LIFE OF SERVICE BEGINS AT 40'S

My  students  in  the  Philippines call  me Sir Buddy,  and  I  am their happy, contented, and fulfilled teacher and friend.

I came to Tzu Chi University in Hualien City, Taiwan Republic of China to study Mandarin Chinese, and after finishing my language course, I decided to stay here in Taiwan to work for and serve the migrant workers from the Philippines. I was 43 then, not yet too late to live the life of service for others.

I first came to Taiwan on October 24, 2006 as a tourist. I was invited to visit Taiwan by my sister Tina who works as information officer of FFTC (Food and Fertilizer Technology Center), an international agricultural organization based in Taipei City.

I stayed in Taiwan for ten days and when I visited Hualien City, I found the place awesomely beautiful. Then, I was struck with astonishment when I saw the gorgeous Taroko Gorge. I found Taiwan an exceptionally beautiful country and immediately fell in love with it. After my very short but memorable visit courtesy of my sister Tina, I bid Taiwan a promise, "I shall return."

In my passionate and adamant desire to be back in Taiwan, I applied for a slot in the 2007 Taiwan Scholarship Program with TECO or Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila. Fortunately at my age, I was granted the scholarship and was sent to Tzu Chi University in Hualien City, the school of my choice to study Mandarin Chinese for six months under the 2007 Taiwan Scholarship Program. I set foot in Hualien City for the second time on September 10, 2007, the start of the new episode in my life in my early forties.

I got excited with all the new things that I had been encountering in Taiwan---rich culture, friendly people, adorable places, interesting language, artful system of writings, savory food, magnificent temples, and many more.
I came to know Tzu Chi University as an ideal place to study, a conducive place to learn, and a "fertile soil" to grow intellectually and spiritually. I found Hualien City a shangrila, a haven of natural beauty where the mighty Pacific ocean meets the majestic mountains. Everywhere and anywhere I looked at seemed to me a picture of esthetic and an intricate image of balance and order. But not until I visited St. Paul's Catholic Church at 34 Min Guo Road.

At St. Paul's Catholic Church, an exactly different picture of Taiwan was revealed to me. There, I found out that behind the veil of Taiwan's unspeakable and outstanding beauty, a disturbing and saddening truth was hidden. There were the tired, exhausted, and sorrowful faces of my countrymen, faces of the Filipino migrant workers---domestic helpers, caregivers, fishermen, and marble factory workers. The parish priest of St. Paul's Catholic Church is Father Jean-Pierre Richard, MEP, a young and energetic French missionary who had been trying his best to help the Filipino migrant workers with their problems. The moment I saw him and knew what he had been doing to alleviate the sufferings of the Filipino migrant workers, I started to admire him and to refer to him as "foreigner helping foreigners in foreign land." Then gradually, as days passed bay, I developed an urge to help Father Richard in his mission with the Filipino migrant workers. I could sense that it was a calling from God, a calling to serve Him by doing mission for my weary countrymen.

So, after finishing my Mandarin Chinese course in Tzi Chi University, I decided to stay in Taiwan, not so much because of its astounding beauty and amazing qualities but because of my sense of Christian love for others and the strong urge within me to work for and serve my people, the Filipino migrant workers in Hualien. I talked to Fr. Richard and expressed to him my desire to help and assist him in his mission for the migrants and work as catechist for the Filipino church-goers. That was the commencement of our partnership in our mission program for the migrant workers.

Right now, I work full-time and round-the-clock as catechist and social worker for the Filipino migrant workers. I work hand-in-hand with Fr. Jean-Pierre Richard, MEP in running the Catholic Migrant Chaplaincy of Hualien or CMCH formerly known as the Filipino Catholic Community Apostolate or FCCA which Father Richard and I formulated and instituted. The CMCH is a Catholic, non-profit, humanitarian, and socially-oriented mission program for the migrant workers in Hualien most of whom are Filipinos. The role of CMCH is to attend to the pastoral, spiritual, and other support needs of the workers and to help in their labor-related and other personal problems. The life of a migrant worker is not easy, it is a life of utmost sacrifice, it is a life beset by problems that range from the ordinary to the most bizarre like the following:1. difficulties in adjusting to and coping with the Taiwanese culture and social order
2. language problem
3. extreme homesickness
4. loneliness and depression
5. marital and domestice problem back home
6. adulterous relationship
7. vices
8. unbearable workloads
9. over-fatigue
10. sickness
11. occupational accident


To address these problems, the CMCH has the following activities to offer them: Sunday Mass, confession, Marian cenacle or prayer meeting, hospital and factory visit to the sick workers, actual caregiving to sick workers in hospital, spiritual guidance counseling, or by just talking and listening to them.

