Oratio Imperata

The lower half of my pants are wet after lashing rain and wading through a bit of flood near our place. I'm learning how true it is that the Pasong Tamo area floods during rainy season. But this is all good, all good. We've been having summer even in August. Some places have been declared in a state of calamity because there has been no rain. The rice fields have dried up and cracked, effectively killing what would have grown into rice stalks, causing millions of damage. The water level in dams has become so dangerously low that officials have warned they might have to ration water. And energy too might have to be rationed if it gets any worse.

Experts have said that it's because of global warming that Luzon and the Visayas is still in summer weather while Mindanao is in rainy season when it should have been the reverse. Last Wednesday, Cardinal Rosales called all the churches to pray the Oratio Imperata Ad Petendam Pluviam (Obligatory Prayer to Request for Rain) to be said in all Masses in the Archdiocese of Manila beginning Friday. Then on Monday morning, ABS-CBN said in their news the Church seems to have some real connection from above. A storm was coming and finally they said, rainy season is here.

True enough, it's been raining the whole day on Monday and today as well. Though they said it should rain for more days before we will have recovered, I'm really thankful to the Lord. Maybe the Lord was just waiting for our united prayer, for us to humble ourselves to ask for His help, realizing once again that without His power we cannot sustain ourselves.

I just pray this rain will continue. And pray that we, too, as a people continue to keep in our hearts that everything comes from Him, the Giver of all good gifts.