THE MINISTRY OF which I am a part in our parish has been
into mercy missions for several years now. However, in the last two years, these missions have become quite
frequent in the aftermath of a succession
of typhoons of the more vicious variety.
These typhoons come with the more-than-usual load of rains that bring
knee-deep flood in higher places and neck-deep ones in the valleys and other
low-lying areas.
So here I was on another mission of this sort to the province of Bulacan – two hours away north of Manila. We organized a mini convoy of three vehicles:
a truck we were able to borrow from the Defense department and fully loaded with
1,460 assorted canned goods (less on the sardines, mind you), 2,160 noodle
packs, 400 biscuit packs, 200 five-liter jugs of water, and 20 sacks of rice;
and two vans where my fellow ministry workers rode.
These relief items were bought from funds raised by our parish priest, Fr. Eymard Balatbat (who led this mission), after he received an
SOS from fellow priests in the province.
Raging flood-waters brought by a typhoon destroyed homes and property,
and displaced hundreds of families. The
goods on the truck were to be turned over to two parishes whose areas were
greatly devastated – the parish of St. John the Baptist in Sta. Lucia,
Calumpit, and the parish (Shrine) of St. Anne in San Juan, Hagonoy.
While seated
at the front seat of the truck, and harboring mild shock over the
toll fees that have almost quadrupled in the last few months, I gathered my thoughts on this outreach – this mercy mission – that we were
doing.
First, I
realized that more than being of help to the people whose lives were made
miserable by these calamities, we were actually helping save ourselves. Weird as it may seem, I couldn't help thinking we were - or just might be - on a road to our own salvation. As volunteers, here we were, given a chance to realize
our true nature and calling as Christians and followers of the One who inspired
us to “love one another as I loved you.”
As Jesus gave His life as the fullest manifestation of His love for us,
so should we strive to give the fullest of what we have to show our genuine
love for others. And mind you, not everyone
is given an opportunity to prove oneself in that regard; many simply pass
through this world without ever having made a positive difference in the life
of even just one person, all for the name and love of God.
Second, the
help that we were extending did not come from us; we were mere couriers. This mission that we were on is not on behalf of the parishioners who gave so
generously, or the parish that actively campaigned for funds and donations in kind,
or even the church as the organization or institution as we know it. We were conducting our mission on behalf of no one
else but of our good and generous God. Here we purvey a sacred truth to help the poor and needy realize that indeed
God is very much alive, in fact knows of their plight, has heard their cries
for succor, and has sent us, his servants, to be with them in their time of
need.
And third,
if ever there will be tired and aching bodies at the end of the
mission, it is most expected as part of the deal. In fact, labor and sacrifice sweeten the act of giving
by making it more meaningful. I remember
a story about a girl who gave her favorite teacher a gift, a seashell that
could only be found on a beach that was quite far from where the girl
lived. Knowing this, the teacher said,
“I really love your gift and will definitely cherish it, but you should not have
walked so far just to get it for me.” The girl only smiled and replied, “The
long walk is part of the gift.”
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