The migrant workers also encounter a variety of labor related problems. Many of them fall victims to unscrupulous and exploitative employment agencies in the Philippines in-cahoots with equally unscrupulous and exploitative brokers in Taiwan. A number of them also suffer maltreatment and abuse from callous and cruel employers. Most of the labor cases that I have handled involving the migrant workers as victims are the following:

1. illegal charging of exorbitant placement fee
2. violation of contract (illegal employer, illegal transfer, and illegal work)
3. unpaid salary
4. undue termination of work contract
5. no day off
6. no overtime pay
7. maltreatment
8. physical and verbal abuse
9. forced repatriationThere are existing malignant anomalies and corruptions within the overseas employment scheme in Taiwan which the poor and vulnerable Filipino migrant workers fall into. On top of this is the overcharging of employment placement fee by the Philippine private employment agencies in-cahoots with the Taiwan employment brokerages. To be able to get an employment slot in Taiwan, an applicant is asked to pay an exorbitant amount as employment placement fee which is way above the legal amount. The legal amount of placement fee in the Philippines is equivalent to one month salary of a factory worker which is NT$17, 280 ( PhP24,192) , and of a domestic helper and caregiver which is NT$ 15,840 (PhP22,176), plus the documentation costs. However, the placement fee being charged to the worker ranges from PhP90,000 to as enormously high as PhP150,00. Thus, a Filipino agent and a Taiwanese broker form a criminal partnership that victimizes and preys on the would be migrant worker.The applicant then borrows money from loan sharks and usurers at exorbitant interest rate just to satisfy the greed of the Filipino agent and Taiwanese broker. Usually, the full payment of placement fee is demanded and extracted two days or the day before the worker is scheduled to leave for Taiwan. The pitiful applicant is then left with no choice---it's take it or take it situation for her or him. The worker pays without receiving any receipt of the actual amount the she or he has paid. Thus in Taiwan, the worker works doubly hard for to reasons: to send money to his love ones back home, and to pay his debts. It is a common knowledge among Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan that a worker does not really earn for the first year of his 3-year work because almost all his earnings for 1 year are used up to pay for his debts.

There is another equally obnoxious but cleverly subtle scheme in extracting exorbitant placement fee from the worker. The worker is asked to pay the legal amount that is allowed by law and she or he gets a receipt for that. However, before the workers leaves for Taiwan, she or he is asked to sign a letter or a note which states that she or he borrowed an amount of money from the her or his Taiwan broker to pay for the placement fee, and that the said amount will be paid by installment in Taiwan by deducting it every month from the workers salary. If the worker does not sign the note, he stays. Thus, confronted with this situation, the worker becomes a willing victim, signs the letter, and off she or he goes to Taiwan.

Another classic example of evil practice in overseas employment in Taiwan is the wanton violation of of the worker's employment contract. So, after paying huge amount of placement fee to the employment agency, the life of a Filipino migrant worker starts becoming even more problematic when she or he finds out upon arriving in Taiwan that she or he must perform jobs that are contrary and totally different to the details stipulated in the work contract that is signed and agreed upon in the Philippines with the employment agency. For instance, a female worker hired as caregiver for an old patient will find out out to her dismay that there is actually no old patient to take care of in her employer's home but only toddlers to baby-sit, a big family to cook food for, a dirty house to clean, and her employer's restaurant nearby to serve. A male worker who underwent training as forklift operator as required prior to deployment to Taiwan will find out that his training which he paid for is of no use at all. There is no forklift in the factory to operate but slabs of marble and granite to cut and polish.
To address these labor related problems, my office has telephone hotline that a worker in distress can call anytime in case of immediate assistance. I listen the problem of the worker, diligently taking notes of the details, assess and evaluate the case and then I connect and discuss the problem with other agencies, offices, or organizations . Most of the times, I seek the assistance of the Philippine Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei City. I also call the local office of Taiwan's labor bureau, the Council for Labor Affairs of CLA. In some cases, I have sought the help of other religious organizations and agencies that also do mission works for and serve the interests of the migrant laborers like the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in the nearby county.

