Euphoria

The Holy Father is safely back in Rome. All that is left are the wonderful individual memories that each of us have with regards to his glorious and successful five-day visit to the country. Some of the luckier ones will cherish their personal encounters with the Holy Father. The babies he kissed, the heads he placed his hands on, the hands he shook and the persons he embraced. Pope Francis himself is still recounting the times he spent in the country. Certain events that certainly made an impact on him. The warm greeting he received from Villamor Air Base to the Apostolic Nunciature. In fact, every trip he made to and from the Nunciature, the roads were always filled with thousands of well-wishers. The meeting with families at the Mall of Asia, the promised trip to Tacloban where for the very first time, he celebrates mass with a typhoon making its way in. First time celebrating mass in a raincoat, the pope said. The emotions that ran through him as he listened to the stories of the survivors. Sadly, a volunteer was killed when the winds of the incoming storm knocked down a scaffolding that fell on her.

Then there was the meeting with the youth at UST, where he was unable to provide an answer to a very hard question posed by a twelve-year-old former street girl. And of course, the Luneta mass where papal history was made. According to Fr. Lombardi, it was the largest papal event in history, attended by no less than six million strong. They braved the rain and the cold winds, some even to the point of shivering, just to celebrate mass with Pope Francis.

The country may still be in a state of euphoria. The messages of the pope still fresh in our minds. Some politicians are already making use of these messages, especially on his call to end corruption. If this will have any effect at all on known corrupt politicians is unlikely. His call to respect the environment already fell on deaf ears, with tons of trash just left at the site of Sunday's holy mass. Something we all need to work on. We do hope that the messages he delivered in UST will be engrained in the hearts and minds of the youth. And don't forget to learn how to weep, beg, and love.

And this is really what it is all about. Just how much of an impact did the Holy Father's visit have on our lives? Will all his words just fade away as the euphoria dies down, much like it does after a fiesta? Already we are reading about crime and the usual political bickering that was not present from Jan. 15-19. It would be interesting to find out what the crime rate was when he was in town. China is back in the news. Bad news, that is. There are even critics of the pope who have seen fit to come out fighting. I for one do intend to hold on to his wise words for as long as I can. I would like to remain euphoric for as long as I can. I would like to believe that many would too. Faith is a personal thing.

We do have a lot to be proud of. In some aspects, we have shown that we can be disciplined. Maybe not in garbage, but in crowd control. We have shown that we are gracious hosts. We have shown just how much of a Catholic nation we are, the only one in the region, in fact. And we have shown how thankful we are. Indeed, we thank the pope for visiting the country. Whether it rekindles the faith of those who have been marginal, we can only hope so. As Pope Francis himself has said, focus on Christ, not him. Still, one cannot forget the charismatic way he carried himself. The "Rock Star Pope" as some have called him. He does bear a resemblance to Jonathan Pryce, the Hollywood actor. If anything, his smile is soothing and comforting.

Realities are indeed superior to ideas. Well said.