Applause

Driving towards the city, I decided to pass by the South Road Properties (SRP). What blessing has this alternative route given to the residents of Cebu! It has not only eased traffic but it has also provided a faster means of travel towards the south. With its spacious lanes, one is really tempted to go full speed. In fact, at that particular instant, I was witnessing to what seems to be an exhibition show. A big motorcycle drove past by me from behind with unbelievable speed. It must have accelerated with a 150-per-kilometer velocity. The cyclist was in full safety gear with his helmet and padding. But what caught my attention was that he was standing on the footrest of his motor in that speed! I was sure the eyes of many motorist on SRP were trained on him as he cruised his way in style. I also wondered how he could put his life in jeopardy and those around him on the road by such acrobatics. Was he in haste for an important appointment or was he just looking for applause?

Applause is a strong motivational factor. Fame and glory could be everything for some people. Spain just won its first-ever World Cup title against Netherlands. It was such a coveted, hard-earned victory. Emotions run high already during the semi-finals when Spain beat a disciplined and methodic German team as correctly predicted by “Paul the Octopus.” The win brought ecstatic jubilation among Spaniards but tears in the German soil. Who could have thought that the finals would be a showdown between two European teams both hungry for a world title on their sleeves. Despite their legendary status as football superpowers, both have never won the World Cup. Who could have thought that the favorites and dominant nations like Brazil, Argentina, France or Italy would make an early exit to their shame. Now with this victory, Spain has finally flexed its might over the rest of the world to erase its moniker as “perennial underachievers.”

I had to wake up at 2:00 AM to watch this historic match. As usual the game started with much excitement and anticipation. But as the game progressed, with more fouls than goals, the spectators became bored. Yet it was a joy to watch the Spanish team with its precise passing, superb technical skills and artful team movement. Netherlands had to get nasty to win at all cost. Finally came a brilliant moment for Andres Iniesta’s extra-time goal that meant so much for the Spanish team as he smashed a shot to seal the victory. And as the winning team was handed with the prestigious cup of gold at the end of the tournament in the world’s biggest stage, their faces were all painted with glory. All applause for Spain! Only heartbreak for the Netherlands who will have to wait for many more years to touch the golden cup.

Sports is, often times, about applause. Be it football, basketball, boxing, golf, tennis or billiard. Athletes who win, gain all the fame. They are catapulted into the limelight and enjoy the cheers of the adoring crowd. They are placed on pedestals and raised as icons to be imitated. Endorsements are offered to them and soon billboards fill the cities with their faces and fanciful postures. All hard work and discipline are focused on the outcome of the game. Only winners get all the applause. Recently, basketball star Lebron James surprised the Cleveland Cavaliers by choosing to stay with the Miami Heat to join forces with former Olympic teammates in Beijing Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. This move would lose James more than S30 million but will bring him closer to a championship ring. “It’s going to give me the best opportunity to win” he said. “Winning is a huge thing for me!”

Yet life is not all about applause. Winning is not everything. Also losing has its own painful purpose with a lesson to give. The sun continues to shine long after the loss. Honors fade. Even fame is fleeting. Life’s purpose is not really about getting recognitions and achievements for ourselves. In Ecclesiastes 2:11 we read: “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” When all we do is simply to amass fame, honor and glory for ourselves, we have lived in vain. Thus the sacred writer who penned Psalm 115 cried out: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us; but to your name be the glory. St. Ignatius of Loyola’s motto is enlightening: “For the greater glory of God.” Thus in our winning, losing and trying we strive to seek, not man’s empty applause, but God’s affirming approval.

The Cost of Doing Good

One Sunday morning I saw a familiar face attending mass. He smiled when he saw me. With his four kids in tow, he escorted and coached them to bless my hand as a sign of reverence. He used to play basketball in the Youth Center. In his younger years, he was an agile basketball handler with quick moves that could make a basket at will. But he also got himself into trouble during the Summer League. That was many years ago. Now he looked lean and haggard like a man caught in constant struggle with his fate. He drives a taxi and has a family to feed. He has given up playing to answer the needed call of duty.

I was surprise to see him so early. Perhaps he got lucky to get his quota for the week and was there to thank God, I thought. But I was wrong. He actually lost his license and could not drive. The worst detail was that he had no money to redeem it back. His face was painted with disappointment as he narrated the whole incident. Where else could he get the means for their daily sustenance if he could not earn his keep. His elder children will need “baon” for school and his almost one-year-old child will need milk. He and his family lived in a hand-to-mouth existence. No savings. No security. His only hope is that God will continue to give him good health to be able to drive his rented taxi daily.

As I listened, I could sense his growing regret for not having taken advantage of his opportunities when he had the chance. It’s too late now. One cannot turn back the hands of time for opportunities lost. It would cost him several thousands to take back his license, he said. So I offered my help. He was expectantly delighted. He promised to pay back in full. But I know they were just empty promises. I have heard many such promises before. I just could not feel right thinking that his kids will go to bed with empty stomachs. When I handed him the amount he went away like one who has won a lottery. And I was few pesos poorer that day. But deep in my heart I felt the inner joy of having helped a neighbor in need. There is indeed joy in giving. But it costs to be a good Samaritan.

