to pay! It's going to rain fines, and all on account of those two brothers"
Context: Church servants discussing Fray Salvi's bad mood and connecting it to Sisa's sons
This shows how the church staff know something bad has happened but are only worried about how it affects them financially. They're more concerned about potential punishment than justice or compassion.
In Today's Words:
We're all gonna get in trouble because of what happened with those kids
"Not to give his hand to me, Matron of the Sisterhood, Sister Rufa!"
Context: She's outraged that the priest won't give her the special treatment she expects
This exposes how religious status can breed entitlement. Sister Rufa is more upset about losing her VIP privileges than concerned about why the priest might be troubled.
In Today's Words:
How dare he not kiss up to me - don't you know who I am around here?
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Performative Faith - When Rituals Replace Reality
When institutions become more devoted to their internal processes than to their stated purpose, leaving real needs unmet while maintaining the appearance of service.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
The church servants dismiss Sisa because she's poor, while the Sisters enjoy privileged access to spiritual 'banking'
Development
Building from earlier chapters showing how class determines access to justice and dignity
In Your Life:
You might notice how differently you're treated in institutions based on your perceived status or resources.
Religious Hypocrisy
In This Chapter
Sisters turn faith into competitive scorekeeping while actual suffering is ignored at the church door
Development
Introduced here as a new dimension of institutional corruption
In Your Life:
You might see people who are very public about their values but don't live them in private moments.
Maternal Suffering
In This Chapter
Sisa's desperate search for her son meets cold institutional indifference and cruelty
Development
Continues the theme of mothers bearing the cost of social injustice
In Your Life:
You might recognize how parents, especially mothers, often get blamed for systemic problems affecting their children.
Institutional Gatekeeping
In This Chapter
Church servants control access to help based on status and protocol rather than need
Development
New focus on how lower-level enforcers maintain unjust systems
In Your Life:
You might encounter receptionists, clerks, or supervisors who seem to enjoy denying access or making processes difficult.
Performance vs. Reality
In This Chapter
Elaborate spiritual accounting systems mask the absence of actual compassion or justice
Development
Introduced here as a key pattern of how corruption disguises itself
In Your Life:
You might notice organizations that are very good at looking helpful while being fundamentally unhelpful.
Modern Adaptation
When the System Serves Itself
Following Crisostomo's story...
Crisostomo watches the nonprofit he joined obsess over grant applications and board meetings while Maria, a single mother, gets shuffled between departments seeking help with her eviction notice. The program coordinators spend hours perfecting their presentation slides about 'community impact metrics' while Maria sits in the waiting room for the third time this week. When she finally gets five minutes with someone, they tell her she needs different paperwork and to come back Tuesday. Meanwhile, the staff celebrates their new federal funding at a catered lunch. Crisostomo realizes the organization has become more invested in maintaining its processes than actually preventing homelessness. The very people they claim to serve have become obstacles to their smooth operation. When he suggests they bend the rules to help Maria immediately, his supervisor explains why that's 'not how we do things here' and hands him another stack of compliance forms to review.
The Road
The road Sisa walked in 1887, Crisostomo walks today. The pattern is identical: institutions designed to help people become more concerned with protecting their own systems than serving their stated mission.
The Map
This chapter teaches you to spot when organizations prioritize process over purpose. Look for the gap between what they say they do and what they actually spend their time doing.
Amplification
Before reading this, Crisostomo might have assumed good intentions automatically lead to good outcomes. Now he can NAME institutional drift, PREDICT when systems will fail the people they serve, and NAVIGATE by finding the humans who still remember the mission.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What's the difference between how the Sisters treat their faith versus how they treat Sisa when she needs help?
analysis • surface - 2
Why do you think the Sisters focus so much on counting indulgences while ignoring a mother's crisis right in front of them?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen people get so caught up in following rules or procedures that they forget the original purpose?
application • medium - 4
If you were in Sisa's position, how would you handle being turned away by an institution that's supposed to help people?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about how people use rituals and rules to avoid dealing with uncomfortable realities?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Spot the Mission Drift
Think of an organization or system you interact with regularly (workplace, school, healthcare, government office, even family traditions). Write down what you think their original purpose was, then describe how their current practices either serve or ignore that purpose. Look for the gap between stated mission and actual behavior.
Consider:
- •Notice when people seem more invested in following procedures than achieving results
- •Pay attention to who gets prioritized and who gets pushed aside
- •Consider whether the people running the system still remember why it exists
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you encountered a system that had lost sight of its purpose. How did it affect you, and what would you have done differently if you were in charge?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 19: The Schoolmaster's Impossible Choice
Moving forward, we'll examine institutional power crushes individual reform efforts, and understand good intentions aren't enough without systemic support. These insights bridge the gap between classic literature and modern experience.