Spiritual Reflexion – June 2017

Are you afraid of our world?

This year I’ve decided to spend a couple of months travelling – I was so excited. Around November I was telling my family and friends of my future travels and how much I was looking forward to it but somehow there would always be a point in the conversation where they would tell me to “Be careful because something terrible happening there…” or “Don’t trust anyone because they might do you harm…” – I was quickly filled with fear. Why am I leaving my safe home in a first world country to travel to different places in third world countries?

As I reflect on these thoughts and doubts that I had a couple of months ago – I feel ashamed. I’m here right now in the Philippines, a country where I was born and raised in, a country that was my home, a country that I was scared to go back to because of the comments that others had made to me. I felt ashamed of how others comments so easily somehow morphed my view and caused fear in my views and beliefs and this is so relevant to things happening today. I felt ashamed because I am a Vincentian and one of our beliefs is to not judge people but to love them wholeheartedly – something that should be practiced internationally and not just locally.

The world is such a wonderful place – filled with loving, caring and hardworking people. Each and every person I have met on this journey from the stewards on the plane, to the merchants on the street, to people who have helped me with directions were not something to be feared but to be inspired by.

Today, there is a lot of separation in the world – it seems so much more prevalent now more than ever – anger, division, hate and fear is what we are bombarded with. Let us not let others influence our views – let us strive to be better, to be more informed and to be trusting that God will prevail and whatever is happening in our world today is happening for reasons part of Gods omnipotent plan.

Are you afraid of our world?

Don’t be – go out there and just LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS GOD HAS LOVED YOU.

Sophia Mutuc, member of the Spiritual Committee