“Peace be with you”

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

AFTER the two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus recognized Christ at the breaking of bread, they hastily went back to Jerusalem to report what they experienced to the apostles and the others with them. 

You can just imagine how these people felt when suddenly Christ appeared to them and greeted them, “Peace be with you!” (cfr. Lk 24,35-48) As the gospel narrates, they were startled and terrified at that greeting, and thought they were seeing a ghost.

That reaction of the apostles was, of course, very understandable. They were witnessing something that purely went beyond the human and natural ways. It is something that we should always expect in our life. There will always be things, being spiritual and supernatural, that will leave us somehow startled and terrified also.

But let’s always remember that Christ always offers peace. So, at the end of the day, when we would be able to take a hold of our all-too-human reactions to supernatural realities, we should be at peace, a peace that Christ himself gives us.

Of course, with that Christ-given peace comes joy also. The two always go together. They cannot be separated, although their expressions may not tally with the worldly standards of joy and peace.

The joy and peace that come from God are always a fruit of a continuing spiritual battle to keep God’s love burning in us. It’s a joy and peace that is compatible with the cross. It is not afraid of suffering which also has an important role to play in our life and in the redemption of mankind.

It’s a joy and peace that comes as a consequence of faith and a growing identification with Christ who bore all the sins of men and the evils of this world and conquered them with his resurrection. In short, it’s a joy and peace that expresses a guaranteed victory even if at the moment we are still fighting and suffering. It’s an all-weather kind of joy and peace.

We need to examine ourselves to see if we have such joy and peace. It is actually offered to us for free. We just have to find a way of having and keeping it.

And one important way of doing so is to learn to pray, since prayer is our basic way of connecting with God that hopefully would lead us to a growing identification with him as we are meant to be. Remember that we are God’s image and likeness. With God’s grace we are supposed to do our part, free beings as we are, in realizing this divine plan for us.

Learning to pray would obviously need some plan. We have to go by stages. First, would be to learn the vocal prayers, which are already very important as they are inspired prayers given to us if not by Christ himself like the Our Father then by many holy men and women down the ages. 

As such, these prayers are very enlightening and would teach us what to say, how to say it, and the kind of attitude or disposition we ought to have. Going through them slowly, trying to figure out what they mean, would certainly help us connect with God.

Then we should just spend some moments everyday doing nothing other than meditating on God’s word as found in the gospel, and on the life and teachings of Christ as reflected in the lives and writings of the saints. This is how we can always have the peace and joy of God and with God!

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Help boost the Philippine economy by supporting domestic tourism

by Manila Bulletin

After the two-year ordeal brought about by the pandemic, Filipinos are once again traveling as seen in airports that are full of passengers, roads that are full of vehicles, and restaurants that are full of customers. Last week, hotels and resorts enjoyed high occupancy rates, something they haven’t experienced for a long time. 

Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) President Arthur Lopez said that feedback from their members was very “encouraging.”  “The high demand is a welcome development for the accommodation sector, which has been severely impacted by the pandemic in the last two years. The return to pre-pandemic levels will take a while but at least we are seeing stronger demand across different traveler segments,” Lopez said.

As the summer season rolls in, Filipino families are now taking advantage of the ease of travel, which only requires visitors to present proof of vaccination. The rise in the number of domestic tourists also complements the rise in foreign tourist arrivals in the country, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT). The agency said that as of April 7, 2022, arrivals reached a high of 202,700. 

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat expressed “satisfaction with the latest figures, noting such to be a welcome development following the sustained reopening of borders and loosening of travel restrictions.” “The sustained influx of tourists in the Philippines is a good measure of the industry’s success in its preparations to welcome foreign tourists in the new normal. Our high vaccination rate among tourism workers and reportedly low cases around the country have helped restore the confidence of travelers to visit the Philippines during the summer season,” Puyat said.

The continued growth, she stressed, shall aid stakeholders as well as the economy in recovering from the effects caused by the pandemic. 

As the number of Filipinos traveling to countries with more relaxed restrictions such as Singapore, Thailand, or Malaysia increases, there is a clamor for more support for local tourism. It is not enough to only visit popular destinations such as Boracay, Baguio, Cebu, Palawan, or Davao as the country has more than enough attractions for any preference or taste. For history, there is Bulacan or Quezon; for watersports, try Aurora or La Union; for nature, explore Romblon or Marinduque; for extreme adventure, drop by Bukidnon or Agusan. The list is endless. 

This is probably the best time to rediscover these places as your family will not only have a good time, but also help the hospitality workers in that town or city — the guides, the handicraft makers, the resort workers, the waiters, the drivers, to the small businesses that are keeping the area alive and authentic.  

Amid the bright news hangs a cloud of uneasiness. The world is not yet “out of the woods” and we are still officially in a pandemic.  This calls for vigilance in light of the Alert Level 1 classification in almost all provinces and the NCR.   The PHOA, for one, still encourages its members to strictly implement health and safety protocols. There is also a call from the government for Filipinos to take booster shots amid low compliance.  

