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God’s will, people’s actions

In the wake of persistent and growing protest against her increasingly repressive government, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has suddenly turned to Divine Providence to justify her stay as President. Her claim of being “part of God’s plan” raised many eyebrows. But after all, how do you debunk matters of faith?

On the other hand, world history and the Bible itself offer countless examples of those actions (or inaction) of masses of people that determine the long-term course of events. Hitler as well as Marcos grabbed every chance to invoke the graces of God, but were both ultimately overthrown by the heroic resistance and sacrifice of millions of ordinary people. Even in Biblical stories where God’s people sought His direct intervention against their many enemies, it was ultimately the decision and action of the Israelite masses that won for them the Promised Land.

The raging events in our country, especially that of GMA “winning” the 2004 elections and then wiggling away from one scandal to the next, skipping from one crisis to the next while the people starve, cannot be simply explained away as God’s will. Our current situation must be seen as the cumulative effect of decisions and actions of big numbers of people and their leaders and institutions, which are often in intense conflict even if all sides invoke the Almighty’s blessings.

Many Filipinos, flustered by the surreal turn of events after Proclamation 1017, are now saying that maybe it’s best to simply wait and see. They might try to seek comfort in Leo Tolstoy’s famous aphorism, “God sees the truth, but waits.” But the waiting has to end sooner or later.

It is not for us to read God’s mind and predict His own timetable. Thus, we would do well to exercise God’s gift of free will, and set our collective sight as a people based on our own sense of truth and justice. Should we succumb to this bully regime, or resist, defend our rights, and fight for a more secure future for our children?

As the saying goes, “Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa.” And, in the final analysis: Vox populi, vox Dei. #

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