Breaking through the wall of self-centeredness<br/><br/>

I attended a continuing education workshop organized by the Archdiocese of Toronto from October 17 to 20.  This year’s theme was, “Taking up the role as a pastor in a multicultural society”.<br/><br/>

Only half of the 800 priests serving in the Archdioceses or at other posts were born and raised in Canada.  The rest came from different ethnicities, with the majority being Filipinos. <br/><br/>

During a small group discussion, I shared with the group how I feel, “Due to the different languages spoken and cultural diversity, I sometimes feel isolated during these gatherings with the other religious people.”  One of the priests responded, saying, “I am a Canadian from day one.  At first glance, it may seem like I have a lot of friends sharing the same background as mine.  However, I do feel isolated at times too”.  He was not trying to console me, but wanted to grasp the opportunity to encourage all of us to do our part in harmonizing our society.<br/><br/>

To be honest, I don’t always feel that I’m being isolated.  However, I like to remind myself that if I wanted to mingle with the others, I need to initiate the conversation.  Socializing should start from me.