Reclaiming Spiritual Formation for the Mestiza Body

This article is from the forthcoming Moody Center magazine, set to publish spring 2022. To learn more about the magazine and Moody Center, subscribe to their newsletter.

Whether we realize it or not, we all exist at the intersections of differing realities. For me, I exist as a Second-generation American-Filipinx, heteronormative female, and this is hardly an exhaustive picture of who I am and what constitutes who I am becoming. All the elements of who I am, come together in my body in a way that reminds me that I straddle various realities always at once. I am Mestiza. The same is true of several bodies today. With the rise of globalization, the internet, and other sweeping factors that are beyond any singular person’s control, we all find ourselves straddling the lines of various realities, a world of mestizaje, not by race or by blood, but by history and by experience. Many of us hold this mestizaje in our bodies, and while mestizaje by blood might manifest itself by the mixed color of skin, that which we inherit by history and experience is far more subtle, but nonetheless significant.

As a Filipina woman growing up in America, I was made ignorant to my people’s subjugation first by the Spanish and then by the US. Especially since the history I was learning was disseminated by our conquerors. However, even despite such ignorance, there still existed in my body a trauma for which I could not account. I moved about my space as though it didn’t belong to me, and no affirmation of inclusion could quell the voice that whispered: “You don’t belong.” It wasn’t just the lack of brown faces in the crowd that taught me this, nor was it solely the micro-aggressions I suffered at the hands of well-intended people—although these did not help. No, that voice came from something deeper; something like my very DNA (the stuff that made me me) seemed to communicate this. My body didn’t fit the world it was born into, or at least the world it was born into did not make space to fit my body.

As it turns out, trauma can be passed down from generation to generation. Recent psychological advancements have found that trauma can intricately affect the DNA of future generations. Thus, the particulars of my mestizaje brings with it not just difficulties in the present, but traumas of the past as well. As an Asian American woman, I am affected by the centuries of sexualizing the “exoticized” Asian female body. As a Filipina, I am impacted by the lifetimes of colonization. The older I get, the more I believe the historic trauma of subjugation, violent misogyny and racism affect my very body. They accumulate and bear what at times feels like actual weight on my body. I feel it in my shoulders. It is hard to form a person spiritually, when the body feels burdened physically. I was in need of a spiritual formation that involved and included my body.

For this reason, as a member of the church, I often find myself asking: What does spiritual formation look like when it includes my body? This question is now a key lens for how I listen to a sermon, take spiritual direction, and participate in church community. I would argue that this was a key lens for me, even before I could articulate it. Whether we realize it or not, since we are products of a violent history, we will eventually seek out a spiritual formation that heals all of who we are.

Being that we are mestizas in our own respective ways, a good question to ask is what does it look like to involve the reality of our mestizaje in our ministries? Most assume spiritual formation is an individual’s concern, and they treat it as a task of personal work that must be done by each Christian. However, I would caution the minister from absolving herself from responsibility for the spiritual formation of her community. In my personal experience, I would not know to look into my communities shared traumatic history, had it not been for visiting preachers of various backgrounds, considering book recommendations from mentors, and penetrating questions from my friends. My spiritual formation was and is complemented by thoughtful ministers.

In this way, I implore ministers to be aware of the possibility of their role in a mestiza’s spiritual formation, and in the same meticulous way she brings thought to her exegesis and hermeneutics, space can be made to explore the wide range of spirituality and spiritual teaching that exists in the greater body of Christ. The church is in need of a communal consciousness that recognizes its reality as a mixed people. Who better to awaken this consciousness than the ministers who provide our spiritual guidance? For this reason, ministers must begin to engage deeply the diverse breath of scholarship and voices that exist on the topics of race, gender and diversity (to name a few). Engaging this diversity within a ministry might begin to spark the curiosity of her congregants and begin the important work of discovering the intersections of their reality.

Moreover, learning to ask the right questions also aids in holistic spiritual formation. How do we invite this sort of inquiry into our ministries? Where in your body do you hold trauma? Where do you hold pain? What parts of your given reality do you feel like the pain stems from? These are good questions to begin asking yourself, and as you become more acquainted with your own histories you will learn better the questions that help encounter fellow mestizas. We begin the work of learning what the right questions are by letting ourselves be self-critical, knowing that we have probably asked many of the wrong questions. The right questions begin in introspective humility.

