Sense of Nationhood
By Bob Gabuna

I need not belabour anymore about the other lists. Writing in hyperbole, the water of Laguna de Bay would run dry if it were used as ink to chronicle the ills that plague the land.

In times like these, when faith seems shattered, I always seek refuge in the Holy Writ for answers to what seems to afflict the old homeland. Why these string of political and economic calamities? It is not even spared of natural catastrophic events. I oftentimes construe the Philippines is under the spell of a curse.

Looking at Israel's history as a model, the Israelites were also beset with gargantuan problems. The whole realm was impelled to go down on their knees pleading before the Almighty to deliver them from their endless trials.
Quoting the litany of their grief, Jeremiah, the prophet, said, "Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners. We are orphaned and fatherless. Our mothers are widows. We have to pay for water to drink and even firewood is expensive. Those who pursue us are at our heels; we are exhausted but are given no rest…old men are treated with contempt. The young men are led away to work at millstones. The joy of our hearts has ended; our dancing has turned to mourning. The garlands have fallen from our heads. Our hearts are sick and weary, and our eyes grow dim with tears. For Jerusalem is empty and desolate, a place haunted by jackals."

Is it not true that our mga kababayan pay water utility firms when there is no water running in their faucets? Do they pay for electrical power that they did not even use? Dads are sent to war rendering young families fatherless? Teenage kids are to work offshore as singers or dancers in some dim lit club to feed younger siblings left behind? Yes, they sing and dance, not to their delight, but to that of exploitative club operators.
Interestingly the God of Israel responded to the plea of the people. He sent "heroes" to deliver His people from the hands of their enemies. But these are not sports or movie "stars" that shoot to the top and then quickly fade from view. God sent "Judges", twelve males and one female (Deborah) to set Israel free from its oppressors. These judges were not perfect; in fact, they included an assassin, a sexually promiscuous man (Samson), and a person who broke all the laws of hospitality.

In reviewing the life and times of these judges that governed Israel during those turbulent times, the Bible spells out one thing: They all submitted to God and God used them mightily. Gideon, the fifth judge, came to the scene when the Israelites lost their sense of national unity. Nonetheless, he did not assume leadership because he was surging with patriotic impulses; neither did the political leaders choose him as leader. His divine commission came from on High.

What the country needs now is a Gideon who does not rely on human prowess, but a leader willing to submit to God to raise up Filipino men and women who are courageous, eager, and discerning, to battle against disunity, corruption, and moral decay.