2009 Anno Domini

Before moving on to year 2010 let me look back once again to this year which in a couple of hours will be ending. I know it would be impossible to try to blog about how my entire 2009 has been. There have surely been so many things that transpired, so many events that took place, countless people encountered and places visited but allow me to just pick some highlights summarizing each month of 2009.

Joy-filled January

I stayed in Cebu for more than a year... 15 months to be exact while waiting for my missionary visa. It was definitely tiring and boring to wait that long but the 'extended' Christmas celebration in Cebu with the famous Sinulog helped me forget about my troubled and troubling visa and be able to start the year with renewed hope and rekindled dreams.

Fair February

I had a memorable week in Bacolod spent with other practical trainees (brothers) of our congregation's Philippine-south province. It was a time of sharing, praying together and discovering that one is never alone in the journey. From time to time it's also good to compare notes and learn as well from others traveling on the same road.

Memorable March
I finally met Pakistan's ambassador to the Philippines in March. Somehow, I was again given hope of being able to enter Pakistan. People at the embassy were also kind enough to assign me a language instructor who patiently helped me all summer to understand Urdu and Pakistani culture a little bit more.

Amazing April

Summer became a chance for me to reconnect with family. Nieces and Nephews are fast-growing up and summer was a good opportunity to meet them again, catch up on their stories and enjoy their company.
Merry Month of May
May, which is still summer in the Philippines, is usually busy with fiestas (feasts), the traditional Sta. Cruzan and Flores de Mayo. I remember visiting the Pahiyas Festival in Quezon with the brothers of the Postnovitiate.
June
June signaled that summer would soon be over and it would again be time for serious work. And so we decided to go for an outing in a resort in Cebu for the last time just before classes began... It was a nice way to bid summer goodbye.
Jubilant July
July is always a special time for me--as it is on this month that I celebrate my birthday. But this year was extra special for it was also on this month that we welcomed the appointment of our new Fr. Provincial.

Audacious August

August of 2009 will always be etched in my memory as a time of courage and heroism. Cory Aquino died on July 31, the same date that I received the approval of my visa. And while preparing to leave for the missions, I joined my fellow Filipinos in paying our last respects and mourning for the death of a beloved former president. I left the Philippines on August 21 (after attending a mass for Cory and Ninoy) and was warmly welcomed in Pakistan the following day.
Strenuous September

September witnessed my adjustment to my new assignment. It has been a slow, demanding and sometimes discouraging process of entering into another culture. I thought I would not make it.... Hay.

Outstanding October
After encountering some initial difficulties--with food, weather, mentality, language etc., things little by little picked up and I started enjoying life again.

Nippy November

Winter started sometime in November--and it's the first time I am experiencing one actually. It was also time to wrap up the 1st semester. And is there a better way to end the 1st semester than to have a league--in football, cricket and basketball.

Delightful December

Since we're only three now here in the community... it's quite difficult to have the three of us in one picture. This last month has been beautiful. We celebrated Christmas in a totally different fashion but memorable and meaningful just the same.

2009 has not been all roses... there were definitely difficulties and trials that came. But at hindsight, everything seems to fit into place now. I can only be grateful for everything--the good as well as the not so good and not forgetting that 2009 was not just another year that came and is now about to end. 2009 has been another year of the Lord, Anno Domini.

Who knows what is in store for 2010-- but with faith and confidence I look forward to it filled with hope and anticipation because I know there will be lots of surprises coming my way again, because it's 2010 Anno Domini... blest and filled with God's grace.

"For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes."(-Dag Hammarskjold)

Deo gratias!

Christmas Away from Home

I had always believed that Christmas time is family time. It is a special moment to be enjoyed and shared particularly with people closest to us. And Christmas has always been so with me--a family affair. But not this time.