These are simply starting points to reclaiming spiritual formation for the mestiza body, and it cannot end here. If it is true that we hold our given realities in our bodies, then it must be true that any spiritual formation must include the body. What does this look like in the church setting? If we are to be honest about who belongs in our church, then our pulpits and stage must reflect this. The body as it presents itself looks to what’s similar to follow and to belong. If there are congregants in your seats that cannot find anyone on the stage that even remotely resembles themselves or their journeys, they might be hard-pressed to feel like they belong. The voice that has followed me my whole life might haunt many of your congregants as well. Perhaps it is time to invite other voices and other faces to the pulpit to preach, to read scripture, and to share. Reclaiming spiritual formation for the mestizo Body must include the whole of the Church Body.

As you look to the ways of introducing the intersecting realities of your congregations and ministries, know that you are not alone. Your particular body cannot be all things to all people at all times. There are limitations that our bodies put on us. It is good, then, that our Body extends beyond our singular selves. It is thus a question not just of our own humility but also our spiritual agility. There is a whole cloud of witnesses, mestizo people, whom we can learn from and lean on and invite. There is no time like the present to begin this important work.

I still remember the first time I encountered a minister who looked like me. It was pivotal, not just because I could then perceive myself in ministry, but because I knew there was someone in ministry who might understand and see in some part my particular experience of mestizaje. For the first time my Filipina American body could rest in the belief that I belonged. This began a journey of spiritual formation that sought to grasp all of who I am as crucial to the Body of Christ. For this reason, I am convinced that the invitation of another and of someone different is how we begin to reclaim spiritual formation for the mestizo Body.

About Jelyn Leyva

A Second-generation Filipina born in Tampa, FL, Jelyn Leyva graduated Moody Bible Institute in Chicago on May 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Women in Ministry and an Interdisciplinary in Theology. She is currently in Los Angeles, CA pursuing an MDiv at Fuller Theological Seminary with her emphasis in Christian Ethics. Having lived in various places in the US, Jelyn’s interest lie in the complex history and multi-ethnic life of the Protestant Church in the US. Her hope is to serve this church and its many colors with the consideration of traditional and contemporary theological scholarship.

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Should It Stay or Should It Go?

As humans, our history is marked by wounds of the past. We fight one another. We exploit one another. We kill one another. Our history is shaped by human injury; so, it makes sense that in a retelling of this history we would perpetuate injury. Injury begets injury. History-telling always runs the risk of aggrandizing someone’s story at the expense of another’s. That is the tension that exists between history and injury. This tension can even find its home in tangible spaces. Today, that tension found a home at the sites of many U.S. monuments. One of these homes is in Brandenburg, KY.

“On April 29, 2016, Louisville announced the removal of the Confederate monument, but attorneys stopped the city by filing a temporary injunction to stop demolition, and a lawsuit.”

– “New Monument History” Plaque in front of “Our Confederate Dead” statue in Brandenburg, KY.

“Our Confederate Dead” monument, which once stood in Louisville next to the Ohio River, is now situated about 45 miles south of the river in Brandenburg. The plaque, quoted above, stands in complement to two others. The one mentioned has a heading that reads, “New Monument History,” which tells the story of the new placement of the old monument. The second contributes a haunting echo of history by commemorating a quote from Basil Duke, a Confederate General Officer, on the folly of forgetting history. And the third, a plaque titled “Southern Causes for the Civil War,” offers a 248-word proof of the South’s motivation for entering the Civil War. In the shadow of that monument, all three plaques—not yet 5 years rusted—make clear that we are still fighting remnants of a war that ended 151 years ago. As the third plaque alludes, the Civil War was a war of sentiment.

I still remember my first time hearing the history of the Civil War explained to me by someone not from the South. It was like being told of a new war, one that was completely different from the Civil War that I had learned about. Having grown up in Florida, under the careful tutelage of southern evangelical curricula, my understanding of the Civil War was that it was a war of rights and not of slavery. Slavery was a footnote to the overall question: Who gets to enforce the rights of a man—God himself or man’s governing body? In fact, when reading the “Southern causes for the Civil War” plaque, it was like being reintroduced to an old memory. The plaque reads,

“Northern abolition movements with a goal to end slavery threatened to undermine the entire southern economy and culture free from northern interference, the south under pressure from the aristocratic plantation owners, seceded from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America.”

