Saturday, September 4, 2010

Filipino Overseas Workers.............New Life for the Catholic Church.



“Then he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is the Lord of the sabbath’.” – Luke 6:5
At the airport departure area in Manila, it makes me sad to see OFWs crowding the check-in counters on their way to seek jobs abroad. In Hong Kong and Singapore, you will see them by the hundreds in certain areas on weekends. But when I read about articles saying how these OFWs have helped the economies of their host countries in terms of manpower, it makes me feel better.

The Western Union Effect: Filipino Global Workers as Agents of Change

However, when we visited Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, we saw how the Filipino residents there played prominent roles in the Sunday Masses we attended. They served as commentators, lay ministers, greeters and choir members.
I also saw the passion of the Filipino mother and daughter who led the singing with their beautiful voices.
In Calgary, the Vietnamese parish priest said that had it not been for the local Filipino community who volunteered to regularly serve and invite Mass goers, the parish would have been abolished. Their willingness to serve God made me feel proud to be a Filipino. In many ways, the Philippines’ loss is Christ’s gainDonna España (donna@homeliving.com.ph)
REFLECTION:
How can I affirm and praise the people around me consistently every day as my way of praising God?

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