He wore the same yellow raincoat like everyone else. In the face of a brewing pacific storm, he came. He came and he smiled. He hugged and he kissed.
He came to shepherd us and to remind us of the core of our humanity. He reminded the multitude of our inherent divinity that never fades - it forever shines even if clouded by layers of our own sinfulness and doubt.
He reminded us that there is God who is present and active in each one of us; walking with us, laughing with us, toiling with us, crying with us, suffering with us even more in the midst of unimaginable catastrophe. He never lets us down. He keeps on inviting us and never gets tired even if we do.
Our love affair with the Pope should not just end with that - an affair defined by constant hashtags and shares on the latest of the papal visit. It should and ought to transcend the feeling of jubilation that would last even when he has already returned to Rome. This affair grounded in our faith in Jesus Christ should galvanise the faithful towards collective action of love not just within our family and friends but a love that is expressed in all areas of our civic life - to strangers and enemies - and especially to the periphery, to the marginalized and forgotten. A love that is expressed more in deeds than in words.
Much more so that our Pope came at the beginning of the most important year of our story. The nation is preparing for a critical election, a promising peace process in Mindanao is rolling in and the nation is recovering from Yolanda. We are at a critical juncture in our national story and we should shun any force that may deviate us from the light. In this time the Filipinos are called - regardless of faith - to simply do good , be good and be hopeful.
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