Ronel Dela Cruz

Culture and Spirituality in the Margins: the Informal Sectors in the Philippines Ronel Dela Cruz

The spirituality of the people in the margins is a spirituality that is grounded in their lifeworld: their sense of place, sense of time, sense of body, and sense of self with others. As their narratives have shown us, such lifeworld is far from being ideal. It is a lifeworld marked by joys and sorrows, blessings and curse. Yet as this study reveals, such lifeworld is the ground of encounter with God and it is precisely this lifeworld that nurtures a spirituality that reveres life. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel?s once said, ?Just to be is a blessing, just to live is holy.? This sums up the whole exploration into the spirituality of the people in the margins. To live is holy is an affirmation of their lives marked by constant struggle to live, to seek liberation from poverty and death-dealing structures.