Davao SoCCom celebrates Communication’s Sunday

“We, in the Religious of Jesus and Mary community, are so happy that this Communications Sunday was held here in our school,” expressed by Sr. Mary Tara Matthews, RJM, “we are hoping that such kind of activity will be held here in our school more often than annual.”

Scores of SoCCom members from various parishes of the Archdiocese of Davao flocked at the Jesus and Mary Thevenet School in Bangkal, last 21 May 2023, for the Catholic Communication’s Sunday Celebration in response to the message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 57th World Day of Social Communications.

The message of Pope Francis was simplified by AdDU and IIREF Professor Sir Lunar Fayloga, following the theme from Ephesians 4:15, speaking with the heart ‘the truth in love’, with following sharing points: 1) context and relevance; 2) elements/components in social communications; 3) four points of the message of the Holy Father; 4) stumbling blocks in speaking truth in love; 5) important role of discernment; and the reflection questions.

According to Fayloga, the Pope’s message is to be understood in the context and relevance of the following: social communication is a right and at the same time a privilege, democratization of social communications and spaces through various platforms, and proliferation of fake news and lies; for anybody has the capacity to communicate the truth, but what really matters in speaking the truth are the elements in social communications: the content (the what), the manner (the how), and the ‘spirit’ (the motive).

The Pope’s message has four main points: 1) communicating cordially; 2) communicating heart to heart; 3) speaking in a synodal process; 4) disarming souls through a language of peace. In speaking the truth in love, there could be stumbling blocks such as self-righteousness and intellectual pride, on which it is better to be a humble sinner than a self-righteous saint; self-entitlement and self-absorption could also be alarming.

Quoting the words of Robin Sharma, there is an invitation to “turn your wounds into wisdom and your stumbling blocks into stepping stones”; and ultimately, speaking with the heart the truth in love is building bridges (not walls) and strengthening our relationships.

In the light of the Pope’s message, the speaker further said that it is not just enough that we are speaking the truth but speaking in love; truth be told, because of our good orientation in the ministry, our woundedness and pains can hide in our noble intentions. We need to make careful and prayerful discernment: Where is this coming from? Where is this leading me? What kind of ‘spirit’ that is at work in my ministry?

The keynote speaker encouraged discernment when we speak the truth from the heart: Where does it lead us? Create more clarity than confusions? Produced more bridges than walls? Strengthened more hearts that hurts? Inspired to become better or bitter? Creating a culture of genuine encounter?

As he ended his input, Mr. Lunar Fayloga asked reflective questions relative to serving the parish in the light of speaking with the heart the truth in love, to wit: In doing our ministry what was the most encouraging and disturbing feedback you heard from people? Have we experienced in our life or ministry where our personal agenda, and wounds and pains were hiding in our best and noble intentions? (Vonz M. Hijada – OLLP SoCCom)