Thursday, February 2, 2023
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion Columns Eagle eyes by Tony La Vina

Grief, fear, and love

Tony La ViñabyTony La Viña
November 2, 2021, 12:10 am
in Eagle eyes by Tony La Vina
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

“We act and love despite the fear.”

 

All Saints’ Day is the feast day to recall the heroic virtues and piety of all the saints in heaven. Thus, this is the day to call for the living to imitate the holy lives of the saints — men and women who offered everything in order to follow and live the will of the Father.

All Souls’ Day is the day for Christians to commemorate the memory of their dearly departed brethren,  asking God’s mercy, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints in heaven, to grant them the consolation of eternal repose in the company of their Creator, the saints and His angels.

The spiritual and religious significance of these feast days is the reason why we offer masses for our departed brothers and sisters, visit the cemetery to offer prayers for them and for most, another occasion to celebrate. But with the COVID-19 pandemic still underway and with restrictions on gatherings still in place, cemeteries being off-limits to gatherings, we are not able to celebrate these holidays like we used to.

In his homily last year, Pope Francis said – “These are days of hope . . . On the day of the saints and on the day of the dead, it is necessary to think a little about the hope that accompanies us in life . . . The early Christians depicted hope with an anchor, as if life were the anchor thrown onto the shore of heaven and all of us walked toward the shore, clinging to the anchor’s rope . . . This is a beautiful image of hope: to have the heart anchored where our ancestors are, where the saints are, where Jesus is, where God is.”

ADVERTISEMENT

For the Holy Father, the two significant days are united, making up “hope that does not disappoint.”

It has been a difficult last three months; seeing so many sicknesses and deaths (not all from COVID) – of colleagues, friends, relatives, young and old, has been debilitating and paralyzing. Like many, Myrna La Viña Alonso, Dinky Soliman, Chito Gascon, Tito Remy, Tita Inday, Bien Lumbera, Kerima Tariman, Bobing Venida, Bobby Lucila, Ed Go, Ghaye Alegrio, Paolo Ansaldo, Nina Canoy, Mercedita Aboniawan, Emma San Andres, Cora Jayme, Ruben Balane, Baging Arguelles, Carmen Valero, the earlier deaths of Gemma Narisma, Fr Sergio Su, and Fr Roque Ferriols, Mom’s death last year – have filled me with grief, sorrow, and yes fear.

With every death of a person close to me I was reminded of these familiar words from the Book of Job: “I left my mother’s womb naked, and I will return to God naked. The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken. May the name of the Lord be blessed.”

To be honest, I struggle to accept this truth. To be clear, it is difficult to utter the last line. But we can accept that and still proclaim Yahweh’s faithfulness. As Job did.

Job was the righteous, suffering servant. He rightly rejected his friends’ arguments that he was being punished by God for misdeeds. Surely, they said, Job must have sinned big to have all his children killed, his properties destroyed, and his skin disfigured.  Before his friends said this, Job actually accepted his misfortune. But when he heard them, knowing that in fact he did not sin, he finally rebelled and protested.

The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, introduced to me by the late Padre Roque, describes what happened — “Job endured everything — until his friends came to comfort him, then he grew impatient.”  And then it became clear to Jobmas it is clear to me now: The Lord does not have to explain to me His ways, the reasons for all of these. Once we truly understood this, there will be a creative repetition, a correction as we see in the final chapter of Job:

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before  . . . The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. . .  After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.  And so Job died, an old man and full of years.”

I am consoled by the words of Saint Augustine. He says that, when you realize God’s presence in your life, love becomes more evident than fear. Indeed, quoting from the letters of Saint John, Augustine calls us to grow in charity – because perfect love drives out fear. Certainly this is what I see in Hec Soliman and Dinky’s family as well as in how Melissa Gascon and her daughter with Chito, Ciara, have shown in their mourning. Maybe we do not conquer all fear, as a friend I am close to has told me, but act and love we must despite the fear. And in the foxholes that we find ourselves through the many struggles of life, let us love each other and share our courage with each other.

Website: tonylavina.com Facebook: deantonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

Tags: All Saints’ DayAll Souls’ DayCOVID-19 pandemicfearGriefLoveTony La Viña
ADVERTISEMENT
Tony La Viña

Tony La Viña

Related Posts

Victory for press freedom

byTony La Viña
January 31, 2023, 12:10 am
0
8
Denying Villafuerte justice

"May the free press win in all these cases" Rappler Holdings Corporation and its president Maria Ressa have been acquitted...

Read more

Justice delayed is justice denied (Part 2)

byTony La Viña
January 28, 2023, 12:10 am
0
8
Christmas path to peace

"The basic principle is that no one should be deprived of liberty unless there has been a trial and final...

Read more

Gigi Reyes and everyone’sright to speedy trial

byTony La Viña
January 24, 2023, 12:10 am
0
8
Denying Villafuerte justice

"The SC said while Reyes’ detention is based on a court order, her prolonged detention, without any progress on the...

Read more

Attacking human rights defenders

byTony La Viña
January 17, 2023, 12:10 am
0
8
Denying Villafuerte justice

"The story of Dyan and Armand ended well but others will not be too lucky in the future until the...

Read more

Protest, petition, passion and praise

byTony La Viña
January 14, 2023, 12:10 am
0
8

"These days, it’s San Francesco’s praise for suffering, sickness, and death—lines he added to the canticle when he became sick...

Read more

New year, new life

byTony La Viña
January 7, 2023, 12:05 am
0
8
Christmas path to peace

When you read about this cancer and possible scenarios, there is always an optimistic air. Prostate cancer is compatible with...

Read more

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Acer Chromebook Vero debuts for education market
  • Power your lifestyle with HONOR X9a 5G thru Home Credit
  • Converge ends 2022 at top of Netflix’s Speed Index
  • Fortinet expands services, training offerings to support SOC Teams in cyber threat prevention, defense
  • Tatum leads Celtic rout of Nets, Sixers bounce back
  • Quest Plus Clark is all set for Valentine’s!
  • US, S. Korea hold air drills as N. Korea warns of ‘all-out showdown’
  • Tears and anger as US police beating victim Tyre Nichols laid to rest

Advertisement

Latest News

Quest Plus Clark is all set for Valentine’s!

byManila Standard Digital
February 2, 2023, 11:56 am
0
8
Quest Plus Clark is all set for Valentine’s!

Let’s celebrate love this whole month of February at Quest Plus Conference Center, Clark. From romantic dining experiences to a...

Read more

US, S. Korea hold air drills as N. Korea warns of ‘all-out showdown’

byAFP
February 2, 2023, 11:00 am
0
8
US, S. Korea hold air drills as N. Korea warns of ‘all-out showdown’

South Korea said Thursday it had staged joint air drills with the United States featuring strategic bombers and stealth fighters,...

Read more

Tears and anger as US police beating victim Tyre Nichols laid to rest

byAFP
February 2, 2023, 10:00 am
0
8
Tears and anger as US police beating victim Tyre Nichols laid to rest

Civil rights leaders, family and friends came together in a Memphis church Wednesday to bid farewell to Tyre Nichols, the...

Read more

LGU Tuao procures heavy equipment

byManila Standard
February 2, 2023, 9:00 am
0
8
LGU Tuao procures heavy equipment

Tuao, Cagayan -The local government of Tuao made another noteworthy accomplishment as the newly purchased brand new heavy equipment are...

Read more

New US restrictions against Taliban for bans on women

byAFP
February 2, 2023, 9:00 am
0
8
New US restrictions against Taliban for bans on women

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced new visa restrictions against the Taliban Wednesday in response to bans on employment...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App