Two icons appear in my mind as I reflect on this topic: the burning bush and the incarnation of Jesus.
Last summer, I got the chance to learn Tagalog. It was a delightful experience which I also consider sacred. As Moses in front of the burning bush, I had to bear in mind that the language of others is a sacred one; I have to remove my sandals and put aside my biases to let myself be guided by God in learning it. Learning a language is not an easy experience. I remember that I spent my days reviewing materials, memorizing some words, and trying to speak with others, but the following day, I would not remember anything. Every day was a day of learning but also a day of discouragement. I waned because I thought that my efforts were in vain. Yet, I had to strive and strive more. When I had temptations to give up, I used to remember what the Lord said to Moses in the burning bush, "Go now, I will help you speak and teach you what to say." (Ex. 4: 12) This Biblical verse assured me that what I was doing was the will of God, and He would never let me down. That is what motivated me to keep giving the best of myself in learning. Sometimes my mind was overwhelmed by disheartening thoughts like: you're just wasting your time, or in only a month you cannot learn Tagalog, or you're in lockdown, you will not have the opportunity to talk to people, or you may not be assigned in this country for your mission, why then losing your time!?
When discouragement knocked on my door, I used to ask myself: why am I learning this language? And the simple answer was: because of love. I am learning Tagalog because I love Filipino, and love manifests itself in actions like speaking the language, eating the food, etc. If I do not learn Tagalog, I will close myself into my own world, thus putting in danger what our charism demands: Incarnation and solidarity. If love was one of the most significant motives of Jesus' incarnation, I wonder what else could make him abandon his divine estate to become human. When He came, he communicated with us using our human language; could he use a divine or high language, maybe none could have understood him.
Thus, learning a language has in itself a missionary goal. If I wish to share the gospel, I need to learn the language; if I wish to be in a relationship and understand the people I am serving, I need to communicate with them.
Another essential element I discovered while learning Tagalog is that it helps me widen my panorama and my way of thinking. In getting new concepts, I was challenged to put them into my horizon and to broaden it.
Learning a language is like learning a musical instrument: if you do not practice, either forget, or you don't improve. That is why in my personal project of life, I set aside a particular time in the week to review my lessons, and I guess I am improving little by little.
I have been endorsed and encouraged by many people in this process of learning Tagalog; they usually tell me: "bro, kaya mo yan." I am really grateful for that.
