Publisher's Note:

There is much upheaval in the world today. 

These are interesting times, indeed, and while we reflect on the prospects of the possibilities of freedom everywhere, we also remember those in these dire circumstances pushed against the wall and thus, have no other options except to put up a struggle against the regimes that deny them of their humanity.

We can only pray for them: for these people and these countries. We can only hope. We can only believe.

Keeping our fingers crossed in this time of Lent that we await will make our prayers more meaningful. The God of history, the good of histories, the God of justice is always speaking to us in these difficult circumstances.

Sometimes He talks to us in whispers, but He talks to us nonetheless. Sometimes He talks to us in silence, but he talks to us nonetheless. Sometimes, He talks to us in the wretchedness of the situations, but He talks to us nonetheless.

At the backdrop of these upheavals all over the world, there is one thing that remains: the enduring capacity of people to endure, to prevail, and to persevere.

There is bloodshed and tragedy in some of these places. There is the classic pitting of the same people against each other, which doubles the tragedy.

But comes the hope that once people have realized once more the power of their word, their word will gain moral ascendancy, will gain a note, will have the syllables to say once and for all what democracy means to a long-suffering people.

We join these people in solidarity even as we join them in prayer and hope.

We are not going to forget that our own country went through two upheavals of this magnitude with the two People Power we have in history. These bloodless revolutions are historical landmarks we have gifted the world.

We have thought these revolutions will create meaningful social change, but until now, we have yet to see the fruits of the extraordinary courage of our people.

We hope and pray that in the days ahead, something will come out as a result.