PH won't allow entry of fully-vaxxed foreigners; LGUs to step up COVID-19 response

by Argyll Cyrus Geducos, Manila Bulletin

The Philippines will not be pushing through with its plan to open the borders to foreign nationals who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on December 1 due to the threat of the highly mutated Omicron variant.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the statement after the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases allowed on Friday the entry of fully vaccinated foreigners from non-visa-required countries from December 1 to 15, 2021.

In a statement, the acting Palace spokesman said the IATF made the move to temporarily suspend its resolution allowing the entry of foreign nationals during their meeting on November 28, 2021.

The recent turn of events came following the discovery of the Omicron variant which is said to be the “most heavily mutated” COVID-19 strain that was first discovered in South Africa.

With Omicron designated as a variant of concern, Nograles said the IATF approved recommendations to strengthen the COVID-19 response of local government units (LGUs) which include strongly enjoining LGUs to:

Heighten their alert for increasing and clustering of cases and emphasize the need for active case finding

Immediately conduct contact tracing and isolation of cases detected from case surveillance among the community, including domestic and international travelers

Use RT-PCR testing in order to allow for whole-genome sequencing of collected samples

The Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Units are likewise directed to ensure targeted selection of samples for sequencing and address declining submissions of laboratories and regions from domestic and international travelers.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Quarantine and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) with the local government units (LGUs) have been directed to identify and locate passengers from red list territories who arrived within 14 days prior to November 29, 2021. These passengers will be required to complete quarantine under a home quarantine set-up for 14 days from the date of arrival and undergo RT-PCR if symptoms develop.

The IATF placed 14 countries under the red list due to the Omicron variant.

The LGUs and the DILG are further directed to ensure strict implementation and adherence to the Prevent – Detect – Isolate – Test – Reintegrate strategy and adherence and compliance to minimum public health standards (MPHS) with the directive given to the Philippine National Police to enforce MPHS compliance.

In addition, the Department of Health (DOH) is directed to ensure the country’s health system capacity is prepared to address the increase of COVID-19 cases if any; while the Sub-Technical Working Group on Data Analytics is directed to begin preparing models to show the potential impact of the Omicron variant to prevailing protocols and approvals of the IATF.

On Friday afternoon, November 26, Nograles said the Department of Health (DOH) and the IATF are “actively monitoring” the developments.

He added that the government is in constant communication with the World Health Organization (WHO) on the matter.

A Christian is always an apostle

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          WE need to realize this more widely and deeply. If we want

to follow Christ, if we truly consider ourselves as real Christians

and not Christians in name only, we have to be like Christ, holy and

with the burning desire to save all men. Thus, we ought to make

sanctity and apostolate the most important, ultimate and abiding goal

of our life.

          We are reminded of this truth about ourselves on the feast

of St. Andrew, the Apostle (November 30), where Christ simply would

pass by some men and then tell them to follow him. (cfr. Mt 4,18-22)

And, wonder of wonders, the persons called would just follow him too

without asking any question, willing to leave everything behind.

          I guess the only plausible explanation to that phenomenon is

that Christ had all the right to do so, and the person called also had

the duty to respond accordingly, because in the final analysis, all of

us are actually meant to be an apostle. That is to say, to be some

kind of ambassador, a representative of Christ on earth.

          At bottom, the answer is because we are supposed to be like

Christ, another Christ, if not Christ himself (“alter Christus,” and

even “ipse Christus”). All of us are patterned after Christ, and so we

cannot avoid being involved in the mission of Christ which is the

salvation of all mankind. Obviously, this business of making ourselves

like Christ, involved in apostolic work, would require a process and

would involve several stages.

          But we have to realize that we are all meant to be apostles

of Christ with the lifelong concern for doing apostolate, taking

advantage of all the occasions and situations in life. Vatican II

spells it out very clearly. “The Christian vocation is by its very

nature a vocation to the apostolate.” (Apostolicam actuositatem, 2)

So, anyone who wants to be truly consistent to his Christian identity

and calling should realize ever deeply that he is called to help

others get closer to God. This is what apostolate is all about.

          This duty actually springs first of all from our nature. We

are not only individual persons. We are also a social being. Our

sociability is not an optional feature. It is part of our essence,

violating which would be equivalent to violating our very own nature.

          We can never live alone. We need to be with others. And

more, we need to care for one another. We have to be responsible for

one another. And while this caring and loving starts with the most

immediate material human needs like food, clothing, etc., it has to go

all the way to the spiritual and more important needs of ours.

