The Government and Church of the Streets

And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid…(Mark 10:32)

            I met the new Consul General of Hong Kong last Saturday morning.  It was an ordinary meeting between two ordinary people.  The conversation though was far from ordinary.  I was pleasantly surprised at how the new Consul General warmed up to the idea of how important the streets of Hong Kong are for OFWs.  He talked about his work with OFWs in Abu Dhabi.  He shared about how important it is for an Embassy or Consulate to reach out to as many Filipinos living in the host country.  OFWs are fond of associating themselves.  There are several registered Filipino organizations in Hong Kong but there are also several that are not.  Congen Noel foresees a rather busy schedule of reaching out not only to the registered, but to the unregistered as well.

            On Sundays and other off days, Filipinos in Hong Kong are either in specific shelters or somewhere in the many streets, corridors, fast food outlets, parks, etc. of Hong Kong.  While visiting shelters may be simpler than walking around all the places where Filipinos congregate, the latter are no less important than the former.  The streets are ordinary and seemingly ordinary people stay in the streets but what is not seen are the many not too ordinary experiences and situations that take place in them. It was through the advocacy of street evangelization or bringing the good news directly to people wherever they are that I met many unique and important sectors or sub-groups of OFWs in Hong Kong.  Walking through the streets of Hong Kong led me to the first group of cancer survivors that eventually grew into Buhay Ka, a vibrant organization that reaches out to and cares for the sick, especially cancer survivors in Hong Kong.

            Reach out is  very personal. It involves going out to meet individual persons or small groups.  While I did not walk around with a portable PA system and stand at street corners to preach, I nonetheless went around relating and listening to those I meet.  Rather than stand and be the center of attention, I would sit and listen.  I realized how simply listening was already an act of evangelizing (bringing the gospel of Jesus to others).  From my many running advocacies (Patakbotakbo), I slowly learned the art of listening in the streets of Hong Kong (Paupoupo).  Thus was also born a small group of OFWs which called themselves “Lakbay Lingap.” Lakbay Lingap simply went around on a Sunday to sit with OFWs to simply listen and get to know them. The listening of course eventually became two-way.  Gradually, the small group gained more and more friends Sunday after Sunday.  The members of the group would meet before and after an hour or so of walking and talking to different  groups and individuals.  The stories were rich and most challenging.  There was a lot of life and from the eyes of faith, a lot of grace in the streets of Hong Kong.  I was not only evangelizing, I and members of Lakbay Dangal were being evangelized as well.

            It is no coincidence that my first meeting with Consul General Noel Sevigon was not in his office at the United Center in Admiralty but in the wide open space of  Chater Garden.  He was talking to members of  Jehovah’s Witnesses when I approached him.  It did not take long to warm up to Congen Noel.  In fact, seeing a Consul General of the Philippines in Chater Garden made an otherwise cold winter morning rather warm.  We started talking about the importance of the streets and outreach programs.  He told me how interested he is in the concept of the Church of the Streets.  I forgot to mention to him how interested I am as well in the Government of the Streets.  An initial insight and impression stayed with me since that meeting with Congen Noel.  Aside from the Church of the Streets, there is also the Government of the Streets.  I am glad to see not only an ordinary Consulate officer in the streets of Hong Kong.  No less than the Consul General of the Philippines in Hong Kong walks the streets of Hong Kong.  Thank you Congen Noel for the warm encounter last Saturday.

            Thank you for the willingness to be part of the Church and Government of the Streets.

Buhay Ka, Struggles in Mortality, Glimpses of Eternity

        When I surfed the web in search of the meaning of the lotus flower in Buddhist and Hindu tradition, the following description came up:

The lotus rises through the murky waters of ponds and lakes yet, when it blooms, it floats upon the surface, its petals shining and untainted by the mud from which it emerged.  In the scriptural language and sacred poetry of Hinduism and Buddhism, the lotus perfectly embodies the soul, rising up through the murkiness of worldly experience until it reaches the surface of the spiritual realm and blooms, vibrant and pure, free from all taint and attachment.

        The lotus is the symbol chosen by Buhay Ka, a Hong Kong cancer support group that has done volunteer work for more than four years.  Today, a little book of less than two hundred pages will be launched at the Sacred Heart School of the Canossian Sisters on Caine Road.  When I was looking for a book title, I thought of the volunteer work that several OFWs, mostly women have done in the arena of cancer prevention and providing healing support for those suffering from the disease.  The memories were vibrant with the laughter, tears and the countless speechless gaps of time spent with friends who have struggled to confront the most fundamental issue of their mortality.  Their struggle most dramatically highlighted the “mud of life” or the inevitable struggle to find meaning and hope in situations of fear and crushing despair.  The cancer survivors courageously played out the drama of mortality before those who are well who tend to overlook and deny the reality of everyone’s mortality.  Amidst the ups and downs of hope and despair, many doggedly held on to whatever is a source of light and comfort.  Most of the survivors have learned to face the darkest of fears and descended into the depths of uncertainty.  But they always returned to the surface to breathe and gaze at the dazzling sun.  Their struggle with mortality does not crush but trains the spirit to seek the way towards the light.  Mortality does not fall apart into nothingness but gradually opens up into the light.  It is not an easy journey.  It is treacherous, in many ways similar to scaling a steep mountain surrounded by ravines where no one survives a fall.  But both survivors and their friends learn to climb.  They are the lotus flowers growing out of the Hong Kong mud.

