Friday, October 21, 2016

The Walking Dom: Meeting People, Widening Horizons

Traveling, leaving your comfort zones, can provide a little variety in a rather monotonous and routinary life. Deviating from the usual schedule, food and people brings in a fresh air of ideas, thoughts and reflections. Travel widens our horizons. It removes the blinders that has serve to structure our lives-- but may have also limited our perspectives of the world around us.

Last July 2016, I joined almost a hundred young Dominican brothers and sisters in a pilgrimage tracing the footsteps of St. Dominic. This was on the occasion of the 800th Jubilee celebration of the Order St. Dominic founded in 1216. Together with Master Bruno Cadore, OP, the 86th successor of St. Dominic, we traveled Spain, France and Italy, the countries where St. Dominic ministered as priest, preacher, and founder. I was with my fellow Dominicans from all over the world. We varied in color, size, language, food, and in our interests. The list of differences can just go on and on for there are simply a lot of diversity when people from the seven continents of the world meet. But despite the difference, there existed a notable commonality among us. We are Dominicans: sons and daughters of St. Dominic. That was more than enough reason for us to be together. After all, we share the same story. We are bound by one person – St. Dominic.

In the course of our pilgrimage, I had the chance to converse to most of the English-speaking brethren. It was a pity that I missed conversing with the Spanish speaking pilgrims. I love Spanish (I always believe Spaniards brought a lot of good things to the Philippines, not to mention our Catholic faith. Good things that were put to shadow by the Propagandists, and by the Black legends sowed by nationalists). The three centuries of Spanish presence in the Philippines gives me a certain affinity with those Spanish-speaking brothers (from Spain and Latin Americas). Eavesdropping in their conversations, I could actually understand a little of what they were saying. I initiated conversation with some of them, but to no avail. I ended up looking for Filipino words that may convey what I would like to say to them. But even the Spanish influence in the Filipino language, however, was not enough to bridge the language barrier between me, and the Spaniards and Latin Americans. Indeed, it was a missed opportunity to share with them our common Spanish patrimony and heritage: of menudos, arroz valenciana, tsokolate, chico and of course the brand of Catholicism we share; of estopado santos, mind boggling retablos, beautiful processions capping colorful fiestas; our mestizo Catholicism. But perhaps, God willing, at some other time. I will make sure to have a conversation with my brothers from the Peninsula and the Americas.

Most of the brothers in my group were Europeans, Americans (US), and Asian. Next to Spaniards and American Latinos, a Filipino would find a great deal of affinity with the Americans, more so with the Asian-Americans. I had a great time with our brothers from the Holy Name Province (Western Province, US). One contributing factor to these is that most of them have Asian ethnicity (Korean, Vietnamese, and a Pinoy!). Lest I be accused of patronizing American yet again over my Asian confreres, I tried to establish a connection with my Asian brothers. I found myself in the same situation I was into with my Spanish speaking brothers. I had a great time being with Asian Americans. We shared our love for rice, up-sized burgers and soft drinks. They shared their experiences about the OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) and Filipino migrants fulfilling their American dreams in the West, particularly in California. They felt comfortable too with us Filipinos (I was with another Filipino Brother by the way). Filipinos are not new to them. They are with Filipino American brothers in their Province (The Dominican Order is divided into Province as the world is to countries). They administer to Filipino communities. They had eaten halo-halo, the famous adobo, lechon. They have experienced the warmth and hospitality of Filipinos abroad.

I heard these stories about Filipino hospitality and kindness not only from the Americans, but also from other brothers and people I met along our pilgrimage, people who have had the chance to meet Filipinos at one point in their lives. A money changer in Madrid, upon seeing my Philippine passport greeted me “Mabuhay!”, to my surprise. He briefly  recalled his time in a cruise ship with Filipino seafarers. “Filipinos are very fun to be with, and have a very warm disposition.”  A brother from England who worked as real estate lawyer in Hong Kong before joining the Order had a chance to visit the Philippines during the Christmas season. “The Christmas in the Philippines is very colorful and everyone is smiling.” Most of the people we met who had encountered Filipinos would always share stories of fun with Filipinos. I began to suspect that they were saying these stories because I was a Filipino. But thinking about it, I do not think so, knowing their straightforward culture. Furthermore, where on earth would they be getting all those stories about the Filipinos?!? I made sure that after the pilgrimage, they would add more stories and experience with a Filipino worth telling to the next Filipino they meet.

Another group of brothers with whom I had a great time were the Eastern Europeans from Poland, Croatia and Ukraine. We shared our stories of a vibrant local Church, where churches are not museum and civic centers but rather places of worship. We talked too about the devotion of our people to Mary and their love for song. And I think the best factor that these Slavs and Filipinos have is their fellow Slav, John Paul II. Filipinos love him so much, this Pope who visited the Philippines twice and inspired thousands to consider vocation to the priesthood. John Paul II serves as a model for many Filipino priests and seminarians, teaching the latter how to be a servant of Christ in this postmodern times. I told Wojtech, one of the Polish brothers, how Filipinos love John Paul II. For example, in 1995, Filipino passionately chanted “JP2 we love you” as the Pope emerged at the Quirino Grandstand to preside over a vigil of the World Youth Day 1995. The Pope spontaneously replied “JP2 loves you too.” The hymn for WYD 95, I added, is still a hit in the Philippines, 21 years after it was first sung. The song never fail to leave my eyes moist with tears every time I hear it sung. Wojtech asked me to sing the song for him. I told him, as an excuse for I do not really have a talent for singing, to just google or youtube it because I could not anymore hold my tears. But truth be told, I was about to cry at the moment, perhaps because of John Paul II who is a great inspiration in my vocation, or simply because of the lame excuse I made to avoid singing. Wojtech did not say any words. He simply tapped my shoulder. And we understood each other.

