These days, Lent really feels like how it was during the Holy Week of the past when no one blared their radios and music players, television shows were all about biblical stories, most fasted and abstained from eating meat, and everyone stayed home.
Before, it was bad luck when people went to the beach or traveled during the Holy Week. Drowning incidents about revelers who went to rivers or beaches to frolic were attributed to the 'mari-it' atmosphere.
'Mari-it' is a Hiligaynon word that means haunted because it is believed that engkantos are out and about during the Holy Week, and those who didn't care about staying put had it coming, so to speak.
But this time, as the government ordered an enhanced community quarantine, no one freely roams the streets except to get food, no one travels to other places in the island except to deliver food, and sadly for most, no one can party due to social distance rules. Worse, no one can get married at the church and no requiem mass can be said for the dead. This virus literally can hold off a couple's public display of affection as well as postpone a departed's trip to heaven.
Fisherfolk though can still go out to the sea to fish but probably have to sell them at cheaper prices since they could not freely bring them to the public markets. But their kids, I'm sure, are having a good time swimming close by. I envy them. 😄
And also the farmers - they are still able to cultivate their backyard farms and harvest any fruit or vegetable they need. And their kids can play in the gardens under the sun. I envy them, too. 😜
But for us here in the urban settlements, we need to stay home. It's for the best.
We restrict our movements; we restrict the virus from moving around. Nobody knows if one is a carrier because he or she looks healthy, until he or she gets sick or gets tested.
We all stay home but still share extra food with those who we think need it more.
But let's not forget: we don't let politicians exploit the situation.
Call them out for passing the donated goods as their own.
Call them out for not being transparent, for overpricing goods for donation, for keeping the choice donations for their own use, for using the crisis as a publicity to further their political agenda, and most important, for not making sure the rice and perishable goods paid for by taxpayers' money and distributed to the people are actually fit for human consumption.
In short, call them out for being dishonest and inconsiderate human beings in this time of crisis and especially in this time of Lent - the only time during the year when we re all reminded that...
Someone shared His life, bread and wine with others.
Someone preferred to wash the dusty, dirty feet of his followers than they washed His.
Someone preferred to be sold like a piece of commodity for 30 pieces of silver and even forgave such betrayal.
And Someone was crucified so that others would be redeemed. 😭
Quarantined or not, it is still Lent. 🙏
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Now, help this little boy find his mother and tell him to stay home.😍
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