          That’s why we need to practice affection, compassion,

understanding, patience and mercy with everyone. We have to understand

though that all these can only take place if they spring and tend

towards God, “the source of all good things” for us.

          We need to be familiar with this Christian duty. We have to

do apostolate, and we need to see to it that the zeal for it is always

nourished, stoked and fanned to its most intense degree.

          We just have to be trusting of God’s will and ways, no

matter how hard and impossible they may appear to us, and that we have

to develop an apostolic concern that is universal in scope, unafraid

of the sacrifices involved.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Laziness begets laziness

Why go to the gym tonight? After all, you haven't gone in a week. Why take out the garbage when your whole apartment is a mess?

Good points. But it's time to break the cycle.

Here's my big trick: I always try to leave myself something easy to do first thing the next morning. If I find a programming bug and see that it will be an easy fix, I leave it for the next morning. If I need to package up an installer for a new release, leave it for next morning. That way I have something easy to start out with, and I'm less tempted to do something else first.

Laziness may reflect a lack of self-esteem, a lack of positive recognition by others, a lack of discipline stemming from low self-confidence, or a lack of interest in the activity or belief in its efficacy. Laziness may manifest as procrastination or vacillation.

Laziness may be a momentary state or an issue of character, but it is not a psychological disorder. Further, if you're concerned you might be lazy, ask yourself if you're feeling deeply sad, have disengaged from things you used to love, and are having problems with sleep, energy levels, or your ability to concentrate. 

It’s true that there are moments in our lives when we become overwhelmed by what’s on our plates, and during this time we tend to put off tasks or procrastinate on a number of things. Usually this is caused by not wanting to deal with a challenge or decision that we don’t want to make.

But if you're habitually lazy, then this behavior will ultimately lead to failure in life. That is why you should focus on behaviors that will help you eliminate your tendency to procrastinate and put off what's important.

Maybe, you are uninspired by  your present task.Motivation and inspiration pump you up and give you the energy to do whatever needs to be done, and complete it in the time frame that is expected.

Maybe, you are overwhelmed by your present situation. When you are completely overwhelmed with things that you have to do, your brain will often become confused and start to slow down.

Maybe, you are fatigued. You may work yourself too hard at work. By the time the day is over, you feel exhausted and can barely stay awake, let alone spend any time with your friends or family.

Maybe, you have a fear of failure or achievement. You may subconsciously fear success, so you use laziness as a way of sabotaging yourself. 

The bible explains it as follows: Becoming a sluggard requires little effort. The "sluggard" is a very lazy person. His or her exercise is turning on his/her bed. Proverbs says he or she is hinged to it. Any far-fetched excuse - "there is a lion in the streets" - will keep him or her from going to work. 

The result of such a life? Poverty, frustration or broken relationships. The sluggard still wants the luxuries had work earns, but he or she never gets them. 

Proverbs laughs at the sluggard a little, but uses him or her to teach serious lessons. It doesn't require much: a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. Putting things off, making excuses, sleeping in - who doesn't sometimes fall victim to these tendencies?

Forgive me asking this: What attributes of a sluggard do you recognize in yourself? Do you think of these as serious?

The faith of the centurion

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          REMEMBER that beautiful gospel episode of a centurion whose

faith was praised by Christ? (cfr. Mt 8,5-11) He asked Christ to cure

his sick servant and did not want to bother him by going to his place.

“Only say the word, and my servant will be healed,” he said.

          So impressed was Christ by this expression of faith that he

could not help but also say, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel

have I found such faith.” And the servant was healed.

          That story should teach us the precious lesson that we

should not hesitate to go to Christ to ask for some special and even

urgent and big favor, no matter how unworthy we feel we are. We should

never doubt Christ’s ever-ready response to attend to our needs. He is

always all there for us! We are always special to Christ, even if we

have committed some sins. Never forget that he came to save and not to

condemn.

          We just have to take care of our faith. We cannot deny that

in our life we will always be hounded by all sorts of problems and

troubles. But Christ always offers us a way to deal with them properly

and gainfully. Yes, with him, we can even take advantage of these

problems and troubles.

          We need to understand that as the very beginning of our life

with God, our life in the Spirit which is a supernatural life more

than just a natural life, our Christian faith has to be taken care of,

nourished and developed to full maturity.

          We need to be more aware of this duty and develop the

appropriate attitude and skill to carry out this responsibility

effectively. We have to go beyond mere good intentions or being merely

theoretical in order to be truly practical and vitally engaged with

this obligation.

