It was fitting to end Reverse Carolling the day before Gaudete Sunday, the third week of Advent that exhorts us to rejoice.
Reverse carolling is always tough for the needs of those we meet cry out loudly for justice. No human being should live in such squalor be it the squatters area by the creek in New Manila, in Bagong Silang or in Salaban, but especially in Montalban where people are dumped there and forgotten, amidst the mountains of garbage they live on and around.
The stench of poverty, neglect and decay was suffocating, disturbing and greatly depressing. It was extremely hard to sing about having a merry Christmas when the hovels that pass off as homes are so frighteningly fragile and makeshift, hardly weather-proof and prone to flooding.
How could I assure the widow in Manoc Creek who is paralysed from the waist down that Jesus will take care of her? What comfort can I offer the woman with two young children in Salaban, whose husband has run off with another woman two weeks ago, leaving her to live off the kindness of her neighbours?
I am numb for it is easier to bury the horror deep down than to spiral into hopelessness and a darkness that promises to engulf my being completely if I let it.
Ultimately I know I cannot see the radical change I would like to see tomorrow or any time soon, but that should not stop me from trying, for every little bit I do helps (I remind myself of the starfish story - of how it made a great difference to the one starfish that was offered aid - when I feel helpless).
Reverse carolling is more than just about giving out food hampers to alleviate the hunger of the families we visited for two, maybe three days; it is about uniting with them in prayer and sharing in their poverty. It is about respecting their personhood and meeting Jesus in them, rather than fulfilling the lofty aspiration of bringing Jesus to them. It is about the unitive us as we unite in our faith, and not the divisive them and us.
The joy of the Gospel, the Good News, which I have experienced in a very real way is not something that should be kept to myself; it must be proclaimed to all, even to those who may find it hard to rejoice in their present circumstances.
In good times and in bad times, Jesus is with us, loving us and caring for us. We may not always recognize this truth and often, we forget it, but this reality, when we encounter it, is what gives us the hope and inner strength to live our lives joyously and with gratitude, even if our world is falling down around our ears
Reverse carolling is an opportunity for both the givers and the receivers to embrace this truth and allow Christ to permeate our hearts, thoughts and actions. It is one big grace moment to surrender our wills to God's will and be His channels of love, to live out the call found in Isaiah 61:
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.
As Isaiah goes on to proclaim:
I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.
This Advent promise of joy can be ours, especially when we stop focusing on our own personal desires and rise to the challenge of loving our neighbour by treating him or her as a beloved brother or sister. We must make the sacrifice of time and energy to reach out to those who are not as fortunate as we are, for in giving, we will undeniably receive true joy ourselves.
Christmas is the time we celebrate the greatest gift that has been bestowed on us, God become man in the infant Jesus. In order to travel to that point of celebration and lay gifts worthy of the new-born baby who will sacrifice His life for you and me, may the remaining days of Advent be ones where I continue to stay awake as I travel toward the manger where He will lay.
As I leave the Philippines in a few days, I will take home the invitation He has placed in my heart, to continue to grow closer to Him, to trust Him and to love Him with the simple, wholehearted love of a little child.
Reverse carolling has shown me how small my faith is for it took a Super Typhoon that He transformed into a tropical storm to show me how much He loves us all and how much He wanted us reverse carollers to go out and do what we came to do: to love His people and show them how much He loves them.
Reverse carolling is always tough for the needs of those we meet cry out loudly for justice. No human being should live in such squalor be it the squatters area by the creek in New Manila, in Bagong Silang or in Salaban, but especially in Montalban where people are dumped there and forgotten, amidst the mountains of garbage they live on and around.
The stench of poverty, neglect and decay was suffocating, disturbing and greatly depressing. It was extremely hard to sing about having a merry Christmas when the hovels that pass off as homes are so frighteningly fragile and makeshift, hardly weather-proof and prone to flooding.
How could I assure the widow in Manoc Creek who is paralysed from the waist down that Jesus will take care of her? What comfort can I offer the woman with two young children in Salaban, whose husband has run off with another woman two weeks ago, leaving her to live off the kindness of her neighbours?
I am numb for it is easier to bury the horror deep down than to spiral into hopelessness and a darkness that promises to engulf my being completely if I let it.
Ultimately I know I cannot see the radical change I would like to see tomorrow or any time soon, but that should not stop me from trying, for every little bit I do helps (I remind myself of the starfish story - of how it made a great difference to the one starfish that was offered aid - when I feel helpless).
Reverse carolling is more than just about giving out food hampers to alleviate the hunger of the families we visited for two, maybe three days; it is about uniting with them in prayer and sharing in their poverty. It is about respecting their personhood and meeting Jesus in them, rather than fulfilling the lofty aspiration of bringing Jesus to them. It is about the unitive us as we unite in our faith, and not the divisive them and us.
The joy of the Gospel, the Good News, which I have experienced in a very real way is not something that should be kept to myself; it must be proclaimed to all, even to those who may find it hard to rejoice in their present circumstances.
In good times and in bad times, Jesus is with us, loving us and caring for us. We may not always recognize this truth and often, we forget it, but this reality, when we encounter it, is what gives us the hope and inner strength to live our lives joyously and with gratitude, even if our world is falling down around our ears
Reverse carolling is an opportunity for both the givers and the receivers to embrace this truth and allow Christ to permeate our hearts, thoughts and actions. It is one big grace moment to surrender our wills to God's will and be His channels of love, to live out the call found in Isaiah 61:
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.
As Isaiah goes on to proclaim:
I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.
This Advent promise of joy can be ours, especially when we stop focusing on our own personal desires and rise to the challenge of loving our neighbour by treating him or her as a beloved brother or sister. We must make the sacrifice of time and energy to reach out to those who are not as fortunate as we are, for in giving, we will undeniably receive true joy ourselves.
Christmas is the time we celebrate the greatest gift that has been bestowed on us, God become man in the infant Jesus. In order to travel to that point of celebration and lay gifts worthy of the new-born baby who will sacrifice His life for you and me, may the remaining days of Advent be ones where I continue to stay awake as I travel toward the manger where He will lay.
As I leave the Philippines in a few days, I will take home the invitation He has placed in my heart, to continue to grow closer to Him, to trust Him and to love Him with the simple, wholehearted love of a little child.
Reverse carolling has shown me how small my faith is for it took a Super Typhoon that He transformed into a tropical storm to show me how much He loves us all and how much He wanted us reverse carollers to go out and do what we came to do: to love His people and show them how much He loves them.
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