Against Fanaticism

I'm currently in Mindanao, a land war-torn by forces that defy human logic. Talking with a new friend, an incoming pre-novice for the Salesians, Kuya Erwin, I have learned much more on the Mindanao situation than sensationalized national news.

We were discussing Abu Sayaff when I blurted out that Muslims aren't so peaceful in this country. He corrected me that not all of them are like the bandits. Like Christians, there are good and bad fruits among the harvest. It's just that they don't have a deeper grasp of their faith. Fanaticism, its universal among the world's religions.

A faith not understood in its original context can result in the worst atrocities in human history. Talk about Jihad and the Crusades, all were justified in the name of faith and God. It's as if we were created to annihilate each other simply because we don't share the same beliefs. But its true and is very evident in history, that men inflamed by zeal for their religion and not their God, have begun to do exactly what their religion is leading them from.

Fanaticism is our common enemy. Our only weapon is education and an openness to learning. Our baptism into Catholicism did not mark the completion of our Christian Life. We are called to live our faith. The same goes for Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and other religions. I believe it's not enough to profess by mouth the teachings of our spiritual leaders we must, so they say, "walk the talk".

This is the main reason why I admire so much our Catechists. They are a specie on the brink on extinction. Yet their calling remains a very fundamental part of the Church - the instruction on the Faith. With the onset of secularism and materialism, and all the other -isms out there, fewer and fewer have taken the initiative to volunteer in caring for the flock. Looking at the most persevering catechists I have met, I simply could not describe the awe I feel for their faithfulness. Notwithstanding the lack of financial gain in their apostolate they have pushed through teaching the thousands in schools in order to strengthen our knowledge and understanding of the Christian Faith.

Fanaticism spoils anybody's faith. Education and Instruction perfects it. Profession and Witnessing immortalizes it.

Happy Clean Day!

Here I am. I just finished cleaning my room and I feel happy. It seems cleaning up the now glossy white tiles follow a cleaning of one's life. They say a change in your usual environment would somehow trigger a change much deeper inside you. Perhaps the outer cleaning may soon lead to an inner cleaning.

You might be asking why I have to clean my room. First of all, it's my room, stupid. Second, I hate filthy and smelly rooms. Third, I'm a clean freak. Fourth, the room's found in Don Bosco Pasil and I may have to leave it in a few days time (so it really isn't mine, I'm just its steward). Fifth, I need some workout. Sixth, I need some psychological face-lifting.

It might be a menial task but the cleaning really made me happy. I'm a simple guy. I'm happy with simple things. Now I can brag that my room is dust free and fresh. If only people could find happiness in the simpleness of ordinary life how many more smiles could we find among the faces in the street. I used to think that happiness could be found in achievement and success. Now, I believe happiness is a disposition. We can be happy even in the most absurd.

The Salesian Secret

People are often amazed at how dynamic the atmosphere is in a Salesian setting. It appears that people seem to have put on braces around their lips that allows them to smile the whole day. Salesian schools resound with boisterous laughter from students who chase each other from one end of the school to the other. Youth groups generally are made up of upbeat youth. A man holding a broom, or covered in slick oil may not be your ordinary maintenance guy but a Salesian at work.

What is it with the Salesians? It's the family spirit - the hallmark of Don Bosco's legacy to young people. It's a total shame for a Salesian community that never exhibits the family spirit. Salesian schools and training centers have become more than places for learning, they have become secondary homes. People can't help but feel at home in Don Bosco.

This is the challenge for Salesians and those who wish to follow Don Bosco: to exemplify in their relationships especially with the young the welcoming and joyful spirit that brings hearts closer to home. Foxes have holes and birds have nest, but the sons and daughters of man has nowhere to lay down their heads. In an increasingly lonely world, Salesian settings are called to gather in as many souls as possible into the hearth of Don Bosco as the lively saint and Mama Margaret did when they first found their first boarder.

As I undergo the initial phases of formation into Salesian Life, I have always felt the need to make the seminary a place I can call home. The strong family spirit evident among the Salesians may well be one of the most effective promotion that has tagged me along well. This call is stronger in houses of formation as there could never be a formation without a relationship.

People especially young ones do not need the sense of independence and self-suffiency as much as the need for belongingness. We would rather belong to a group than be alone and we would rather be in a family than in a group. How, as ministers of the young, we touch the right chords in young people and attune ourselves into their colorful world is a deciding factor in establishing and imprisoning that heart into a loving familial embrace.

Every time I join celebrations that involve the different members of the Salesian Family, I never cease to be amazed at how small the world could be. It's amazing how people from different settings could easily interact and relate with each other by simply sharing Don Bosco among themselves. This is a tradition. This is a gift from our Founding Father. Our family spirit keeps his charism alive and relevant across the ages, still effective at sculpting our lips to smile the whole day.