This year, I had to celebrate it far from home and without the holiday traditions I have gotten accustomed to and away from the warm wishes of friends and dear ones. I surely missed home, the usual greetings and gift-giving, the busy shopping days, the 'simbang gabi' and even Manila's rush-hour traffic jams. And it would be a lie not to admit how I had wished--even for a moment, to be back home last Christmas.

But then, being away from home also afforded me with enough time to reflect, to keep quiet, to pray a bit more than usual and to even find identification with Joseph and Mary who, on that first Christmas day, were also far from home and from the comfort and security of family and friends, but found courage and hope in the new-born Babe of Bethlehem.

Well, I guess, we are never actually alone after all, even when we are far from home, because God is Emmanuel. He is always with us. And Christmas is one of our greatest proof of that!

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I am writing this post just hours before this Sunday ends--it's Holy Family Sunday today. I pray for all our families tonight and entrust them to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Like them, may each member of every family grow in love, understanding, patience and mutual concern. I remember my very own family as well... grateful to the Lord for giving me the best parents and sister I could ever wish for, I entrust them all to Him and ask Him to keep them ever close to His loving protection especially now that I am far away from home.

Merry Christmas!

And may the peace, joy and blessing this holy season when we celebrate the coming of our God as man always remain with you and all your dear ones!

"He became what we are, that we might become what He is."

-St. John Chrysostom

Reflecting on the Crib

I promised last time that I would also post here some images of our charni (crib). And here they are.

Two days to go before Christmas and we're now only three in the house. Our boys and staff have all gone home for their winter break and will be back only after the Epiphany. In short, I have more time now to relax and reflect....

And as I ready myself for Christmas--with the charni in front of me, Pope Benedict XVI's message on the crib is worth reading/reflecting on: "The crib is a school of life where we can learn the secret of true joy. This does not consist in having so many things, but in feeling loved by the Lord, in becoming a gift for others and loving one another.Let us look at the Nativity Scene: the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph do not seem like a very lucky family, they had their first child in the midst of great hardship, and yet are filled with deep joy, because they love each other, help each other and, above all, are certain that in their history God is at work, present in the Infant Jesus. And the shepherds? What reason would they have to rejoice? That baby will not change their condition of poverty and marginalization. But faith helps them to recognize in the 'infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger', the 'sign' of the fulfillment of the promises of God for all men 'whom he loves' (Luke 2,12.14), even for them!” ." This, dear friends is what true joy is; the feeling that our personal and community lives are visited and filled by a great mystery, the mystery of God’s love. We need more than things to rejoice, we need love and truth: we need a God close at hand, who warms our hearts, and responds to our deepest yearnings. This God was manifested in Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary. So that Child, that we put in the manger or cave, is the centre of everything, He is the heart of the world. We pray that every man, like the Virgin Mary, may accept as a centre of their lives the God who became a Child, the source of true joy."

Counting the Days of Advent

In three days' time the season of preparation for Christmas we call Advent will be over. The time of Advent opened four weeks ago and yesterday was its last Sunday. Accompanying us throughout these days as we excitedly count the passing of each day leading to the great Christmas Solemnity is our simple Advent wreath.

It is a tradition in the church to mark each of the four Sunday/week within this season by lighting a candle that correspond to it. The whole Advent wreath contains several symbolisms in it--represented by the different colors, shapes and objects that form its parts.

And this year, before we remove our wreath to give way to the crib (another tradition in the church during this season), I am posting here some pictures I took with our Advent wreath. Our boys made it, following the traditional symbols of course, but putting as well a little Pakistani touch.

Instead of the usual candles, our boys made use of painted gamle (clay pots) which are very common here. And in keeping with our being a technical school I guess, they installed bulbs to light each of the pots marking the four weeks of Advent. The wreath also took on its Pakistani version since they made use of har (garland) replacing the more commonly used evergreen.

One also took the initiative of explaining to the other boys the symbols and meaning of the Advent wreath by posting a little explanation on the board outside the chapel. (Well, I really don't know if the explanation is correct since it was written in Urdu.)

