THE non-believers and atheists may not believe in the power of prayer.
On the other hand, believers and adherents of the billion-strong Catholic Church swear to the healing power of prayer. Thus, the prayer marathon versus Covid initiated by Pope Francis last May 1, a Saturday, was intended to hasten the end of the coronavirus disease.
The inaugural rosary prayer kicked off a series that will be streamed live each day from different Catholic shrines around the world. The series will conclude from the Vatican gardens chapel on May 31, 2021.
Per reports, the choice of the rosary prayer comes with May traditionally being the month the Catholic Church dedicates to the Virgin Mary.
The participants in this series are urged to pray for an end to the pandemic and enable society to return to normalcy.
The Oratio Imperata, a lengthy prayer for wellness of health workers, the sick and afflicted, is a regular feature of mass recited mainly online.
Let us witness the strength and power of prayer over the pandemic. And believers hope that with the faith and trust in God, this illness which has wreaked havoc on our health and global economy, will soon be defeated and vanish.
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And now, the saddening survey suggesting that 60 percent of Filipinos went hungry over a period of time.
Due to loss of jobs as a result of strict restrictions, a high incidence of food insecurity has been registered among the poor Filipinos.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles remarked: Many of our countrymen do not have jobs and livelihood so many families are going hungry. It's authentic and you will see the relationship between joblessness and hunger!
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Truly, the Philippines is mired in very difficult straits.
Our national authorities should act fast and decisively to stem our slide into perdition, penury and hopelessness.
I would not like to believe that we'll become a failed state, but if our leaders don't act swiftly, then it's game over for all of us!