          There is certainly a need to know the content of our faith.

We have to study and meditate on the gospel, the catechism and other

sources. We have to be attentive to the teachings of the Church

magisterium who is empowered and guaranteed by Christ to teach the

faith with authority and with infallibility.

          We need to see to it that our thinking and reasoning, our

intentions, words and deeds, should be guided by faith more than just

by our reason, much less by our common sense alone. These latter

sources of knowledge cannot capture the whole of reality, most

especially the spiritual and supernatural aspects of reality.

          We should be eager to ask for more faith, and to make many

acts of faith. This is a fundamental attitude to have. Let’s follow

the example of the apostles who said: “Lord, increase our faith.” (Lk

17,5) Also the father of a possessed boy who said: “I do believe,

Lord. Help my unbelief.” (Mk 9,24)

          Let’s also remember that to grow in faith we have to be

willing to exert a lot of effort and to make sacrifices. We have to

understand that with faith we are dealing with spiritual and

supernatural realities that do not come easy when we simply rely on

our senses and feelings. Discipline and self-denial are required.

          Of course, faith can take root deeply in our life if we

don’t just study it, but also act on it. Our faith should be converted

into action, into life itself!

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

What is your insight about the Filipino culture based on your experience?

 

Bisaya

Barok and Takya Blog | Bisaya Podcast

My experience is that Filipinos are highly family-oriented, sacrificing their desires for the needs of others. They are great at celebrating life. They love life! And living in the Philippines would make anyone look forward to each day at work because you meet many wonderful friends there--people who are always ready to share a laugh or a good meal with you. The country has natural beauty. I found it interesting how Filipinos will go out of their way to give foreigners directions when asked, even if they may not have understood what was being said most times. Filipinos also think that visitors need no time whatsoever to feel welcome here - which I believe may be an inherent characteristic foreign nationals cannot leave the country without.

The Filipino culture[1] has taught me to live my life fully, enjoy it as much as possible, and make the most of each day. To always be grateful for whatever comes my way because whatever I am going through now will eventually pass. And no matter how many challenges come to my path in life, if I remain steadfast and focused, I will undoubtedly enjoy a happy and peaceful life.

Footnotes

[1] 8 Best Filipino Pastimes of All Time

Who can travel to Germany now that COVID restrictions are being tightened again?

• Author Felix Schlagwein, DW

Coronavirus infections are surging in Germany. What does this mean for tourists? Here are the answers to some of the most pressing questions.

The fourth coronavirus wave is currently resulting in record infections in many European countries — including Germany. In some places, the situation is so dramatic that public events and fairs have been canceled and contact restrictions introduced.

Tourist travel has also been banned in parts of Germany. On Tuesday, the US once more issued a warning against visiting Germany, although vaccinated tourists can still enter. What do these developments mean for anyone wishing to enter Germany? What quarantine rules apply? And what do German holidaymakers need to bear in mind when returning home? Here are answers to some of the most important questions.

Who can enter Germany?

Despite soaring infections, conditions for entering Germany are in some cases more relaxed than they were a year ago. Nevertheless, all arrivals from the age of 12 must present proof of vaccination, recovery, or an approved negative COVID-19 test, regardless of where they are coming from and by what means of transport. This requirement will remain in force until January 15, 2022. Entry is possible from all EU countries as well as the Schengen-associated states of Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Before traveling to Germany, make sure to get an overview of the latest developments and rules. Travelers can find detailed information on the websites of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Office.

Are people from third countries allowed to travel to Germany?

Entry from third countries is possible again, albeit only under certain conditions. Residents from a list of "safe" third countries, which includes Australia and Canada, may enter Germany for any purpose, subject to the above-mentioned documentation requirement. Travelers from other third countries, including the US, must either be fully vaccinated or put forward pressing grounds for their trip. 

Only vaccines approved by Germany's Paul Ehrlich Institute are recognized, which currently comprises vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. Licensed foreign versions of these vaccines are recognized as equivalent. A person is considered fully vaccinated if 14 days have passed since the second shot. For those who have recovered from a coronavirus infection, a single dose is sufficient. Also, only one vaccination is required for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Who needs to quarantine?

All arrivals failing to present proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative COVID-19 test must self-isolate. Likewise, arrivals from high-risk and virus variant countries must quarantine in Germany.

Travelers from high-risk countries must spend ten days in self-isolation, whereas those from virus variant countries must self-isolate for two weeks.

Individuals from high-risk countries may cease self-isolating if they can present a negative test result on day five. This option is not available for people from virus variant destinations.