We all have to remember this — what we do now will have an impact in the long run; so if there is less adherence to health protocols today, there may be more infections come the month of May.  And this, again, is the last thing that our recovering tourism industry needs.

Ausmaß des Meereises in Antarktis erreicht rätselhaften Tiefstand

Eisberge in der Antarktis

Die Ausdehnung des Antarktis-Eises hat wider Erwarten deutlich abgenommen.

Durch die Erderwärmung schmilzt das Eis am Nordpol rasant, während es am Südpol seit Jahrzehnten tendenziell leicht zunimmt – zumindest bislang. Chinesische Forscher registrierten nun auch in der Antarktis einen außergewöhnlich starken Rückgang des Meereises. Die Schmelze stellt sie vor Rätsel.

Das Ausmaß des Meereises in der Antarktis ist in diesem Jahr auf den niedrigsten Stand seit Beginn der Aufzeichnungen Ende der 70er-Jahre gefallen. Der Rekord vom 25. Februar sei schon der zweite starke Rückgang der Eisfläche in nur fünf Jahren, berichten chinesische Forscher der Sun Yat-sen Universität in Guangzhou und des Labors für südliche Meereskunde in Zhuhai im Journal „Advances in Atmospheric Sciences“. Sie sind Meeresströmungen und Wetterphänomenen hinter der Schmelze zwar nachgegangen, stehen aber noch vor Rätseln.

Während das Eis in der Arktis durch die Erderwärmung rapide zurückgeht, legt das Eis in der Antarktis seit Messbeginn jedes Jahrzehnt leicht um ein Prozent zu – wenn auch regional und von Jahr zu Jahr unterschiedlich. Nachdem schon 2017 ein starker Rückgang festgestellt worden war, registrierten Forscher diese Anomalie am Ende des Sommers auf der Südhalbkugel Ende Februar erneut: Erstmals seit Beginn der Satellitenaufzeichnungen 1978 fiel die Ausdehnung des antarktischen Eises sogar auf weniger als zwei Millionen Quadratkilometer. Sie war rund 30 Prozent geringer als im Durchschnitt zwischen 1981 und 2010.

Auch gab es eine ungewöhnlich dünne Eisdecke unter anderem in der Amundsen- und Bellinghausensee sowie im Weddellmeer. In ihrem Bemühen, diese komplizierten Veränderungen zu verstehen, analysierten die Wissenschaftler das Verhalten des Meereises zwischen 1979 und 2022. Unter anderem untersuchten sie die Dynamik des Strömungstransports und thermodynamische Prozesse wie das Einfrieren und Schmelzen im Meer.

Tiefstand des Meereises fiel mit Wetterphänomen „La Niña“ zusammen.

Die Analysen führten die Wissenschaftler besonders zur Amundsensee. „Alle diese atmosphärischen Auswirkungen haben ihren Ursprung in der Intensität und Position des Tiefdruckgebiets der Amundsensee (ASL) und der Meereserwärmung“, stellt das Team mit Blick auf dieses Zentrum atmosphärischen Tiefdrucks über dem tiefen Süden des Pazifischen Ozeans fest.

Der Tiefstand des Meereises in diesem Februar fiel zudem mit dem Wetterphänomen La Niña zusammen. Bei La Niña schieben starke Winde unter anderem warmes Oberflächenwasser von Südamerika nach Indonesien. Das hat in vielen Regionen der Welt Auswirkungen. Eine Rolle habe auch der Zustand eines Gürtels aus starken Westwinden gespielt. Beide Phänomene verstärken das Tiefdruckgebiet in der Amundsen See (ASL). Die Folgen solcher Ereignisse für die Antarktis müssten noch weiter erforscht werden, schreiben die Wissenschaftler.

Auch der Klimawandeldienst des EU-Programms Copernicus hatte bereits berichtet, die täglich gemessene Ausdehnung des antarktischen Meereises habe im Februar den niedrigsten Stand seit Beginn der Aufzeichnungen erreicht.

(C) 2022 by WELT-TV

Magnitude 6.2 quake hits Davao Oriental — Phivolcs

by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz, Manila Bulletin

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded off the coast of Davao Oriental at around 9:23 a.m., Tuesday, April 19, said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs traced the epicenter of the earthquake at 57 kilometers (km) southeast of Manay, Davao Oriental and was shallow at a depth of 18 km.

It was initially measured at magnitude 5.9, but Phivolcs later revised it to magnitude 6.2.

The quake was felt as a “moderately strong” tremor at Intensity IV in Manay, Tarragona, and Lupon, Davao Oriental; Hinatuan, Surigao Del Sur; Mati City; and Bislig City.

Meanwhile, it was “weak” at Intensity III in Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental; Cateel and Baganga, Davao Oriental; Tandag City, Surigao Del Sur; and Davao City.

It was “slightly felt” at Intensity II in Bansalan, Davao del Sur, while it was “scarcely perceptible” at Intensity I in Matalam, Cotabato.

Phivolcs said the earthquake was tectonic, which means it was caused by the movement of an active fault near the area.

It said damage and aftershocks are expected due to this earthquake.