Happy New Year!

Every New Year, there is the tradition of making New Year's resolutions.  I would join in with the crowd but after awhile I realized that these resolutions only lasted for a few days, if that.  It was like going to confession to confess the interminable fault, only to keep repeating it yet again. So "What was the use?" summed up my attitude.  

Confession is one thing and I do keep going.  New Year resolutions are another.  Better not to make them at all, I judge, and so I don't.  

There is a saying in English which may explain away New Year resolutions.  It goes like this, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks".  I thought of this as I was in the swimming pool just now, facing the challenge of cold water.  It was cold.  I normally would avoid swimming in cold water but this time I did it as I was with a friend, and you know what?  I found it refreshing.  

We have lived through nearly a year of a pandemic.  It has taught us many things.  One is that we need to try new ways and allow newness to arise in our lives and our world, if for no other reason than simply the old ways have not all been working that well and have brought our world to this. 

As I look back on 2020, I recall that the pandemic stopped me in my regular routine of having a swim.  That has not been good for me.  Doing something outrageous and spontaneous by jumping into cold water for a swim has also refreshed my memory.  Swimming is good for me and I enjoy it. .  

I will not say that this is a New Year's resolution as they don't work.  I will just say - Happy New Year!  2021 is the year for getting back into my old routine of having a swim, cold water or not.      .     

Happy Christmas to All

The food was delicious and plantiful.  None was wasted as our table was shared with our refugee brothers and sisters.

Our choir sings Christmas songs with gusto. 

 

A happy table.

Let us share our Christmas with those less well off.  Donations please in the Santa stocking.

Another happy table.

All tables were happy.

These pictures are of our 10am Mass Community Christmas Brunch which we shared this Sunday after mass.  They tell the story.  No need for words.  Just and most impaortantly 

A Happy, Holy and Healthy Christmas to All! 

Christmas is Not a Lie

I watched a powerful documentary this week on Liu Xiaobo.  Liu was a Chinese human rights activist, writer and philosopher, who was named the Nobel Peace Laureate in 2010.  This honour was given to him while he was languishing in prison where he spent the rest of his life, being let out in 2017 so as to die out in the community.  What was his crime?  Speaking up for freedom, for the rights of all and for democracy in Communist China where state control is paramount.  

In 2008, in his last interview with Deutsche Welle, before being imprisoned for that last time, he made poignant statements that are worth sharing.   

In China, I pay a price for free and critical thinking.  If you do not choose this way, a way thought too risky, you will not pay the price I paid.  But if you are one who thinks, you will still have to pay a price.  You will be obliged to lie.  You will have to follow the dominant ideology to obtain and maintain a good income, a good job.  Impossible then to be concerned about (injustices and abuses).  Impossible to make the slightest criticism of the governement.  Impossible to express the tiniest, authentic opinion.  And all that for what?  For a materially comfortable life.  Well, I prefer to pay the high price of danger rather than become someone who lives a lie, rather than become someone who disowns his own conscience.  

WOW!!!  Ain't this something, and as we approach Christmas!  

Liu Xiaobo

I then ask the doubters of Christmas. 

How can wishing good for all humanity be silly? 

How can our wanting to experience some joy in life be silly? 

How can our wanting to be happy with friends and loved ones be silly? 

Yes, the popular story has become silly but treat it as good fun.  What is wrong with that?  

The pop Christmas story may be silly, I agree, but it is ultimately based on a true human story, full of love, pathos and risk.  It is real and it takes us beyond ourselves to a deeper place.  

Christmas is based on God's gift made possible through Mary's Yes.  She made her Yes on facing the truth and in the face of all odds.  It led her to living all the joys and costs that Yes implied.  

So Ho! Ho! Ho!  Why not?  If Liu Xiaobo was happy with his Yes, why can't we be happy with Mary's Yes and celebrate Christmas for the sake of a good life shared by all.  Joy to the world.

Time is now. It's now or never.

Time is here

Back in February, a friend needed somewhere to leave his bags while he went home to New Zealand for six weeks, then returning back to settle down in blissful retirement.  Well, we know what happened.  New Zealand went into strict lockdown in March and he was not able to return as planned.  Only now is he able to collect his bags and start his next stage in life.  Pandemic or no pandemic, life continues.  People make choices.  People have to move on and do so as they can.  .

 

Eureka!

Pandemic or no pandemic, Christmas is coming.  Watch out!  I have a joke with a friend that for Christmas, I will get him a cactus to remind him of a prickly situation in life.  I discovered that it is not easy to find where to buy a cactus.  I look and look, determined to find one.  Then in an unepected place and at an unexpected time, I discover cacti staring me in the face and I ask - Could I have a cactus?  So I am kindly given one and here is his cactus for Christmas.  This is a sure sign for me that Christmas will come, no matter what.  .

I enter my office early in the morning and what greets me?  My co-workers know how much I love Christmas and they have surprised me by putting up five stars, telling me that Christmas is here.  The message is loud and clear. We need a little Christmas and we need it now.  

"For (maybe) I've grown a little leaner, grown a little colder

Grown a little sadder, grown a little older 

And I need a little angel sitting on my shoulder 

Need a little Christmas now.     

For we need a little music, need a little laughter,

Need a little singing ringing through the rafter 

And we need a little snappy, happy ever after 

We need a little Christmas now!"

Christmas is here

The pandemic has become a great teacher, not the great threat, to our world.  It is teaching us much about life, about how to look after ourselves, how to treat others decently and how to look after our planet.  Truly, joy to the world.  All remains possible if we but believe.    

We are fragile

"Message is we are fragile but much more because of God who makes us who we are and makes us for being together.  Our fragility serves as a strong part of the glue that unites us with God and humanity.  I so believe that."

Stay awake.

