Sunday, January 13, 2008

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 2008

The Christmas season for 2007 ends with today's celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. Ordinary Time begins tomorrow, Monday. The color of the stole of the priest shall then be green, like the plants in all its ordinariness. Today's Sambuhay reflection shares something about odinariness, with the word "ordinary" often connoting common-ness, humdrum and routine, uneventful, the "nothing special season." And yet, come to think of this: even in the ordinariness of time and life, when in Christ, ordinary time is as well God's time, a time when God manifests His works of salvation. Everyday then is a day of salvation. Everyday is a day calling us to conversion, to deeper following of Christ. Fr. James Kroeger, M.M. mentioned Mother Teresa of Calcutta (our Living Saint who is now Blessed) saying "We cannot do great things; we can only do ordinary things with great love."

It is good to remember this thought of ordinariness as we celebrate the Feast of the Lord's Baptism. Like St. John the Baptist, I also asked the Lord in my prayer: "Why do you have to be baptized, cueing like the rest of the Jews asking for John's baptism? You were no sinner like them?" The answer that came into mind was this: "Look, by doing so, God is entering into the human history, into the human reality." Indeed, the human situation has become in Christ something altogether not to be rejected but valued and loved. God in Christ has deemed it worth His life to join and participate.

In fact, by having Himself baptized, Jesus showed how deeply He has entered the life of each one of us. Now we can say that God understands what we may be going on personally, each one of us. Talk of empathy: God in Christ can now be seen as Someone Who very much knows what we are going through because He himself has gone the way we went, except sinning. The mystery of the Incarnation has then become a stupendous fact, a reality we cannot altogether simply brush aside! God has become now in Christ a human person, capable of deep understanding of our plight as humans! Thus, calling on Him, letting Him know what we're at should not be a difficulty if only we are ready and willing to trust Him.

By having Himself baptized like the rest in St. John the Baptist's time, it became easy for Jesus to share with us His own baptism. In fact, as we remember that He was baptized Himself, we remember our own baptism too. He has us baptized into His own life: we have become like Him, a Child of God. Remember when St. Paul, then Saul, was confronted by Jesus on the former's road to Damascus? Jesus asked Saul, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting "me"? He did not say "Why are you persecuting the Christians? (as if they were any different from Him.)"Indeed, by our own baptism, Jesus identifies Himself in each one of us. The person beside you in Church or at the train or in work, when baptized is Jesus Himself! Wow! What a thought! A powerful one at that! We are indeed seeing in each baptized person Jesus Himself, having Jesus Himself right in him/her. The other, baptized as s/he is, is therefore worth our respect and adulation, service, and love. Each of us baptized has Jesus to defend us with His very life!

Herein lies our dignity and calling to mission. Like Christ, we too are called to share in the mission of Christ as mentioned in the First Reading: "...for the vistory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand: I formed you, and set you as covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness." (Is 42: 7)

Herein lies our mission: that doing our best, we may be Christ for today! As He has done His role to save us, so we are also to help in saving others, bringing others out of the darkness of ignorance, poverty, sin, and corruption! We who have been brought into the light are called to bring out into the light many more we know who are in the darkness of their lives.

Let us therefore heed this call, for as long as we live out our Christian life to the best that we can, in whatever situation we may be in, being faithful to Him, we may actually, before we even know it, bringing Christ into this world, God Who is with us everyday in the ordinariness of time.

God bless

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Give credit where credit is due

I forgot to specify the internet site where I got the GARMIN pics I used in the foregoing entry. Thanks to this site for giving me these pictures. You may go to it yourself for more information. Here it is:

The first pic was downloaded from this site: http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-3-5-Inch-Bluetooth-Portable-Navigator/dp/B000EXS1BS

The second pic was downloaded from here: http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-4-3-Inch-Widescreen-Bluetooth-Navigator/dp/B000H49LXQ

Thanks a lot to Amazon.com God bless

Two Parables of Life

Parable # 1: The GARMIN Parable



While I was in the U.S.A. last December, wherever I went (someone else was usually at the driver's seat), one thing I particularly liked was the GPS by the windshield. It looks like a Palm-V gadget. Here are two models for your view:


The black holder is simply attached to the windshield for the driver to have an easy and convenient look at the Garmin hanging on.

Here is another model which shows how handy this gadget can really be:

The words in the upper portion in green color tells you the direction you are to take. The highlighted portion where your see the car shows you the actualy road you're taking. The roads in different colors surround the road you're taking. The number on the lower left (in white background) gives you the estimated time of arrival at the destination, while the number in the lower right (also in white background) gives you the distance you are still to trek ahead to reach the area specified in the upper portion. Shortly before you reach the portion mentioned in the green area on the top, or when there is need for it, a voice over speaks "In .3 miles, keep left and take a left turn." Or in another manner, "In .4 miles, keep left and keep left..." One needs to program it though upon opening, specifying the terminal point we want to reach, and virtually inquiring the gadget to specify for us the way to take to reach our destination. Believe you me, it knows how to reach your chosen destination.

With GARMIN, it is fun driving the complicated highway system of the U.S.A.

However, on the first time I drove from Chicago to Florida, while passing through the highways of Kentucky, I missed the right exit. Suddenly I heard the word "Recalculating." GARMIN usually says this word when one takes the wrong road other than the one specified. The word actually means so, but sans the tension one feels at having done something wrong, or sans the pointing finger that accuses. It's a calm and relaxed voice, as steady as usual, alerting you that it is actually looking for a way to bring you back on track. Just follow what it will say and surely, in no time, you're back on the right track.

I call this "The GARMIN Parable" because it has told me the goodness of God: how He has been "Recalculating" for us everytime we swerve away from Him. If you look at the history of salvation, God has always done the Recalculating all throughout for us. Even when already in Christ, whenever we make the wrong turn, He specifies the right way back (through the sacrament of reconciliation perhaps, or maybe Scriptures, or mabe through a counselor) for us to stay on track.

Stick to Him then, and you won't be ever on the wrong track. For He shall bring us to eternal life, our ultimate destination which we can freely choose by His grace.

Parable # 2: THE PARABLE OF MY CATS SIM & MERLIN

I have two cats, Sim and Merlin, living with me in my room. Sim is the Grand Lady (in her Queen Tricolor), while Merlin is her youngest daughter (predominantly white). Merlin was returned to me after staying with a human family for two weeks. Since Sim would be alone after her last litter, I decided to keep Merlin when she was returned so at least Sim will have company to play with everyday.

Aren't they cute? Merlin is in front, as if to smell you. Sim, the Grand Lady is at Merlin's back, quite secure as she is.


Surprisingly, Merlin still behaves like her young self, sucking her mother's teets every now and then.


Just this morning, both were meowing to me. They usually do this to tell me that they need food. However, when I see their plate, there usually is something left, about 30 more pellets. They wouldn't touch this left-over, and I would usually pour these remaining pellets into another plate outside my room where Boxer's son usually comes and calls for his ration. Then I'd pour in new fresh pellets on their plate from where they eat.

This for me is Sim and Merlin's way of saying, "we have reserved that for the poor relatives outside."

Sim and Merlin may have knowledge that they have food forthcoming, and they always reserve something for the poor.

That's it: for us who have (more than) enough, it's always worth it to reserve something for the poor.