by Gabriel J. Catanus

Recently, Filipinos around the world rejoiced as Sofronio Vasquez won NBC’s competition show “The Voice”. Born in Mindanao, Vasquez became the first Filipino and Asian contestant to win the coveted cash prize and record contract. Around the same time, Olivia Rodrigo performed before 55,000 fans in Manila, winning over her audience by offering tickets at an affordable rate. Upon returning to the States, the Filipina American pop star appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show, raving about her Filipino fans as gifted singers and lovers of good music. While Filipino artists gain increased media attention, more people are learning what we have long known about ourselves: wherever life and global migration take us, you will find us there singing.
As the church calendar moves from Advent into the Christmas season and towards Epiphany in early January, we are reminded that Luke’s gospel also begins with a series of memorable songs. And those who sing them do so in the face of imperial power. Mary’s song celebrates the scattering of the proud and humbling of the powerful, as the hungry are fed and the rich are sent away empty— all through the child who would grow up to be a different kind of king. Zechariah sings about the coming rescue from oppression. At the birth of Jesus, a choir of angels sings about the one who would bring about lasting peace, over and against the peace enforced by the Roman empire’s violence.
As a new year and presidential administration begin, let us relearn the songs that helped us to love ourselves, our lands, and each other. Let us teach the next generation to sing as we struggle together for the common good. And let us sing our songs of freedom, even while living and working in a strange land.

Gabriel J. Catanus (jaycatanus@gmail.com) is the Director of the Filipino American Ministry Initiative (FAMI) at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he teaches theology and ethics. He is also the pastor of Garden City Covenant Church, a congregation serving immigrant families and young professionals. He received his PhD from Loyola University in Chicago, where he lives with his wife and two children.
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