My Christmas Message 2009: "Priceless To Him Who Loves Us"

It was December 25. The pastor went to the pulpit to give his Christmas homily. He pulled out a hundred peso bill and holding it up before the congregation, asked, "Who wants this Php100 bill?"

All hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this Php100 bill to one of you, but first, let me do this. He proceeded to crumple up the Php100 bill. He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," he said, “What if I do this?"

He dropped the bill on the floor and started to grind it on the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?” he asked

Still the hands went up into the air.

"My dear friends, we have just learned a very valuable lesson," the pastor said. Continuing, he said, "No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth Php100."

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground onto the dirt by the wrong decisions we make and the bad circumstances that come our way. We then feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him, our Lord and God, who loves you.

The real worth of our lives comes not in the circumstances that befall us, but by who we are and whose we are.

If we are in Christ, our Lord and Savior, we are God's beloved, regardless of whether we have become dirty and crumpled by the harsh circumstances of life. The Good News is that Christ, who is God, came to the world so that sinners, dirty and crumpled by sin, may be freed from their sins. And so goes the believers' most favorite passage in the Gospel, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life." And that, my friends, is the essence of the Christmas message.

Who are we? We are believers. To whom do we belong? We belong to God. This is our true worth. And so, even when we have become dirty and crumpled by the tribulations of this world, the Word of God says ---

Still we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Still we are children of God. Still we are branches of the true vine, which is Christ. Still we are chosen by Christ to bear his fruit. Still we are co-heirs of Christ.

Do you want to know more of who you are in Christ? You are a temple of God and his Holy Spirit dwells in you. You are a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. You are a citizen of heaven. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own.

And the greatest thing about who you are in Christ is that you will be like Christ when he returns in power and glory.

These are some of the spiritual traits that reflect our identity with Christ. These traits are guaranteed to us by the Word of God.

It is Christmas time. I trust this Christmas message and the hope it brings could in some way touch the hurting heart it speaks to. Yes, it is Christmas. It is a time to count our blessings and not our problems. Remember this: If God allows us to face a problem, it must be for a good purpose in His divine plan. And remember this, too: Noah and his sons were ordinary workmen, but working under the guidance and power of God and His divine purpose, they built the ark that, although buffeted by strong wind and heavy rain, did not sink even when every thing else in the world went under water during the Great Flood. On the other hand, the Titanic was built by professional ship builders and yet, when it hit an iceberg, it sank in the freezing waters of the Atlantic Ocean. If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it. And this is because you are in Christ and you’re the Father’s beloved. That, my friends, is your true worth.

I wish you all a Blessed Christmas.

Love Never Fails
(Advice to Newlyweds)

Almost every marriage starts out as a huge celebration. Together with their family and friends, each couple is full of hopes and dreams for their future life together. But the road to a happy marriage is far from easy. My advice to you is a paraphrase of St. Paul's teaching on the virtue of love, which I would like to apply, in particular, to marriage. My hope and prayer is that you will find it useful in completing your journey to a happy and durable marriage.

If you give away everything you own to your spouse, and if you hand over your body to him or her so that you may boast, but do not have love for your spouse --- you gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous. Love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude.

Love does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury.

Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing that you may inflict on your spouse.

Love bears all things, hopes all things and endures all things for the sake of the marriage.

Love never fails.

The matrimonial duties of mutual fidelity, faithfulness, respect, care, help and support are founded on the fundamental duty of mutual love. No marriage can survive without love. St. Paul said that the greatest supernatural gift that God has given us is love. In the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, God gives you the supernatural grace that empowers you to fulfill your marital obligations towards each other. It is therefore important that, as husband and wife, you should invite God to direct your relationship. If you would like to do so, I encourage you to pray the following:

"Dear God, thank you so much for bringing us together as a couple. We know that you have a plan and a purpose for our marriage, and we pray that you forgive us for our past self-centeredness. We invite you, O God, to come into our lives, enrich our relationship with your grace and shine your light on our steps from now on. Please give us the strength to put you first in all decisions we will make now and in the future. We pray that you bless our marriage so that it will be a blessing to the children you will give us, to our relatives and our friends. By your grace, O God, let our marriage give glory to your most Holy Name. Amen."

God bless and keep you always.

Grandpa’s Letter to Patricia on her 18^th Birthday

Dear Patricia:

When you were a baby, Grandma and I used to carry you in our arms. You were then too young to talk, so we had to learn how to baby talk so we could baby talk to you.

When you grew up from a baby to a little girl, you used to come to our bedroom to play with your doll. Your favorite place was a corner in the bedroom where you would sit down on the floor and carry on monologue conversation with your doll and an imaginary friend.

Then you grew from a little girl to a school girl. The most memorable thing I can remember of those days was that you used to sleep in our bedroom. You slept in the big sofa and I remember you would say a prayer before going to sleep. And this went on until one day you grew bigger and the sofa became too small for you to sleep on. So it was time for you sleep on your own bed in your parents’ bedroom.

Time has passed so fast. It seems it was only yesterday when you were just a kid. And now you are celebrating your 18^th birthday! You are now a young adult, a beautiful young lady.

