The mother, the child, and the rain

There was a sudden downpour while I was driving to the office this morning. On the way, I was held by a traffic light at a busy corner, when I notice this woman by the roadside hurriedly protecting a small, half-naked child with an umbrella. With one arm she then proceeded quickly to cover a pushcart with a sheet of plastic to shield it from the rain. The pushcart probably contained all their belongings, and provided a mobile home for them as well. There I was, in the relative comfort of my car, observing the plight of this poor mother and child, when I remembered my own wife and three-year old son who were safely ensconced in comfort back home. My reverie was interrupted with the impatient blast of a car horn behind me, and I was forced to proceed on my way.

I just hope CFC’s Gawad Kalinga and other similar initiatives for the poor is maximized to reach out to all the poorest of the poor, like the mother and child I just saw. Sad, but I think one can only do so much, as I remember Jesus saying ‘you will always have the poor with you’. While reaching out to these people we must also pray for them, as we trust that in God’s time, their suffering will cease. Like he did to the beggar Lazarus, we trust that the Lord in due time finally relieves them of their sorry plight in this world, and takes them to an eternal place where there is no suffering, no pains, no sorrow, and no rain.