I shared this with a good friend in response to her comment to me after she watched the 10am cathedral mass, being livestreamed last Sunday. This expressed my 'from the heart' summary of my message that I wanted to share.  Where did this one-off exchange arise from?  

Well, at the beginning of a Church year, of the Advent Season, I reflected on how fragile we all are as a basis for reflecting on how strong we are.  As fragile beings, where is our strength?  Standing alone we are fragile.  Standing together in God, we are much more.  

Fortuitously, before mass, I had a simple experience of my fragility when the zip on my religious habit got stuck.  What to do?  I could not tackle the challenge on my own.  I needed help and, thankfully, there was a nearby member of the community who happily came to my aid.  We sure do need each other.  That is the other side of our fragility.  

We fail, we suffer, we make mistakes, we hurt others and we get hurt.  That is all part of life, life that is fragile.  It is part of who we are.  It is a necessary part of the human glue that binds us together with God and each other.  

Truth is, if we only know power and strength, we may never appreciate God and the others who are with us on the journey.  We may never appreciate where we fit in life, that we are in this together.  The key messages of this pandemic are clear.  They speak of the glue of life.  

We show respect for each other in how we behave and treat others.  We stand together in human solidarity, leaving no one behind.  We are responsible for each other, looking out for the other, especially the weakest and most vulnerable.  Fragility is a constant reminder of what really matters in life and that none of us is a solo act in life.  

In our coming together, we will find a way to live a better life, to make our contribution to the world and to enjoy a good and fulfilling year ahead. So we can make the year ahead the best of years, a good year for one and all.   

Happy Advent!  Happy New Year!

  

It's the Journey

Santa Cruz Church, Bangkok 

 For so long, I have wanted to visit the famous and historical Santa Cruz church, standing by the river in Bangkok.  No matter what, last Saturday was the day. So off I went with Google Maps as my guide.  

I took the underground to Sanam Chai.  So far, so good but when I got above ground, I just stood there totally disoriented for I was assuming that I would be on the same side of the river as the church but I was not.  So I was standing looking around, wondering what to do, when I heard a call from nowhere - "Fr John". 

I could have just collpased to see two people from church on a motorbike stop at my side.  They were able to give me my bearings and so off I went with a sense of certainty.  I knew now I had to cross the river but what awaited me on the way utterly took me by surprise for the pier was just full of activity.  It was no simple "jump on a boat" pier.  

I got to the other side of the river to see how close the church was to be stopped in my steps by an unexpected storm.  So near, yet so far; but I remained determined to get to the church, which I did, only to find it closed.  

So I stood in front of the church, being very philosophical, thinking that I had learnt so much on the way: 

1)  Don't assume. 

2)  You can do it with the help of others.  

3)  Be determined. 

4)  The journey itself is worth doing. 

5)  It will be easier when I come again in the future. 

Then finally, I sought cover yet again at the church due to a second storm only to learn the last lesson of the journey.  If you wait long enough, you will strike gold, for the church was opened for a wedding.  What a magnificent church.  It was so worth the journey and the wait to be able to experience a grand, 100 year old church that gives witness to the Portuguese legacy to my Bangkok.  .  

I have been here so long

This week, I have to renew my diver's licence.  Here you are given a licence for five years and then you renew it.  I knew what I had to face in getting it and, even after 15 years here, I was stressed facing the prospect of what awaited me - big crowds at a government office where I will find all sorts of bureaucratic adventures.  And what good purpose does it all serve?  As far as I can see, it is primarily about seeing if the applicant can overcome every challenge put in their way.  .  

Anyway, here goes!

Notice of appointment for getting my new licence.

Surprise!  Surprise!  

On carefully, but bravely, approaching another exercise in Thai government bureaucracy, I never expected what happened.   Due to Covid-19 a new process was set in place for renewing your driver's licence.  You now had to make an appointment which I did, discovering that the next available appoibntment is in March next year - four months away.  Wow!  

As I always say about here, your life can completely turn around in 24 hours, or much less.  Another way of expressing this was given to me by a Thai parent who has his child preparing for First Penance at the cathedral.  At the last minute, he advised me that he and his family could nort come to a planned family meeting within the programme.  He asked me if I was not aware of the "Thai surprise"?  The Thai surprise is ever present.  

My Thailand is a funny place.  It shows how imperfect our world is, and thank God it is as it surely, always reminds me that I am not in control.  

It's about them

I have been sharing with my friend, Robert, for an age that what has been a mass commitment every Sunday at the cathedral has turned over time into a parish.  I do ask myself why.  I have had my unspoken theory which I do not speak, as it frightens me.  Then just in the last week, it struck me why and I feel relieved.  It is because "it's about them".  

This came to me in the last few days, after my powerful, spiritual experience on visiting the Thai Seven Martyrs Shrine and on hearing from Tony at church about another new initiative rising up from the people coming to the 10am mass.  Over time, I may be the focus because of my role and contribution in the mass, but the church and its ministry are truly raised up by the people, by the faithful.  

This is a paradigm shift for a church that is very much a clerical church, ruled under a monarchical style of control.  Yes, this way does reflect the mainstream, Thai culture and society., but it is applied no less at a cost in our world and Church.  If we want a church of mission that is alive and thriving, it must come from the bottom up; it must rise from the faithful and their dreams, vision and needs.  

I see this so clearly through the eyes and vision of my very good friends from the cathedral - Robert and Tony.  The way to go is to give the faithful space, let them share their dreams, listen to them and let them do it for themselves.  No need to urge control,  Just allow for good order and give people freedom to be and act for the gospel.  Long live the revolution of the gospel!.  

True Faith

This week, I achieved a long term wish of visiting the Shrine of the Seven Thai Martyrs in Songkhon, Mukdahan Province.  I shared the pilgrimage with two good friends, Tony and Om.  There, I discovered a peaceful, powerful, beautiful spot by the Mekong.  It is a very special places which just oozes spirituality.  Here is their story as given at the shrine.     