Germany's disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute, currently classifies a spate of EU member states high-risk countries, among them Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece, Austria and Croatia. Anyone wishing to travel to Germany from there must complete a digital passenger locator form. At the moment, Germany does not list any virus variant countries.

Before planning your journey, be sure to check whether Germany deems your country a high-risk and virus variant destination.

Do I need to take a coronavirus test before arriving?

Not necessarily. Provided travelers can prove they are fully vaccinated, or have recovered from a coronavirus infection, no test is needed. Some airlines and train operators, however, ask passengers to take an additional COVID-19 test.

In Germany, PCR tests are accepted only if taken within the past 72 hours, rapid tests may be no older than 48 hours.

I'm a German tourist and contracted the coronavirus on holiday. May I return to Germany?

The Ministry of Health urges anyone who has fallen ill with COVID-19 to quarantine abroad, instead of returning home and potentially infecting others. Even so, authorities may not refuse entry to Germany. If you do make your way back, be sure to self-isolate the moment to step foot on German soil.

Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 is barred from air travel. Likewise, infected individuals from high-risk or virus variant destinations are also banned from traveling to Germany.

I want to travel to Germany with my children. Which rules apply?

The rules set out above apply to children aged 12 and above. Those below this age are exempt from proving they are vaccinated, have recovered, or tested negative. Moreover, they are required to quarantine only for five days when returning from a high-risk country.

I have a stopover at a German airport. Which rules apply to me?

Persons changing flights at a German airport without entering the country can disregard Germany's travel rules. The same applies to persons who are transiting through Germany without stopping. In this case, travelers are not required to go into quarantine, nor complete a passenger locator form. It is advisable, however, to become acquainted with the entry rules of your final destination. If en route to another EU country, be sure to consult Re-open EU, a platform with detailed information on travel rules and coronavirus rules in all EU member states.

May I travel freely inside Germany after my arrival?

In principle, yes. But as all 16 of Germany's federal states have the power to pass individual coronavirus regulations, you should carefully check where you are planning to go. Saxony, which has recorded a dramatic spike in coronavirus cases, has severely restricted public life to contain the outbreak. Tourists are temporarily banned from visiting the state. Business travelers, meanwhile, are still welcome. Bavaria has instituted similarly strict rules.

May tourists visit cinemas, museums and restaurants in Germany?

Rules can vary from state to state, and sometimes even by region. Many federal states such as Berlin, Hamburg, Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia have instituted the so-called "2G" ("geimpft oder genesen" — vaccinated or recovered) rule for many venues and public events. It means only persons who can prove they are vaccinated or have recovered may enter restaurants, museums and attend certain events. Unvaccinated guests will find it challenging to go about touristic activities.

Germany's epidemiological situation is in flux. States and regions may adapt or even intensify measures aimed at curbing the recent infection surge. Some have even called for the "2G" rule to be rolled out nationwide.

In any case, tourists are well-advised to research the latest rules applicable in the parts of Germany they wish to visit.

What must I do if I contract the coronavirus during my stay in Germany?

Go into quarantine as fast as possible and inform the health authority in question. To find out which agency to contact, consult this website. If you are having severe COVID-19 symptoms, call a doctor or ring the following number: 116 117. In an emergency, dial 112 or go to your nearest hospital.

Advent time for planning and strategizing

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          IT’S the season of Advent again, opening a new liturgical

year. There can be many things that can come to mind with this season

of Advent. For one, it’s a time of expecting and preparing for the

birth of Christ on Christmas. That is in the short run. In the long

run, it is also a time of expecting and preparing for the second and

glorious coming of Christ, the Parousia.

          Advent also means that since it marks the beginning of

another liturgical year, we need to re-enliven our sense of making a

new beginning in our spiritual life that is the very foundation of our

whole life, since it is what relates us to God, our Father and

Creator, our be-all and end-all, as well as to everybody else. There,

therefore, is a great need to make some serious and effective plans

and strategies to pursue that most important goal of our life.

          We have to remember that our life here on earth is like a

divine project that has a beginning and an end, and a very concrete

purpose. But it’s a project that we also take active part in, since as

an intelligent and free creature of God capable of knowing and loving

God and others, we are meant to knowingly and lovingly correspond to

God’s plans for us individually and collectively. We are not passive

materials in this project.

          And this divine project takes the form of a yearly cycle,

what we call as the liturgical year, where the working of the whole

economy of salvation that God has for us, takes place. God’s

interventions in our life are actually constant and abiding.