Italians are incredibly frank, especially Manuel. I loved the way he voiced out his criticisms and comments on the French, a far cry from the way Filipinos put flowery words to convey something that is rather the contrary; mapapalabok na salita. Manuel, besides being an Italian, is a Sicilian too. That is more than enough to explain his strong personality. As we toured the churches and museums, I made sure to be within hearing distance. He had an inclination on church heritage, just like me. But one of the reasons why this Italian brother from the Roman Province was good to me  was because of our brother Florentino Bolo. Fr. Jhun helped their Province by serving as their Master of Students. Manuel perhaps was returning the good experience he had with a Filipino Dominican Student Master. This made me think that the goodness we do to other may not return to us but it would surely be given to someone close to us.

Among the things we had talked about aside from our countries, culture, and local church situations, we also shared about our religious life, and the challenges we face as provinces. Our English-speaking group had raised at least 10-15 points that had been discussed exhaustively. Looking at these issues, I realized how Filipino Dominicans and the Dominican Province of the Philippines (DPP) had addressed most of these problems. I though how wise and intelligent our forefathers in DPP were, having foreseen these problems. As I discussed with other group leaders, I was hesitant to speak, for the other group leaders seemed to be more legitimate and very confident to speak. They were fluent in English. Listening to them, and the problems they encountered in their provinces, I could not but speak about the solutions that our province have for these problems. I thought, if I remain quiet, I would be doing injustice to my province, to my brothers, who trusted me to represent them in this gathering. With this, I gained the necessary courage to share the best practices in my province, such as collaboration with the Dominican family, use of social communications media to enter the so called Digital continent, care for the elderly brothers, etc. At that time, I felt so proud for my province. Despite the many things I complained about in the province, it is better off than the others provinces of the Order. I thanked our forefathers for this. If ever I am enjoying the structure and mechanism in the province at present, it is because our forefathers had invested their energies and resources in the past, so that the province may be in a better situation than when they took the helm.

In the last day of our pilgrimage, Bologna. We had a sharing with Fr. Gerard Timoner, our Provincial. I enthusiastically shared my realization regarding the advantageous state of the province, that the province is far better than the other provinces in many respects. I told him how our forefathers had done a lot, and how we are reaping the copious fruits that their efforts had sown. He let my enthusiasm subside and allowed me to share more about my proud moments for the province and the fathers and brothers behind it. After a while, Fr. Gert gently reprimanded me: “It is not the way to look at it. Whatever we have in the province, it is not because we are good; but it is because God has blessed us with vocations and the necessary resources that enable us to respond aptly to these situations. In front of these blessed reality in the province, we cannot be proud, rather we have to be humble and grateful to God who had blessed the province, who is the real force behind the reality that we enjoy. These privileges are with necessary responsibilities; sharing our human, technical and material resources to other provinces of the Order, to the local and universal Church.”   

I was silenced by this perspective, by this grateful way of looking at our province. More than through our own human efforts, it is the Lord, his grace that has enabled the province to grow  into the strong institution that it is today. The words of St. Paul came to my mind: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth (1 Cor 3:6).”


When we travel, we widen our perspective. But the object of this perspective remain to be the same: our life, our selves.

As I returned from Europe and traversed EspaƱa, Manila, I thought that the Philippines is not that bad at all. Europe had the same problems of beggars, poverty, narrow streets, garbage, undisciplined pedestrians. But they learned how to address these. And surely I think, Filipinos will figure out how to solve these same problems and bring out the warmth and fun disposition in our own land, to our own people, the same warmth and fun that foreigners experienced from the many Filipinos they encounter.

As I walked through the cloister of Santo Domingo Church, in Quezon City, I thought our church is not that bad at all compared to San Jacques in Toulouse, the Church of Sopra Minerva, even St. Peter’s. Ours is a church adorned with people, struggling to respond faithfully to the demands of following Christ.

As I opened the seminary’s main door (at 2 am in the morning)and saw our community picture, I thought I would never exchange this province for another, I would never exchange my brothers with French who may be great in singing polyphony, or with a Spanish who are heirs to a great Catholic patrimony. My province and my brothers may not be the best in the world, but they are definitely  not like the rest.

As I entered my cell, face to face with my self, I thought what a life, what a vocation God has given me: I love it and I could not ask for more. I said a prayer and closed my eyes to rest, knowing that I would be opening them, to see the same things, the same brothers, same place I left when we started the pilgrimage, but this time to see them with a different perspective, with a grateful perspective. Undeniably, after the pilgrimage, things had never been the same again.    




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