few years ago I came to this land that their past Spanish colonizers called ‘the
Philippines’. We, Xaverian
Missionaries, settled in the very fringe of the large urban center called Metro-Manila,
crammed with gray and brown shacks side by side with taller newer buildings in
the 13 city area of Metro-Manila… In a short period of time, our parish
burgeoned from 50,000 to 80,000 people who seek refuge from the devastation of
development projects in the city where they searched for new jobs and hope…
Coming to the Philippines I experienced an awakening of sorts. I entered the Filipino scene, and like coming to any new world, these things have a way to jolt one into a different consciousness or way of looking at things… I went through several stages, the first one being the “honeymoon” period. You know, it is the initial period before reality sets in… Later, I realized the honeymoon was crashing to an end when I could no longer screen out the significance of the differences between my western viewpoint and their world.
I have to say I suffered much during this time… But : just when I thought things could not get any worse, I saw God. No, it was not a flash of light to rescue me from my pain. It was a sudden Grace that gripped my heart and thought, and I realized that all this “mess” has been teaching me something from the very beginning, but I was too thickheaded to understand. God’s hand was hurtling me, head first, in the very midst of my confusion to shake some sense out of me. He knew, of course, I would survive it all… The months sped like a bullet train. I was given a new job: formation and pastoral work in a parish… I accepted the new challenge and trusted that God’s would be there too!
Now, after years of service among the “Filipino” communities and youth, I no longer feel like a fish out of water, nor a fish on a hot plate. I feel I am on a new and wonderful adventure in my life. I have wonderful friendships with Filipinos, ministering to them as they minister to me…
This is not just my journey. I am watching my confreres who come from six different nations reach out to the poor… We dare and dream together. We learn from each other as we strive to carry on the same Universal Mission of Christ. And, isn’t this something worth giving your life to ?”
(From Xaverian Mission Newsletter)