“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” - John 15:5
Experts across the United States are still taken aback by what really caused the fire that hit Los Angeles, California, reducing the lavish homes and iconic structures of the rich and famous to ashes. Even now, fire victims are in a quandary about how things unfolded so rapidly.
As reported, the fire started in the Palisades region and spread quickly to Beverly Hills. It continued through the Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, and Ventura regions, among others. The fire began at 10:30 A.M. on January 7 of this year and spread with terrifying speed, burning down 1,261 acres by 3:30 P.M. of the same day.
The area burned within just five hours is larger than the South Road Properties (SRP) of Cebu City, which covers approximately 300 hectares or 741 acres. The rapid spread of fire defied even the most advanced firefighting efforts, with nearly 8,000 personnel using fire trucks, helicopters, and water tanker aircraft.
As of this writing, the fire has not yet been fully extinguished. It has claimed 25 lives, with many still missing and forced the evacuation of over 88,000 residents. It has also damaged more than 12,000 structures across an area of roughly 40,000 acres, leaving $20 billion in insured losses and $50 billion in economic losses.
I had the opportunity to visit Beverly Hills in 2015, where I saw the mansions of the Hollywood celebrities. I could not imagine how the fire spread so quickly from one house to another, especially since they are located far apart. Like many others, I could not help but shake my head at such a catastrophic event.
While I entertain the thought that this incident was just a coincidence, I cannot help but link it to an important event, the Golden Globe Awards, which took place two days before the fire. During that event, Hollywood’s elite reportedly mocked God openly in speeches and performances. The lady host even made God the subject of a joke for having received zero shout-outs. She then added that it was not surprising in a “godless town” and further mocked the Roman Catholic Pope.
The existence of people around the world who do not believe in God, who mock him, and who do not respect the faith of others makes the Pilgrim Church on earth very challenging. However, this should not cause believers to lose hope.
While we may face hopeless situations in different parts of the world, the Santo Niño provides hope to the pilgrim church. As has been observed, the number of faithful and devotees of Santo Niño has increased each year. This is evidenced by the growing number of people participating in religious activities and the areas they occupy around the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño during fiesta senor.
In light of the calamities we have witnessed, including the fire in California, we are reminded to continue relying on Santo Niño, or Jesus Christ, in all circumstances of our lives. Hence, we join the faithful in singing “Batobalani sa Gugma”, with its most touching line: “Kanamo maluoy ka unta, nga kanimo nagilaba.”