Heat

It is summer and the heat outside is unbearable. The relentless blaze of the sun is wreaking havoc over the Philippines. Crops wilt and die, water is getting scarce, and the power crisis is a rainless black cloud hovering over the upcoming presidential election in the Philippines.

The farmers need the rain for their crops. Rain is needed to fill up the dams for water supply, and for power generation. People need the rain to stave off the summer heat that causes illnesses. The Philippines need the rain like we need the air to breath.

The Catholic Church and its brethren started praying Oratio Imperata every single mass months ago:

God our loving Father, creator of our earth and of the universe, and all the wondrous elements of nature that sustain your living creatures, we humbly ask you to send us the rain that our country needs so badly at this time, to irrigate our fields, to stave off a power shortage, to provide water for our bodily health, and to refresh our parched lands.

At you command the wind and the seas obey, raise your hand Almighty God to send us so that crisis may be averted. Merciful and generous God, open our eyes to the richness and beauty of your creation and instill in us a deep love for this earth and all that is in and around it. Teach us to be wise stewards of your creation so that we may always use them responsibly and protect them from abuse and exploitation.

At this time of crisis, dear lord, move us to share more and to love more. Loving God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you entrusted the Filipino people to the special care of Mary our Mother, listen to the prayers that we bring up to her, our Blessed Mother, to intercede for us, for the protection of our land and our people, whom she loves.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. Saint Rose of Lima, pray for us. Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, pray for us.

During the past months while we're praying the novena each celebration of the Holy Mass, I can remember only three instances when it rained. Each time it did, I felt the joy well up from my heart, and hope sprung for everyone whose faith never fails as they utter each line of the novena.

Three times it rained for months since we started praying the Oratio. There are millions of Filipino Catholics who utter the words to the Oratio several times each day, but rainfall came only three days out of 60-odd days during the vigil. Does this mean that we need to pray harder? That the prayer of several million Catholics are not enough?

The Catholic community still prays for the elusive rain. We never stop even when it seems like God is taking His sweet time commanding the winds and the seas to bring us the answer to our prayer. What a wonderful display of faith, even when the times are hard and people are getting discouraged.

This unwavering faith teaches one lesson that is closer to home for me. I have been praying for quite some time now for God to bless me with specific intentions. Sometimes I wonder if He is listening, if I need to pray harder, offer more sacrifices. Sometimes I wonder if I should stop. Yet each time I reach the point of giving up, God pours out His grace, strength and Spirit. I get up when I stumble, and when I falter, He puts me back on track.

Our God may take time to answer our prayers, but I know that the journey towards the realization of our dreams must be taken with trust and joy. God will soon lead us to the answers. God will bring the rain.

He always does.