Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Is There Hope In Heaven?
For he looked for a city …whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:10
As a child, Florence Chadwick wanted more than anything else to become a great swimmer. At the age of six she persuaded her parents to enter her in a 50-yard race. They did, and she came in last. She practiced every day for a year and then entered the same contest. Again she lost, but this time by not so great a margin. At the age of 11 she entered an endurance competition and completed a 6-mile course—a remarkable feat for her age. As a teenager she competed for a spot on the Olympic team and failed to make the team.
Eventually she married and for a while became interested in other things, but in the back of her mind she kept thinking, “I wonder if endurance isn’t my forte?” Twelve years after she failed to make the Olympic team, she successfully swam the gruesome English Channel, breaking Gertrude Ederle’s 24-year-old record. At last she had hit her stride. Eventually she swam the same churning stretch of water both ways—the first woman to accomplish this feat.
As a girl, Florence had often looked towards Catalina Island from the San Diego area where she grew up and thought about swimming the 26 mile, shark-infested waters. On July 4, 1951 she made the attempt. The distance wasn’t the problem. It was the temperature of the frigid waters. Then on that day a dense fog covered the coast. After fifteen hours in the water she grew tired. Her mother, in a support vessel, urged her on, but finally she gave up and her weary, limp body was hauled into the boat. What she did not realize is that she was less than a half-mile, not even a kilometer, from the shore.
The next day at a news conference she said, “Look, I’m not excusing myself. But if I could have seen land, I might have made it.” Not long after that she made the same attempt. Again a misty veil obscured the coastline making visibility impossible, but this time when she was tempted to give up, she reminded herself of how close she was the previous time and gave up. But this time she made it, breaking the record by more than two hours.
I couldn’t help thinking of Abraham, who saw by faith a city whose builder and maker is God. He was sure it was there, though in the flesh he could not see it. Then there are the comforting words written by a one-time cynic, Malcolm Muggeridge, who came to faith in Christ late in life. In his book Christ and the Media he reflected on heaven, saying, “As the old do, I often wake up in the night, half out of my body, so that I see between the sheets the battered carcass I shall soon be leaving for good, and in the distance a glow in the sky, the lights of Augustine’s City of God.”
When you are tempted to give up, to quit, to lose heart, think of Florence Chadwick’s words: “If I could have seen land, I might have made it.” There are some things that are very, very real though you have not seen them—too far away, obscured by distance, veiled by poor eyesight. You’ve seen pictures of them, or noticed a dot on the map telling you where they are. Perhaps you’ve even talked with a pilgrim who has been there, or a weary traveler who has returned and told you how it is there.
That’s the way heaven is, friend, for you who believe in God’s Son. He’s been there, and the fact is that the closer you get to it, to larger it looms before you. Don’t lose heart or let the dark waters obscure its light. It’s there.
Scripture reading: Revelation 21:1-5
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/is-there-hope-in-heaven/
'Not the Mass I dreamed of': Empty churches haunt Holy Week for 2nd year due to COVID-19
For predominantly Catholic Philippines, Holy Week is the crescendo in one's religious life. From dramatic liturgies in churches to processions, chanting of Christ's passion, and visits to pilgrim sites — Filipinos never go amiss in fulfilling their respective "panata" or vow.
But for the second year, most churches in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna and Rizal are shutting their doors to public worshippers to adhere to government's rule of disallowing religious gatherings beginning March 22 to April 4.
The decision was made after the country saw new records daily tallies in COVID-19 infections in successive days, peaking at over 8,000 cases on Monday, the all-time high.
For a young priest like Rev. Fr. Ritz Darwin Resuello, parochial vicar of of the San Isidro-San Roque Parish in Meycauayan, Bulacan, the situation is somehow disheartening. He said it feels like his ministry as a pastor is being challenged once again.
"Ngayong bumalik na naman ang limitasyon sa pisikal na presensya ng mga tao sa Banal na Misa – papalapit pa naman ang mga Mahal na Araw, kung saan nakapaloob ang pagdiriwang ng rurok ng pananapampalatayang Kristiyano – hinahamon na naman ako bilang isang batang pari na patuloy na magtiwala at manampalataya; hindi lamunin ng takot at paninisi," the 31-year-old priest said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.
[Now that the limitation for the physical presence of the public in Holy Mass is back — coinciding with Holy Week, which includes the climax of the celebration of the Christian faith — I am being challenged once again as a young priest to continue to trust and have faith, not cower in fear and blame.]
In the Archdiocese of Manila, Apostolic Administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo insisted that churches in the city will open at 10% capacity for some liturgies. But many churches in the region will have to contend with the absence of the public while still holding the usual holy week rites.
According to several dioceses, which already released their respective circulars for the holy week, the following will be observed:
Holy Masses and other religious and spiritual activities will be held inside churches and will be available for the public through online streaming
Senakulo, pabasa ng pasyon, processions, motorcades, and visita iglesia are not allowed
There will be a special arrangement for the Chrism Mass, which includes the blessing of the holy oils and the renewal of priestly vows, as it is usually attended by all priests within the diocese/archdiocese
Closure of churches in the NCR Plus bubble is a familiar scenario, almost a repeat of last year when the pandemic was just starting in the country. It was also during that time when Resuello penned an impassioned poem after celebrating his first Mass "sine populo" (without the presence of the people).
In his piece, he said:
"Hindi ito ang Misang pinangarap ko.
Hindi ito ang pagkaparing pinaghandaan ko.
Puso ko’y lumuluha, nagmamakaawa sa Iyo.
Iligtas mo kami mula sa salot ng sakit na ito."
[This is not the Mass that dreamed of.
This is not the priesthood I've prepared for.
My heart weeps, to you I plea.
Save us from the plague of this disease.]
