By: Jerome Auza
The year started with a “bang” for me at the office. Right on the first working day, the to-do list was already long and getting longer every day. I zip through the whole world via VPN and other means of remote access to accomplish many tasks of an IT practitioner.
When Pope Francis arrived, I only got to see his homilies and speeches online but not during the live broadcast.
It was quite obvious to me that “Lolo Kiko”, as the Pope was nicknamed by many Filipinos, is a very charismatic leader. It was also quite easy to see his sincerity to be with the poor, the unfortunate and the traumatized. The theme of his trip was “Mercy and Compassion” and what a fitting theme it is.
The arrival of tropical storm “Amang” coincided with the scheduled activities at Tacloban City in Leyte on January 17 and thus the Pope and the faithful had to deal with the heavy rain and strong winds. What coincidence, or perhaps God really timed the events, such that Pope Francis would experience a storm along with the victims of Typhoon Yolanda. It is perhaps the best way for the him to be with us, and to experience what many of us suffered on November 8, 2013.
When the Pope Francis said that he “decided to come here” after watching the aftermath of the catastrophe of Typhoon Yolanda, I was touched by his words. I may be miles away from him, but through technology, he seemed to have reached out to me, and somehow tell me that everything will be okay.
Thank you, Pope Francis! We will brave all storms, from weather to relationships to life itself, knowing that, as you have said, Jesus will not let us down.