At 18, you are of legal age. You have the capacity to enter into contracts. You are qualified to vote. I have a gut feeling that very soon there will be young men courting you. And, as nature has it, soon you will fall in love. But let me remind you that as you enter adulthood, you will encounter many challenges in your life as you journey along. A word of advice from Grandpa might help you face those challenges.

1. Use the Word of God as a principal guide for living, rather than the culture of modernism, feminist movements or peer pressure. Study God’s Word faithfully so that you may be instructed in the way to righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)

2. Keep away from friends who are a bad influence on you, and surround yourself with friends who will encourage you in godliness. Cast out any outside corrupting influences, such as movies, TV shows and other activities with no moral redeeming value.

3. I encourage you to strengthen your relationships with your family members. Your relationship with your family should be the most important relationship to you, second only your relationship with the Lord. The members of your family should be your best friends; hence, make the most of the time that the Lord has allowed you to be with them. Be an encouraging and inspiring example to your younger sisters. Love, honor and respect your father and your mother so that it may be well with you (Exodus 20:12).

4. Cultivate a deeper and honoring relationship with your father and mother, in word and deed (Sirach 3:1-4, 8). Confide in them, pray for them and let them know that you are behind them so that they may become even greater parents.

5. Clothe yourself with the godly quality of a quiet and gentle spirit, which is precious in the eyes of God. Let it blossom in the inside and shine through the outside. A lady is one who acts more gracious, keeps her dignity, and her manner and voice are gentle and quiet.

6. Do not be a compromiser on moral issues. Remember, we are in the midst of a spiritual warfare. When you compromise on moral issues, you lose the battle. Win the battles for Christ, your Lord and Savior, by fighting his battles in his way.

7. Your parents are active members of the St. James Parish Renewal Movement. I encourage you to join the youth group of this renewal movement. It is important that you fellowship with young Christian men and women who are committed to the Lord. They will be a good influence on you.

8. You are a college student, focus on your studies. Do not get seriously involved in any love relationship because it will only distract you from your studies. I earnestly hope to see you graduate from medical school.

9. Someday, after you have completed your college education and have become a doctor, you will seriously think of getting married. In anticipation of that future event, preserve yourself by remaining pure physically, emotionally and mentally. Prepare yourself to become a worthy bride for a godly man.

10. Finally, Proverbs 3:5-6 is a good Scripture for you if you want to get inspired directions from the Lord: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."

Grandma joints me in wishing you a happy birthday. May the Lord bless and keep you always. Amen.

I love you.

Grandpa

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Core Message The core message underlying the Moral Renewal Movement that I am advocating may be stated as follows. A. Reconciliation and Moral Values Historically, the Philippines is a nation with high moral values. This is expressed, in part, by how our people were united and determined to fight against the excesses of foreign colonizers. After we became an independent nation, we had insurgency problems with the Hukbalahap and the Communist Party of the Philippines in the 1950s and 1960s. The insurgency was actually an arm struggle of the peasants and the proletariat classes against the landed and the capitalists classes for a more meaningful social justice. We dealt with the insurgency problem with commendable success initially by police action, then followed by peace negotiation and reconciliation and finally by President Magsaysay’s land for the landless program. The repressive Martial Law era from 1972 to 1986 resuscitated the Communist Party of the Philippines with its armed component, the NPA, in Luzon and the Visayas; while a rebellion by the Moro Liberation Army under Nur Misuari broke out in Southern Mindanao. After the ouster of the dictator, President Corazon Aquino and President Ramos both undertook in earnest negotiations with the leaders of the insurgents with the end in view of achieving lasting peace. Leaders of the Communist Party were released from detention by order of President Aquino; while Misuari and his army of rebels surrendered and were later integrated into the Arm Forces of the Philippines. Misuari himself was later elected governor of the Mindanao Autonomous Region. With the dismantling of the Moro Liberation Army and with the failure of the national government to address the grievances of the Moslems in southern Mindanao, a new group of insurgents, the MILF, took up arms for the avowed purpose of establishing an independent Moslem state of Mindanao. The armed struggle continues to this day, although there are on-and-off peace negotiations between the government and the rebels. These experiences have taught us to understand the root cause of the insurgency problem of our country and the imperative need to resolve the problem through peaceful negotiation and reconciliation and implementing a meaningful social justice the common good, particularly for the benefit of the poor and the marginalized. For it is not good for Filipinos to be killing Filipinos. The process of reconciliation and nation building, across cultural, ethnic, religious and political lines, underlines the moral character of the Filipino nation. B. Moral Renewal The Constitution of the Republic of Philippines provides a framework for the realization of this country’s moral values. All Filipinos can play their part in promoting national morals and values. Although the underlying principle of the crusade is moral values, it is not just the religious institutions that are called to promote and uphold these values. The contribution of citizens in the crusade for moral renewal is necessary and should be encouraged. C. Sustaining Moral Communities The building of moral communities is a necessary requirement for the fight against immoral behavior in our communities and public institutions. We need to build vigilant communities which can identify potential acts of immoral behavior in government and in private institutions and refer these to legitimate institutions with a mandate to deal with such issues.