The first case of Filipino migrant worker in-distress that I handled was the case of Madel, a young Filipina who was working as all-around domestic helper in the nearby Taitung County. In her letter sent to me, she wrote, "I am afraid...I don't know what to do...I need your help so that I can solve my problems here. You and God are my only hope." Madel is a classic epitome of migrant worker from the Philippines who dream for a better paying employment in Taiwan, but suffered from horrible nightmare instead. She fell victim to an scrupulous Taiwanese broker and a slave driver Taiwanese employer. In her work contract, she was supposed to work as caregiver for an old sick woman. She had already prepared and trained herself to work as caregiver only to find out upon meeting her employer that she had to work an assortment of back-breaking jobs under three other employers related to each other.In her letter, she recited the litany of her everyday calvary from 4:00 am as restaurant all-around servant, onto 2:00 pm as house cleaner and laundry washer, then back to the house as cook and dish washer, then back to the restaurant at 3:00 pm as steamed-bread (mantou) baker, then back to the house as cook and dishwasher at 6:00 pm...and lastly, as stacker in an appliance store until 8:00 pm. Only then she could attend to her personal chores before she could finally lay her nearly-broken back to rest. She was physically exhausted and emotionally drained, felt gravely cheated and could not carry on. And worst, she had no day-off and barred from using cellphone to communicate and talk to other migrant workers in the area.Through the concerted effort of Father Richard, of Sister Teresa and Sister Maty of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, of OWWA-MECO in Kaoshung City, and yours truly, we were able to help Madel, save her from the hell she fell into, and send her back home in Pangasinan, Philippines, bringing with her all her compensation benefits, her bitter memories, and a story of her encounter with God through His faitfull servants.

The most distressing and daunting experience that I have ever had in serving the migrant workers was when I took care of a sick factory worker in the hospital and stayed overnight in his room to watch over him. He was a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy. His muscular and robust body all of a sudden had turned into frail and feeble flesh and bones. He was terribly hungry but could not eat. Every now and then he would vomit gluey liquid from his stomach, and throw out so painfully hard into a small bucket I was holding for him. He was crying, craving to be with his family...and wishing to die. I was beside him all night long, offering care, extending help, providing hope, and giving strenght while I myself was becoming weak and weary viewing the surreal scene right before my very eyes. I was not ready for that. But I had to hold on and I needed to be strong in order to give him strength.

Our mission program has been very successful in dealing with the problems of the Filipino migrant workers in here in Hualien. Father Richard has been very faithfull and dutiful in providing pastoral and liturgical services to them. On my part, I'm doing my very best to help to the utmost of my abilities. I can not do much to give the migrant workers all the help they need to make their lives more bearable. There is so much to be done to the overseas employment and deployment of workers to Taiwan to get rid the system of the corruption, anomaly, deception, exploitation, and depravity that have been victimizing the Filipino migrant workers and making their lives miserable and less dignified. The system is so huge and the evil within it is enormous. I can only do so little to change it or nothing I can do at all. I have my own limitations, and I'm not getting any younger, but not yet that old to commit myself to the service of others for the greater glory of God, AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM.

We often hear the saying, "Life begins at forty." Well, I say life can begin at any point in your life when you realize that your life after all is worth living by making a difference in other people's lives. Moreover, you can actually inject meaning into your life by identifying, fulfilling, and accomplishing the very purpose of your existence. We also often talk about mid-life crisis. Well, I can only talk about mid-life happiness that I have been expriencing and hope to experience till the end of the second half of my life...and beyond.

BUHAY TAIWAN

Ganito ako sa Taiwan---laging mulat sa katotohanan, sa kariktan ng mundo at sa kagandahan ng buhay.

