The Three Little Figs*

(*The Parable of the Fig Tree)

Another Lenten season is over once again. For the third consecutive year, I have spent the Lenten season and easter in a foreign land. It is a nice experience though, as I could see the differences, yet the similarities are there as being Catholic, the tradition and teachings should be the same anywhere in the world...

Lenten 2004 - It was my first time to ride a Boeing 747, first time to go on a 16 hours flight. As I was excited for a new experience, I found I didn't mind talking to any stranger, let alone my would be seatmate on the very long flight from Manila to Amsterdam. He was an old guy from Switzerland who visited Manila to do some missionary stuff. Good, I thought, at least he'd be a kind person I can trust. So I didn't have inhibitions when we striked a conversation, I told him about my experience of watching Passion of the Christ, how I cried and cried so much while watching that film because I really felt guilty to watch Jesus suffer and die for my sins (and I meant every word of this). When we arrived in Amsterdam, we waited for our connecting flights for a couple of hours and we were parting ways there, me to take the plane to Dublin and him to take the plane to Switzerland. As I thought I found a new friend, I asked that we had our picture together taken and he agreed. Then when I asked him for his email address so I could send him our picture, I got an unexpected shock from his answer. He said he'd rather not give his email address to me as his wife might think negatively about it, in short he was implying his wife might think I was his fling or something. What in the world!?! I really didn't get that, he was old enough to be my grandfather for heaven's sake! So I deleted his image from my camera immediately after parting ways. Sadly, it was a memory not worth storing I suppose. *sigh* =( Anyway, though I did not start the Lenten season in Dublin as I went there after Ash Wednesday already, I did spend the Holy week there. I am so thankful that my friend and collegue, Joanne, was there with me during my first month there. As there were many churches in Dublin, we initially planned to do the stations of the cross one station per church during Good Friday. However, after realizing that it was not feasible to walk to fourteen churches within the whole day, we opted to do 5 stations per church so that we only had to go to three nearby churches (hmm, this would also be almost the same thing that will happen with Me and Miswa's Good Friday bisita Iglesia two years after, hehe =P). It was my first time to do the stations of the cross and I was glad and thankful to Joanne for introducing me to the stations of the cross and to God for giving us that opportunity. Joanne and I actually revived our friendship that time, as just before she left to go to Dublin 3 months before that we had this gap due to a misunderstanding we had at work. Indeed God works wonders, He fixes things in a most unexpected way...

Lenten 2005 -The pilot announced there would be a delay in landing to Detroit airport because the runway was not visible because of the snow. Though there was no need to panic yet, I did get a little nervous then since the plane had to fly around the airport for some time. So you could imagine my relief when the pilot announced that we could finally land after more than 30 minutes of circling in the air. It was indeed a very very exhausting trip. The 5 hour delay in Detroit airport for my connecting flight to Houston seemed like eternity. Almost all flights to other States were cancelled because of the snowstorm, but thank God ours was just delayed. So after almost a total of 24 hours flight from Manila, we safely landed in a snowless Houston, Texas. Although, it has just happened last year, I have a vague memory of my Lenten in Houston. It's a wonder I vividly remember my Lenten in Ireland two years ago, but I am having a hard time remembering how I spent my Lenten in Houston last year. I searched thru my planner and diary to have some idea what I did but there were no entries. But I do think I went for mass on Ash Wednesday and Easter and I remember I was doing stations of the cross too during the season because the church I went to every Sunday for mass gave out a free Stations of the Cross handbook. But yeah, it was understandable, because those were the times that I was at the peak of my emotional struggle in life. Before I went to Houston, I did a Bible cut and it led me to a verse saying I would be going to a foreign land and there I will die. I remember I was a bit scared after reading that verse, but after going to Houston I realized what it really meant. I really did die -- the old me died and a new me was born and I thank God for that, perhaps I was really meant to go through all the past struggles I've been through to make me who I am now...

Lenten 2006 - When I went to Singapore in 2003 for a 5-day vacation with Joanne, we both agreed we didn't want to work here, we found the ambiance quite serious and stiff, and everyone seemed to be all in a rush. How ironic would it be that fate actually led us to work here two years after saying that and would make me take those words back. Moreso to the irony that Singapore, being a small country known for its strict enforcement of laws and rules, would actually give way to taking me out of my fishbowl I've always felt I was in. Moving to Singapore has made a significant change in me and my life. Moving here made me realize that distance can actually make me more closer to my friends and family. I have come to know myself more, my perceptions in life has changed, I see things now in a different light, I have made lots of new friends and I am happier. I found my spiritual thirst being quenched here and my heart rejoices each time I am at church, or I have done a good deed for someone or even just brighten someone's day in my own simple way. It is unexplainable the feeling of fulfillment is, when my holy week this year was concluded with a happy easter indeed, as I saw the children happily decorating their easter eggs with their parents or going through the easter maze we have created last week out of donated boxes, enjoying all the activities we have organized for them, seeing the teenagers of Catechism students participate in Pastoral Attachments (and hearing them say they actually would like to continue participating in the church activities even after their Pastoral Attachment schedule), seeing a whole community mingle and have fun in the Lord's house... these are priceless fruits of our labor that cannot be compared to any monetary compensation. Yes, I have been relatively active in religious activities but no, I do not consider myself religious in a dogmatic sense, rather, I would like to say I am a spiritual person. I love God and I am honored to be His servant. For all the blessings that God has given me, I hope to thank Him back by spreading His love.

Praise be our Lord Jesus Christ for dying on the cross for us. May He live in each one of our hearts.