According to the South, the North has painted over (or overwritten) the true economic and political issues behind the war with a manipulative picture of an evil slave state. The sentiment of the South is that they and their confederate kin are misunderstood, and the story of their fight is unfairly eclipsed by a history of slavery. Granted, it is quite hard to fit all that on one plaque, but this sentiment cannot be overlooked. Here is a history marked by injury. However, this injury is multi-faceted. What is not portrayed on this small plaque, is the exploitive reality of a South built on the backs of slaves. This an obtuse and glaring omission, which explains the contention of the very existence of the monument. For understandable reasons, the African American communities in the South want this monument torn down. Which brings us to our question: Should monuments like “Our Confederate Dead” stay or go?

Ghosts of the Past

Before we venture into the ethics of monuments, perhaps it is best to first ask: What are monuments? Why do we build them? What is their significance?

The monuments in our parks that we tend to overlook are not unassuming artifacts. Monuments capture history that we believe merit our remembrance in a significant, permanent way. Presumably, we create monuments to share memories with the generations that follow us. Built in stone, iron, or some other precious element that we believe can stand the test of time, we erect our monuments with the intent to provide a witness to history, but not just any history: our history, our nation’s history, our land’s history. Or at least, that is what we could hope for in our monuments. Through monuments, we attempt to speak beyond the grave. In a way, our statues surround us like ghosts begging to tell us a story.

We fashion our monuments with respectable facades, all so that we can bring resolve to the actions of our ancestors and expound their sentiments in hopes that they will still be relevant in the future. That is what I hear in the whispers of Southern Confederate statues, a plea to remember them in a perspective that regards their own inclinations and their own sentiments. I hear a cry of a people who never had the chance to publicly mourn the loss of their dead. The fallen confederate soldier wants to be remembered as having died a death that had purpose. This is indicative of a South that argues that it fought a war righteously regardless of its accused sins.

I think it is difficult for the South to dismantle its monuments because she has not yet grappled with her loss, both the loss of her dead and the loss of her conviction. Herein lies the problem; The South remains in limbo. She has not nursed her wounds. She continues to replay them over and over again like a trauma not processed. To nurse wounds would be to recognize them, and she has not quite reached that level of awareness because the world moved on after simply indicting her of her sins and leaving her destitute. While the work force she had was obtained by exploitive means, once the South lost the war, she had not a penny to her name and no means in which to gain it back. The South had nothing left but injury and history. So, she built monuments, erected legends, created myths to make it bearable to move forward in a new world.

This is history marked by a wound that was never dealt with, and now the buried grief resurfaces as generations pass and questions begin to be asked. There are other parts of the South’s history, not just the Confederacy’s, that have not been dealt with. Drowned out by the pleas of the dead proud confederate, is the forgotten cry of disenfranchised black slaves.

There must be a better way to build monuments that honors all of our histories and allows all of us to grieve the loss and the injury perpetuated on our kin.

Rest in Peace

In Washington DC, there is a memorial dedicated to the Veterans of the Vietnam War, which is arguably one of the most controversial wars of our modern day. The erection of a Vietnam Memorial caused a public outcry, and to add to the controversy, the architect chosen to design the memorial was an Asian-American.[1] Maya Lin, who was at that time 21-years old and unknown, created a stir in DC as she designed a memorial to look like what many could only describe as a wound in the earth.[2] Lin was attentive to everything from the material (black granite with a polished finish), to the way the names were displayed (chronologically by the deaths of the veterans and not alphabetically), to the way the memorial stood (sunk below the ground). She did all this so that we as a country could be attentive to the wound of that war. On the 35th anniversary of the memorial, then acting President Obama said this of the memorial:

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial has changed the way we think about monuments, but also about how we think about sacrifice, and patriotism, and ourselves. Maya’s pieces have changed the landscape of our country and influenced the dialogue of our society, never more profoundly than with her tribute to the Americans who fell in Vietnam by cutting a wound into the Earth to create a sacred place of healing in our Nation’s capital.

I am a daughter of immigrants. This land I grew up in does not know my family line. My family’s history in the United States is young. When I look up at most monuments in this country, I have no ancestral blood tied to it. There are, however, some monuments that do hold more weight to me as an Asian-American. The Vietnam Memorial is one such monument. A monument dedicated to a country’s fallen for a war of interference in a land nearer to mine echoes the sentiment of the third plaque from the statue of “Our Confederate Dead. The difference is that Lin’s monument, with all its raw ugliness, brings into greater focus the pain of warring sentiments and the human loss we create by our sins against one another. She allows the dead to truly rest by making us, the living, contend with the past. To her, monuments are more analogous to scars, in that they should be reminders of a past injury that have healed but forever marks us.

