This afternoon near Quiapo Church, I met the woman from TikTok—the one selling eco bags beside her cat. In the viral clip, she looked broken, sitting by a gutter with sorrow written across her face. But what I saw was different: she smiled. She handed me a bag worth ₱20 and proudly introduced her cat like a long-time friend.
That simple smile, in the middle of Manila’s chaos, humbled me more than any polished speech could.
It made me think of how Jesus responded to the hemorrhaging woman. She didn’t wait for Jesus to notice her—she reached out, trembling, with faith. And He felt it.
Before preaching, before teaching, before healing—Jesus witnessed faith in action. He responded to those who dared to hope in silence.
But today, in our society, many speak with volume yet lack substance. They talk of justice, leadership, vocation—even mission—but it’s all staged. All for style, not soul.
Where were their voices when our brothers and sisters in Bugsuk, Palawan were robbed of their ancestral lands by decades of injustice?
Where were their words when EJK victims fell one by one, silenced, without trial, without dignity?
Where are their hearts when mothers weep, farmers are displaced, and children grow up afraid of men in power?
We live in a time where some people talk as if they know everything—because they read, or studied, or are followed online. But knowing facts is not wisdom. Real understanding begins when we walk with those who suffer, when we stop performing and start accompanying.
Jesus did not show off. He walked. He wept. He watched faith rise in the most unlikely people—widows, lepers, outcasts, bleeding women—and He responded not with fame, but with compassion.
The TikTok lady reminded me: those who live the hardest lives often preach the greatest sermons—not with words, but with presence, resilience, and hope.
To inspire the youth today, don’t just give them style. Give them heart.
Don’t just talk about Jesus. Walk like Him.
Because in the end, truth is not loud. It’s faithful.
Justice is not trendy. It’s consistent.
And love—real love—is never for show.
—Leonard A. Francisco
Assistant, Content Creator,
Society of Jesus’ Social Apostolate
Currently under regency while pursuing theological and masteral studies at the Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University
Society of Jesus' social apostolate 