On the first anniversary of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake, the sorrowful spectacle of ruined churches which have not been repaired to date is a testament of our people's disinterest towards the task of restoring the structures to their original state. This is easy to understand because money, lots of it, is needed, and where to source it is a problem.
The government which is supposed to help in the funding for the reason that these churches are part of our national heritage is simply out of consideration. It has hundreds of billions lined up for infrastructure, but not a peso is programmed for these religious shrines.
The big entrepreneurs with their billions are too busy expanding their business empires to be concerned with restoring the collapsed belfry of even one of these churches. The national leadership which has splurged 150 billion pesos on uncertain projects supposedly to jump-start the economy but which in reality was aimed at buttressing its political base is of course deaf to the call for help from church authorities.
The same can be said of senators of congressmen whose pockets are bulging with PDAF and DAP purloined millions not because their hearts have not been touched but because greed is more powerful and persuasive as a guide to action.
Who then are the last hopes for restoring or repairing these sanctuaries? You guessed it right-the simple ordinary folks like you and me, the middle level income earners. And of course, the church people themselves who should serve as catalyst and inspirers.
So let's build or rebuild these houses of the Lord. Let's share what little we have for a cause which is greater than other causes. We may be able to spare only a modicum amount, but there are thousands of us and if we will persevere in this gesture, we will eventually succeed. Unity is our strength and charity is our weapon. With God on our side who can stonewall on efforts?
Reflecting on this concern, most probably it's God's will that the reconstruction of these houses of worship should fall on the shoulder of ordinary folks like us. In the first place, we are the ones frequenting these structures. Oftentimes we bend our knees inside them to recharge our faith or to thank the Lord for his care and blessing or just to be with him like children seeking the embrace of their father.
In the second place, God probably wants our very own gift of sacrifice because he loves us more than the oligarchs and politicians. Every peso we offer would be something given not out of abundance but out of a felt-need, hence it is a more precious offering like that of the poor woman's tithe which Jesus said was more worthy than the money given by other more affluent givers.
True, many of us, especially our brothers and sisters in Bohol are still recovering from that traumatic happening. Loved ones have been lost, properties damaged, and livelihood sorely affected. But even these should not discourage us from offering whatever help we can afford in the name of the Lord.
Perfect gift is what the Lord is asking us. A gift given out in the midst of suffering, of want and penury. It's like him whose suffering on the cross was his gift of life to all of us. Take up your cross and follow me, is what the Lord is asking us to do. These ruined churches are our crosses, and the Lord must have allowed these edifices to be destroyed to test our faith. For countless years our forebears communed with God within the walls of these sacred places. And we in the twenty-first century have followed in their footsteps and have nourished our faith therein. Even now that only stones and debris remain still the structure of our faith is intact. With such faith we can do even that which seems impossible.