Daily Reflections - October 23,2012

SEPARATED NO MORE

 

We Filipinos are now the new denizens of the world. We are present in more than a hundred countries all over the world. We form a big chunk of the 175 to 200 million migrants the world over. Most of the readers are likely to have one or more of their close relatives or immediate family members working in some foreign land.

We know what it means to pine for home, to long for the homecoming of loved ones. Those of us who work abroad know what it means to be separated by distance. Our goal is to bridge that gap, so that those who are far off might draw nearer, that separated families might find themselves together again.

I should know. There was a time in my life when half of our family was in Manila, and the other half was left under Grandma’s care in the boonies of Cavite.

God also knows the pain of separation. And He cares enough to bridge that gap between us and Him. This is what Christ did for us. We were effectively “strangers” and “alienated from the community of Israel,” “without hope and without God.”

Even now, on account of sin and other factors, including the seeping migration mentality and culture, we feel the pangs of alienation. How many of the children of migrant workers feel like they belong neither here nor there? How many of them feel like strangers in their own country, while at the same time not feeling fully integrated in their adoptive countries? In addition to that, a culture of consumerism and hedonism has driven a wedge between us and our Catholic faith and traditions. Even here, even now, cafeteria Catholicism has taken firm root.

Today, we are reminded to keep awake, to “gird our loins and light our lamps.” Like excited family members awaiting a homecoming, we pine for the full realization of what St. Paul declares as fact: “We, who were once far off, have become near by the blood of Christ.”Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What separates you from God right now? What can you do to bridge that gap?

 

Lord Jesus, You have taken the first steps to bridge the gap between God and us. Grant me the grace to avail of the means to reach out to You despite my sinfulness.