We, the community of the Focolare in Aklan, have always had a special love for the marginalized in society. For many years, we have been working with the diocese, the local government, and various organizations to help those in need like the indigenous Aeta families who, in this age of industrialization, were left with no land to till. We worked together to give them some land, build their houses, and ensure their continuous human and integral development. Reaching out to the poor is how we try to be a family among us, working together for others, and through concrete actions, we share with the underprivileged the love of Jesus. But our going-out to them is not from “us” towards “them.” We consider these people as part of our big Focolare family.
To be a family
During the lockdown, our thoughts went to the daily wage earners among our members and some families closest to us. How could they survive without a means to earn a living? Amid concern for their future, our friends from abroad also thought of sending us financial help from a communion of goods in their community. It is an experience of God’s providence who meets the needs of His people. However, it was not easy to bring food to designated families. We were not allowed to buy in bulk and this entails two-hour daily queues in the supermarket. Another difficulty was crossing the boundaries between towns as they were blocked. Despite all these, we were able to reach 108 families in 8 localities of the province in two weeks. It was moving to receive “Thank you” notes from small children living in the mountains for the rice they have received from us. The food items were just a concrete expression of our love, of our being a family among us, of our desire to be close to them, letting them feel that we had thought of them during this time of crisis. Because this is what being a family is.
A project is born
We knew that we couldn’t provide food for our people all the time. What we managed to give was maybe enough for one week’s consumption. What then? A Chinese proverb says: “You give a poor man a fish and you feed him for a day. You teach him how to fish and you give him an occupation that will feed him for a lifetime.” So we had to come up with a sustainable project to support our families. We had been praying to God to inspire us, to lead us so that we could understand how we can help our people. They are hardworking people, yet they don’t have the opportunity to uplift themselves economically. Two of our mothers are laundry women. One sells snacks on the streets and, despite working for 10 hours a day, they can hardly buy food for the family. Two of them are widows with four or five small children to raise. A mother with three teenage girls has a physical disability. As we distribute the food from house to house, we have seen where they live and what their situation is. Since some of them have their own backyards where they could plant vegetables, we have understood together that if we support our people in farming by giving them training and necessary tools, they can develop their backyards and have a good harvest. Thus, our journey as a community for others continued. We would meet through online video conferences and share all our ideas, one of which was this farming project.
There were many elements to consider. First, we had to define our objectives to focus on what we wanted for our community. We asked ourselves, who we are and what our goals were. Our main objective has always been clear for us: to weave relationships among people and be a family because we are brothers and sisters to one another, children of one Father. Thus, it is not enough to give food to the hungry or to give them the means to earn a living. Our objective is more than that. We want to create a community of people who, like in a family, share everything they have – both needs and possessions, joys and difficulties, and become like the first Christian community where “everything is shared and no one among them was in need.” We wanted each member to grow and develop in the different aspects of life. Moreover, we desired to see each one succeed and be happy. This way of life has its basis on the Gospel law of reciprocal love.
We feel that God is leading us step by step. In the Aklan Focolare community, we have different talents and experiences, all of which are placed in common to serve the project and our people. Some of us have a little more experience in growing vegetables, and another has expertise in financial matters. Someone has experience in training and organization while another is good in public relations. Among us, we are like one body with different functions. We also got to know key people outside our small group who could help us like the husband of a member, who is a certified trainer in organic farming. We saw that his farm “The Farmer Hand’s Garden” is the best environment for the training. We started to come in contact with different groups or individuals who could help or work together with us. Since for any project, funds are needed, we were happy that the Focolare community of Bassano-Marostica in Italy, through their communion of goods, supports our project so that we can offer training, start-up tools, and seeds for our initial 20 farmers. Those who learned about the project sent us financial support through 500-peso contributions. However, it was not the amount but the closeness and support of so many people that made this project possible. Everything about the project was the fruit of the love that circulates among so many, even from one continent to another. A tapestry of love was connecting people, families, and communities. It was such a beautiful experience of communion!
Love for Christ crucified and forsaken as foundation
The Focolare local community of Aklan was born more than 30 years ago and after the enchantment of the first years of living the Spirituality of Unity, it seemed that the “fire” we experienced in our first encounters with the Movement was slowly dying out in each one of us. At times, we are nostalgic for “the early days” when we had the enthusiasm to live and share the life of the Gospel. Even our working together or having a meeting became a bit heavy for each one of us.
The project required a greater commitment from us, not only in developing its practical aspects; but most of all, it also demanded a strong unity among us. As we lived together and worked side by side, seeking to love one another through the years, at times, we also rubbed each other the wrong way, with our limits and imperfections, leaving behind wounds that made our relationships suffer. There were moments of misunderstanding, feelings of rejection, etc. which were not expressed but denied and suppressed for fear of upsetting people or causing problems. All these became burdensome and caused restlessness both in body and spirit.
Nevertheless, with openness and faith in God, we began to understand the source of our difficulties: our own pride and lack of trust in one another. We realized that each one of us needs to be humble, sincere, and truthful before God and one another to accept our weaknesses and allow our love for Christ, who was crucified and forsaken on the cross, to heal our wounded relationships. It was not an easy thing to do because it took courage and humility which, thanks to God’s grace, helped us recognize our limits. Afterwards, we experienced the miracle of Jesus who returned in our midst again. Truly, as St. Paul said, “for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10).
The first one-day activity with our farmers was an explosion of love, joy, and light beyond words. The program went ahead smoothly, the details of the day were prepared with much love, the harmony of the environment, even the weather, cooperated, and all contributed to creating “that atmosphere” of joy and love that enveloped everyone including our farmers and trainer. God had made everything new in us and among us. We wanted to say “come and see” because by giving our lives for one another, Jesus has brought us to the resurrection where He is present among us.
Signs of the Risen Christ: the project kicks off
Last August 1, 2020, we witnessed the launch of this farming project in the barrio[1] of Jumarap, in Banga, Aklan, on a farm that employs organic farming with new technologies. For a day, we gathered together with our meager resources, just enough to pay the transportation expenses of those who decided to continue and learn their farming methods, and also for our lunch and some materials for backyard home gathering. It was a great joy for all of us to experience being a family. The Risen Jesus was palpably present in our midst, an outburst of his love for his people. After the project launch, many others expressed their desire to join us in this endeavor as they saw it as formative and economically sustainable.
We have begun a journey where there is no turning back. With our many ideas and plans, we believe that Christ in our midst will enlighten us and lead us to a better quality of life in our communities. We continually put ourselves in God’s hands, as we are only His instruments. Many people are contacting us, asking how to join our farming project. God’s providence continues to arrive and we consider His intervention as a sign that He blesses our project. We feel that what we are doing is a work of God. Trials must always be part of it to purify our intentions, to make use of our imperfections, and even our failures to love in an authentic way. To widen our horizons to that of God’s, we need to go beyond our limits. This entails pain, like the labor pains of a mother giving birth to a child. The cross has tested us in different ways and there lies the foundation of this project. In the end, all of us experience the immense joy of working for God’s kingdom with Jesus among us.
Mary Ann Tolentino and Fr. Am Mijares
[1] A Filipino term of Spanish origin meaning a quarter or district in a town or city; synonymous to “barangay” (village)
