IMMERSIONS AND THE RESPONDING HEART

 IMMERSIONS AND THE RESPONDING HEART

Vietnamese traditional folk says “Đi một ngày đàng, học một sàng khôn”, in English “Once you go, you grow” which means, “the more you go, the better self you are”. Due to the pandemic, everyone is afraid to get out because we may get contaminated by the deadly virus. Therefore, people try to keep a safe distance from one another. Contrary to that, I felt so much blessed and grateful to go for immersions, as we call the “mission of the presence due to the time of the pandemic”. 

At first, I was assigned to Nueva Ecija, Philippines, to live with a farmer. Among the four families that I lived with, there are two of them were broken families. I spent time listening to their stories, struggles as well as joyful moments. One of the stories that I have heard was that one paternal uncle asked the boy “why did you quit the study? Only 2 years more you can graduate high school”. Then, the boy answered the question by questioning us back “So, why did my mother leave me?” We were all in silence during that moment. In addition, another three children are living without a father or a mother. 

After my immersion in Nueva Ecija, my next assigned area was Abucay, Bataan, Philippines, located on a high mountain. I lived with the Aboriginals for one month. 99 % of the population has no jobs but they make use of natural resources. Every day, we go up to the mountain chain and walk through the rough road before we reach the farm. My foster mother looks after the cassava farm, while my foster father cuts the bamboo, carries it through the mountain chain, and sells it at a low price of 9 pesos (0.2 dollars). Because of that, they were not able to save extra money. Aside from having financial difficulties, they as well do not have a stable and constant source of water for their daily use. Most of the time, we went to bed with smelly and unwashed bodies. Nevertheless, life is not always rough at all, we also enjoyed the beauty of simple life such as taking a bath in the cold and clean stream, eating bamboo worms, and hunting wild chickens, pigs, birds, and monkeys for our daily food. 

Returning to my community, I strive to apply what I have learned and experienced from the immersions. I firstly came to dialogue more with my brothers, especially during times of conflict. I have learned to approach and express my feelings, and points of view when there were differences. Because I believe, “conflict and relationship are different and I can’t solve the conflicts through breaking the interrelation or intercommunication but the conflict in itself. As being mentioned in Act 4:32 “now the full of a number of those who believed were of one heart and one soul”. Yes, the Apostles lived together in harmony. Although conflicts occurred, they resolved the differences and make an effort to get along with. I believe that when we live mature, it leads to harmony. 

Secondly, living with the aboriginal was a great blessing for me. Because I was able to experience the challenging life, living in the mountain in which we rely only upon nature as our source for our daily needs. With all those experiences, I realized that I am blessed for having more than enough inside the community. I have extra clothes, daily food, water, electricity, a comfortable bed, a personal room, an electric fan, etc. then I am moved to share my clothes when I see the need of my brother, I value more and am grateful for all the resources that I’m having and use it efficiently. 

Aside from the practical learning, immersions were a real test of whether I can live the vows or not? Can I handle my own issues or be controlled by them? Moreover, this was a great chance to integrate what I have learned about the formation and to check where I am now and my readiness to commit myself as a religious person. 

I feel grateful for all those things that happened to me, living with people, talking, sharing with them, and being with what they are experiencing helped me to understand people more, to know myself deeper, to learn from my mistakes in doing mission and most special I’ve learned to respond differently, maturely and heartedly. My heart is more open, open to dialogue with the differences, and conflicts; open to turn controversy into understanding; open the eyes to see the blessings unto my life; open eyes to see the need of others, and lastly open and offer the heart to grow and to be more loving to all people. 

I would like to end with the words of Pope Francis in the Encyclical entitle Fratelly Tutti; it says “A heart which is forcing us to see new things in a new light and to develop new response” (128). If we want to see, we must go; when we go, we grow in response to actions.