THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

Why does adversity strike at a time so close to Christmas?

This must be the question in the mind of many of our countrymen, particularly those living in the provinces in Visayas and Mindanao that stood in the path of a raging Typhoon Odette.

Images of destruction filled social media sites this past week. The posts remind us that many of our fellow Filipinos would have marked Christmas 2021 without roofs over their heads and basic necessities. Over a hundred families have loved ones who perished in the wake of the typhoon and would have missed their Christmas midnight get-together this year.

We recall that a similar adversity hit our brethren in that part of the country in 1993.

Typhoon “Puring” swept across Northern Mindanao and the central and western parts of Visayas in a fashion similar to “Odette’s” destructive visit on the 26th of December of that year. On the evening of Christmas Day, our countrymen braced themselves for “Puring’s 120-kilometer-per-hour wind.

The dawn of the following day displayed the massive devastation that the howler had wrought on the very same provinces that “Odette” flattened to the ground just a week before this year’s Christmas Day celebration.

“Puring” left more than 20 persons dead in its path. Some 25,000 families were affected.

The numbers may not be as big as the figures reflecting the deaths and destruction “Odette” brought about. The people of those areas, however, will always remember that one Christmas Day when the usual joy of the Season was replaced by fear and sorrow.

Typhoon “Odette” struck at a time when our countrymen were slowly picking up the pieces left by the onslaught of the deadly pandemic. They were hoping that, this year, we can celebrate Christmas the way we did before the COVID-19 virus put our lives on “pause”.

Before “Odette,” we were on near-ecstatic state as we looked at the nose-diving figures of daily infections.

From the peak of 26,000 in one day in July this year, the average daily infections these past few weeks had been below 200 per day. It has been below 100 in the National Capital Region. In Rizal Province, the number was 11. It has been single-digit elsewhere in the country.

One major hospital reported that there was one day when there was not a single case of COVID-19 infection brought into its emergency room. Put these developments together and one would feel giddy with the thought that the pandemic could be over – well, at least in our country.

The fast-rising hope about that possibility was tempered by the adversity that came with “Odette”.

The fact that the adversity comes at a time so close to what is supposed to be the most joyous of all festivities in the Christian calendar must have once again raised the question, “How could a loving God allow this happen?”

Does anyone know the answer?

Perhaps, this is a question only theologians could answer.

Given our limited understanding, here is what we do know.

First, we are no strangers to adversity. We grew up with adversity, both the kind that is brought about by nature and by men.

Second, despite these adversities, we have never lost our sense of hope. At the back our mind, we do know that the difficult times would not last forever; that we will get back on our feet, pick up the pieces and rebuild our homes and our lives.

Third, times of adversity bring out the best in us. This is when we showcase our legendary resilience, the toughness of our spirit and the invincibility of our inner joy.

This is also when we experience the compassion of our fellow Filipinos. At this time, local governments rush to the aid of the communities devastated by the typhoon, bringing relief goods and the warmth of the caring of our countrymen.

Despite the adversities we have faced – and they are countless – we will always look forward to Christmas.

Why not?

We hold on to the promise of the Word of God:

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Yes, this adversity will pale in comparison to the good things that God has in store for those who believe and follow Him.

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