WHAT reassuring description we have about God’s word! From the Book of Isaiah in the first reading of the Mass for Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent, we read: “As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and return no more thither, but soak the earth, and water it, and make it to spring, ang give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my words be…” (55,10-11)

What should then be our attitude toward the word of God? I would say that basically it should be the same attitude that we have toward God himself. And the reason is this—since God is absolute simplicity with no division, parts or distinction in his being, his word must be his being also, his whole divine substance himself.

We, on our part, make some distinction between God in his being and in his word because that is how we understand things in general. We need to distinguish and analyze things, breaking them into parts, before we can arrive at the whole, integral picture.

In fact, in the Trinitarian nature of God, the Second Person whom we refer as the Son, is described also as the very Word of God, the Divine Word, who is God himself insofar as he perfectly and fully knows himself and all his creation. So, God’s word is God himself!

The word of God which now comes to us with some human and natural instrumentalities through the Gospel or the Sacred Scripture together with Tradition and the Church Magisterium, should be regarded in that light.

Its primary purpose is to bring us back to God. And so more than just giving us some helpful earthly knowledge, it gives us the ultimate spiritual knowledge we need to return to God. This character of God’s word is described in the following words in the Letter to the Hebrews:

“For the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two-edged sword, and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (4,12)

Its purely eternal, spiritual, sacred and transcendent nature is now subjected to the conditions of time, culture, history, etc., in view of how we are. But we should not forget that it is primarily purely eternal, spiritual, sacred and transcendent, which with our spiritual powers plus God’s grace we can manage to abstract from its temporal, material, mundane and prosaic condition.

Let’s remember that God became man. With his incarnation, the divine word assumes the nature of a human word. And just as God became man to bring man back to God, his divine word becomes human word to bring and reconcile the latter with the former where it comes from and where it belongs to.

Since God’s word is God himself and God is everything to us, we have to understand that it contains everything for our needs, especially our ultimate need to be with God. All things true, good and beautiful are contained in the word of God.

Thus, insofar as our sciences, arts and technologies contain truths, goodness and beauty, no matter how technical they are, we have to conclude that they also come from God’s word and belong there also.

Anyone who does not acknowledge this truth about our sciences, arts and technologies can be considered ungrateful and presumptuous. We need to overcome the dichotomy that detaches our sciences, arts and technologies from God’s word.

The ever persistent question came popping up today, as the country observes and celebrate Women’s Month. Who is the stronger, better gender?

These are interesting questions, but they do not have simple answers. There are many factors that influence the strength, lifespan, and emotionality of men and women, such as genetics, environment, culture, and individual differences. Therefore, it is not accurate to make generalizations based on gender alone. However, I can share some information from scientific studies that have explored these topics.

What does the web says;

• Strength: Men tend to be physically stronger than women, on average, because they have more muscle mass and bone density. However, strength also depends on training, nutrition, and health. Some women can be stronger than some men, especially if they practice sports or exercises that require strength12.

• Lifespan: Women tend to live longer than men, on average, in most countries and regions of the world. This is partly due to biological factors, such as having two X chromosomes, which may protect against some diseases and aging. It is also partly due to social and behavioral factors, such as having better access to health care, being less exposed to violence and risky behaviors, and having more social support.

• Emotion: Women and men may experience and express emotions differently, depending on the type, intensity, and context of the emotion. Some studies have found that women are more likely to express positive emotions, such as happiness and gratitude, and negative emotions, such as sadness and fear, than men. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to express anger and pride than

In all, we are certain of the unique gender that men and women are. But to me a man half a century of age, knew better. Women are stronger than men, ask my wife, she knows best.

Cracking joking remarks about the roads of Samar province which is spotted deep cracks and potholes, the vice president did not sound funny although people made fun of her remarks. The video went viral as the plot of her tale about hers and her retinue travelling by land from the southern island dubbed as the land of promise through the southern island of Eastern Visayas to the island of Luzon and the National Capital Region. She sounded surprised that the road in Samar province is dilapidated, spotted with deep cracks and potholes, as if it is the first instance she passed through such roads.

It was followed with a query if it is the same road where commercial goods are moved from the island of Mindanao to the island of Luzon. If it is it, then commerce is in peril as the passage of goods from manufacturing regions to the regions where good are marketed, distributed and sold to the end-consumers. The delay in the transport of goods and the high cost it would entail in terms of fuel and manpower cost would surely be an added burden that will be passed to the end-users.

As the issue earned public interest, people started asking about the root cause why the dilapidated roads are not being repaired. The interview of the district engineer where the roads are situated bared the excuse that it is caused by the lack of funds for such purpose. The explanation that his office had submitted a program for budget allocation that would cover the needed repairs was not approved by congress. That is why the dilapidated roads could not be repaired in due time as it would entail another fiscal year for a new budget proposal.

The message sounded as if asking for people’s understanding that they have to bear with the inconvenience. In fact, the highway official had taken efforts to distribute the inadequate budget to piecemeal allocations to the different projects in the district. That sounds good if not for the fact that the limited funds are being spent for the repair of roads that appear good and without damage while the damaged roads are left unattended.

If the explanation is true that the reason is lack of funds, the burden is upon the representatives comprising the lower house of congress. While the national budget has increased into trillions of pesos, the budgetary allocation for each department had to be limited within the size of the economic pie. It now boils down to the influence that each representative can exert over the others in order to get the bigger slice of the pie.

Left unsaid in the tales are the deep cuts in the budget from each project. It cannot be gainsaid that the limited budget for a project is made too small as grafters cut the corners of the small pie, leaving too little for the contractor who implements the project and had to earn as well. In the meantime, the affected motorists and the riding public have to repair their vehicles with stronger shocks.
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