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| A missionary is never without her cross! :) |
I was walking along the beach in Mambajao last Wednesday when I noticed three young men sitting further up the shore in a concrete shelter.
“Maayong hapon!” I called, because it is a missionary’s nature to be friendly to everyone, and because friendliness is an expected and much-appreciated virtue in the Philippines.
“Init!” one of them called back - it is very hot! This is a common conversation starter for us, and I didn’t want to miss my chance if Jesus was providing me with this opportunity.
*Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope. ~1 Peter 3:15*
I began speaking with them, only in Visayan as it quickly became clear that they knew little to no English. They are fishermen from the island of Leyte, they explained, and I happily told them that I am a Catholic missionary and that I visited their island at the typhoon-affected area of Tacloban just two weeks ago with my priest.
“Lingkod!” they said, inviting me to sit down and join them, and not two minutes later another man appeared, this one quite a bit older.
“Asa ka gikan?” he asked me, wondering where I am from, so I began telling my story for the second time -- how I am a Catholic missionary living in Sagay. This man knew English, however, so our conversation flowed easily along. His name is Dudong, and his uncle was the first priest to be assigned to a parish on Camiguin. Dudong tells me that he, too, was raised Catholic, but no longer.
“I learned all that before, all the prayers and even the Rosary, but I am just Christian now -- spiritual, not religious.”
“Too many rules?” I suggest, knowing that this is a common excuse among those who have left the Church.
“Too time-consuming,” he replies.
Hmm... I pray silently to the Holy Spirit for guidance as we speak.
*It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ~Matthew 10:20*
“You’re right," I agreed, "it can be time-consuming. For example, I have given up my time, even my whole life to come here, but I do not mind making this sacrifice because Jesus gave up His whole life for me, on the cross.”
Dudong’s eyes grow wide, and I suspect that he was not anticipating such a conversation to unfold on an ordinary Wednesday afternoon.
“Very impressive,” he says. “That is just the right answer.” Thinking for a moment, he then queries, “So you are like Peter the fisherman, out to catch?”
I smile at his reference to the apostle; it seems so appropriate in light of the three young men still here in our midst. Dudong points at the “no trespassing” sign on his property and explains that he often makes exceptions, as he has for these fishermen who have no place to stay for the night.
“If I do not help them, my conscience will bother me all night,” he tells me, and behind his words I understand that he wants to assure me he is still a good person, even if not a “religious” one. “Much has been given to me, so I have to give to others,” he explains.
But now he looks at me, puzzled: “How did you come to be talking with these men,” he asks. “Were you not apprehensive, being alone?”
We are in the light of day on a public seashore amongst fishing boats and residential homes, but I give him the answer that I hear the Spirit prompting in my heart. “No, I am never afraid because I am doing the work of the Lord, and I know He will protect me. And the Holy Spirit always guides me - like today, He led me to walk down the beach here to meet you.”
“Mmm, probably so, probably so,” he mumbles pensively, rubbing his chin as if in deep thought or wonderment. “Where did you get your crucifix?”
I instinctively reach up to touch the wooden cross around my neck - it is my favorite, my only accessory besides my watch, and I have been wearing it constantly since I received it at the missionaries’ commissioning Mass before we were sent out to our assigned posts. “It’s from America,” I tell him.
“If you have any more, I would like to buy one.”
Until this moment, I have been rather protective of my cross - a memorable marker of the day I became Christ’s littlest missionary. But the Holy Spirit is still moving in my heart, and a sudden energy impels me to remove it from around my neck.
“You can have this one,” I say, and place it in his hands.
He is somewhat bewildered and then even resistant. “No, I cannot; this is special to you!” (How did he know...?)
“It’s yours now,” I insist. “I would be honored if you would wear it. It is a missionary cross, and you are a missionary if you share the love that Jesus has given you with others.”
“Yes....” The man is nearly speechless at this point. It is a simple gift of little material value but we both know it is worth much more than it would cost in pesos.
“I would like for you to come back sometime and talk about the Bible with me,” he says. I assure him that I will return and, remembering his comment about not approaching strangers alone, add that I will bring my missionary companions along to meet him next time.
I can’t help smiling as I say goodbye and walk back through the sand -- how good God is to set up this divine appointment, giving me the opportunity to share my faith with a man who is open to hearing it.
St. Paul exclaims, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” It is true that the example of a Christian life is a powerful witness, and a person’s actions can speak volumes. But all too often we make the excuse that our example of living is enough. We must not be afraid to say the name of Jesus! We must not shy away from sharing our faith, and how wrong it would be for us to leave our brothers and sisters in darkness when they, often without their own knowledge, are searching for Christ.
If I hadn’t walked down that beach or spoken to those fishermen, I would never have met Dudong. The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelization. Allow Him to stir in your heart today, and you will be happily surprised to see what encounters God has planned for you!