I believe that what Maya Lin’s monument provides for us is a better way forward. Her monument is a reminder that wounds can only heal if allowed to be exposed to air and sunlight. Moreover, it is strong proof that it is important to allow all parties of conflict and injury to have their say in the way we portray history. Imagine what the monuments in the South could look like if we had both Confederate descendants and African American kindred in open dialogue and empathetic construction. I think, if we employed both collaborative imagination and gracious sympathy more often and more earnestly, the monuments in our country could look much different.

It is time to restore our US monuments in a way that honors all parties. A collaborative restoration. Perhaps it is audacious, but I believe that in our world there is enough physical space for all of our dead to rest in peace, but only if the living are willing to fight for it.

“The absence of a narrative in which people of color are recognized for the contribution to society is dangerous because it leaves unquestioned the dominance of white people of the planet today, thus tacitly endorsing the notion of white superiority. People of color receive no credit for being an essential, although coerced, part of the development of the modern world.” ”

— Carl Anthony, Earth-City, 2017

About Jelyn Leyva

A Second-generation Filipina born in Tampa, FL, Jelyn Leyva graduated Moody Bible Institute in Chicago on May 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Women in Ministry and an Interdisciplinary in Theology. She is currently in Los Angeles, CA pursuing an MDiv at Fuller Theological Seminary with her emphasis in Christian Ethics. Having lived in various places in the US, Jelyn’s interest lie in the complex history and multi-ethnic life of the Protestant Church in the US. Her hope is to serve this church and its many colors with the consideration of traditional and contemporary theological scholarship.

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Foootnotes

[1] https://www.biography.com/news/maya-lin-vietnam-veterans-memorial

[2] http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/photos/maya-lin-ceremony-marks-35th-anniversary-vietnam-memorials-healing-power/

Tips To Moderating Quality Virtual Meetings

With COVID-19 creating a global stir, many of us are having to resort to the internet to connect us for our group meetings. Perhaps, you are already well-versed in the medium of virtual meetings and have often used Google Meets, Zoom, BlueJeans, etc., but when it comes to moderating you feel anxious about facilitating a quality conversation. Having moderated various virtual meetings and webinars, I have worked to compiled a list of tips that have worked for me in virtual space. These are tips on how to moderate quality virtual meetings.

1. A WARM VIRTUAL WELCOME

    Say hello to everyone by name as they log in. Not only is this a way to offer a warm welcome, but you also do this as a kind of Video and Mic check. Let your members know if you can or can’t see their video feed and or hear their sound. If you cannot hear or see them, troubleshoot with each individual.

   Quick Tips:

   Never assume that your members know or are familiar with the platform. Take the time to walk through every detail and be use visual language when doing it.

   Example

   “Hello, ______. Thanks for logging on. Happy to have you here. Would you be able to me a quick wave (to check their video) and a “hello” (to check their audio)?”
    “Tim, I see your video is not on. Would you be able to drag your mouse over the icon of a camera and click on it? It looks like a box with a triangle, and should be in the bottom right hand corner. [express where the icon is in your respective platform].

2. ORIENT YOUR GROUP TO THE PLATFORM

   Invitation Correspondence before the meeting

   When you type that first email to invite your group to your meeting, walk through every detail. You may want to login beforehand and ask yourself: “What are the steps I am taking to get onto this virtual meeting?” And then type them up step-by-step. Virtual meetings are not intuitive for everyone! You don’t want to alienate or make someone feel incompetent just because they do not know how to type in a meeting code, turn on their camera, etc. Take additional care in that first email invitation. Be sure to communicate that you will be available up to 30 min before the meeting to help with any set up questions and add a work/cell phone number that they call, just in case they are still struggling the day of the meeting

   Example

   You can find at the end of this handout, a copy of an Email Correspondence for a Google Meet event. You will want to adapt this to your respective platform.

   Quick Tips:

   Find ways to help alleviate your group member’s anxiety by making yourself available! There is nothing more frustrating than dealing with new technology without guidance.

    Orientation in the Initial Meetings

   Take about 15 minutes of your first few meetings to orient your group to the platform by explaining the functional pieces of the platform. You will want to make sure they know how to mute, turn their camera on and off, and utilize whatever chat function is available.

