No One Can Take Them

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” John 10:27-30

I know many are anxious today because of tomorrow’s election. Hopefully we will know in the next few days who will lead us for the next six years. Our choice of President is so supremely important, not only because of the havoc the pandemic has wreaked on our economy and education but the innumerable problems we face as a nation- corruption, rising prices of food and gasoline, the drug war, political killings, human rights, social inequality, etc. 

My friend Gege Sugue wrote, “One of my nagging thoughts is that VP Leni kept on pushing the H2H activity, not just to campaign and win, but for many of us to see the laylayan communities we merely talked about but have never seen, felt, smelled, touched.” In my parish and prayer community, many volunteers visited the poorer areas to talk to the people, some held parties, kid’s activities, lugawans, etc. The people were asking, “Kailan kayo babalik?” (“When are you coming back?”) I am sure this happened all over the Philippines and it would be nice if it could continue, to forge relationships, to see what can be done to help, not to give dole-outs, but to really help. We are a creative and generous people if only we had someone to lead and inspire us. 

If VP Leni loses the election, I cannot help but feel that it is because we have failed as a people to see ourselves as one body. We rise and fall as a people. We cannot have very rich people lording it over us with entitlement, who don’t get jailed even if they have stolen billions, and so many impoverished people who do not have a voice. Some get imprisoned just for stealing bread. Others cannot take care of their own children but have to go abroad and take care of foreigners’ children. Many teachers leave the country and become maids abroad because the pay is better. I know of families who have been relocated. The mother was left with the children in their “new home”, but because the father had to stay nearer his job, he started another family there! The list of heartbreaks of our people is endless. 

We must take comfort in the Lord’s words, that no one can take us out of the palm of His hand. He will never abandon us. Whatever happens in the days to come, the Lord will fight for us, we need only to trust Him. The battle is the Lord’s! But we also need to work harder to see Jesus in the poor the way God wants us to, and to lift them up as the brothers and sisters they are to us.