Always

KNOT

I never dreamed of becoming one of the columnists of the Davao Catholic Herald. My hectic schedule at the John XXIII Catechetical Center (JCC) from 1999-2009 never gave me enough time to spend writing an article for a weekly paper. I thought that I was able to reach many people, in particular our dear catechists (volunteer and professional) by just simply going around the parishes and schools of the Archdiocese of Davao and other dioceses within the DaDiTaMa sub-region by facilitating seminars and workshops. I thought that was already enough. But there’s something more!

In June 2009, Fr. Patrice Picard, PME, my confidante and founder of JCC told me something. At first he asked if people from the Davao Catholic Herald had approached me in order to persuade me to write an article that would bear a Catechetical theme. I said, “Not yet.” He replied, “I recommended you to write a weekly article that is catechetical.” Days after Fr. Picard and I talked, I received an invitation from the Davao Catholic Herald. I never declined. Consequent with this decision, I had to include writing an article as part of my priorities every week.

The first thing that I did was to think of a title for my column. The idea came from a very ordinary experience. I was on my way home when I read a signboard placed at the door of a pastry shop that says “Always open”. I was struck by the word “Always”. Though how sheer my experience was but when I recalled those words of Jesus when He commissioned the apostles in Matthew 28:19-20, “I am with you always until the end of time”, such word got a different meaning. Being a catechist is not an easy and even a task that is filled with many consolations and success. But focusing on Jesus’ assurance that He is always with them until the end of time, there is much about in being a catechist. There is meaning in being a catechist because Jesus is always with us. Thus the task is not to be successful in the ministry but to be significant.

When I was writing an article, I was not isolated from the realities that day by day I confronted. Since I was in touch with the catechists (volunteer and professional), with the students, with the people from all walks of life, my encounters with them served as materials to reflect upon. From there, I tried to articulate, in the context of Christian faith, some insights that could be helpful and enriching to the readers of the Davao Catholic Herald. By correlating life (culture) and faith (the Gospel), the readers are being led to an understanding that the Lord meets us in various circumstances in life. God meets us where we are and whoever we are! This approach gives readers a sense of optimism that is rooted in the Easter joy.

The articles that I wrote for the said weekly paper should not be treated as a Gospel truth. I knew from the start that as a catechist in a print medium, I cannot impose but simply propose my faith-driven convictions. More than this, I was also ready to get criticisms. But, I was not in that print medium to gain applause and even to persuade the readers. I was only in this field of evangelization to tell them that there is Jesus. This Jesus is ALWAYS present among us, in spirit and in truth, not to solve our problems, but to give meaning to life. Such Christian meaning is not abstract but concrete because it has Jesus as the core, the summit and the end. With Jesus, there is meaning to life; there is always reason for living. Jesus is passing by, some would say. But by holding a copy of the Davao Catholic Herald, you surely never missed Him. He is always there! At present I am no longer writing for the Davao Catholic Herald. I am now a Salesian of Don Bosco. I made my first profession as a religious last 5 May 2012 in Cebu. Is there a connection? My passion for writing never ceases as I am taking on this journey. Our congregation takes Social Communication as one among the vast fields where the young can encounter God and vice-versa. The passion for writing is always there and it cannot be taken away. Since it is a gift from the Lord, my superiors and confreres have affirmed this God-given capacity to share this gift as I share the gift of faith. I was asked to contribute articles for our Salesian Bulletin (Philippines), for our Salesian Magazine (Internationally circulated) and for AustralAsia, our SDB website that contains news reports within East-Asia and Oceania. In a way, my experience as a columnist for the Davao Catholic Herald serves as one of the building blocks of my life as a Salesian. Because Don Bosco is my father, teacher and guide, I am breathing his charism which is God’s gift to the world for the fulfilment of His Reign with the young people as the focus. Graced by the Lord with a Salesian vocation, my identity as educator in the faith and evangelizer of the young impels me to be a bridge their meeting with God and vice-versa not only in the classrooms, in the Barrio chapels (BEC chapels), in the playground, in the Church but even in the cyberspace. The social media is a challenging agora where God can be encountered and His message be known and shared. Even in this field, I am called to live my vocation and mission as a Salesian: to be a sign and bearer of God’s love with and for the young.

We don’t have to find God somewhere else. He is always with us. May the mission of the Davao Catholic Herald, which is filled with the vision of the Gospel, continue in season and out of season. By allowing people to read the pages of the Davao Catholic Herald, they are not only reading others’ stories but OUR stories that are interwoven with God’s. And ultimately, you and I can always proclaim, “Aha! It is the Lord!”