Christmas - A Perspective

Christmas is not for the faint of heart;
Neither is it for the stout of mind;
It is for the humble man looking for an inn to rest;

Christmas is a time for levelling;
when mountains are made low and the valleys raised;
Where kings and paupers bow low before the manger;

Christmas is not a season of innocence;
It is a season of guilt;
To measure the grace of God given to us;

Christmas is not a time for others;
It is a time for the little child;
Before he dies and saves us from our sins;

Christmas is a season of hope;
And after experiencing hope;
To find faith and charity.

And as you ponder this season;
Do not forget the season's reason;
That God became man that man might become god.

Fare Thee Well

The King is dead. Long live the King!

My favorite action star is dead. No longer will I see new creations from him. I will always remember him in the films "Santo Domingo", "Alupihang Dagat", "Totoy Bato", "Panday" and a host of others.

The first time I saw his film was a period film where the climax was a relentless fencing spree that lasted like eternity. It was a film that was forever etched in my memory. It was then I realized that I will forever be hooked on Fernando Poe, Jr. He would be the measure upon which all others will be scaled. And all too often, in my subjective estimation, none could pass muster his charismatic presence, his empathetic stare and his pugilistic and fencing prowess. To my imagination, he was the great equalizer.

However, like all who believed that education was a key to good governance, I questioned the King's ability to govern had he become president. But his death unleashed all the anecdotal tales of his compassion, of his generosity towards the underprivileged, of his magnanimity towards the little people. Belatedly, I discovered that the degrees that he lacked were overshadowed by his compelling sincerity to serve others. Had it been known earlier, my vote would have been cast differently. Alas, hindsight is always 20/20. And we are all the poorer with this ignorance.

But what a way to go! A king who dies in his sleep is remembered but not so dramatically. A king who dies of old age is expectedly prepared. But a king who dies in sudden haste and at the prime of life will be remembered with passion. Think Rudolph Valentino. Think JFK. Their deaths were so sudden that their deaths alone become icons of passing history. To have died in a less dramatic way would have done injustice to this king. As gory as it may sound, there is glory in the manner of his dying. And for that, FPJ will be remembered even more fondly.

Mark Anthony asked: "Whence shall come another?" I do not know. Perhaps in the next generation, perhaps never. But I who have witnessed this King from a distance as a rabid movie fan and a student of Mass Communications, FPJ shall always be my one true king. My political and ideological affiliations be damned!

Fare thee well, FPJ! Your fearful trip is done! And now, let the portals of heaven welcome you, good and faithful servant! Rest eternal and rest in peace!

A Joyful Wait

When I was still in law school, a close female friend who happened to be a born again Christian approached me and worried about her future. One of the things that gloomily concerned her was that she had no boyfriend.

Now, this may seem trivial but anecdotally, it takes a long time for a female lawyer to get married because men are so intimidated by the professional degree they hold. Add to that was the fact that she was in her late twenties. So, as a fellow law student, I knew where she was coming from and it was no laughing matter.

After listening to her, I advised her that her expectation of a boyfriend should not be conducted in a gloomy and forlorn manner. As a born again Christian, she should wait joyfully as a Christian should. Apparently, the advice changed her disposition. She is now happily married and her husband is not even scared of her credentials.

We are now in the season of Advent. Awaiting for the coming of the Savior. But around us, we read the tragic devastating aftermath of the typhoon, the death of the King, the crippling debt of our country, the dire straits of our economy, and the rising pump prices. Amidst all these, is there still a room at the inn for our Savior?

The answer is a no-brainer. Of course. And in the words in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we "await in joyful hope" for the coming of our Savior. If that is so, let us look past the negatives and carry on an attitude of joyous optimism, of expectant faith, of the supreme confidence that everything will work for the good to those who love God.

The bad news will always be there. After all, we live in an imperfect world. Bad news can either make or break us. As Christians, we are called to overcome the bad with good deeds. We are called to live in the light in order to blot out the darkness of evil. In the same spirit therefore, let the coming of the Christ herald the godspell that awaits all of us. Let the spirit of glad tidings spread to those who are socially deprived, to those who are psychologically inflicted, to the physically disabled and most of all, to those who are near to us. That with the glad tidings will usher in a new spirit of peace and good will to all. Let us resolve to treat each other with charity.
These call to arms may sound good but will remain an empty platitude unless full measure is thrown to make it come to fruition.

And even as we await for the coming of Christmas, let us wait joyfully and expectantly, let us do the good works in blissful haste and let us eagerly pray for the ushering of the Kindgom. That all may be blessed and be blessed with good cheer!