Wala akong pansariling problema. Mga problema ng mga OFW o mga kababayan nating manggagawang migrante dito sa Taiwan ang nilulutas ko. Napakasaya ko kapag tutulog na ako ng 9:00 pm....ahhhh, ang sarap humimlay, ang sarap matulog, payapa at tahimik ang gabi, ang lambot ng kama. Pagkatapos ng panggabing panalangin, unti-unti na akong makakatulog habang inaalala ko ang mga pumanaw kong magulang...ang mga kapatid kong nasa iba't ibang bansa na rin...ang mga kaibigan ko...ang mga eksena sa iskwelahan...ang bahay namin sa San Pablo City...ang magandang Pilipinas!

Masigla akong gumigising ng 6:00 am para sa pang-umagang panalangin ng 6:30 am, misa ng 7:30 am kasama si Fr. Jeane-Pierre Richard MEP, at almusal ng 8:00 am. Pagsapit ng 8:30 am, nakaupo na ako sa aking opisina, ang Catholic Migrant Chaplaincy Of Hualien (CMCH) para sa buong araw na paglilingkod sa Diyos at sa mga kababayan nating manggagawang migrante. Sari-sari ang kanilang problema na idinudulog sa aking opisina---violation of contract, illegal salary deduction, no day-off, erroneous tax computation, maltreatment, at iba pa. Matiyaga kong nilulutas ang bawat kasong idinudulog o itinatawag sa akin. Nakikipag-ugnayan ako sa Philippine mission office o ang Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) at sa mga kinauukulang ahensya ng pamahalaang Taiwan gaya ng Council for Labor Affairs (CLA) at National Immigration Agency. Kapag wala masyadong ginagawa, nagpe-Facebook ako para kumonekta sa mga dating kaklase at estudyante, hehehehehehehe...

Pagsapit ng 5:00 pm, lumalabas ako para mag-jogging, namamasyal ako sa tabing-dagat upang magmuni-muni, o kaya, nagsu-swimming sa Tzu University Sports Complex, o kaya naman, dumadalaw sa mga mangagawang Pilipino sa mga marble factory. Pagsapit ng Sabado, hiking naman sa bundok o nature viewing sa Liyu Lake. Tuwing Linggo naman, inaasikaso ko ang mga OFW na sumisimba dito St. Paul's Catholic Church sa araw ng kanilang day-off. May meeting, seminar, labor forum, peer counseling, Marian cenacle, daldalan, kwentuhan, kainan, tawanan…ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Minsan isang buwan, pumupunta naman ako sa Taipei City para dalawin ang kapatid kong si Baby na information officer ng Food And Ferilizer Technology Center.  Madalas kaming mag-food trip, kumain sa iba't ibang lugar lalo na sa buffet restaurant.

Maligaya ang buhay ko dito sa Taiwan. Maligaya ako dahil sa pag-ibig…INIIBIG KO ANG DIYOS AT ANG MGA KAPWA KO TAO.

The FILIPINO CATHOLIC COMMUNITY APOSTOLATE

The Filipino Catholic Community Apostolate or FCCA is a Catholic migrant center of the Diocese of Hualien for the Filipino migrant workers who attend the liturgical rites and activities at St. Paul's Catholic Church at 34 Min Guo Road, 970 Hualien City, Taiwan Republic of China. The FCCA is actively linked and serves the Filipino migrant workers in conjunction with the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) of the Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference. The FCCA is designed to cater to the pastoral and support needs of the Filipino migrant workers in Hualien County and in the adjacent counties such as Yilan to the north and Taitung to the south which are all located along the eastern coast of Taiwan. The Filipino migrant workers in the area are mainly marble factory workers, caregivers, and domestic helpers in Taiwanese households whose human rights are constantly being violated and who are frequently being abused and maltreated by their employers. They are also constantly being cheated, exploited, and manipulated by their unscrupulous brokers. These are the main migrant labor problems and issues that our program aims to address.

The head of FCCA is our parish priest, a French missionary by the name of Fr. Jean-Pierre Richard, MEP. The FCCA is administered, managed and supervised by me, Mr. Baldomero Paelmo Bejosano, a Filipino lay Catholic missionary and catechist of the Diocese of Hualien. I am assisted by a group of volunteer church workers who form the leadership core group. The program is actively participated in by Filipino migrant workers from Hualien and nearby counties. Based on the latest official count, there are about 750 Filipino migrant workers in Hualien County, 1,152 in Yilan, and 215 in Taitung. These figures do not include the number of undocumented workers, illegal entrants, and overstaying aliens who are more vulnerable to abuses, maltreatment, exploitation and manipulation by unscrupulous members of Taiwanese society.

