"Mas mayat no idiay balay ti masakit tayon nga agmisa," I asked in my crooked Ilocano, if it would be better if we could celebrate the mass in the sick's home. They readily and happily agreed to my suggestion.
And so we celebrated the barangay mass in his purok.
The altar was placed infront of his small hut where he could see it from the inside where he was lying. His neighbors were all there, including the little children who were roaming around. It was 4,30 in the afternoon when we began the mass. The sun was behind my back. A small cloth which served as a curtain to protect me from the sun was hung behind me.
It blocked the mountain breeze. It made me perspire, too.
I administered the Anointing of the Sick after the mass. His name is Danny. He is only thirty two. He is bedridden.
Something is wrong with his kidneys.
"Kumusta ka?", I asked Danny.
He was full of hope, without a sign of bitterness when he replied in his soft voice,"Mayat met, Father."
He mentioned that the Doctor advised him to have a dialysis.
"Nangina, Father," he explained why he was not getting the required dialysis. It was a medical procedure which the family could not afford.
"Nag-PREX i-suna," Sis. Teresing told me. He was a member of the early PREX classes.
After the anointing, I gave him a stampita of the Divine Mercy. He was so happy when he saw it. He kissed it as soon as I gave it to him.
"Kanayon nga ag-chaplet ni Danny, Father," Sis. Lourdes said. I was told that he was always praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. I asked them to join him in praying the Chaplet whenever they would have the chance to pass by his house.
"Wen, Father," they promised me.
And I did promise to myself that I would also include him in my prayer.
Danny has put his whole life in the mercy of God. He can not afford the only way that can ease his pain and suffering. He only has his trust in God's mercy; and the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy as his "medicine". Because of this, he has a peaceful and a calm disposition born out of his faith and trust in God's mercy and compassion.