The young priest, who is now on the third year of his ministry, admitted that the absence of parishioners has had an effect on him.
"Higit sa lungkot at pagkailang dahil nagsasalita akong tila walang kausap lalo na sa homilya, mas matindi sa puso ko bilang isang pari ang panghihinayang na ang awa ng Diyos na pinagkakaloob sa pamamagitan ng mga Sakramento at ang pagmamakaawa ng tao sa harap ng Diyos sa dambana ay nalilimitahan," Resuello explained.
[More than the sadness and the awkwardness because it almost feels like I am talking to no one, especially during homily, I regret the fact that the mercy of God which is given through the sacrament and the cries of people in front of God in the altar is being limited.]
A year after penning the poem, the Bulakeño priest said he still tries his best to offer prayers, especially the sacrifice of the mass, with the same vigor and spirituality. And with it carries the hope that the usual life in Church will go back to the way it was.
"Sa totoo lang, medyo nakakapagod na, nakakapanlumo na. Subalit sa liwanag ng pananampalataya, ang isang taong mahaba sa mata ng mga tao ay sandali pa rin sa Diyos," Resuello admitted.
(Honestly, it's exhausting, it's saddening. But with the light of faith, a year that feels long for man is just a blink for God.)
To adapt to the challenges posed by the pandemic, Resuello and his brother priests are employing digital means to continue their ministry. He said they have an online bible study, online catechism, and online recollection.
Unlike last year, a small gathering for some sacraments are now allowed (maximum of 10 people), including baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Resuello also added that churches continue to do its charitable work despite bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He admitted that it is very challenging being a priest amid this crisis. But true to his vow, he draws his strength from God and advised people to do the same.
"Hindi ito karuwagan. Ito ay malasakit natin sa nahihirapan nang mga medical frontliner. Ito ay aktibo nating pakikilahok sa may konsiyensyang pagsugpo sa COVID-19," Resuello said.
"Hindi natin iniiwan ang Panginoong Hesukristo; pinahahalagahan lang natin sa ganitong paraan ang kalusugan ng mga taong mahal at mahalaga sa kanya."
[This is not cowardice. This is just a way of supporting our suffering medical frontliners. This is us joining the fight against COVID-19. We are not abandoning Jesus Christ; but in this way, we are valuing the people that he loves and are important to Him.]
LGUs, private sector should only buy COVID-19 vaccines under tripartite agreement with national government: Galvez
The Philippines' vaccine czar on Monday said local government units and the private sector should only purchase COVID-19 vaccines through a tripartite agreement with the national government.
National COVID-19 Task Force chief implementer Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. said that as the pandemic rages on, vaccines can't be commercialized and that they're still under emergency use authorization.
"Meaning 'yung adverse effect atsaka indemnification at talagang sa gobyerno po ang mananagot po," Galvez Jr. said in an aired public briefing.
(Meaning any adverse effect and indemnification during the COVID-19 vaccination rollout will be pinned on government.)
"Ang maganda din po dito sa tripartite agreement ay makaka-create po tayo ng malaking volume at napababa po natin 'yung presyo. Ito po ay advantage ng private sector atsaka ng LGU dahil kasi po meron na po tayong nangyari na tatlong company, because of the big volume that we had, naibaba po natin nang napakababa po," he said.
(The good thing about the tripartite agreement is we can create a large volume of COVID-19 vaccines and we can lower their price. This is the advantage of the private sector and the LGUs because there was an instance three companies made a purchase, and because of the big volume we had, we were able to lower the price.)
Reports earlier surfaced that national government was deterring LGUs and private sector from buying their own doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. last week said a group of Filipino-Chinese businessmen was “being blocked” from procuring jabs.
Galvez denied this.
"Hindi po tama 'yun kasi nung last November, nagkaroon po tayo ng pirmahan ng 17 million [doses] sa AstraZeneca, 11 million sa LGU at 6 million sa private sector. And then … nagkaroon po kami ng pirmahan sa Moderna na 13 million po ang government, 7 million po sa private sector," he said, referring to signed deals with UK-based drugmaker AstraZeneca-Oxford and US-based Moderna.
(That's not right because last November we signed a deal for 17 milion doses with AstraZeneca; 11 million will go to LGUs while 6 million will go to the private sector. And then we also signed with Moderna for 20 million doses, 13 of which will go to government while the remaining 7 will go to the private sector.)
Galvez emphasized the tripartite agreement is a much-needed requirement after an organization was caught selling vaccines at P2,000 per dose. He didn't name the group.
"Sana naintindihan ng ating mga mamamayan na dahil pandemic po ngayon, na kailangan po talaga na kasama po ang gobyerno sa negosasyon with the private sector atsaka LGU," he said.
(I hope our citizens will understand that due to the pandemic, the government is needed in negotiations by the private sector and the LGUs.)
President Rodrigo Duterte meanwhile said companies are demanding an indemnity clause, which states that government will compensate for a person who suffers or dies after being vaccinated.
"The government cannot guarantee, much less give you an immune status na you are freed of any, and all liability. Masyado mataas 'yan (That's too tall of an order), and I think we cannot do that. Even if we wanted to," he said.
"In the first place, hindi atin 'yan. Ngayon kung nagka-leche-leche yan, or mishandled, or whatever reason it is not effective as advertised, then they will go against whom?" Duterte added.
(In the first place, that's not the government's. If that went astray, or mishandled, or or whatever reason it is not effective as advertised, then they will go against whom?)
The Philippines has so far received Sinovac and Astra Zeneca vaccines. It has been negotiating with other brands to secure a steady supply of vaccines.
Faced with surging coronavirus infections, the country aims to vaccinate up to 70 million of its 108 million people, or at least 100% of its adult population this year to achieve herd immunity and reopen its economy.