A Typical Christmas?

Nothing seems typical in Bangkok, Thailand - let alone Christmas Day. In a Buddhist country, Christmas Day is just another working day in the life of the people. Yes, they have the decorations, the silly music (which I love), the Santas and the shopping but apart from enjoyment and another shopping opportunity I don't know what it means to Thais. Maybe that is the same for back home.

The day had its highs for me. As a priest, I was pleased with myself as I gave a decent homily at mass on Christmas as a time to celebrate our humanity which is so intertwined with the divine. As a man, I was so happy to discover that soemone else follows my blogsite. Thanks Amy! Maybe that is why I am doing another entry today. I did all the right things - give presents to everyone, ring home and even pay the rent. All looked good for a perfect day but can anything or anyone be perfect in this world? I am sure we all know the answer to that.

So given the tasks of the morning, I was off for an afternoon of Australian Christmas which meant off to Australian friends in Bangkok for food, drink and a swim. As always with any Christmas gathering, there was to be added surprise but Thai style. The surprise was the unexpected but welcome guest for Christmas lunch.

Thai style came in the form of the young Laotian mother who asked to come along and see a farang Christmas. Her son was already coming to join my friends' son and mum wanted to tag along. So here she was at Christmas lunch.

Like everyone, she has a story. She was from a poor Lao background but had met and married a wealthy and older Swiss Canadian. THe husband died and left her with a son and lots of money. It is quite a typical story of this part of the world. The place is full of such couplings and it is a not so uncommon outcome.

The son goes to one of the most exclusive schools in Bangkok where there is no shortage of Thai parents who exude wealth and elitism. Mum remember is Lao and not Thai, and a simple one at that. This allows for a messy life situation for herself and her son as neither is really meant for such a robust and harsh environment. Despite how she got there, she may have money but she is out of her depth. So it seems that mum is not so happy and finds release in the bottle.

What really may seem so unusual at home in Brisbane is truly a typical Bangkok story. Bangkok is a place where one at times has to work hard to keep one's sanity or to stay in touch with reality. The end of this C hristmas Day was to give proof to this.

Very simply, after she left we discussed the harshness and loneliness of her situation. Noting that she at least had money, I named that she had options such as looking to another school which would be more friendly. The discussion with my friends continued a little further until I stated that it was her problem. This invited an immediate "You are just another uncompassionate Catholic priest". I don't want to dwell on this as this happened aat the end of a rugged Christmas lunch campaign. So it was time when anything may be said and not to be taken too seriously.

It did however make me think about me and here. I actually sit with owning not that I am uncompassionate. Rather I sit with this - living in Bangkok and seeing and experiencing all I come across in the area of love and relationships has the effect of making me cynical about love, life, relationships and people. That is a frightening realisation to own and name. A Bangkok can make one cynical about the very good and basic things of life. Understandable maybe but it mkaes one realise just how much we need sane friends to stay not only sane but also healthy and appreciative in approaching life. Thank God for my good friends of this Christmas Day who kick me when I need it and are just such good friends, such good foundations of reality in the midst of world that can be quite mad or unreal. As I said at the end of yesterday on leaving my friends, we need each other so much to keep sane. As was then pointed out to me, and how true, living here is like living in Graeme Greene novel - The Power and The Glory???

The el Prado

The el Prado Museum in Madrid is quite something and so accessible. My favourite was El Greco. Then to my delight, I discovered a Franciscan church near the cathedral that was painted by El Greco. So you can guess what I did. I would go to this church to pray and just to savour in the works of El Greco. It was all prayer. The works were just awe inspiring and I coiuyld just sit there and stare and wonder. It was an incredible experience.

Escorial

Escorial was the Palace for Phillip II of Spain. He was King during the 16th century and the Philippines were named after him. He was a devout Catholic and lived quite an ascetical lifestyle, or so they say.

Actually, as you go on the tour of this great palace, you are shown Phillip's bedroom and it is not grand at all, being situated right beside the high altar of the basilica within the palace itself. There is a door that opens out from Phillip's bedroom onto the sanctuary. The idea was that Phillip could stay in his room and just be there right beside the altar.

Yes, the palace includes a basilica and is used even today as an active place of worship and liturgical celebration. It is the church where novices in the Order in Spain make their first profession. It is all quite something.

Escorial today is a pleasant drive from Madrid. It is also the name of the modern town that sits beside it. It is a place for tourists to visit and get a taste of an empire but it is much more. It is a national treasure, being the burial place for the Kings and Queens of Spain, with every Spanish king since Phillip being buried there. It is a huge complex and much of it lies in the care of the Augustinians who were entrusted with its care 100 years ago by the then government.

So there the Order lives and ministers. There they have a college, a university and a novitiate for the Order, among other things. The overall impression is of a magnificent building complex that is grand and extensive, full of history and treasure but also full of present life, and there is the Order in the midst of it all. Everything in it is big - including the community room and the community dining room. Just amazing!

When do they sleep?

