My reflections over a bunch of banana fruit

After I attended the first day of recollection at The Feast Alabang in Filinvest Tent today, I went to the nearby  supermarket to find some food to eat. I was surprised to see that South Supermarket was open and the restaurants in there too. Upon seeing the number of people dining in, I decided to just go get some food to cook at the grocery for our dinner before going home.  I bought some salmon belly, kangkong and banana.

From South Supermarket, I walked to Alabang Town Center.

Look how beautiful the streets of Alabang when there are not much cars on it. Ang sarap maglakad di ba?

I was in front of Alabang Town Center, waiting for a ride home, when two young boys with tattered clothes and no slippers walked in front of me. They were talking about the DSWD office beside the waiting area.

Boy 1: Dyan nilalagay yung mga batang walang magulang
Boy 2: Buti na lang may magulang tayo

I was surprised that they are not orphans, because with how they look parang wala naman nag aasikaso sa kanila.

Then, they saw the banana fruit I’m holding.

Boy 1: Ate pwede makahingi ng saging
Me: sige
Boy 2: Ate ako din po, pwede makahingi
Me: sure

Boy 1 and Boy 2: salamat ate

while eating, I overheard them talking:
Boy 1: ang tagal ko nang hindi nakakain ng saging
Boy 2: ako din, ngayon lang ata ako nakatikim nito

Then my humble ride arrived after that.

On my way home, the faces of these 2 boys kept flashing in my head.  I am sharing to you my reflection on what happened:

1. DO NOT JUDGE – “who am I to judge”, that’s the exact word of Pope Francis. I am guilty with this. I am one of the few who are quick to judge. I judged those kids by their look. I even thought that they’re going to rob me or beg for money, but they didn’t do it. They showed me that they’re innocent and just trying to survive. They even said “thank you” after I gave them the banana.
2. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET – I was born poor and I am not ashamed of that. We don’t have our own house and have no valuables. I studied in a public school when I was in Elementary. I even sold food to the neighborhood and to my classmates to have extra income.  But my mom thought us to dream big and pursue something not for her but for ourselves. With the help of my mom, we were forced to change our mindset. We did not pity ourselves, instead we worked hard to have a better future. If only these kids will do the same, I know they’ll have a better future ahead of them.
3. BE MERCIFUL – As per Mother Teresa, be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness. I know being kind and giving trust to someone is hard especially in this deceitful kind of world. But we need to, we have to and just let God be our guide.
4.  FEED KIDS HEALTHY FOOD – Okay this one is not a religious kind of reflection. But I realized that when the boy said that it was his first time to eat banana it just reflects how expensive fruits are. These kids chose to buy junk food to make them feel full easily than the ones that are healthy. When I was a kid, I even prayed to be sick so that my mom will buy me some fruits and anything that I like. We parents, need to be aware and cautious of the food we feed our kids.

How about you, what are your reflections this Maundy Thursday?