Category: Covid19

Pagkakataon… ng COVID-19

Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-17 ng Marso 2020
Larawan ay kuha ni Angelo Nicolas Carpio ng krus ng aming parokya, Enero 2020.
Pagkakataon.
Ito ang kataga 
na tumimo sa akin 
mula sa Ebanghelyo ngayon.
Wika ng alipin sa kanyang panginoon
"bigyan ninyo ako ng pagkakataon
mabayaran mga utang sa inyo"
at siya nama'y pinagbigyan nito.
Ngunit nang masalubong
kapwa alipin may utang
hamak maliit kaysa kanya,
pinagkait pagkakataon bagkus ipinakulong.
Kaya nang siya ay sinumbong
sa kanilang panginoon
tinawag siyang "napakasama" dahil
pagkakataon binigay sa kanya, pinagkait sa iba.
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Kuwaresma 2020.
Pagkakataon.
Ito ang kaloob sa atin ngayon
ng pagkukulong sa mga tahanan 
at maiwasan pagkalat nitong COVID-19.
Sa mahabang panahon
tinalikuran natin Panginoon
nang sariling pamilya binalewala
di pinansin, ang iba inaway natin.
Kay inam na pagkakataon
mabuklod mga pamilya ngayon
bilang isang tahanan at pamayanan
na pinagmulan noon ng ating simbahan.
Habang walang pasok
mga magulang at anak
balikan katesismong binaon 
unahin mga panalangin nilimot.
Basahin din at limihin
Banal na Kasulatan ating tinalikuran
sapagkat ito ang siyang gagabay
sa buhay natin sa gitna ng karimlan.
Kuha ng may-akda, Parokya ni San Juan Apostol at Ebanghelista, 2019.
Pagkakataon.
Marami tayong pinalampas noon
binalewala Panginoon at kapwa
kaya tayo ganito ngayon.
Hindi ito parusa ng Panginoon
kungdi kasalanan at pagkukulang
nating lahat sa mahabang panahon
Diyos at kapwa hindi natin nilingon.
Kaya ngayon sa gitna nitong hamon
kinakaharap natin sa pagkakataon
tama narinig kong nawika 
ng punong ministro doon sa Italya:
"Maghiwa-hiwalay muna tayo ngayon
upang mayakap ang isa't-isa sa kinabukasan"
kaya naman pagyamanin natin itong
pagkakataon makulong sa iisang bubong!

A prayer to be simple and faithful

40 Shades of Lent, Monday, Week III, 16 March 2020

2 Kings 5:1-15 ><)))*> + <*(((>< Luke 4:24-30

Photo by author, Baguio Cathedral, January 2019.

Praise and glory to you, O God our Father for this Monday, our first working day and most of all, when all plans for community quarantine are put to severe tests. Please give us the grace to be simple and faithful to you.

In the eerie silence of this past weekend while many have finally stayed home and hopefully reconnected with you and family, we still need your tremendous grace to change our ways to become better persons and disciples of Jesus your son.

We pray most especially for our leaders in the government today to be sincere and simple but also professional, efficient and exceptional in serving the people.

Please, we pray O God, enough with our callous and grandstanding politicians who act like the king of Israel in the time of the Prophet Elisha who tore his garment and exclaimed against the friendly request of the king of Aram for Naaman’s healing, always seeking attention:

“Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!” When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king: “Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.”

2 Kings 5:7-8

Come to us, O God, send us a prophet who can stand up against these people playing gods and cast them down from their thrones. They have long been a burden to your people like those enemies of Jesus at the synagogue of Capernaum.

Likewise, keep us simple and faithful too, O God, that we learn to be obedient and cooperative in this time of serious emergencies. Like Naaman, help us to set aside our biases and other inclinations, thinking only of the good of the country.

Let our prayers and pieties bear fruit in more authentic service especially to the poor and those with less in life. Amen.