The Friday of Our Lives

In the week that past, our country the Philippines has gone through something that suffers the heart with great sadness and grieving. They did not come in one; the giant storms came in two. When the typhoon “Unding” started to wield its mischief throughout the northern lands, I was watching the evening news and retorted inside my mind that the storms are here again, as it was the year before and many years in the past. Yet, I did not realize that “Unding’ was an extraordinary wind, that this day, I finally realize that the country has just suffered a tragedy that is never anticipated even if in the past we have witnessed more deaths through flooding waters in our country, more particularly in Ormoc City down south.

My heart is wretched so enormously as I see mothers orphaned by their children while daughters grieve their lost husbands and fathers. This morning, two children were found in a ravine, apparently a victim of flood that assumes nothing and distinguishes no one. They have grieved for their deaths and we as a nation also grieve with them.

As I write, the typhoon “Yoyong” is still ravaging in the northern towns and we are holding our breath hoping the tragedy may not be as worse as the previous one brought about by “Unding”. We continue to watch the news and hope against all hope that the wind calms down immediately and wither away out our region. It is by God’s grace that many of our countrymen continue to pinched in their help through the many agencies offering assistance. The Lord is surely with them.

I trouble my mind with the thoughts of this tragedy for the pain of the mothers losing their love ones is like a needle into our hearts and the wail of children looking for their lost fathers reverberates like wild sirens. I trouble my mind that this tragedy was partly man-made, as floodwaters rushed down towards where the people tightly sleep, for the hills were already barren of trees. Illegal loggers scour for more and more wealth and now death in the hundreds have occurred. The whole nation grieves while these men of greed continue to enjoy the loot of their indiscretion. Many asked if illegal logging is such a heinous act. I say one is too blind not to realize that there is no more grievous transgression to cause the death of many and bringing the demise of Mother Nature as well. They will certainly answer to the Lord when Judgment Day comes.

Let me comfort the ones who grieve for in the name of the Lord God, their loved ones shall be in the company of the angels now---for they have suffered and they shall find relief in the Kingdom of God. In Psalm 23, we are told, “Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil.” And in Revelation 21 we are advised, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither there shall be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

I imbibe all of my countrymen as well as mankind to have faith and continue to pray for the salvation of our souls.