Gift Wraps

We are in the season of gift-giving and gift-receiving. Like our Christmas gifts, Jesus may come wrapped this Christmas. On the first Christmas, He came inside another person, His mother Mary. This Christmas, He may come inside another person, and the wrapping will not be impressive. We will be tempted to throw the package away, assuming nothing of value is inside. Like Joseph, we will be tempted 'to divorce her quietly' (Mt 1:19). In doing that, we will unknowingly divorce Jesus and therefore Christmas.

The innkeeper made the same mistake (Lk 2:7). The Messiah came in the package of a man and his teenage wife. The innkeeper wouldn't accept it. Jesus may come to us inside a poor man. He may come inside a person whom we dislike. Like the innkeeper, people often reject Him in these. He comes wrapped in a fetus in a mother's womb, but he is not allowed to be born by abortionists and free choice advocates; worst, as a fetus he becomes good only as a source for stem-cells being researched by the embryonic stem-cell advocates.

He may come wrapped in the Bible, but we see people who divorce themselves from the Bible and most people do not have time to read it.

We always hear messages saying that Christmas should be celebrated everyday. We are already doing that because Jesus always comes wrapped in the Holy Mass. That's why it's called Christ-Mass.

Let us be careful that we may not throw away a package with Jesus inside.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to all!!!

Ride on no more!

(Photo taken from: http://www.gmanews.tv/images/topstories/1217f.jpg )

As expected, the Prayer Rally that was spearheaded by the CBCP yesterday was attended by the opposition stalwarts including Former President Cory Aquino. The good thing is that the Church-based organizers of the prayer rally insisted on a rule not to allow politicians on the stage, not to allow politicians to speak and not to display banners and streamers that have political connotations. This is something new. I hope that all “Prayer Rallies” will be done in that way so as not to taint purely prayerful purpose. It is high time that a line be drawn between a prayer rally and a political rally. The Church has accommodated politicians for the sake of common cause and clamors in the past. But recent developments have shown that politicians of both sides of the political sphere try to court the Church’s nod on issues that pertain to leadership and governance in the Philippines. The CBCP’s reluctance to heed the oppositions’ call for President GMA’s resignation drew a hush among those who expect the Church to lead another EDSA. On the other hand, there are bishops who deviate from the official stand of the CBCP on such issues and chose to assert their “independence” as individual prelates. It is good that there are only about five of them. I have said in a previous article that such defiant and deviant stance of some bishops send wrong signals and cause confusion among the faithful. The CBCP is on the right track with the latest Prayer Rally it organized, but it must also dissuade its members from defying its official stance and pronouncements.

Let us pray for consistency.

Duped?

With the announcement of House Speaker Jose de Venecia that the house majority is now in favor of ConCon (constitutional convention) instead of con-ass as a means of changing the Philippine Constitution, it seems that those (almost all senators, the CBCP, El Shaddai, etc.) who have vocally expressed their opposition to the con-ass mode of charter change were duped. They did not foresee a plan C after a failed plan a (people’s initiative) and plan b (con-ass without the senate) which earned public outrage. Through plan c (constitutional convention), Charter Change advocates seem to say to those who were against con-ass, “Ok, so you like concon? Let's do concon!!!” By such cunning move, Jose de Venecia proved that he is the quintessential TRAPO master spinner- ever ready to do “areglo” on everything.

Will the CBCP no longer oppose Charter Change through a concon? It must be noted that in a strongly worded press statement entitled “Please. No to Con-Ass, yes to Con-Con” issued by the CBCP President Archbishop Lagdameo on December 5, 2006, the good archbishop said: “We continue to believe that major shifts in the form of government require widespread participation of civilian society, and relative serenity allowing national discussion and debate. This is best done through a Constitutional Convention (CON-CON) where the members are elected by the people precisely for the purpose of framing a new Constitution. We have many illustrious and credible non-politicians who can help frame a new Constitution. A CON-CON might be very expensive, but it is worth spending much for something that is good for the greatest number. And so we say: YES, TO CHA-CHA through CON-CON.” (to read the entire statement, click this: http://www.cbcponline.net/presidents/pleasenotoconassyestoconcon.html )

The question now is whether or not those who opposed the other modes of charter change and favor a constitutional convention are really true to their word or did they merely flaunt what they thought will never be accepted by the charter change proponents? Credibility is at stake here for the CBCP. Never mind the senators, they are all politicians. Never mind the El Shaddai and the Iglesia ni Kristo for they have lost credibility by being partisan all the time. Villanueva’s Jesus is Lord Movement will never be a factor (he could not even muster the solid vote of his members in the last presidential election).

Let us wait and see.

9th Sacerdotal Anniversary

I was ordained to the priesthood 9 years ago today. I did a sort of self-evaluation on how far have I gone on my priesthood last night. I realized that a lot of things have happened in my life as a priest. There were triumphs and there were setbacks…. There were moments of motivation and there were moments of rejection. There were challenges solved but there were more left unsolved. Amidst these contrasting experiences I can only thank the Lord for the gift of vocation. Today, the words of my mother when she was given the chance to talk on the day of my ordination (as it was customary in our diocese) reverberates in my hearing: “My dear son, today marks the attainment of your aspirations. You are now standing by the altar of the Lord. We share in your blissfulness on this day. Allow me then to give you some parental advice before you are plunged into the real world. You must not be engrossed about having reached the top because the priesthood entails leading and serving at the same time. The priesthood is not a career where the success is gauged by fame, wealth and gain. Look at this moment as the beginning, not the fulfillment, for it is in how you will serve that your success will be seen. Moreover, you should not claim the success- for this belongs to God whom you shall serve all your life as his instrument. Be faithful to your vocation.”

n.b. I celebrated my 9th year in the Priesthood with a Eucharist in one of the Grotto Chapels at the Basilica of St. Peter early this morning. With me was my ever kind and thoughtful friend- Fr. Freddie Billanes.