The Seven Blessed Martyrs of Songkhon 

 In 1940, Thailand was at war with their Indo-China neighbours.  To achieve unity on the home front, the government expelled all foreign missionaries and sought to pressure its Catholics into apostasy.  The persecution was really strong, especially at Songkhon, a Catholic village in Mukdahan Province, of the Mission of Tharae-Nongseng.   

 Living in Songkhon were two Sisters of the Congregation of the Lovers of the Cross.  They were Sister Agnes and Sister Lucia.  They, together with an excellent catechist, Philip Siphong, were the leaders of their faith community as their pastor had been ordered out on 29^th November, 1940. 

Philip Siphong, a married man with five children, gave moral and spiritual support by speaking words of encouragement and strengthening the faith.  The policemen decided to frighten the other parishioners into submission by executing him.  On 16^th December, 1940, they took him outside the village and shot him dead.  So Philip Siphong died for his faith and became the first of the Seven Blessed Martyrs.  His death strengthened, rather than weakened, the faith of the parishioners. 

On 23^rd December, 1940, one of the policemen ordered the Catholics to assemble in front of the church.  He told then that he been ordered to suppress Christianity.  Therefore, he gave them a choice between apostasy and death.  At that moment, Cecilia Butsi, 16 years old, spoke out – “We die only one time for the faith.  I am not afraid.”  She was ready to accept death.  The policeman did not seem to hear her. 

On Christmas night, Sister Agnes wrote a letter in her own name and in the name of all who resided in the convent, declaring they would rather die than abandon their faith.  In the note, she prayed, “We ask to be your witnesses, O Lord, our God.”  Sister Agnes gave the letter to Cecilia Butsi to deliver to the policemen. 

On 26^th December, these policemen called at the convent and addressed the Sisters and the layfolk present.  All reiterated their resolve not to apostatize. 

They therefore had all of them escorted to the cemetery.  All of them walked in line singing hymns and praying.  As they arrived in the cemetery, they knelt down beside a fallen tree trunk and prayed fervently; and then Sister Agnes addressed the policemen, saying, “We are ready!  Please do your duty.”   Immediately, the policemen opened fire and left the cemetery. 

As soon as the Church was granted freedom, the local Ordinary began setting up the canonical investigations on the case of these Seven Brave Servants of God.  On 22^nd October, 1989, Propagation of the Faith Sunday, Pope John Paul II proclaimed their Beatification at St Peter’s Basilica.  Deeply touched by their fidelity, the Holy Father quoted Sister Agnes’ letter to the policemen:

“We rejoice in giving back to God the life that He has given us. … We beseech you to open to us the door of heaven. … You are acting according to the orders of men, but we act according to the commandments of God.” 

The feast of the Seven Martyrs of Songkhon is 16^th December, the anniversary of Philip Siphon’s death, which is also Thai Catechists’ Day.  

The Seven Blessed Martyrs are:

Philip Siphon, catechist, 33 years old.

Sister Agnes Phila, 31 years old.

Sister Lucia Khambang, 23 years old.

Agatha Phutta, 59 years old. 

Cecilia Butsi, 16 years old.

Bibiana Khamphai, 15 years old.

Maria Phorn, 14 years old.

A Spiritual Revolution

Last week, I had mass and dinner with a group of committed, Catholic women.  The dinner discussion progressed to the inevitable topic, the pandemic, on which I shared how I viewed it positively as an impetus for needed change in a world where so many just take life for granted and have become too comfortable.  This led onto a Thai woman commenting on the youth protests here.  I braced myself for what she might say next.  Then I heard her proclaim that the problem here is that Thais lack a spirituality and that what Thailand needs is a spiritual revolution.  I silently applauded and kept my counsel so as to hear more.  

At the end of her pronouncement, I could agree saying that the whole world needs a spiritual revolution.  Now, what does that mean?  

For any response, I turn straight to my hero - St Teresa of Avila, that revolutionary Carmelite nun of 16th century Spain.  And what does she say?  

Don't look outside at the world around you for what really matters, for it is full of diversions and so much that is ephemeral.  Don't focus on success, fame, riches, beauty, popularity and all the rest.  Go rather to the core of your being and find God there for God is waiting for us at the depths of who we are and of our reality.  The goal of life is so simple.  It is union with God who loves us, calls us and initiates that union.  This pursuit is no escape from reality but rather a way of being totally immersed in it for what it is really about - having a passion for life, feeling with and for others, being kind and humble, showing compassion, and working for peace and the better world for all.   .  

Wow! That is revolutionary.  Viva la revolucion!   .  

Where is it all leading?

Remember my last entry?  There, I wisely placed my reflection within the context of my golden rule - "All is never what it seems".  I have learnt this from 15 years of experience of living in Thailand.  You may look at what is before you within one interpretation, while underneath there may be a totally different one at play.  

Is this being confirmed when I hear a Thai priest at daily mass say that the Thai youth of today "are brainwashed"?  Really?  I would hold that they are energized to act against the enduring reality of oppressive and corrupt social structures running their country.    

Still, I start asking myself, if there is once again an undercurrent, a hidden agenda, the real narrative beyond what is presented.  So I must give Father some air time. 

He says brainwashed which I find interesting as I identify that Thais are a people who are already brainwashed.  I say this as I see them believing convincing, locally produced propaganda about their identity and standing in the world.  This has arisen beginning from 1932 when the then king abdicated, handing rule over to capable and vested interests of the state.  Over time, these interests and other powerful forces have joined to create a social narrative that has served them well in running the country.  

With time, there has arisen a powerful and wealthy elite which over the past two decades has engaged in an internal struggle for power of the state.  This struggle has served to further brainwash the people who simply believe one side or the other, without considering what is at play and what is really happening.  This is about all is not what it seems.  

