Hamilton

“I may not live to see our glory
But I will gladly join the fight
And when our children tell our story
They’ll tell the story of tonight”
― Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton: The Revolution

When I first heard my teenage son sing songs from the musical Hamilton and made it sound so current, I just had to include watching it live in my bucket list. Since this is a relatively new musical, I was aware this was a tall order, that it would take time for a local performance to happen. Thus my attitude towards this item in my list was nonchalance.

Just a year before the pandemic happened, I had a reason to visit London. As I planned my itinerary, I noted that Hamilton was, unfortunately, not on the online list of shows in West End that year. But just a month before my flight, a friend based in the US posted online that she watched Hamilton on Broadway, and naturally, I messaged her to express my warm envy. To my surprise, she told me that the season on Broadway was just about to end, and the reason almost blew my mind: it was about to open in London that same month!

So yes, providence has allowed my bucket list to get shorter.

“I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory,” so muses Alexander Hamilton, the lead male character in the musical. Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda for the song “My Shot,” Miranda is quoted to have referred to this as the most difficult line he has ever written, “an extremely vulnerable admission” by his lead character.

This line repeats throughout several different moments in Hamilton, including during “My Shot” and “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down),” when Hamilton faces his own mortality for the first time. The concept of death is a constant for Hamilton, who has clawed his way out of dire situations time and time again. (Nina Starner, Lines In Hamilton That Mean More Than You Realize. Available at Looper)

As we celebrate Easter, the memory of the Reason for Lent – the Passion and Death of Christ and its role in the economy of salvation – makes us rejoice. In fact, for Filipinos, Easter is another Pasko, a reason to celebrate, as we refer to Easter as Pasko ng Pagkabuhay.

In the Philippines, Easter begins with the celebration of the pre-dawn mass called Salubong in Filipino and Sugat in Cebuano and Hiligaynon, both derived from the Spanish Encuentro or meeting. The occasion reenacts the reunion of Christ and his mother, Mary, after the Resurrection. A most anticipated part of the event is when the principal angel dramatically removes the veil from Mary’s head, signaling the abrupt end to her grieving and the period of mourning. A showering of flowers and confetti follows, accompanied by the ringing of church bells, brass bands, and in some parishes, even fireworks. The congregation then gathers inside the church for the first Mass of Easter.

Regardless of the manner of celebration in one’s parish in this time of the pandemic, we can all maintain interiorly a sense of immense gratitude, not just on Easter Sunday but also during the entire Easter octave. For indeed, our redemption calls for it.

“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people, and hallelujah is our song.”
― Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła)

A joyful Easter to one and all!