THROUGH UNTRUE FR. ROLANDO V. DELA ROSA, O.P. Since March,we have been reciting the Oratio Imperata, ardently, asking God to finally end the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems that His answer is not forthcoming because our prayer sounds too polite, too sanitized, uncontaminated by real anguish, morbid fear, and anxiety. Desperate times call for desperation.What we need to pray these days is Oratio Desperata, somewhat like that of the prophets who fiercely lashed out at God with these words: "Lord, I am desperate! Help me. Be my God. I feel as though I am losing my grip and can barely hang on a moment longer. I reach my hand to you, God. Grab me! Pull me out of this mess and I will praise you. I will make known your wonderful ways, steadfast love, and supreme power. Forgive me for my wrong decisions that brought me to this place, Amen (Jonah 2:2,5-7). Desperation is from the Latin de (without) and spes (hope). One who is desperate suffers from loss or lack of hope. He is plagued by prolonged anxiety, a sense of abandonment, and the certainty that things will not get any better. A desperate person is one who has hit rock bottom. Nobody wants to feel that way. But psychologists say that it is when we are down in the dumps that we discover our inherent resilience and strength of character. Through desperation, our ancestors found a way to overcome the unpredictability of the natural world, the challenges posed by wild animals, as well as the continually mutating microorganisms that threaten our physical and emotional health. If none of us have experienced how it is to be at our lowest, we would remain stagnant, and we would fail to push our limits in order to live a better life. It is when we reach rock bottom that we re-discover the meaning and value of hope. We see an example of that kind of hope in the Canaanite woman in the gospel reading this Sunday (Matthew 15:21-28). With unkempt hair, unwashed face, and crumpled dress, she kneels before Jesus in utter desperation. Since she is not a Jew, the disciples consider her a nuisance. Even Jesus initially ignores her request that He heal her daughter. But she persists. After all, what has she got to lose? She has practically lost everything, including her honor when Jesus likened her to a dog. Jesus finally grants her request, not because of her persistence but for her faith. He says: "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done to you as you wish" (Matthew 15:28). We often think lightly of the power of hope because we think of it in terms of what is merely "probable." But the Canaanite woman's prayer is answered because her hope, born of desperation,anchors on hercertainty that Jesus will not disappoint her. It is this faith that gives her the strength to continue hoping even when everything around her belies that hope. Let's face it. We have lost control of many things in our life because of this pandemic. Many of us have hit rock bottom, but we remain in denial. Let us humbly admit before God that we are desperate, and like the Canaanite woman, beg Him to help us rediscover the power of hope founded on an unwavering conviction that He knows what is best for us. A beautiful prayer, composed by Maloi Salumbides, can very well serve as our Oratio Desperata during these days:

"Lord, pwede pong magsumbong? May mga naghahari-harian ditto sa aming bayan.

Ipipilit kung anong maibigan. Igigiit kahit walang katuwiran.

Lord, pwede pong umiyak?

Ang sakit na po kasi sa kalooban

Pagtapak sa aming karapatan ay tahasan.

Interes ng dayuhan and pinapaboran.

Lord, pwede po bang humiling, bayan naming kalian n'yo pagagalingin?

Katarungan, kalian muling magniningning?

Lupang hinirang kalian tuluyang palalayain?

Lord, pwede pong payakap?

Yung yakap na papayapa sa mga takot ko.

Yung yakap na magpapaalala ng ika'y narito.

Yung yakap na magsasabing matatapos din ang pandemiyang ito."