After my mass at the Virgen de la Regla Parish Church in Lapu-lapu City yesterday, a good friend of mine sent me an SMS telling me that she saw something that truly touched her – an old beggar giving all the money she had during the Eucharistic celebration.

Aside from the usual offertory collection, there was a second collection during yesterday’s mass. The second collection was intended for the victims of the landslide in Southern Leyte. The beggar emptied her worn purse when the basket for the second collection reached her. My friend knew she was a beggar because the old woman begs regularly at the gate of the church. I cannot read minds, but I’m quite sure the beggar must be thinking that the landslide victims and the survivors needed all the help they could get… including the few coins she had. Neither can I read hearts, but I’m absolutely certain that the mendicant wanted to give all the love she could give.

The beggar has shown once again that Filipinos, even those who have virtually nothing, always respond when their help is needed.