So I come back to where I began.  All is not what it seems.  The youth of Thailand today are all being brainwashed into action?  I am not so sure.  I believe in them and their cause.  Maybe that is too easy an interpretation but, at the same time, I am seeing youth protesting in numerous countries.  They are doing it because something has to happen in a world where there is a shortage of hope.  What I am seeing is powerful forces in their societies acting against them, wherever they may be.  These forces everywhere are saying their youth are being driven by outside powers or brainwashed as a way to explain them away.  

So the discussion all gets cyclical or mixed up.  This calls forth a firm base from which to start a decent conversation.  That base is not easy to identify when so much is used and abused by various forces for their own purposes.  

Trust the youth then.  Let them lead for now and see where it all goes.  At least, it could be no worse than what it is already.  Yes, "the youth are not always right, but the society which ignores them and beats them is always wrong." (Francois Mitterand, President of France, 1981 - 1995)  

    

 

Let go and be free

Present Protests in Bangkok

As you will surely know, protests are back on the daily agenda in Bangkok.  Is this a case of here we go again?  Really not as this is so different from the other times of unrest during my 15 years in Bangkok. For those of you who are not Thaiophiles or are simply viewing from afar, I would like to offer a simple context.  

I name two major differences from other scenarios of unrest over the past 15 years:  

Firstly, the other times were a struggle for power fought between the two sides within the powerful, wealthy elite​​ of Thailand.  Both sides could access the masses for their side.  So on the streets, it became the rural poor versus the urban middle-class.  

Secondly, the masses on both sides at different times occupied the streets and would not leave until they were  forced out or won the battle politically.  

This time, it is generational.  We are seeing young Thais, even older school students, hit the streets.  This is not an inner struggle of the established elite for the prize of power, using the masses for their purposes.  This time, it rings more as a genuine cry for democracy, freeing the country from poor governance and over controlling rule.  

This time, they are not taking over the streets nor are they violent in any way.   So the protesters come and go.  They simply hit the street to protest and present their demands.  When there is the possibility of violence, they leave.  

Its differences from other times in my stay here tell me that this present movement is a real opportunity for social change in the direrction of a more democratic and open society.  I could be wrong as always I hold up one of my golden principles for living and understanding here.  Namely that all is never what it seems.  So, as always, approach any happening, issue or group with wisdom and an open mind.  
 

But I did let go

 

Well, I did let go, but then along came Sunday and within another context in my Bangkok, the same basic issue jumps in front of me, with two worried leaders of the church community coming to me after mass with a concern.  What to do?  Continue letting go.  Like much of life, it is a process and not a one off action.    

What is the basic issue?  It is the lack of recognition and communication offered within the Thai workplace and church to foreigners.  There is just a seeming Thai mindset that does not include non-Thais in conversation and dialogue in things that matter, even when necessary due to one's work or role. This one issue feeds into wider and more worrying issues at play within Thai society, like discrimination, exclusion of outsiders and even xenophobia.   It speaks of the Thai sense of exceptionalism that one living here may experience.  However it is named, there is ever the natural human fear of the other at play.  

The message of the need for communication is not getting across, and may never so, as the cultural forces are too strong.  I understand and accept that.  Okay!  Let it be, but the same old ways continually hit you in the face and it all just gets tiring.  You do not look for it but it just keeps happening.  While it gets tiring, I choose not to fight but, yes, stand up for respect at all times and build bridges, not more walls.  

This is not about being anti anyone.  This is not about getting disturbed or perturbed.  Rather it is about addressing social reality, issues and behaviours that matter, respect for self and others.  That is it.   Respect does matter.  The world we all want together starts with me.  That is the basic building block.  I go from there.  So let go, accept and continue to act for upholding respect for all.  And I must add, I must not take myself too seriously.  Sense of humour always.  

I did let go and

It is fascinating that even when you lay bear your soul and let go, as I did at work this week, the same old agenda keeps arising.  So I hear the same old lines of "we are a team" and "our leadership is shared ", while the harsh realities of control and power ever remain.  There remains only one way in play, the way of the one who presumes to know all  and rule all.  It all does get tiring.  Oh well!  Keep a smile and keep on sailing.  Spirituality does rule. It is the way to go.   

This pandemic has taught me much.  Respect, responsibility and solidarity are key - RRS.  I long ago left control behind, knowing that it just didn't work, as I did with the other two key life principles of my Christian Brother upbringing - perfection and success.  None of them work and I will never be good at any, and I don't have to be.    

Trouble is I never positively and purposely replaced control, perfection and success - CPS.  I kicked them out and left a vacuum in my life.  I can see how important it is for me to name and own another needed, key mechanism for life.  Now I see what that key mechanism for life is - RRS.  They matter.  What RRS shows me is how to more smoothly move from being reactive to being pro-active, from being driven to sharing the driving, from being less self-centred to being more other-centred.  Spirituality does matter.  Way to go.  

It is Time to Let Go

Spirituality is at the heart of life and covers all aspects of life.  I keep saying that and I must believe that or else what sense do I make of my life? 

An issue arose in my workplace at Caritas last week.  I took initial offence.  I then pondered how to approach yet another challenge placed before me, a challenge based on total assumption and misunderstanding on the part of the other now in management. 

At the end of that fateful day last week when confronted by secondhand talk about me and how I am perceived to be angry in my role, I took a long walk and went to pray in the church.  That was the best way to deal with it.  Then 36 hours later, I see the message for me in approaching  this challenge.  Simply, let go!  

My stance is that I seek no control nor power over others nor to uphold my position.  I simply am who I am, a good priest and religious.  My only wish is to be useful in mission and serve as best I can.  Stop!  No more!  I am a threat to no one.  I have no anger.  I can be loud and over dramatic.  Bottom line is I act out of my sense of responsibility and to uphold my dignity, seeking only respect.  That is it!  All else is agenda coming from elsewhere.   

