ACT OF MERCY

Feeding the hungry is an act of Mercy that God expect Christians to do as prerequisite to enter heaven. The following anecdote happened many years ago when we were still residing at Ayala Alabang Village. To continue, this act of Mercy was often neglected more so now that the hungry were so many, that if you feed some you still feel guilty that you didn't include many others.

But hungry people are not necessarily poor or those who have nothing to eat, but also people who, by trick of circumstances failed to go home to eat. Like the piano repairmen then who were working with our piano. They both lived in Novaliches, which was a good four-hour trip from Alabang during traffic hours. Going back and fort wastes a lot of time.

So, the chief repairman asked me if they could do overtime so they could finish their work. Added to that, a typhoon was raging at the moment. I agreed knowing fully well that they would have to be fed several meals. Of course, it was not included in the agreement but there was no restaurant nearby. They would definitely got hungry and I thought this was opportune time for our family to do an act of mercy. My wife, the business blood in her, was adamant about the idea knowing how she herself got hungry so often while doing businesses.

She acceded to my suggestion anyway but I could feel that she was doing it with a heavy heart and the act some how lost the element of mercy.

The irony of it was the fact that many times we almost force visitors to eat when we prepared even if the visitors were claiming they were full. I prayed that God would enlighten us about this.