My family and I celebrated a quiet Christmas with our loved ones. And unlike previous Christmases where my family’s joyful reflection on the miracle of our Savior’s birth was accompanied by a raucous revelry more appropriate to Rio de Janeiro’s famed Carnival, this year, it seemed that almost all of Metro Manila shared our family’s desire for peace and quiet.
For many of our brothers and sisters in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Bukidnon, Christmas came and went in a wave of tears. Due to the wrath of Typhoon Sendong, many good friends in Cagayan de Oro spent Christmas on the streets. In place of the traditional noche buena meal, which is normally an occasion to test the limits of gastronomic endurance, they feasted instead on the simple generosity and tireless kindnesses of friends both old and new.
Pundits once observed that nothing brings out the best in Filipinos than the worst: the greater the tragedy, the more stirring the nobility. It is not for me to make the observation that cynics gnaw on and regurgitate in times like these, that it is a shame that Filipinos only seem to respond with compassion and fortitude in times of crisis. But I will make the observation that Filipinos have always responded splendidly in times of crisis, because it is precisely during times of crisis that one should respond splendidly. At the heart of the Filipino lies a reckless exuberance, which he or she ordinarily only brings to bear during madcap videoke nights and Pacquiao fights. It is this heroic sense of self-surrender that manifests itself in extraordinary acts of loving kindness precisely when one needs to show extraordinary love.
This is why, despite all that Typhoon Sendong has inflicted on our brethren in Mindanao, I am filled with hope. Mother Teresa once said, “Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.” Last Sunday, my family and I celebrated a quiet Christmas. And this year, in remembrance of those who have suffered so much but continue to endure, the city celebrated in joyous silence with us.
To borrow from a celebrity who had to take to the Internet to assure us that he is hale and healthy, “we’re halfway there.” And if we can only learn to “love without getting tired”, we will manifest a level of work, commitment, and dedication that not only rebuilds lives, but builds nations. No longer will we be “living on a prayer”. Our work, tireless and loving, will be our prayer.
Related articles
- Helping Sendong survivors this Christmas (prworks.wordpress.com)
- Life thoughts: a Sendong Christmas (ajvillanueva.wordpress.com)
Tags: Sendong
