Weathering the storms – a reminder of collective reality and shared hope

By JEAlbia

11 November – In Taiwan today, work and school cancellation announcements make the headlines as the country braces for Typhoon Fung-wong, which just barrelled through the Philippines over the weekend. TaiwanPlus Newsreport of farmers in the southern region of the country scrambling to harvest their crops in advance. In Hualien, the county that suffered massive flooding just in September, households talk about the pain and exhaustion of rebuilding their homes and spaces after the disaster and what the new storm might bring. 

Their sighs and worries echo the same cries of many in the motherland, except perhaps for a distinct difference: the frustrated tone over a rotten system. The Philippines’ capacity to withstand shocks, climate-related disasters included, is weakened by what seems to be a collective systemic failure: poor zonal/urban planning because of careless local leadership, subpar flood control projects, pervasive corruption that has facilitated destruction of natural ecosystems rather than its protection and rehabilitation, and an electorate that does not seem to learn their lesson time and again, amongst a host of other things. 

What traps us in this vicious cycle of poverty and wicked systems? One questions: If this is our collective reality, should we then not have a collective vision that ought to drive us to collective action? 

The role of the Church stands ever more important in these times. It is not a mere institution that dispenses the sacraments; it is a community of believers who share in the prophetic mission of standing up to social injustice and wicked systems. This same community is likewise compelled to share in the kingly ministry of stewardship of our land and the service of others.

The invitation for us is simple, captured in philosopher Gabriel Marcel’s words: I hope in Thee for us. We are called to communion, reminded of our shared reality and as such, of a shared hope anchored on our relationship with the One Absolute Thee, God. This shared hope compels us to share in the continued and tireless fight against injustice, corruption and wicked systems, in protecting our land and His creations, and in the compassionate service to our neighbours especially the last, the least and the lost.

In Taiwan where Christians remain the minority, these are not religious teachings yet are taught as social precepts and become part of the cultural psyche. Perhaps this is where the missing piece of the puzzle lies. May these reminders of our faith pervade in the humdrum of our days, not only during the storms – literal and figurative – of our lives.