Touching lives

Michael Angelo Buonarroti is an Italian Renaissance painter. One of his famous works of art is the “Creation of Adam,” which he painted around 1510. It is found in one section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling at the Vatican in Rome. This obra is very symbolic with an unforgettable image. God stretches out his right hand toward Adam. At that particular moment, their fingers touch. God touches man. He made the first step to reach out to him. That touch is so powerful. Adam is struck with life! It is like an electric power that surges into him from an invisible divine spark. From non-existence, Adam came to existence. From nothing, he became a person with body, spirit, soul and intellect. Life came from that touch of the divine. Thus life is sacred because of this close encounter with God.

Furthermore, when people also touch our lives, we are enriched. We are charged. We are energized. Those people who have touched our lives become part of us. And when they die, part of us also died with them. Now I understand the quotation I read somewhere that says: “When people you love becomes a memory, the memory is a treasure worth keeping.”

Some people come into our lives and they leave lasting imprint. Such is the memory of a friend many would call “Dodong.” With his grieving family and throngs of teary-eyed friends, we laid him to his final resting place. But the earth perhaps will have second thoughts of claiming him forever. His place is somewhere above He will have a place in the sky to shine like a star up in heaven, for he gave light and hope to so many. Borrowing the slogan of PLDT’s “Touching Lives,” Dodong could have very well made it his own. He touched lives by his kindness and generosity.

I heard so many stories about his compassionate heart as told by his family members. One Christmas, he saw a young man selling lanterns. He made arrangements with this youth to buy all his lanterns, which he later hanged in street corners of their community. He just wanted to alleviate his burden sparing him a day’s toil. He can now go home and relax to face another grueling day.

Many have witnessed his feeding campaigns to the children of Lorega. If somebody is in need, his neighbors claim, you could count on him. His kindness is legendary that when the elementary schoolchildren of Dalaguete (his hometown) heard that he had died, they all wept. One child was asked why he cried, he simply replied: “Wa nay magpakaon namu” (No one will feed us anymore). This comment confirmed the often-quoted proverb “The way to a man’s heart is through the stomach.” Dodong, indeed, was a person who touched not only so many people’s hearts but also their stomachs.

His funeral mass at the Cathedral was very inspiring. The church was filled with so many people. One altar server asked if he were a politician. This was the other side of Dodong. His better and brighter side. Though like every human person, he had his own share of shadows and darkness. For his family members, they chose to remember him this way: a man who touched others’ lives.

The greatest life lived for others is that of Jesus. He was a man with profound sensitivity and compassion. He “touched” men, women and children during his brief ministry. He reached out to countless people from all walks of life. He identified himself with the sufferings of others. When he was told that Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever, he approached her. And touching her, he helped her up and cured her. Jesus’ touch recharged her. She in turn got up and served. When people touch our lives, they become God’s instruments. It is then that we experience the divine in our lives.