Your Turn -- March-April 2009

Our letter sender for this issue is an active member of our Misyon forum www.misyononline.com/misyonforum . Her parents used to work full-time for the Columbans and are supporting Misyon up till today. Lucille, at present, is a faculty member of Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod.

Dear Father Coyle,

I am an avid reader of Misyon, probably because my mother used to be a promoter. But since it’s now available online, I have free access to it and an article a week is a good medium for reflection. Misyon seems to highlight the lives of modern-day heroes in their own simple yet extraordinary ways.

In the January-February 2009 issue, the article of Corazon Mendoza was very interesting and relevant to me, as I can relate to it as
a parishioner, as a child and as a teacher.

The title of her story 25 Cents from the Poor to the Poorest of the Poor reminds me of the Church’s teaching that ‘No one is so poor that s/he cannot give.’ Certainly, her students have their actual experience of this. Their act of giving to the needy will surely redound to the benefit of the wider community they belong to, especially to the Church. Indeed, everyone is a gift to the Church. Services, presence and contributions in whatever amount can go a long way when shared in cheerfulness and love. While reading her article, I remembered my mother letting her pupils place some amount in Columban ‘love-boxes’ before.

Since my mother taught in a public school, most students could hardly go to school with baon (editor’s note: ‘baon’ means a packed lunch/snack or the money to buy some food) but because of the motivation to love missionaries, they managed to give. Our parents have nurtured us to be generous, especially to those who have less than we have. They would always stress that even if we are poor, others are more miserable than we are and as a thanksgiving to God, we have to cheerfully share with them what we can. I believe the reason why all of us are active in the Church is because we have followed the footsteps of our parents. From them, we continue to render services to the Church without gaining recognition, remuneration or favor from priests. God has rewarded us more than we had asked for… to Him be the glory.

After reading Corazon’s article, I asked myself, ‘In what way have I opened the hearts of my students in generosity to the poor?’ Then I recalled my active participation in our school’s outreach program. During the Jubilee Celebration of the Diocese of Bacolod, we invited our partner community to join us on pilgrimage. Our theme was, ‘Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod and

Partner Community: Moving Forward Together’. The teachers, with some students and the children (who were our florestas that time) of our adopted purok, celebrated together. We had emphasized to the florestas that even though they are poor, there are still others who need more than they do. This gave further meaning to our activity because we went to Bacolod Girls’ Home where the florestas were so happy to share their snacks with the orphans there.

This was the concrete expression of being blessed by the Jubilee: that they were able to give despite their own inadequacy. They had deprived themselves of snacks so that others might share. Later, we asked them which part of the Jubilee was most memorable for them. Their answer was unanimous: their experience at the Girls’ Home. For us teachers, we were happy that our lack of budget had been a blessing because we had taught our children to give what they had to others in greater need.

Stories in Misyon seem to imply this to the readers: This person has done this for God and for others, what about you? May
we have the courage, humility and openness to follow God’s mission for us, wherever we are, in all circumstances. Amen.

All the best,

Lucille Arcedas