Daily Reflections- February 25, 2012

PLENTY EVEN ON THE PARCHED LAND

 

I was a young priest when the economy took a turn for the worse in the months and years following the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. I remember very well the many ways by which the Filipino people coped with much less, how we managed to stretch what little we had. Interesting new “recipes” that we now enjoy and take for granted were actually attempts at extending the lesser meat supply that people could afford — tokwa’t baboy, lugaw (which actually became a craze and a fad), along with many types of street food that now are part and parcel of our daily experience.

In many ways, less became more. The little that people had propelled them to work for more and actually achieve more with far less. But that more depended on a list of conditions.

People had to be creative. They had to learn to improvise. With government coffers empty, imported goods were out of the question for many people. We learned to make do with local ingredients, local parts, and whatever we could craft on our own.

The whole country looked like a picture of political, economic and cultural desolation. The land was more than just parched, literally and figuratively, most especially when El Niño ravaged the country in 1985. But out of this parched land came plenty! The four fateful and faith-filled days of February were the summation of everything good that happened despite, and maybe because of, the utter lack of so many things.

The First Reading today is a reminder of what sort of “plenty” awaits those who are willing to live with many “ifs” in real life: if we remove oppression; if we bestow bread on the hungry; if we observe the Sabbath; if we honor it instead of seeking our own interests, and so on.

There was precious little back then but so much treasure to speak of. At EDSA in those four days, there were miracles galore. Food and everything else flowed in abundance, proving what Isaiah spoke of — plenty even on the parched land! Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: What blessings do you see in your present need?

 

Lord, help me to see Your love and providence even when times are hard.