These words of Pope Francis deeply resonated in our hearts after what we recently experienced on January 12, 2020. We were totally caught unawares by the eruption of Taal Volcano. And as the devastation came, God, who abides in us, moved the hearts of countless individuals stirring up an “eruption” of love and solidarity, much stronger than the volcano’s wrath! Thus affirmed Cardinal Tagle in his homily during the Mass celebrating the Birth Centenary of Chiara Lubich held at San Carlos Seminary in Makati last January 19, 2020.
News from government agencies and pronouncements of experts did not promise calm days ahead but painted in our minds a scenario of chaos and doom. In fact, after only 3 days, close to half a million people were reported to have been evacuated from places surrounding Taal Volcano, many of whom were clueless as to where to go for shelter. Filled with fears and amidst tears, we sought inspiration from the cry of Christ, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew
27:46)”
The whole Gospel is contained in that cry which resounded in the cries of the countless people trapped in such terrible pain. The dispersion of the people, their lack of direction and the suffering that appeared to be void of meaning, reminded us of the discovery made by Chiara Lubich on January 24, 1944: the cry of Jesus Forsaken on the cross, the greatest suffering and the greatest love. Like her, when everything around her was crumbling at the height of the Second World War, we too felt the push to embrace this face of suffering humanity, to remain faithful to God and to continue believing that all this is part of His plan of love.
Taal Volcano’s eruption and the consequent eruption of love and solidarity seem to allude to other high-impact events this year such as the celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January, the Uni-Harmony Week in February, the Year of Ecumenism, Interreligious Dialogue and Indigenous Peoples, with activities throughout 2020, another big step in our journey towards the Quincentennial of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021, and within the context of the Focolare Movement, the birth centenary of Chiara Lubich. All these will surely nourish and strengthen the gift of faith, hope and love in our people!
As in the past, this time too, we shall stand firm, inspired by Mary Desolate at the foot of the Cross, “embracing the lifeless body of her son as he was laid down from the cross” in our trials as a nation. The societal ills plaguing our nation is a wake-up call for us to be rooted deeply in our faith and strive to have a more radical love in order to stand up for truth, justice and human rights in the hope that all these will lead toward resurrection!
As a nation, we stand strong, with our gaze fixed on Jesus, the true child of God, the Santo Niño who, with complete trust, abandons himself to the Father as the Nazarene, the Crucified and Forsaken One. We embrace him in our people, especially those on the margins of society, those deprived of voice, of justice, believing in Jesus’ prophecy that “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself’” (John 12:32). Together we pray to God that He may renew our land with his creative love, that we may “rise from the ashes” by concretely caring for every neighbor, fulfilling ever more Jesus’ vision, “that all may be one” (John 17:21).