   Example (adapt to your respective platform)

   “Here in Google Meet you will have access to a few functions. You will find at the bottom of the screen three circular buttons with icons in them. The one on the left with the icon of a microphone, will give you control of your computer mic. Clicking this, will allow you to mute and unmute yourself. The middle circle button, is a red phone icon, clicking this will make you exit the meeting. You will want to avoid this until the end of the meeting. The right circle button with the icon of a camera, will give you control of your computer’s camera. Clicking this, will allow you to turn on and off your video feed. For purposes of our meeting, I ask you to keep this on so that I can see your head nods and/or thumbs up. However, if you are uncomfortable with this, or don’t have access to a camera, know that that is okay! I will just ask those of you without a camera to utilize the chat function. Speaking of chat, on the upper right-hand side, you will see a button, that looks like the chat square similar to the icon used for text on your phone. When you click this, you will open the chat box. We can use this to chat to one another throughout the meeting.”

3. SET VIRTUAL GUIDELINES FOR YOUR CONVERSATION

   You might consider yourself a loose and “freestyle” leader, however in virtual space a looser moderating style might eventually leave your group members confused and talking over one another. As the moderator you control the conversation. In virtual meetings, it is much harder to pick up on visual cues and body language. In face to face conversation one normally turns their head towards the person of whom they wish to address. Also, in in-person meetings we oftentimes open our mouths and/or point in someone’s general direction as they are speaking to express that we would like to respond to what they are saying. In virtual space, these bodily cues do not translate well, but there are ways that you can implement more virtual friendly cues and behaviors that will substitute to function similar to our in-person bodily cues.

   Make your group aware of the communicative obstacles of this medium.

   It’s hardly a secret that virtual meetings are not the same as face to face! Sometimes it is hard to put a finger on exactly why that is. We might not be aware of what we are losing in virtual space, like unspoken body language and understood addressing glances. So, In encourage you to make your group aware to this fact. This explanation can look very similar to what I wrote above.

   Regardless of how you feel. Make sure to be positive about this medium. If you are not happy or excited about virtual meetings your group will follow suit. Explain to your members, that while you recognize the obstacles, that you are certain that the medium will feel relatively seamless if you and you group decide to agree to follow certain guidelines.

    Delegate, Delegate, Delegate!

   Lay down your guidelines.

   Your guidelines are the new adaptive behaviors and virtual cues that you request of your members to keep a general rule of order in the meeting. You decide what this looks like as a moderator.

   For consideration, here is a list of some general guidelines that I apply and request to have followed in my group meetings:

   • When you are not speaking mute your mic. This keeps white noise at bay, it also helps in keeping members from speaking out of turn and over one another.

   • (Quick tip: In most platforms, it is also indicated when someone unmutes, and so you can use this as a moderating cue that someone wants to speak.)

   • Don’t speak over one another or interrupt one another. If someone is talking and you would like to make an interjection make it known by either lifting your hand so that the moderator can see you want to speak, and/or typing that you would like to follow up in the chat box.

   • As best, as you can let the moderator know you want to speak. Even if it is just by raising your hand. The moderator will make sure to be diligently watching your video feeds and the chat comments, so as to delegate conversation in a way that everyone has their turn to speak.

   • Examples:

     o   I saw your hand, Jane. Did you have something to add or a question?

     o   I saw your unmuted your mic, Tim. Did you have a question?

     o   I see your question in the chat, Kim. Did you want to expound on that?

     • Address one another by name. In general, when you are speaking, especially in response to someone, make sure to introduce your response by addressing that person. (e.g. “Jim, I like what you said. I have a clarifying question in response…). We don’t have the body cue of a turned head to know who is addressing whom. So just address one another by name.

     • Affirm one another. If someone said something really good, and you want to affirm it but don’t know how to translate that virtually, give a very animated and muted nod, and/or put it in the chat box. (e.g. “Yes, I definitely agree, Jane!”) 

Quick Tips:

Don’t be afraid to be a bit stern in the beginning. Making sure everyone is following your guidelines ensures a quality conversation for all your members. 

In the beginning, you may find some of your group members not abiding your guidelines. That’s okay, just make sure to swiftly correct them, remind them that following the guidelines ensures a quality conversation for all your members, and that you do not want anyone to feel out of place or like they are not being heard. Don’t be afraid to respectfully correct people.  

