A prayer for mankind and Mother Earth

Harden our hearts, O God, so that we can bear the human miseries that we are witnessing now. Is this a kind of a sadistic act of a divine will or is it just a dire consequence of a collective reckless imprudence of a random human free will?

How could a gentle raindrop be so multiplied and disfigured into a monstrous force, like Hurricane Irma, sweeping hapless people into their muddy graves and turning homes into debris? Are there more horrible calamities to come as when lightning, thunder, wind and rain would conspire in anger and vengeance in defense of Mother Earth or when Mother Earth herself would crack in fury and open her fiery mouth to suck people into her sepulchral bosom.

But You have destined, O God, this tiny planet as home of Your image and likeness. May You continue to abide in it and deliver Mother Earth from extinction. Do not abandon us like discarded toys of Your creation as we strut wantonly on our own volition and wallow in the quagmire of our selfish freedoms.

We may not deserve Your mercy, O God, for our sins may have forfeited Your mercy. But You created us in your image and likeness and destined us to be similar to You. This is Your contract with Your people and this is our prayer.-- Atty. Amay P. Ong Vano, epov111@yahoo.com, Cebu City, Philippines

Forgotten until the next rain The heat of the sun is back tormenting us and we are no longer hearing reports of the formation of low pressure areas or storms. Torrential rains seem but a blur in our memory now.

But didn’t we rant at the government when many parts of Metro Cebu got flooded a week ago?- Tirso Deveres, Cebu City