Saints and souls

The national government has ordered all cemeteries across the country to be closed. Thus for the long weekend, people resorted to staycations to make use of the time. For those who have kids, the mall became the go-to place since it recently lifted entrance restrictions. Everyone was out and about, others in a huddle while those who can afford had their exclusivity. It was a good sight, since we haven't seen a lot of people since the pandemic.

This widely gained a lot of criticisms from people from all walks of life. The cemetery which are open spaces are ordered closed while enclosed malls are open. It’s only a matter of time before the virus could multiply, we're only lucky if we all get ourselves vaccinated. The holiday was supposed to be for remembering and honoring the departed. Now, it seems to have lost its purpose.

I was able to pass by the parish in Santa Fe, Bantayan, where children were practicing their presentation for All Saints’ Day. The emcee made a quick rundown of the different saints and their specialties to help the congregation remember. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of saints that intercede for us. Only those who are loyal to this faith remember. Otherwise, an outing is better than recalling which saint does what.

And the souls, they are mostly celebrated when they invoke fear. These days are turned into horror movie dates where we scare the hell out of ourselves. We scream and tremble every time the supernatural appears on screen. We forget the ones we lost due to the pandemic, who are also good souls who had to depart only.

The ones that we should remember the most at this time are those who sacrificed so much to end this pandemic. Remember the doctors who had to be at the frontline to receive ailing patients, or the overworked nurse who had to extend duty hours to cover up for those in quarantine. There are those who did not make it but they are undefeated in this battle.

There are also the living souls who don’t have the heart. They don't care about others as long as their agenda is taken care of. They pull the marginalized down because they have the advantage to do so but that is beside the point.

Today, November 2, which is no longer a holiday, we ponder if closing the cemeteries was a good directive or if it was just a spur of the moment decision. People are also like streams of water --you block one passage, it looks for another one. With children allowed to go out today, we might be putting them at risk. It is better to always follow mandated protocols to keep them all safe.

I'm quite unsure what the future holds with the loosened restrictions. I hope a better tomorrow.