46th Heartbeat

APOCALYPSE

Before the start of the new millennium, there have been reports circulating around the corner, involving various publications, media, internet, and even religion. There were radical claims that the end of the world will be at the onset of the year 2000. It was really petrifying for most, because the whole world was not geared up for this abominable possibility. According to popular beliefs, this turn of the new century will serve as the day of reckoning, where a violent and sudden end would terminate all life on earth. This could also denote major social and political upheavals that would occur around the world, particularly the so-called war of Armageddon in the Middle East. People really feared the day when God would pour horrendous wrath on most of humanity or Christ would return in what was referred to as the second coming.  These suppositions created hysteria among masses, some fleeing their homes and went to the mountains or burrows in order to hide. There were some fanatical groups who resorted to mass suicides because they were too afraid to face the actual catastrophe that will take place. People here and there would barge into supermarkets, hoarding stocks of food, clothing, medicines, electrical devices and other amenities because they didn’t want to grope in the dark. Everybody was in panic!

But when the clock struck at 12 midnight of January 1, 2000, there was jubilation rather than dread. And life came back to normal.

Not until now, when these abovementioned warnings came back with a vengeance, supported by various horrifying events that took place around the globe. Storms, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and droughts served as a foretaste of this so-called “Armageddon”. However, it was not sheer fate that ascertained all of these disasters, for the results were actually consequences of the wanton destruction of the environment. Perhaps most of us are already familiar with Global Warming but there are some who are still confined in their apathy, thinking that everything in this world is inexhaustible and can exploited over and over again, only to regret later on when they have experienced the havoc brought about by their own capriciousness. In fact, our country was not spared because recently, we also had a dose of our own medicine. The chaos brought about by super typhoons “Ondoy” and “Peping” left a grim mark in the very consciousness of Filipinos, and these ruinous aftermaths will forever be written in the pages of our history.

Last year when I was assigned in a parish as a deacon, one of the many things that we did after the Typhoon Frank was to go to different schools and baranggays in order to give a short catechesis on ecology. In order to prepare myself, I had to watch a made for television documentary entitled, “Signos: Banta ng Nagbabagong Klima” that tackled climate change, which was the effect of variations in solar radiation, the Earth’s rotation in its orbit, mountain building and continental drifts, and changes in greenhouse gas concentrations. The earth’s atmosphere is being protected by a layer that usually controls the temperature below and determines the life of our planet. But because of human activities, i.e. neglectful industrialization and modernization, there was a drastic change in our climate and ecological systems. The increase in our global temperature has caused sea levels to rise and changed the amount and distribution of precipitation throughout the world. Thus, the result was unpredictable weather events that in due course inflicted massive devastations.

For the record, prior to Ondoy and Peping (or even Frank), we already have experienced the worst of disasters and I just want to pinpoint some:

In the 2006 list of World’s deadliest disasters, the flashfloods that took place in different towns of Albay were included. The town of Guinobatan, which was badly ravaged by Typhoons Milenyo and Reming was entirely covered in lahar, changing the rural landscapes, with houses, rice fields, and live stocks being swept away, killing more than 700 persons.

In General Nakar, Quezon Province, the mountainous areas inhabited by the cultural group, the “Dumagat” was in dearth. They were forced to go down, abandoning their houses because they were experiencing too much dryness and humidity at the same time, and this has caused a deadly epidemic, Malaria contracted through mosquitoes.

In Baranggay Pilar, Bauang, La Union, the 30 hectares of land occupied by a big fishing community was reduced to a meager 3 hectares because of unpredictable rise of sea level that resulted in coastal erosion.

The Artex Compound in Malabon, Metro Manila who used to be a happy village that hosted merry fiestas and basketball tournaments was gradually drenched in flood waters because it became a catch basin of torrential rains, transforming the entire place into a water world, where people relied on paddling in order to make ends meet.

Having confronted with all of these horrifying events, I can’t help but think of the imminent end. Beyond the prophecies of doom, are scientific and practical claims that tell us to brace ourselves for more catastrophes, with an appeal to our very minds and hearts that we SHOULD REALLY LEARN from our mistakes. We only have one planet to subsist, and if we destroy this, life will be totally wiped out.

The Apocalypse is indeed very near.

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45th Heartbeat

AN ANGEL IN DISGUISE

Angel of God, my guardian dear

To whom God’s love commits me here.

Ever this day/night be at my side

To light, to guard, to rule and guide.

Amen.

