MORE than 180 days have passed since the March 22 lockdown. I had more time to read bible passages, watch live TV masses because I couldn’t go anywhere, anytime. Sometimes I worry about my family, my relatives, friends, and neighbors when I read, hear COVID death records.
Then I really feel bad thinking everything is hopeless. From deep, deep low, I slowly float and get high after reading the bible, talking to my children, and grandchildren and watching sunrise, sunset and the big blue starlit sky.
Since the March lockdown, most of us had time to think about the things we did and did not do but should have done. As our past floats by and fades down the pools of memories, we become sentimental. Parang kahapon. As the hours go by, COVID jolts us and we realize that time never stands still. We cannot turn back the hands of time nor roll back the sands of time, so we return to COVID. I realized that death, epidemics, drought, hunger, war, natural calamities like earthquakes, typhoons are part of life together with birth, joy, love, pain, families.
The old testament talks about prophets sent by God (Isaiah, Samuel, etc.) to guide the people. All of them were killed by the same people whom they wanted to teach about God.
The people didn’t want to listen to sermons and warnings about sin, guilt, punishment and how to beg for forgiveness.
The King and the people of Nineveh were saved because they repented, fasted, wore sackcloth and begged on their hands and knees for mercy.The Lord’s kindness and compassion is always here.
All we have to do is acknowledge our sins and beg for mercy. God sent the world Christ who in turn left the church to us so just like the prophets, we will be guided by the priests, bishops in the same way a good shepherd takes good care of his flock. Because of human greed, pride and wrong use of our brains we forgot, disregard the teachings of the Lord. We focused on money and relied on man made science, technology electronics for our needs.
In the last 24 hours, how many, hours, minutes, seconds have we spent kneeling, praying, begging for help to save our families from COVID. How many minutes, seconds have we spent giving thanks for the blessings we received from good health, good comfortable life to no family problems about drugs, sex, gambling drinking, corruption.
When was the last time the family went to Church together. Then count the hours, minutes, seconds, you and your family spent on TV, computers, video games, tablets, laptops, cellphones, netflix, youtube, etc., during the same 24 hours while praying or during church services, we stop everything and rush outside whenever the cellphone rings.
You get angry when you’re talking to your son who keeps on playing video games. How about the Lord. Without cost we have received so much blessings from the Lord.
In return for all the blessings we should acknowledge the wonderful gifts by way of being prayerful, alms giving, active participation in church and civic activities. Now that COVID is destroying the world, we are asking where is God? Why does He not save us? Harvard Philosopher George Santayana said those who forget the lessons of the past will repeat the same mistakes.
The Lord’s gifts of deliverance and help are always available to us for free but we often forget or reject these bounties. In 1917, Santa Maria appeared to minors Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco in Fatima, Portugal. She said among others that World War I will end next year (1918), that a second even worse world war will occur and that Russia will be a threat to world peace. She asked the three to tell the world to pray for Russia’s conversion. Since 1918 the church all over the world has prayed for Russia’s conversion. In 1989, Russia freed 20 nations from its dictatorial rule and became a more open society. Since March, the church has been praying for COVID deliverance.
