Kristus Aman Youth Ministry.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Our Caste System

I was reading about the Dalit (pronounced doll-leet) recently. For thousands of years in India, among the different castes, the Dalit have been the lowest, formerly known as untouchable. Today, although the Indian constitution guarantees fundamental rights for all Indians, the Dalit continue to be oppressed -- the effect of a culture that has existed for literally ages. The Dalit are not considered to be part of human society, and supposedly pollute people of higher castes with their presence. As a result of discrimination, many Dalit are deprived of the most basic of human rights, and their dignity remains unrecognized by many. Currently, there exists in India a struggle for equality.

Reading and thinking about the Dalit, I was led to wonder...

What castes have we put up? What caste divisions do we agree with, whether explicitly, or as implied by our lifestyle and mentality?

In the Philippines, I hear a lot about socio-economic division, denoted by the letters A, B, C, D & E. I try not to figure out where I fit in because it shouldn't be all that important, right? But the truth is, sometimes I do give it importance. I've noticed that because I dress a certain way and speak decent English with a particular accent, people assume that I'm from a richer class. This isn't something I necessarily like. It works to my advantage in some situations, getting me past tight security guards or out of situations when people are trying to con me. People at malls and hotels respect me for the most part, and I feel confidence when I stand in front of important people. I can converse with people and not feel shy about my occupation. Some people might even like me more. But on the converse, the appearance of affluence can be to my disadvantage. I've been to places where I was judged because of how I dress and speak, even when I possessed the purest of intentions.

The point is, we do have castes. And what is dangerous is that they aren't institutionalized. They are invisible. They are cultural. We may not be as extreme or discriminating as others might be. But in many ways, we have erected barriers and limitations to the extent of our love and respect. There are certain jobs and paychecks that supposedly carry more dignity. Certain schools are "more acceptable" than others (this is not to say that standards of excellence should go out the window; but respect can never be thrown out). In our minds, some neighborhoods aren't just nicer, they are better. And lets not get into the cliche of talking cars, clothes and cellphones. And if it's not a material issue, the issue is cultural: the East Coast vs West Coast rap wars. Rich vs Poor. Young vs Old. Cheap vs Classy. Manila vs Cebu (!).

And here's another thought: I don't know if it's just me, but sometimes we're more discriminating towards people who are not "far" from us. We're annoyed most with people who are almost like us, but aren't. They try to be as cool, they try to be as rich, they try to be as funny, but fall short of our standards. And so we hold onto that for security.

When our mentality becomes an exclusive one, we move out of the culture of the Kingdom of God. It's been said that the Church exists for those outside it. It would do us a lot of good if we Christians ran with this truth in every area of life. Not just in the context of Christianity and non-Christianity, but in every respect. A ghetto mentality breeds disconnect and disrespect which bears fruit in other evils. Our pride is the reservoir of sin (see Sirach 10). And sin sure knows how to procreate.

So, may we examine how we think of people who are unlike us. Let us dismantle the social castes and lifestyle imaginations that hold us prisoner and inhibit us from loving our neighbor. May we recognize that dignity is fundamental and cannot be taken from anyone who has been made in the image and likeness of God.

A Wrecking Ball to Babel

Blog Entry



During winter, we'd turn on the radiator to heat up the air inside our home. Winter was spent wishing for spring, because it could get quite cold and bleak. Spring and summer would inevitably come, signaling that it was time to turn on the airconditioning. When you think about it, it's quite remarkable that we are capable of creating whatever environment we please. At the push of a button, we can change the channel, the soundtrack, the mood, the person we are talking to, the temperature.

I've begun to wonder if technological advancement has actually brought us closer to the ideal, closer to God's intended order of things. Or if it has separated us. I think it depends on us. There's a story in the Bible about the Tower of Babel. And simply put, it talks about how the technological achievement of mankind empowered them to the point that they felt they could approximate God's greatness. They could match the power of the Creator, they could reach the heavens. They were now creators, too. This was their downfall. And instead of drawing closer to God, they became all the more separated from Him and each other.

Many times, people tell me about how they feel separated from God. Many feel that they are separated from their place in the world among a sea of people. Many are in need of direction or purpose in life. Many have absolutely got to hear from God. But many don't. Many can't.

It's no wonder because in many ways, we've returned to Babel. We've come so far in terms of what we can create, and how we can manipulate the environment to suit our tastes. When there is spiritual turmoil, we can turn on the television and drown it out. We can get on YouTube to cheer ourselves up. We can text a friend. We can turn up the music. We can go out and forget about it by watching a movie and getting rowdy with friends, because even if we live far from each other, we have vehicles that get us wherever we want. We can daisychain our distractions.

We have made ourselves creators of alternative environments, where we are kings and queens, dictators of the way things should be. Instead of taking circumstances and silencing ourselves to consider what God may be telling us, we can do all sorts of things to create another environment, if the current one doesn't suit us.

Don't be afraid to face things. To switch things off if you have to. May what we've created draw us closer to truth, to our place in the world, to the service of others, to the presence of God. Otherwise, we're rebuilding Babel: a testament to our supposed greatness, a monument to our downfall.

Nice Legs: Musings on Dreams and Visions

Blog Entry



Sometimes I drive around the city and it just hits me. This world is broken. It shouldn't be this way. She shouldn't be selling sampaguita at 2am. That kid shouldn't be sniffing that stuff. That annoying driver shouldn't be such a jerk. And I shouldn't be judging him.