Example

“Hey Jim, thank you for your comments. However, Jane was speaking. Let’s agree to let people finish what they are saying before we speak. Remember, if you would like to respond, just give us a wave or shoot us a comment in the chat box, and we’ll make sure that you get your chance to speak after the person speaking.

FINAL COMMENTS

Technology is amazing. We are now able to connect with one another from all over the world! I know that even in this medium it can still feel a little disconnected, especially compared to the in-person meetings many of us prefer. Virtual meeting can feel a little foreign at first, but if you are conscious of the ways that the medium is different and find ways to adapt and accommodate to the differences, you will soon find yourself at ease and comfortable with Virtual Meetings. You may even find for yourself and your group other benefits utilizing this virtual medium, that you might not otherwise have in a more in-person setting.

When approaching Virtual Meetings: Be optimistic! If you are excited your group members will follow suit. Shared optimism among people, be it virtual or in-person, is what really ensures quality conversation.

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About Jelyn Leyva

A Second-generation Filipina born in Tampa, FL, Jelyn Leyva graduated Moody Bible Institute in Chicago on May 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Women in Ministry and an Interdisciplinary in Theology. She is currently in Los Angeles, CA pursuing an MDiv at Fuller Theological Seminary with her emphasis in Christian Ethics. Having lived in various places in the US, Jelyn’s interest lie in the complex history and multi-ethnic life of the Protestant Church in the US. Her hope is to serve this church and its many colors with the consideration of traditional and contemporary theological scholarship.

Cover Image

Job Leyva. March 2020. “Connecting in an Era of Social-Distancing”

For the Abuelas en el Barrio

This week many church leaders made the hard decision of going virtual these upcoming Sundays. More so, it was made clear through official statements made by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that we have not yet reached the height of medical or financial devastation in the US or the world. Many are getting the sense that things are going to get worse, before they get better.[1] Anxiety and fear are pervasive among our friends, family, and congregants.   

Only a short scroll through social media makes it appear that we as a country have lost a sense of cordiality and neighborliness. The videos of people stampeding over one another to grab rolls of toilet paper would seem comical, if not contrasted to the images of our elderly standing in a picked-over grocery aisle empty handed. In times like these the Church must ask: “How do we respond faithfully during this pandemic?”

Moving to a virtual format is a valuable first step, as it recognizes the need for “social distancing” to keep safe the most vulnerable of our communities. However, while this is a good first step, I would argue it is still simply just the first step of a potentially long journey. A good next step is to reflect on our society’s current actions and rhetoric and ask, “What do these tell us about how we understand our world”?

“Every Man for Himself” | Counteracting an Economy of Scarcity 

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.” ”

— Exodus 16:4

The sense of not having enough, or eventually coming to a place of not having enough is arguably what is driving the mania that has people flocking to the stores to buy items in bulk. The anxiety of not enough is a tell-tale sign of a culture that exists in an economy of scarcity. These mentalities and sensibilities don’t just happen overnight, they come from years of formation. Within Western culture, individuality is a virtue. It is good to look out for yourself. While this comes with benefits, like the ideals of democracy and of individual voice, it also comes with pitfalls.

The Christian faith has a history of counteracting the economy of scarcity. In the wilderness, the people of God had to submit to vulnerability, believing that God would provide day by day. And despite disproportionate collection, “some gathered much, some little,” (Ex. 16:17) God always made sure his people had enough. In fact, it was the hoarding of goods that produced rot (Ex. 16:20). Unlike the rest of the world, ours is an economy of enough.

If we are going to make it through this time, with some semblance of sanity and good-will, it is incumbent upon the Church to innovate and implement systems that counteract the current economy of scarcity. This could look as simple as encouraging your fellow congregants and friends to take only what they need to last them for the next two weeks at the stores, in order to reduce hysteria and defy this sentiment of scarcity.

We find that acting based on scarcity eventually produces scarcity. The economy of scarcity is a self-fulfilling prophecy. When individuals decide to take beyond their need, someone else suffers disproportionately. This is currently reflected by the desperate positions of many of our elderly.

“It’s okay, I’m low-risk.” | Learning How to Honor Lola

“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

— 1 Timothy 5:8

It has been made common knowledge that the most vulnerable of our communities in this time of pandemic are our elderly and those with pre-existing conditions (e.g. those with auto-immune disease, going through chemo, etc.). So, while it may not seem like the disease poses a significant threat to you or your immediate family unit, the same is not true for everyone in your congregation. We must ask ourselves always how we are actively seeking to honor everyone, especially the most vulnerable of us.

