My new year resolution is hear mass 365 days, a tall order, one must say, but I guess to give the Lord 365 out of 8,760 hours is peanut. I don’t know what made me decide to do it, although I heard masses almost everyday in 2006. Try reading the latest issue of Time Magazine, the one with Iraq and US soldiers as cover, inside, you will find 2 noteworthy topics, one is about the passing of the 38th president of the United States, and the 2nd is the debate between two scientist about the existence of God. I must tell you, to read about the life of the late President Gerald Ford moved me into tears, he was pictured as a decent man, a real life Jimmy Stewart, an embodiment of that film “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington”. He lived up to an old age of 93, and he became the 38th US president when Richard Nixon resigned due to the Watergate Scandal. I can’t help but think that how come we eulogize people when they are already dead? He was scorned by the American voting public when he granted a presidential pardon for Nixon’s offense, and Ford paid dearly for it when he ran against Jimmy Carter, a slim 2 million votes out of 18 million votes. They were both religious people, and yet Carter capitalized on his religious beliefs while Ford made a stand not to make public his churchgoing ways. He thinks that his private beliefs has nothing to do with his public life, yet he hears mass every week with his wife Betty Ford. On that morning of September, before going public with his announcement of presidential pardon of his good friend Nixon, he went to a nearby church near the White House. He prayed for enlightenment and for God’s guidance as to what to do with the Nixon scandal. His pardon was a total surprise even to his close allies in the Oval office, yet he knew that what he did was the moral thing to do. As a friend, he saved Nixon from a very public and embarrassing trial, and as a religious person, he did what God wanted to do, to forgive and to bring reconciliation. Gerald Ford’s presidency lasted only for 29 months, but what he did to Nixon and to American politics was unforgettable. He repaired the moral public of the American public. He adopted a thinking that everyone should just move forward and forget the mistakes of the past. As a sidelight, he almost lost his life when he was in the Philippines while fighting during the World War II. He was almost thrown overboard in a ship when he slipped at the deck during the height of a typhoon that was ravaging in Philippine waters. He saw it as a handiwork of God, to get a second lease in life. After Carter won, Ford became a stateman and his friendship with Carter became stronger. He spoke his mind against the ills of the Vietnam War, and up to his last living days, he made it clear that he was against the U.S. participation in Iraq. He even campaigned for Ronald Reagan even if both of them were contenders in the primaries, and even if Reagan didn’t support him against his presidential campaign against Carter. I do admire the man, for being a forgiving person, for doing what he think was right. I won’t dwell much on the 2nd topic, which is the debate between an atheist and a catholic scientist, because I want you to read it yourself and deduct your own observations. The general consensus is just with the advances in science, everything has an explanation and cannot just be attributed to God’s existence. It is a touchy topic for me, being a God-believing person. The other night, I saw Chinchin Guiterrez on her first appearance on TV after the fire that gutted their house. She was only able to save her sick mother using her own might, everything they owned was gobbled by flames, even their 2 cars, it was before Christmas. They spent their holidays in the hospital with nothing, and yet, she was so thankful. She said that what happened to them is a living proof that there is a God. She is so amazed by the generosity of people, most of them she doesn’t personally know, they sent her help to be able to pay for the hospital bills. I couldn’t help but relate to her, because I received help also when I was stabbed 7 times and was hospitalized and to think, I only had P700 in my checking account. The generosity of friends was overwhelming, as well as people I didn’t know who were more than willing to help, schoolmates I never met. Earlier today, while hearing my usual Friday mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Shrine, I saw a grandfather with his grandson who is suffering from cerebral palsy. I always see them hearing mass, despite the fact that the kid is wheelchair-I bound and almost vegetative. The kid is maybe around 10 years old, I must say that they don’t look rich, nor do they look poor. The kid was crying towards the end of the mass, and I must say one might be distracted with the noise, but I felt a certain amount of guilt. If they could hear mass despite the kid’s condition, which is far from normal and comfortable, how come I can’t, when I have working limbs and a perfect state of mind. The grandfather ushered the kid out of the church, and on their way out, I saw a matronly-looking lady handing out crisp bills to the grandfather. A surprised look emerged from the old man’s face since they are not beggars, then another person handed out money. I also handed out P100, a small amount, my lunch money, but I supposed they need it more than I do. The old man smiled, maybe he received around P500 that day, maybe they need it or maybe they don’t, but the purpose was clear. We all wanted him to buy something for his grandson, maybe new clothes or maybe toys that the little boy won’t get to play with since his limbs are far from working due to the degenerating disease, or maybe that could help buy medicine. I think that if our world is a giving one, the one that tends to share our blessings with those who are not so blessed, there will be more happiness around. I myself is far from being financially well-off, I have sleepless nights thinking as to where to get my funds, but I am fully aware that somewhere along the way, God will send something for me. He can’t even let the birds go hungry, why would He let me go hungry, I am His creation. I maybe flawed since I am just human, and I have to pray a lot to let some of my guilt due to sinning be His burden. 365 days of hearing mass, and 365 hours of helping others feel better, and I pray that I get to see in the Lord’s eyes that I am really blessed, that I have been given talents far beyond what I have asked for, that I have beauty that makes life easier for me. For this, I am truly thankful, and I hope I get to use these blessings to be of help to others who are less fortunate in life. For those much is given, much is expected in return.
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