Well, as you know, I had my first taste of Spain and I did love it. On my first night in Madrid, I was there watching the Argentina-Spain game and then a movie with Domingo in the common room. When it all finished, it was midnight and I was ready for bed. So I think, off to bed but no way!

The invitation came from Domingo - Come a walk?
I think - It is midnight! Walk now?

So off the three of us go for a walk into the streets of Madrid. Guess what? It was now after midnight and the streets were packed with people all doing the same thing - walking after midnight.

My only question - When do they sleep in Spain?

A Lesson in Life

My three weeks in Europe included four days in Madrid. This was my first time in Spain and it proved to be an absolute highlight in my trip.

I will give some background to help an understanding. There are four Provinces of the Order in Spain - the Philippines, Madrid, Castille and Spain. This all speaks of the Order's history, strength and tradition in Spain. The Philippines Province is their missionary Province and was started under Phillip II when Spain went to the Philippines. The Order obviously has ties with the establishment of Spain and this is reflected in the Order's presence at the Escorial which was Phillip II's palace and to today serves as the resting place for the Kings and Queens of Spain.

I stayed at the Provincial house of the Spain Province. It is centrally located in Madrid. It is a community for 12 to 15 men of the Order. One of them is the Provincial and is named Domingo but then the community features three Domingos and I couldn't work out which one was which, especially with one being away.

So here I am a guest in this house in Madrid. I found the experience to be very positive as all were so friendly and hospitable. One of the three Domingos was just incredibly kind and attentive towards me. He responded to my every need. He saw to it that my appointments for my work were organised. He would take me on his nightly walks with the community. He would check that I saw what was inportant to see and took me on a day trip to the Escorial. If anything, he was just too kind and I just found it overpowering.

Then on my last day in Madrid, on our last walk, I asked Domingo,
"Who is the Provincial?"
He simply responded with
"I am"
I was just in internal shock. I was in internal 'O, my God' mode.

This man is the Provincial, responsible for a Province of 250 men, with parishes, schools and all other sorts of ministries here in Spain and elsewhere. This man has so much to do but yet he has given his past four days to me, he had just been so ever attentive of me and my needs. There was a huge lesson in this for me. It told me yet again, it reminded me about what really is important in life and that is simply making time for each other. No matter who we are keep the prespective on what matters in life - people, each other.

Without giving any class or sermon, this one of the three Domingos taught me so much and I am just so grateful. His way of teaching was just to be so kind and unassuming and just to be attentive to the other. In this case, the other was me. All I can say is "Thank you" and I have taken the lesson on board. Domingo, for you, I am most grateful. Muchas gracias!

Incredible

I look at the date that I last posted something on this site and I am just ashamed or else I think how incredible it is that time goes so quickly. I wonder what I have done in this time and just where have I been?

Well I did go to Australia in October for a quick visit as I was summoned home by my boss, Tony, for a meeting. I felt like I was a businessman rather than a priest, racing home for a week. I only got to visit my family for two days as then I had to return home to Bangkok for a week before going to Europe for three weeks on a Thai Church sponsored trip.

The main purpose of this trip was to go to Rome to attend the VI World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees run by the Church. It was then onto Spain and Germany to visit Caritas Thailand funding partners there. I also planned to visit my Order inthese places and let them know about me and Thailand. This trip proved successful on all counts and was even most enjoyable.

Still it served to reinforce my feeling that here I am being a businessman as I think that this is the lifestyle of a businessmand and not a priest. Maybe my thinking is too narrow and limited as it was all for a purpose and it was all part of my journey in mission here in Thailand. I guess I just have to open my horizons and broaden my sense of opportunity.

Anyway, now I am home again and happy to be in one place again. Now is the time to re-enter my blogsite. I must let my greatest fan, Carmel, my niece, know as I don't want her to miss out on reading the latest.

I might be able to share all that has happened in the last three months but I do have some stories to share on my return and it may be time to do just that.

We are connected

I harken back to a story that may seem old by now but it is from World Refugee Day. I only shared then the story through pictures but maybe now I can do it through use of word.


One of the key people in my life here is Ahmed from Somalia. His story is full of disaster and despair. Yet he so often appears as the one with hope still alive. My Province in Australia has been working for sometime to sponsor him to Australia. Then something happened in Australia that deomonstrated how we are all connected and how that connectedness can act against our interests, as much as for them.

Recently in Australia, four young men were arrested on terrorist charges. Three were Somali and one was Lebanese. They had been in Somalia where they had had experience with the al-Shabab terrorist group. They came back with some plan to attack an army base in Sydney. What does this have to do with Ahmed?

He is Somali and wants to go to Australia. Well? Because of the arrest and charging of these four men, all Somalis are looked upon with suspicion within various quarters of Australian society. This means it is politcal suicide at present to push a Somali cause within Australia. As I gave this news to Ahmed here in Bangkok, he just had this increduloud look upon his face as if to say, "How could this be? I am not one of those four!" For better or worse, we are all connected.