In his Lenten message, Pope Francis urged the faithful to give up indifference so as to be more attentive to the needs of others. According to the Holy Father, it is when we live comfortably that "we forget about others." And when we do so, the pope continued,"our hearts grow cold."
Individualism has been the norm especially here in the West. To which, the Pope tells us " (Jesus) is interested in each of us; his love does not allow him to be indifferent to what happens to us."
How interested are we in others? Interested not in the sense of being nosy, but in the sense that we are concerned about others' conditions.
Just a day after Ash Wednesday, we'll be commemorating the 127th birth anniversary of the late Aurora Aragon-Quezon. Mrs. Quezon was known for her humanitarian acts, particularly through her active participation in the Philippine Red Cross till her untimely death in 1949. What motivated her to reach out to people? Was it power or prestige? Surely, she was once the country's First Lady and was a prominent figure in society, but there is something deeper in her persona.
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Born from a middle-class family in Baler, Aurora and her brood suffered poverty when her father was imprisoned and their properties were confiscated by the Spanish conquistadores. In his book "Aurora A. Quezon: Her Life and Deeds", Sol Gwekoh, the Quezons' biographer, wrote that the young Aurora and her siblings have to do menial jobs such as pounding rice, fetching water, etc. Her elders saw in her "an exceptional industry in the home and kindness towards her playmates and neighbors...she was...the personification of hope and faith!"
True, that hope and faith came alive when she formed the Baler Reading Circle and Library. She wanted to train as a teacher, however she was forced to discontinue her studies due to her poor health. Nevertheless, she developed the habit of reading good books in various languages and shared her meager collection of books with her kababayans in Baler. Thus, the Baler Reading Circle and Library was born. It has been said that because of her generosity, her town mates were able to learn the rudiments of English.
Gwekoh also told a story about how Mrs. Quezon made an appeal to Governor General Frank Murphy on behalf of a Bilibid inmate on the verge of dying (She was not yet First Lady at that time). She was informed about the prisoner's condition - he was afflicted with tuberculosis and was not getting proper treatment. The prisoner was moved to a sanatorium; his treatment expenses were shouldered by Mrs. Quezon.
When her husband became President in 1935, they opened the Palace to the less fortunate of Manila at Christmas to share a meal with them and give them packages of toys, clothes, etc.
In another part of her biography, I note that it was Mrs. Quezon's practice to visit the poor districts of Manila especially Tondo and San Nicolas. Her biographer mentioned that she "...devoted her time to orphans and children...giving them food, clothing, and not infrequently money. She even sent these young boys and girls to school and defrayed their expenses." Gwekoh also mentioned how this great woman would arrange quietly the wedding ceremony of poor couples who could not afford to pay their marriage fees.
These are just a few of the many works of love, acts of care, endeavors of concern by Mrs. Quezon. For me, they were borne not from power nor prestige, but from first hand experience of how it was to be poor. If we are/have been poor, let that poverty inspire us to rise up and help others to do the same. If we are better off, we can be one with the poor by embracing a simple lifestyle. Living simply allows us to share so that, as the Canadian bishops once said, "other may simply live."
Doña Aurora's experience has been sustained by prayer, especially the Holy Mass. Going back to Papa Francesco's message, he said "we become what we receive: the Body of Christ. In this body there is no room for the indifference which so often seems to possess our hearts."
In our journey this Lent, let's be a new Aurora to others. Let's be that personification of hope and faith for the less fortunate.
Doña Aurora, pray for us!
