Surprising Grace

This is Part III of a reflection on what it means for me to be a young FCJ in today's world. Read Part I here and Part II here .  ***** 3. People of Our Time A short piece in the local newspaper about millennials and burnout caught my attention a few days ago. On doing further research I discovered the hypothesis made by some commentators that “millennials” suffer from a type of burnout specific to their generation. In a nutshell, this generation has – because of the expectations placed on them by society, and the prevalence of communications technology – internalized the idea that they must always be working, and that it is not enough just to be “average”, but they must always strive to be the best. As a result, they overcommit, work too much, are unable to relax without feeling guilty or thinking of what they should do next, and are more prone to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Whether or not I am a “millennial” at age 32 depends...

This is Part II of a reflection on what it means for me to be a young FCJ in today's world. Read Part I here and Part III here .  ***** 2. Bridging Cultures Growing up in Singapore has also given me an interesting vantage point from which to view our efforts at interculturality as FCJs. While geographically and historically part of Asia, Singapore society has been very much influenced by the West (with the strange result for example that my family always spoke English at home!). It is also culturally diverse, its population consisting largely of descendants of immigrants from different parts of Asia, bringing with them their different cultures and religions. In some sense, we bridged and appreciated the gifts of East and West. All this I took for granted growing up. My intentional adventures in interculturality, though, really started when I left home to join the FCJs in the Philippines. Little did I know how much pain there would be in letting go of the...

As someone living and working in another country and culture, I have become quite familiar with the experience of “difference”. Some days I hardly notice it, having lived, breathed and moved in its shadow for so long. But at other times it still impinges, unwelcome, upon my consciousness: when I walk into the lunchroom and don’t understand the conversation with its jokes and innuendoes; when I try to make awkward conversation in Tagalog with the lady I buy vegetables from; or when my opinions on how we should live together as community seem to conflict with those of others. The first few months of working in the place where I have my ministry now was an especially interesting experience. As a Singaporean with a background in law, newly venturing into research and advocacy on social issues in the Philippines with colleagues who were sociologists, I felt quite often like a fish out of water and unsure of myself. One day as I was relating this to a companion, she asked, “Well, what d...