Don't get me wrong, the world and all the people in it have many great qualities and beautiful attributes. But we exist as "glorious ruins", to borrow the words of Brennan Manning. God intended for things to be better, but our selfish designs ruined us. In the beginning, the Creator worked His wonders and made all we know, crowning it with man and woman. It was perfect. But man and woman trashed creation with sin, and that was the atomic explosion that changed everything. Perfection violated is quite grave. When an expensive dress is stained; it's far worse than if an undershirt is stained. The more precious the thing violated, the more serious the matter. You can imagine how serious it was when God's perfect masterpiece of love was defiled. It was so gravely terrible, that we still see the effects today. The world was broken then, and is currently in need of repair.

That's where dreams and visions come in. Dreams and visions are a God-given solution to the world's broken state.

Michaelangelo once said, "I saw the angel in the marble, and I carved until I set him free." This is a great illustration of dreams and visions. Seeing the angel was the dream; laboring to set him free was vision at work. A dream is abstract. A vision is more tangible. Vision is a dream with legs. It makes the life of a dream more exciting by directing it to a purpose, and setting it into motion. A vision is a directed dream that you're actually doing something about. Thus, to have vision is to know the ideal -- the dream -- and actually do something to make it real.

All throughout the history of mankind, the people who have made their mark were those who had dreams and visions. I love to think about Abraham and how God told him to look to the heavens and try to count the stars. He gave Abraham a huge dream, that God would make of him a great nation as numerous as the stars or the sand. And what made it significant was that Abraham's dream was directly tied into God's dream to save the world through Jesus. I think the whole of Scripture is a story of a dream and a vision becoming reality. God's broken masterpiece is being rebuilt, with Christ as the Hero of the story.

And here's the cool bit. We're in on it, too. We're like sidekicks or something.

The Church is God's vehicle for the rebuilding of the dream. We are His visioneers.We are His legs. It sounds funny, being God's legs, right? But we are! And people of true vision are more than just selfish dreamers, obsessed with acquiring cool stuff in this life. The purest sense of vision, the most potent world-changing personal vision, is the one that identifies most closely with God's vision. That's what made the patriarchs, the prophets and all those surreal visionary saints more than just hallucinating freaks. They were visionaries who saw God's dream for the world and dedicated their lives to making it a reality.

So here's my prayer for everyone: may we be dreamers. And more importantly, may we be people of vision.

When You Can't Do Anything Right



There are some days when you feel like you can't do anything right. Sometime last year, it was one of those days. And to top it off, I had to preach about I forget what. So I did my best to pray and prepare for the talk. Come the event, I came forward, did my little 30-minute spiel-cum-exhortation and that was that. Honestly, I wasn't feeling it. When it's time to teach, it's good to feel like you're in the zone. That day was not one of them. My outline was all over the place, and so was I. But my heart was set on communicating the message as best I could. I gave it my all. And that was that.

Yesterday a friend of mine was sharing casually about her turning point in life, when she decided she would live for the Lord, and serve Him and others. Turns out the day her life changed, was the same day last year that I wasn't feeling it. And during the teaching I was giving, God was working on her heart through what was being said. I am always humbled when this happens, humbled in the deepest sense. It is then when you realize that it's all God and never You.

The decision to do what needs to be done often lies at the intersection of your not feeling it, and someone else's time of salvation. And at the moment, you have no idea how significant your choice is.

So today, who cares if you aren't feeling the burning passion to make a difference with your life? Who cares if you're all dried up and dying? Give it a shot anyway. Don't back down from the challenge to do God's will. Be not afraid. Do it uneasy. Make sure your heart is right with God, and prepare as best you can. But even when you feel insufficient, if you know God is leading you somewhere, go for it. The sweetest offerings are the costly ones.


"We hold this treasure in earthen vessels to show that this power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:7

Clowning Around



I’ve never really liked clowns. Maybe it’s because they are freaky, with their white makeup and secret identities. Or maybe it’s because I am one of them. I’d love to be an acrobat, a trapeze artist, or maybe a tightrope walker. Someone who wows people and draws out their wonder. Sometimes I try too hard to be one of the big acts in the show. But I really am an awkward clown. Most people are.

Yesterday, I came across a book by Henri Nouwen called Clowning in Rome, where he recounts his time living in the Italian city. In a place never short of people of stature such as Bishops and Cardinals, for some reason, he drew inspiration from the people on the periphery. In the introduction, Nouwen writes:

"The clowns aren't the center of the events. They appear between the great acts, fumble and fall and make us smile again, following the tensions created by the heroes we came to admire. The clowns don't have it together... they are awkward, out of balance and left-handed, but...they are on our side. The clowns remind us with a tear and a smile that we are sharing the same human weakness. The longer I was in Rome, the more I enjoyed the clowns. The peripheral people who by their humble, saintly lives evoke a smile and awaken hope…"


I think culture has a fixation with the acrobats and the trapeze artists who wow us with their great prowess. Celebrity is all the rage, even in its inability to move us as profoundly as the simplest acts of love and compassion.

Think about the people who truly moved you on the most personal level. They weren’t the main show. They weren’t necessarily the high-profile mainstays – they probably weren’t. The moments I’ve felt most loved by anyone wasn’t in a big-time moment. It was in the margins, off-stage, or at home when someone showed genuine love, concern or compassion, oftentimes in the least favorable situations. And I want to affect people that way, too.

Now, my emphasis on clowns isn’t meant to condone our screw-ups and misgivings. By all means, try to rectify mistakes and work on your flaws. Aspire and dream to be the best you can be. But remember that it’s alright to be the side show, and not the main thing. It’s alright to not have to wow people with our magnificence. That’s God’s job. Humility and sainthood have everything to do with accepting who we really are in Christ. Yes, we are conquerors and victors – but because of Him, and not us.

Most of us will never be the perfect acrobats. We will always be the imperfect clowns. And that’s perfectly alright.



"We hold this treasure in earthen vessels to show that this power is from God and not from us."
2 Corinthians 4:7