The mission of the FCCA is to provide pastoral and social services to the Filipino migrant workers in and around Hualien County so that their spiritual and moral well-beings are properly maintained, their rights as laborers are duly protected, their human dignity is upheld and secured, and their Catholic faith is strengthened.

The FCCA envisions a community of Filipino migrant workers in St. Paul’s Catholic Church who live according to the Gospel truths and Church moral teachings; who are aware and cognizant of their God-given rights and duties as laborers and stewards; secured and protected in their workplace; fulfilled in the performance of their tasks; and contented and grateful with the fruits of their labor and with the blessings of God.

To effectively fulfill the mission-vision of the FCCA, the program provides the Filipino migrant workers with activities whose objectives conforms with the mission of the priest in the church. The FCCA recognizes the role of the laity in effectively performing the mission of evangelization of the Church and the collaboration of the non-ordained faithful in the pastoral ministry of the clergy. The mission of the priest in the Church are as follow: minister of the sacraments, teacher of the Word, and loving pastor of the flock. As minister of the sacrament, he leads in the worship of God; as teacher of the Word, he preaches and educates; and as loving pastor of the flock, he serves the people of God. The lay faithful collaborate and participate in these priestly ministies, and from that precept, the three general objectives of the FCCA are drawn, and as follow: 1) to worship God; 2) to preach the Gospel and educate the people; and 3) to serve God by serving others.

With the collaboration of the Philippine mission office (MECO-OWWA) in Kaohsiung City and Taipei City, we have already assisted and successfully helped so many Filipino migrants here with their labor problems like the following recent cases:

1. RODEL PEREZ and FERDINAND GOROSPE: unpaid salary, forced repatriation;

2. SUNNY ALSADO COYAO: occupational accident, a slab of marble stone fell on his lower right foot that severely fractured the bone;

3. NITA M. ELVAMBUENA: illegal work, violation of contract;

4. NORIBETH VALDEZ PILE: maltreatment, physical abuse;

5. MARIDEL GARABELLES: illegal employer, illegal work, no day-off.

The FCCA gets its operational funds from Sunday collection and donation from conscientious individuals. However, the Sunday collections have been dwindling and our fund is fast depleting, thus, our financial status is in bad shape. I am inviting you then to participate in the performance of our lofty mission through your prayers, material donations, and financial support.

We do hope to receive positive and encouraging response and reaction from you. Thank you very much. Mabuhay ang mga manggagawang Pilipinong migrante!!!

BALDOMERO P. BEJOSANO

Lay Missionary Catechist
St. Paul’s Catholic Church
34 Min Guo Road, Hualien City 970, Hualien County
Taiwan Republic of China
Tel: (03) 833-5763
CP: 0928716764
email: bejo_sano@yahoo.com.ph
sir_buddy@hotmail.com

DOING UNTO OTHERS

"Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers that you do unto me..."

This verse taken from the gospel according to Matthew chapter 25, verse 40 is the first line of a touching song “Whatsoever you do” that I used to sing during my high school days in Ateneo de San Pablo. I still sing this song loudly in my heart and actually doing the very essence of this song in my everyday life, just like yesterday...

I accompanied Noribeth to the labor office of Hualien City here in Taiwan Republic of China. Noribeth, who has been working as a caretaker for an old woman, was beaten black and blue by the viciously violent husband of her ward. We were at the local labor office then to file complaints and seek redress. As a Catholic missionary here in Taiwan, one of my missions is to extend assistance to the Filipino migrant workers who have been treated unjustly and unfairly in their places of work.

When we were at the waiting area of the office, an Indonesian woman caught my attention. She was bewailing and crying very poignantly. I learned that her work contract had been abruptly terminated by her employer after just three months of working as domestic helper. She was left with no choice but to go back to Indonesia to face the huge debt and bank loan that she had accumulated just to pay for the placement fee, broker’s fee, airplane ticket and for other “necessary evils” just to be able to work in Taiwan.