Whether work, life style, personal behaviour, ministry with people, friendships, social life or whatever else, all is ruled by spirituality.  

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

So much of life is reduced to the subjective.  I would suggest we need to be more objective as we make the journey before us.  

This last Sunday, I presented a simple issue at church for people to consider.  It was praying the rosary after Sunday mass during October, for this is traditionally the Month of the Rosary. The issue was not the rosary but how the request was to be presented.  Bottom line was that it was not going to happen just because the priest decides, but because it was the decision of everyone together.  This was about inclusion and participation.  Of course, there was massive agreement given to the proposal.  

After mass, one guy gave me his opinion, saying that this was the rosary and I am the priest and should just tell everyone to pray it.  I countered that the issue is not the rosary but how decisions are made.  In the bigger picture, it is a simple exercise in acting against clericalism, the abuse of power in the church.  So the arguments could go on. 

I am at a meeting.  We are talking about an issue.  One says that we need to do better.  I counter that maybe we appreciate that we are doing the best we can.  

I am part of the world population complaining about leadership at all levels.  This week, I decided on doing something as simple as presenting the question of praying the rosary in common to the people.  This was a simple and available way to start somewhere to change our world for the better.  Truth is we just can't keep complaining and being acted upon from above by others, for then we become reactionary and depressed.  I realized the simple issues matter and it is here we begin to make a difference.  We do not just wait for the big issues. 

To keep reacting to what is in our world will only keep getting us the same results, and keep us in complain mode.  To get the world we want, stop feeling oppressed and start taking actions in our sphere of influence that aim to reset our world, not keep it on an eternal pause of discontent.  

A better world can happen.  We can make it happen.  Beauty is ever before us.  We may just be blind to it, only seeing all that is wrong around us and subsequently becoming overburdened by the weight of our own sense of impotency.  That will change when we see anew the beauty ever in our midst, appreciate it and express it by taking new steps, little steps to let that beauty shine forth.   

.                                        

                              

A No Photo Entry

I have had this week what I will name a providential experience.  For sometime now, I have been noticing that something has not been working in my life as I have been a bit more cranky than usual.  

On Monday night, I went to bed sitting with my cranky behaviour, wondering what is going on.  Then I awoke to find a special email sent by Richard Rohr, a US Franciscan and spiritual writer, to all following him.  As I read it, I could not believe how he was speaking to me.  I was jst dumbfounded.  So what's going on?  

I've got it right that control does not work.  I've got it right that taking responsibility matters but that is where I begin to go down the wrong path as I am focusing too much on doing which is giving rise to unhealthy expectations.   

There is one expectation that I can hold - respect of self.  The rest can go out the window.     

I place this in the context of the present pandemic.  While I hear and read of all the suffering and see and know it, my overriding experience is to find this pandemic freeing.  I do not want to minimalize.  Sometimes I even feel guilty as I hear ones talk about their experience, then they ask me and I sound so positive or upbeat.  Reality is that my unplanned experience of this time is summed up in three words that have naturally come to me.  They are extraordinary, grace filled and freeing.  

I ask myself.  Am I cruel? No!  Am I mad?  I don't think so.  Am I just different?  Maybe. 

I have always believed in the dictum that through chaos comes new life, needed change.  Now I get to live my held theory and it is working.  This is just the way it is.  

These times take their toll.  Change does not come easily.  Transformative change much less so.  

I go back to where I started.   Something has not been working.  In the midst of all that is happening at this time of the pandemic, I need to be more in touch with my spiritual side and less focused on doing.  That was the very message of Richard Rohr as he shared his gained insight with the world.  

Amazing!  The world is a small place.  

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

 In the car last week on the way back from Mae Sot, singing became the major form of entertainment for sustaining the journey.  A feature song was Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road".  As I look back, I reflect how appropriate as it was to be the last journey we would share with Zarni before he leaves us at NCCM to return to Myanmar for study and work. 

Zarni is a young man who is ever so wise, capable and kind.  He has been a great friend and co-worker with us at Caritas Thailand for the past two years.  Now it is time for him to go.  Stop the presses.  

Zarni got last minute advice that his flight back home has been cancelled due to an upsurge of the virus in Myanmar.  So now his life is in flux awaiting word on a future flight sometime in the midst of a pandemic.  Such is a typical story of this time.  People get stuck, facing unplanned challenges which are ruled by situations beyond their control.    

I had understood Elton's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" as about the journey but "No, it isn't".  It is about freedom, freedom to choose one's way in life.  A message of a pandemic is that our freedom is limited, limited by personal dimensions, social environment and a world context.  In a pandemic, we realize we can only choose to do so much.   In spite of all, the human spirit will not be squashed but maybe it does become more measured or attuned to the times.   

As I remember the story of the "Wizard of Oz", young Dorthy was not all that happy with her lot in life.  She yearned for something more.  Then along came that journey along the yellow brick road.  The journey took her far away where she faced dangers and adventure.  At the end of it all, she missed home and was so happy to return to her life in rural Kansas.  Therein lies the wisdom of the story for this time we now find ourselves in, whether we like it or not.    

From the Centre to the Fringe in a Week

Centre of Bangkok

 At the end of last week, I am at the centre of my bustling Bangkok with all its traffic.  Now for a change of scenery as I move to the border with Myanmar at Mae Sot.  

Rural North of Thailand

The change of scenery within my week was dramatic. After so long stuck in Bangkok during Covid-19, it was a pleasant and welcome change.  The shift in my life went from inner-city rush and crowds to quiet, rural beauty.  

The shift, however, touched me much more deeply as the trip was for our Caritas work with migrants at the border with Myanmar.  Here, many Burmese jump across for work at any cost, and some do pay a huge cost.  What I saw yet again was that no matter the cost, they wanted to stay put as here was at least a promise of opportunity, even if the promise did not eventuate.  Back home in Myanmar, they just do not see any promise.  

