“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has
also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has
done from beginning to end.” - (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV)
Everyone knew that it was just a matter of
time. After all, nothing in this world lasts forever.
But the grip of the world is such that we
cannot help but be enthralled by any form of human achievement. We all fall for
the temptation to entertain thoughts that man could do the impossible by surpassing
the inevitable.
But then reality comes along and enforces
life’s maxim, sometimes rudely so.
It happened with the fall of Rome. It
happened with the attack on the United States in 9/11. And now, it has happened
with the knockout defeat of Manny Pacquiao.
To say that I was heartbroken with the loss
is an understatement. The media called it stunned silence. But it is much more
than that.
Manny’s loss left a gaping hole in my soul.
As a Filipino, I should be crying for
revenge. I should be cursing El Dinamita
for destroying a great source of national pride for my countrymen.
But I’m not.
I can only give praises to Marquez for his
brilliant victory.
Some of my countrymen called it a lucky
punch.
It was not.
From the first time Marquez unleashed that devastating
right that literally sent Manny flying to land bewildered on his back, I knew
that Marquez had put in all his soul into training for this fight.
No, it was not a lucky punch. It was a weapon
that was deliberately, meticulously and religiously forged in the fires of
dedication and purposefulness.
It was a weapon made to do just one thing:
To bring
down a god.
For that was what Manny had become to us
Filipinos. Time stands still in the Philippines when the People’s Champion
fights. The whole country comes together
in unspoken unanimity to watch and pay homage to a man who has come to
represent what the Philippines is all about.
Manny represented the Filipinos’ spirit and
hope: that against all odds, we could overcome reality and the harshness of our
circumstances and move on to greatness.
But like many of our national heroes, Manny
also represented the uglier side of the Filipino.
He represented our penchant for gambling with
the fates. He represented our susceptibility to idolatry and worship of
personality rather than of truth and integrity.
And now we all find ourselves reaping the
consequence of breaking the First and Greatest Commandment.
That
there is only one True God, and that we should worship Him and Him only.
And if I have to live with the heartbreaking footage
of the People’s Champion fall motionless on the canvass replaying over and over
in my mind, I can only imagine the cup of shame and suffering that Manny has to
drink from now on.
He is as much a victim of human hubris as we
all are.
There is no doubt in my mind that God blessed
Manny Pacquiao, as there is no doubt that that same God orchestrated his
defeat. Contrary to what his mother is saying or thinking, it is not the fault
of the pastors that her son lost.
He had lost the moment he thought of himself
as being more important than God.
And I am no less guilty of the same sin.
I had
once understood repentance to mean penance: to inflict self-punishment as a
means of showing remorse.
I was wrong.
True repentance means to have a change of
heart.
And there is only one True Hero who can instil
a change of heart.
The world had dealt Him its worst knockout
punch. But unlike the People’s Champion, He didn’t stay motionless on the
canvass. And His return would herald the Greatest Comeback the world will ever
know.
His arms remain open wide for all of us,
offering forgiveness and eternal life.
Manny’s loss might have dampened our spirits
this month. But this month is also the season of thanksgiving and hope. The fall
of the People’s Champion has not changed the fact that this month, the True Saviour
was born.
He alone is the Eternal Hero.
Soli
Deo Gloria.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and
the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of
his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and
righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will
accomplish this.” - (Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV)