And even if I wanted so much to keep our Advent wreath intact and in place, I am sure everyone is also already excited to set up the crib for Christmas. Good enough, our camera is ready to at least capture the great work our boys did with our wreath.

Soon, I'll let you also have a look at our crib... it's still under construction as of this posting.

The Day the Bikers Came

Last week was an altogether different experience for all of us here in Lahore especially for our boys. The buzz and excitement started when Fr. Miguel announced that a Spanish couple would be arriving to visit our place. He added that they are no ordinary couple nor are they ordinary guests since they are coming to Lahore on their bicycles. And that they have been on the road since March or April biking for a cause through Greece, Turkey, Iran, China (among others) and now Pakistan and then India and Nepal. They arrived last Wednesday morning and stayed with us for a couple of days to rest a bit and gear up for the last stretch of their journey. But their presence also became an opportunity for our boys to see things from a different perspective. Not only because they are Spanish and our boys are Pakistanis, but to come on bicycle from another continent, to visit and interact with different people from country to country and to spend some time in our obscure colony in Lahore (instead of the more tourist-friendly setting of the city) was something a bit unimaginable for many if not all of them.

It fascinated them as well to know and to see through the pictures shown on them how big and beautiful our world is. And the stories about this couple's experiences and encounters with other people and about the various places they have visited also openned the minds and curiosity of many of our charges. But over and above all these it was the kindness and interest this 'biking couple' has shown on them that has truly captivated them. It did not take long for our boys to feel at ease in their company. They have immediately sensed their sincerity and genuine concern for them.

The couple left early yesterday morning after staying with us for only a very short time, but when they said goodbye they were no longer simply the 'Spanish biking couple' to our boys. They now know them by name... they call them Sir Emilio and Ms. Maria... new members of our growing family here in a corner of Lahore.

I hope that they also felt at home here in our place among our boys. Their coming surely enriched us in so many ways. We all hope to meet them again someday. But for now, we wish them all the best in their journey and we pray that our Good Lord will always bless them and keep them in the shadow of His loving protection!

*Emilio and Maria also keep a blog where they post/share their experiences as they bike for a cause from country to country and the pictures I posted here are from it.

Goodbye Fr. Lazaro!

We got the news from the Philippines today that our confrere--Fr. Lazaro Revilla passed away early this morning while he was vacationing in Spain. A couple of weeks ago, he returned to his native place in Burgos, Spain for some break and it was there that our Lord deemed it appropriate to call Him back to His embrace.

I knew he wanted so much to see his relatives and friends. He wanted "to return home..." and he mentioned too the last time we met that "maybe it would even be for the last time." And true enough, it was to be his last. He was 70 years old. He was a missionary, a former Novice Master, Provincial and blogger. And he is now truly finally home.

I will surely miss Fr. Revilla. We stayed together in Don Bosco Makati for only a little more than a year but since we were together at table during meals, I always had the opportunity to talk and listen to him. And it was there that I had the chance to meet him in a more personal way. It was in those simple encounters at table that we were able to share experiences, discuss our views and air our concerns. I was definitely enriched in so many ways by meeting Fr. Lazaro.

I don't know if I had also made any impact on him but before I left Makati this summer, he asked me to help him set up his blog. He said that he wanted "...to use the blog as an instrument of apostolate to the readers, making use of the little energy [he has] ...to work and to do something good for others... [with] an instrument compatible with my age and present physical situation." And he did (he was a fast learner, I should say), all on his own, as his poor health also allowed him.

Thank you Fr. Lazaro! I am sure that soon you will again find ways on how to work and to do something good for others. I guess, where you are now there will be lots of options and possibilities to choose from. See you someday in the Salesian garden you have longed so much to reach!

Christmas Cards

Who says there are no Christmas greeting cards in Pakistan? Well, I also thought I wouldn't find any. But after a bit of walking around our colony and asking from a few shops, I at last found what I was looking for. And I was even surprised to find beautiful yet not very expensive ones.