          This yearly cycle of the divine project is meant to prepare

us for our ultimate eternal destination. It would be good if we make

ourselves most aware of this truth of our faith, so that we know what

we ought to do in this earthly life of ours.

          For this, a prayer that can be helpful is the Glory Be,

where we find the words, “As it was in the beginning, is now, and will

be forever.” Let’s put our mind and heart into these words if only to

remind ourselves strongly that we need to have a good sense of

continuity and consistency between our beginning and end, between the

past, present and future, and between time and eternity.

          Let us foster the awareness of this basic truth about

ourselves and about our life here on earth. We need to encourage

everyone to have a clear and strong sense of purpose, and to know how

to pursue it given our human condition and all the means that God has

given us.

          We therefore cannot overemphasize this basic need of ours to

make plans and strategies. If we have to develop ourselves as we

should, if we have to be truly productive and fruitful, if we have to

take advantage of everything in life, whether good or bad, to attain

our ultimate goal, then we have to plan and strategize our moves.

          Making plans and strategies may require some time and

effort, but it’s an investment that is all worth it. The little time

and effort required can actually multiply our time and make our

efforts more productive at the end of the day. It’s like the little

rudder that St. James talked about in his letter. (cfr. 3,4) Our plans

and strategies can have the power to accomplish great things, like a

little rudder giving direction to a big boat.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Bag-ong opisyales sa “Provincial Coffee Association of Davao de Oro” ug “Cacao de Oro Provincial Council” nanumpa

 

Opisyal na nga nanumpa aron pagtuman sa mga tahas ug buluhaton nga gisalig kanila sa mga katawhan ang bag-o napiling mga opisyales sa Provincial Coffee Association of Davao de Oro (PCADDO) ug Cacao de Oro Provincial Council, sa atubangan mismo ni Gov. Jayvee Tyron Uy nga maoy nag administer sa ilang Oath-Taking sa milabayng semana diha sa Davao de Oro Capitol Ground.

 

Ang ilang paghural nahitabo niadtong Nobyembre 19, 2021 atol sa giusang mga dagkong kalihokan nga gipasiugdahan sa D.A. Regional Office XI, sa opisina ni Sen. Cynthia Villar, ug sa PLGU-DdO ilalom sa pagdumala ni Gov. Tyron Uy ug SP Members sa pagpanguna nila ni Vice Gov. Maricar Zamora ug Senior BM Arturo “Chiongkee” Uy.

 

Atubangan mismo sa Gobernador dungan nga nanumpa ang mga napiling opisyales sa Provincial Coffee Association of Davao de Oro nga sila si Arcadio Sabella sa MAGROW Maragusan-ilang Chairman; si Delio Cesar sa Pine Valley Maragusan- ilang Vice Chair; si Jesilyn Calanao sa Life Brew Nabunturan-ilang Secretary; si Alma Custodio sa LAFARMCO Pantukan-ilang Treasurer; ug ilang BODs nga sila Cipriano Ellaga, Jr. sa New Leyte Maco, Remelito Amabao sa Mabini (MAFAASO), Merelyn L. Sinon sa Montevista, ug Doming Guilabtan sa New Bataan.

 

Samtang, ang mga napiling opisyales sa Cacao de Oro Provincial Council nga dungan sad nga nanumpa niadtong adlawa atubangan ni Gov. Tyron Uy sila Juanito Aquino sa Monkayo-ilang Chairman; Armando Esquadro sa Maragusan-ilang Vice Chair; Norma Panarez sa Maragusan-ilang Treasurer; Noel Molijon sa Montevista-ilang Auditor; ug BODs nga sila Mercedes Sabanal sa New Bataan, Rodel Balingcos sa Compostela, Noel Molijon sa Montevista, Francisco Benaro sa Maco; Jerry Ellaga, Jr. sa Masara line Maco, Jerry Bacote sa Mabini, Wilfredo Alfante sa Pantukan, Feliciano Cal sa Laak, Ethel Angco sa Nabunturan, Armando Esquadro sa Maragusan, ug Ricardo Ramos sa Mawab.

 

Human sa ilang Oath Taking gipangunahan sad dayon sa Gobernador ang pagtunol sa mga farm toolkits ngadto sa pampublikong mga eskwelahan sa DdO nga nagpartisipar sa Gulayan sa Paaralan, ug ang pagtunol sad nila ngadto sa mga rice-based farmer’s and irrigators association sa Davao de Oro sa mga Agricultural Machineries nga gipalit sa DA pinaagi sa Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) gamit ang P35.2 Milyones nga Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) sa palasyo. (Gilbert Magadan Cabahug PAO-ID DdO)

What really is God’s word?