So my shift went from the comforts I enjoy in my Bangkok to being confronted by a diversity of peoples and their sufferings; from life cruises along each day to seeing how tough life really can be for some; from life offers us choices to there are people in this world who enjoy no choices.  I must say that this was a healthy change of scenery for me.  It reinforced my purpose in who I am in mission and what I do to carry it out.  

Meeting these people in their setting was a timely reminder of my focus and reinvigorated me.  I could remind myself that I am no expert or some visiting project manager.  Rather my role is accompanying these people and helping them as one sharing the journey.    

Then on the journey back to Bangkok, I was soundly reminded yet again of who I am, for I focused not on enjoying the journey but on reaching the road's end in my Bangkok.  This led to discomfort and impatience on my part. This was my doing and reminded me the road is long and it is shared by a rich diversity of peoples.  I am but one traveller.  Just enjoy the journey and the people I share it with.  No more is needed.  So here I am back in my Bangkok, richer for the journey.  Keep on travelling the journey.       

When Songkran is not Songkran - a Dilemma within Extraordinary Times

Every year 13 to 15 April is Thai New Year, otherwise known as Songkran.  Its great and most popular, or most feared, feature is huge water fights out in the streets.  It is just incredible.  The place is full of adults going around with water pistols of all shapes and sizes, vigorously firing at each other.   They go wild; they love it.  This is the true Thai holiday time.  

Well, in these extraordinary times of the pandemic, even Songkran, ever so sacred to Thais, was subject to lockdown.  No Songkran was had in April but this could not be as this is just impossible in Thai culture.  So postponing was the only option all along, with the result that this coming weekend sees Songkran in September, but it is Songkran without the water.  Maybe it is like Christmas in July.     

Still, water or no water, Songkran will be had, but in a way never thought possible..  Hard to fathom that there will be no water thrown, but as Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and theologian of 19th century, said:    

"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."  

You can't alter the timing of New Year.  The dates are set and they are in April .  The water fights must be a central feature of this holiday.  Thai popular culture may demand water for the celebrations, but not to be for this year when the pandemic is still making its presence felt.  What remains is the holiday.  It will be had but unlike any other Songkran before, for it is not New Year and there is to be no water.  

Truly extraordinary times.  Yes, we keep going.  LIfe goes on, no matter what.  Do we understand all the whys and wherefores of what is happening and what we do in our world during a pandemic?  No, I don't but one day we will better understand these times with the lockdowns, face masks and funny New Year holidays.  Despite all, forwards is the only healthy direction to go.  Siempre avanti!  

A Fascinating Church

The present Conception Church,
built in front of the original church.  

A short walk away stands St Francis Xavier Church, built for the Vietnamese.

The first Catholic Church in Bangkok was built before Bangkok even existed..  ,
It was built in 1674, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. 

This is where it all started for the Church in my Bangkok, and even before Bangkok was ever established.  Just fascinating!  Why is it so?  

It began with King Narai giving land in 1674 for a church to be built for a community of Cambodian refugees then living in that then remote place.  From such a humble beginning 350 years ago, we have the present day Bangkok neighbourhood named Samsen, a small Catholic stronghold in Buddhist Thailand.  

I have known for sometime that Samsen was important in the history of the local Church.  It just took me 15 years to go and have a look.  Slow, ain't I?  On arriving, I was surprised at what I met.  It was so worth the effort, for it was more than just a look at churches and their history.  It was an experience of something quite unique, for walking around the obviously, well defined, parish area, you got a feel for a long standing Catholic community, which may be small in area, but definitely not inconsequential.  After all, I was amazed to discover two churches in this one confined area of Bangkok.  

I asked myself, why are two churches so close together?  Well, later in history along came Vietnamese fleeing persecution.  They settled in this same neighbourhood of the by then established Bangkok as it was already Catholic and so they could feel at home.  Instead of using the already standing church, they chose to build their own, St Francis Xavier.      

Along with the two churches, I found in this one, distinct part of Buddhist Bangkok, a Catholic cemetery and three Catholic schools.  I do not know all the ins and outs but I can only imagine the history of this community, which today presents like a little Vatican .  

Truly fascinating, for, as you walk around the narrow streets of this nearly ghettoish district, you can feel its distinct history and richness, separate from the Bangkok surrounding it.  For a small Church, the Church in Thailand is ever full of surprises, with its complex and diverse history that makes it what it is today.  A rich and fascinating tapestry that should never be lost.     

Reminiscing

My previous entry, being a piece written originally for elsewhere, made me reminisce.  As a result, I found this piece, I wrote for Pentecost, 2016.  I share it as, while it comes from the pre-COVID-19 era, it so speaks of this time.  Prophetic?  

"Politics in our world - USA, Brazil, Philippines, Venezuela (as I was reminded by a member of today’s congregation), Iraq, Syria and so many other countries (too many to list)  - is a mess.  We can no longer simply say that elections are won by politicians who make the most promises or who have the best policies, or who are the most brazen or the strongest or most brutish, or who are the most corrupt offering the biggest prizes.  Any assessment of election wins has to go much deeper. 

We lack truly good leaders.   Too often promises are made but never met.  This has been going on for far too long and people are sick of it.  People no longer stand by political establishments and elites which continue to be corrupt and just do not deliver on what they promise.  Revolutions have failed and people linger in endless bewilderment.  People can no longer wait for a delivery of what they need to live and enjoy life.  People flee war, persecution and fear and have nowhere to go.  War and terror rage without a sense of end in sight.  People are tired of living under a security threat.  More and more people are becoming poorer and losing their sense of power in society, not enjoying their rightful share of the goods of this earth.  So they look beyond the usual boundaries and vote for the unusual, the rough and tough, the cowboy in politics.   