Noribeth asked her if she had already sought any help from the Indonesian mission office in Taiwan or from any migrant groups that help the Indonesian workers. The Indonesian woman said that she knew nothing about them. Upon hearing that, I took my backpack to get the help hotlines in Indonesian that she could call to seek assistance. What happened next will never be deleted from my memory bank.

As I was opening my backpack, the employer and the broker of the Indonesian woman frantically embraced and grabbed her. She then forcibly clung to my left arm, held it so tightly, and mournfully ask for the hotlines, her lifelines. Then, a scuffle ensued. There was a brief thug-of-war. She was whisked away. The labor official then called us for the meeting.

I was so stung by that grossly cruel incident. What the Taiwanese employer and broker did was just inconceivable. To put down a fellow human being into a hapless and miserable situation is evil, but to prevent that same person from seeking help is satanic! I told Noribeth, “You know, you are much luckier than other foreign workers here in Taiwan. You have me, the Filipino community, the Philippine mission office, and God to help you.”

But the Indonesian woman is a child of God too who deserves His love, care and protection. And even if Noribeth is a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo religion, it doesn’t matter to me, a Catholic church worker, for I know deep down in my heart the two greatest commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength (Mark 12:30)” and “Love your neighbor as you love yourself (Mark 12:31).” One does not have to be entangled in all sorts of dogmatic and doctrinal explications to be able to live a truly Christian life. Just love God and your neighbor, be it Taiwanese, Indonesian or Filipino; Muslim, Taoist, or Iglesia ni Cristo. For isn’t it that loving your neighbors and your fellowmen can just simply mean respecting the rights and preserving the dignity of other people regardless of creed, color, and code?

Nevertheless, human situations nowadays demand not just simple respect for the rights and dignity of others, but rather, affirmative actions also need to be done. Due to greed and sinfulness of man, many of our brothers and sisters have been shoved to the edges of the society langushing in dire miseries. Noribeth should be helped in getting justice for the maltreatment she suffered, someone has to hand-over to the Indonesian woman the hotlines, there are hungry people around who need to be fed, homeless who need shelter, weary who need rest, oppressed who need justice.

It is then our inherent duty as human beings to participate and be involved in the alleviation of their sufferings. For I do believe that the value and worth of a person is not measured by what he does to himself but by what he does to the least of his fellowmen.

A CRY FOR HELP

“I am afraid...I don't know what to do...I need your help so that I can solve my problems here. You and God are my only hope...

It is a heart-breaking quote from her letter and a poignant cry for help from Madel, a young Filipina migrant laborer who works as an all-around domestic helper in Taitung County, Taiwan Republic of China. In her letter, she recited the litany of her everyday calvary from 4:00 am as restaurant all-around servant, onto 2:00 pm as house cleaner and laundry washer, then back to the restaurant at 3:00 pm as steamed-bread (mantou) baker, then back to the house as cook and dish washer at 6:00...and lastly, as stacker in an appliance store until 8:00 pm. Only then she can attend to her personal chores before she can finally lay her nearly-broken back to rest.

Madel is a classic epitome of migrant workers from the Philippines who dream for a better-paying employment in Taiwan, but only to experience horrible nightmare. They fall victims to some unscrupulous Taiwanese brokers and to some abusive Taiwanese employers. In her contract with the broker, Madel is suppose to work as a care-giver for an old sick woman. She is ready and prepared to work as a care-giver, only to find out upon meeting her employer in Taiwan that she has to work an assortment of back-breaking jobs under three employers related to each others. She is physically exhausted and emotionally drained, feels gravely cheated and can no longer carry-on. And worst, she does not enjoy day-offs, barred from using cellphone to communicate and forbidden to talk to other migrant workers. There is only one left whom she can talk and communicate to...God.

She has been praying ceaselessly and crying for help. Then, a fellow Filipina migrant worker clandestinely handed over to her a missalete from St. Paul’s Catholic Church located in the nearby Hualien County. On the missalete, the address and the telephone number of the church are printed. Madel did not hesitate. She called the church through a public phone. Buddy, a volunteer worker, received her frantic call...and her cry was heard at last.

