Spiritual development in bless me ultima by rudolfo anaya

After the incident, Antonio became unsure of the presence of God and despair filled his heart. He was confused about his religious values and recites the act of contrition without understanding its full significance. He is really scared by the incident and only gets comforted when he realizes that Ultima’s owl had been with him all that time. He got lost in thoughts about life, death, and fate. He could not find answers to his questions from his religious beliefs. As the story proceeds, Antonio learns that there are limitations to Catholicism or any one particular religion. He was learning to think by himself and draw conclusions from his own mind. He concluded that the mind should not be dominated by beliefs of a single religion and should not remain blind to the realities of the world. Instead, he was inspired by Ultima to integrate the forces of nature with the faith of Catholicism to formulate his own opinions of the world around him. “ The tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart.” This actually symbolizes Antonio’s spiritual development that he should not only rely on an external omnipotent being but also look for happiness and inspiration inside his heart. And this is what Ultima guided him about. “ Always have the strength to live. Love life, and if despair enters your heart, look for me in the evenings when the wind is gentle and the owls sing in the hills. I shall be with you” (Anaya)