I am not here to talk politics and I am not looking to lay blame or play a political game.  That is not my place or role.  I am a theologian and I want to talk theologian to theologian and so go much deeper with you than what is presented by political analysis.  Yes, we as Church are all theologians.  We are theologians not necessarily because of the books we read, the study we pursue or the tomes we may write.  Rather we are theologians because of our baptism and how good a theologian we are is judged by how actively we live our baptism as people of faith.  Theology is primarily about what we do in living out our baptism commitment to live the gospel and simply help each other, our neighbor.    

As theologians, we need to reflect on our world and engage in discussion.  So what I present here is merely presented to start off that process of theological discussion and reflection.  This is not about giving the answers nor is it about stopping discussion.   

We look at our world through its political reality and go deeper.  While our world needs good leaders and politicians, it needs even more so good theologians – those who will engage our world at the deeper levels.   

No longer can the Church, as it has for the past three decades, just criticize our world for being ruled by materialism, consumerism or individualism.  We have to go beyond such simplistic classifications of our world which can no longer be fully described by –isms.  Our world faces much deeper problems for it is becoming an empty place, with poverty that is much more than just a lack of wealth and resources enjoyed by citizens.

Our world is one where so many know disillusionment.  Our world is one where more and more people find a loss of hope and a loss of dignity.  These are themes of humanity and they run deep. 

This is the world we face and its challenge to us is – how do we respond? 

During the past week, Pope Francis spoke with the women religious leaders of the Church.  He spoke forthrightly about women and their place in the Church and the need for them to assume their rightful place for the good of the whole Church.  He did not approach it as a power play or as a politician.  Rather he approached the place of women in Church as a theologian and in doing so offered us all a model for mission, for building up people and the kingdom. 

1)      The right of women to participate fully in Church is through baptism.

2)    Clericalism and the clericalising of the Church are dangers to be avoided and eradicated. 

3)    Women have an incisive role in the decision-making in the Church.  

4)     Women have a voice that needs to be heard.  

5)      Women are to be empowered for leadership in service.  

In talking with women religious, Francis is offering a five step model for approaching human development and community building in general.  This five step model simply put is:

1)      Human dignity belongs to all and this is the basis for working with any people in pursuing their development. 

2)     Address the evils and abuses that keep people oppressed or hold them back from reaching their rightful potential.  

3)      Give a role to the excluded.  

4)       Give a voice to the voiceless.   

5)       Empower those marginalized in society for leadership in service.   

 In this way, we show love and in showing love we show God.  Such love builds up human dignity and gives hope to a people that need it."          

I read this four years later and I was just amazed.  So I had to share again.    

The awe, the mystery of it

 

I am asked during this time of the pandemic that it must be difficult being alone, to which my reply naturally arises.  Alone?  This is happily a reflective time.  This is an extraordinary time that has proved for me to be a grace filled time, a freeing time.  I never planned it this way but this is how it has unfolded. 

I have experienced this as a time when you see others for who they are – the good, the bad and the ugly.  Definitely, this time has seen the rising up of humanity with people reaching out to each other, being kind and generous in ways not usually seen.  I have seen strangers who have lived in the same building for so long, now becoming friends as they stop and sit and chat.  I hear people asking who might be having problems at this time and how they may help.  So it goes on. 

This time has also served to show up our weaknesses and the limitations of humanity. In my sphere of influence, I see leaders who have shown themselves in the best of times to be simply lack lustre, who are now showing themselves in times of lockdown and crisis to be no leader of note at all.  What has struck me is how these ones lack respect for others, maybe even for themselves.  If this is so, I ask how can they be a leader?

Respect is a key word of this time, as is solidarity.  The small issues of life have become big as they raise the wider questions of social behavior.  Arriving late to mass is no longer just a personal happening but an issue of respect for others, as people need to allow time to follow guidelines and be seated in set places, then allowing all who gather to join in the time of worship.  Livestreaming of masses and now lack of space in churches due to social distancing raise the basic questions around community and gathering.  

Who is out there?

Who is coming now and who isn’t? 

How do we all blend in together? 

So authority is clearly shown as being based on respect and not on the exercise of control.  It is not about issuing orders for running mass in these times but about gaining trust and cooperation for allowing mass to occur together. 

As I peeked from the inside of a quiet cathedral at the Corpus Christi adoration outside, I was taken by the dramatic and external action of the moment.   I ask.  Does this action speak of the mystery and freedom of God or is it our presenting a God on tap who is safe and predictable for our own worship?  Fact is we don’t control God.  This virus reminds us who is in charge.   Thus we approach God with respect and happily give up any urge for control so as to be open to the change needed in our lives, world and church.  I wonder.  Are we becoming the mystics as predicted by Karl Rahner who boldly stated that the Christians of this century would be mystics or nothing at all?    

{from a piece written for elsewhere on  26^th June, 2020 and worth sharing now)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is freeing

As I travel through this pandemic, I find that I no longer have the same roles in my work; that life is just not the same; that I am gaining new perspectives on all sorts of things.  Do I find this frightening?  No.  Rather I find myself questioning what is going on , with the result that the word 'mystery' keeps ringing bells in my mind.  In the midst of all, I find this a freeing time, feeling freer than I have felt for an age.  Maybe the pandemic has blown that needed sea change my way, forcing me not to wait for making plans and preparations. Just do it!  

The day after I write this, my daily news briefing from CNA, Singapore, features an article entitled - "We are not returning to a pre-COVID-19 world".  It is the Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry stating that his island nation needs to map a new path now for creating a new economy.  This is our age.  Whether the individual, society or church, we are facing the opportunities and fears of building a new stage on which we are to live together.  This is more than a business or survival quest.  It is a spiritual quest.  

My experience of this pandemic naturally speaks strongly to me.  The real action of what I experience has been emanating from the grassroots and essentially happening at the depths of our existence.  

