‘Cultured Ham’ celebration offers opportunity to share Christ’s love
By Josh Tng
VANCOUVER
Vancouver’s new Filipino ministry is challenging people to reach out to others by spreading the love of Christ this Christmas.
Deacon Greg Barcelon, the coordinator of the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s Filipino Ministry, came up with the idea of Hamon sa Pasko, or Christmas Challenge.
“(It) was an initiative that would not entail too much organization yet could be impactful,” said Deacon Barcelon, whose newly minted ministry is only 2 ½ months old.
Hamon sa Pasko is a play on the Filipino word hamon, which means “challenge” but also means cultured ham, a traditional Christmas meal in the Philippines. While families here might opt to eat turkey instead, “you can make this Christmas special by serving another ‘hamon’ of making real the love of Jesus,” the deacon said.
The initiative encourages all to engage in nine personal challenges of spiritual and corporal acts of mercy. “It’s all about incarnating the love of Jesus,” Deacon Barcelon said. “It is about focusing on doing acts of love so the world, which is so thirsty for love, can have an experience of what Christmas really means.”
Deacon Barcelon said the acts of love could be anything from attending daily Mass, to offering alms, or spending time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He also suggested completing the chosen acts of love nine times to imitate the traditional novena. “It’s a tradition, but it’s also a way to connect people who are reliant in God and surrendering their selves to God.”
Other ideas suggested by the Filipino Ministry include: sending nine Christmas greetings to out-of-touch friends or relatives; saying “I love you” to spouses, children, or grandchildren for nine days; reconciling with nine people; visiting nine elderly care homes; or taking nine days to volunteer in a church or a charitable institution.
For more information on the Christmas Challenge or to sign up, visit rcav.org/Filipino-ministry-hamon.
jtng@rcav.org
