The Servant of the Servants of God

For years living here, I have wondered why the locals persist in referring to bishops as "Your Excellency".  As a good western liberal, it really goes against my grain.

Each year, we have the wonderful, down to earth and friendly archbishop visit us from Malaysia for his holiday.  He is a most humble man.  Despite his asking otherwise, the commentator at mass, no matter who it is,  on the day always introduces him to the congregation at mass as "His Excellency".  The archbishop smiles while I just bow in embarrassment.

Then while at lunch on Sunday, it hit me why this is so.  Bishops and priests here are recognized as 'little monarchs', and some of them love this of course. This was an insight presented in a simple conversation I was having with a good friend over our noodles.  My friend is an American who has lived here many years and I utterly respect what he says. .

Not just Thailand but Asia is the continent where status and prestige matter so much.  So titles and presentation are central to anyone's daily existence.  My own official title at the Catholic Commission on Migration is Executive Director.  I purposely shorten it to Director.  In doing so, I am not only applying my egalitarian principles but also protecting myself as when I make a mistake it does not look so bad.

Then I see this recent picture of Pope Francis having lunch with Vatican employees at the staff cafeteria.  What does he do?  He gets his own food and carries his own tray to a table just like everyone else. Just as he should.  He is showing us the way. Sometimes I ask myself how many bishops and clergy really do listen to what the Pope has to say. 

We are one humanity

Who are these two totally different people from totally different worlds?  Their connection is me and that they both appeared on my Facebook on Monday.  They actually have a lot more in common than they may ever even know.  The one in the military style uniform is my great friend in Thailand, Om.  No, he is not in the army.  Rather he is in the formal dress of the Thai public service.  The great king of Thailand of over 100 years ago, Rama V, established that civil servants would be given a uniform as a way to instill pride of office in them.  Quite smart actually!  The one wrapped in a cloth is my newest grand niece, Willow Lauren, born in Australia.

Two very different people but with so much in common. I would predict that they will never meet or know each other but that doesn't matter.  Om is the proud, kind Thai, highly educated and working very hard for his country.  Through people like me, he has a window to the world.  Willow, I imagine, will grow up the free Australian female who may only ever know Thailand as a tourist.  She will probably never really know much about me except that I am part of that extended family, the son of Nana and Pa who is the priest living somewhere else. 

While we highlight our differences, I can see in these two people who have featured in my week how much we have in common and how truly we are connected.  I hope that Om and Willow do meet one day and they can find ouit for themselves just how much they have in common.  We are many peoples but one humanity and it is what we have in common that matters so much and unites us. 

Road Rage even in Thailand

Who is this guy in the picture nearly in tears?  He is 'DJ Keng', a disc jockey on Sweet FM, a Bangkok radio station.  Last week, he became "bad famous" in Thailand, as my good Thai friend told me, featuring in all the local news and being the talk of town. 

What happened, you may ask? 

Well, one day last week, he was driving along a major road in Bangkok when he had some altercation with a driver in another car.  This inspired him to ram the other car big time, following which he jumped out of his SUV ready to bash the driver with a wheel brace, as one would.  This was all happening in full public view.  As a result, the incident went viral on Thai social media.  After finally going to the police and publicly admitting guilt, his story was then splashed across the local media. 

Being the well known DJ, he was reconized as someone famous and hi-so, an importnat standing in an Asian culture.  Fact is that this is not the first time road rage has occurred in Bangkok, involving someone from 'the better side of town'.  I ask - What is going on? 

After all, Thais are the gentle, dignified people of the region.  Also ones from the upper clases are supposed to be better educated and have better management of their behaviour.  But does all this match reality for you see time and again how angry and ruthless they can get?  You can even see their sense of arrogance in dealing with others. 

My theory is simple, they may be Thai or hi-so but more importantly they are human beings like the rest of us.  I find myself repeating this line like a mantra but this is so for a reason.  Basically, I live in a country where the people are placed by various social forces for various reasons in a near perfect state of recognition.  I see it in Thai tourism campaigns.  Everything and everyone are presented as so perfect. 

Reality is otherwise.  None of us can be tightly defined by our race, culture, religion or ethnicity.  I learn that through living here and experiencing people and everyday life.  No matter who we are, we are all human beings.  We have our strengths and weaknesses, we have our good and bad points.  It is best we know who we are and appreciate who we are in solidarity with the human race.  It does no one any good to over glorify or present perfect pictures of themselves or any person or peoples.  We are all human and we can glory in that.  This way makes life easier and when things go wrong we can more easily manage the situation for the good of all. 

As the present Thai military government says - "We are stronger together". 

The Queen of Ireland's 2015 Christmas Message

That is right.  The Queen of Ireland gave her 2015 Christmas Day Message. And what a message, it was.  No, I am not going mad. 

I have two Irish neighbors.  They keep updating me on Panti Bliss, a well known Irish drag queen.  She has made a successful and outspoken stance for gay rights and equality and in doing so has become somewhat of a leader and legend in Irish society.  Panti, otherwise known as Rory O'Neill, has used her rise to notoriety for good.  Having been approached by many others at the edge of Irish society, she gave her Christmas Day Message to speak out on behalf of all those marginalized and discriminated against in her Ireland. 

So Panti gave her Queen of Ireland Christmas Day Message in true royal style, speaking in an authentic leadership style in her own unique and funny way.  As I watched her Christmas Day Message on You Tube, I forgot that I was listening to a drag queen and instead found myself listening to the message being given in a royal but lighthearted tone.  I was overcome with emotion as I heard her heartfelt pleas on behalf of the marginalized. 

I then felt a sense of outrage.  Nothing against Panti, as I have the highest regard for her in her stance on behalf of others.  Why then  the outrage?  well, here was a drag queen dong what the Church in Ireland should be doing - speaking out on behalf of the marginalized.  Any why isn't it?  Is the Church being overtaken by drag queens and others in its role as a voice for the voiceless?  Our Church is too often silent and as such is abdicating its rightful role to stand up for the little people, the forgotten people.  In this way, our Church risks losing its privileged and needed place in society. It risks simply being bypassed by more vocal and recognizable voices in society that are so eloquently speaking out for the voiceless.

Thank you to the Pantis of our world for challenging the Church on where we should be and what we should be doing.  Without them, we might surely lose our way.