ANAK Batangueño Day Canossa Academy November 10, 2006

1. ANAK Batangueño DayCanossa AcademyNovember 10, 2006 Welcome Children of Migrants and OFW of Batangas

2. I. Telling the Story of Jesus • The Story of Jesus applies to all • It is the Church’s role to keep telling His story • The migrants’ experience fits in to the Story of Jesus • Jesus cares for the migrants and their families • He empathizes to the experience of OFW children

3. We all love story! LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

4. A good story challenges us to a new vision of life.What is my story as a child of an OFW? LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

5. Five Questions:Jesus Story?Migrants’ Stories?Why me?What about others?How is Jesus related to families and children left behind? LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

6. The Story of Jesus is owned by God Today it continues to inspire the World. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

7. From the Beginning, there is nothing but The Divine Love overflowing from the Triune God! The Story of Jesus’ love relates to my life story. God is involved in my story as a child of an OFW! LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

8. The Story has not ended yet.It becomes a life-giving memory with which the Holy Spirit keeps renewing humanity. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

9. It is the Story that touches the stories of all human individuals!He is “the way, the truth and the life”. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

10. Religions have two hands.One is Faith in something absolute. Another is a Way of living. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

11. II. Situation of World Migration • Asians are migrating all over the world • 8.3 million Filipinos • 200,000 Batanguenos • 5 dependents each = 1,000,000 people affected • Migration affects every facet of society: Political, economic, socio-cultural, spiritual, family life, ecclesial and faith life LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

12. Worldwide: 191 million international migrants Asia: 53.3 million international migrants

13. Major countries of origin Indonesia Philippines Vietnam Burma Cambodia Laos Bangladesh India Nepal Pakistan China Major countries/areas of destination Brunei Malaysia Singapore Thailand Hong Kong Japan South Korea Taiwan Gulf countries Asia, a Region in Motion LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

14. Asia, A Region in Motion • Men are not the only ones leaving their families to work abroad. • Asia is a significant site for female migration. • Philippines • Indonesia • Sri Lanka LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

15. Asia, A Region in Motion • Less skilled workers • Professionals & highly skilled • Permanent migrants • Students • Brides • Unauthorized migrants, including trafficked persons • Refugees LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

16. What Migrants Hope For Migration as secular pilgrimage • a journey of hope • a perilous rife with trials (the road to Calvary) • reward at journey’s end (the glory of the Resurrection) LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

17. What Migrants Experience • Temporary labor migration involves only the migration of workers; families are not included. • Family separation is a source of pain to migrants and their left-behind families. • Migration has a dark side. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

18. Migrants are needed but not wanted Migrants are regarded only as workers, not as full human beings Migrants are scapegoats for the spread of diseases, crimes … terrorism Migrants receive an uncertain welcome at the least. “You can’t feel at home here, never, even after years and years, even if now we have everything to live like in Kerala. Because we have no right: just the right to work and be silent.” Beemole, a nurse in the UAE for 20 years Migrants as the Other LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

19. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

20. III. Migrants, a special people with a special mission and role in the Church • They improve the quality of life of the families left behind • They become the new missionaries and evangelizers • They bring their culture and faith around the world • Migrants and their families can continue telling the story of Jesus everywhere, all the time! LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

21. Today a voice needs to be heard LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

22. Today a light has to shine LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

23. Hearts that long for hopefor meaning and for love. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

24. So God’s lovemay shine bright. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

25. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Spirit we are one. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

26. Now is the moment to rise, now is the moment to go! LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

27. Live love God’s steps lead us to life LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

28. Trust much even in pain and strife LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

29. The cross we do share God is always there. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

30. It all starts with our hearts to which God speaks out of love. The Church bear witness to it. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

31. “None other than Christ” is the answer.When it applies to the non-hearers the Jesus Story, the statement needs to be nuanced. Their salvation is related in a mysteriously way to Christ and the Church. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

32. The Story of Jesus is related to other religions because of the fundamental solidarity and universal unity between the Incarnate Word and every human being. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

33. In re-telling the Story, one should insist upon the openness of cultures to the universality of the truth the Story bears and let the same Story break through all the cultural barriers which seek to contain it. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

34. What God speaks of is the Story of Jesus, because In Jesus God wants us to be free and loved He who defines his conduct by a set of rules determined by religion imprisons his songbird in a cage

35. The Way God chooses to approach us is not unrelated to our human nature and destiny Human nature is so formed that God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth - God. Human destiny is to share God’s life Christ has gained for us.

36. The Way God chooses to tell the Story of Jesus is intrinsically related to human nature as such. This guarantees the objectivity. The Mystery, like the elephant, is still huge and big. The blind cannot sense the Whole. The Incarnate Word is likened to “eye-opener” all-important for anyone in search of God.

37. “None other than Christ” is the answer.When it applies to the non-hearers the Jesus Story, the statement needs to be nuanced. Their salvation is related in a mysteriously way to Christ and the Church. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

38. The Church as sacramental sign is to make visible the Mystery, including that “mysterious relationship”, by inviting people to join the Church. Human promotion and explicit proclamation are not to be separated.

39. In re-telling the Story, one should insist upon the openness of cultures to the universality of the truth the Story bears and let the same Story break through all the cultural barriers which seek to contain it. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

40. When Faith and life are joined together, there comes to the worship in Spirit and in Truth. In worship one cannot but fly higher and higher. LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

41. Pope Benedict XVI loves the youth of today especially people in motion! LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

42. PRAYER LACMMI – www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi

43. Presented by Rev. Fr. JOJO C. GONDA (LACMMI Director) for the ANAK Batangueño Congress 2006Canossa AcademyNovember 10, 2006 Visit LACMMI and Anak Batangueño online at: www.archlipa.org/commission/lacmmi