To enrich your experience in reading this article, please view the video clip below before you go on. You may focus only on 1:36 to 1:41 pertinent scene with the voice-over: "She glances at an available taxi passing by then at Paul pondering her choice."
You may pause for a moment to reflect.
I watched the full movie many years ago and what caught my eye was this scene: just before the wife went up to the stranger's apartment, an available taxi passed by. She saw, but ignored it. Hailing it could have made the difference - she could have not gotten that book where she could find the stranger's phone numbers. The consequence at the end of the movie was grim.
The sight of a passing available taxi could be a writer's intent in crossing out, that instant, the wife's ready excuse: "I couldn't get a ride."
What I see is a God-sent taxi to give the wife the last chance to escape the temptation. "God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide A WAY OUT so that you can endure it." (1 Cor 10:13, emphasis mine)
During my corporate heydays, I treated some VIP guests for dinner to pave the way for a smooth relationship between our two companies. After dinner, the top guest whispered to me where we could drink ice-cold beers - a coded message for the standard after-dinner good time – women and beers. Not only a family, but I also have a community where I walk the talk.
"Where's Your way out?" I kept on asking myself in my mind. Right before we left the diner, I'd gotten a stomach ache so awful that I told my top guest about it and for them to go ahead with his plan along with my own guys. Was it the food or a self-induced effect? I got no idea, but, for sure, it's not a lie.
What do I see in the Covid-19 pandemic?
People in India are reacting with awe at the sight of the Himalayan mountain range, now visible for the first time due to reduced air pollution caused by the country's coronavirus lockdown: industries shut down, cars came off the road and airlines canceled flights.
People in Italy are also reacting with awe at the sight of jellyfish swimming in the crystal-clear waters of Venice canals, due to the Covid-19 lockdown that cleared up boats; dolphins and swans are returning to the coast with cruise ships docked due to lockdown.
The journal Nature reported that amid the sweeping Covid-19 lockdowns, the humanity's noisiest operations virtually grounded to halt like trains and industrial machineries that, in effect, plunged planet Earth vibrations, according to scientists, by 30 to 50 percent since WHO first declared the Covid-19 pandemic.
The above three awesome phenomena are only among the many that may not have yet been reported. M. Scott Peck, M.D.,
"I know that grace is real. There is a pattern to these highly improbable events almost all seemed to have a beneficial outcome. I had stumbled upon a synonym for grace: serendipity."
What do I see in our country?
The
"The mere thought that the pandemic gave way for me to have quality time with my kids is consolation enough." These words by a parent have encapsulated the good by-product of Covid-19 pandemic to family unity.
The
One bone of contention that has divided Pinoys of "the only Christian country in Asia" has been the feast ritual of the Black Nazarene.
Pros: "It renews my faith in being Filipino and the faith of the masses."
Cons: "Senseless practice of having thousands of people scramble to touch this image and hope for a better life."
Covid-19 canceled the feast ritual on the spot – an astounding phenomenon that stamped out one facet of the lingering PH divisiveness, so pointless, that despite the many attempts in the past, not one high official of the Catholic Church had achieved what Covid-19 pulled off instantly.
The
Question: Why did God give PH, the "Light of Asia" (Pope John Paul II prayer) a ruler who insulted Pope Francis and called God stupid?
Answer: "[God] PUNISHED [His people] by delivering them to their attackers..." (2 Kings 17:20, emphasis mine); "When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers." (John Calvin). Cardinal Sin affirmed Calvin's assertion with Marcos and his Martial Law as Exhibit A. Thus, to punish, God has given PH such kind of ruler today.
Why? 1 in 4 Pinoys is below the poverty line. PH, for being the "Light of Asia," has angered God as He was with Sodom that "DID NOT HELP THE POOR." (Ezekiel 16:49, emphasis mine)
What will happen in the next election? If God is still angry, He will give us another Punisher. Time Magazine's cover of our ruler's image labeled as "The Punisher" has captured the whole essence of this insight.
Covid-19 as Catalyst
Covid-19 pandemic has been purifying Pinoys as God's people. If God's anger turns into mercy, on the day of the election, with Pinoys blaming our ruler for their pandemic suffering, PH will have a new ruler, not another punisher, but a restorer.
My Dear Reader, only when you are wearing a pair of "spiritual eyeglasses" while reading this article will you see what I do see in a movie clip, in Covid-19, in our family, in our church, in our future, and in God's message to our nation today.
Original photo from:blog.safetyglassesusa.com/5-ways-to-celebrate-healthy-vision-month/
Aesthetics by Dionne
Technicals by Lroy
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