Buddy immediately called the attention of the parish priest, Fr. Jean-Pierre Richard, MEP. The good priest has an out-reach program in his church called Filipino Catholic Community Apostolate that caters to the pastoral needs of the Filipino migrant workers in Hualien County. St. Paul’s Catholic Church has been helping, caring and sheperding the Filipino flock alongside the Taiwanese locals since 1995 upon the influx of migrant workers from the Philippines. The parish priest then was Fr. Auguste Lespade, MEP who was greatly loved and cherished by both the Taiwanese and Filipinos. He is succeded by Fr. Richard, a young, energetic, and conscientious priest filled with missionary zeal. He is conspicuously and undoubtedly French but whose heart is half-Taiwanese, half-Filipino.

Fr. Richard delicately directed the handling of Madel’s case. Madel was asked to send a letter to St. Paul’s Catholic Church detailing her agony and hardships. Upon receiving the letter that will be used as evidence, Buddy immediately coordinated with Sister Teresa Mabasa and Sister Matilde Serneo of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul based in Taitung County where Madel works. The two sisters also work tirelessly and zealously in their migrant ministry. The Philippine labor attache in Taiwan was also informed about the case and was called to action. Subsequently, a case of illegal work and violation of contract has been filed before the local labor authority against Madel’s broker and employer.

The case is now being processed, and surely, it will be a long, tedious and damnable one. For the time being, Madel needs care, moral support and spiritual guidance. Sadly speaking, the stake is always in favor of the broker and employer since migrant workers are not covered and protected by labor laws of Taiwan. Nonetheless, no matter how unfair the system is for the migrant workers, God’s merciful love and heavenly justice covers and protects all people from every nation, and God condemns the masterful and redeems the humble servants from prostration. Buddy holds it true. Sister Teresa and Sister Matilde  believe it in their hearts. Father Richard grounds his life on that truth. Thus, they fight on in the defense of the distressed migrant workers no matter how uphill the battle is.

After all, victory for Madel and for all the oppressed is assured because it is written so: “The Lord confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. When the just cry out, the Lord hears them, and from all their distress He rescues them (Psalm 34:17-18.)”.

PRAYER SERVICE at ST. PAUL'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, August 3, 2008, Hualien City, Taiwan ROC

THE FEEDING MIRACLE OF JESUS

I delivered this homily on August 3, 2008 during the prayer service at St. Paul's Catholic Church (34 Min Guo Rd., Hualien City, Taiwan ROC). This homily is based on the Sunday readings: First Reading, Isaiah 55-1-3; Second Reading, Romans 8:35, 37-39; Gospel, Matthew 14:13-21) . Fr. Richard is still in France and Fr. Vedrenne is in Vietnam for a short visit. Therefore, in the absence of priest to lead the mass, we hold prayer service instead which I lead.

I will always remember the first Sunday mass that I attended here in St. Paul’s Catholic Church on September 16, 2007. I was still then a student at the Center For Language Studies of Tzu Chi University. My classmate from Peru named Kamuy told me about St. Paul’s Catholic Church where Filipinos attend mass, and after the mass, they gather and together they eat lunch being offered by the church for free. “That's cool...amazing,” I told Kamuy, “this is the first time that I heard of a church where after the congregation have received spiritual food during the eucharistic celebration, another gathering immediately follows, and this time, to eat food for physical nourishment. This church offers the congregation a perfectly balanced diet---food for the physical body and food for the soul. That is so cool.”

I searched for that church to try their so-called free lunch, and to attend mass, of course. To my amazement, the food indeed tasted so good so I came back the next Sunday, to attend mass of course. Then I discovered that St. Paul’s Catholic Church also offers free supper; and that most of the food come as donations; and that the Filipino community of this church thrives, lives and eats together through sharing of resources, time and talents. Then, I decided to work as a volunteer to do my share both for the church and for the community. It has transformed my life since then, until I decided to stay here to serve. Hence, my physical body and my soul have become healthier than ever. Thanks for the physical and spiritual food that God so faithfully provides us in this church. You may not be aware of it but the hands of God is working in the midst of us here, and the feeding miracle of God is happening in our lives.

