“And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.” Mark 10:52
barely a month has passed, but three typhoons; Ondoy, Pepeng and Ramil, had already wreaked havoc and devastation in most parts of Luzon. many lost their homes, personal belongings, livelihoods and some, even their loved ones. while it was heart-wrenching to watch on television the suffering and anguish of typhoon victims even after the onslaught, it was on the other hand, heart-warming to realize that most responded to the call over and beyond what was necessary. for those of us who were not directly affected, but knew one or two whose lives would never be the same again, we can only emphatize, for sometime in our lives, an Ondoy or a Pepeng, or Ramil had ravaged us and reduced us to near hopelessness.
in the gospel of Mark, there was a story of a blind beggar, Bartimae’us, the son of Timae’us. He sat by the roadside and when Jesus came, he cried out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” many rebuked him, but he cried out all the more. when Jesus heard him, he called Bartimae’us and asked him what he wanted Jesus to do to him. Bartimae’us said “Master, let me receive my sight!” and Jesus said to him “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” and immediately Bartimae’us received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.
when the typhoons hit the nation one after the other, we had seen miracles unfold before our very eyes. amidst the destruction and fear, ordinary people transformed into extraordinary heroes; saved lives and property, notwithstanding the risks against their own personal safety. for this reason, most victims are still alive and are now ready to start again.
after each trial that come, when there seem to be no hope in sight, we often see the God’s hand working mysteriously in our lives. he is the strength that keep us going, and the spirit that motivates us to go on further. but are we like Bartimae’us who went to the right direction after he regained his eyesight? did the typhoons in our lives led us to move on to the path to which they were intended for us take? or did we just basked in the Lord’s grace for that one saving moment, only to step back when the moment faded because our old, crooked self snatches our lifted spirits back to the pit where we came from?
did we clog our rivers with garbage? did we throw trash to our seas? did cut down trees until our once majestic mountains are reduced to now pathetic moulds of loose soil? did we use plastic unsparingly because we don’t have a better choice? did we construct structures in our waterways so that rainfall would have no other way to go but our own homes? did we ever think about what’s best for our environment, or our natural resources perhaps over our own comfort zone and convenience? if we answered yes to any of these questions, then maybe why we experienced what we just gone through are truly of our own doing.
the Lord allows some bad things to happen in our lives if only to wake us up and open our eyes to what should be. are we still the same after the storm? did we remain blind to the rape of our natural resources? or are we the Bartimae’us of today, who after we regained our sights, decide to follow the right path.
after the storm, let us open our eyes and see the message that was addressed to us. the floods just showed us where we are headed. do we go to that direction? or do we open our eyes and follow Jesus on the way?
Everyday with JESUS 