Swim Against the Tide

My daily commute to work is, at most times, uneventful. Often I'd take the one-tricycle, one-jeepney ride to go to New York, Cubao (my stop), and then walk about a minute or so to get to the Obispado. (It's been a joke among friends that I'm a New Yorker, only that I work near New York Street in Quezon City. The streets around the office are names after some North American cities, like Chicago, Vancouver, Seattle, Maryland, Denver, among others.)

This morning I took an FX from Rotonda. (An FX is a term used for non-metered taxis, named after the 1986 Toyota Tamaraw FX model of multi-purpose vehicles.) I sat at the back, where it was comfortable. Beside me was a woman probably in her 50s. Across from me were two young male students. In the middle seat were three more young men, and a woman. In front, beside the driver, were two women who wore uniforms I recognized as from a bank. The male passengers, based on their conversation that the rest of us could not help but overhear, are students of a university that we'll pass along the route to Cubao.

At first they were talking about school, and then one of them (who was sitting in the middle seat) brought out his phone and showed the pictures in it to his friends. They passed along the phone, to the two men in front of me. They started to act giddy. I could not find the accurate English translation for "kilig", but they were all that. I later deduced that those were pictures of other young men like themselves.

One of them (the student sitting across from me) blurted out, "Sana ma-approve din and same-sex marriage dito sa Pinas!" (I hope same-sex marriage gets approved here in the Philippines, too!)

At this, the women in the front and middle seats, looked behind them towards that young man.

I have a feeling my jaw dropped and my mouth was open in utter disbelief at what I heard. I think I was about to butt into their conversation, but good thing that his friend beside him said, "Friend, matakot ka naman! Huwag naman ganun! (I noticed how reverently he did the sign of the Cross as he faced his friend.)  

(The rest of what he said I cannot recall accurately in verbatim, but I will do my best to remember what I heard...) 

"Hindi naman tayo kagaya ng mga Amerikano. May takot pa naman tayo sa Diyos. Okay na tayo ng pa-crush-crush lang sa mga boys. Hayaan na natin ang kasal para sa mga lalaki at babae lang. Yun naman talaga ang nais ng Diyos. Huwag na natin hangarin ang mali naman. Ayoko nga magaya ang Pinas sa sinapit ng Sodom at Gomorrah. Basta dapat sunod lang tayo kay God, para true happiness tayo." (My friend, have fear! Not like that! We are not like the Americans. We still have fear of the Lord. Let us be content with having crushes on boys. Let us leave marriage to be solely for a man and a woman. That is how God wants it anyway. Let us not desire something that is truly wrong. I do not want the Philippines to suffer the same fate as Sodom and Gomorrah. We ought to obey God, to have true happiness.)

I remember reading just recently about the message of Pope Francis to the youth on the occasion of the 30th diocesan World Youth Day held at the Vatican last Palm Sunday:

"God has placed in the heart of every man and woman an irrepressible desire for happiness, for fulfillment. Dear young men and women, in Christ you find fulfilled your desire for goodness and happiness. He alone can satisfy your deepest longings, which are so often clouded by deceptive worldly promises.

Do not let the precious treasure of the ability to love and be loved to be debased, destroyed or spoiled. In encouraging you to discover the beauty of the human vocation to love, I also urge you to rebel against the widespread tendency to reduce love to something banal, reducing it to its sexual aspect alone, deprived of its essential characteristics of beauty, communion, fidelity and responsibility."

In another homily, the Holy Father addressed the youth and told them to "Remain steadfast in the journey of faith, with firm hope in the Lord... He gives us the courage to swim against the tide. Pay attention, my young friends: to go against the current; this is good for the heart, but we need courage to swim against the tide. Jesus gives us this courage! There are no difficulties, trials or misunderstandings to fear, provided we remain united to God as branches to the vine, provided we do not lose our friendship with Him, provided we make ever more room for Him in our lives...

We Christians were not chosen by the Lord for little things; push onwards toward the highest principles. Stake your lives on noble ideals, my dear young people!"

Soon, the young men had to get off. The one who stood for his faith, in truly admirable humility, said "Sorry po" to us. The old woman beside me said, "Mabait kang bata. Pagpalain ka ng Diyos." (You are a good young man. God bless you.)

All I could utter was a "Thank you" and "God bless you!" And I kind of regret now that I did not even get his name.

There was that sense of relief. Hope filled my heart. I have hope for this generation of young Filipinos. I am thankful that there are members of the LGBT community who prefer to stand for their Faith, and remain firm in their conviction to live according to the precepts of God.

Incidentally, the song on the radio played, "When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, 'Let it be.'"

I did pray a Hail Mary, and asked the Lord to increase the number of young courageous soldiers of the Faith. And specially protect young men like that one I just encountered today.

Ad majorem Dei gloriam!