The Philippines has just undergone a massive spiritual retreat with Pope Francis as the retreatmaster. That is the only way I can describe the historic visit of Papa Francisco to our country. There we collectively were, doing our penance for our sins and failings, standing for hours under pouring rain and boiling sun, walking kilometres to catch a fleeting glimpse of Christ’s Vicar on earth, and soulfully listening to the words of mercy and compassion that emanated from his being. His words, like no other, touched the very core of our being, bringing forth tears in our eyes, as we realized the mercy and compassion of God personified in this simple and humble man. His most powerful message was that Jesus understands our sufferings and misery, having undergone thru it all himself and much more in his crucifixion and death. And that Jesus will not let us down in this vale of tears. The Pope humbly acknowledged that he has no pat answers to the problem of suffering and evil, but allowed moments of silence to seek these answers in our hearts. He also reminded us gently to run to Mama Mary with our problems, in the way a child turns to his mother when confronted with danger, and in the way a Filipino instinctively says, “Inay ko po!”, when faced with problems and dangerous situations. His message was always positive. He did not attack or decry any one, but simply said that we should protect our children and our families, that government officials should serve the people with honesty and integrity, that unjust structures of society should be changed to give equity and justice to the poor and marginalized, and that we should preserve and enhance the beauty of creation that we were made stewards of. One thing struck my mind as the Pope leaves our country. If Christ’s Vicar is like this, what would Jesus himself be?
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 00:42:44 +0000
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