Heartlessness

They just had to choose Valentine's Day. Actually, any other day of the year would have been just as bad. I was in the car on my way home from work yesterday, when I heard about the GenSan, Davao, and Ayala bombings, from my usual AM radio station. Lawlessness again. Nakakai-ness.

Sometimes, I really wonder whether certain people would like the Philippines to ever get ahead. We start hearing good news and we create trouble for ourselves. Just like those VD bombings. Some people are really just not content to do their part in ensuring this nation's progress. I did not vote for President Gloria Arroyo. I think her 10-point agenda is a dream. I wish though, that at the end of her term, I will say that I was wrong about her. She knew what she was doing all along. I wish her well because as she succeeds, we shall succeed too. Never mind if she grabs all the credit and believes in herself more, that would be too small a price to pay for a better Philippines.

And so, we again pick up the pieces of a puzzle that is just slowly coming together to make a clearer picture. Our prayers go to those who died, to those who were hurt, and to those who were responsible for this, our prayers go with you too -- that you shall soon see the light.

Times like these, we take comfort in the fact that though lawless elements may evade the laws of men, there is no escaping from the laws of heaven:

Today's mass readings, Psalm 34, Verses 4-7 and 16-19 are so apt. It is kind of eerie:
"I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me; He freed me from all my fears. The oppressed look to Him and are glad; they will never be disappointed. The helpless call to Him and He answers; He saves them from all their troubles. His angel guards those who honor the Lord and rescues them from danger...but He opposes those who do evil so that when they die, they are soon forgotten. The righteous call to the Lord, and He listens; He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; He saves those who have lost all hope. Good people suffer many troubles, but the Lord saves them from them all." (TEV)

Furthermore, Isaiah 55, Verse 11, also for today, as if to reassure: "So also will be the word that I speak -- it will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do."

God's peace be with all.