In Times of Trouble

March 16, 2010

Do you know how many natural calamities occur around the world in just less than a year? Being a regular audience of world news, I somehow get a glimpse of these scary and devastating phenomena.  

Here is rough statistics that I was able to remember and gather and I am pretty sure that these are just the “tip of the iceberg”, so to speak.

Mar 8, 2010 – Strong earthquake kills 57 and injures nearly 100 in eastern Turkey

Mar 6, 2010 – Cruise Ship ‘Louis Majestic’ travelling from Barcelona to Genoa hit by freak waves killing 2 while injuring 14.

Feb. 27, 2010 – Chile was hit by an earthquake of 8.8 magnitudes, a tsunami shortly after the quake with at least 799 death tolls

Sept.25, 2009 – Typhoon Ondoy has reported a total of 797,404 families or 3.9 million persons were affected in eleven regions.

Aug. 9, 2009 – The six-story hotel collapsed and plunged into the river Sunday morning after floodwaters eroded its base, hotel building leans before falling in a heavily flooded river after Typhoon Morakot hit Taitung county, Taiwan

July 27, 2009 – Indonesians quakes kills 200

Clearly missing here are fires, landslides, tornadoes, tsunamis, and plane crashes or boats missing in the oceans and other calamities that were happening around the world everyday. Over a few years ago, there was also a man-made scare brought by melamine and other food scares. SARS, avian flu and the recent swine flu all brought pandemic fear to a lot of people.

It is not a wonder for me how terrified all those reporters feel every time they got to say all details of it on the news.

It seems that the 2012 movie is not just a predictions after all, for now it’s all becoming so factual is it? I watched this movie with a friend and I was startled about her statement, “sa ganyan sitwasyon, wag na lang tumakbo kung wala ng pupuntahan” (in times like that, there is no need to run if there no safe place to go) It got me thinking for a moment.  I agree with her, praying and waiting are still the best approach since we will never know what will happen next. As one of the main character in the movie says “nature chooses itself who will survive” that is where our prayer comes in this bigger picture. In the end, if it’s God’s will, He won’t let us go too.

 “When tragedy strikes, there are many things we cannot explain or understand. At such moments, all we need to do is to accept, surrender, trust and hold on to God’s master plan, and believe in His unconditional love. Lord, I don’t understand but I believe you have a plan.” – by Fr. Jerry Orbos

To end, I’d like to share this one beautiful prayer I have read from Didache, “Lord, may Your love always flow through me that I may bring a little piece of heaven to the people around me.” – by Ronna Ledesma