Angels are considered spiritual beings and the belief in their existence are found in many religious traditions. They are generally considered as messengers of God, for they are usually sent in order to do and fulfil God’s tasks.

Angels are often perceived to have human-like appearances and they usually have wings. At times, angels could also serve as guardians, protecting every human soul from possible harm. They serve as assurances of God’s abiding presence that no matter what happens, they are there to accompany, to guide, to defend and to watch over.

In the past week, angels were honoured twice through the celebration of two important feasts: The Feast of Archangels and the Feast of Guardian Angels. Although in our present age, it has been contested whether they really appeared in flesh or not to select individuals considering that there were claims that aver to such experiences (visions, or voices that communicate a warning, a feeling of being touched or lifted that saved an individual from a dangerous situation, an encounter with a human countenance with wings, in the form of extraordinarily beautiful or radiant human being, or a being of light), angels will always be understood as man’s defender and guide, and they continue to instil that firm faith in an individual’s heart, that someone is watching over him.

I myself would have wanted to see one, even just my own guardian angel. But in my day to day experiences, I have seen their marvellous works more than what I ever expected. Angels revealed themselves to me not as spiritual beings with wings attached to their backs for they would often disguise themselves as ordinary human persons capable of doing something divine- showing utmost generosity, estimable kindness,and unconditional love. They are angels who are willing to show their vulnerabilities and yet, go beyond their human strength just to save and protect somebody from harm. They are angels who set aside their personal wants and desires in order to attend to the dire needs of others. They are angels who have sacrificed their lives so that others may live.

There’s this timeless story of a young angel whose heart was big enough to offer something so precious, and his innocence brought him to a realization that he is capable of emptying himself for the sake of his older brother.

Once there were brothers who were so close to each other in such a way that they were not ashamed to show their affection to people because that was what their parents taught them. One day, the eldest got sick and was hospitalized. According to the findings of the doctors, he had a dengue fever and there was a need to undergo a series of blood transfusion because his blood platelets went down drastically, and if these will not be replaced immediately, he would eventually die. The parents were so desperate to look for donors and the cubic centimetres of blood that they were able to collect were not enough to meet the required prescription of the hospital. They even had themselves tested in order to check whether they have the same blood type with their son but unfortunately, none of them could be a potential donor. Anxious about the condition of their eldest son, they asked the doctor if it was also reasonable to have their youngest son tested in order to know his blood type, because he might be their one last hope. After few hours of waiting at the hallways of the clinical pathology section of the hospital, the parents was informed that the blood of their youngest was compatible with their eldest and that the former could be a possible donor. The parents, after knowing this from the Medical Technologist were so happy but worried at the same time because they didn’t know how to convince their youngest son to donate blood for his big brother. However, because of this urgent need, the mother unhesitatingly approached her youngest son and told him if he was willing to give his blood to his big brother, who was in a critical condition at the ICU during that time. The boy, who was barely eight years old then, paused for a while, looked at the distance in a very pensive mood, and with a soft, shaky voice said “yes” to the pleading of his mother. He had one condition though. He asked his mother if it was possible to put him to sleep while giving blood to his “Manong” so that he would not feel any pain. The mother granted his simple wish and soon enough, the young boy was put to sleep and the blood transfusion took place.After several hours, this young boy woke up and when he saw his mother, he cried out so hard that it caused a commotion inside the hospital. The mother asked her youngest son, “Are you alright?”; “Does it hurt still?”; “Is there anything wrong?” with a pat on his back, assuring him that the procedure was over and that he had nothing to worry about because his “Manong” was finally saved from dengue and can go home very soon, but the young boy continued crying leaving them confused. When he was finally appeased, the mother again asked him, “What happened to you? Are you alright?” The boy, still with tears from his eyes, told his mother, “Mama, naghibi ako kay hindi bangud masakit ang pagtuslok sang dagom sa akon. Naghibi ako kay nakibot gid ako nga-a nakabugtaw pa ako. Abi ko anay, para ma-save si Manong, ubuson gid sang doktor ang akon dugo kag indi na ako makabugtaw, te nga-a nakabugtaw pa ako haw? Wala man gali nila ginhatag tanan ko nga dugo kay Manong, te no na lang ato bi? Basi bala kulangon na naman sang dugo si Manong!” When the boy was telling this to his mother, the mother just cried profusely. In his innocence, the boy was very much willing to give, not just some cubic centimetres of his blood, but his very life just for the sake of his older brother. This little boy of eight was such an angel!

“Angels have no philosophy but love.” (Adeline Cullen)

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