Expatriates

Having a community of expatriates has many advantages. On top of the list is having a support system. It's no joke living in another country by yourself. Belonging to a group of fellow Pinoys would make you feel that someone's on your side.

There are, however, some challenges that Filipino associations abroad face. 

First and foremost, personal commitments such as family or work.  It is unfortunate that there are less opportunities in our country which makes a huge number of our countrymen migrate to greener pastures. The demands of family life are intertwined with the demands of our job. Expatriates went abroad because they want to provide a better life and future for their family.  This is quite understandable. Family comes first, the rest are second. If one member has to attend to their family's needs and is unable to support a community event, surely someone (from the same community) will be able to pitch in. Such acts of kindness would help a community to thrive.

There are other challenges which have to be avoided at all costs. Remember the seven deadly sins (see http://pbsa3.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/overtaken.html)? 

Take pride for example. Imagine if community members are paimportante (self-important), if gatherings become avenues to show off (from clothes to gadgets to cars), if people have a sense of entitlement (e.g. "I am your leader, you must follow my orders.", "I have been a member of this group for the past so and so years so I deserve to be given an award."), how can the community thrive?

Or how about envy? A kababayan had a great achievement and his colleagues alleged he cheated. An expatriate had a job promotion and his kababayans pull him down. A member was appointed to a committee and some label him as "the favorite". You may have heard about stories of Pinoys being deported because they don't have the necessary papers. Unfortunately, the people who often tip them off to the authorities are fellow Pinoys.


I remember a few months ago how the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO), a non-profit organization focused on promoting Filipino culture through orchestral music was besmirched, not by another nationality, but (of all people) a Filipino (read: https://memebuster.net/maharlika-lied-about-funds-raised-by-faso/).


And here's what FASO has to say: http://fasofoundation.org/statement-of-the-filipino-american-symphony-orchestra-faso/


I am not writing this because Bob Shroder, FASO's Musical Director and Conductor, is my first cousin, but because of the evil done against the group out of envy. If it's not envy, I don't know what else to describe it.  If envy abounds, how can the community survive?

And sloth? There are members who will do their best for the good of the community. There are others who won't bother to lend a helping hand at all. Strangely, you'll see some of these when it comes to parties. Surprisingly, these are the members who often moan. If sloth is in the air, how can the community pull through?

St Pio of Pietrelcina once said "The Rosary is the weapon for these times". Against pride, we are offered Christ and Our Lady's humility. Against envy, charity. Against sloth, zeal for souls. If our communities are in peril of being affected or are affected by any of these deadly sins, now is the time to find those beads hanging around one's statues, gathering dust through the years. Now is the time to reflect on the Rosary's mysteries which contain "...everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honor, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise." (Phil 4:8). 

Now is the time to pray the Rosary!

Overtaken

You were driving comfortably on a long stretch of road when, suddenly someone overtook you. No signal lights flashing. No nothing. What would be your reaction?  Annoyed, yes? Swore at the culprit, perhaps? Put your foot down the gas pedal to chase up and overtake the other driver, no? Or simply remained calm, minding one’s driving and the safety of one’s passengers (if any)?

I guess the last option would probably be our last option.  For one, the other driver didn’t have an ounce of respect for other drivers.  Should we go down to their level though?  Come to think of it, if we resort to swearing or getting even, it shows how we used such an ‘embarrassing’ experience to fuel our hurt ego. 

St John the Apostle warns us “Walk while you have the light, or the dark will overtake you.” (Jn 12:35). Of all things that would overtake us, this is something we should be wary of. I would like to think of the seven deadly sins as examples of “the dark” mentioned by St John. In our Catechism, we were taught that the seven deadly sins are: pride, anger, lust, envy, gluttony, avarice, and sloth.

Pride. In our life as individuals and as a community, pride has been lurking around.  At times, it may have overtaken us. Take for example two neighbours.  One purchased a new television set. Feeling overtaken or nasapawan, the other decided to buy a new (and much better) one too, even if it was beyond his means!

Anger. All of us may got angry at one point or another. But what if it got the better of us? I remember years ago, when I was still in Manila. Every morning, between 7:30am and 8:00am, garbage trucks roam around large streets to collect household rubbish. Sounding off the horn is normally done to let people know that it’s time for them to bring out their rubbish.  Unfortunately, that fateful morning, an irate man woke up at the wrong side of the bed and, in his rage, gunned down an innocent garbage collector. 

Lust. In our faith, sex is considered an expression of love between husbands and wives. But what if lust overtakes love? Think of the news of young girls and women being raped. Worrisome isn't it? There is no more respect for others. When I was in New York a few years back, I felt bad hearing on TV that a woman was raped in Central Park. Not only that. The crime was done in broad daylight! Overtaken by lust, sex and persons have been downgraded as tools for self-gratification. 

Envy. Whenever someone we know of (family, friend, colleague, etc.) has achieved something, be it a promotion at work or having a new car, etc. what is our first reaction? Are we happy or are we envious? If such blessings were posted in Facebook, would we like what was posted or not? If we are overtaken by envy, we will do everything just to be at par with the person we are envious of. If that is impossible, we'll resort to backstabbing, slander, or even murder. Look at what Jesus' contemporaries did to Him! 

Gluttony. Mr Gregorio Prado, my former Mathematics teacher in high school, once stressed out to us the difference between kain (eating) and lamon (gluttony). Eating is necessary, but it has to be in moderation. (Ditto drinking.) As Mrs Estrella De Leon, my philosophy teacher in UST, once cited "We eat to live, not live to eat."

Avarice. How do we use God's blessings? Do we share it with others or keep it to ourselves?  If avarice (a.k.a. greed) overtakes us, we would be so attached to our possessions as though we can bring them to the after-life. We can't. Never. Everything in this world is on loan.

Sloth. As Christians, we have duties to fulfill, e.g. respect for one's parents, care for one's children, attending Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, etc.. If sloth overtakes us, we would stop doing those and other duties. Remember the Lord's parable of the rich man? He went to hell when he died because he failed to care for Lazarus, the poor man who waited for some scraps falling down from the rich man's table.

How can we avoid being overtaken by these seven deadly sins? Here's what St Paul has to say: "Fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise." (Phil 4:8).