During the yearly celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, I usually attend the mass of Msgr. Rudy Villanueva. Most of the people join the procession and are in Mabolo Church. The Mass is for those who for one reason or another had been unable to join the fiesta mass and go with the procession. As usual he gave a brief, beautiful homily.
He reminded us about the fourth centennial celebration of the Christianization of the Philippines, where Bishop Fulton Sheen was a special guest. He was surprised to find out that the Philippines with so many Catholics had for centuries remained the only Christian nation in Asia. Why was this not a contagious faith? I got provoked into really thinking about the quality of our faith.
Then Msgr. Rudy proceeded to tell us about many desperately trapped by the desire and pursuit of material things and shallow ambitions. Such panicky moves, he pointed out, arose from our fears. He then invited us to have the simplicity and faith of the “lilies in the field and the birds in the air” who are content with God’s love and care.
Pope Francis called to the youth: Be hopeful, open your heart to the surprises of God’s love, be joyful.
“Boses” is a beautiful film about fear, faith, hope, and love. The film opens with the arrest of an abusive father who had maltreated his son. Out of fear, the boy hid inside a cabinet. Onyok, the victim of child abuse, is brought to “Kanlungan” (the word can mean refuge in a warm embrace) a shelter for abused children, a place of hope, faith and love for those with fears, victims of the fearful. Here, Onyok encounters other children traumatized by varying experiences: witnessing the stabbing of one’s own father or the pain of rejection, being abandoned in the shelter, without any affectionate visits. The male “wounded” youngster responds to Onyok with teasing, even bullying, failing to understand Onyok’s fragility. The female youngster seeks connection, extends warmth, is full of informative talk sometimes to the point of being irritating. The place is supervised by a serene, loving woman.
Beside the Kanlungan is the house of this woman’s brother. The children think he’s crazy because of his horrible moods. He constantly plays the violin, and finds the children who come to listen bothersome. He even forbids them from coming.
When Onyok is once more teased by the bully, he responds with violence. Fearing the consequence of his action, he hides in a closet in the violinist’s house. The violinist protects him from those who searched for him. He lures the fearful child out with the violin. Thus began Onyok’s musical education which became his means of healing.
In the midst of all this, Onyok’s father comes to Kanlungan only partially healed from his stint in prison and rehabilitation to bring the boy “home”. Fiercely, he asserts his rights as father. Once more, the violinist protects the boy from impending violence, escaping with him.
Parallel to Onyok’s story we get glimpses of the violinist’s story. He had lost a loved one who was pushed into suicide because of his controlling behavior. He had been an exacting mentor. When Blanca succeeds and gets a scholarship, he asks her to let go of a child conceived at their celebration of her success.
In causing the unfolding of Onyok’s talent and healing, the violinist somehow recovers his humanity. They discover each other; find comfort in each other’s company and mutual affection. Through his relationship with Onyok, he becomes more open to Kanlungan, the children, and his sister. With this reintegration with the community, the violinist slowly learns to confront himself and accept himself. So Kanlungan was able to have a mini-concert with the people in the place, the children, Onyok’s father in the audience and the violinist, his friends, Onyok in performance.
Several aspects made viewing “Boses” an exceptionally heartwarming time for me. First, of all, there was the violin music. A friend in music told me that music is healing, especially violin music. So I have often searched for this music to give to friends and to enjoy listening. The visuals were very beautiful: the architecture of Kanlungan and the huge trees surrounding it were really lovely.
Revelations from the film were enlightening. Many males out of their fears and insecurities can be controlling and at times unknowingly inflict pain on their loved ones, we are reminded. Children exposed to violence, absorb the violence and learn to inflict this. But there are places and people for healing. Total acceptance balanced with discipline can be therapeutic. Even the victims can be challenged to transcend traumas; love and forgiveness can triumph over our worst fears.