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          “HEAVEN and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass

away.” (Lk 21,33)

          With these words of Christ, we should feel the need to know

what exactly is God’s word. Why will it not pass away?

          The simple answer is that God’s word is not just an idea, a

doctrine, an ideology. It’s not just a strategy, a culture or a

lifestyle. Of course, God’s word involves all these, but unless we

understand God’s word as Christ himself, the God who became man to

reveal to us all that we need to know, all that we need to do to be

God’s image and likeness as God wants us to be, we will miss the real

essence and character of God’s word.

          We have to realize that the word of God cannot be separated

from God himself. That’s because God is so perfect as to be in

absolute simplicity. As such, God has no parts, no aspects, no quality

or property that are distinct from his very being. His word and his

being are just one. There is no distinction at all in him.

          Of course, from our point of view, we cannot help but to

describe God according to our own terms and ways that cannot help but

make distinctions between the essence of a being and its properties

and qualities. But in himself, God does not have distinction between

his essence and the properties that we attribute to him.

          Of course, this is a mystery, a supernatural truth that our

reason cannot fully fathom. That is why we need to have a strong faith

to be able to accept this truth. And once we accept by faith the

absolute unity between God and his word, then we will realize that

reading and meditating on the gospel is actually having a living

encounter with God through Christ.

          Thus, St. Jerome, a father of the Church, once said that to

read the Scripture is to converse with God—“If you pray, you speak

with the Spouse. If you read, it is he who speaks to you,” he said.

          Only when we realize that God’s word is Christ himself and

that reading it is like having an encounter with Christ can God’s word

truly be as the Letter to the Hebrews described it: “Alive and active.

Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing

soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and

attitudes of the heart.” (4,12)

          Of course, we have to be that good, rich soil referred to in

that parable for God’s word to take root in us and be fruitful.

Otherwise, no matter how powerfully effective God’s word is, if the

reader of that word does not have the right condition, that word would

have no effect. It would fail to produce fruit, “thirty, sixty and

even a hundredfold,” as Christ assured us.

          That means that we should handle the word of God with great

faith and piety. We should not just treat it as some literary or

historical or cultural reading. We have to realize that we are

listening to Christ and that what we hear from him should be taken

very seriously.

          That means that we have to involve our whole being when

reading God’s word. It should not just be an intellectual affair,

though we have to make full use of our intelligence and all our other

faculties when reading and meditating on it.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

IN TOTAL DARKNESS

When I was still hosting my radio shows with classical music  on different radio stations, I really got surprised how many people tried to come in touch with me after listening to not only the (wonderful?) classical music as well as my inspirational thoughts in between. Yes, I really felt glad and honored to be on air and getting the chance to share my passion for classical music with a really great listener ship. Once upon a time -  already several years ago.

In total darkness are many people right now because of the pandemic and the number of cases increasing to astronomical heights all over the world. Strategies against darkness?  "Why am I so sad? What am I so troubled about?" (Psalm 42,11).

If it's becoming dark, we usually turn on our lights. But, it's still daylight. It's a magnificent and wonderful day! The sun shines with might in the sky. The flowers are ablaze with amazing colors; the birds are chirping cheerfully. - "Yet, why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled?"

We experience feelings, as if darkness lies onto our souls, and light cannot get through any more. Yes, we make head or tail of it, because some really bad things happened since a couple of  months in many of our life and surroundings:

Several good friends passed away unforeseen; a wish, carried with us in our hearts never became true; all doors seem to be locked forever; financial problems because of Covid-19 bother us and don't allow the chance for three daily meals; and arduous illness seems to become incurable.

Why are we so sad? Why are we so troubled? The psalm's poet voices out innermost feelings and emotions during those times.

A very good friend ( a really very good one!) asked the following question: "How can you praise and worship this God, who allowed me always to get into a never-ending darkness?" Is my friend a dyed-in-the-wool-atheist", who underpinned his opinion with even the Psalm: "Day and night I cry and tears are my only food; all the time my enemies ask me, "Where is YOUR "God"?""

I was trained how to survive such periods of life. Even in this pandemic situation. Be patient and pray. Yes, pray! Or: "Quarrel with your soul!" No, it's not nonsense, it really works.

"Don't make such a fuss; get out of your dump and be happy!"

Or, read Psalm 103: "The Love of God".