In chapter 10 of Luke’s Gospel, he lets Jesus tell the story of the Good Samaritan. No other evangelist relates this story. It shows the universality of Jesus as a messiah for all men and women without distinction. When the Samaritan, in the story, decided to help the hapless man along the road, he knew that doing good would cost him much. First, it would cost him his time. He had to stop to help as he “poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them; lifting him up in order to take him to the nearest inn.” Second, it would cost him his treasure. He had to take out his “silver coins” to pay the innkeeper. He does this because he felt compassion. He went out of his way because he believed in God. This parable continues to stimulate us and challenge us to “go and do likewise.”

In each of us there is a Good Samaritan waiting to be tapped. As man was “created in the image and likeness” of God, each one is capable of doing good from the store of innate goodness that resides in us. There is a Muelmar Magallanes in each of us capable of making the ultimate sacrifice to save many lives from drowning even at the cost of one’s own. There is an Efren Peñaflorida in each of us who used the pushcart classroom to bring education to children of destitute families. There can be a Mother Teresa or an Albert Schweitzer within us if only we are capable of paying the price of doing good. And as always doing good will cost us our time and treasure.

There are one thousand and one ways of spreading goodness around. Some can cost less like giving a sincere smile or encouragement. Others can be more difficult like feeding malnourished children in the parish, sending a poor student to school or giving a scholarship to financially challenged seminarians. But here is the catch: one should do it from the stance of a steward being an instrument of God’s benevolence. This practical charity is, in fact, an act of humility in doing something good unnoticed. Such an act of paying forward has no other reason other than believing that it is God’s will to share and show compassion to the less fortunate. And its only reward is to see heaven open and hear the affirming voice of God saying: “well done good and faithful servant! I am so much pleased with you!”

So help us God

Like many of us, I have witnessed a historic moment when the new President, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III was sworn in as the 15th president of the Republic of the Philippines around noon time of June 30. Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales administered his oath of office at the highly yellow Quirino grandstand. The crowd was a mixture of the ordinary “masa” along with the rich and famous – all in the mood for celebration because this leader was chosen by the voice of the people. Though I could not be in Quirino grandstand at that time, I was at least in front of the television exercising my role as a citizen in accepting the new chief of the land.

We need to be good citizens by supporting our new leaders. I must confess that I did not vote for Noynoy. During the election my choice went to Gibo as President and Binay for Vice President as was the dictate of my conscience. But now that the winners have been proclaimed, personal choices will have to give way for the common good. The will of the majority has surfaced. Now it’s time to work together for the country’s welfare. It is God’s will that Noynoy has become our president.

I have no idea how unbelievers would make their oath of office. But Noynoy ended his solemn vow with the words: “so help me God!” It is customary to end an oath that way. At that instant I prayed for Noynoy while he symbolically placed his hand on the Holy Scriptures held by Fr. Catalino Arevalo, the family’s spiritual adviser. He will need more of God’s wisdom and insight to run our troubled country. When Solomon was a new and young king, the one thing he asked for was wisdom. He prayed for a “discerning heart” to be a good governor. For this God was pleased for he asked neither for wealth nor for long life. This too, I prayed for P-Noy.

I did not hear any mention of God in the President’s inaugural speech that followed, yet such an important beginning merits our collective seeking of God’s accompaniment for him and for our nation. Psalm 127 says “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” I do hope, deep in his heart, he is entrusting himself and his new role as servant-leader in the hands of the Almighty just as he started his quest for the presidency with a retreat. So help him God!

P-Noy’s speech was rich in promise. It carried all the yearnings of 90 million Filipinos clamoring for change. He practically made a vow to lift the nation out of poverty and wipe out crippling corruption that has marred our country’s progress. This fifty-year-old bachelor further promised to lead by example and not break the trust of millions of Filipinos who brought him to Malacañang. On my part, I see in it a sign of hope and a new opportunity for a new beginning. Minutes before the oath taking took place many well-known singers captivated the hearts of the crowd with beautiful and inspiring music that called for transformation. The inaugural song “Bagong Pilipinas” was a longing to set the nation right so we can move ahead.

The promise, though, seem to be an impossible dream. The President is facing such a tremendous and difficult task ahead. Now he has to walk his talk. He has to put the vow into praxis. Words will need to become actions for P-Noy is no messiah. What I found striking in his speech was his challenge to us all. He invited the Filipinos not to leave him alone. “The Filipino people should participate actively in effecting change.” One man cannot do it all. Change is a community effort and can only be achieved by team work. Collective strength and cooperation will move our country forward. Such “bayanihan” spirit will effect change to our land. But if we remain indifferent and continue our selfish ways nothing will happen. Nay, our country will continue to deteriorate and fall apart. As we pray for our new leaders we also pray for ourselves and own the “Panata sa Pagbabago” which different sectors of our society made in response to the president’s oath taking. We also make our vow to start the change in ourselves. So help us God!