Todays gospel tells of another feeding miracle of God. It is a favorite story about Jesus, his disciples, and the hungry crowd that was told over and over again. It is not told merely once, not twice, not three times, but four times in its variations. It is the only Gospel miracle which is told in its fullness in all four Gospels.In the story, Jesus Christ looked on the massive crowd with compassion, like they were sheep without a shepherd, like people who were in need of spiritual feeding for their spiritual hungers inside. And so he taught them and he healed them. They only had five loves of bread and two fish and yet Jesus invited everyone to be seated on the green grass. Jesus took the bread…looked up into heaven...gave thanks...broke it…gave it to his disciples...who gave it to the crowds. And they all ate and were all satisfied ...and… there were twelve baskets of bread left over. The number who ate were five thousand men, plus women and children.
Now, why is this story told over and over again? It was told over and over again because I believe this story captures the very truth and the very essence of Jesus as the wondrous Son of God. It captures the very essence of God, His generosity, His abundant grace and extravagant gifts to us. It captures the very essence of God as our great provider and and sustainer. It also captures the essence of our lives, who having seen the miracles of God day by day, all around us, we still doubt and ask, “where is Gods action in my life?”

Sometimes, people ask about this story: “How did Jesus Christ do it? How did he feed all those people with so litte food, with merely five loaves and two fish.”

There is a thinking among some biblical scholars who explain that the real miracle in the story is the success of Jesus Christ in persuading the people to share the food that they have at that moment. According to them, when the people saw that Jesus really cared for the crowd, the people suddenly felt generous and started sharing what they have brought. Therefore, the real miracle is not the multiplication of bread and fish but the multiplication of generous hearts. The selfish hearts of the people were transformed into generous hearts and were inspired to look inside their coats and share the food that they brought with them, food that had been hidden inside their clothing. But no matter how laudable or plausible this explanation of sharing may be, this is not the message of Matthew who points to Jesus as the source of bread, like God who fed the Israelites in the desert. Moreover, in the story, the disciple see that the people do not have food and suggest to Jesus to dismiss the crowd so that they can buy food. But Jesus replies that there is no need for them to go away. He Himself will feed the people.

Jesus really multiplied the loaves and fish, because He had compassion on those who were going without, and because He wanted to meet a much deeper and more eternally significant need: the need of the human heart for God, for divine healing, forgiveness, and joy.

The multiplication of bread and fish is not just an actual feeding miracle but also a sign about Jesus and of his mission. A sign, as we all know, points to something else and it gives directions. Thus, the miracle of the feeding of the crowd by Jesus is a sign that points beyond the miracle of multiplying the bread and fish---it is a sign that points to The Eucharist. It is a sign that points and foreshadows the continuing and real miracle which is the Eucharist.

Our Lord Jesus Christ uses the feeding of the crowd to prepare the people for His teaching on the Holy Eucharist. It shows us God’s power to transcend the physical to meet our needs, physical or more importantly spiritual. It points to the continuing miracle of the Holy Eucharist in which there is always enough, more than enough, to feed the souls of all who believe. Just as the miracle of the multiplication caused the crowd to believe that Jesus was the messiah, so the reality of the continuing miracle of the Holy Eucharist must inspire in us faith in Jesus, true God and true Man, who gives us His Flesh and Blood to eat and drink that nourishes our soul and gives us happiness as well as physical well-being.

There are deeper needs of the human soul that food and material things can not satisfy. Once there was an American millionaire by the name of Jay Gould who had a lot of money to buy all that he wanted to buy. Before he died, his fortune amounted to $72,000,000, a lot of money to buy loaves of bread and fish. But when he was dying, he said, “I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.” He failed to understand that “Life is not in the things we possess,” and “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

A saying tells, “We are what we eat.” In this church, we will continue to eat together the fruits and produce of our generous sharing and loving concern for each other. This feeding in our church shall continue to foster unity and camaraderie among us and to build a stronger and more authentic Christian community. And in our regular and faithful attendance in Holy Mass and partaking in the Eucharistic celebration, we eat one bread and drink in one cup which makes us one body in One Lord Jesus Christ; and we though many throughout the earth, we shall forever remain one body in this One Lord. AMEN