In the Filipino culture, it is very common for elderly family members to live among younger generations in the same household. Intergenerational contact is normative; one household could hold up to four generations. The idea of leaving Lola (Abuela) by herself or in a nursing home, is a relatively foreign concept. In addition to this, the elderly in your “barangay” or “barrio” are also met with a great deal of respect. Thus, the well-being of the elderly is naturally taken into consideration. Now, this does not mean that there is no anxiety of scarcity in Filipino/as, but in days like these I find myself reflecting on my culture. I am compelled to stop and consider the ways that my heritage teaches me how to love my community, especially the Lolas and the Lolos of them. 

When writing to Timothy, Paul makes a seemingly indicting statement that to not provide for relatives is paramount to denying the faith. This seems almost counterintuitive to the scarcity mentality that I just described, especially since many are hoarding with their families in mind. Keep in mind that the Biblical context was perhaps much more similar to intergenerational contexts, like that of the Philippines, and less like our Western, individualized contexts. In a Filipino culture, we would read this to apply to the most vulnerable in our family units. Therefore, every action we take during a communicable pandemic is taken with care and always takes into consideration our Lola and Lolo at home.

The Church can learn a valuable lesson from its Filipino members during this crisis. We must prioritize and give special care to not just our elderly, but our most vulnerable brothers and sisters. We must not operate based on an assumption that most of us are "low-risk," but rather keep in mind that among us there are thousands of people, seen and unseen, who are especially vulnerable to this illness. Because we are a body, a family, that includes people who are vulnerable, we are compelled to protect them with our actions as best we can. The Body of Christ must be conscious of every member, including our Lolas y Abuelas. As one Body our identity, and thus our “risk,” is always absorbed in the whole of our community.

What Does It Take to Be a Neighbor?

When the world is in crisis, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and lose sight of our immediate context.

In times like these, I almost feel like the lawmaker who asked Jesus the question, “Who is my neighbor?” This question, of course, inspired Jesus to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan. What I often forget is how economically prodigal or reckless the Samaritan Man was in response to the hurt stranger on the side of the road. He poured out oil and wine, expensive commodities, to address the man’s wounds, and he paid for the man’s accommodation and any other possible costs. The Samaritan was lavish in his care for a stranger. At the end, Jesus asked his initial inquisitor: “Which of these do you think was a neighbor[...]?”

To which the inquisitor answers, “The one who showed mercy.”

In truth, neighborliness finds its fullest expression when we not only consider the needs of the most vulnerable, but when we consider their needs more important than our own. Ministry at this time cannot simply end at accommodating a mandate of “social distancing,” it must venture on into neighborly acts.

Going virtual is a meaningful first step for many churches, but there is more work to be done. Many church leaders in my area have taken it upon themselves to mobilize the healthy and able in their churches to assist their most vulnerable. They have asked those in their congregations who are over 60+ and most at risk to contact them directly with a shopping list and have made plans to find shoppers for them during this time. This is an innovative way to counteract the anxiety of scarcity, create opportunities of intergenerational partnership, and actively pursue the act of neighborliness. The Church needs more innovative ideas such as these.

What are the ways that you can be a neighbor today for those who are most vulnerable? If you are already living out neighborliness, share them with us using #WOSNeighbor #forAbuela!

“Jesus asked: “Which of these do you think was a neighbor[...]?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who showed mercy.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.””

— Matthew 10:36-37

About Jelyn Leyva

A Second-generation Filipina born in Tampa, FL, Jelyn Leyva graduated Moody Bible Institute in Chicago on May 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Women in Ministry and an Interdisciplinary in Theology. She is currently in Los Angeles, CA pursuing an MDiv at Fuller Theological Seminary with her emphasis in Christian Ethics. Having lived in various places in the US, Jelyn’s interest lie in the complex history and multi-ethnic life of the Protestant Church in the US. Her hope is to serve this church and its many colors with the consideration of traditional and contemporary theological scholarship.

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Footnote

[1] “Coronavirus: Over 1,000 Cases Now In U.S., And ‘It’s Going To Get Worse,’ Fauci Says,” NPR.org, accessed March 19, 2020, https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/11/814460233/coronavirus-1-000-cases-now-in-u-s-and-it-s-going-to-get-worse-fauci-says.