This is Buhay Ka, the story of their Struggles in Mortality and their Glimpses of Eternity.

Continuity

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)

            We met in a student leadership program in Tagaytay during Martial Law.  Students from various colleges and universities in Metro Manila attended the Buklod leadership workshop sometime in 1980.  That was also the first time I met Among Ed Panlilio who was then also a seminarian studying for the priesthood.  Soosot was a young, energetic and very idealistic lady from Maryknoll.  She was popular and an instant leader in the group. Her unique name was and continues to be a useful and even vital feature in crystallizing her unique identity. Sonia Zerudo is Soosot.  Sonia is Soosot.  Soosot is Soosot. 

            We lost touch shortly after that. Soosot went to Vienna and I became a priest and began my colorful journey as a priest in search of God in a country ruled by the gods of violence, corruption and oppression.  About two years ago I received an email from Vice Consul Joy Banagodos that a certain Sonia Zerudo wanted to speak to me.  The name did not quite register.  Somewhere in the deepest recesses of my mind a faint and weak echo began its slow ascent into a more discernible sound.  Slowly, slowly, I remember Sonia Zerudo….So…nia….Soo…sot.  Soosot is still alive.

            Thanks to Joy, I was immediately able to email Soosot.  In a few days we agreed to meet in Central. Soosot suggested a Belgian restaurant somewhere along the Travelator.  It was a happy reunion.  A quick flashback to Buklod and fast forward to Hong Kong. 1980 to 2010 was quite a journey through time.  Soosot has gone through a colorful and adventurous life of an OFW.  I also shared my OFW journey with this lady with whom I shared the passions and idealism of the 70’s and 80’s.  Our youthful idealism was still there and surprisingly alive.  While we ate a typical Belgian meal, we began talking about the idea of forming a group of OFWs who will be trained to be historico-cultural guides along what was to become the Philippine Historical Trail in Hong Kong.

            Our happy reunion and engaging recollection of a dangerous and exciting past did not end there.  On March 14, 2010, after thirty years during another workshop similar to Buklod, Lakbay Dangal was born.  This little organization after a series of training workshops with Professor Vim Nadera, has gone a long way to where it is now . Two years later Soosot walks the streets of Hong Kong with members of Lakbay Dangal guiding various groups and individuals along the Philippine Historical/Rizal Trail of Hong Kong.

            Because of Lakbay Dangal, the spirit of Rizal and the spirit of the Philippine revolution of 1898 is alive in Hong Kong.  Perhaps, it is also because of the same spirit that Soosot and I met and began this exciting and meaningful collaboration.  God’s spirit never tires.  The truth and those who pursue it will be given the strength and the fire to seek and ultimately embrace it.

What and Where is the Water Dragon?

Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth… (Revelations12:3)

            2012 is the year of the Water Dragon.  What exactly does this mean?  In the first place, do dragons exist?  Or are these mythic creatures represented by either actual persons, groups, countries and events in the world?  Are dragons in various forms alive and kicking in the world of global politics, high finance, culture, and religion?  Dragons don’t really appear as they are described in novels and as they are depicted in movies.  The dragons in the world need to be seen and followed with the trained, cautious and discerning eyes of a proactive citizen of the world.  A conversation with a perceptive Hong Kong Chinese opened my eyes to the exciting and challenging world of “dragons” in the year of the Water Dragon. Edith Woo shared the following insights with me.

            The world is shifting.  Leaders in big nations are about to be replaced this year.  China, Russia and America will change their leaders this year.  A new kind of global leadership is emerging. We should watch and be wary.  Leaders affect the world for better or worse.  The attitude of citizens is equally vital in shaping and steering world affairs.

            The world is changing.  Suddenly we are poorer in Hong Kong.  Everything is expensive and we don’t have enough money the way we did before.  Everything has gone up from fuel to electricity, from food to education, etc. Life is harder.  We need to work harder.  Look at that lady constantly running back and forth. She is doing the work of three.  The moment she stops and gives up, someone just waiting out there will step into her shoes.

            There are a lot of Mainland Chinese in this restaurant.  They are high spenders.  They have a lot of money. China is truly rich and powerful.

            In the face of all these, education is paramount.  This is why we in La Salle are working very hard.  We are not only producing educated and successful professionals.  They have to be men who know how to work, lead, find meaning and fulfillment in a world that has and continues to change.

            My thoughts drift back to our country.  I think of our leaders.  I think of the Impeachment at the Senate.  I think of the ordinary citizens, many of whom are poor and have lost interest in the incessant debate between the defense and prosecution.  Shifting the discussion to Filipino does help in making more understand the technical and legal conversation taking place.  But does this truly inspire deep interest and engagement in the majority?  What and where are the dragons in Philippine Society? Do we have eyes that see them; minds to critically understand what they are saying and not saying; hearts that perceive their intentions; hands and feet ready to act peacefully in defense of the rights and dignity of all?