I have seen what has been going on around me.  What is it all saying?  I have seen leaders in my world being shown up for who they truly are.  If they are limited and chaotic in normal times, all they can do in a crisis is do what they always do, exercise control.  How could they?  I was taken into new ways of working from home and of livestreaming mass which I naturally found deeply spiritual.  These ways gifted me with a deeper sense of communion with others and a new contemplative perspective for life. I have also seen good leadership flourish in this pandemic, enforcing the right messages -  We are in this together/  Leave no one behind.  Human solidarity is essential to life.  The key themes arising out of this crisis consistently remain respect and responsibility. 

So we are called to new ways of being and operating.  I see these ways being based on spirituality and on the good of all, including me, upholding the rights and dignity of all, including me.  I could go on but I won't.  All I want to share is that for all these reasons, and more, this is a time when needed and overdue change is staring at us at all levels - for myself, for society, for church.  But much more, I find this such a freeing time.      

Double Tragic

Urakami Cathedral, Nagasaki

This coming Sunday marks the 75th anniversary since the dropping of the bomb on Nagasaki, for over 400 years a centre of the Catholic Church in Japan, despite long periods of most violent persecution.  Despite all suffering, this neighbourhood remained over time a vibrant Christian community.  Finally, a Catholic church could be built there in the 1870s by those Christians returning home from the last period of persecution in Japanese history. 

In 1945, the cathedral on this same spot found itself only 500 metres from the hypocentre, so being obliterated with the loss of souls who were at church in preparation for the upcoming celebration of the Assumption of Mary.  As my friend, a young, Japanese Augustinian said, in contemplating the history of tragedy and loss around this one church - "It is just unfathomable.  Too sad."

I had thought - Imagine going to church and ending up in the centre of the world's second ever atomic explosion.  People would not have even known what it was.  It would have been a truly apocalyptic horror.  Just double tragic.  

Such is our world or thus have we made it?  So goes the last line of "The Mission", given by the fiery Jesuit to the political Cardinal.  

We live in an age where there is much hope for needed change in our world but the trap or fear is that too many human beings know only one way which may be labelled as "fight, conquer and survive'.  There is another way for humanity.  We must fight for it but not with bombs and destruction.  Kiasu!

We are fragmented

Last week, I was part of yet another Zoom meeting, during which one participant shared an inspired reflection on our age from a bishop in the USA.  It has stayed with me.  As I remember it, the bishop voiced that our church of this pandemic is a fragmented church in need of transformation.  What so struck me was the use of the word "fragmented" as it was such a precise and powerful description of where we find ourselves.  This gave me another 'wow' enlightenment.  

Then following on from hearing the use of this word for the first time in describing our age, I heard it used again from a totally different quarter of society.  Uncanny!  I then took the word to posit that whether, individual, community, society or church, we are experiencing fragmentation at all levels, highlighting the need for global transformation, not just church transformation.  

The latest of many signs of this fragmented world I am seeing is the issue of holidaying in Spain.  There an upsurge in the virus is happening due to social misbehaviour during a pandemic, with some sections of society not showing respect for the virus nor responsibility for the good of others.  So the UK response is to enforce a blanket quarantine for all holiday makers returning from Spain.  This one story is showing how fragmented is our world.  So the story goes on.  

In the Church, the story of Archbishop Vigano, in his publicly opposing Pope Francis, highlights the deep level of fragmentation in our Church.  This good archbishop did not get what he wanted and so he goes full speed making unruly accusations against the Pope.  He is but one example of the abuse of power which is highlighting deep divisions and a fragmented life within the church.  

US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Whether church or world, fragmentation is real which is challenging us to face it full-on.  Transformation is the truly needed response but one wonders how, when and if ever.  Then, if it does not happen now in the midst of the chaos of a pandemic, when will it ever happen?  

Then along comes someone like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who stands up to the abuse of power in a public forum, the US Congress no less.  She speaks out so eloquently, so respectfully, so forcefully against the structural abuse of power under a system of male patriarchy.  Hers is one voice in our crazy world speaking out for the dignity of all.  All lives matter!  Dignity for all!

Here lies the key.  Our world and church are screaming out for transformation, transformation based on the dignity and respect deserved by every human being.  As my great friend and companion in the Order says from Rome - 

Viva la revolucion del evangelio! 

(He is Spanish.)

The New Normal

Are we seeing in this photo the new normal at play?  I think not.  Rather I conjecture we are seeing the well known and tired human conditioning to do things my way.  To take it one step further, don't care for anyone else, do it my way, the easy way and don't get caught.  In this age of the pandemic, this typical human attitude to life assumes new levels of censure, with behaviours in the opposite direction now being purposefully demanded.   Even when alone, we are being challenged at this time to be conscious of the other for, during a pandemic, we can never think we are living in some lone bubble.     

We are reading about establishing travel bubbles to allow safe travel between designated countries. Still one must ask if such a concept works.  Surely, it will only succeed under strict standards of cooperation and responsibility being enforced and respected at every level and by everyone.  Just one loose canon, just one lax action and the bubble is burst. 

Holding to a bubble philosophy in life, even at the best of times, is questionable and unsustainable as we do not exist on our own.  We are ever connected and interdependent.  Life is never about being isolated, thinking we are special or stronger or better.  We sure find that out when our self-imposed bubble bursts.

 More than ever, our asserting personal responsibility matters, having repercussions even for the sake of human survival.  Of course, responsibility does not come easily.  It does exact a personal cost.  To be the opposite may seem easier but it has consequences that we may rather not choose at the best of times.  In this extraordinary age,  being irresponsible may be about much more than being uncomfortable; it may lead to catastrophe.    

Thanks to a virus, the way ahead is set - we all win together.  This age is a great teacher in decent human behaviour.  Respect and responsibility rule always.  Bubbles are for the birds.  

A picture tells the story.