“HIS disciples asked him in private, ‘Why could we not drive the spirit out?’ He said to them, ‘This kind can only come out through prayer.’” (Mk 9,28-29).

This is the concluding part of that gospel episode where Christ was approached by the father of a boy possessed by a mute spirit. (cfr. Mk 9,14-29) According to the father, “wherever the mute spirit seized the boy, it threw him down; he foamed at the mouth, ground his teeth, and became rigid.” It must have been a terrible sight!

But the father complained that when he asked Christ’s disciples to drive it out, they were unable to do so. That’s when Christ retorted, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you?”

Somehow Christ was highlighting the need for faith for the disciples to be able to drive the spirit out. “Everything is possible to one who has faith,” he said. And then he asked the father of the boy if he too had faith that the spirit can be driven out.

That’s when the father said the famous words: “I do believe, help my unbelief!” He somehow captured the usual condition we have in relation to our faith. We like to profess that we have faith, but we also know that our faith is oftentimes wavering.

When Christ finally drove out the spirit from the boy, the disciples asked why they could not do it. That’s when Christ made it clear that “this kind can only come out through prayer.”

Somehow from this episode we can make the following conclusion: for us to share in the very power of God, especially when we are faced with extraordinary challenges and problems, we need to have a strong faith. And for that faith to be a working faith, it has to be sustained always through prayer.

In other words, to live our life with God and share in everything that he has as we are meant to be, we need pray to keep our faith going. Prayer should be a constant activity for us. It should be like the very beating of our heart.

We have to realize more deeply that it is a basic need of ours to pray. If we understand our life to be a life always with God, as our Christian faith tells us, then we need to pray always.

Prayer is actually more important and necessary than the air we breathe, the food we eat or the water we drink. We should do everything to learn to pray always. On this, St. Paul clearly said, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thes 5,17).

In fact, in that Pauline passage, what went before and after it are very interesting. St. Paul says that we have to rejoice always and be thankful in all circumstances because that is the will of God for us. (cfr 1 Thes 5,16.18).

We have to find ways of how to conform ourselves to this clear indication of St. Paul. We have to learn how to pray always, converting everything in our life, including those that we consider as negative or bad elements, into an occasion, a means, a reason for praying.
We need to go beyond that common understanding of prayer that pegs it only to the recitation of some vocal prayers or to spending time in some special places to do meditation or contemplation. While these forms of prayer are important and, in fact, are indispensable, they do not have the exclusive ownership, so to speak, of the ways of praying.

The energy consuming products (ECP) are now included in the Philippine Energy Labeling Program (PELP) according to the Department of Energy (DOE).

The ECP products used for cleaning and laundry, cooking, and food processing, cooling, heating and ventilating, grooming and personal care, information and communication equipment, and lighting are now covered in the PELP. Earlier, DOE included in the PELP house hold items like air conditioners, refrigerating appliances, television sets and lighting products. One notes that the national labeling of ECPs listed above was meant to promote the energy consumers welfare further.

Incumbent DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla was quoted saying that ”with conservation and efficient utilization energy among the major strategies of the government to realize energy self-sufficiency and reduce environmental impacts of energy generation and utilization, we are now expanding the coverage.”

Also, ECPs with or without a prescribed minimum energy performance products (MEPP) requirement are now required to bear the energy label that specifies the energy efficiency rating of the product model.

“According to the DOE, non-compliance, removal, defacing, or altering of the energy label will be subjected to fines, penalties, and criminal liability as provided under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act. Penalties include the imposition of fines, from P100,000 for the first offense toP1 million for the third offense.

MY COMMENT:
Strict implementation and monitoring by the DOE agents of the PELP measure on items classified as ECPs by the DOE is paramount to the success in promoting the energy consumers welfare. This is a well-thought of strategy of the Executive Branch to help conserve and efficiently use energy resources by the government.
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