And who says sending Christmas cards is already obsolete?

Some may even call it behind the times and passé but I still do send Christmas cards to family and friends. Yes, at this time of electronic mails, facebook and tweeter, I still choose to greet and send my Christmas prayers and wishes via these traditional greeting cards.

The whole process of Christmas card writing-- from selecting the appropriate design and message for each and every person I intend to greet, to buying them and then adding my personal note on each of them and then finally mailing them, entails a lot of effort and time. And that is precisely the reason why I still choose it over the more modern, 'hi-tech' and even faster means now available. The card becomes the product of my personal effort to letting dear ones know how much I love and appreciate them.

Other than this, this whole thing about Christmas cards also helps me prepare myself for Christmas. The different messages I write, the prayers I compose and the thoughts that come as I take time to ready each of the card allow me to enter as well into the spirit and reason behind this celebration and season--and that is because "God so loved the world, He gave us His only Son." And it is my fervent hope too that every card I write may bring clearly this message for Christmas and Christmas cards become truly meaningful only when understood within this perspective.

Re-Sourcing

Several activities and responsibilities cluttered my schedule these past two weeks. I had to squeeze in so many things within so little time and there simply was not enough moment left to even pause and relax a bit.

We had been busy for some days now installing new equipment for our technical school and learning how to make them work as well. And since the guest-instructors coming from Germany could stay for only about 3 weeks we also had to make sure we get to every lesson fast.

In between these trainings, we also had to prepare, welcome and entertain several visitors--among them the Spanish Ambassador to Pakistan, Bro. Michael from Australia, the two German Engineers that I have already mentioned, Fr. Peter from Quetta, Sis. Ann and Engr. Manny from the Philippines and a lot more. The Filipino community here in Lahore also needed some help last week as they were preparing some Christmas carols for a gathering. And since most of them work on weekdays I had to meet them on a Sunday and work hard on making some notes and pleasant tunes come out even on a day of rest.

These, plus the regular stuff of Urdu lessons, assistance in the dormitory and follow up of the boys' schedule and activities not to mention the usual community and personal responsibilities of cooking, washing dishes, laundry and room upkeep made these past weeks terribly heavy.

It's true that with so many things to attend to time goes by quickly. And it did so. And after two weeks of fast-paced and fully loaded schedule I simply had to stop. I just needed some quiet moments alone. I just had to simply 'be.' And that's exactly what I did yesterday. I took a time off after lunch. I withdrew myself from all the tasks and things that have occupied me these past weeks and stayed in my room and then in the chapel. It was definitely refreshing, renewing and rejuvenating.

I just needed that time and space to re-charge and return to the Source of all the energy and wisdom and zest. And here I am now, back on my feet again... starting another busy day! I guess this is also what Pope Benedict XVI pointed out when he said: "We all experience in daily life having little time for the Lord and little time for ourselves. We end up by being absorbed in "doing." Is it not true that often activity possesses us, that society with its many interests monopolizes our attention? Is it not true that we dedicate much time to amusements and leisure of different kinds? Sometimes things "trap" us." (from his homily on the 1st Sunday of Advent Vespers)

Advent Hope

From the Angelus message of Benedict XVI last Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent:

“The contemporary world needs hope above all; this is true for developing peoples but especially for developed peoples. Increasingly, we realise that we are in the same boat and that we can save ourselves together. With the collapse of so many false certainties, we are becoming especially aware of how we need reliable hope and that this is found only in Christ, who according to the Letter to the Hebrews Jesus “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). The Lord Jesus came in the past, comes in the present, and shall come in the future. He embraces all of time’s dimensions. Because he died and rose, he is the ‘Living’, and whilst he shared our human precariousness, he is always there, offering us God’s stability. He is “flesh” like us, and “rock” like God. Anyone who yearns for freedom, justice, and peace can stand erect and raise his head because in Christ redemption is at hand (cf Lk, 21:28).”