December 25, 2005
Readings: Is 9: 1-3, 5-6: 'The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light!"
Psalm 95: "Ngayon ay isinilang, si Kristong Mananakop, sa ati'y isinilang, si Kristong Panginoon!"
Titus 2, 11-14 " ... teaching us to reject an irreligious way of life and of worldly greed, and to live in this world as responsible persons, upright and serving God."
Lc 2, 10 - 11 "Let this be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger..."
Dear Heavenly Father,
As I pray to YOU today, I give thanks and praises for all the wonderful blessings that YOU have generously bestowed on us each day especially our human lives.
But most importantly, I give thanks for your Special gift of Eternal Life. YOU so loved the world that YOU gave your only begotten Son, JESUS to redeem us of our original sin so that YOU could show the world of YOUR DIVINE and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE for mankind.
As we prepare for HIS arrival, I pray that YOU touch our hearts and enlighten our minds so that we could readily accept HIM in our lives and let HIM lead us the way to your kingdom. I wish and pray for love, peace and harmony in our hearts as we celebrate the coming of our Savior, JESUS CHRIST, Your GIFT OF LIFE. Thank you GOD for YOUR LOVE.
And for my final thoughts, this the essence of Christmas as I see it the way I see it:
Has anyone of you ever wondered why Jesus chose to be born on the "cold" season of the year?I've always wondered why but never got the answer until I opened up my heart to HIM and readily accepted HIM in my life. The reason as I see it is is because HE left to us the task of supplying the HEAT through the warmth of our LOVE and REMEMBRANCE. HE gave us the ULTIMATE GIFT OF LIFE which is our SALVATION so that we all could be reunited with our HEAVENLY FATHER.
But GOD'S love is FREE. It is only available to those who are ready to accept HIM into their lives and let HIM lead us the way to GOD's KINGDOM. And unless we open our eyes we cannot see the light, if we continue to close our ears we cannot hear the truth, and unless we open up our hearts and accept HIS LOVE, we cannot feel HIS presence in our lives.
And so is it going to be another "cold" Christmas for HIM? Would it be another season of confusion, when so many of us do not seem to know the answer to this question "CHRISTMAS, Whose 'mas'?"
Have a Truly meaningful Christmas to you all, GOD bless us all!
LOVE,
DEAH
Readings: Is 9: 1-3, 5-6: 'The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light!"
Psalm 95: "Ngayon ay isinilang, si Kristong Mananakop, sa ati'y isinilang, si Kristong Panginoon!"
Titus 2, 11-14 " ... teaching us to reject an irreligious way of life and of worldly greed, and to live in this world as responsible persons, upright and serving God."
Lc 2, 10 - 11 "Let this be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger..."
Dear Heavenly Father,
As I pray to YOU today, I give thanks and praises for all the wonderful blessings that YOU have generously bestowed on us each day especially our human lives.
But most importantly, I give thanks for your Special gift of Eternal Life. YOU so loved the world that YOU gave your only begotten Son, JESUS to redeem us of our original sin so that YOU could show the world of YOUR DIVINE and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE for mankind.
As we prepare for HIS arrival, I pray that YOU touch our hearts and enlighten our minds so that we could readily accept HIM in our lives and let HIM lead us the way to your kingdom. I wish and pray for love, peace and harmony in our hearts as we celebrate the coming of our Savior, JESUS CHRIST, Your GIFT OF LIFE. Thank you GOD for YOUR LOVE.
And for my final thoughts, this the essence of Christmas as I see it the way I see it:
Has anyone of you ever wondered why Jesus chose to be born on the "cold" season of the year?I've always wondered why but never got the answer until I opened up my heart to HIM and readily accepted HIM in my life. The reason as I see it is is because HE left to us the task of supplying the HEAT through the warmth of our LOVE and REMEMBRANCE. HE gave us the ULTIMATE GIFT OF LIFE which is our SALVATION so that we all could be reunited with our HEAVENLY FATHER.
But GOD'S love is FREE. It is only available to those who are ready to accept HIM into their lives and let HIM lead us the way to GOD's KINGDOM. And unless we open our eyes we cannot see the light, if we continue to close our ears we cannot hear the truth, and unless we open up our hearts and accept HIS LOVE, we cannot feel HIS presence in our lives.
And so is it going to be another "cold" Christmas for HIM? Would it be another season of confusion, when so many of us do not seem to know the answer to this question "CHRISTMAS, Whose 'mas'?"
Have a Truly meaningful Christmas to you all, GOD bless us all!
LOVE,
DEAH
Presence
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that through these years we have developed various ways of spending Christmas. And definitely the best among them is Christmas with the family.
What I have learned in a homily today is when God thought about Christmas, though he was thinking about the greatest thing in the world - our salvation, he did not have such elaborate planning or organization of institutions, committees or departments. He did not call on the greatest people in the world to organize the most prestigious celebration of all times. He did realize his plan not through elaborate formulae, but through a simple presence - the presence of a small poor child in a stable together with poor parents rejected to stay in an inn.
This is Christmas.
He did so because there are many presences in our surroundings today that resemble that first Christmas event - people who are living in the streets, those who are begging for food this Christmas, those who are deprived of justice and are languishing in jail, those in the hospitals, those who have lost their energy and vitality. Those people who are teaching us that in weakness there is real strength, these are the symbols of Christmas in these present times. In these people, Christ is present.
But that is just half of the story. The presence of Christ is also in those who give food to the hungry, or drink to the thirsty, of clothes to the naked, or home to the homeless, or presence to those in prison. If we can only instill these values to our children starting this Christmas till the next, then one presence can add to another one, and another generous presence, and we will see a world not suffering in poverty and injustice, but a world abounding in love and justice.
Christ's presence is there ... in all of us!
Merry Christmas!
Fr. Lito Jopson